Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 4, 1963)
HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES, Thursday, July 4, 1963 County Agent's Office Tour Shows Farming Ever More Complex By N. C. ANDERSON It is good to be back in Ore gon after traveling almost 6,000 miles in the past three weeks, as a member of the Dow Study Tour. While the trip was very interesting, educati o n a 1, and worthwhile, and a lot of new ceuntry seen, Oregon looks better than ever before. During the tour, dozens of ranchers were visited and their farm enterprise discussed with them. If any one concluding fact was to come from the tour, it would be that agriculture is becoming a more complex and competitive business as time goes on. Farms are getting larger and these op erators are spending more time in making sound decisions, em ploying more labor-saving de vices by becoming highly mech anized in an effort to continuo in this business. Grain Certification Next Week Application for field inspec tions of small grains eligible for certification are due. Field in spections will be made here dur ing the week of July 8. Any who wish to certify Gaines wheat or other small grain varieties, should contact this office at once. Early, Late Cuttings Compared Here and in Colorado Now that hay making time is here, even though most of the first crop is up, it is well to consider the difference between early cut hay and late cut hay. A lot of research and actual feed ing trials have been carried on throughout the country, compar ing them. Early cut hay com pares in digestibility with 65 compared to 50 with late cut hay. Protein will run as high as 20 in early cut, compared to an average around 12 for late cut hay, some even might go lower than this. The fiber con tent of early cut hay is, on the average, about 16 less than later cut. Tests at one agricult ural experiment station, over a four year period, showed that the feeding of high quality hay in creased daily gain by 13 pound per head over poor quality hay. At Gunnison, Colo., last Thurs day, agents on the Dow Study Tour had the opportunity to visit the Meadow Research Sta tion there. This station has been doing work with early versus late cut hay, fertilization and other quality Improving ' prac tices. The ranchers of the area have formed an organization to feed out entile each winter, com paring the hay for actual per formance in a project similar to the Livestock Research Station program set up at Hermiston. Visiting with some of these ranchers, they indicated that it was necessary for them to see in order to believe what was happening. They found that 10 lbs. of early cut hay provided a 1 lb. daily gain in these winter ing trials, while it took 40 lbs. of the late cut hay to make the same 1 lb. gain. Replacement heifers were being used in this particular trial and hay was fed at the rate of 2 V lbs. per each 100 lbs. weight of the animal. As a result of these trials, the area has become well known for a "super hay," which is cut from highly fertilized meadows at the time when protein and digesti bility is at the highest, without sacrificing yeld. As the second crop of alfalfa is put up, our ranchers might keep this in mind. Livestock Growers Have Tour To See Summer Range Lands The Range and Pasture Im provement tour, held Sunday in the Ukiah area, was judged quite successful by those at tending. There was a good turn out of both Morrow and Umatilla county livestock growers with over 75 men, women and child ren taking part in the tour. Everyone was impressed with the excellent stands and high pro duction of grass and alfalfa on ranches used for summer range owned by Ralph Beamer, Kb Hughes, Ilynd Brothers, and Jim Nelson. Dry land seedings of Ladak alfalfa and Smooth brome at the Ralph Beamer ranch was estimated to produce a ton and a half of hay. Meadow foxtail seedings showed up especially good on the moist sites and the numerous stock water ponds built on these ranches is doing an excellent job of distributing the livestock throughout the ranges for better utilization. Everyone was impressed with the excellent stands and high production of grass on the W. E. Hughes ranch, seeded after the July 1900 burn. Eight hundred acres of grass was seeded on this burn and at the Hughes-Johnson Creek ranch, which included skid rows and logged off areas. Everything, including the picnic tuncii at the Hughes Ukiah head quarters, was exceptional. The Morrow County Range and Pas ture Improvement committee were in charge of arrangements for the tour. Keeping Roots Out Farm Journal reports that a strand of copper wire inside a tile line has kept out roots from trees near sewage tile lines for 13 years in North Carolina and 15 years in Ohio. Where sewage tile lines are laid near trees or shrubs this is