The Sauk Centre herald., 1940-03-28

Farm News
-ByCO1tnty Aee,at

program for adjusting agricultural
production to the needs in America
and abroad, according to the coun-
ty agents office. Many of these
people cannot see why in years
gone by the supplies of agricultural
produce from America have been
moved to good advantage and now
the demand apparently does not
exist. Loss of foreign markets is
one important reason. However,
another important reason is very
close to home. Since 1920 the
horse and mule population in the
twelve million head. This many
horses have been replaced by cars
trucks and tractors in cities and on
farms. Most farmers realize that
it requires on the average acres
of land to feed a horse. That
being the case the twelve million
head of horses have been replaced
in the last 20 years have made
available 48 million acres of land
for the production of foodstuffs
which formerly were used for the
production Of horse feed.
The question arises how much is
48 million acres? It represents
more than one-seventh of the en-
tire crop acreage of the United
States. It likewise represents more
than half Of the corn acreage har-
vested in the United States in 1899.
Likewise this acreage means about
1k times the acreage of oats har-
vested in the United States last
year and represents about 89% of
the total wheat acreage of the
country for 1889. Another way of
putting it would be that it repre-.
sents twice the acreage planted to
cotton last year. Still a more
graphic way of showing it would
be to state that it represents more
than the total acreage of corn har-
vested in the eleven north central
states generally considered the
heart of the corn belt. These states
include Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri,
Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illi-
nois, Kansas, Nebraska, North ami
South Dakota. If the foreign mar.
kets had not been lost this amount;
of land set free for the production
of foodstuffs would in itself have
made surplus problem.
| Farmers Of Stearns county have
for several years wondered as to
how to use to advantage additional
hay and pasture cropland since the
coming Of the agricultural con-
servation program. This increased
acreage of grass land, according
to the county agents office, offers
a splendid opportunity for more
satisfactory livestock feeding, es-
pecially pasture, during the sum-
mer months. Hardly a farm over
the county has sufficient pasture
grasses during July, August and
September. In southeastern Min
nesota a group of 122 farmers have
been keeping farm management
records with the assistance of a
fieldman for a period of years. The
experience of these farmers show
that reserve supplies of hay, added
acres Of pasture, and supplemental
feeding of hay during short pas
ture periods are efficient and de-
sirable farm management practices.
These farmers are all keeping dairy
cows and were divided into five
groups according to the amount of
butterfat produced per cow. Rec
ords and costs Of the highest and
lowest production groups of farm
ers were then compared. The herds
with the highest production receiv-
ed more grain per cow but it is
interesting to note that they also
received much more hay and this
was Of better quality. The better
group was fed more than 2 tons of
hay per cow, mostly alfalfa, while
the poorer ones received only 1R
tons each and here the amount of
alfalfa was very small.
Observations of individual farms
Of the better group show that they
aim to have about an acre or more
of good legume hay for every ma
ture cow on the farm. A farm
with Is cows and normal supply
of young stock would aim to raise
Is or more acres of good legume
hay. If sheep or large number
of young stock were kept, addition
al hay acreage would be needed
Amount and quality of pasture
was also considered important by