Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 57, Number 269, Decatur, Adams County, 14 November 1959 — Page 8

PAGE EIGHT

County Cow Passes 100,000 Pound Mark In Milk Production

A registered Holstein cow owned by Paul E. Liechty and sons of Berne is one of the six registered Indiana Holj steins that has recently gone over the 100,000 pound milk production. . a _ The Holstein-Friesian Association of America, Brattleboro, Vermont, has announced that the following registered Holstein cows in Indiana have completed official records that bring their lifetime production totals to more than 100,000 lbs. of milk.

Johanna Aaggie Bessie 2678034, 137,516 lbs. of milk and 5,154 lbs. of butterfat in 2.988 days on official test. Owned by Paul E. Liechty & Sons, Berne. Mapleacres Victor Rosana 3094832 (VG), 120,968 lbs. of milk and 4,206 lbs. of butterfat in 2,275 days acres Farms, Kimmell. on official test. Owned by MapleWalnut Peak Queen 2452814 <VG) 115,799 lbs. of milk and 4,470 lbs. of butterfat in 2,538 days on official test. Owned by Edith 4 Robert D. Ummel, Claypool. Cash Mar Dunloggin Annfield 3179544 <GP), 104,501 lbs. of milk and 3,551 lbs. of butterfat in 2,315 days on official test. Owned by Arthur N. Wiley 4 Sons, Lebanon. Inka Pauline Creamelle Lass 3108902. 100,089 lbs. of milk and 3,427 lbs of butterfat in 2,346 days on official test. Owned by Everett Longerbone, Portland. To date 10,327 HoLsteins have exceeded this outstanding production mark on official test. Many more have achieved similar goals in unofficial testing programs. This volume of production — representing approximately 5 times the lifetime total of the average dairy cow—can be attributed to the registered Holstein’s unparalled longevity coupled with recent advances in breeding, feeding, and management. A registered Holstein cow owned by Nelson J. Paul & Sons, Goshen, has shattered an all-time Indiana production record on Herd Improvement Registry test. The Hol-stein-Friesian Association of America reports that Pearl Paul Farm Sensation 4042972 (GP) established a new high for Senior 3-year-olds milked two times daily in the HIR program. Her official 365 day production totalled 23,051 lbs. of milk and 154 lb«. of butterfat. Weighing and testing were supervised by Purdue University working in close cooperation with the national Holstein organization. Pearl Paul Farm Sensation was bred in the herd erf Robert E. Paul, Goshen, Indiana. She is a daughter of Sensation Jewel Model 1199313. The Herd Improvement Registry Program, commonly referred to as HIR, has been in continuous operation since 1928. It provides individual lactation and lifetime records on every cow in participating registered Holstein herds. More than 82,000 cows, repre> tenting upwards of 2,200 herds in 48 states, are currently being testad tn the program. If your corn picker clogs, shut off the power take-off before leaving the tractor or making any attempt to correct the trouble, advises F. R. Willsey, Purdue University farm safety specialist. Have available something hevay and sharp enough to cut through the trouble spot, he says.

Record Com Crop Has Many Uses

The Indiana corn harvest will hit an all-time high of 354,900,000 bushels this year, according to the October estimate of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. This tremendous harvest ranks fourth among all states contributing to the record U. S. total of 4.4 billion bushels. It is exceeded only by lowa and Illinois, and very narroWly by Minnesota. Indiana’s crop is 77 million bushels ahead of the State’s previous record harvest in 1958, and 102 million bushels above the ten-year average for 1948-57. What happens, eventually to the nation’s huge corn harvest? Corn Industries Research Foundation says that about 85 per cent of it will be fed on farms to help produce the meat, milk and eggs needed to sustain America’s high level of diet. Most of the balance will be absorbed by corn-process ing industries which turn corn intc products used in manufacturer' foods and non-food items so numerous as to defy listing. Scores of processed foods, ranging from baking powder to sos drinks, and including candy, chewing gum, canned and frozen fruits, prepared ineats, salad dressing and many others, contain com starch, syrup, sugar and oil. These are products of the cornrefining or “wet-milling” industry. Three large com-refining firms

