Experimental Maize Farming in Range Creek Canyon, Utah
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EXPERIMENTAL MAIZE FARMING IN RANGE CREEK CANYON, UTAH by Shannon Arnold Boomgarden A dissertation submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology The University of Utah August 2015 Copyright © Shannon Arnold Boomgarden 2015 All Rights Reserved The University of Utah Graduate School STATEMENT OF DISSERTATION APPROVAL The dissertation of Shannon Arnold Boomgarden has been approved by the following supervisory committee members: James F. O’Connell Chair 22 May 2015 Date Approved Duncan Metcalfe Member 19 May 2015 Date Approved Kevin Jones Member 27^ May 2015 Date Approved Larry Coats Member 27 May 2015 Date Approved Kristen Hawkes Member 22 May 2015 Date Approved and by Leslie Ann Knapp Chair/Dean of the Department/College/School o f _________________Anthropology and by David B. Kieda, Dean of The Graduate School. ABSTRACT Water is arguably the most important resource for successful crop production in the Southwest. In this dissertation, I examine the economic tradeoffs involved in dry farming maize vs. maize farming using simple surface irrigation for the Fremont farmers who occupied Range Creek Canyon, east-central Utah from AD 900 to 1200. To understand the costs and benefits of irrigation in the past, maize farming experiments are conducted. The experiments focus on the differences in edible grain yield as the amount of irrigation water is varied between farm plots. The temperature and precipitation were tracked along with the growth stages of the experimental crop. The weight of experimental harvest increased in each plot as the number of irrigations increased. The benefits of irrigation are clear, higher yields. The modern environmental constraints on farming in the canyon (precipitation, temperature, soils, and amount of arable land) were reconstructed to empirically scale variability in current maize farming productivity along the valley floor based on the results of the experimental crop. The results of farming productivity under modern environmental constraints are compared to the past using a tree-ring sequence to reconstruct water availability during the Fremont occupation of Range Creek Canyon. The reconstruction of past precipitation using tree ring data show that dry farming would have been extremely difficult during the period AD 900-1200 in Range Creek Canyon. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Fremont people were farming during this period suggesting irrigation was used to supplement precipitation shortfalls. Large amounts of contiguous arable land, highly suitable for irrigation farming, are identified along the valley bottom. The distribution of residential sites and associated surface rock alignment features are analyzed to determine whether the Fremont located themselves in close proximity to these areas identified as highly suitable for irrigation farming. Seventy-five percent of the residential sites in Range Creek Canyon are located near the five loci identified as highly suitable for irrigation farming. iv In country such as this, hope’s other name was moisture. Tom Robbins 2001 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................iii LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................................x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................................xv Chapters 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 Maize Farming Economics ......................................................................................... 2 Available Precipitation Thresholds in the Southwest ............................................... 5 Dry vs. Irrigation Farming.......................................................................................... 7 Research Question.......................................................................................................8 Expectations......................................................................................................... 9 Objective............................................................................................................ 10 Evaluating the Scale of Farming Productivity.........................................................11 The Fremont............................................................................................................... 12 Range Creek Canyon.................................................................................................13 Setting and Background.................................................................................... 14 Field Station and Field School..........................................................................15 Range Creek Canyon Archaeology.................................................................. 16 Chronology ......................................................................................................... 18 Irrigation ............................................................................................................. 18 2. EXPERIMENTAL MAIZE FARM................................................................................22 First Year Pilot Study.................................................................................................23 2014 Second Year Experiment.................................................................................24 Choice of Maize Variety...................................................................................24 Choice of Field Location...................................................................................26 Irrigation Schedule............................................................................................ 27 Tracking Soil Moisture............................................................................................. 27 Soil Moisture Sensors........................................................................................ 28 Soil Moisture Sensors--Results.................................................................................30 Control Plot........................................................................................................30 Experimental Plot 1........................................................................................... 32 Experimental Plot 2 ........................................................................................... 33 Experimental Plot 3 ........................................................................................... 36 Experimental Plot 4 ........................................................................................... 36 Soil Moisture Conclusion......................................................................................... 37 Harvesting and Ear Processing--Methods................................................................37 Ear and Kernel Analysis.................................................................................... 38 Harvesting and Ear Processing--Results.................................................................. 38 Ear Characteristics............................................................................................. 41 Yield and Water......................................................................................................... 45 Sample Adjustments.......................................................................................... 46 Water and Yield Conclusions...................................................................................50 3. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS ON FARMING............................................. 79 Precipitation............................................................................................................... 80 Weather Stations.................................................................................................81 Rain Gauges.......................................................................................................82 PRISM Climate Data......................................................................................... 82 Precipitation--Results.................................................................................................84 Thresholds for Dry Farming..............................................................................85 Recent Precipitation Variability in Range Creek Canyon.............................. 86 Regional Precipitation Variability in Range Creek Canyon.......................... 89 Seasonality of Temperature in Range Creek Canyon.............................................90 Temperature........................................................................................................91 Growing Season--Results.......................................................................................... 94 Frost Free days (FFD)....................................................................................... 95 Experimental Crop CGDD...............................................................................95 Canyon-wide Estimates of CGDD................................................................... 96 Regional Temperature Variability............................................................................98