Salt River Indian Irrigation Project Expansion: Statement of Paul J. Smith, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community Council, Arizona: Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations, FY75, Part 3


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Source: 74th Congress, Senate, Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations, FY75, Part 3

Salt River Indian Irrigation Project Expansion

Statement of Paul J. Smith, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community Council, Arizona: Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations, FY75, Part 3

Agricultural Development

Senator Stevens. Mr. Smith, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Council.

Mr. Smith. Mr. Chairman, I am Paul Smith, President of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Arizona. The community and heirs of allottees share approximately 50,000 acres, 30,000 of which are suspectible to agricultural development approximately 15,000 of which are developed.

Our community is surrounded by the urban Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Fountain Hills market of over one million persons. We have fertile soils, dependable water rights, and a readily available labor force. In 1973 half of the top six sugar beet fields in Maricopa County were grown on our land. We grew 500 to 600 cartons of lettuce per acre, spring and fall, averaged two bales of cotton, 3,000 to 7,000 pounds of grain, 5.6 tons of alfalfa and grew as high as 40 tons of ensilage per acre. We submit 1971, 1972, and 1973 crop reports for your review as well as a bar graph on 1967–73 production value.

We Pimas have always been agrarian and in the foresight of our current generation we planned to develop the additional 15,000 acres and rehabilitate the existing 15,000 acres so as to continue our present productivity and conserve our water resources.

At present, we consume 6.21 acre foot of water per acre farmed as contrasted with the State of Arizona's average of 4.59 acre-foot per acre farmed. This high water use is due to double cropping of the farmland. In 1973, the average gross production of all crops grown was $541 per acre. The Salt River Indian Irrigation Project is self-supportive and appropriated moneys are not budgeted.

The rehabilitation program cost is estimated at $2 million and the construction cost is estimated at $8.7 million. We plan to complete the rehabilitation program over a period of 10 years so as not to interfere with the income. The development of the additional 15,000 acres is planned over a 5-year period. Rent income to landowners presently exceeds $600,000. Gross income from farmland is almost $9 million. The new development will more than double our present agricultural income and as we become more involved in our own economies, the benefits will quadruple.

You have generously provided $190,000 in the tentative 1975 budget for one-tenth of the estimated rehabilitative costs of $2 million. This we appreciate. We have generated momentum in our total program, we have immediate demands for the use of new land and since we have now developed our own capability of earthmoving, we ask your indulgence in the supplemental appropriation of $2,300,000 to:

One, develop 2,000 acres, 1,358 acres of which was commenced in 1918, but never completed, never farmed. This will form the basis for a citrus industry in our community. Development will be commenced early in the fiscal year and will cost approximately $1,170,000.

Two, develop another 2,000 acres for general agriculture on allotted lands. This will be commenced toward the middle of the year as agreement of the landowners will need to be formalized. The approximate cost is $1,050,000.

And, three, commence development of a 100-acre tract of citrus with 2 to 3 years old planting. The funds requested will be used to clear and level 4,000 acres, line 50 miles of ditches, drill and equip 21 wells for citrus development and engineering.

Your approval will enhance our agricultural capability, which is our major source of income. We have prepared some graphs and other data, but in the interest of time copies of these graphs are attached to the information I supplied you. We are prepared to submit additional data of the figures that you request.

Senator Stevens. We will include the attachments in the record.

[The information follows:]

SALT RIVER RESERVATION CROP REPORT 1971
TOTAL TOTAL
CROP UNITS ACRES YIELD VALUE
Fall Lettuce Carton 1,570 942,000 $ 4,710,000
Spring Lettuce Carton 2,131 1,172,050 2,930,125
Cotton S/S Bale 3,423 5,649 1,384,003
Cotton L/S Bale 543 214 60,990
Barley Bu. 2,087 158,612 212,540
Watermelons CWT 200 35,000 127,050
Wheat Bu. 1,182 80,376 138,247
Sweet Potatoes CWT 151 9,060 76,557
Potatoes CWT 122 34,160 93,598
Grain Sorghum Bu. 470 34,310 45,289
Pasture Ac 547 547 45,290
Onions CWT 45 17,100 55,917
Cantaloupe Crate 5 500 2,000
Silage Ton 36 2,520 10,080
Alfalfa Ton 711 1,351 41,471
Sudan Ton 147 73.5 1,249
Garden Ac 10 10 1,250
Totals 13,380 $ 9,935,656
Average value per acre of crop $ 743
Acres doublecropped 2,425
Acres of land 10,955
Average value per acre of land $ 910

