South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-09-23
HOW MUCH SHOULD A
FARMER SPECIALIZE?
Diversification Is the Solution
to Successful Farming,
1t Appears.
BY PROF. o. G.. LLOYD.
Head Farm Management Department
Purdue University.

Within the past two months
have visited forty counties in repre-
sentative sections of Indiana. have
interviewed farmers, bankers and
county agents 20 learn how and why
farms are organized so differently IN
their respective localities Each
neishborhoOd has its own particular
difficulties but everyone has the com
mon problem OF how much should
the farmer specialize.
There are few economic princi-
pals which apply to all farms re-
gardless Of soil, labor. credit, climate
or market conditions. Mistakes are
made in Over-specialization about as
often as in specialization. 1t
IS readily apparent today that a
Jack of all trades" can be a master
Of none" but il is equally true that
the man who carries all his eggs in
one basket is making farming a haz-
ard instead of a business.
For this reason over-specialization
viii be considered. For example.
and oats area of the state. On most
Of the farmer more than four out Of
every five dollars of receipts come
from the sale of corn and oats. The
past two years the oat yield has been
unusually low and the price of oats
and corn relatively lower than most
farm products.
1t IS probable that these corn and
oats farmers have lost more money
during the past two years than any
farmers in the state. Much Of this
Z loss can be attributed to abnormal
( climate conditions which lowered the
oat yield But therein lies the weak
ness of the farm organization. Good
I business reduces risks TO a minimum
and insures a fairly constant income
in spite Of losses in some parts Of the
I business.
! Farm enterprises should be COM
D bined TO complement one another.
! When one fails. conditions are right
3 for another 10 succeed. Land, labor
and capital should be associated to
get the maximum use at an expense
which will give the largest return
per family.
This calls for diversified farming
Some Benton county farmers this
year have replaced half the usual
+ oat acreage with wheat This dis
tributes part of the spring peak labor
+ load to the fall. Some are sowing
SOY beans in all the corn and are
feeding more corn TO hogs. In re-
ducing the spring peak crop load by
sowing less oats more time is avail
able to take good care of the sows
and pigs at narrowing time.
The growing Of soy beans and
other legumes permits the keeping OF
more livestock. These legumes and
livestock manure make il easier "a
get a catch Of clover-one of the
chief limiting factors in the keeping
of livestock in this area.
The farmers in this area who con-
tinue TO make corn and oats their
major crops will make the largest
profits provided they reduce the risk
OF low yields and Of low prices OF
corn and oats by adding a cash crop
like wheat, a soil builder and live
stock feed like soy beans, so to 100
hogs TO consume part OF the soy bean
and corn crops, 10 to / 3 head OF
cattle TO consume the roughage and
100 TO 200 hens that will require
little feed in addition 10 the amount
that would otherwise be largely
wasted. The Benton county type OF
farming uses man, horse and mach
.inery labor as efficiently as any area
in the state. The chief weakness
Of the farm organization is the risk
of carrying all the eggs in a corn-Oat
basket and not providing man and
horse labor the balance of the yeal
in taking care Of livestock which in
turn takes care of the soil.