Proper Care Os Sow Herd Is Important Poper care of the sow herd during the breeding and gestation periods will pay off in a good pig crop next spring. Richard Hollandbeck, Purdue University extension swine specialist, says that gilts should be at least eight months of age and weigh at least 225 pounds before they are bred. Sows can be "flushed by increasing their grain ration one week before breeding. The sows should be bred on the second day of the heat period and accurate breeding records kept. If the sows are turned into corn fields after the harvest they will not only utilize com left in the field but will get much needed exercise. ' When the animals are running in com fields they should each ' receive one to one and a half 1 pounds of 35 per cent protein supplement daily. The supplement can be hand-fed. Also needed to be available at all times is a good mineral mixture of 40 parts bonemeal, 40 parts limestone and 20 parts iodized salt. Do not let sows ' become overfat, Hollandbeck says. Sows on drylot should receive a grain ration containing 14 per cent total protein supplement. Gilts on drylot should have a grain ration of 15 per cent total protein supple- ; ment. It is also important that the I sows, as well as all pigs, be pro- . vided with a clean dry shelter, free from drafts, at this time of year to prevent respiratory diseases. Clean, fresh water at all times is another essential. WASHINGTON (UPI) - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says that world price levels for farm products apparently won’t go up much in the near future. The UN group said international prices of major farm products showed some recovery from last April through September. But by comparison with most recent years, prices of such major world-trade crops as wheat, cotton, sugar, and wool are still low And with supplies heavy, the FAO said it doesn’t expect any sharp or general rise in the near future. After soybean and corn harvest, ' farmers should apply lime for their i 1960 legume seedings, remind Purdue University agronomists.

, have plants or executive headquarters in Indiana: American Maize-Products Co. at Roby; National Starch and Chemical Corp, at Indianapolis, and Union Starch , & Refining Co. at Columbus. > In non-food fields, starches of many types are used in paper making, textile manufacture, adhesives, metallic-ore separation, foundry casting, oil-well drilling and many other industrial processes. The automobile industry uses starch and other wet-milled products in a dozen or more ways in manufacturing your new car.. Products ranging from aspirin tablets to dynamite contain starch. More than 200 separate non-food items used by the Armed Forces depend on derivatives of corn in some step of their manufacture. Refined corn sugar (dextrose) has important medical uses. In the intravenous feeding of postoperative patients, or those severely Injured, dextrose is saving lives daily in hospitals all over the land, the Foundation points out. Corn steepwater, a by-product of the wet-milling process, is the banc food of the molds producing penicilin, Aureomycin and other antibiotics. Products of the yellow kernel are used in literally hundreds of things, the Foundation says, that contribute to the every-day nourishment, comfort and health of the American people.

Farm Land Values Continue To Rise Indiana farm land values continued their long upward trend, reaching an all-time high July 1, state-federal agricultural statisticians at Purdue University report. The index stood at 312, using the years 1912-14 as 100. Since July, 1958 values have risen five per cent, nad they now are 94 per cent above the peak reached in 1920. The July 1 average value per acre of all Indiana farm land with improvements was estimated at $248 an acre. This compares to $236 a year ago and $227 two years ago, according to the statisticians. The statisticians attribute the rise to these factors: A continued tight supply of land available for purchase; Attitude of people toward farm land as an investment; Desire of farmers to enlarge their present farming units; and General economic conditions. Continued expansion of urban and industrial acres has also been a factor. Demand continues strong for part-time farms and country homesites, the statisticians point out. Active farmers continue to be the most frequent purchasers of farmland. In the 12 months ending March 1, they bought more than three-fifths of all farms and parcels of farmland sold. Non-farmers bought a little more than a third.

