The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-09-12
FARMERS FEEDING
Of. STORING WHEAT

CHICAGO, Aug. 30.-Self-help
methods are being employed through
out the grain belt by growers in their
struggle to strengthen the present dol
lar wheat market and prevent the an
nual "autumnal dump" that normally
pulls the price still lower. There IS
proof of this in reports coming to O..
E. Bradfute, president of the Ameri-
a Farm Bureau federation, who is
supervising a county by county sur
vey made by farm advisers in the
grain states.
"Three outstanding facts uncovered
in this survey give farmers good
reasons to hope that the wheat mar
ket will be materially strengthened
within a short time," declared Mr..
Bradfute. 1t is shown, first, that
crop estimates were far too high; sec
Ond, farmers are storing an appre-
ciable amount of wheat in their own
granaries or in cooperative elevators,
and, third, wheat is being extensively
fed to livestock.
Fairly complete reports are In from
Illinois, Missouri, ansas and Nebraska.
Twenty-Five counties that grow
wheat in Illinois have sent a summary
of conditions. In some of these
counties much wheat is still in the
shock and stack, while in others a
good percentage of it has been moved
off the farm, but in many cases the
bulk is in storage.
In Shelby and st. Clair counties in
Illinois, for example, 60 per cent is
stored, and so per cent is being held
on the farms in Hancock and Clarke
counties. Agents say that the bulk
of this years crop is stored at home
in ane, Woodruff and Clinton coun-
ties.
The heaviest storage has taken place
in Missouri and Kansas. From so to
80 per cent Of the wheat is being held
on the farms in nine of the main Mis-
souri, wheat counties. Four of them
Vernon, Lynn, Green and Caldwell
are holding 90 per cent of the crop
Kansas, one of the five big wheat
states, with a normal crop of 104,
100000 bushels this year, 100000
bushels below normal, and a grea-
deal of it is eng stored, according tt
Ralph Snyder, president of the Kan
a State Farm Bureau. At least Al
held on the farms in the nine countie.
per cent of the wheat crop is being
held on the farms in nine c%ountie.
which have reported to Mr.. Brad
flute.
kansas wheat farmers are feeling
blue says Mr.. Snyder. "Our est
mate is that any wheat yield less thai
twenty bushels to the acre is grow
at a loss in my state. The averag
yield this year in Kansas was twelv
bushels to the acre. The acreage o
wheat sown this fall will probably b
Is per cent less than last season."
Mr.. Bradfute points to Nebraska
reports, which show that the govern
ment's estimates on May 1 were to
high. The normal crop in that stat
is about $4,000, 600. The governmer
estimated that it would be about 2
per cent below normal. The actu;
drop shown at threshing time is 5
per cent below normal. There will b
a 10 per cent cut in the acreage tn
fall, according to G.. B. Steward, Sc,
rotary Of the Nebraska State FAR
bureau. In Nebraska farmers are e.
tensively feeding whole, soaked ar
ground wheat to the spring crop
pigs, which is far above the averal
in that state.
Extensive feeding and storing is b
ing carried on in Indiana, judgir
from the few county reports so f;
sent in. Three-fourths of the ere
is in storage in Hamilton count
said to be the biggest wheat count
in the state. Other counties ha'
more than half the CROP on the farm
Indiana has q good crop of whe
this year, normally producing abo
$4,000, 900 bushels.
Reports coming from ten COUNT
In Minnesota indicate that most
the wheat there will be fed or Ike
for seed, and in some counties groV
ers will be forced to go outside
buy seed wheat. A small crop h
been harvested in that state, and t
average will not run more than S