White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-05-28
DAIRYING AND PROFIT

SidIlSc UlduC III Tic county dl tiAC PIE.
sent time is the effort that farmers are
making to determine crops and enter
prises for which their particular farm
is best adapted and then the estab-
fishing of these enterprises there.
In this readjustment there is quite
little area within the county that
must be utilized for pasture purposes
if it is to return the maximum income.
It would seem that da.rying would
offer more on these tracts than would
any other pasture possibility. It is
on such areas as this that it would
seem advisable to establish dairying
and also on at least some of our truck
areas where better use may be made
of Gull products and where the use
of alfalfa may materially help in the
rotation and where fertilizer from the
dairy herd may be of considerable
value in the truck crop program. We
are not one who would advise a
dairy herd on every farm, but we be-
lieve that in the readjustments that
are being made dairying can, as it is,
Re included among the enterprises to
good advantage.
Farming is business and dairy
farming must be just as much so as
any other type. If we understand the
great fundamental changes that are
going on in the world in the estab-
fishing of new areas for agricultural
purposes, it is easy to see why care
ful attention must be given to the
business principles of any type Of
farming. We do not mean to say that
there are not other factors which
reed rem lying as far as .differencials
between industry and agriculture and
i, need of sound, stable, marketing
organization, and at least as we see it
and more equitable distribution of
the earnings of industry. These are
things which it takes time to re-
adjust and the quicker they can be
feadjusted the better, but nevertheless,
IS far as the individual farmer is con-
cerned it does seem that there is not
only need of, in many places, but as
surance that better business principles
applied would bring increased returns.
If the dairy industry in this county
and the Yakima valley as a whole,
is to survive ard really bring the
returns that it should, many of our
COWS must be weeded out and the
remaining ones be used as foundation
stock of still better individuals to the
point that the individual dairyman
may need to keep only a minimum
of animals in order to get the returns
needed. We can produce our rough
age here cheaper than any other place
IN the state. This would include hay,
silage, and even root crops. Pastures
can be produced as economically here
as on the west side and nowhere is
the pasture carrying capacity greater
than in the Valley. Grains can be
raised here, especially, corn, and the
cost of the grain ration materially re-
duced With these opportunities there
seems to be no reason why, with the
present market outlet, dairyman
should not have just as good a chance
or even a better one, than the dairy
man On the west side. In fact statis-
tics show that the dairy industry in
the valley is showing marked in
crease. If this is to be sound and to
remain it must be based upon, how
ever, good culling program of many
cows, definite breeding program for
the production of individuals which
can compete with cows from other
areas and definite feed program in
Guiding pastures which will assure an
abundance of the right feeds through
out the year as far as this, of course
is possible.
We, of course, recognize that there
are places where cows may be used
as definite side-line where all of
these factors may not be of as much
Importance and yet it would seem
that nowhere are we really justified in
keeping cows without entering in
somewhere into definite program
for the development of the best type
of dairy cattle.
While, but few of the dairymen
are actually making money today, if
poor cows could be weeded out with
IN six months time, there is no ques-
ton but what butter-fat prices would
materially increase. AS long as the
thousands of poor cows are kept and
many dual purposed types of cattle
are being MIXED butter fat prices will
remain low. While it is true that very
little can be secured for a dairy COW
going into beef channels today, we
actually believe that there are many
OF these cows that are losing more
tor their owner at this time than the
loss which they would occasion if
they were turned Immediately to the
butcher with the possibility of an
increase in price for butterfat. Here,
OF course, the influence of the indi-
vidual farmers program in the re-
action of butterfat prices would be
practically nil, but he may at sleast
check the continued loss of keeping
cows such as this in the herd. Rather
severe culling, good breeding and
feeding program it seems, offers the
best opportunities for increased in
come.
E. c. DURDLE,
County Agent.