Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-07-05
PASTURE LANDS
MADE AVAILABLE
Survey of Northern Counties Will
Result I'm Definite Pasture
Information.

| Information.
| Drouth stricken farmers may move
their cattle into the surplus pasture
areas of northern Minnesota in an
orderly and efficient manner now,
since an emergency pasture survey is
being made.
of Conservation, section of land and
minerals, have already made con-
siderable progress with the survey,
going through the northern counties
checking ON all surplus pasture areas,
and listing the carrying capacity of
these lands, allowing to 10 acres per
cow. Maps reporting these areas by
county, township, and section are be-
ing prepared by the division of agri-
cultural engineering at University
Farm, st. Paul. Mark j. Thompson,
superintendent of the Northeast EX-
pertinent Station, Duluth, is directing
the project for the University Depart
ment of Agriculture.
Under plans developed at recent
fact finding conferences, held at Du-
luth and Bemidji, the county agents
office in each county will be the clear
ance office for pasture Information, or
the county auditors office in counties
without agricultural agents. These
offices will be provided with pasture
survey maps for their respective coun-
ties.
I'VE are asking all owners, public,
private, or corporation, to assist by
leaving at the office of the county
agent a list of their holdings so that
persons wanting pasture may know
the ownership of areas mapped" says
Mr.. Thompson.
How to Get Pasture.
Much of the pasture land is in natiO-
nal forests or on Indian reservations.
For rentals of these properties, cattle
owners are advised to deal direct with
the administrator of such federal
property. State Forester Grover Con-
yet has offered the services of his
local forest rangers to guide cattle
men in finding pasture areas shown
on the county maps.
For cattle owners seeking pasture,
the following procedure is suggested:
After deciding which county he wishes
to go to, he should call at the county
agents office. For federal lands, he
will contact the National Forest Serv-
ice or the Indian Service If the pri-
vate owner or other agency is not
available to show him the pasture
lands, he will call upon the district
forest ranger. When location has
been determined, lease or rental must
be arranged for with the owner. In
the case of state lands, the man to
see is Ray Kreis, lease agent, Mime
sofa Department of Conservation,
Hibbing.
Several matters of general policy
were agreed upon at the fact finding
conferences. 1t was recognized that
the forage and feed needs of local
farmers in northern Minnesota should
receive first consideration, but that all
lands in excess of these, local needs
can and should be opened to drouth-
stricken farmers. 1t also was recon-
mended that all hay lands be re-
served since there will be no surplus
of hay in northern Minnesota this
year, that the privileges of pasture be
opened for pasture lands only; and
that all cattle on pasture be removed
about October l."
Rental Fee Scale.
Several bases for rentals were sug-
gested by these conferences. Where
resident farmers take in productive
cattle it was suggested that the rental
be not less than so cents per head
per month; or possession of part or
all the milk product; or fencing of the
area by the cattle owner in exchange
for the use of the pasture. One dollar
per head for the season was indicated
as the minimum rental for young,
ldry, nOn-productive stock.
For open, unfenced land on state
lands, the annual leasing fee is 81 per
forty, or ten cents an acre. In fed
eral forests, the figure is ISL cents
lper head per month for cattle and
2.385 cents for sheep.
Details of the whole plan, together
with recommendations of the fact find
ing conferences are given in circu.
lar, Emergency Pasture Survey" that
anyone interested may receive on re-
quest from Paul E Miller, state di-
rector, DrOuth Relief Service, Univer-
lSity Farm ST Paul or from a lOcal