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Show Page 6 November, 1968 UTAH FARM BUREAU NEWS Farm Vote May Have Carried Nixon Home Soil Test is Valuable Aid Reports Soil Specialist A soil test is a valuable Tool to check fertilizer needs, salt or alkali problems and other factors. But soil teats have practical meaning only if they are coordinated with field fertilizer research and proper soil sampling. "You can get the most from a soil test if you follow these steps: (1) Sample the soil properly. (2) Enclose an information sheet with the sample. (3) Send the sample and information to the USU Soil Testing La- DALLAS, TEXAS, November 12 . . .Farmers voted for a change this month, Charles B. Shuman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said here today In addressing the annual meeting of the Texas Farm Bureau. Some political analysts, Shuman said, report that (In many rural areas) 60 percent or more of the farm vote went for President-Ele- ct Nixon. And In Illinois, which proved to be a pivotal state In the Nov. 5 election, an analysis of returns showed 67 percent of the rural vote for Nixon, he said. "Farmers voted for a change In national attitudes on law and order, peace, and inflation as well as on government farm policy,' Shuman said. "They are weary of paying Inflationary prices for everything they buy while farm prices are near depression level lows. "Farmers are producing the largest crop In history at the highest production cost on record with the greatest expenditures ever of federal farm funds. "The failure of the dollar government wheat and feed grain programs has resulted In a buildup of surpluses and drastically depressed market prices. "And as every livestock producer knows, these low feed prices spell trouble ahead for him," Shuman said. The national farm leader also reported that farmers are concerned over the decline In U.S. farm exports. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968, estimated dollar sales dropped to $4.9 billion as compared with $5.2 billion in fiscal 1967, multl-bllll- on boratory, says Dr. Paul D. Christ- ensen, extension Soil Specialist, USU. "Take a composite sample. The soil sample you send to the laboratory should represent the field or soil situation you want tested. spots over the field Sample and combine these into one com10 exhibitors took 425 first prizes, 362 second prizes and 195 third prizes. Not only did the Farm Bureau women take complete charge of this division, they provided 25 judges and 16 other ladies to staff this In the case of cotton, Shuman said, we are also losing domes- tic markets. "Almost 50 percent of cotton Income from lint is from government payments and this puts the cotton producer in an extremely vulnerable position." Shuman called for a change In direction of farm policy and outlined the following steps: of current farm programs starting with the termination of the government wheat and feed grains programs. 2. Action by Congress to ease the transition from the current programs to a market-orientprogram by such means as a temporary land retirement plan. 1. A ion ed 3. An aggressive campaign by government to expand farm export markets, with an annual goal of $10 billion. Such an expansion can be achieved If the U.S. State Department is Instructed to use its strong trading position to clear away restrictions on U.S. exports. For example, a $1.10 bushel of Kansas wheat costs a European miller $3.42 a bushel, Including an Import fee of $1.60 imposed by the European Common Market. 4. Prohibition of the dumping of Commodity Credit Corporation stocks on the market. 5. A substantial cut in government spending which is a major factor contributing to inflation, a key element in skyrocketing farm production costs. of the fair with a total of 728 hours spent. Some of the more outstanding displays were entered in the Utah State Fair where they received a sweepstakes trophy, 5 special awards and a host of first, se- cond and third prizes. More than 52 hours were spent in getting the county display set up at the fair and returned home. Genetic Breeding Talk Featured At U,S.U. Dairy Days Events Logan -- - A dairyman can realize as much as $75 more per cow per year in by using bulls with high genetic breeding values, Dr. R. Dean Plowman noted at the Utah according to the U.S. Department State University Dairy Days. of Agriculture. "Sires currently available "If this downward trend contin- can either increase or decrease ues, It will have a serious effect the herd average by apporxlmate-l- y on American agriculture. The out1000 pounds of milk per year. put from one out of every four Since it costs almost as much to acres Is exported. cow as maintain a low "If world markets are decreased one that is a highproducing geneor lost, the resources which have tic increases areproducer, those that are been used to produce for these most geneprofitable. Increasing markets will be utilized In the tic merit is the most economiproduction of commodities for the cal way to increase net income on domestic market, which In many a dairy farm," he declared. cases Is already oversupplied. This would further depress prices Dr. Plowman, who heads dairy and reduce farmers already low cattle research with the U.S. De- Income." part income-overfeed-c- ost partment of Agriculture at Belts-vill- e, Maryland, said, "The USDA has recently developed a new method of proving bulls that can take much of the gamble out of breed- This method, based on comparing daughters of a bull with their contemporary herdmates, ing. 15 posite sample. Avoid salt or alkali sopts and other peculiar areas, or take