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Show Page 4 May 1975 Utah Farm Bureau News Sheepmen ponder FB marketing program New rule requires using only registered labor crew leaders of Utah sheepmen representing some of the largest flocks in the state met with Utah Farm Bureau personnel in Salt Lake City recently to discuss a proposed lamb marketing program. If initiated, the activity would be part of the Utah Agricultural Marketing Association. A group Cherry tree shakers are vital, but they may damage the tree By John Keeler Director of Commodity Sen ices Utah Farm Bureau Federation scarring that occurs where the boom is attached to the tree. At the point where the limbs disperse from the trunk, the limb can be split from the tree due to the shaking. Another problem has been the method of pruning required. When fruit was trees were pruned low to the ground the lower, the better. With the limb shaker, all the small limbs located low on the tree are pruned off so the machinery can work underneath. Soon after came the trunk shaker. It is much faster than the limb shaker and requires less labor to harvest the fruit. This machine is and comes in two sections. One half ing cludes the unit: the other half contains the conveyor. Each carries a huge rubber platform that directs the fruit onto the conveyor-- . The shaker is attached to the trunk of the tree, and with a shaking stroke, the fruit falls to the platform, rolls onto the conveyor, and is loaded into To shake or not to shake? That is not the question. Rather it should read, To shake or not to harvest at all. Mechanical shakers used in the fruit business have become a must for any producer with substantial acreage. Several years ago most of the fruit was picked by hand. Then labor became increasingly unavailable and wage rates shot upward. Necessity is the mother of invention, and a mechanical shaker came into the picture. But with the new invention also came new problems: damage, space around trees, pruning, costs, etc. One of the first shakers was a limb shaker. This device hooks on the back of a tractor. A long boom is attached to a limb, and with a shaking motion the fruit falls onto a large canvas and is directed into boxes. One of the problems, how ever, the This trunk shaker has helped the tart cherry industry to survive in Utah, in the face of more costly and scarcer labor, but it can damage the tree and possibly shorten its production life. hand-picke- d, Growers who use crew leaders to recruit, transport, or employ seasonal workers should be aware an important provision of the 1974 - amended Farm Labor Contractor Registration Act. This rule makes it illegal for anyone to employ or use the services of a crew leader or labor contractor who is not registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. Severe penalties are provided in the law for anyone found guilty of violating this provision. Protests about the provisions of the amended act are arising in many areas of the country, C. H. Fields, assistant legislative director for the American Farm Bureau Federation, reports. But unfortunately the protests are coming about six months too late. F'arm Bureau was effective during 1974 in getting the original bill amended in several respects so as to make it less onerous, but the new law does place a number of additional burdens on both growers and contractors, and no one yet knows of the full impact of the changes. Farm Bureau is seeking regulations from the Department of Labor that will be reasonable and in line with the intention of Congress. A major thrust of this effort is to prevent large numbers of farmers, cooperatives, and processors from having to register as labor self-propell-ed lf large volume of feed and different rations to different lots of cattle these are the two important feeding requirements in most beef operations today. automation can reduce the time and labor required to process the grain and concentrate portion of the ration to an absolute minimum. For example, a 5 hp grinding and blending 15concen A - Mix-Mi- ll Mix-Mi- ll trate and 85 shelled corn ration through screen will grind over 5,000 pounds of corn an hour and deliver approximately 5.700 pounds of Ji-inc- grain bin a Both types of shaker damage trunk (left) and limb (right) have injured these cherry trees. In the time it lakes 10 people to pick a ton of cherries, a shaker can harvest 15 tons. Even with the initial investment of between S20.000 to $30,000 for a trunk shaker, it is worth it. There are problems, but they can be solved. Most of the damage caused by the shaker can be eliminated by the operator. An orchard may have to be replaced every 25 years because of damage, but the owner must shake or not harvest at all. Automated grain handling and feed processing cut time and labor in this large fenceline bunk operation. Augers and a bucket elevator put the grain in storage, move it to overhead bins for processing. feed discharge h f.n-ishe- d feed per hour. And these are machine hours, not man spends is measured in minutes. hours. The system can be set to run And changing rations for different lots is just a matter of unattended any time of the day or night. resetting the proportioner dials on the mill. The actual time that the operator Mix-Mi- ll Pjr PEOPLE AT OLOSCPEFFY PLACE Co tf-E- PEt HS PAsrueP Wrtf ?" AiTPO TlPP US tightens shipping in brucellosis fight As part of the stepped-u- p national effort to wipe out brucellosis in livestock, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced recently that it is tightening animal health regulations covering interstate movement of cattle. The new rules, which became effective April 22, require breeding cattle to be tested for brucellosis when they are moved interstate from areas or herds that lack certified brucellosis-fre- e heat-brand- grain bin future SAID exposed to brucellosis to be on the left jaw w ith the letter S before they are shipped to slaughter or to a quarantined feedlot. Dr. Paul Becton, in charge of brucellosis eradication for USDA, said the revised rules will help protect the 99 percent of U.S. cattle already free of brucellosis, while aiding state and federal officials who work with livestock producers to eliminate disease from affected areas. A Mix-Mi- ll system... the next move up in o beef operation. KU DMO WHBM desicnalion. Another rule requires cattle found bins for transportation to the processor. Again the problem is scarring around the trunk where the shaker is attached. Not only can the machine leave scars, but under certain conditions it can separate the bark from the w'ood. Here, too, special pruning has to be done. In this case the large limbs located lower on the tree are removed. The tree has to have a tall trunk to accomodate the shaker. An additional problem, because of the size of the shaker, is the planning of orchard space so the shaker can be turned around. Money is a problem in the beginning. But the shaker pays for itself. The shaker can pick cherries for one-hacent per pound. Manual labor would cost about three cents per pound if you could get it. YOU tPP I trunk-shakin- water-fille- d "You CARPENTER FARM EQUIPMENT 330 6400 SOUTH MURRAY, UTAH 84107 EAST PHONE 268-333- 1 ed Answers are available on water rights filings Before a water user in Utah files a formal protest on a water right application, he might save both himself and the state time and expense by checking with one of the state engineers offices to be sure he is affected by the proposed water right grant. Increased protest filings are arising because the state now publishes common as well as legal descriptions of the location of new filings. While the more clearly understood description is an improvement resulting from Utah Farm Bureau action on a policy resolution for 1975, some farmers are entering protests because they mistakenly feel that the new filing a flecks them. When a formal protest is filed, a legal hearing is required, sometimes at needless expense. The Utah Farm Bureau policy acted on by the state reads: When an application for a water filing is made and the application is published in the local newspaper, the notice should include both the legal description and a commonly understood description of the location of the filing. Tom Bingham, UFBF director of public policy, points out that farmers who may have questions about water rights filings before making formal protest can check at one of the following stale engineers offices: Vernal, 23 East Main: Logan, 22 East Center; Cedar City, 622 North Main; Price, 6 East Main; or Salt Lake City, state engineers office, state capitol. |