The Bozeman courier., 1927-12-02
TREASURE STATE FARM AND LIVESTOCK
MORE SETTLERS NEEDED
SAY FARM CONFERENCES

payments on principal until after the
second year. and the purchaser paying
taxes and water charges.
In view of the fact that landowners
on the project will start annual payments
on construction costs Of irrigation works
in about four years, it was recognized
that the next few years offer the best
time for new settlers to become estab-
liShed. 1t was emphasized at the con-
ference that to be successful in the et-
forts to attract settlers there must be
the closest cooperation between farmers,
business men, railroads and all other
agencies which have to do with the well
fare of the newcomer.
Basing its conclusions upon a one
| family farm of around 30 acres, the con-
ference recognized sugar beets as the
major cash crop around which the farm
ing system must be developed. The fam
| lily farm should have 20 acres Of sugar
beets and enough livestock, either beef
cattle dairy cattle, sheep or hogs or
such combinations Of these as fit in best
with conditions and the desires OF the
owner, to consume all of the feed pro-
duced on the farm. The recommended
rotation included alfalfa, three to five
years; sugar beets followed by sugar
| beets; small grain followed by small
grain, the latter crop to be used as a
nurse crop for alfalfa. Under this sys-
tenn of farming, it was pointed out, the
CdaoAl ICbOIAlo dlC kJOooAbACS AAAek
nure is available for retaining soil fer
tility, and provisions ere made for tax
i ing care of the weed problem.
| In the central Montana area, including
the Waller, Sun River, Fort Shaw, Bynum
and Fairfield Bench irrigation projects
as brought out at the Great Falls con-
ference, is that sugar beet production
can be recommended at present only
for those farms that are within five mile:
of a railroad. This leaves large par
Of the irrigated area Of central Montana
without a general, dependable cultivated
cash crop. Where sugar beets are grown
a similar rotation to that recommendeC
for the Milk River valley was advocated
For the non-sugar beet farms Of thi
area, two general farming systems Wer
suggested One includes a year Of sum
mer fallow to have the same place in tn
rotation as occupied by the cultivate'
crop in the Milk River rotation. Thi
system depends entirely upon livestock
production, with chief emphasis on tn
production Of feed and hay. Some whea
may be grown as a cash crop. Such
| system of farming has become eStab
lished in other areas Of the state wher
there is no cultivated cash crop that ca.
be generally grown each year.
In the other proposed farming plan 10
non-sugar beet farms provisions are mad
for increasing pasture for livestock b
including sweet clover in the rotation
This includes no summer fallow. L
southern Canada and other places wheT
the plan has been tried out, alfalfa an
sweet clover are depended upon to tax
care of the weed problem.
The conclusion and recommendation
at both conferences were based upon tn
studies made on the various projects b
I. D. O'Donnel, agriculturist for tn
Great Northern railroad, and representa-
: tives Of the department Of agriculture
economics at Montana State college un
der the direction Of M. L. Wilson. jaime
Griffin of Chinook was chairman Of tn
Malta meeting, and James Sanders {
Conrad presided at the Great Falls ses
sion.