B) To provide incentives for improvement of 

 rangeiand resources $500,000 is needed each 

 biennium to establish a 5-million-dollar revolving 

 fund for interest free range loans. The CDD will 

 seek continued financing for the Rangeiand Im- 

 provement Loan Program. See Part A, Objective 

 13 of the Work Plan. 



Rationale: Incentives for range improvement 

 practices are needed. 



C) To provide current information on 

 rangeiand conditions in Montana and to assess the 

 rangeiand goals set by the CDD in 1970 the CDD 

 will update its plan for the Montana Rangeiand 

 Resources Program. See Part A, Objective 14 of the 

 Work Plan. 



Rationale: The Rangeiand Resources Pro- 

 gram is 5 years old and needs to be updated. 



D) To prevent breakup of land unsuitable for 

 cropping; the CD will attempt to find a CD in- 

 terested in passing a model ordinance to stop this 

 breakup of rangeiand. See Part A, Objective 15 of 

 the Work Plan. 



Rationale: The problem of rangeiand 

 breakup and wind erosion in Montana has 



become severe enough to justify CDs' use of their 

 land use regulation authorities. 



E) To distribute range managment informa- 

 tion to 1,000 additional range operators; the CDD 

 will request that the Montana Cooperative Exten- 

 sion Service, the Montana Experiment Station, the 

 SCS, and the Forestry Division of DNRC provide 

 this information annually. See Part B, Objective 38 

 of the Work Plan. 



Rationale: More range operators must be 

 reached so range management information will be 

 used to improve range conditions in Montana. 



F) To prevent operators from drawing federal 

 payments on classes of land unsuitable for crop- 

 ping, the CDD will request USDA to make a policy 

 change. These federal payments include 

 Agricultural Conservation Program cost-sharing 

 funds, federal crop disaster payments, and federal 

 crop insurance. See Part B, Objective 39 of the 

 Work Plan. 



Rationale: Sometimes agricultural operators 

 take advantage of programs for soil conservation 

 on land that should never have been cropped. 

 This objective is aimed at stopping breakup of 

 rangeiand. 



LOSS OF PRIME AGRICULTURAL LAND 



Situation 



High on the list of problems plaguing Montana CDs is 

 the loss of production acreage, particularly cropland; loss 

 of rangeiand and pastureland are also of concern. Loss of 

 agricultural land, changes in land use, and development 

 in rural areas are all part of the same problem, and all 

 seem bound to continue. (See sections on Changes in 

 Land Use and Rural Development). 



The conversion of agricultural land to nonagricultural 

 uses such as residential and commercial development 

 results from several pressures; increased population, in- 

 dustrial expansion, demand for recreation areas, and land 

 speculation are among them, in any case, the irrevocable 

 conversion of agricultural land has reached proportions 

 that concern all those interested in the future welfare of 

 agriculture. 



Although the term "prime land" is used to generally 

 describe any good land, there are marked differences be- 

 tween certain types of land. Prime land is any land that 

 has the best combination of physical and chemical 

 characteristics for producing any crop that could be 

 grown in the area, and that has the soil quality, growing 

 season, and moisture supply needed to economically pro- 

 duce sustained high yields under acceptable farming prac- 

 tices. 



Equally valuable are those unique farmlands with a 

 special combination of soil, location, growing season, and 

 moisture supply, able to sustain high quality yields of a 

 particular crop. In Montana, the land around Flathead 

 Lake, where cherry orchards make up the main use of 

 farmland, is a good example of unique land. 



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