The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-11-25
Modern Daiying Is Most Stabilizing
Force in Agriculture

Modern Daiying Is Most Stabilizing
Force in Agriculture
Daiying is today the most stabiliz-
ing force in agriculture. Those who
have kept faith in the dairy cow must
indeed find profound satisfaction in
realizing that the weak, insignificant,
struggling industry of "a third of a
century ago has now become the
giant of agriculture.
In the creation of farm wealth, the
dairy cow occupies premier posi-
ton. No other farm animal can
equal the cow as producer of hui
man food, either in the amount of
product furnished from a given
quantity of feed consumed, or in
the value of that product in human
nutrition. No other farm animal can
equal her record in helping the in
dividual farmer to obtain living for
his family, pay the mortgage, buy
equipment and construct a perma-
nent farmstead.
Measured by lifetime results,
ultimately, she has always been sur
est means to financial success on the
farm. Today, she offers the same
promise for those who make their al
legiance to her. No type of farming
has prospects of more profitable re-
turns than dairying in the years that
are ahead.
To begin with, dairy farming is
good farming in that it provides for
maintenance of the fertility of the
soil. This is especially true where
butterfat or cream is the product
sold. In this way, continued high
production of crops usually sold for
cash, such as wheat, is made posi-
BILE. Higher returns OIL such crops
can fairly be counted on the credit
side in casting up the dairy tanning
balance sheet. Likewise. the more eff
ficient use of farm labor adds decided
ly to the ultimate success of the farm
whereon milk cows are kept.
Permanent Income
An outstanding characteristic of
the dairy business is the stability of
earnings from year to year. Much
capital has been made of the steady
income of the dairyman, who cashes
his checks every week or two, or
every month, instead of once or
twice a year as in some other types
of farming. Beyond that, however,
is the absence of the disturbing IN
f1uence of pronounced cycles of good
and bad times.
The histories of other kinds of
farming, such as cattle, sheep or
wool production, wheat, corn or cot
ton farming, fruit or truck growing,
all show periods of extreme adysr-
sity as well as intervals Of gAaat
prosperity. Dairying never was a
bonanza. Likewise, "a severe and gem
eral depression in dairying, sucn as
hog and wheat growers recently ex-
perienced, is unknown. During the
period of defation in 1920 and 1921,
the cash income of farmers from milk
cows declined about rs per cent. Re-
turns from sales Of crops shrank 81
per cent and from meat animals so
per cent.
Not only to general economic
crisis have less effect on dairying
than on other types of farming, but
the fluctuations Of productions from
year ito year are not violent and ex-
ercise less influence upon price. The
gradual increase in the milk cow pop
ulation, as shown by the annual esti-
mates of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture is revelation
as to the steady growth of the dairy
industry. Apparently, by projecting
ahead the curve of increase, it would
be possible to fortell with la high de-
gree of accuracy how many milk cows
we will have a decade hence. The
number of other kinds of livestock
on farms fuctuate decidedly from
year to year. In steadiness of
growth, the dairy industry bears a
strong resemblance Ito the gradual
gain in the human population.
When prices of dairy products are
attractive, expansion of output takes
place through more liberal feeding,
rather than by increasing the num-
Der of milk cows, and sending them
to the shanlbles when the price rela-
tionships become unsatisfactory
This method of adjustment to market
conditions is decided stabilizer of
the dairy business.
Unnumbered thousands of farmers
who have been caught in the see saw
of one crop farming have found a
life saver in the dairy cow. The sta
bility Of prices of dairy products,
which is an outgrowth of stability of
production, is much better for the