Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
A7
Celebrate National Ag Day
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Blue Mountain Eagle
School children
earned prizes
– four watches
and 85 pounds of
bananas donated
by Canyon City
Commercial
Company – for
their part in a
squirrel killing
campaign.
From squirrels to transpor-
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challenges facing agriculture
in Grant County weave some
common threads through the
years. Following are excerpts
taken from OSU Extension
Service agent journals, which
paint a picture of life in the ru-
ral county.
'HFWR1RY
Grant County is natural-
ly handicapped for shipping
facilities, thus concentrated
products are the only ones
produced here to advantage.
Beef cattle, wool, lambs, and
butter fat are the county’s im-
portant exports. On account of
high railroad transportation,
grain, hay fruit, and potatoes
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out of here.
The Grant County Court
started County Agent work
in this county in 1925 for the
express purpose of getting rid
of squirrels that were greatly
on the increase. The Coun-
ty Agent was wanted by the
County Court, but a good
many ranchers who had chil-
dren that were making money
under the old bounty system
were not very enthusiastic
about the County Agent idea.
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Ken & Pat Holliday
Jennifer, Nate, Max & Oliver Ginzton
Nick and Kate Holliday
Ben, Chandra, Clyde & Silvie Holliday
Matt Curtis & Ryan Williams
Contributed photos/Extension Service
County Agent R.G. Johnson Jr., circa 1930.
42.8 percent is privately
owned farm land, and only
5 percent of this being tilled,
it is likely that Grant County
will continue to be essentially
a livestock producing area.
United States agricultur-
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numbers of cattle in Grant
County have been increasing
for the past 10 years, with
86.5 percent of the 1926-1930
average cash farm income de-
'HFWR'HF rived from animal products
The outlook for County and 77.5 percent directly from
Agent work in Grant County livestock and livestock prod-
is good …The Agent has pro- ucts. A continuation of this
gressed from a mere ‘squirrel situation is probable for an
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upon, to a general advisor on
New infestations of nox-
livestock, drops and soil prob- ious weeds appear each year
lems.
and, unless ranchers are made
With sheep and cattle com- “noxious weed conscious,”
prising 75 percent of Grant will become a serious prob-
County’s agricultural in- lem. Every effort will be made
come, the livestock group is to organize ranchers to control
the group that should receive and eradicate existing infes-
at least that share of the pro- tations of perennial noxious
gram. But, on the other hand, weeds, which include morn-
very likely 15 percent of the ing-glory, white-top, Russian
remaining 25 percent bears knapweed, and Canadian this-
directly on those interests for tle.
support. Hay and grain is all
consumed locally by sheep, 'HFWR1RY
Winter feeding of live-
beef and dairy cattle.
Therefore, the owners of stock in Grant County has
our 29,000 head of cattle and been on a very limited scale
99,800 head of sheep must get due largely to the fact that
the major attention. There are concentrates must necessari-
626 ranchers in the county, and ly be shipped in with a high
their total agricultural wealth, freight rate involved. Several
including livestock, building ranchers, including the J.S.
and equipment, according to Guttridge Estate, Prairie City;
the census, is something over John Silvers, John Day; W.E.
ten million dollars.
Stockdale, and John Damon,
Mt. Vernon; have shown good
'HFWR1RY returns from winter feeding of
Considering the fact that steers when fed homegrown
57.2 percent of the area of grain and hay.
Grant County is public lands,
With ranchers in the John
mostly national forest; that Day Valley showing a gener-
al interest in improved crop
rotation, which included the
growing of some grain, the
feeding of a larger number of
steers will be made possible.
The noxious weed problem
is being held at a minimum
with land owners cooperating
in nearly all cases of noxious
weed infestation. Every effort
should be made to continue
this program, and an endeavor
made to keep ranchers “nox-
ious weed conscious”, and
also to encourage the efforts
of the State Highway Depart-
ment and other public agen-
cies in a control program.
'HFWR1RY
The diversity of wartime
controls affecting the produc-
tion and marketing of agricul-
tural commodities has brought
a steadily increasing number
of farmers to the County Ex-
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with their problems.
It is apparent adjustments
must soon be made on crop-
ping practices and in the uti-
lization in the privately and
federal owned rangelands, if
the county is to prosper. In
the years immediately previ-
ous to the war it was appar-
ent to agricultural leaders
as evidenced by the County
Planning Committee that the
numbers of livestock were
getting out of balance. This
condition is the result of sev-
eral factors, the largest per-
centage of which has been a
reduction in the numbers of
sheep. Livestock units in the
county may continue to de-
cline for some time, at least
until education teaching with
respect to range management
has made itself felt.
'HFWR1RY
There has been a great deal
of erosion control done on
range land. Most of the ranch-
ers are beginning to realize
that the best way to protect
their range lands from erod-
ing is to make sure that a good
stand of grass is maintained.
The County Agent was
re-elected Secretary of the
Monument Soil Conservation
District and has worked very
closely with the supervisors and
soil conservation employees.
Monument Soil Conservation
District consists of the original
District and three additions,
namely, Dayville, Round Ba-
sin and Izee. The District now
takes in a strip about one-third
the width of the County across
the west end.
See AG, Page A8
11
Columbia Power
Proudly Celebrating being a part of Grant County’s Agricultural
Industry since 1948
• Irrigation
• Plumbing
• Electric
311 Wilson St.
Monument
541-934-2311
The OSU Extention Office is proud to
support
Grant County 4-H
Growing the next generation of agriculturalists
Youth gain knowledge, develop life skills, and form positive attitudes to prepare them to
become capable, responsible and compassionate adults.
Grant County Extension Office
530 NW Main St., Suite 10
John Da y
541-575-1911
541-620-2811
OTEC Celebrates National Ag Day
as your rural, electric co-op. OTEC
fights every day to continue to
provide our members with some of
the most affordable energy and
reliable rates in the country.
11
Southworth Bros., Inc.
Ranching with a passion for the wise use of our
natural resources since 1885.
Jack & Teresa Southworth,
Ed Newton, Brad Smith
Ken Harvey and Lucas Moore.
Seneca, Oregon
400 Paterson Bridge Rd.
John Da y
541-575-0161
PO Box 575
John Da y
www.otecc.com
