OCR Text |
Show Jetteri to the c!ditor Editor's note: Opinions expressed ex-pressed in this column are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect that of this paper. All letters must be signed sign-ed but need not carry the name in the paper. ally, agriculture possesses 50 of all the assets of business, and agriculture manufacturing accounts for 40 of all U.S. consumer expenditures and agriculture ag-riculture employs 37 of the labor force. The reduction in livestock grazing has been brought about by the controversy which has been raised over the allegation alle-gation that the cattlemen have over-used the range. No word in Conservation nomenclature no-menclature has been more over used and perhaps misused than the word "over grazing." The grazing of livestock on the summer range is important to the industry. The grazing rights continue to be confronted confront-ed with changing policies of government land administration administra-tion and the growing concept that our public lands, which comprise a substantial portion of our area, as well as of the western area, belong to all of the people and should be set aside to an increasing extent in single use areas for the recreation re-creation and enjoyment of the people rather than for production produc-tion and other purposes under multiple use. Few of the people grazing the forest, will deny the need for water shed protection. Most stockmen are water users m the valleys below these public lands, and have a vital stake in the water supply-It supply-It seems to me that unless we can. broaden the productive uses of the resources of the public lands under the multiple multi-ple use administration the range livestock industry may be headed for dismemberment. According to a recent statement state-ment made at a meeting in Logan Lo-gan by Mr. Lloyd of the Agriculture Agri-culture Research Service, we will see the following changes on land use in the future. Some land, will shift into homesites, rights of way, industrial indus-trial sites, watershed areas. Some , ranges will be taken for use by irrigation agriculture. Most pressing use will be the activities involved in production pro-duction and marketing of food and fiber, it would affect activities ac-tivities involved in the manufacturing manu-facturing and distribution of supplies and equipment used on farms. It would include feed dealers, processing plants, auction auc-tion sales, animal by-products and others. These people cannot can-not operate without agriculture. agricul-ture. An interesting sidelight is the fact that in 1958 agriculture agricul-ture used 20 of all petroleum, petro-leum, 5 of all steel, 4 of all electricity, 10 of chemicals chemi-cals and 4 of the rubber used in the United States. In case you are not convinced convin-ced there is no business like agriculture, lets consider a few well known facts. Nation- Reader points to another area 'decline' In response to the editorial written two weeks ago concerning con-cerning the lack of new business busi-ness opportunities in the face of declining business in the Springville-Mapleton area, lets Twit a fpvj fnpt nonr.prnine' I another business. Probably one of the oldest in the area, dating back to the settlement of Springville. In the year 1958, according to the agriculture reports, the beef industry in the Springville-Mapleton area amounted to over $500,000. To me, this is a sizable income. Do you have any idea of the effect this industry in-dustry has on the economy of our people? And the result it would produce if it should be lost or reduced substantially. Other business would also be affected. It would include all for outdoor recreation. "The impact of much of the inorease of outdoor recreation will fall mostly on mountain ranges now used for grazing of domestic livestock." As you observe, things aren't as they used to be. Livestock raising is regulated scientifically. scientifi-cally. Not everyone can do a good job of raising livestock. But when certain phases are removed, you the citizen, as well as the businessman and the livestock producer are affected. af-fected. The business men are dependent on the agriculture around them and agriculture depends on the businessman. We must all work hand in hand for growth, not reduction. Lets keep what we already have and improve on it, then encourage new industry and new agriculture, to improve what we already have, not reduce ourselves, and then wonder why we cannot prosper. pros-per. Loren Phillips |