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Show February 1975 Utah Farm Bureau News Page 3 Cattlemen gather for veterinary training Utahns view Latin farms, factories, shops Some 70 Utah cattlemen gathered at Brigham Young University on Tuesday. February 4, 1975, for a two-da- y Farm Bureau veterinary short course on beef animals. Moderator James Schoenleld. DVM and state veterinarian, opened the meeting. The training to be given cattlemen by an impressive list of veterinarians, including Dr. Jay Call, president of the Utah Veterinary Medical Association, was designed to help ranchers make it through the present e squeeze by helping them lower losses due to disease, poor calf crops and other causes. Increased efficiency of gain was another goal of the short course, according to John Keeler, director of commodity activities for. the UFBF cost-pric- Observing details of Latin American agriculture are several Utah farmers. Despite the comment by many of the 88 on the study tour that they were glad to be farming in the United States, modern operations like this one yielded helpful ideas. Jay Child of Davis county (right) and Bill and Doorothy Holmes of Weber county observe baling twine production in a Mexican sisal processing plant during the mid-Janua- ry agricultural study tour. VIEWPOINT By Booth Wallentine Executive Vice President ''Cattle inefficient: WRONG For the past year or two weve been hearing increasing talk about how inefficient cattle are in converting grain to protein. Theres a growing call for a cutback in meat consumption with a corresponding increase in grain production for direct human consumption. Too many livestock producers dismiss this talk as crackpot thinking. Fact is, its gaining more punch by the day. With less and less understanding of the livestock business in government control centers, the Controls pinch farm fertilizer Government interference with the market system is squeezing the nations food production industry' in a vital area, the farm fertilizer supply, Elmo Hamilton, president of Utah Farm Bureau Federal ion, warned recently. He said that concern is growing over the curtailment of fertilizer production due to a shortage of natural gas. Some 30 ammonia plants have had their gas supplies either shut off or sharply curtailed, he explained. The drop in supply is taking place because gas producers are limited by the government in what they can charge for the gas at the wellhead. It's creating a serious gap between prices for LP and synthetic gases running at S1.25 per thousand cubic feet and the controlled price of 25 cents per thousand cubic feet for natural gas. The difference between oil prices and natural gas are running close to the same, Hamilton added. No company will continue producing when financial incentive ceases to exist. Unless the government lifts the controls and lets the free market operate, the farm leader warned, the fertilizer shortage could reach well into the future. Farm Bureau policy calls for decontrol of gas prices, and Hamilton pointed out that President Ford, in his recent speech, called for an end to price interference by the Federal Power Commission. Farmers and consumers should join forces to encourage an end to the price controls on natural gas, Hamilton said. At this time of world food shortages, insufficient fertilizer supplies could be very serious. state-of-the-uni- on matter could one day become the subject of a government regulation. To prevent this, we need to do a better job of explaining that while a steer is not the most efficient converter of grain to protein, that same GRINDING Our city friends need to understand that our western rangelands provide the best opportunity for beef produc- tion with utilization for beef. Most of our range producing the other and roughages would go country to waste if we did not graze livestock. Bureau of Land ManIf agement officials really understood this, they wouldn't be reducing the influence on range advisory boards. Its true, grain is relatively short and we've got more cattle right now than we can market at profitable levels. But if we can pull through the next few months, and if the shift to leaner beef holds, the future for Utah beefmen has to be bright. low-ener- steer is a mighty efficient way of converting grass to protein to feed a hungry nation. The trend is to more beef. If we. grass-fe- d combine the weight gain from grass and other roughages with a minimum grain feeding time, we can convert about 3 pounds of grain into a pound of edible beef. And this is grain not normally consumed by top-lev- humans. In FINE CUTLERY AND EXPERT West is best for beef L LORENZ Largest Selection of FINE QUALITY STOCKMEN'S KNIVES 29 E. 4th So., Salt Lake City. 363-2821 gy el stock for immediate delivery. Controlled BEEHMER FLOOR Systems . . 15 kilowatt and 18 kilowatt ronic Ag-- T TRACTOR-DRIVE- Assure your birds uniform feeding and yourself uniform profits with economical dependable Big Dutchman pan feeding systems. The Big Dutchman auger and chain delivery systems incorporate control features for trouble-freoperation, easy flow adjustment and negligible feed grinding and separation. For increased egg protection and production, the Big Dutchman Gather-Al- l nests with front or back gathering has the proven features needed. N ALTERNATORS e Now you can have protection from power failure at a low Farm Bureau member price. An Ag-Tron- ic alternator will take over when winter storms knock out your regular power source and keep machinery, household appliances and other equipment running. tractor-drive- n Chain-O-Mat- ic Feeding Auger-Mad- e Feeding Feed Speed Concept Member Price List Price 15PI 15 kilowatts 18PI 18 kilowatts $1174.00 1257.00 $828.00 886.00 4 704.60 1176.80 4 27PI 27 Kilowatts 1 Nests Gather-A- ll Unit Feed Pans Flex-Ve- y Auger Feed Delivery CARPENTER F.O B. your farm or ranch. Parts and service available in Salt Lake City. FARM EQUIPMENT For details and to place order, contact: Jake Fuhriman, Manager UTAH FARM BUREAU SERVICE COMPANY 629 East 400 South Salt Lake City, Utah 841 02 Phone (801) 521-36- 90 330 EAST 6400 SOUTH MURRAY, UTAH PHONE 268-333- 84107 1 AUTHORIZED 5iq Dutchman. DISTRIBUTOR |