Soybeans vs. Corn; An Analysis Os Returns

from the Soybean News How do the returns from soybeans and corn compare? This question is frequently asked, but factual information with which to answer it has been rather scarce. So we asked 26 soybean states for per acre costs and returns from growing soybeans and corn. Seventeen of these states responded with, at least, partial figures, 9 advised that they had no comparative figures on the two crops. Two of the states with no comparable figures said they plan to compile such costs and return figures in 1959. Several farm economists pointed out the difficulty they see in trying to compile or compare figures for total costs unless it is done under a specified set of conditions qnd then the inputs must be clearly specified. We found it was not possible from the figures received from these 17 states to compare either costs or returns per acre for the two crops between states or between soybean growing regions. The reasons for this follow: 1. They were not compiled under i specified or similar conditions. 2. There was a wide range in the type and nature of inputs used in determining costs. 3. Cost, selling, price, and yield figures used ranged from those of 1951 to assumed figures for 1959. 4. Estimated returns in many cases were only for top notch farmers on good land, with good equipment and improved practices. I However, by including in what Iwe might term "standard costs” only seed, fertilizer, labor, equipment, and land use, it is evident from the figures supplied that it costs about SIO.OO an acre more to produce corn than to produce soybeans. Considerable of this difference is in the fertilizer cost for corn. 1957 Records on 36 Illinois Farms In order to try to arrive at comparative returns from soybeans and corn for some of the principal corn and soybean states let us first look at some actual cost and return figures compiled by the Agricultural Economics Department of Illinois from records supplied by cooperating farmers. The 1957 records on 36 farms of medium fertility located in 5 counties of Central Illinois show the returns from corn to be about $1 more than from soybeans. The yield of corn was 78.9 bushels and soybeans 33 bushels. Corn was figured at sl.lO and soybeans at $2.15 per bushel. Table 1 shows how costs and returns were figured. When we apply these cost figures to the other Illinois districts we find the relationship for 1957 proceeds and gross margins for the whole of Illinois to be about the same as for Central Illinois—about $1 more for corn than for soybeans. Since we do not have similar

THE DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, DECATUR, INDIANA

Fall Lull Is Good Time To Do Fertilizing Autumn lulls in busy farm schedules can be profitably used for taking soil samples and applying needed fertilizer, reports Dr. Garth W. Volk, chairman of the agronomy department of Ohio State University. "Soil and weather conditions in the fall are favorable for liming and fertilizing,” says Dr. Volk, in a statement cited here by the Mid- • west division of the National Plant Food Institute. "The work load is usually lighter, too. “Fertilizer supplies are general-! ly abundant. Farmers have little or no difficulty in getting the particular fertilizer grades they I want.” “The fall months are well suited to adding plant food to meadows and rotation pastures. Grass meadows and permanent bluegrass can be fertilized with phosphate and potash. And in many instances, fall applications of nitrogen to grasses are superior to spring applications because the spring application is not made early enough. “For wheat, Ohio extension demonstrations have shown that fall applications of high nitrogen fertilizers are as effective as the spring top-dressings.” Dr. Russell K. Stivers, Purdue University extension agronomist, i reports that where com is to be; grown the following year, hay or pasture sods are an excellent place for broadcasting fertilizer in the fall . "Fall is the ideal season to add, phosphate and potash fertilizer toj established hay or pasture. Potash helps legumes and grasses to man- 1 ufacture carbohydrates. Carbohydrates help the plant to survive • the winter and start growth early l in the spring.

complete cost figures using the same inputs for the other principal corn and soybean producing states; it is interesting to see what the relationship of proceeds and gross margins might be by applying the Illinois cost figures and using the average yields and prices receiyed by farmers in each state for the years 1957 and 1958. Now we all know that we cannot assume that cost figures are constant for Ohio, Indianp, Illinois, lowa, Minnesota; and Missouri. But without total cost figures covering the same specified inputs for each state it appears that the’Hlinois costs may be used for thM* comparison. Using Illinois ifosts of $61.91 for com and $47.14 for soybeans and the 1957 and 1958 average yields and the average prices received by farmers for these years we get the following results: SOYBEANS CORN ($47.15 Costs) ($61.91 Costs) Indiana 1957 1958 1957 1958 Yield per acre in bu. 24.0 26.5 59.0 63.0 Price bu. $2.09 $2.00 sl.ll SI.OB Sross' Pr. 50.16 53.00 65.49 68.04 Margin 3.02 5.86 3.58 6.13 Minnesota Yield per acre in bu. 21.5 17.5 56.5 54.5 Price bu. 2.00 1.98 .91 .98 Gross Pr. 43.00 34.65 51.42 53.41 Margin -4.14 -12.49 -10.49 -8.50 Missouri Yield per icre in bu. 21.5 26.0 44.0 56.0 Price bu. 2.07 1.97 1.12 1.89 Gross Pr. 44.51 51.22 49.28 61.04 Margin -2.63 4.08 -12.63 -,g7 Ohio Yield per icre in bu. 23.0 26.0 54.0 60. f Price bu. 2.10 2.00 1.15 1.11 Gross Pr. 48.30 52.00 62.10 66 « Margin 1.16 4.86 .19 4.9 lowa Yield per

