UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE In Cooperation with the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1421 Washington, D. C. October, 1926 AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF IRRIGATED FARMING IN TWIN FALLS COUNTY, IDAHO By BYRON HUNTER, Associate Agricultural Economist, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, and SAMUEL B. NUCKOLS, Associate Agronomist, Bureau of Plant Industry Farmers of southern Idaho are constantly confronting the problems of what and how much to produce, how to produce it and how to dispose of the products to advantage. These problems are especially perplexing in the irrigated districts, because of the wide range of crops and livestock enterprises from which the farmers must choose in the organization and management of their farms and because of the constant changing of the prices of farm products. The investigation reported in the following pages was undertaken to obtain data that would be helpful in making these decisions. The economic importance to Idaho of studies of this character is indicated by the rapid growth of irrigated farming within the State This investigation was conducted cooperatively by the Division of Farm Management of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics and the Office of Sugar Plants of the Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture, and the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. The authors wish to thank for their assistance in the collecting of the field data, L. C. Acher, N. S. Wight, C. C. Taylor, F. H. Shelledy, R. Bristol, R. R. Rowell, L. N. Wilson, W. E. Schmid, A. K. Larson, H. B. Pingrey, and V. Brothers. The thanks of the authors and the departments making this study are extended also to the farmers from whom records were obtained and to others who helped to make the study possible by their hearty cooperation. 96514-26--1 during the last quarter of a century as well as by the possibility of further growth in the future. In round figures the irrigated area of the State increased from 609,000 acres in 1900 to 2,489,000 acres in 1920 (figs. 1 and 2). Of the total acreage of improved land in FIG. 1.-A large portion of the State of Idaho is rough and mountainous. Of the total farms, 55 per cent was irrigated in 1920. In addition there still remain large areas of arid sagebrush land that is well adapted to irrigated farming, for which water will doubtless be provided in the future. The information presented herewith should be of special interest (1) to the farmers of the Twin Falls south side irrigation project, where the study was made; (2) to the farmers of other irrigated dis FIG. 2.-Approximate location and extent of irrigated land. The irrigated districts are located along the streams where water can be placed on the land most economically. Of the total acreage of improved land of the State, 55 per cent was irrigated in 1919. (From the Fourteenth Census of the United States Bureau of the Census) tricts having soil and climatic conditions similar to those of the district studied; and (3) to the settlers who undertake to develop farms in new irrigated districts in the future. SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION The investigation covered a four-year period, 1919 to 1922 inclusive. It included (1) a study of the agricultural development and readjustments of the Twin Falls south side project, (2) a business analysis of the farms studied during each of the years 1919-1922, (3) the cost of producing each of the seven primary crops grown in 1919, 1920, and 1921, and (4) the average cost of keeping work horses and the cost of horse labor per hour in 1921. The information was obtained by the survey method. In 1919, 230 farm-survey records were obtained, 216 in 1920, 215 in 1921, and 87 in 1922. Because of their incompleteness, inaccuracy, or because of certain unusual features of farm practices or type of farming, several of the records obtained have not been used. During the three years that cost of crop production studies were conducted a total of 233 usable records were obtained for wheat, 184 for alfalfa, 122 for sugar beets, 120 for potatoes, 120 for beans, 97 for red clover seed, and 30 for alsike clover seed. In 1921, 151 records were obtained showing the yearly cost of keeping work horses on these farms. An attempt was made to obtain records from the same farms each year so that a continuous study might be made of individual farms, but this was made impracticable because of the frequent changing of farm operators and changes in the size of the farms, owing to sales of farms, leasing of additional land by some operators and the changing of tenants. THE DISTRICT STUDIED The district studied is located in Twin Falls County near the center of the Twin Falls south side irrigation project (fig. 2). The farms visited are all within 10 miles of the city of Twin Falls and all of them are below the high line irrigation canal. The average elevation of the area is approximately 3,800 feet. The Twin Falls south side irrigation project as a whole is a very uniform body of land. In round numbers about 203,000 acres are under irrigation. The topography varies from nearly level to undulating and gently rolling. In places there are some steep slopes. Practically the entire project is well drained and but few localities have become seeped. Probably because of the undulating and sloping nature of the land the furrow system of irrigating has come into almost universal use. The soil of the project is also remarkably uniform. There are but few types of soil, most of which are silt loams. One of these, the Portneuf silt loam, occupies from 90 to 95 per cent of the area. of the project. There are two phases of this type-the shallow and the deep. The deep strongly predominates. The shallow phase occurs where the solid rock or hardpan is found 3 feet or less below the surface, and the other where the surface soil is deeper than 3 feet. This soil is well supplied with lime, potash, and phosphorus. Like most arid soils, however, it is rather low in organic matter and nitrogen. 1 For a discussion of the geography and geology of this region see Bulletin No. 199, U. S. Geological Sur. vey: Geology and Water Resources of the Snake River Plains of Idaho. 2 For a discussion of the soils of the district studied see Advance Sheets-Field Operations, Bureau of Soils, 1921: Soil Survey of the Twin Falls Area, Idaho. The monthly precipitation for the four years of this study and the normal monthly precipitation are shown in Figure 3. The district has the characteristic inter-mountain type of rainfall-very dry summers and wet winters. The average monthly precipitation of July and August is less than 0.5 of an inch and that of June, September, and October is less than an inch. Table 1 presents the general climatic conditions of the district. On the average there are but 76 rainy days (days having at least 0.01 of an inch of precipitation) during the year. Six of these rainy days fall in June, 3 in July, 2 in August, 4 in September, and 5 in October. Fair NORMAL MONTHLY AND MONTHLY PRECIPITATION AT TWIN FALLS, IDAHO J. F. M. A. M. J. J. A. SO N. D. J F M A M J J A S O N D. FIG. 3.-This district has the Pacific type of rainfall, dry summers and wet winters. During the years 1919, 1920, and 1921, the monthly precipitation varied greatly from the normal. (Compiled from reports of the Weather Bureau) weather, therefore, usually prevails when most of the crops are being harvested. In 1920, however, there were 14 rainy days in September, 12 in October, and 12 in November. This caused considerable damage to the bean crop and the third cutting of alfalfa. The length of the frost-free period, as seen from Table 1, is about 129 days. Because of the variations in the dates of the last killing frost in the spring and the first in the fall, crops may be damaged by low temperature at either end of the growing season. Occasionally hail storms sweep across the country and do more or less damage where they strike. |