CRS-67 



fresh water marshes in the Mississippi Delta area declined by 55 percent, to 

 405,000 acres, between 1955 and 1978. 66/ 



Financial benefits associated with conversion to alternative uses continue 

 to increase. For example, the demand for agricultural lands to supply domestic 

 and international markets has been growing rapidly during the past decade. 

 Wetlands previously uneconomic to convert to cropland are increasingly being 

 developed as demand rises, the technological capability is available, and alter- 

 native sites become more difficult to locate. 67 / 



The potential for drainage and conversion to agriculture is a significant 

 matter. The Soil Conservation Service estimates that 32 million acres of po- 

 tential cropland, nationwide, are too wet in their present condition for agri- 

 cultural use. Wetness is second only to erosion as a factor limiting agricul- 

 tural activities in the country. 68/ Wet soils are more extensive than wet- 

 lands. Conversion to productive agricultural land is expensive in these areas. 

 One recent study noted that corn worth $18.8 billion is produced on wet soils. 

 The cost of preparing wet soils for production in one watershed in Iowa was 



66/ This estimate comes from more detailed estimates of wetlands loss in 

 six deTtic parishes in southwestern Louisiana prepared by Karen Wicker, Coastal 

 Environments Inc., Baton Rouge, for the State of Louisiana. 



67 / Demand for agricultural land varies from year to year, depending on 

 a number of crop demand and supply, and public policy variables. In 1981, 

 harvests were large and a surplus resulted. But in most recent years, the 

 trend has been to bring additional marginal land into production. 



68 / U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1980 Appraisel Part I: Soil, Water, 

 and Related Resources in the United States: Status, Condition and Trends. 

 Washington, 1981. p. 111. This study noted that "nearly 105 million acres 

 of cropland soils have a wetness limitation." 



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