The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-07-06
STRESS EFFICIENCY, JARDINE
TELLS FARMERS in ADDRESS
Eliminate Boarding Cow and Protess Acres Secretary o
Agriculture Advises

products may be influenced BY
climatic and soil conditions over
which the farmer has no control
Yet, despite these facts, there can
} be no doubt that the farmer can dc
much to adjust better his produc-
tion to the demand.
: Acreage Reduced
Our wheat acreage has been re:
! duced in six years from 100000
to 54,OOO,OOO acres. This reduction
was made because farmers saw
y plainly that too much wheat was be-
ing raised. This spring there were
IL per cent fewer hogs than a year
ago. and indications pointed to high
er prices for hogs during the follow
!! ing eighteen months than at any
I, time since 1920. The wide awake
farmer had these facts in mind and
knew that conditions were favorable
for expanding fall narrowing. In
! short, the farmer must study his
/ market quite as carefully as he
studies his farming operations. He
| must know the needs of local, re-
! gional, national and even world mar
kets If he is to conduct his business
along most profitable lines.
CLOSELY related to the problem Of
fitting production to the needs of the
market is the other problem of eff
GENTLY organizing and managing the
farm business. The efficient opera
ton of farm implies the most
efficient use Of land, labor and CAPT
tai These factors must be combined
in such way as to reduce the cost
of production and yield the farmer
the maximum net returns for his eff
forts. This implies the proper size
of farm unit, the correct choice Of
| crops, the proper emphasis on the
individual crops, the employment of
the right size and type Of machin-
cry, the feeding of balanced rations
| and the like. Perhaps also there are
| acres so low in fertility that they
| can not be profitably farmed at pres
| ent prices. In short the efficient
| farmer will strive to find the COM
bination of factors which will result
in the lowest production costs and
the highest net profits.
Efficient Methods Essential
| 1.-THE most efficient farm methods
| and practices are essential to the
profitable operation Of the farm.
| Farm profits are often greatly re-
duced because farmers use low yield
ing varieties of grain or scrubby
livestock. The yield per acre of
wheat has been increased through the
development Of higher yielding
strains of wheat. The average cow
per year, but cows of superior quail
ity, with proper feeding, will pro.
duce as much as 800 or even 1000
pounds Of butterfat per year. Assur-
eddy, farming can not be made prof.
table until we eliminate the unprof-
liable acre, and the boarding cow and
hen. -
las you yourselves know, the re-
suits Of your efforts may be, in
fluenced materially by the depth of
your blowing and cultivation, the
manner in which you feed your live
stock, and the like. Time will not
permit me to develop fully the de-
tails which must be. considered in
the organization of the farm along
the most effective lines, but l can
not emphasize too strongly the need
of putting more, business into
farming. 1t is only in this way that
the farmer can attain the greatest
returns for his efforts with the least
cost.
During the last several decades,
the capital invested in agriculture
has grown to enormous sums. Be-
tween 1900 and 1920 the average
! value Of land in the United States
more than trebled and in some States
it increased as much as twelve or,
thirteen times. Although the value
Of land has declined since 1920, farm
land in general will probably not
it was greatly inflated in value. Our
NJ vVy
The best land is already in cultiya-
ton. Our population is rapidly in.
creasing and the growing demand
for feodstuffs and raw materials will
have a tendency to hold land values
at relatively high levels.
For that matter, not one Of you
| would like to see the value of your
land materially reduced in price.
Many of you could not stay in the
| business if the price of your land
dropped materially. Then if land
values remain at high levels, and if
you are to be faced with relatively
higher costs of operation, what have
you as farmers done to increase the
efficiency of your plants and how
much more efficient are you than
you were twenty years ago. when
land values were q third or a fourth
Of what they are today? This is .
problem which concerns the farmer
himself. He will have to solve it
himself.
Lay Aside Earnings
"There is still another thought
that I would like to leave with you
at this point. Some years your pro-
fits are good. In other years they
are poor or, perhaps, even nothing.
IL ~ LvNn NJ AAv nhNp
returns from farming can be made
know that it is possible for farmers
to lay aside in years of good profits
reserves upon which they can draw
! in years that are not so good. ! can
not help but feel that too many
farmers have reinvested their sur.
plus earnings in high priced land
| when they should have kept at least
part Of them in more liquid re-
serves upon which they could readily
draw in times of depression.
"What have just said to you in
regard to the better organization of
your farm business applies to farm
ers everywhere. Perhaps, however,
I may venture to make few com-
ments in regard to the specific agri-
cultural problems of your region.
As far as ! can see, wheat will re-
| main your principal crop for some
time. For most men in this region
the system, of farming must center
around this crop as the keystone. For
some farmers there may be choice
between hard wheat and durum
wheat. Although hard spring wheat
usually sells at somewhat higher
price, durum wheat in some areas
gives much higher yields and this
may more than Offset the lower price.
In seasons when short acreages Of
aurum wheat are reported In the
rest of the world, and the condition
of durum wheat in North Africa il
reported IS poor, there would be q.
better chance of higher price for
durum than usual. Growers should