acre in bu. 27.0 25.5 62.0 65,f Price bu. 2.05 2.02 1.05 l.Ot dross Pr. 55.35 51.51 65.10 70.7Margin 8.21 4.37 3.19 8.8. As you look at the margins over ?osts shown by this method o* comparison you will see that in i rut of the 6 states the averagi margins for the 1957 and 1958 per iod is slightly in favor of soybeans while in the other two states the.' slightly favor com—just about r toss-up. Corn vs Soybeans Thus it appears that the average farmer in the north central statemakes about the same amount o' money per acre from soybeans as he does from corn, and that corr requires about 110 per acre mon cash outlay, mainly for fertilizer However, there is a group of farmers in these states who generaly get better returns from corr than from soybeans. These are topnotch farmers on the best corp land with good equipment, and who employ the best farm practices. Why is this? There are two things which are largely responsible (1) expanded com research over the past 25 to 36 years, (2)

Ok 7k By Jack Heller This page, as one can quickly gather, is designed for our customers on the rural routes, and those in town who are interested in farm news. We hope it will develop into a real friend of all those interested in agriculture. If you have any material that would be of interest to the rest of the folks around the county, don’t hesitate to send it in. Pictures of unusual things around the farm, news about new ways of doing old jobs, a favorite recipe, or anything else will be appreciated. Just send it to Farm Page, in care of the Democrat. We hope to add other features to the page in the near future; things that will localize it more. News from the county agent’s office and the county soil conservation officer will be in the offing. We will also be in touch with extension offices from other states, and will pass along anything new or different. I want to hasten to make plain that I am like most other farm editors—not too familiar with my topic. That is the reason we hope you will send along as much as possible—the folks that know what they’re talking about might as well be doing the talking. To anyone living in Decatur, an interest about farms and the general farm economy can’t be too far distant. Besides, most of us have a great interest. in agriculture. At least in our family we developed early in life a habit of eating three times a day. And to the best of our krtowledge, most of what we eat comes from the farm.

the lack of adequate soybean research- Facts about the corn plant are now available which enable the good farmer, who makes proper use of them, to greatly increase com yields. Unfortunately, facts which would enable him to make a comparable increase in soybean yield are not available. More than 300 bushels of corn per acre have been produced. This is 10 times the average corn yield of the state where it was produced abd about 6 times the average state yields of our best corn producing states. The top recorded yields of soybeans have been a little better than 60 bushels per acre which is less than 3 times the average state yield of the states where these record yields Were grown. Thus it is apparent that greatly expanded soybean research is needed if this crop is to give equal returns to our best farmers in the Coming years. If crop acres are to continue to move out of surplus crops into soybeans in the future, as it looks like they must, then answers should be found to the problem of how to increase ioybean yields per acre. Only research will give us these answers. Soybeans Named For Southern Generals Interest in the Civil War is not limited to historians. Varieties of soybeans developed for southern climates are named after confederate generals. Latest addition is the Hill variety, named for A. P. Hill, one of Lee’s assistants throughout the war. The Hill variety joins the ranks of the other generals, Lee, Jackson, and Hood.

