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Show Page 5 UTAH FARM BUREAU Farmers that with technology enabling them to turn their time into greater production, they must cultivate as much land as possible to retain their efficiency edge. The country's top producers are buying more and more land, then often leasing additional land. The high cost of farm machines demands that they be used as much as possible. A tractor sitting in a shed returns very little on the high Investment it required. But farming more and more ground and farming it well is only part of the story. The man on the farm must have a market for his crops. was thirty years ago. Yet the successful operators in the farm- bringing prices down. The 1961 feed grains program of the federal ing business today regard their government, promising guaranteed farms as Just that - - a business. payments for corn and grain If it's good enough for the man sorghums resulted in catastrophic in town, then I'd better consider it livestock prices in 1963 and here on my place," says Ralph 1964. Some cattle feeders have Hackett who has a 350 acre opeven stopped turning out cattle erator The smartest thing I from time to time since those ever did was hire an accountant," bad days. I'd rather leave my I can keep tabs says Ralph. pens empty and break even on costs of production, along with than take a big loss," says Boyd returns so I can make decisions Ferguson. I can put the same about marginal operations. And money in the bank and earn 4 12 besides that, he takes care of interest when the indicators that blasted income tax return." prove the market's going to be Many top farmers in the country b-- V do their record keeping on comour percent can be a magic There are few successful farms in the country today with less than puter cards and mall them to a fi .re in the farming business fifty thousand dollars invested in computer center in their state. where the return to the farmer on and Some of the centers are maintained his Investment can often be one land, buildings, machinery livestock. Many represent more by the Extension Service. Others percent or less. Why should I than a million dollars of capital are run by banks or private combreak my back when I can sell out, The largest system is put the money in the bank and investment. To earn a decent repanies. turn on this kind of investment part of the Farm Bureau organimake more off the interest than more 20 zation states with manthan I'm kind same of that making now," asks Rissell requires manelectronic Bendixsen. in record skill used and business offering agement agement to their members. SerWhy indeed? Yet more than a Industry. tax from few I remember Sam Kottich's farm vices farmers are plugging in range simple near ours. He had an orchard of records and depreciation schedtop management ability and imagto ules ination to turn tidy profits. One business trees hundred and several fruit analycomplete can Before New sis. decide Mexico farmer has hundreds you produced broilers for the market. of acres of pecan trees. Between The trees always needed pruning where you're going in this farmand he never sprayed them and ing business, you've got to know the rows of trees is planted cotton. often let the fruit rot on the ground where you are," says Ralph Rather than spray the cotton for because he couldn't get labor for Hackett. insects, thousands of chemically what he thought it was worth. His Some farmers are using comtranqullized geese roam the land, cost of production on the broilers puters right on the farm. The eating the Insects but leaving the was often higher than the sale price Momfort feedlots in Colorado use cotton alone. Instead of a single of the birds. Sam said the reason information from computers to crops of pecans, the farm turns was that the government bought so calculate the feed rations each day out pecans, cotton, gooseflesh for much feed that little men like for each animal in the pens. The market, goosefeathers and down. him couldn't compete . The truth computer informs the feedmill, A few feathers can mean the was, Sam refused to adopt the new which automatically grinds, mixwould to that have him let and es the difference delivers the ration between a profit and techniques animal. These computers record a loss, and a profit is what keeps compete with larger producers. Sam was a wonderful old man, animal weights daily and feed out a man on the farm. In the past but he wasn't willing to stay the information on the number of fifty years millions have left the of the agricultural revopounds of feed required to profarm, many of them casualties of He still saw agriculture lution. duce a pound of gain on the the agricultural revolution. Unas it was when he was a young animal. Beef animals that show able to compete successfully, they man. All you needed was forty too slow gains are singled out have gone to the cities and towns acres and a mule. There wasn't for sale. Only the most profitto find other work. Casualitles much to know about agriculture. able animals are fed to market yes, but few fatalities, for most The science and technology of That computer takes the of these men are welcomed as weight. farming was in its infancy and guesswork out of cattle feeding," superior workers. the main requirement for success I remember the farms of my says a Momfort spokesman. was a strong back an a willing While not only watching the comnelghtors as a boy. These men mind. calithis cattle of feeders puter, produced what they knew how and Sam couldn't have told you ber take daily readings of the then hoped they could sell it. how much money he made or lost The future of agriculture, howcattle markets, not onlywatching in a year or what return he had the daily price hut looking for ever, calls for men who can propon his investment in the farm. All price trends. These men also erly assess and analyze the marhe knew was hw much money he watch the feed grains situation, kets and then produce for those had in the bank at a given time. knowing that when feed grain markets. We will always have farms in this There are still too many farmare many low, marginal prices ers who are operating in the same operators around the country country. The only thing missing will put extra animals on feed. will be some of the farmers -way as Sam . Keeping an elaborate set of books is as alien to This spells trouble when those who failed to become the them as buying a milking machine extra animals hit the market, managers. r know FOUL BALU Weber County Farm Bureau President swing at the county summer outing, August 3rd. Bill Holmes gives a healthy |