Week 7 Entry II

[Brandon Martin]

I have just received word that we are going to be working on an 8th property that encompasses 6,000 acres. This is by far the largest report and basically doubles the work load. We will have to divide that into two amendments which basically means two different reports. Since this property is in Morgan County, I will had to contact NRCS (National Resource Conservation Services) to inquire about soil maps. Morgan County has a different system for documenting the types of soil types, and this is something that I am going to have to learn quickly. All of their maps are entirely web-based and the navigation is a bit tricky. However I was able to master how it worked and create maps that detail the entire area. In week 8 we will be going to out to photograph the land and begin documentation for the next two reports.

I have received the quotes from the water well services and the quotes are relatively high. It will cost in the neighborhood of $7,000-$8,000 to install a solar powered water well system. This is a couple thousand more than it would cost to install a replacement windmill. I am not sure about the lifetime of the solar powered unit, but I think it would have to last a long time in order to regain some its value. It will be up to the rancher and Dr. Kross on what they do from here on out.

Also, I started putting together platte ownership maps of land in Morgan County. This just details who owns the land and the surrounding areas so I describe the land uses. The land uses vary from CRP grassland to dryland pasture used for cattle grazing. There is a LARGE variety of land uses and it is very important that I document each piece accuraltely. I will keep posting on any other new items that I start working on.