Show Vets Administration I Information Service I What does the GI 01 Bill farm training program mean to the nation Under this program which combines classroom studies with actual experience on the farm form two-thirds two of Americas America's veteran-farmers veteran have been en en- enrolled I en-I enrolled rolled at some time or other The Vet Vet- Veterans Veterans erans Administration has Just completed a compilation of state and community surveys of the achievements of this pro pro- program gram I GI farm tarm training has bas had a 11 far- far reaching Impact on veterans In ture It has helped them to buy rent or lease their own farms On September 1 1 1950 a total of 94 per cent of ot the farm trainees were In the owner and antI operator classes In many areas it has helped to boost farm Incomes it has led to Increased farm farm- production and to extensive soil conservation conser activities and has encouraged encouraged encouraged I aged farm Improvements that have made for better tt r. r living Following are a a. few random examples and and not exceptional cases cases of of the re results re- re results results of six years of GI Bill institutional on-farm on training A young Pennsylvania veteran with three years of GI 0 farm training has doubled his crop yield He has also doubled his milk production and his I yearly net income I In Texas veterans enrolled In this I you learn program so far have invested in land homes stock and farm equipment I In one Indiana county trainees took I four out of five five prizes in a corn acre acre- acreage acreage acreage age contest A Montana veteran a full blooded Indian did so well in his first seven months of training that his tribe ad ad- advanced advanced advanced him the money for his own farm Since then he has added livestock re rebuilt re- re rebuilt built his house bought a up pick-up truck and kept up his farm loan payments The average net Income of farm trainees In one Pennsylvania county was before before- they started their courses I Now It Is 1400 A survey from western vestern I Massachusetts placed the average net for GI 01 farm trainees at 1300 I Also these state farm surveys Indi indi- Indicate cats cate that the techniques taught to veterans farmer I under the GI 0 Bill pro pro- program program gram have played a vital part In raising the the productivity of their farms For ex- ex example exI I ample In three West Vest Virginia counties j I veterans have been averaging more than 1100 bushels of shelled corn per acre r compared with an wide area ar wide a-wide yield of 43 1 4 s. s u v The GI Bill programs program's emphasis on soil Improvement and conservation Is responsible for these examples s North orth Carolina veterans constructed feet teet of terraces for tor the purpose of con con- conserving conserving conserving serving the soil soli reforested acres t of land and limed acres all In Inthe I Ithe Ithe the period of ot one year In Georgia farm trainees developed acres of pasture from eroded red clay land that at one time was nearly worthless Finally the surveys reveal that Jn In i areas areas' areas across country co the GI 01 farm training has shown the way to I better living on the farm In a Louisiana parish one-half one of all the farm trainees I had their homes wired for electricity In Oklahoma In one years year's time trainees remodeled their houses 1000 I put In phones wired their farms for electricity and 1000 piped In Jn run run- running running ning fling water run i These the VA said are Just a few of at the answers to the query of what the GI OX farm training program has meant I to the nation I |