Cotton Is King, County Agent Discovers On Southern Tour
Cotton, cotton, and more cot
ton. This has been the fare for
the past several days for those of
us on the Dow study tour. It
has been interesting to me to
see and hear of the insect, dis
ease, variety, ginning and mar
ket problems of the cotton farm
er. Although we're told by coun
ty agents and others of the area
that there is no surplus of long
staple cotton, the type grown
through the communities we
have visited in Arizona and New
Mexico, there have been lots of
open shed and steel warehouses,
as well as thousands of bales
stored in the country we are
passing through. Deep wells pro
vide the big percentage of ir-
WHERE TO GO
FOR BETTER CAR SERVICE
FOR ONE STOP SERVICE
TAKE YOUR CAR TO
Wayne's Chevron
STATION
At Heppner Ford
Open Daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
FLOWERS
FOR EVERY OCCASION
Just Call
676-5511
or
676-9641
HEPPNER FLOWER SHOP
CHUCK BAILEY HEPPNER, OREGON
rigation water and they are as
numerous as oil wells in some
places.
In this Southwest country we
frequently hear the statement
that "people are our biggest
problem." This is easy to see.
What brings them all to an
area of mosquitos, mesquite,
chaparral and cactus evidently
is explained by the climate.
Surely the 106 degree weather
we have encountered doesn't
have too much pulling power.
Winter, of course, is another
thing. Sunday I saw a 20 acre
alfalfa field on the outskirts of
Phoenix that had only a few
days before, sold for one million
dollars. The county agent at
Kingman, Arizona, told us that
over three solid townships had
been sold for housing develop
ments and more were selling
every day. This is as remote an
area as I have been to.
An interesting tour of the
White Sands Missile Range re
vealed where a lot of tax money
is going. We saw a Hawk mis
sile fired that cost $7000. Several
more were to be fired during the
day. This was one of the least
expensive missiles, with some
costing as much as one million
dollars.
Cattle Yield Below Average
Rangeland is looking better as
we get into the higher elevations
of New Mexico. Predominately
Brahma and Brahma-cross, the
carrying capacity is from 4 head
per section (640 acres) on down.
This breed is used as they will
stand the heat, walk longer dis
tances to water and are "hust
lers." They need to hustle to
find any grass on most of the
range we have seen in south
western Utah, Nevada, Arizona,
and western New Mexico. Calv
ing percentages are considered
good if they reach 50 percent.
Weaning weights of calves are
about 300 pounds. We have seen
thousands of what are referred
to as "Mississippi No. l's" going
into feed lots in Arizona and
New Mexico. They look like a
poor Morrow county Jersey cross
ed with a Brahma, They go
into feed lots weighing 450 lbs.
as yearlings.
Wool from the country's 50,
000 sheep is marketed in a uni
que manner. Several local ware
houses assemble the wool on a
consignment basis with Boston
buyers coming into bid on the
wool. This years clip averaged
over 60 cents. Roswell fine wool
is quoted on the Boston wool
market because of its quality
and demand. All wool is baled
in the sacks of delivery for ease
of shipping.
In this Southwestern area in
dustry has moved into all rural
communities. Most towns ths
size of Heppner, and even small
er ones have anything from an
electronics, clothing manufac
ture, chemical to rubber hoses.
At the small town of Deming,
New Mexico, we toured a rubber
and plastic toy factory that
manufacturers 300 different
kinds of toys. Local labor is
hired from the surrounding area
including part time farmers.
None are unionized and it was
evident from the age of the
workers that this is an outlet
for the areas high school gradu
ates. Wells Provide Irrigation Water
Friday we saw an artesian
well that flowed 9100 gallons per
minuie. inis is a lot ot water.
Natives told us that many years
ago it was reduced to a four
inch stream that shot 108 feet
into the sky. Now it is used for
irrigation as one of the hundreds
of deep wells that provide water
for the irrigated cotton, milo,
alfalfa and barley.
Cotton is King, with grain and
forage used in the feed lots.
Every rancher has a feed lot it
seems, all equipped elaborate
feed processing mills using the
latest in automation for these
mills and delivery to the feed lot
cattle. All operators are com
plaining of fat cattle prices now
with costs exceeding price they
are now receiving. This is cur
tailing the purchase of cattle to
go back in the lots which in turn
may affect the price of our
calves this fall even though they
are buying a completely differ
ent grade quality of calves than
we have to sell.
