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Show 18 Farm and Garden Guide Families keep farms farmers are being forced from the By ROBERT B. DELANO President, American Farm Bureau Federation Each election year there is a lot of discussion by politicians and others, about the danger of giant corporations and conglomerates taking over agricultural production to replace the family farm. Statistics which show that the food and fiber needs of our nation are being produced by a declining number of farms, most of which are increasing in average size, are used by those who argue that family Cleon's Performance Auto & Tire Service ) (Across from Young's Nome of Service "Tit Qualify an d Repairs" Qwik-Shop- Open Saturday duty at all times Expert mechanic on Tire sales and repair A Farm Truck Service HOURSMen.-Fri- Saturday 10 fIrron & Repair i . 8 ; ' to5 to 4 384-294- 2 land. Such fears are unfounded. Farm size is growing larger. Each farmer is indeed able to produce more today due to modern technology, mechanization and the high per unit productivity of our nations farmers and ranchers. It is also true that an increasing number of farms are incorporated. For the most part, they are family owned and operated farms whose owners have chosen to incorporate for inheritance and other business reasons. Such things as the recent national dialogue meetings held by the Secretary of Agriculture provided a forum for the big is bad zealots who try to spread fear that the family farm is dying. Nothing could be further from the truth. Patterns of farm ownership have remained virtually unchanged for the past 50 or more years. From two to three percent of all farms could be classed as corporation farms a half century ago. Current figures show that corporations of all types now operate less than two percent of all U.S. farms. Further, the U.S. census shows that nearly 80 percent of all corporate farms are family owned and Rick Pasarella of Spring Glen levels land prior to planting barley the end of April. Figures indicate patterns of farm ownership has remain unchanged in 80 years with corporation ownership consisting just two percent of U.S. farms. operated. Agricultural corporations with 10 or more shareholders produce only 5.3 percent of total U.S. farm sales. Corporate farms of all kinds account for only 11 percent of the land being farmed and sell only 18 percent of the value of agricultural products. Individual farmers bought of all the acres transferred in 1975, (the most recent data base. The new census figures are not expected to show any substantial change.) Family owned corporations bought 18 percent of the acreage sold in 1975. That was twice as much as the purchases of that group three years earlier. Farm partnerships bought another 15 percent. Only three percent of the land transferred from 1972 through 1974 corwas bought by of the and three percent porations, land transferred was also sold by corporations in the same two-thir- non-far- n non-far- m m period. This zero net change in land held corporations in the by indicates that many nonfarm corporations quit farming in a period of relativg prosperity and rapidly rising land values. Despite the scare tactics of politicians, social scientists, church activists and the crowd, the family farm is alive and well in America. This 98 percent majority of family owned and operated farms and ranches are the most and productive in the world. They will remain that way if Congress is not stampeded into applying unwise programs of non-far- mid-197- m 0s big-is-b- cost-efficie- nt management or and price restrictions to production fence farmers away from our both real or imagined. troubles Farmers and ranchers know fences work both ways. federal land Fencing out also fences in. a a ti D COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL Any specification a a a p p p p p p p & Chemical additive available Hot water Washed sand and gravel & plaster sand No job too large or too small QUALIFIKD IXPKRIXNCKD MCINSED CONTRACTOR faQHBQCI P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 5 H.P. TILLER HAS POWER REVERSE 460 Bugged 14 bolo tines till up to 8deep. 26 wide Power reverse lets you back off from roots, rocks, and other obsta-cle- s easily Salepnce South 4th East, Price p N Price call UU Castle Dale call WUf U 748-5128- AUTO p TWO-SPEE- D TILLER Neutral, reverse and 2 forward speeds that let you accelerate the tilling action' 1 2" to 2fT wide swath Easy-spi- n recoil starting with handlebar throttle control Cast iron e traction tires gear case, 79 S. Carbon Ave. Price, Utah 84501 8 n I 5 H.P. Telephone , 637-260- 7 |