FARM NEWS FROM PURDUE Returns Per Acre In Indiana Are Best For 200-500 Acre Farms

Returns to Indiana fanners an their invested capital and labor •ise rapidly as farm size increases ip to about 200 acres, Purdue University agricultural economist N. 3. Hadley asserts. From 200-500 tillable acres, returns to farm capital and labor hold about steady, he adds. Beyond this size, the returns tend to drop off slightly. Purdue agricultural economists reach these conclusions from a series of studies dealing with importance of size of various farm enterprises. ‘‘Today,’’ says Hadley, "when you have reached somewhere between 20 and 40 brood sows in one herd, you have reduced unit costs of production about as much as you can through size of enter-

More Money By Culling Out Farm Woods LAFAYETTE, Ind.—Kep to good farm woods management is to cull low grade timber trees and ’build toward a higher percentage of good quality sawlogs, says E. J. Lott, Purdue University extension forester. There could be a difference of $25 to 40 per thousand board feet or more between good quality sawlogs and low grades, the forester points out. Quality of hardwood lumber depends mainly on the number, size and location of knots in a sawh board and on defects caused by diseases, rots, cracks, splits or inect pests, according to the forester. Sawlogs generally fall into four grades—prime, No. 1, No. 2 or -* To grade prime, logs must have ‘ 90 per cent of their surface clear oh three sides, be 16 inches in diameter at the small end and from ’ 12 to 16 feet long. No. 1 logs are those with 75 per ' cent of their surface clear on three , sides. They must be at least 14 ’ inches in diameter at the small end. j No. 2 logs are those with 50 per cent of their surface clear on three sides. Logs must be at least 10 inches in diameter at the small end. Cull logs are those which will > not meet No. 2 specifications. i High grade logs return the most • profit when they are sold for veni eer purposes, or cut nitf>-standard lumber grades, Lott says. Low i grade logs can be custom-sawn • into rough lumber for use on the ' farm, for railroad ties, or for industrial construction.

prise.” "In the dairy business this point is somewhere around 25-50 cows; in the laying flocks, it is about I,oob birds. In beef cattle feeding business, it is somewhere around 75-100 steers.” j These numbers are much above the average size of herds and flocks in Indiana, thus the pressure to increase farm and enterprise size, the economist explains. But many successful farmers go beyond these numbers, he asserts. Why? “The primary reason is that these numbers are too small to make a man a good living, relates Hadley. “And it’s easier for a farmer who is a good dairyman, for instance, to add to size of his enterprise than to keep abreast of all the highly complex technology

Need Research To Keep Beans Competetive (from the Soybean News) Farmers may plant 25 million acres of soybeans in 1960. Recent estimates indicate that our use for soybeans will probably reach 570 million bushels by September 30, 1960. This is an increase of 25 million bushels over the current 1958-59 year’s use which is' put at 345 million. Also it is 39 million more than this year's estimate of production. There are some economists who advocate shifting as much as 5 million acres from corn to soybeans in each of the next few years as a means of reducing the corn surplus. True this might help reduce the corn surplus but would it help farmers? Only if this increased production of soybeans goes to market rather than into a soybean surplus. Soybeans steadily have been taking more and more millions of acres out of. surplus corn but it has been on orderly Increase that could be marketed, not stored in bins year after year. We believe this is the way it should be. Maybe one or two million more acres each year, but not 5 million. Competition With Corn for Acres

While it is true that with the present price relationship the average cornbelt farmer can make as much money per acre growing soybeans as he can growing corn; it is also true that more and more in the future our farm crops will be produced on larger farms by expert farmers with adequate finances, good equipment, and using the most improved practices. Our experiment stations can tell this type of farmer how to grow at least twice as much corn per acre as the state average yield, but they cannot tell him how to get a comparable increase in soybean yield. With present knowledge he can expect only to better the average soybean yield from 25 to 50 per cent. Thus, with present price relationships soybeans will not be competitive with corn with this kind of farmer.

