Ranch History (continued)

SSR Agriculture
Irrigation of the pastures typically commences in May. Water Duty for the Ranch (water duty=how much water the ranch is allotted; with respect to appropriated water rights) is approximately 3.5 acre-feet (an acre-foot of water covers an acre of land with one foot of water). Not all pastures are irrigated, primarily because the present configuration of the water conveyance system (ditches and laterals) is in need of repair (check gates and turnouts).

Irrigation water is distributed into Mexican Ditch from the head gates at the Mexican Dam. There are a series of turnouts along Mexican Ditch that allow water to be directed into the laterals that, in turn, directs water to the various fields. Fields are not irrigated all at once, but each field at a time so as sufficient head is built up and maintained to allow water to flow across the fields equally. Irrigation of a field can take 2-3 days.

Fields are irrigated every several weeks, conditional on water availability and usage that occurs along the ditch.

At some point in time, the Ranch may receive tertiary treated effluent water, however, all pastures will not be able to use this type of water due to Federal regulations not allowing this type of water to return to the river.

A haying contractor gets at least one cut of hay, but may get up to three, depending on water availability. Hay is cut with a swather, and left in the field in rows to dry. After 3 to 4 days of drying, it is baled, collected, and stored in the pole barn. Depending on hay prices and availability, most of stored hay is sold by mid-winter.

After the last cut, cows are brought in to graze on the remaining grass and hay by October. Cows typically come from the Anderson Ranch (across the street) and are in the pastures until December or January. Numbers of cows, or cow/calf pairs run from between 50 to 100 head.

It is unlikely that the SSR pastures were ever planted with alfalfa. Native hay is easier to grow and takes less water.

Food crops, such as potatoes, corn, summer and winter squash; and other v egetables were grown on the ranch, in areas that now, have returned to native plant species, sagebrush, bitterbrush, and desert peach.

Turkeys , pigs, chickens and sheep were raised on the ranch, along with some dairy cows. Much of the meat, dairy, and poultry products were trucked to Carson City for sale or shipped to Virginia City by the V&T railroad for consumption by the miners.