Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 1963)
County Agent's Office County Agent Writes Of Farms Elsewhere By N. C ANDERSON Greetings from Utah! ! This is being written in St. Georee. one of the oldest Mormon settlements in tne state, in this picturesque setting of the red hills adjacent to Zion National Park sugar beets, auaua, and turkey pro duction is the major agricult ural income of the area. To morrow we leave Utah after four days of touring agricultural enterprises, small business de velopments and sight seeing. Las Vegas is our next stop. Today was an interesting one spent with Beaver County Agent Grant Esplin, who is responsible for a diversified agriculture. He has been active in rural area development programs in the county for many years, one of which is a cooperative milking barn in the community for Minersville. In the early 1940's ten dairymen joined in a co operative milking barn project and today there are 700 cows owned by 30 dairymen brought to the barn twice daily to be milked. Milking begins at 1:30 a.m. and two men milk them by 9:00 a.m. Milking begins again at 1:30 p.m. It is quite a sight to see boys, or the wife bringing the cows to the barn from lots around the milking barn where the ranchers live in this small settlement. A charge is made for the five pounds of grain fed each cow as well as a 15 cent milking charge. Twelve cows are milked each six minutes. Milk is trucked to Las Vegas for mar ket. Another project of this co operative minded community, is the Minersville Land Coopera tive where ten ranchers have purchased 1280 acres of irrigated land, irrigated by five deep wells, to provide pasture for 3200 beef cows. One of the best pastures of grass and alfalfa I have seen provides the excellent pasture. Visits during the week have included outstanding dairy en terprises, reclamation of alkali land, storage ponds, a dairy farm that now provides income as an attraction for Salt Lake city children. New Industries Springing Up Automation in the laying chicken and turkey business has really increased efficiency here. One ranch visited raises 350,000. Brooding, raising, slaughtering and marketing the turkeys in a complete operation. A visit to a phosphate fertilizer plant, the Kennecott Copper Mine, the U. S. Steel plant in Provo, gave a good insight into these indus tries. Something new was a beaver ranch where 9000 beavers are kept on a beaver breeding farm. We found that males are boars, females are sows, and the young are kits. A family enterprise, all work is done by sons and daugh ters of the family. Skins sell for $80 to $100 each. Today we saw hundreds of deep wells that pump as much as 3200 gallons per minute. The state of Utah allows no more wells to be dug in this area. One ranch that depends on four of these wells for irrigation water for 640 acres was visited today. The farm grows 80 acres of cert ified white Rose potatoes for seed, 240 acres of spring wheat, 300 acres of alfalfa; the rest in Amur intermediate wheatgrass and for seed. The alfalfa hay that averages 5 tons per acre is put up by the two young pons by weather-crimper, baled, picked up by a self-propelled Haro-bed bale stacker the hay is never touched by human hands. A homemade loader that works automatically loads a truck and trailer with 26 tons which is delivered to the Las Vegas milk sheds. The air con ditioned truck cab is equipped with bed, so the truck need not stop on the daily trips. Sees Need for Good Management It is easy to see the need for efficient farm management that is necessary now for a rancher to continue in agriculture. Sound management decisions, efficient operation, reduced labor and volume are evident in the oper ations that are succeeding. It is also interesting to visit with many ranchers on their thought concerning the outlook for wheat farmer. Much dry land wheat is growing in this country. Many feel that the price of wheat will encourage more livestock and poultry feeding that will add economy to this section. Agents from Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, and Hawaii in ad dition to myself, traveling in two cars, are on the tour. We are looking forward to seeing small watershed developments, sugar beet seed production, cot ton oil milling, cattle feed lot operations, lettuce production and harvest, range development, Indian tribal beef ranch im provement, sheep ranching un der fence, as well as many agri culture business concerns that will be seen in the next two weeks of the tour. I am espec ially interested in and surprised to see, every small town in this area with a factory of some kind. We are told these moved to the area because of avail ability of labor and the absence of labor unions. Much of this labor comes from part-time farmers. They seem to come to these areas with little effort from these communities. Beef Council Okays Budget for 1963-64 The Oregon Beef Council at its regular monthly meeting at the Beef Council office, Imperial Hotel, recently passed its 1963 64 budget of $77,260.00 accord ing to Richard Westerberg, Med ford, Chairman of the Council. The new budget, which takes effect July 1, 1963, is some 7 higher than the current budget. The funds, which are derived from the sale of Oregon cattle, will be used for cattle industry studies, research and beef pro motion. "Specific programs which will be financed by the new budget and benefit the cattle industry will include public land and wilderness studies, sanitation and disease control, brands, feed grain programs, imports and tariffs, freight rates and other areas of concern to the indus try," Westerberg stated. The Beef Council will also finance an economic study of the states cattle industry in cooperation with Oregon State University. The Beef Council budget will also finance merchandising, pro motion and educational pro- prams conducted bv the Oregon Cow Belles. Funds will also go to the National Livestock and Meat Board for national beef pro motion and research. The Council expects beef rates in the state t0 be 850,000 head in the coming fiscal year start- in s Julv 1. 