To keep soybeans competitive we must find out a lot more about the physiology and nutrition of the soybean plant, basic facts that will enable our crop scientists to understand why in many areas soybeans do not respond to, direct applications of fertilizer; why under extremely favorable environment they fail to respond to the extent of most other crops. We must find the cause of these unsatisfactory responses before we can hope to alter them. The definite need for greatly increased research to discover new facts about the physiology and nutrition of the soybean plant is well recognized by crop scientists. Not only are the physiological causes which prevent increased efficiency in production of primary concern but also the physiological factors affecting the synthesis and storage of oil and protein and the quality of these products. Such important things as the relative amounts of different fatty and amino acids in the oil and protein. Many important phases of soybean research are today more or less blocked until we learn more about these physiological causes. WASHINGTON (UPI) — The National Farmers Union claims a massive attack on the federal farm program is being prepared behind the scenes in Washington. The statement comes in the current edition of the farm group’s Washington Newsletter. The Farmers Union said the assault was being prepared by officials of the Agriculture Department, the White House, the Farm Bureau Federation, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Manufacturers.

of a new enterprise production.** Hadley explains that cm many farms, the most practical size of enterprise is about two to four times the minimum numbers . mentioned. j Then what governs farm enteri prise size? According to the Purdue econo- ' mist, it’s competition among enterprises and managerial capacity of the operator. • Up to a certain point, Hadley says, various enterprises complement each other. Beyond this ; point, they are competitors. He t cites crop and livestock produci tion as examples. "We can use the same labor force and much* of the same ma- ; chinery and equipment for both ' enterprises at different times of the year. Where crops and live-

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1959

COUNTY AGENT’S CORNER By L. N. Seitenright Social recreation was taught to people of ten eastern Indiana counties Friday afternoon and evening by Dick Tomkinson and Gordon Jones. Dick and Gorddn are specialists in recreation from Purdue University. Hie occasion for the program was the district social recreation workshop. It was held at the Decatur Youth and Community Center. Adams County’s Soil Conservation District will be well represented at the annual meeting of district supervisors on Nov. 16 and 17 at Purdue University. Those attending will be Benj. Gerke, Herman Bulmahn, Richard Scheumann, Ivan Huser, Milton Spence, Work Unit Conservationist, Leo Seitenright, county agent; and Hugo Bulmahn. Hugo Bulmahn will be a panel discussion member on the annual S.C.D. program discussing minimum tillage. Hugo will be reporting his experiences and impressions of minimum tillage with Perry Jackson of the Knox district. Harry Galloway, extension agronomist, will also be on the panel moderated by Oscar Ackerson, agronomist of the Soil Conservation Service. More than half of the township 4-H meetings have been held so far. These meetings are sponsored by the township Farm Bureau organization’s in their respective areas. 4-H member pins are presented to those members* complet- ~ ing 4-H work. »' The 4-H achievement meetings are used to elect township extension committee representatives for the Adams County Extension Committee. The representatives’ responsibilities are to promote and further 4-H club work in their township and represent their area for the extension program. Half of the townships elect representatives in the odd years for a two year term. Those elected so far this fall are: Hartford, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Duff; Blue Creek, Mr. and Mrs. Claude Marckel; St. Mary’s, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Mailand and Preble, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Reifsteck.

Poultry Farmers Will Get Big Income Boost WASHINGTON (UPl(—Agriculture Department economists predict that poultry farmers will get a big boost in income next year—perhaps by as much as 12 to 13 per cent. For 1960 as a whole, prices of broiler chickens and eggs are expected to average above this year’s levels. Gross income probably will rise 6 to 3 per cent with practically all the improvement. going into net Income because production costs are expected to remain the same. Production of both eggs and broilers will be down in the fiist half of 1960. The department said this will lead to higher prices. Prospects for the later part of next year will depend on production. The output of eggs late in the year is expected to rise to the 1959 level. Broiler production also could go up later in 1960 if prices during the first half of the year are relatively good. • 11 1 Change the detergant germicide solution used for washing egss, suggest Purdue University poultry scientists. Never carry the solution over from one day to the next. A change every five or six baskets of eggs is recommended.

stock are grown 'on the same farm, manure is an asset. But in highly specialized livestock enterprises not associated with crop production, • manure becomes a serious liability.’’ l Management, the second limitation of farm business, entails day-to-day and on-the-spot decisionmaking. In most livestock enterprises, complications of operation multiply as rapidly as numbers. Therefore, Hadley asserts, an operator’s managerial capacity greatly limits size of business. Though many farmers can manage a W-sow herd, few can manage a 200-sow herd. “There are not enough farmers who can manage very large herds to produce enough livestock for the nation,” the economist declares. ,