an inexpensive idea and worth a try. Life Span Can Be Increased The high cost and long inter val necessary in the develop ment of a relacement heifer makes longevity of the beef fe male of great importance. In creasing the life span of top pro ducing cows gives the breeder a greater opportunity to reduce costs and select superior off spring for herd replacements. To date, few studies have been con tinued over a sufficient length of time to indicate whether or not winter feed levels may affect life span, and why. In a group of females started on test in 1948 as weaner calves, and now past 14 years of age, some estimate of this effect can be made. Thirty females in each of three groups were win tered on dry grass plus 1 lb.4 cottonseed meal, 2.5 lbs .cotton seed meal, or 2.5 lbs. cottonseed meal and 3Jbs. grain per head daliy for each succeeding win ter. The results in terms of cow survival have been remarkable. At 14 years of age, with no cull ing other than for failure to raise a calf two successive years or disease and unsoundness, there were 16, 11 and 5 cows surviving at 1 lb., 2.5 lb. or 5.5 lb. winter feed levels. Cows on the 1 lb. level survived an average of 2 more years in the herd. The reason for a longer life span at the 1 lb. level Is not clear. It may be related to a longer growth phase, which may add to the total life span of the individual. Maintenance of less body weight may result in re duced demands on some organs and tissues as has been noted in the human. The "stress" im posed by the summer build-up and winter loss of body weight may be nature's way of stimu lating certain body processes for the good of the individual. If not carried to excess, all of these effects may act to prolong the health and useful life span of a beef cow. Obviously, such effects may be reversed if severe undernourish ment is practiced, or if a short age of a specific mineral or vit amin A becomes acute. However, the data suggest that once the beef female meets her nutri tional requirements for optimum growth and reproduction, excess feed may become a liability. This concept is especially im portant to purebred cattlemen who never "let them get hungry," under the mistaken im pression that such a practice in creases the life span, breeding efficiency and productivity of the beef female. Need scratch pads? Get them at the Gazette-Times. Wheat Growers Draw Warning On Grain Storage Wheat growers and grain dealers have received a stern warning that shipme n t s of Northwest wheat may be dras tically reduced unless storage procedures are revamped to meet Far Eastern export preferences. Dr. Donald D. Hill, former OSU faculty member now on the staff of Western Wheat Associates, re ported that Australia is making a strong bid for the Japanese and Filipino markets by guar anteeing shipments of low-protein wheat favored by those countries. Hill issued the warning at a meeting of growers and grain dealers held in McMinnville oy the Oregon Wheat Growers League and Western Wheat As sociates. "Our Pacific Northwest soft white wheat is well-adapted to the dietary habits of Japan and the Philippines," he stated, "and our share of these markets has increased significantly during recent years." He observed that better than 25 of Oregon's wheat production goes to the two countries. The wheat specialist pointed out, however, that low-protein club wheat has been accepted by the two as a standard of flour quality, and that Pacific Northwest growers now face com petition from Australia in sup plying this demand. He said that trade missions from Down Un der have promised wheat ship ments of less than 8.5 pro tein content to Japan. "In other major wheat mar kets," Hill noted, "higher pro tein wheat is perfectly accep table, but a good portion of the trade in Japan and the Philip pines may be denied us unless we can meet their protein spec ifications." Segregation of lots by quality, he asserted, offers the best protection against for eign inroads into the crucial Asian markets. The Western Wheat represen tative was joined in his presen tation by Ralph McEwen, new Oregon Wheat Commission ad ministrator. McEwen pointed out that, to combat stripe rust and increase yields, Northwest grow ers have turned in recent years to wheat varieties that contain higher protein content. These, he said, should be sep arated from the Japanese-preferred varieties during harvest ing and storage, and reserved IN ofoce ii rarmmers o o Grange Master Moves, Honored with Picnic BOARDMAN Members of Greenfield Grange were hosts for a picnic Sunday afternoon, June 23, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Briggs for Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Thorpe and family, who recently moved to Hermiston to live. Thorpe is master of the grange, and Mrs. Thorpe