White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-08-08

I'm brief summary of economic
conditions reported for April D!
the United States Bureau OF Eco
nomics we read the following abou
one of the greatest agricultural states
Of our country: Marginal Land ant
the Marginal or the Less Efficien
Farmer Are Being Forced Out of the
Race" This summary goes on to say
that this process of being forced ou
Of the race" goes on much less rapidly
in this great agricultural state thar
generally through the United States
The above quotation from this re
port expresses a law with which the
farmer should be much more init
mately acquainted than he is at pres
ent. Ever increasing emphasis is
here needed. 1t is not the purpose
here to discuss the marginal lands
but rather the marginal farmer. 1t
seems that we extension workers with
our programs of dairy, crops, soils,
and other improvement projects, can
not expect more than a steady, too
slow progress, unless we add drive"
to our programs of improvement by
bringing out the cold significance OF
this expressed law of agricultural
economics. Yes, we might do some
good pointing out the present margin
al lands that ought possibly to be in
cluded in reforestation program or
in sheep range rather than being
faTmed But, the all-important ques-
ton is that of the marginal farmer
and of all who are getting just aver
age or less results by their marginal
methods.
Our economists tell us in their con
illusions that the road is hard for
those who continue to remain indiffer-
emit. to the best methods in agricul-
ture. They intimate also that he who
is satisfied with the average acre
yield the average cow, the average
hen, or any other unit of average pro-
duction will find going hard and I'M
certain. In our county, for instance,
we do not have over 275-pound fat
average production per COW per year,
but we also have few herds owned
by top-notch dairymen, not unusual
400 pounds Of fat. The causes of this
difference in production are easy to
see, yet 1t would take years (too many
years, for the above expressed eco
nomic law before the average of the
county could be brought to within so
pounds of these high returns. This is
not discrediting our present program
of improvement, except in that it
needs speeding up by the application
OF considerable "you-are-up-ag ainstit-
it-you don't" psychology. The average
OF our farm folks is not yet in the
right state of mind to be receptive to
many of those things which agricul-
tural leaders and the best farmers
know to be more essential even to
fair success, than ever before. Some
thing which in effect acts as a jolt
seems necessary. 1t need not and
should not be failure or near failure
A recent campaign for dairy i'm
provement in a neighboring county
jolted the grade and the scrub bull
"just-as-good" idea. Results more
purebred bulls. Just now the abrupt
drop in price, of butterfat jolts hard
est on the man with the average herd,
but too often, due to a lack of under
standing of this law of economics
which even big business cannot es-
cape, this jolt has the wrong effect
and makes progress in dairy improve
ment only more difficult. ALI who
stand as leaders, paid for that service
or not, owe it to the agricultural in
terests Of our state to direct more
Of our efforts toward pointing out the
folly of working against law of eco
nomics which cannot be changed. Per.
haps we may feel that only in the face
Of near-failure will we get the average
man to work in accordance and not
uncognizant Of. that law. But wouldn't
such feeling be showing too much of
the inhuman? To be certain it may
tax our ability as teachers and de-
mand in us deeper insight into hui
man nature.
Just the other day one man in a
poultry community wrote in and ex-
pressed his willingness to cooperate
with the county agent in determining
cost of producing pullets to maturity
and Of cost Of feeding for egg produc-
tion. He is not only very successful
poultry man but is ready to give his
experience to others. In this same
community three poultrymen kept rec
ords of the cost of egg production.
The production per bird was 1870 eggs
per year with practically no variation
but the profit varied nearly 81 per
bird per year. Our poultry extension
specialist and the marketing associa-
ton plainly point the way to maxi
mum profits per bird. But 1t requires
skill to get the best results and the
marginal poultryman is soon elmin-
n