The Independent-News, Volume 87, Number 18, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 2 May 1963 — Page 6

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I — THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS - May 2. 1983

Trends In Indiana Agriculture LAFAYETTE Ind iTre-' in Indiana agrnultur< pointing to/ward 1970 forvt< H its expansion in terms of farm income, capital investment and gross output. Noah S. Hadl-y. Purdue University agricultural ec nomist, mmu a continuation during the next seven years of the dtvline in the number of farms However, conuiK’rcial farms, those with annual gross sales of SIO,OOO or more, will increase in size and number. For instance, the census takers of 1949 found there were 166.638 farms, but during the next d*cade, this number dropped about 31,000 to a total of 128.143 in 1959. And by 1970, says Hadley, this figure wiU have contracted to about 100,000. Proportionally, increasing are commercial farms. These totaled about 18,500 in 1949. The passage of ten years brought this total to nearly 30,000 and the next sev- « ;Will boost the figure to 40,000. Size of each farm will be between 200 and 250 acres. Hadley explains that this means •ome 40.000 farmers will control nearly two-thirds of Indiana’s cropland by 1970. Moreover, these operators will produce between 80 and 90 per cent of the farm marketings and make nearly all of the net earnings from fanning. As a side effect, many of the state's 92 counties will have fewer than 100 commercial farms and few counties will have more than 600. Annual gross income of Indiana commercial farms in 1949 averaged about S2O 000 Then, because of declining farm product prices, the next ten years brought only about SI,OOO increase for each farm. But by 1970 this figure should average bet^veen $25,000 and $30,000. the economist says. Average net income of the Indiana commercial farmer in 1949 approximated SIO,OOO. but reflecting lower farm prices ard higher operating costs, it had slipped to $7,000 in 1959. The end of the 1960 s should see this figgure within a range of SB,OOO to $12,000 a year, observes Hadley. Capital investment requiremerits have Increa-«d steadily Mnce the end of World War II and will continue upward Fifteen years ago the average capital in- 1 Vestment on an Indiana commercial farm was about $55,000. This figure had reached about SBO,OOO toy 1959 and a further sharp rise is in prospect for 1970, when the total will amount to about SIOO,000. f — , Something's missingTc a^cid " es" in your insuram c protection, combine year coverape in one c .e r «ent program Met ..an Mukai Insurance Con • pany. Covers / (<Te, auto, posse-..-. < - s and liability! . . . Saves you mcr c f , tool See me ... theies no obligation! yow Meridian Mutual agent Herein Hal hl - M y Robert Johnson Insurance 5M6-2580

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