The Bozeman courier., 1927-07-22
LAND UTILIZATION
REPORT
(FrOm Montana state COllege)

AND is the foundation Of agricul-
ture and upon the use of that
4 land depends the success or failure
Of farming enterprises. Very logic
ally therefore. each Of the agricultural
economic conferences held in Montana
last winter to draw up a program of
agricultural development had a commit
tee on land utilization. The reports Of
the land utilization committees have
been summed up in a general land uti-
lization program for the state.
This program of land utilization for
the state as it appears in the bulletin,
IAN Agricultural Program for Montana" :"
recently issued by the Montana Exten-
sion service claSSifies the productive
land Of the state into dry land wheat
lands, farming grazing lands, grazing
lands and irrigated lands OF the dry
land wheat lands the bulletin says:
On fairly level dry lands where large
acreageS OF ttllable land are available,
wheat or combined wheat-livestock farm
ing systems have been developed.
On these farms, cost of wheat produc-
ton is being lowered by driving more
horses per team, by using the medium
sized tractor, by low cost summer fallow
and by the use Of the cOmbine-harVeSter
Some Montana farmers by these methods
produce wheat with two and a half to
three hours of man labor per acre while
the average for the spring wheat region
! is probably about seven.
With this increased power efficiency
wheat farmers can obtain a greater re-
turn for their labor and managerial
ability. The tendency has been toward
more bushels per man by operating larger
units Of land than would have been
practical with the old methods. Wheat
farms now tend toward a section or more
/ in size.
| Purchase of land to increase the size
Of the operating unit is considered more
desirable than leasing. Some crop pay
ment plan is preferred.
| A system of summer fallow farming is
desirable to distribute labor as well as
/ to add security. Where practical a SyS-
tenn of farming in which one-third of the
wheat acreage is in summer fallow, one
third in wheat on summer fallow and
one-third on clean summer falloW stub
BILE gives a good labor distribution. The
on part OF the wheat acreage also aids in
labor distribution
Costs of summer fallow are being low.
cred rapidly. A number of Montana
farmers with improved methods have
summer fallowed at a cost of less thar
one dollar per acre.
Alertness of farmers in shifting tC
, lower cost methods Of producing whea
is keeping much Montana land IL
wheat production which otherwise woulI
. be forced out Of production by the com
petition OF other wheat producing areas
Straight wheat farming under lov
costs has been profitable but is a NOR
: or less temporary type Of agriculture
!. Farmers are avoiding some Of the risk
Of this type Of farming by providing
: moisture reserve in the soil through
: proper tillage methods as well as casl
! ! reserve in the bank to tide them owe
! years of low profits.
I However, with a lower wheat pric
: !, and increasing soil problems many farm
ers on such lands have added 'livestoc
as side line. In such cases the numbe
: of livestock is dependent upon tn
= amount Of feed produced. A years sup
: ply of feed in reserve is considered th
!. essential margin of safety.
+ The work Of caring for livestock an
!, the growing of feed crops should be al
. ranged to conflict the least with th
work Of growing wheat, since these land
= are particularly adapted to CROWN
= wheat and since wheat probably will cor
= tinue to be the chief source Of incom
4 How much wheat acreage will shift [
. other uses will depend largely on til
= profitableness Of wheat growing as con
= pared with other possible uses of tI
y land.