The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-09-02
BULLETIN IN
FERGUS COUNTY
(From Montana State COllege)
PROGRAM for the Development Of
Agriculture in Fergus County" a

1Or BQG development OF
~ Agriculture in Fergus County," a
n bulletin containing the findings
and recommendations of the agri-
cultural economic conference held at
Lewistown last winter, has been pub
lished and is now being distributed to
farmers and business men Of the county.
1t is the first publication presenting a
county agricultural program to be issued
in the state. The Montana extension
service previously had. issued a series Of
bulletins containing agricultural devel-
opment programs for the state as a
whole and for the six agricultural dis
tricts of the state. A number Of irriga-
ferences will be held during the coming
fall and winter and publications similar
to the Fergus county bulletin will be is
sued for each Of these.
The agricultural program for Fergus
county was drawn up by the nearly 2O0
farmers and farm women h attended
the LewiStown conference last winter.
The conference was organized into seven
major committees each dealing with an
important phase Of agriculture in the
county. The subjects considered by
these committees were farm manage
ment, crops, livestock, dairying, poultry
horticulture and farm living. o. Q. Sim
mons, farmer Of Suffolk, was genera
chairman Of the conference and D. B
Noble, county agricultural agent, genera
secretary. Commodity committee chair.
men were Matt Reichmuth, Denton
Frank Smith, Lewistown; w. S. Mather
LewistoWn; Ed Mack, ~Lewistown; RAJ
Haight, Suffolk, and Mrs. Neil Harris
Valentine.
The general summary of conditions il
Fergus county upon which the program
is based shows that approximately one
seventh 1861, 000) Of the total area o
the county (2,661, 600 acres) is now beinI
: cultivated. In 1925 there were 1,91
!, farms and ranches with an average siz
Of TOP acres. The total valuation o
/ farms, livestock and equipment is ap
proXimately $33, 900 600 and in 1926 tn
gross returns from this investment wa
S7,500,OOO. There are approximately %,
600 people n the county Of which abou
5000 are on farms.
Wheat is the most important cash GRO
/ produced in the county having a gros
value Of @4,500,000 in 1926, or approx
mately three-ffths of the total gross re
= ceipts from farming and ranching opera
tions. In 1926 the crop acreage was di
2 vtded as follows: spring wheat, 1900
I ! acres; winter wheat, $4,000 acres; corr
! 10000 acres; potatoes, 1000 acres; oat
$1,000 acres; tame hay, 10000 acres; will
o hay, 10000 acres; rye, 1000 acres; barle,
= 5000 acres and the rest divided betwee
fax, beans and peas.
c Livestock figures for 1926 show thu
the county has 40, 100 head Of beef cattl
Z 12,801 head Of hogs, 69,5O7 head Of shee
1921 head Of dairy cattle, and more tina
1o0, 1000 hens.
The recommendations made in the bu
letin are definite and to the point. SIM
o there is little irrigated land in the couI
ty, making it necessary to depend upc
o seasonal rainfall in cash crop and fee
e production, farmers are faced with IL
necessity Of producing only those GRO
4 adapted to conditions in the county, al
of adopting those methods of farmil
which will MAKE the best use of avail
able moisture. Since seasonal rainfs
shows considerable variation making o
casional poor crop years inevitable, Fe
- gus county farmers are faced with Il
necessity Of selecting the combinatio
of farming enterprises which will insu
the least huctuation in annual returns.
It is proposed to hold an agricultu1
economic conference each year so tn
rs additions and notifications may be ma
1e as changing conditions and new develo
Is ments necessitate. The conference reco
&c ni2ed that to be Of value, a program I
agricultural development must be de
tble and adaptive enough to permit t
c. Incorporation Of new findings and n
conclusions.