The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-10-06
BY HAROLD c. PLACE

" by f1AhO1LO -. ELACh
[" HAT the solution of the agri-
cultural problem Is largely in
- dividual is a sentiment grow
ing among the farmers in the Middle
West. The farmer must help him
self by studying his own particular
situation and by the application Of
good common sense and business prin-
ciples.
One of the ways in which the farm
er is doing this is by turning more
and more to dairying and poultry
raising. My observations convinced
me the farmer who is milking cows
and raising chickens is in fairly salts
factory circumstances.
Dairying has been and is today in
better shape than any other branch
of agriculture. The men who have
MIXED cows have had cash incomes.
The COW, the hog and the hen have
furnished money to pay current bills
where other crops have been marketed
at loss. The demand for dairy prod
ucts is steady and there is no imme-
date prospect Of 1t being exceeded by
the supply.
Typical Example.
Bremen County. Iowa. is a good ex-
ample of what dairying can do for the
farmer. Brewer County is a typical
middle Western farming community.
It's soil is fertile and adapted to any
of the crops raised in the corn belt.
1t is populated by thrifty farmers,
who were not inveigled by high land
prices and conserved their resources
during the years Of prosperity. With
low grain prices prevailing. they have
gone into dairying heavily. There are
twenty-five creameries in the county.
four cheese factories and a large
plant operated by a condensed milk
concern OF national reputation.
Nowhere IN Iowa is the financial sit
uation OF the farmer so good as IT is
in Bremen County.
Herds Cost Money.
It costs money to purchase a dairy
herd. And the farmer dislikes the
task of milking COWS. Further, he
finds it almost impossible to hire any
one else to do it because farm hands
invariably refuse to take employment
on a farm where the work includes
the milking Of cows.
Many progressive farmers are feed
ing grain to livestock and marketing
corn, oats, etc., on the hoof instead of
direct from the bin. With livestock
prices increasingly better they find
this means Of turning a loss into a
profit.
Sons as Partners
There is a growing tendency Of
farmers TO take their sons into part
nership with them. This solves the
labor problem, both with respect to
the shortage that exists and the wages
farm hands demand. and. at the same
time, solves the problem of keeping
the boys on the farm
Many farmers are realizing they are
engaged in a business, rather than an
occupation, and they must utilize bust
ness principles and methods in operat-
ing 1t. Five years ago few farmers
could have given you figures as to
their cost Of production, or their cost
of labor, or their net profit for a crop.
Disaster, however, drove the farm
ers to the use Of pencil, paper and
arithmetic. Today, in increasing num-
bers, farmers are keeping books and
records on the farm like their business
cousins in the city They know what
1t costs to produce an acre of corn,
fatten a steer or operate a tractor
They can tell you, without a moments
hesitation. what they lost last year
and what they stand to make or lose
this year.