River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1916-11-09
Dept. Of
Farm Management

The purpose of the United States
Department of Agriculture is to pro-
mote and to develop agriculture thru
out our country; to find and breed up
new varieties of grains and classes of
cattle; to study the soils, their behav-
Tor and needs; to study the whole
farm and is needs; and a great many
and varied problems that are con-
fronting the farming world today and
whose solution will make for more
prosperity and better living, the one
main goal and ambition of every con-
scientious citizen.
Of late years the department has
been asked to do great deal in the
study of the whole farm as bust
ness for large number Of individuals
and communities. The young farmer
of today and in fact any one who buys
developed land at present prices, $75
to 5000 per acre, realizes full we'll that
he has problem confronting him. In
terest and taxes must be met. They
alone constitute large expense Then
there are numerous small expenses,
often not SO small, which add heavily
to the expense budget. With such
heavy overhead or fixed expenses, it
matters a whole lot what crops are
grown, what livestock are kept, and
~ Rhn IL
followed.
It is q study of such plans as these
that the u. S. Department of Agri-
culture is called upon to make through
out our farming communities; to as
sist as far as possible the younger fell
lows, those just starting out or about
to start, those heavily in debt, and in
fact anyone that may be especially in
terested, in finding out how certain
farm practices and methods are work
ing out in given locality with it's
own conditions, land values and mar
kets. This work is known as Farm
Management Demonstrations and is
being carried on in a few localities of
several of the northern and western
states. In some states it was tried
out several years ago, but the great
progress has been made during the
past two years. 1t was launched in
Wisconsin about year ago and is,
conducted by H. 0. Waturd. Seven
different communities or areas, as
they are called, have been started in
seven counties. These areas are from
a half to one and half townships in
size, consisting of from fifty to one
hundred and fifty farms.
AS land values go up, as the cost of
operating our farm becomes heavier,
and other farm problems become more
acute and intricate, the questions of
"What to grow" and chow much" and
"what pays me the BEST" and other
questions in Farm Management be-
come more and more vital. These and
other conditions have brought many
inquiries from all over this country to
the attention of the u. S. Department
of Agriculture. AS result of such
inquiries, the work known as Farm
Management Demonstrations has been
launched with it's purpose to assist in
making study with a group of far
mers in a locality of the various prob
lens confronting them and of inter-
est to the people Of that locality.
A community of a county Or an
area, as such a group of farms is call
ed, consists of number of farms,
about fifty is a good number for in
teresing and useful study. The record
of a years business or of the major
operations, receipts and expenses is
taken on each of these farms out one
road and then the next. These fig
ures are worked up with the farmer
and are strictly private or confidential
and do not concern anybody else. The
results thus gotten are worked up,
tabulated, and the general averages
figured for the different types of farm
ing in the community-suchf farms as
sell most of the crop or feed it all on
the farm, such as sell cream or make
cheese or sell the whole milk to the
markets and q great many problems
of a somewhat similar character
which may confront community.
Last June Mr.. Watrud conducted
survey in the vicinity of River Falls.
A discussion of this work will be Civ
en- at a series of meetings beginning
next week. Mr.. Watrud will be here
to conduct these meetings and every
one is invited to attend any or all of
these meetings. The first one will be
held in the stone schoolhouse Az
miles north of River Falls in the Hook
ing district. The date is Friday even
ing, November IL. Watch the papers
for future dates.