The Sidney herald., 1960-10-05

80 ~ SA0A " SLFO -
formation here at the County Ex-
tension Office on how to take a
sample of grain hay to be sent to
Montana State College for test
ing. A small fee is charged to
cover the cost of testing.
Qualify Production Important
Extension agronomist Art Shaw
says that it pays to take time out
in your busy round of farm act
ivitieS to give some thought 10
the quality Of crops you are pro-
ducing.
Quality, he points out, is just
as important as the quantity of
grain or hay you may be growing.
Unfortunately, quantity or price
too often takes precedence over
quality and this is sometimes fol-
lowed by repercussions in the
market place that can be costly
for producers.
The starting point for quality
production, of course, is the seed
itself, yet drill box surveys con-
tinue to reveal that many pro-
ducers are using seed that is not
suitable because OF crop or var
iety mixtures, or seed that is OF
unknown variety identity. When
these things begin to happen, it is
time for the producer to start fresh
with a supply of high quality seed
Of recommended varieties.
Drill box surveys also show that
high weed seed content is another
common problem and one which
suggests the need for more work
on weed control and for more
farmers to have purity analysis on
seed they have cleaned. These
are some of the things Shaw be-
lieves farmers need to think about
and do something to correct if
Montana is to maintain its reputa-
ton for high quality crops.
Income Tax Management
In another month or so most
farmers and ranchers will have
pretty well wound up their operat-
ing year so that they'll have a fair
ly accurate idea of what their tax
able income will be for the year.
So Extension economists sug-
gest that the period between then
and the time for tax filing offers
an opportunity to make some tax
management decisions that might
be advantageous to you.
For example if you find that
your income will be unusually high
you may want to purchase some
deductible supplies or depreciable
machinery. These are items that
are always needed in the business
and the most advantageous time
for acquiring them is when income
is high.
Over the long run, the econom-
lists say, it's a good practice for
farmers and ranchers to manage
their sales and expenditures so
that taxable income remains about
the same each year. This practice
they point out, will usually result
in the least possible tax bill.
Income tax management is an
important part of good farm man
agement and how well it is done
can have a real effect on the net
income from the farm business.
Fire Prevention
The week of October 9th to 18th
has been officially designated as
National Fire Prevention Week,
and again rural people are being
asked to take part in this nation
wide observance.
The purpose of the week, Cd
course, is to call our attention tt
the hazards of fire and stimulate
us Ito take steps to reduce the life
and property losses that Occur
every year as a result of fire.
Farm and ranch people are il
an especially vulnerable situation
insofar as fire is concerned. Fo
one thing, they are usually far
Their away from organized fir
protection organizations than ur
ban people. Also farm homes an,
buildings are often close to sue
combuStible materials as forests
stubble fields, range grass, fue
supplies and so on.
For these reasons fire preventio
and control is a highly individus
matter for rural people. So, durin
Fire Prevention Week the USD.
and the National Fire Preventio
Neutrality-suspicious. of the week
observance-urge you to CAREFUL
inspect your property for fire ha;
ards and to review your workir
and living habits from the stanc
point of fire safety. Also, max
sure that members of your famil
know who to call for help in ca:
of fire.