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Pastureland: Land usually dominated by grasses that is primarily grazed by livestock is <br />• considered pastureland. Occasional mechanical harvest may occur at times during the growing <br />season to utilize excess growth. Fields are sustained in permanent grass, or graaallegume mix <br />indefinitely. The level of management is less than hayland, and pasturelands are rarely disturbed <br />with tillage due to poor soil conditions such as shallow teas, excessive numbers of rocks, <br />steepness, high water tables, etc. <br />The important thing to remember IS that cropland and hayland arc usually established on the <br />better soils; those soils that are deep (at a minimum, three to four tbet to bedrock), well drained, <br />reasomebly level and on moderate slopes, and containing few rocks. In the San Miguel Soil <br />Survey area, the United States Depsrunent of Agriculture has identified soils that meet certain <br />criteria as "Prime Farmland." The following and map units from the San Miguel Soil Survey are <br />considered Prime Farmland (if irrigated) and may be found in the vicinity of the New Horizon <br />Mine #2: <br />Mao Svmbol Fn w.,"" <br />1 <br />Ada b <br />1 to 3 ant sl <br />2 <br />Abm loam <br />3 to 6 percent shines <br />14 <br />Barr fine sandy <br />loan% 1 to 3 percent slopes <br />15 <br />1 Barx fine sandy <br />loam, 3 to 6 percent slopes <br />Some producers in the area grow straight alfalfa hay as a cash crop orto feed to their livestock in <br />the winter. The advantage of straight alfalfa hay is that it is very high protein forage for <br />livestock. This is an intensively managed crop and is usually grown on one the above mentioned <br />"Prime Farmland" soils. <br />• Prior to planting alfalfa the soil is well prepared. This will involve tillage, land leveling, rock <br />picking, weed control, fertilizing, etc In the spring the alfalfa crop is planted, normally with a <br />companion crop of oats, and irrigated well. In the Nucla area, with good management, alfalfa <br />will persist and produce well for seven to ten years, after which production usually declines due <br />to ire natural increase of grass and weed con4xlitio% Its a common husbandry practice for <br />producers to then plow under the alfalfa and plant small grains (and possibly coin) for a year or <br />two before replanting alfalfa (Alfalfa produces an autoto)icity that prevents interseedmg alfalfa <br />into alfalfa, or following an alfalfa crop immediately with another alfalfa crop, which is why <br />smell grains are included in the crop rotation). <br />The bottom line here is that a clear distinction needs to be made between true <br />"Cropland/Hayland" and "Pastureland." Yes, it is common in the Nucla am for many fields <br />dominated by grass to be hayed in early surmrer, followed by livestock grazing of regrowth <br />later in the year, so the hoes seem to blur. But those fields that are actively managed for hay <br />and/or crop production need to be recognized for their unique value as "Cropland," and <br />preserved, or reclaimed, as such. <br />Page 7. <br />A recommended time to seed both dryland and irrigated land in our area is July 15 — Sept. 15, <br />due to the benefit of the monsoonal rains that commonly occur. <br />--cJ rU <br />• <br />PR -06 Oct 09 2.05.4(2)(e) -16 <br />