Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-02-03
R. F. SHEPHERD
BOOSTS DAIRYING
FOR THIS STATE
Says It's the Way to Cut
Freight Rates
REGISTERED SIRES
SHOULD BE USED
Noted Economist Gives Some Needed
Advice to Ranchers of Idaho
Don't Take Up Work If
1t Is Repugnant

d
pleasure this week in reproducing il
its entirety a communication from
r. E. Shepherd of Jerome, Idaho, t,
Will H. Gibson on the subject o
dairying.
Mr.. Shepherd is probably the bes
posted man in this section on eco
nomic problems of the Snake River
valley, and his observations in re
gard to Idaho as a future dairy CEN
ter will therefore be given a great
deal of consideration. The letter fol
lows:
Jerome, Idaho, Jan. 29.
Will H. Gibson,
Mountain Home, Idaho.
Dear Mr.. Gibson:
1t is a pleasure to write you con-
cerning the dairy industry in south
ern Idaho. There ale two reasons
why dairying should become one of
our leading industries.
First-I do not know of any place
in the United States where farmer
could locate and be at greater dis
tance from terminal markets than in
southern IDAHO. We have and will
continue to have a very high freight
rate as compared with other agricul-
tural sections of the country, and
while we may secure some reductions,
we must not close our eyes to the fact
that we are calling for a very long
rail service and that it will continue
to cost considerable sum and will
absorb a large part of the farm in
come. We must therefore seriously
consider in what way we can con-
dense our farm products so that the
relative freight expense may be re-
duced to the minimum. l have al
ways felt that no industry could con-
tinue long to prosper that required
more than ten per cent of the value
of its production for freight. Meas
ured by this rule, you can readily
see what our chances are as a grain
producing territory. Were it not
for the fact that we produce so much
more per acre than our competitors
in others parts of the country we
could not afford to grow grain at all
under irrigation. On the other hand
we can produce most successfully
corn and barley in quantities
much in excess of the average of the
country and as these products are
the essential elements for the most
we naturally turn to the dairy in
iustry as one that can be made prof
table in this section of the country.
BY it we are enabled to condense a
Lrain load of baled hay into a carload
1f butter and reduce our freight ac-
Second-It is very gratifying to
know that Southern Idaho possesses
, very superior advantage in the
larry industry. We not only can
produce forage of high feeding value
)ut we have a climate and water
we'll suited to the purpose. Our win
ers are mild. We have dry feed
OTIS and because the large amount
# stock of Southern Idaho is health
er than in any other part of the
United States, with which l am fam
liar. We find less tuberculosis in
ur native stock than in most any
ection of the country. These facts
ombined make this natural home
or the dairy COW. Sooner or later
his will become generally known
nd understood over the country and
7e may expect men desiring to en-
age in the dairy business to locate !
1here the conditions are most fav-
rable.
The market for dairy products is
ood and we have every reason to ex-
ect that it will continue so. So,
very thing considered it seems to {
le that the farmers of Southern
iaho will do we'll to give this sub
sct most careful and earnest con-
Iteration. {
l find in talking with a number
: the farmers the thought seems
, run to registered cows. 1t is only h
n occasional man, however, who {