Notice of Hearing on the Application to Use Sodium Fluoroacetate ...

depend on and support the a~ricul tsral secyor, and iorczd chang$s
in 1 ilfing conci tions <strong>of</strong> rur31 fami l i~s. Yh; I? ~r2ca:;on conczrcs
sr? real and in some instanc2r cle?rlj jus~ifiea, i; is cancluded
that factors listad in finding 29 ra~her than 7rgda:ion iire chisfly
responsible for the decline in the number <strong>of</strong> operators raising sheep
and goats in argas suitable for that purpose.
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32. !JSDA conducted a survey <strong>of</strong> fcmer sheep produce ; 'n Colorado, ,exas,
Utah and 'tlyoning. Predation \,vas gi5ier; as a sic ificant factor in
the decision to discontinue she?? prcduction by f3mer ?roazc2rs in
each <strong>of</strong> tne four sIates, a1 though shorrag9 <strong>of</strong> good hired 1abor, lamb
and :vool prices and age <strong>of</strong> the okvner lrlero other1 si sni ficant reasons.
Financial returns were frequently meager or nil 2nd the majority gf
fomer producers in lrlyomi ng ,dere suff~t-i nq operazi ona 1 1 osies, i . e . ,
not even aee~ing
cash costs, wnen :hey discontinued 3roducti~n. I I I ~
number <strong>of</strong> sheep praduczrs declified by 12 percent in 1973, The par
fol lowing restrictions on the uie <strong>of</strong> toxicants, the greatest ,?erc?nta~e
<strong>of</strong> reduction since 1975. This declin? was followed 5y further
declines <strong>of</strong> 5 percent in 1974 and 10 percent in 1375. In Colorado and
Texas Eore producers stopped production in 1969 and 1970 than in other
years betwegn 1968 and 1974. The biggest decline in number <strong>of</strong> producers
in Nyomi ng and Utah occurred in 1969 and 1371 , r?s?ecti ve1,y. Cecl i nes
in these four states in 1973 were not out <strong>of</strong> 1 ine with the number <strong>of</strong>
producers discontinuing production in other years. It is concluded
that although predation may have been a factor in producers discontinuing
sheep operations, such discontinuance cannot be relaied to the-
suspension <strong>of</strong> the use <strong>of</strong> toxicants as a means <strong>of</strong> predator control.
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