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Show ib Safffesistg Yet .... Feed Emergency Declared In Duchesne County Areas A state of emergency exists, and unless the weather breaks immediately or supplemental feed is brought in from the outside, livestockmen in the Uintah Basin stand to suffer greatly from the long, hard winter that still persists. This fact has been made known this week through the - combined efforts of the Commercial Com-mercial Bank of Utah, the Utah Extension Service, the P.M.A. and the Vernal Chamber of Commerce. Last Friday a state of emer- -gency was declared in Uintah County when snow drifted farm and ranch roads full and people and livestock were stranded, and the state was asked for help. Saturday the full import of the situation began to dawn on Duchesne County livestock men, and with' the aid of Wesley Wes-ley R. Dickerson and Robert Montgomery, of the Commercial Bank of Utah; Louis Jensen, county agent, and Reed Lyons, PMA president, a survey was begun of the needs of livestock men. Every possible source of hay supply throughout the in-termountain in-termountain and middle western west-ern states was explored during the next few days. According to Mr. Dickerson. by Wednesday night through their survey, it was estimated that 500 tons of hay would be needed during the next two weeks to keep livestock alive and milk stock producing. Approximately Ap-proximately 45 tons of alfalfa hay have been secured and rationed ra-tioned out to dairymen, and a potentially unlimited amount of grass hay has been located in Kansas. Fifty-four ranchers had signed sign-ed up for hay at the Duchesne and Roosevelt bank offices by Wednesday and had made payments pay-ments on the amount . of hay -they estimated they would need -to carry them over. Only- hay -that is paid for in advance will be ordered, which is a warning warn-ing to others that have not made the arrangement to do so immediately. "A' call that so much hay is desired can't be accepted as an order," Mr. Dickerson said. Five hundred tons of Kansas hay has been ordered, and through the co-I co-I operation of the Vernal Cham ber of Commerce, a surplus they had ordered will be available. According to Mr. Jensen, who has surveyed Duchesne County's livestock situation, he is of the opinion that up to this point, little loss has occured among -cattle and sheepmen. However, unless the break in the weather weath-er comes and hay is secured, losses could be tremendous. An order has been placed for six car loads of hay from Kansas Kan-sas and this should arrive within with-in the next few days. Cars contain con-tain from 16 to 18 tons, and as soon as the hay arrives it will be allocated to those most desperately des-perately in need. A visit to the state capitol Monday by Mr. Dickerson changed the attitude of the officials of-ficials who had been misinformed misin-formed by one of the depart-(Continued depart-(Continued on back page) Feed Emergency . (Continued from page 1) ment heads who surveyed the area by airplane a day or so ' before. After hearing the situation situ-ation as it is, support was assured as-sured from Governor Lee and others in the capitol. However, a state of emergency has not actually ac-tually been declared by tha governor for Duchesne County; but those who live in the out' lying areas know that they are in a state of emergency and have acted accordingly. |