The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-05-16
FARMERS TURN TO
INVESTIGATION

- into dairying, poultry, swine
~ corn, alfalfa and leguminou
crops in general have enabled scores
of farmers in the middle west anC
northwestern states to cut their los.
ses and get their farming operations
on a profitable basis in the last few
years. Many cases of successful re-
adjustment in farm production plans
have been reported to the United
States department of agriculture by
county agents. The reports cover 302
counties in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas,
Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota,
Montana, Idaho and Washington.
They tell of cuts in wheat acreage,
replacement of beef cattle herds by
dairy herds, progress in poultry pro-
duction, development of definite
crop rotations, and expansion in the
production of flax, soy beans, sweet
clover, sugar beets, garden truck and
hay.
One typical instance is that of
three brothers named Devosier, who
were formerly large grain growers
on a three-quarter section farm in
Red Lake county, Minnesota. About
four years ago they began to have
doubts about the future of grain
growing. Accordingly they laid the
foundation for a good dairy herd,
planted part of their farm to corn,
alfalfa, clover and some sugar beets,
and erected two silos, going into debt
for most of the expense. Last year
they sold $1,700 worth of breeding
stock and $4,000 worth of milk to
a local cooperative cheese factory
which they helped to build. They
have adopted four-year rotation on
their farm and have restored their |
land so that it is again profitable in |
small grain production. The county |
agent says these farmers are on the |
road to "easy street."
Another Minnesota farmer in NAH
nomen county has reduced his wheat
acreage from 400 to 40 acres. He
has increased his dairy herd from two
scrub milk cows to good grade herd
of 80 with purebred sire His
monthly income averages $270 to
$275 from cream. He has 40 acres
of alfalfa, IT'S acr5es of sweet clover
and 80 acres of corn.
From Wheat to Cows
Robert Empey, in Prairie county,
Montana, was a consistent wheat {
grower in 1917. In wheat growing
he had failed to get ahead. Then he !
turned to milking a few cows. He
raised a good flock of chickens and |
about 10 turkeys. Two years ago {
he started planting beans and corn. s
That year he had so acres of corn, /
MIXED eight cows, raised 81 hogs, {
seven steers and 60 turkeys for mar '
ket. He is now out of debt, and i
plans to enlarge his operations. An
other farmer in Blaine county, Mon t
tana, by raising corn and hogs, has t
been enabled to pay off a mortgage h
Of $1,400. He is storing his wheat 8
for better price. f
An outstanding example of Mon t
tana farmer who has profited by Fl
readjustment in his farming plans is b
told by the county agent of Rich a
and county. This farmer, in 1919, i
was straight wheat grower He de-
pended entirely on wheat for his farm
income and cropped his land almost ID
Realizing in 1919 that y
his plan was wrong, he began to N
change to mixed farming. His first CT
step was to plant sweet clover for c.
orage. Then he started a small herd III
If cattle and one or two brood sows. "
from this modest beginning he has fe
quilt up crop rotation of corn. sc
Wheat and sweet clover. He has rs
,ood herd of purebred Shorthorn
attic, bunch of purebred Duroc
ersey hogs, and a flock of poultry,
lie produces considerable pure regis tn
cred Marquis wheat seed, Hannchen CO
arley, Victory oats and sweet clover K
mother farmer in Rosebud county ia
as reduced his wheat area from 150 fe
cres to so acres and mas planted WI
90 acres to corn and sweet clover WI
wi
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