The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1919-01-23
Articles of Interest to the Farmers
by Huntmer County Agent, Melrose Minnesota

The farmers of Stearns county have
| certainly answered the nations cal
made for an increased wheat pro
duction during the season of 1918
The LA threshing machines which
have operated in the county during
the past fall report total of 1851
1856 bushels of wheat threshed. Il
this wheat could be placed on the
market at an average of $2.10R
bushel the value of the 1918 wheat
crop of this county would be $4,1O7,
| 665.42.
The government has required al
threshers operating machines in the
United States during the season OF
1918 to report monthly the number OF
bushels of wheat threshed and tc
| send in at the end of the season their
seasons report giving the number OF
bushels of oats, barley, rye, flax and
buckwheat threshed during their
seasons run. Previous to this year
crops statistics taken the country
over have been largely estimates but
this year gathering the returns from
machine operators the returns can be
considered as being very near the
accurate amount produced in the sec
tons reporting.
The final summary for grains other
than wheat threshed in Stearns coun-
ty show a total Of 2,829,S53 bushels
of oats, 655, 165 bushels of barley,
574,160 bushels of rye, 57,516 bushels
of flax and 1914 bushels of buck
wheat. If these crops other than
wheat were given the January l, 1919
values the oat crop of Stearns county
could have been sold for 81, 669, 6O3.27,
the rye crop for $S21,O4sSO, the
barley crop for $491, 373.75, the flax
crop for $192,67S.60 and the buck
wheat for 25,62S.20 making a total
value of the six small grain crops re-
ported by the threshers Of this coun-
ty of $7,3O7 ,998.O4. But even this
figure does not represent the total
valuation of Stearns county's grain
crops We have no report on the
acreage of corn or the number OF
bushels produced. The corn crop of
Stearns county can perhaps be con-
servatively estimated as worth
100000. Of the grain crops produced
in this county wheat, rye, flax and
buckwheat are about the only crops
which have been sold almost ex-
clusively at market prices. Oats, bar
ley, corn and to a certain extent rye
are used as feed crops and marketed
in finished products such as fat stock
or dairy and poultry products. By
marketing these feed crops in this
manner the live stock through which
they are marketed usually pays a con-
siderable margin over and above
market prices for grains which they
consume and in addition leave on the
farm manures which are very es-
sential to retain in order to main
tain the fertility of the soil on which
the grain crops are produced.
In few weeks the Farm Bureau
office hopes to obtain reports from all
creameries in the county on their 1918
business. These reports will show
what the creameries of Steanrs county
have paid out for butterfat received
during the year. Reports from a
number of creameries which are now
in show range of from SIS to $1OO, 900
paid to their patrons for butter fat
delivered. Stearns county has a
larger number of farmers cooperative
creameries than any other county IN
the state and the value of dairy pro-
ducts produced in Stearns county will
perhaps be exceeded by only two 9TH
err counties in the state. The coun-
ties of Hennepin and Ramsey IN
which are located the Twin Cities,
catering as they do to city milk
trade have a very desirable market
for their products and the number OF
COWS kept in both Of these counties
exceed the number fed on the farms
of Stearns county. Stearns county,
however, ranks third in the number
Of dairy cows retained on farms and
$4,000, 900 would be a conservative es-
innate of the value of butter fat pro-
dnced in this county in 1918. Ia
However, in arriving at a conclus-
ion as to the value Of all farm pro-
ducts in the county it would be i'm
possible to add the value of stock
marketed and dairy products to the
value Of our grain crop as a large
amount of the grain, crops in fact
almost the entire oat, barley and corn
crop reach the market only through
live stock and to add the value Of our
live stock and dairy products the
total value of our grain crop would
be a double marketing.
P. w. Huntemer,