TOTAL TOTAL
CROP UNITS ACRES YIELD VALUE
Fall Lettuce Carton 1,495 835,705 $ 2,507,115
Spring Lettuce Carton 2,350 1,260,480 2,394,912
Cotton S/S Bale 1,489 3,352 846,427
Cotton L/S Bale 31 31 8,448
Barley Bu. 1,626 120,324 181,689
Watermelons CWT 188 60,536 170,704
Wheat CWT 2,109 128,548 353,557
Grain Sorghum CWT 2,720 121,680 337,037
Onions CWT 147 83,208 399,331
Ensilage Ton 527 16,337 98,022
Alfalfa Ton 330 1,770 56,613
Sugar Beets Ton 301 7,525 97,825
Sugar Beet Seed Ton 55 50 18,018
Pasture Acres 599 53,979
Garden Acres 5 625
Totals 13,972 $ 7,524,302
Average value per acre of crop $ 539
Acres doublecropped 3,533
Acres of land 10,439
Average value per acre of land $ 721

TOTAL TOTAL
CROP UNITS ACRES YIELD VALUES
Fall Lattuce Carton 1,836 890,460 $ 1,602,828
Spring Lattuce Carton 2,216 709,120 2,411,008
Cotton S/S Bale 1,130 2,656 926,944
Cotton L/S Bale 110 82.5 56,100
Barley CWT 1,091 32,730 122,737
Wheat CWT 3,169 108,390 433,560
Grain Sorghum CWT 1,790 86,187 366,295
Watermelons CWT 98 20,384 61,152
Onions CWT 284 136,400 1,009,360
Sugar Beets Ton 1,382 36,762 631,571
Sugar Beet Seed Lb. 50 160,000 28,800
Alfalfa Ton 532 3,106 124,240
Alfalfa Grain Hay Ton 191 955 37,245
Ensilage Ton 583 11,660 81,620
Pasture Acre 186 26,400
Potatoes CWT 65 9,750 43,875
Garden Acre 5 625
Totals 14,718 $ 7,964,360
Average value per acre of crop $ 541
Acres doublecropped 3,707
Acres of land 11,011
Average value per acre of land $ 723

GROSS VALUE OF CROPS GROWN ON THE SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY

GROSS VALUE OF CROPS/ACRE OF CROPLAND

SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY

SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY

SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY

SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY

Senator Stevens. Thank you very much, Mr. Smith. I looked over the attachments. We are familiar with the Salt River project. It is one of the earliest we have had. I am interested in one thing. You say gross income from farmland is almost $9 million, and new development will more than double the agricultural income, of these 15,000 acres. If that is so, why do you need the additional money?

Mr. Smith. The 15,000 acres is presently developed at $9 million, including 15,000 acres we are farming now. The additional money is to rehabilitate that 15,000, in addition to that to develop an additional 15,000 acres, for a total of 30,000 developed acres.

Senator Stevens. From what I know about irrigation projects, it seems that you have a very high income per acre right now. What I am asking is why isn't the project income sufficient to finance the expansion and rehabilitation?

Mr. Smith. Most of the lands that we are farming are not fully developed. A big portion of that $9 million goes to payment of leasing of land from our community members by the farmers. About one-third of that $9 million goes itno the payment of the O. & M. charges, in developing lands that are not fully developed. The remaining portion, of course, is operating expenses for the farmer; $9 million is for growth.

Senator Stevens. You mean the project pays the farmer for the rent of his land that he farms?

Mr. Smith. The farm enterprise that we have leases the land from the community members, from the allottees of our land, of which an average of $50 an acre is paid to the individual allottee. The range itself actually starts from $20 an acre to $65 an acre, depending on how well developed the land is. In this process we have a corporation of five members of our community that own the farm corporation but they subcontract to other farmers, subcontract for specialized products, such as lettuce, onions, and other staple items that we grow in our community.

Senator Stevens. Is this a project supervised by BIA, Mr. Smith?

Mr. Smith. No. They assist us with some of the technical aspects, but it is not supervised by the BIA.

Senator Stevens. Your corporation is organized under State law, is it?

Mr. Smith. Yes. It is not a tribal corporation. It is a corporation comprised of five of our community members that have gone into the program. We recently had another community member also go in, so we have two corporations operating in our community, but they are comprised of our own community members.

Senator Stevens. That was the first Indian reclamation dam, wasn't it, Salt River?

Mr. Smith. I cannot be sure.

Senator Stevens. Thank you very much. We appreciate your statement.

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