The Coconino sun., 1927-04-08
DETAILED STUDY OF RANGE SHEEP
AND GOAT INDUSTRY TO BE MADE


husbandry and bureau of agricultural
economics, had as its principal object
i've prospectus Of the range i've
stock situation that would make pos
sible the formulation of definite
and systematic study Of the range
livestock industry.
Though these factors are not with
in control they are forcing stockmen
to utilize more efficiently their own
powers in the matter of handling their
range problems. And the study now
under way purposes to make available
to the sheep and goat men Of Arizona
accurate information pertaining to
the factors effecting their business
that will make for more economical
production.
The range live stock business re-
gardless Of the class of stock, is in-
tensely involved. It is confronted
with innumerable problems .of such
wide divergence that the producer is
unable to meet them with the success
his business demands.
The different systems of land-ten-
ure complicate the management OF
range stock. More than 65 per cent
of the land in Arizona is federally con-
trolled and consists largely Of na-
tional forests, Indian reservations and
public domain, each with different
policy of grazing administration. The
requirement of state, railroad and
patented lands further complicate the
grazing problem.
Pronounced variations in climate
and forage types and limited range
area are factors of vital concern to
sheep men who must move their flocks
to conform with the varying condi-
tions in the course of a year. Up
wards of $4,000 sheep must move
and eastern Arizona each year to the
desert ranges and irrigated pastures
for feed during the winter months.
The mild winters Of southern Ari-
zona make possible, the production of
early lambs requiring a different sys-
TEN of management as compared with
the production of late spring lambs
on the northern ranges of the state.
Recognizing the plight of the in
dividual producer to cope with the
many factors effecting his business,
it was the opinion of the animal hus-
bandry division of the college of agri-
culture and the Arizona Wool and
Mohair Growers association that the
welfare of the sheep and goat men
can be materially improved by secur-
ing from and disseminating among the
sheep and goat men of the state such
information as will be of value in re-
ducing production costs in conformity
L et~r. n14f n \.
crease the quality of their product,
and to more successfully meet the mar
ket demands for their products.
More specifically the objects OF the
study are to secure accurate records
of cost showing distribution Of invest
ment, current expenses, income, IN
debtedness and credit facilities; to
study the methods of flock manage
ment for producing early and late
lambs, efforts toward increasing the
lamb and kid crops and improving the
quality of breeding stock; to study
the economic relations of the different
systems of land-tenflre to range sheep
and goat production; to secure inform
alton of the extent and causes OF
death losses, the use of supplementary
feeds and marketing methods.
Before complete analyses can be
made of the range sheep and goat in
! custry, special consideration must be
given to the forage. In conjunction
with the project, particular attention
will be devoted to this problem By W
G. McGinnies, range specialist Of the
animal husbandry division. He will
study the principal forage types OF
Arizona with particular attention to
the most important forage plants,
also noxious and poisonous weeds, the
relative productivity and value Of the
various types of ranges and the rela-
tive efficiency Of different systems,
intensities and periods of use in OBJ
tanning maximum returns from the
range forage.
Records of the shrinkage and the
grades of wool produced by the CO.
operating sheep men in Arizona, will
be made in the animal husbandry wool
laboratory by w. f. Dickson, assistant
animal husbandman. Dickson is plan
ming an intensive study of Arizona
woods and mohair and is now prepared