Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1922-04-20
DIyERsIFICATION OF CROPS
THE BASIS OF
PROSPEROUS FARMING


/ Rotation of Crops should be fol-
lowed or else valuation of land must
be greatly reduced.
Diversified farming, intensified
ton and rotation of crops and how
to make farming pay in the State OF
Idaho are important parts of the
program of the Idaho Farm Bureau
Federation in the opinion Of c. Ben
Ross of Pocatello, its Secretary. He
| has gone into an investigation OF
these and in a statement issued he
| tells of the results upon which he
! has arrived. His statement follows:
| In travelling over the State l have
found individuals, outstanding farm
( ers, in every community who made a
profit in 1921, Notwithstanding the
! financial depression who made a
profit in 1921, notwithstanding the
| financial depression and the low
price the average farm crop brought.
! | have also found communities or
sections that are reasonably pros
/ porous, but in most all cases these
/ farmers are men that have not pin
ned their faith and energy to one or
two crops. However, they had one
or more major crops which were
supplemented with number of 9TH
er crops, either animal or plant, and
in all cases these prosperous farm
ers, the ones that had the balance on
the right side of the ledger, raised
crops that brought price suffici-
emily high to stand the cost of pro-
duction and freight charge and leave
a profit; such as potatoes, clover and
alfalfa seeds, fruit, sugar beets, veg
etables, dairy and poultry products,
+. livestock, a few sheep and hogs. In
fact, the farmers of Idaho can be
prosperous when they adopt and
put into actual practice the policies
and slogan of the Idaho Farm Blu
reau Federation. Diversified farm
ing, intensification and rotation of
crops, the Cow the Pig and the Hen.
There should be six good cows
600 pound butter-fat cows or bet
ter, 100 good hens (200-egg hens)
and two brood sows, which if pro-
perly cared fir will raise twenty pigs
(bred twice year, five pigs each
litter) on every forty acre farm.
We can reasonably expect from the
cows gross income of $500, from
the hen $500, mad from the pigs
$500; or total of s14OO, from these
three crops. Seventeen acres of
good irrigated land will raise all the
feed required for these animals.
1t is estimated that twO-thirds of
all the cows in the State a"e board
ers, that is, it costs more TO feed
them than the butter fat brings. The
average production of fat per COW,
in Idaho, is 157 pounds, and it takes
ZIG pounds at soc per pound to pay
the expenses, uotwithsts ading a
farmer has to milk these boarder
cows about 500 times a year, It
seems strange that our farmers
would continue to keep the poor
cows, and since the average is I57
pounds of fat, a very large majority
OF cows must be much lower, as we
have found some good cows in al
most every community. In fact
every farmer has one or two fair
cows If they were properly fed and
cared for. Our plans for improving
these herds is through the sire, Form
associations. Ten TO twenty farmers
Join together and buy good bull.
one that all of his daughters are
better milk cows than her mother
and in the course of a few years Ida
no can stand at the top of the lad
der. Our farmers will then have,
from one of their lines of business.
from $500 to s2G00 per year. II is
estimated that. from the fact the
manure viii go On the land, the in
crease production in any kind of a
money crop will amount to enough
to feed the cows.
On some farms COW is looked
upon as a necessary evil. The pro-
visions made for taking care of cows
on the majority of rams are often
limited. 1t is a very common thing
to see the mich cows running in the
same feed lot with the horses. The
horses keep the cows from the feed
until the choice hay is eaten. and the
stems and coarse parts are left For
the cows, which If given the proner
care, housing and feed, will nav vour
taxes, grocery bill, doctor bill. and
nave some left TO buy the children
cloIns and the frau a new dress
with butter-fat selling at tbirtv-
three and one-third cents. am
pound COW will bring You $40 on a
on Tor your hay, four ton sac M.
Ensllage or mangels, 4 ton $4,000.
grain, 1000 lbs. $4,000; which Is
seIiing your product at a profit in
GUIDING labor and interest on invest
ment, and leaves $4,000 for vow
tlme and interest on equipment and
cash investment, together with the
oy-products which are worth an
other $4,000; put on the land on
which 81 grown money crops such as
potatoes, sugar beets, Ensilaee or
mangels to feed your cows, mad otber
xmas OF vegetables. In a snrvsv
made by the Idaho Farm Bureau IN
t"ehty-one counties, we find II costs
an average of 800 a busheI 70 eroT.
wheat on irrigated land. and DIV.
iand S1.16 per bushel; AMI a,faif.
nay $500 per ton. These prodnctinn
costs were filed with the Interstata
commerce Commission at a recent
rate hearing in the form OF eybibi,s
ana verbal testimony. and stood the
! acid test. u tue
WHEAT ON IRRIGATED LAND
The man-labor cost of nroduc;r :,