OCR Text |
Show Farm Conservation Report I Potato Goal Down For 1949 A 1949 national potato goal of 1,938,300 acres and a 60 per cent of parity potato price support sup-port has been announced for 1949 by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The goal is about 200,000 acres less than the acreage acre-age planted in 1948. The support price is based upon provisions of the Agricultural Act of 1948, The 1948 potato crop was supported sup-ported at 90 per cent of parity. The total national goal for 1949 includes 1,223,100 acres for commercial production and 717,-200 717,-200 acres for non-commercial production of less than three acres per farm. The commercial figure will be broken down for states as a basis for county and individual farm goals within states. Growers who conform to their 1949 goal figure will be eligible for 60 per cent of parity par-ity loans. The consumption of potatoes has dropped from 150 pounds per capita immediately after World War I to 127 pounds in 1946 and is currently estimated at the rate of 118 pounds per capita. The 1949 goals for states are based upon 1943-47 acreages after af-ter percentage reductions for "excess acres" in 1946 and 1947 and for government purchases of surplus potatoes in each state. The goal for commercial producers pro-ducers in Utah for 1949 has been set at 9,800 acres. This compares with 10,500 acres for 1948. ' I The population and the Land The importance of widespread use of soil and water conservation conserva-tion practices is emphasized when the number of people to be fed from the land are considered, consid-ered, says Lester Maxfield, chairman chair-man of the Duchesne County Agi ricultural Conservation committee. commit-tee. The livestick producer thinks naturally of the carrying capacity capa-city of his land in terms of animal ani-mal units but the real problem concerns the number of acres required re-quired to feed a person. It is only by keeping up the productivity produc-tivity of the land now under cultivation cul-tivation to maintain the human carrying capacity that the needs of an increasing population popula-tion can be met. There is hope, the chairman points out, that through conservation conser-vation farming' land is being made more productive. Erosion is being checked and soil built up to resist erosion. Water is being used to help grow crops instead of being allowed to car- ry away the vital topsoil. 1949 ACP Provides For Pooling Agreements Provisions for "pooling agreements" agree-ments" are again included in the Agricultural Conservation program pro-gram for 1949. Under the pooling agreement, a group of farmers work together in carrying out a conservation project. Farmers in such agreements agree-ments may pool all or any part of funds available to them to help finance one or more joint conservation projects. Any number of farmers may participate in these agreements, but the same $750 limit applies to each farmer in the pool as it does to individual farm projects. Where a pool manager is appointed ap-pointed to handle the work and the payment is made to him, the $750 limitation applies to the entire project. I Where a group of farmers has , a conservation problem wnicn re-I re-I quires joint action, it is urged that the project be discussed with I the county ACP committee. Prior approval of both the county committee com-mittee and the state PMA com-imittee com-imittee is required before such projects are eligible for assistance. assist-ance. Construction of drains, building build-ing of dams and the lining of irrigation canals are among the projects most commonly carried out under pooling agreements. |