Pape Eight
Heppner Gazette Times, Heppner, Oregon
Thursday, November 27, 1941
Blue Mountain Association
Handles Much Union Stock
By R. W. SCHADD
Union County Agent
The Blue Mountain Livestock As
sociation was organized in January,
1932, and incorporated in March the
following spring under the leader
ship of H. G. Avery, County Agent.
This organization grew out of the
successful "lamb pools" first started
in Oregon by the Union county
agent in 1930.
At the end of the first year the
association had a membership of
132 producers who shipped a total of
4001 sheep and 2771 hogs, at a
total saving in handling costs to the
growers of $2,239.95. The total as
sociation marketing costs, including
an estimated value of shrinkage at!
SHERMAN COUNTY
EXPERIMENT FARM
Continued from First Page
duced an average yield of 24.6 bush
els per acre, land plowed medium
early, 23.5 bushels per acre and land
plowed late in the spring (the first
of June), 18.8 bushels per acre. Land
double disked early in the spring and
plowed the first of June has produced
an average yield of 23.7 bushels per
acre. Disking stubble early iii the
spring just before plowing, early or
medium early, has not increased the
yields over land not disked. Another
experiment in which the land is
plowed 5 inches deep and 10 inches
deep, with different cultivation treat
$4.00 per hundred, amounted to .8139 ments of the summer fallow has been
cents per hundred.
The officers of the newly organiz
ed association were: T, B. Johnson,
president; F. G. Pottratz, vice-president;
H. G. Avery, secretary -treasurer;
and the directors, John Schroe
der, D. McDonald, Mike Royes, Dil
lard, Choate and John Waelty.
The value of the marketing asso
ciation to the county may be illus
trated by the statement of one com
mission man made in 1936 at the
North Portland market, who said;
"Union county hogs were pretty
common in 1932, but are now the
best hogs that come to town."
The ninth year of operation of the
Blue Mountain Livestock associa
tion appears to find the organiza
tion still in a strong position in
spite of competition from drect
pecker-buyers and two weekly auc
tion sales. The association provides
a weekly sale for approximately 80
of the hogs, a considerable number
of cattle, and 90 of the farm sheep
which are shipped to outside mar
kets, principally Portland. Growers
continued since 1914. In these ex
periments the land plowed 10 inches
deep has produced an average yield
of .8 of one bushel per acre more
than the land plowed 5 inches deep.
On years when winter wheat is
weedy, harrowing in the spring has
shown beneficial results. However,
on a long time average the yield of
winter wheat harrowed in the spring
has been 23.3 bushels per acre while
wheat not harrowed produced 23.5
bushels per acre.
New tillage practices have become
necessary since the coming of the
soil conservation program. Farmers
are now advised to leave on the land
during the fallow season the crop
residues (such as wheat straw) pro
duced by the previous crop. This
very important problem is now be
ing subjected to carefully conducted
research. Three types of straw utili
zation are being compared; first,
the land is plowed with a moldboard
plow, burying all of the straw; sec
ond, plowed with a wheatland disk
plow, leaving the straw mixed in
iU i I ! 1 f :i. J
, or manv anv "le lew ui allu UUIU.
r. . j .. j . j;,f 'plowed with a duck foot plow, leav-
by check and also an accounting by
grades for the shipment by the fol
lowing Wednesday morning.
The membership has increased
each year until it now is 437. The
county agent served as secretary
treasurer until 1938, when Miss Mil
dred Wardell, secretary in the county
agent's affice was hired by the as
sociation at part time for this work.
Marketing costs for handling of
stock are financed by assessments
against total sales, as follows; hogs,
10 cents per 100 pounds; cattle, 7
cents per 100 pounds; and sheep, 11
cents per head. Each car load is
handled as a separate pool. Settle
ment with handling charges deduct
ed is mailed direct to individual
shippers by the commissioni com
pany, with a complete statement of
sales and expenses.
Losses are handled on a mutual
insurance plan. All animals which
are crippled or die from the time
stock is delivered at the loading sta
tion are paid for out of funds re
ceived by the association for hand
ling charges. In this way livestock
is fully insured and the cost is much
lower than if commercial insurance
were purchased.
Since carlots on the Portland mar
ket commonly sell for around 25
cents per hundred more than small
lots, the total gain by this method
of marketing represents a consider
able margin of profit for the grower.
In 1940 there were 8441 hogs ship
ped, 800 cattle, and 2051 sheep, with
a total volume of business for the
year at $163,736.67.
The present officers of the associ
ation are; John Waelty, president;
John Schroeder, vice-president; Mil
dred Hyde, secretary -treasurer; and
the directors, W. H. Woodruff, Clyde
McKenzie, Chris Johnarm, Sr., R. S.
