The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1947-06-05
County armers
Are Urged 70
Improve Land
Annual Income Tipped
$725 By Progressive
Farmers In District

By adopting soil conservation
methods, 26 farmers of Ohio have
each added $725 annually to their
farm income. This fact was shown
in a new comparative study of farm
income the result of which has just
been announced locally by ]. I.
Steiner of the u. S. Soil ConserV-
alton Service. This study should be
of personal interest to every farmer
living in the Noble soil conservation
district, Steiner declared.
your local district already has
228 cooperatorS", he explained. "but
some of them are just starting to use
soil conservation methods. These
men will be interested in finding
out what they can expect to realize
in the future from their new farm
ing program. The new study will
give them the answer.
In making the study, farm econ
omists selected So farms which were
comparable in size, type of land and
which were located in the same part
of the state. Of this group 26 are
being operated under we'll devel-
oped, complete farm conservation
plans. On the remainder, little or
no soil conservation is being prac-
tiCed.
The information was obtained di-
rectly from the farmers themselves.
1t covers crop acreage, yields and the
amount of crop and livestock pro-
ducts sold by the farmers during the
1945 crop year. Actual 1945 market
prices were used in computing in
come for both groups.
The 26 conservation farmers had
an average income that year of
$2,785 which was $725 higher than
the non-conservation farm average.
They earned 5000 per acre which
was $547 an acre more than the
non-conSerVation farmers received
that year. Farms in both groups
averaged approximately 1877 acres.
AS contrasted with the second
group, the conservation farmers had
these increases in crop yields: corn
and soybeans, Ill bushels per acre;
wheat, 65 bushels per acre; oats,
79 bushels per acre, and hay, IA
tons per farm.
In addition the conservation farm
ers averaged 2,159 pounds more
pork than the second group, 721
pounds more of beef; 302 pounds
more poultry; 697 dozen more eggs
and 825 pounds more butter fat per
farm.
The incomes figures revealed by
the study, Steiner explained, repre-
sent total farm income above the
cost of lime, fertilizer and additional
feed purchased.
These studies were carried on by
the u. S. Soil Conservation Service
in cooperation with the state agri-
cultural colleges as a means of sci
entificalIy checking the benefits
which soil conservation methods are
adding to the income from farms
located in representative parts OF
the United States.
Although the 26 farms are located
in the CoShocton soil conservation
district, Steiner points out that
farmers of the local Noble district
can do equally well. ''They can dc
so", he said, "by fully applying al
the soil conservation practices out
lined in their complete farm con
servation plans, by making the nee
essary crop and livestock adjust
ments and by properly maintaining
contour strips, sod waterways anc
other soil conservation practices"
Our farmland can be just as gooc
or better than theirs, Steiner said
land our farmers are certainly a.
progressive. If they can add $72'
to their income every year, so cal
we".