The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-09-10
VALUE OF THE STOCK.
MEMS BANQUET

MEMS BANQUET
It was very valuable meeting
that the farmers and stockmen held
Saturday evening at Blackfoot. 1t
sowed the seed for much good in this
valley and those who were there and
the public press represented at the
meeting would be remiss in their
duties If they did not spread the
seed of information, as given there,
to all they can. The sevearl speak
ers sounded the key note that we
can afford to emphise, to remember,
and to keep in mind as we pursue our
studies of the question. Here are
some of the high points brought out
by the speakers. Borrow money
from the local banks or borrow it
from any source whatsoever to buy
feeders to consume the products of
your own farm. Do not borrow
money and buy feeders to consume
the products of other farms which
you have to buy. This applies to the
beginner in the business Of feeding
stock. Feed any kind Of stock you
like best, if you like cattle, feed
cattle; if you like sheep, feed sheep;
If you like hogs, feed hogs; but get
the best feed you can and give them
the very best of care.
Give them pure water, clean feed,
dry places to stand, dry places for
them to sun themselves. 1t is as
dangerous to overfeed as it is to
underfeed. Do not give them so
much that it will lie around in front
of them, after they have had their
fill. Build silos and raise and silo
all the fodder you can, buy coopera-
lively, not all going out in the same
market bidding against one another
and dickering for the stock you
want; send one man to represent the
whole county or community. Deal
thru the farm bureau; let the, buyer
go out knowing the total of all the
stock he should buy to supply all the
feeders in the county and then you
will get them at the lowest cost. Sell
comparatively. If twenty farmers
have a carload of steers each, none
of those farmers will have his full
herd ready for market at oDce and
have them all in the best condition
for market; there will be three or
four ready for market when the
others are not, and it is waste of
feed to keep those three or four with
the rest of the bunch, waiting for
them all to get in good condition.
Every thing that is fed to those three
or four from the time they are ready
to the time they are marketed, is a
waste. Make up a shipment from
all the community and get them on
the way to market. AS others are
ready make up another shipment of
them, the best of all the herds, and
get rid of them and turn them into
Follow this plan clear thru
until they are all marketed in top
Do not feed stock one
year and ship the next, thinking it
will be a bad year to feed. Do not
feed sheep one year and cattle the
next. but decide what you are going
to do and then do that right along
every year. Pasture your farm in
the fall; have livestock feed off all
the forage from the meadows, the
fence lines and the ditch banks.
These places harbor the insects and
the alfalfa weevil and when pas
tured off close the hiding places of
these insects are destroyed. Live
stock fertilizes the farm and all
clover and root crops, such as beets,
turnips and potatoes, fertilize it,
loosen it, and help to make the soil
grow better every year for thou
sand years.
Idaho is getting to be one Of the
great sugar producing states and
Bingham county produces ore-third
of all the beets raised in Idaho. 1t
is one of the great alfalfa counties
and the alfalfa weevil is slipping in
so that we can not hope to ship If
we wanted to, and it would not be
profitable to ship if we did. Pastur-
ing the fields close, keeping down
the weevil, and consuming the hay
on the farm where there is no
quarantine against it's consumption,
fertilizing the farm, and rotating
crops-these are the means by which
the farmers of this county can keep
on producing greater wealth.
Farmers, stockmen, merchants,
bankers, these are some of the in
dustries that must work shoulder to
and the press should
spread the information in connection
with the farm bureau and enable peo-
pie to go about it right.