a separate composite sam Cache County Women Sweep Home Arts Competition The Cache County Farm Bureau women under the tutelage of Elda Hillyard took 1289 articles to the Home Arts Division of the Cache County Fair in August. The 349 -- ple on the problem areas. "Your soil test can be more meaningful if you let the soil testing laboratory know what kind of information you want. When you send the sample, enclose a sheet giving at least the following information: (1) crop grown the past year or more, (2) yields, (3) soil or crop problems encountered, (4) crop to be grown, and (5) whether or not you have a good supply of irrigation water." Dr. Christensen points out that any good chemist can run soil tests. But, he says soil tests alone have little meaning. They must be checked against field fer- tilizer research. For this reaand farmers others in Utah son, should send their soil samples to the laboratory at Utah State Un- The methods used by iversity. the soils laboratory have been adapted for Utah conditions by the soil research staff. Grunts Take Heavy Autumn Toll -- Grunts, a digestive that severely hinders breathing, is beginning to take a heavy toll of range cattle this fall. The effects of the disease begin to appear about 10 days after the cattle come from the mountain ranges and are put on to green fields or growing though apparently dry pastures in drainage areas of the valley, according to Dr. Don W. Thomas, extension veterinarian with Utah State University. Logan disease may take more work to save the cattle," Dr. Thomas explained. NOTE: Von Day, Emery County extension agent with USU, called Dr. Thomas and said that it looks like the death rate from Grunts this fall may even exceed the highest loss when over 1,000 animals died from the disease in one fall. Farm Bureau Awards H 4-- Dr. Robert C. Lamb, federal collaborator with the Agriculture Research Service at Logan, advised keeping four basic records of reproduction: (1) records of heat periods; (2) matings, inclu- ding sire and date; (3) pregnancy diagnosis; and (4) calvings, including date, sex, sire, identification of calf and any abnormal conditions associated with calving. Dairy health records are closely associated with the production and reproduction records. These can serve the following four purposes, Dr. Jay W.Call, He said, "This disease, which has the more sophisticated name Pulmonary Emphysema, is generally associated with feed change, but the cause Is not exactly known. Most recent research done at Washington State University indicates that a nutritional factor is involved. The disease results when there is a sudden change to feeds that have more of the ameno acid trytophan than the animals have been accustomed to eating. "Valley feeds that have been cut or heavily frosted are low in trytophan, so also are dry cornfields. One of the best preventive meaassociate professor of veterinary sures to take against the disease science, USU, pointed out: (1) is to cut the field and leave the remind dairymen of time to car- feed on the ground for the cattle ry out various health practices; to glean. Another is to pen the (2) supply valuable Information cattle as they come from the range (in addition to other management and feed them dry hay while gradrecords) to use in culling undesi- ually working them out onto fields rable animals from the herd; (3) that have been cut. Such a prac -aid in diagnosing ill health; and tice naturally requires more work and necessitates the development (4) guide preventive health treatment and treatment of sick ani- of some feed source different from mals. what has been customary, but it im-prot- ant Round-u- p Trip The Utah Farm Bureau Federation has announced that the winner of an all -- expense paid trip to the Western 4 -- H Round-u- p in Denver is Steven Holt, son of Mr. and Mrs. George S. Holt, Enterprise. Steven won the trip as a result of placing first in the state Demonstration Contest held 4-- H on the campus of Utah State University in Logan. Mr. Holts demonstration was on "Range Ecology" and showed how to evaluate ranges along with some of the warning signs which indicate the destruction of a range. Much of his information was based on principles he had learned in the H Range Management project, in which he had been enrolled this past summer. Mr. Charles (Chuck) Berkmieyer, a District Ranger with the U.S. Forest Service has been the leader of the club. 4-- provides a dairyman with the of genetically improving his herd with almost 100 percent chance of success. "The USDA compiles the milk production records of cows enrolled in the Cooperative Dairy Herd Improvement Program throughout the country. Daughters of each sire are evaluated in comparison to their herdmates and the results are expressed as a genetic evaluation of the bull. This measure of merit is called a 'preIt tells the dicted difference. can he what expect if dairyman he uses the bull to breed his daiop-protu- ry herd. "Three times each year, USDA makes these genetic evaluations on all bulls and distributes the information, by way of the state extension services, to all dairy- men. A dairyman can immediately determine which bulls offered by artificial Insemination organizations are potential herd improvers. Production testing and usgenetically superior ing these sires are two programs that can help the dairyman of tomorrow reach and maintain a strong com- - p0jCy Development sessions have been held throughout the state recently. Here, Don Allen presides at 0S0n n 6 economy the Utah County business meeting where elections were held in addition to resolutions approval. he said |