1963. The council de rives 10c from each animal sold. However, the seller is refunded his money upon request. Ke funds made during the past vear totaled approximately 15 of funds collected. Two years aeo refund Davments were av eraging 30 of total funds col lected. Westerberg said "tnis in dicates active support and grow ing confidence from the cattle men for the projects and pro grams carried on by the Oregon Beef Council. W"""" -mJL i Our Sincere Appreciation To Alt Those Who Contributed To The Junior Livestock Show of The Oregon Wheat Growers League Held at The Dalles INCLUDING THESE BUYERS OF LIVESTOCK AT THE AUCTION SALES . . , Bank of Eastern Oregon Heppner First National Bank Heppner Greenup, Don Heppner Wright Harold Heppner Ekstrom Chemical Co. lone Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington THANKS TO SUCH FINE SUPPORT. PRICES THIS YEAR RANGED WELL ABOVE MARKET Mid-Columbia Livestock Show Assn. Elmer Lierman. Secy.-Treas. and Show General Mgr. Delaney Schanno, President Paul Wcdden, Vice Pres. Expanding Market For Oregon Cattle Predicted at OSU Expanding California markets for Oregon-grown beef were pre dicted by a West Coast livestock specialist at the annual Oregon State University Beef Cattle Day. Some signs indicate that cattle feeding in California has reached its peak and may taper off in years ahead, reported Reuben Albaugh, University of California. At the same time, demand for finished beef in California will increase rapidly with the state's population growth and high level per capita income, Albaugh told some 150 Oregon cattlemen attending the meeting. California now imports nearly 2 million head of stocker and feeder cattle that are finished in California feedlots. The state also imports about one-half its needed supply of livestock feeds for finishing beef animals in lots. This combination of im porting both unfinished animals and feed imposes limitations even though feedlots are highly efficient, ooeratine on large- volume, low-unit profits, the specialist explained. More than 450,000 head of finished cattle are imported in to California in 1962 for immed iate slaughter with about three fourths of this number coming from Arizona. Oregon supplied only 18,000 head but has the po tential for greatly increased sales of finished beef, believe many Oregon livestock market authorities. In 1961, Oregon produced about 500,000 calves and 166,000 cull cows most of which were shipped out of state for finish ing in states that have develop ed grain feeding industries, ac cording to a recent study by Ore gon State University. Beef cattle feeding in Oregon now generates about $53 million annually in local economic ac tivity, the OSU study estimates it would be $250 million if the state's potential feed grain re sources were "marketed" through finished beef. Beef market opportunities in California were pointed up by Albaugh with a report that Cal ifornia's present population of more than 16 million persons is expected to top 21 million by 1970. And Californians are heavy beef eaters about 130 pounds per capita a year compared to 87 pounds for the U. S. average. This is, in part, a reflection of high income per capita. Contractors Offer Road Efficiency Aid to Counties The Associated General Con tractors today announced devel opment of a program offering research, consultation and tech nical assistance intended to aid Oregon counties in determining the most economical and feas ible method of couty construction. In describing the project, Leo nard Runkle, president of the Portland Chapter, AGC, said the new service would be available to officials of Multnomah coun ty and the state's 35 other coun ties so that the county and the taxpayers may obtain the best possimle road construction for the least amount of dollars. "The many years of experience with AGC members have in the construction of roads, the results of their research and the bene fits of their technical knowledge are being offered without obli gation to officials of any county with the hope that this assis tance may bring about cooper ative teamwork that could bene fit both the industry and the public," Runkle added. A special committee consisting of representatives of the Assoc iated General Contractors, Assoc iation of Oregon Counties and Association of Oregon County Engineers and Surveyors already has been working for more than two years in preparing the groundwork for the joint cooper ative effort. Primary emphasis in the pro gram is being placed upon en couraging counties to adopt an economically valid cost account ing system which will give a realistic comparison between different methods of construc tion. "Once these figures are avail able, counties mav determine whether their problems can best be solved with construction by contract or construction by pub lic employees," Runkle added. in a typical case, should the public employee method appear to be the most logical approach, the AGC then would offer to ad vise the county on any further money-saving or result modifi cations of the project as may be inaicatea. "If construction bv contract is determined as the most feasible method, the AGC would encour age widespread participation in competitive bdiding not onlv bv AGC members but by all contractors. 