Evening star., 1943-03-15
By JAMES BIRCHFIELD,

Farm workers who left the land
last winter to accept higher paying
jobs in industry already are be-
ginning to edge their way back
into Montgomery County to feel out
the farm labor market according to
O. w. Anderson. county agent.
These are the men who left the
farm and who have found them
selves doing unfamiliar work They
are not quite sure when they may
be laid off and would like to have
the way open to return to the farms
Mr., Anderson said these men have
begun to realize that even at higher
wages than they got on the farms,
house rent and food costs leave them
pretty slim margin at the end
of the week. He said he believed it
would take very little" additional
money to bring them back to the
farms on the run.
Farmer Is Gambler.
The farmer is an optimiSt He
is natural gambler" Mr. Anderson
said. He'll put out just as many
crops this year as last if he can
get the help. regardless of the labor
outlook for harvest time
Mr.. Anderson explained that sew
eral things might influence the
amount of crops planted this spring
become available and this might
account for as much as a 10 per cent
reduction in land planted
Weather conditions this spring
also will be factor, he pointed
out. II there is an open spring
and the farmer is able to work
steadily in the fields, naturally there
will be more crops planted than if
weather conditions are bad
The trouble with the farmer to-
day Mr.. Anderson said, lis that
he is Just coming out of winter into
spring planting season, begins 10
realize trat labor is scarce It's like
being awakened by cold shower
Calls Them Patriotic.
There is no more patriotic group
than the American farmer and you
can depend on him to do all he
can toward maintaining the Ma
tons food supply on an adequate
level.
Mr.. Anderson said that of the
countys 1000 farms, 500 specialized
in daiIying, There is no question,
he serted, that the dairy farmer
has been operating for the past
three months at no profit.
A dairy farmer himself. Mr. An
derson said that in fact. if the
dairyman stopped to figure the cost
OF home grown feed going into his
cows, he actually is operating at
loss.
Like other farmers in the county.
he said dairymen would be able to
continue in business if the Agri-
culture Department grants a 90
cent per hundredWeigh increase IN
/ the price of milk as requested by the
/ Maryland and Virginia Mix Pro-
/ ducerS' Association. He doubted,
! however. if the Accent increase
/ proposed by the department would
]
Pastures to Cut Cost
/ Mi Anderson pointed out that
/ dairymen soon will be able to turn
4 COWS 10 pasture which will cut feed
costs considerably
The county agent said that &C
tually there are few more sales of
dairy COWS in the county than is
! normal Tor this time of year and
added that many of the cows sold
are going 10 other ontgomery
County o2riymen.
This again reflects the optimism
of the farmer. Those buying COWS
are the ones who still have labor
and are willing to take chance
on keeping their help. he said.
The most alarming trend, he said
is the fact that farmers are not re-
placing culls, which are on the in
crease because Of unskilled labor and
inconsistency in dairy feeds. This
he said, If allowed to continue, may
have grave effect on the milk sup
ply in the Washington area
Inconsistency of Feeds.
That Montgomery County dairy
herds were falling off in production
was shown through records kept or
25 herds whose owners are members
of the Montgomery County Dairy
Herd Improvement Association.
G. L. Fuller, tester for the asso.
citation. said he would Law the de.