French, John Waelty arid John Sch
roeder. Each year the association holds an
all day annual meeting in January,
at which time the association ser
ves a free dinner to all members.
The attendance last year was 195.
The program consists of a report
on the association's activities for the
year and outside speakers discussing
livestock feeding, management and
handling practices.
EXCESS SMUT KILLS STOCK
Fossil. Smut can be deadly to
livestock as well as to growing crops.
Frequent rains resulted in badly
smutted cheatgrass and cattle feed
ing on it has resulted in some deaths.
ing all the straw on the surface.
The adjusting of farm machinery
to work with trashy summer fallow
is also being considered.
4. Crop Rotation Experiments.
The crop rotation experiments
which were started in 1912, are still
being continued. This type of ex
perimentation becomes more valu
able with advancement in years. The
results show that for the growing of
spring grains, a cultivated crop like
peas can be introduced into the ro-
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tation profitably, but for winter
wheat a rotation including cultiva
ted crops has not been as profitable
as alternating winter wheat with
fallow. Spring wheat-peas, has been
one of the high yielding rotations
over the period the experiments
have been in progress.
5. Soil Fertility Problems.
It has been known for some time
by agronomists and soil scientists
that the fertility in the form of
total nitrogen and organic matter
was gradually but surely being de
pleted from the wheat growing soils
of eastern Oregon. From a study
made on representative soils from
several locations in Sherman county
in 1935 by the Sherman branch ex
periment station, it was found that
these soils which have been cropped
to wheat over a period of fifty years
had lost 22 of their total nitrogen
and 26 of their organic matter
from the first foot. This means that
our average soils have lost approxi
mately 747 pounds of nitrogen, and
17,700 pounds of organic matter per
acre from the first foot because of
soil eroding elements and continuous
cropping to wheat. It would cost
$84.00 per acre, or more than three
times the assessed valuation of the
average land, to buy .the nitrogen
alone as commercial nitrogen fer
tilizer to replace this loss. This is
plainly not a possible solution to
this important problem of soil fer
tility. The question is then asked,
"How can we maintain and build
the fertility and physical properties
of our soils?"
Soil building crops will have to
be grown in rotation with soil de
pleting crops if we are to maintain
the nitrogen and organic matter
content of our soils. No agriculture
in the history of the world has re
mained on a permanent' basis with
out such a system of crop rotations.
To achieve this end the station is
comparing the standard wheat-fallow
rotation with three modified
rotations including alfalfa, alfalfa
grass mixture and grass alone fol
lowed by several years of wheat
fallow. Through yield data and soil
analyses the soil buildnig qualities
of these rotations will be evaluated.
6. Fertilizer Experiments.
The results to date on the appli
cation of commercial fertilizers to
wheat grown after fallow indicates
that at Moro no profitable increases
in yields can be expected from the
application of commercial fertiliz
ers. The application of 100 pounds
per acre of sulfur has given good
results three years of the ten this
exeriment has been in progress.
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Profitable results from light appli
cations of a nitrogen carrying fer
tilizer on stubbled-in wheat can be
expected.
7. Soil Moisture and Soil Nitrates
Studied.
Soil moisture tests have been made
since 1919. From these tests data
has been obtained which shows the
importance of subsoil moisture in
the production of wheat under dry
farm conditions in eastern Oregon.
The value of early plowing and clean
tillage is definitely shown when
moisture tests are made on the dif
ferently tilled plots. The project also
shows the effect of soil treatment
on the accumulation of nitrates in
the soil. It has been found that wheat
of poor quality and low yields is
produced on land low in available
nitrogen at seeding time. It has
also been shown that excessive
amounts of available nitrogen may
cause too rank a growth and bring
about a burning effect. This is often
the case in years when the moisture
supply in the soil is below normal.
In order to obtain maximum yields
and good quality wheat, cultivation
methods which will bring about the
desired balance between soil mois
ture and soil nitrates should be
employed.
8. Economic Substitute Crops for
Wheat.
Several new crops which might
be grown as substitutes for wheat
are being tested at the station each
year. Among the crops, other thaf.
grasses which have been under trial
the last few years are: Seed flax,
commercial mustard, safflower, soy
beans and chick peas. The results
obtained are not conclusive but the
more promising of these crops ap
pears to be commercial mustard and
safflower. These crops produced an
economical yield at the station this
past year.
9. Tree Culture.
Many trees such as Russian Olive,
Caragana, and Western Yellow Pine
have been grown at the station
successfully for shade and wind
break purposes. Many other species
of trees and shrubs are under trial
to determine which can best with
stand the dry weather. Trees and
shrubs . add much beauty to the
homestead as well as offer protec
tion from the wind.
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