The Omaha guide., 1956-11-09

dairy cows and now have herds OF
from two to eight animals. The
addition of these quality cows
which are bringing semi-monthIy
milk checks has encouraged their
parents to put more emphasis on.
dairying and less on cotton, Mr.
Ammons points out.
Partially as a result of this
shift in farming emphasis, says
the State leader, Lee County,
Mississippi, has upped its sales Of
whole milk during the past five
years by nearly 100000 gallons a
year, and its gross income from
dairy products by $4,000 a year.
The coIored Alters of Lee
County got started seriously in
milk production in 1851 wheu
Miss Alice Little, the colored
home demonstration agent, and
w. J. Pernell, the white county
agent began looking around for
a sideline enterprise for the
colored farmers who were depend
ing almost entirely on cotton:
why not dairying?" they ask
ed themselves. A few Of the
colored farmers were already
selling little milk from their
scrub cattle. There was a market
for more milk at the local milk
plant, and good cows were avail
able right there in the county
from white farmers who were
selling off some of their purebre0
cattle because of labor shortage
White All club boys and giris
were buying some of the cows
through the local bank. Perhaps
they thought, similar arrange
ment could be worked out for the
colored clubbers. When the
banker was approached be read
lily agreed to try il out on an cx
perimental basis, and made loans
totaling $4,000 to IS youths 10 buy
pure-bred cows.
The experiment worked out 30
well that the plan has been con-
tinued year after year. The Al
clubbers repay their loans by
giving the bank half their milk
check each month until the fun
amount is paid.
Today. so club boys and girls
in the county own total of 130
purebred female dairy animals.
Artificial dissemination Is enn~
ployed to maintain the purebred
strains and thereby keep produc-
ton up. Some of the cows give
from four to six gallons Of milk a
day, sometimes bringing theix
owners as much as $40 per month
The income from milk Is max
ing for a real change in the coun-
ty. More and more improved
homes are to be seen, and an in
creased number of youths are go
ing to college.
Josephine Gill of the Palmetto
community, for example, now has
seven offspring from the originas
COW she purchased five years
ago. Three of these are being
MIXED and the check from the
milk plant is enough to pay her
fees at Lane College, Jackson
Tennessee, where she is junior
and help her parents build a new
home. Her parents now have four
head of grade and purebred cows
of their own.
Darletha Frierson of the same
community also is sending her.
self to college with the proceeds
from her cows. And Joe Bell Of
the Plantersville community plans
to enter college next year with
his milk check savings. Last year
he won the first leg Of a dairy
trophy for maintaining the high
est butterfat average among thG
Alters in the county.
Roy Beene of the Guntowu
community is a good exampfE OF
a top All dairyman. He Is now
milking two of his four COWS and
getting 10 gallons Of milk a day.
His efforts have been so success
ful that his grandparents. With
whom he lives. have bought some
dairy cattle through Farmers
Home Administration. They nose
own 13 head.
Miss Little and Mr.. Pernell. who
have been strcsslng the impor.
tance Of good animals and inn
proved pastures, estimated that
nearly half Of the 1862 coI0redl
farmers IN the county will be ina
dalryinK within the next fipa.