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Show " " - r IT .i , ----. . " '' t , . ' - yrvySC ) mmm - m km RUNS CSU FARM. Ron Williams, manager of the CSU Valley Farm, plays an important part in the school's overall program in agriculture. College Farm Operation Serves As Teaching Tool Employs Students An area of College of Southern South-ern Utah that operates year around, day and night, without with-out much fanfare is the Valley Val-ley Farm. Under the management man-agement of Ron Williams, the farm is not only an effective teaching unit but furnishes employment for 20 or 30 students stu-dents each year. , The main farm, located some five miles west of Cedar City, is the hub of operations, providing hay, grain, silage, and spring and fall pasture for the livestock. According to Mr. Williams, some 240 acres of land are under intensive in-tensive farm production, 340 acres are in improved and partially irrigated grass pastures, pas-tures, and 600 acres are in native state pasture land. Pasture comparison studies are worked into farming operations. Corrals and sheds are also located at the farm for use in the 900 head experimental sheep operation conducted in cooperation with Utah State Experimental Station. This unit is used to conduct tests to obtain information in production pro-duction of different breeds of sheep; cross-breeding comparisons compar-isons and lamb production, determined by different pastures pas-tures and nutrition at breeding breed-ing time. General management manage-ment problems related to area sheep industry are being challenged chal-lenged and solved by this project, pro-ject, Mr. Williams stated. A new procedure involving the experimental sheep herd consists of preliminary studies being made on the effect of hormones in the reproduction physiology of sheep in an attempt at-tempt to stimulate a two-lamb crop from each ewe in one year. A flock of 180 registered sheep composed of Suffolk, Hampshire, Rambouillet, and Targhee provide animals for student use in judging, fitting and showing, and general animal an-imal husbandry classes and work. This unit of sheep also al-so provides top quality rams for sheepmen throughout the state. Some 50 head of top quality registered cattle are also available for such uses. The 3,000 acre mountain ranch provides summer pasture pas-ture for the sheep. It is also used for biology and range management studies. Because of its scenic location, this portion of the ranch is the most attractive, and probably prob-ably the best known area of the operation. The dairy located at the Valley Farm is now being phased out of operation after many years of milk production. produc-tion. Originally located on the main campus in Cedar City, the dairy barn was relocated re-located at the Valley Farm in 1961. At that time, the herd was expanded and the most modern facilities were incorporated incor-porated into the dairy production pro-duction program. Mr. Williams Wil-liams stated that plans are now being made to use the dairy facilities for evaluation of beef cattle and for classrooms class-rooms and laboratory work. Prof. V. R. Magleby has been manager of the dairy operation. opera-tion. He will continue to assist in work carried on at the farm. Others involved in the farm program are J. D. Docksteader, farm and ranch assistant, and DeLynn Olds, shepherd. A new activity recently initiated in-itiated at the farm is the construction of facilities for rodeo event practice by members mem-bers of the CSU Rodeo Team. Under the direction of Prof. Al Tait, team members are building build-ing calf chutes and roping areas. |