'Further, the AGC would pro pose that the contractor offer to perform work by the center line survey method wherein the con tractor assumes responsibility for the greater share of required Welcome to Oregon' Mats Greet Visitors Sixteen highway entrances in to Oregon have now been paint ed at the state borders with the "Welcome to Oregon" green mats that stretch out 152 feet to form a greeting sign for all travelers entering the state. These 16 large welcome mats are located in every area of the state wherever a major highway crosses the border, according to Forrest Cooper, state highway engineer. Paint crews of the Hichwav Department will also paint wel come mats on several other en trances to the state as soon as possible. These other highways include roads under construction and those in remote areas. All incoming lanes have the "Welcome to Oregon" painted in letters eight feet tall. On the outgoing lanes are letters of the same size stating "Hurry Back." This is the second year that the Highway Department has painted the welcome mats on state entrances. Welcome mats now painted are at the state entrances of the Oregon Coast Highway, the Pa- citic Hignway, tne Columbia River Highway, the Oregon- Washington Highway, the Enter-prise-Lewiston High w a y, the Weiser spur, the Payette spur, the Old Oregon Trail Highway, the Nyssa-Adrian Highway, the Fremont Hignway, tne Klamath Falls-Malin Highway, the Hat field Highway, The Dalles-California Highway, and the Redwood Highway. Yes. the Gazette-Times can print the form you need for busi ness or rancn use. Phone 676- 9228. Gloomy Water Outlook Changes To 'Satisfactory' The 1963 water supply out look in Umatilla, Morrow and Gilliam counties has changed greatly this year from an ex tremely gloomy mid -winter pros pect to a reasonably satisfactory situation for most lands served from stored water supplies, ac cording to a report released to day by T. P. Helseth, State Con servationist of the Soil Conser vaion Service (USDA) cooper ating with Oregon State Univer sity, Oregon State Engineer and others. Some late season short ages are foreseen for lands de pendent upon natural stream flow. A few abnormally warm days about mid-May removed all but a few patches of snow in the higher mountains. This year's "short" snowpack disappeared very rapidly. Moisture in the soil mantle on the upper water sheds has been close to satur ation. These wet soils have greatly assisted in the runoff from rains and from the light snowpack. Cold Springs reservoir has 46,300 acre feet of water ready for use compared with 50,000 a.f. at this date last year. McKay reservoir has 63,500 acre feet in storage compared with 55,000 a.f. one year ago. These supplies will be adequate only if careful use is made of the water. Flow of the Umatilla near Umatilla (from preliminary data furnished by the U. S. Geological Survey, Portland,) has been 46 per cent of the May average and only 71 per cent of the October May average. Forecast of flow of the Uma tilla at Pendleton for the May September period is 55,000 acre feet or 56 per cent of average. The South Fork of the Walla Walla is forecast at 37,000 acre HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES. Thursday. June 20, 1963 feet or 64 per cent of average May through September. Butter Creek has been having a strong flow and is now fore cast to produce 5,500 acre feet May through September or 112 per cent of average. Statewide, Oregon's 1963 water supply outlook has changed greatly this year from a gloomy mid-winter prospect to a cur rently satisfactory situation for most lands served from stored water supplies. However, thous ands of acres of land depending on natural flow of streams will have severe late season short ages unless unexpected rains fall at opportune times. Examiner Coming . A drivers license examiner will be on duty in Heppner Tuesday, June 25,' 1962 at the courthouse between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., ac cording to an announcement re ceived from the Department of Motor Vehicles of Oregon. Per sons wishing original licenses or permits to drive are asked to file applications well ahead of the scheduled closing hour in order to assure time for com pletion of the required license test. ably priced at the Gazette-1 Times. Ben Cox returned Sunday after a 2-weeks stay with his daugh ter and family, Sgt. and Mrs. James McNabb, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. GRAIN FIRE TIME IS AT HAND! DON'T WAIT NEXT WEEK MAY BE TOO LATE! C. A. RUGGLES AGENCY P. O. Box 247 Heppner Ph. 676-9625 Combine your crops with a John Deere 95-H Hillside More common sense goes into it More clean grain comes out mmmMml4S- raft. Common sense designing makes the John Deere 95-H the performance champion among all hillside combines. Hi-Lo design puts you up high on a roomy operator's platform. All controls are right at your finger tips. You're centered with the plat form . . . have a perfect view of the crop as it's cut and fed into the combine. You're up out of dust and chaff , . . breathe clean, fresh air. Low, compact design with engine and grain tank center-mounted on top of the separator provides a balanced load good traction and stability. Add this to automatic leveling on grades up to 42 per cent and you have just a few of the many examples of common sense designing that assures more acres harvested, more bushels of clean grain with a John Deere 95-H Hillside Combine. Stop in. THESE FEATURES PLUS MANY OTHERS HAVE BEEN "FIELD PROVED" OVER THE YEARS We can still offer this machine with an 18 ft. header, oversize tires, pre cleaner, engine cover, bulk tank extension, variable speed indicator, and straw spreader, plus a long list of standard equipment items, at only $15,600.00 f.o.b. your field in our area. Check our deal before you settle for less in Qual ity, Satisfaction, and Trade Value. We still have a good selection of reconditioned machines at prices that are worth considering for trading "up" to a later model or for an additional unit. TM-COUNTY EQUIPMENT CO. HEPPNER, OREGON Phone 676-9258 f YOUR I Harvest engineering.
