The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1918-02-28
LIVESTOCK ON
The FARM
Valuable Information and Helps
Provided in Bulletins for
the Stock Raiser

During the past 10 years thousands
of acres Of arid lands in the Western
states have been brought under inten-
sive cultivation by the numerous ir-
rigation projects completed under the
Carey Act and by the U. S. Reclama-
tion Service.
This vast and rapid increase in pro-
duction in this state has forced the
farmer to seek outside markets for
his produce, and today we are ship
ping our surplus hay as far west as
Portland, east to the Mississippi and
south to the Gulf.
This is not as it should be when we
consider that during the fall months
we shipped from the ranges adjoin-
ing these farms thousands of head of
sheep and cattle to the Central States,
a large per cent of which went into
the feed yards of the middle western
farmer. If there is profit to be made
by the Iowa farmer in purchasing
this western stock for feeding pur-
poses with the freight rate and COM
mission mans fee added, there is
money in it for the Idaho farmer, who
can buy this stock at his gate.
As yet our farm lands have not
been cropped long enough to begin to
lose their fertility, but eventually the
farmer is going to face the necessity
of returning some of the elements
taken from the land by the crops in
order to keep up the fertility of the
soil. This need is being brought home
to the agriculturists through the eff
forts of the farm advisers and other
agencies, and many small farmers are
attempting to go into the cattle rails
ing business.
AS to the advisability of encourag-
ing this procedure as general policy
there is some room for debate. As a
rule the western ranges are fully
utilized by stockmen who are quite
thoroughly established in the business
of breeding and raising stock, but
are not equipped to feed for market.
1t is doubtful if the small farmer with
90 available cheap pasturage close to
his ranch can compete with the breed
er who has these advantages. But
there is no doubt but that he can pur-
chase a score or more of this breeders
steers in the late fall and fit them for
market on his ranch during the win
ter months, thereby enriching both
himself and his land.
The U. S. Department of Agricul-
ture has published many valuable arti-
cles on the values of feeds and
methods of feeding that will be help
full to any one engaged in or contem-
plating taking up this industry. Some
of the most interesting of these bull
letins are:
Farmers Bulletin No. %, "The Feed
ing of Farm Animals" gives the val
ues of different feeds, the rations to
use in feeding a dairy COW or steer
you are fattening for market.
Farmers bulletin No. 40 on "Sheep
No. 80 on "Silos and Sill
age" No. 724 on "The Feeding of
Grain Sorghums to livestock" No.
655, "Cottonseed Meal for Feeding
Beef Cattle;" No. 734, "The Feeding
Of Dairy Cows" and No. III on Feed
ing and Management of Dairy calves
and Young Dairy Stool" contain
information.
Bulletin No. 81 on "The Produc
tion of Baby Beef" should be especial
y interesting to the small stock
raiser, and bulletin No. 71S on Go
operative Livestock Shipping Associa-
lions" contains some valuable sug-
gestions to the small shipper.
These bulletins, and many others
equally helpful, can be had free of
charge by writing to the Division of
Publications, u. S. Department of
Agriculture, Washington, d. c.