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Show Section, April ch Research Geared More To Family Farming by Dr. Doyle J . Matthews Dean of Agriculture & Director Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, Utah State University Anyone who is trying to farm at a level which was a family mit in 1930 is now a Hobby larmer To live he must derive most of his income from other sources Tremendous numbers f people compose this part-lm- e or hobby farmer group nearly 50 percent of farm emesidents have ployment), yet their to the food basket of lie nation is not very significant The largest 17 per-.eof the nation's farms produce 80 percent of the farm sales The smallest 61 percent of farms have only 5 percent of farm sales non-far- con-tnbuti- nt or People choose part-tim- e hobby farming primarily for its We must social values recognize that before that kind farming could become profitable again and supply the bulk of our nations food, grocery costs would go out of sight, half the nation would be hungry, and our standards of food quality would become a memory of Times have changed from the For a farmer and his 1930s I 4m t Since varieties respond differently to conditions at various localities m the state, seek advice from the county extension agent He has information on how varieties have responded in nearby locations Plant specialists at USU stress the importance ol looking at more than one year's results from the variety trials M r jiL .$S, needed We should ee a flurry of research m this area At Utah State University, we serve primarily the family farmer as the basic unit of agricultural production Our research attention is focused mainly on enhancing the productivity of economic family farming units from one year to the next make a difference in yields of corn silage and alfalfa hay Also, since you generally expect alfalfa to last at least five years, you want to see how well a favorite variety holds up in production over the period compared to other varieties You simply cant judge well from one seasons production We see that in the new alfalfa variety Deseret. It was developed by Dr Marion D Pedersen with the Agricultural Research Service at USU. It has not generally done so well the first year. Yet, over a three or four-yeperiod, it has exceeded other varieties at most of the 11 different variety tnal locations in the state. Remember that just because a variety is new or because it has a high sounding sales pitch behind it does not necessarily make it best for you. ar 13,000 Visit Bryce March visitors at Bryce Canyon National Park totalled an increase of 36.4 percent for the month, and an increase of 7.6 percent for the 13,051, year-to-dat- e. The North Campground now The road to Rainbow Point should be open by Apnl is open. 21. Agricultural exports to the Peoples Republic of China L $25? i p Experiencing new birth is a great positive benefit from family farming enjoyed by this "You can't get rid of what is are picking up, but remain well below 1974s record sales of $664 SDAecoqohusU foresee no dramatic' rise' "lh ' ' agricultural trade between the two countries. young Utahn. Utah State University agricultural research focuses on the family farm unit. part of you, even if you throw it away." Goethe FERTDILIZEKS Good supply of both Nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers Good Selection of Seed Grains for spring Needs - SEEDS - o Corn o Grass o Alfalfa Agricultural Chemicals China Experts f 4 w cooperative approach, are Extension Variety Trials Aid In Planting Choice Use care in selecting the variety of alfalfa or corn that you will plant Results from variety trials conducted for a number of years over the state by Utah State University Extension Service can help aD MLI V family today to support themselves from fulltime farming with the same level of sustenance would require 100 dairy cows or 450 range beef cows or 2,500 range sheep or 2,500 acres of dryland wheat or 200 broad sows or 50,000 hens or 640 irrigated acres to constitute economic units Agricultural research is shifting its emphasis in response to new situations It will remain the single best device the lamily farmer can use to get a handletm his problems Agricultural research will probably never neglect ideas for increasing efficiency But new research demands are for better ways of keeping the farmer of informed the agricultural scene, especially the market Most agricultural marketing is antiquated and works to the producers disadNv methods, vantage the possibly involving 13, 1978 PET FOOD Purina-Friskie- s Nermansens Roller Mills |