We have another week of trav
eling before returning to Oregon
and Morrow county. I am look
ing forward to the numerous
visits in the Santa Fe, Cimma-
We Are Pleased To Advise You
THAT WE ARE CALLING IN FOR REDEMPTION ALL OF OUR
OUTSTANDING
SERIES 10 and 11 CAPITAL
RESERV
CERTIFICATES
BETWEEN JULY I and 31
THESE CERTIFICATES WERE ISSUED FOR PATRONAGE
EARNED ON THE 1951 AND 1952 CROP YEARS
You May Receive Cash...
Or If You Wish, Preferred Stock Bearing 5 Interest in $50 Units. Please
Endorse or Bring In Your Certificates Along With Your Instructions Before
July 31, 1963. This Call Is Void After That Date.
May We Point Out...
That This Considerable Figure Was Earned By You Through Patronizing Your Own
Association While Receiving The Full Competitive Price For Your Grain Marketed.
Sincerely,
AL LAMB, Treasurer
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
ron and Raton. New Mexico
areas where we will see sheep
ranching under fence, plastic
pipe systems on desert land,
tour of the T.O. cattle ranch to
see their cattle and horse man
agement practices. We will then
leave New Mexico for southern
Colorado, visiting the Roekyford,
Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Canon
City, Salida, Gunnison, Delta,
Grand Junction, Fruito and back
to Salt Lake City. There will be
many interesting stops during
the week. I have recorded my
trip with over 200 colored slides
to date that I hope to use after
my return.
Livestock Tour Sunday
Livestock growers and their
familes are looking forward to
the Range and Pasture Tour
which is scheduled to be held in
the Ukiah area this Sunday,
June 30. The tour meets at
Ukiah at 10 a.m. The morning
will be spent in seeing some ex
cellent seedings on the Ralph
Beamer summer ranch, which in
cludes Ladak alfalfa, smooth
meadow foxtail and clover, as
well as some farm ponds built in
liibi. An event of the morning
wm De an identmcanon siod
where Curt Carlbom, OSU boton-
ist, will idcntfy and discuss na
tive plants of the area. A picnic
luncn is scheduled for noon at
the Ebb Hughes ranch home
near Ukiah. Everyone is asked
to bring their picnic lunch, put
coffee and cold drinks will be
provided by the Morrow County
Livestock Growers Association.
During the afternoon the group
will have the opportunity to see
an excellent seeding made by
Ebb on a forest burn, a unique
spring development on the
Hughes ranch, as well as stops
at a meadow foxtail seeding at
Hines Brothers ranch and sever
al seedings made over a number
of years at the Jim Nelson ranch
in the Ukiah area. We hope that
everyone will plan to participate
is this outing having a good
time and seeing some excellent
range improvement work.
HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES. Thursday. June 27. 19G3
Mrs. Jack (Shirley) Loyd has
returned to her duties as secre
tary in the office of the county
school district after a week in
Pioneer Memorial hospital and a
week convalescing at home. She
said that she is feeling much
better.
FIRE
SEASON IS AT HAND. WHEN ONE
HITS, IT OFTEN
Destroys
A YEAR'S LABOR AND INCOME.
DON'T TAKE A CHANCE WITH YOUR
CROP
INSURE YOUR GRAIN NOW TODAY!
183 N. Main
IF VOTJ DONT HAVE YOUR
HAIL INSURANCE
GET IT NOW AT
Turner, Van Marter
and Bryant
Phone 676-9652
Just Arrived
New Cleaner "CH"
ALLIS - CHALMERS
Biggest Capacity Hillside Combine
COMPLETE, READY-TO-GO INTO THE
FIELD WITH:
O 75 BUSHEL GRAIN TANK
O VARIABLE DRIVE REEL
O HYDRAULIC REEL LIFT
O 16 OR 18 FOOT HEADER
O INDIVIDUAL HYDRAULIC
BRAKES IN EACH WHEEL
O 6840 SQ. IN. SEPARATING CAPACITY
Three Years Extensive Testing
In Northwest Hills
Come For More Details
Rllercer-lshenfelter
Phone 384-3000
Condon, Oregon