The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1928-02-08
FACTS OF INTEREST
IN CENSUS RETURN
County Statistics of 1927 Farm
Census Show Average Farm
Is About 2O8 Acres.

Interesting statistical information
relative to Redwood County farm
crops of 1927 is contained in a bull
letin received by County Auditor L.
P. Larson from Commissioner N. ].
Holmberg of the Minnesota Depart
ment of Agriculture, showing the
acreage planted in various farm crops
during the past year, together with
other facts, as total number of
farms, the number operated by own
ers, number of renters, etc. In check
ing over the figures in this report the
Gazette has been able to offer some
valuable information to it's readers.
With total acreage of 527, 7,626 de-
voted to farms in the county, Red
wood County ranks sixth in the state
in this department. In these 527, ,626
acres of Redwood County farm land,
there are 2535 farms the report dis
closes, for an average of 208 acres
per farm at the present time.
How the county's 2535 farms are
operated is point of interest that
should not be overlooked, since the
report reveals that 1855 are being
worked by their owners, as against
118O which tenants operate.
The cropping of Redwood County
farms is headed by corn, of which
there were 1882 acres planted in
1927. The corn acreage is closely fol-
lowed by oats, with 113,947 acres.
35,289 acres were given to spring
wheat planting while barley had a
total of 24,639 acres. According to
the report there were 1881 acres de-
voted to rye, with 1895 acres plant
ed to winter wheat and 311 acres in
buckwheat.
The farmers of Redwood County
planted 16,456 acres of flax in 1927
states the report. Potatoes were Civ
en- 635 acres with 6 acres in field
beans, 211 acres in sugar beets, 2
acres in root crops and 2 acres in on
ions.
The total acreage for the hay crop,
according to the report was 42,793
acres and is divided as follows: 5447
acres sown to clover and timothy, o.
211 acres in alfalfa, 819 acres were
sown to sweet clover hay and 2,5O1
acres in other crops to be cut for
hay. The balance of the hay crop
comprised 24,815 acres to be cut for
wild hay. There were 1856 acres of
clover cut for seed in 1926 and 204
acres of sweet clover used in the
same manner.
In the county there are 32,3O1 acres
in plow land that is used for pasture
and 44,143 acres in other land used
for pasture. On the other hand the
bulletin listed 1917 acres in "idle
farm" land which will include much
of the wooded land along the Red
wood and Minnesota rivers.
While no general live stock fig
ures are given in the present report,
footings are given for hens, turkeys,
and all fowls. There are listed 242,-
433 hens, 1898 turkeys and 353,794
all fowls.
Development of interest in silos is
one of the encouraging features of
farm growth in the county. At the
present time there are 404 silos in
Redwood County, great increase in
this department in the past few years.
The number of tractors listed are 696
with 181 auto trucks on the farms of
the county.
For the state of Minnesota the
1927 farm census shows that there
were 1878 farms reported of which
125,300 are operated by owners and
49,839 by renters. The total acre
age in farms reported was 29,145,-
234 acres. Acres in crops in 1927
were 17,179,00O, or 58.9 per cent of
the total area in farms. Much credit
for the success of this Farm Census
is due to the hearty cooperation of
the Minnesota Tax Commission and
the local assessors, the latter in most
cases doing splendid work.