is lady assistant steward. Except for one year in 1945 the Thorpe's have lived here most of their lives. There were 39 present. Other guests includ ed Mr. and Mrs. Dewey West and Mr. and Mrs. Rollin Bishop. Rev. and Mrs. Charles Knox and family returned Friday, June 21, following a two-weeks va cation to the Oregon coast and to Morro Bay, Calif. They visited Mrs. Knox's sister, Opal Way land, Santa Cruz, Calif., and his sister, Mrs. R. C. Acebe'do, and nephew, Jim Justice and Mrs. Justice, all of Morro Bay. Mr. and Mrs. Ray Hemrich and three sons of Santa Maria, Calif., were overnight guests Saturday June 22 of his sister, Mrs. E. E. Gonty, and family. Ray and family had been visiting a brother in Longview, Wash., a sister in Portland and his moth er in Beaverton. They left for California again after visiting here. for the domestic and other for eign markets. McEwen predicted that demand for the low-protein wheat may result in premium prices as an inducement for growers and grain dealers to practice quality segregation. John H. Welbes, executive vice president of the Wheat League, chaired the discussion and par ticipated in the dinner meeting that followed. Statistics Show Price Rise of 11 On All but Food What would your budget look like if retail food prices had climbed at the same rate over the past 10 years as many other necessities of every day living? Say, for instance services, such as medical care, or personal care, or transportation? Let's examine the facts, as re ported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. From 1952 to 1962, re tail food prices and this in cludes imported as well as do mestically farm-produced foods moved up nearly 7. During the same time, unit costs of medical care zoomed 41; per sonal care, 22; and transpor tation, 20. The only major item in the consumer price in dex that rose less than food was clothing, with a 4V2 price in crease. Combining all items other than food, the price rise was a robust 17. In order to measure changes In price spread of foods on -farm and off, the U. S. Department of Agriculture uses a "farm food market basket." At retail, this basket represents the av erage quantity of farm foods bought by city wage-earner and clerical worker families, and is based on retail prices collected by the Bureau of Labor Stat istics. The retail farm food bill boils down to two major parts: (1) The value at the farm, and (2) the cost added between the farm and the grocer's shelves most commonly referr ed to as the "farm-retail price spread." And this is where the American farmer has had a big hand in holding food bills down. The farm-retail price spread has widened over the past decade with farm prices showing a net downtrend while mark e 1 1 n g costs moved up steadily. This is what the figures show. New Movie Depicts River Development The Department of the Inter ior today announced release of a new motion picture, "Great River," a story of comprehensive development of America's great est power stream, the Colum bia. The 28-minute film is spon sored jointly by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bonneville Power Administration. Loan prints for free showing are available through the bur eau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior, Washington 25, D. C, the Office of the Chief Engineer, Bureau of Reclama tion, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado, and the Bonne ville Power Administrati o n ' s Walla Walla area office. The 16-nm sound and color film is set against the magnifi cent scenery of the Cascade and Rocky mountains, irrigated val leys of the Columbia and Snake river basins, and the Columbia itself. It tells how the river has been put to work for man by develop ment for power, irrgiation, navi gation, flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife protection. Included in the film are his torical construction shots of Grand Coulee dam America's biggest scenes from the floods of 1948 and 1961 on the Colum bia and Kootenai rivers, addit ional footage of industries serv ed by low-cost Columbia river power, agricultural scenes, and camping, hunting, fishing and river commerce settings. , The film also depicts spring flood waters held back by stor age dams such as Hungry Horse and later released during the low-water season to produce hundreds of kilowatt-hours of electricity at downstream power dams. Mrs. Freda Thayer and Donnie Aardappel of Fort Rock visited friends recently in Boardman. Mrs. Thayer formerly taught In the Riverside high school. Just Arrived New Gleaner "CUT ALLIS - CHALMERS Biggest Capacity Hillside Combine The audit report of the Morrow County Grain Growers, of Lexington, Oregon shows net savings for the year end ing May 31, 1963 as exceeding $114,000.00. The Association received, stored and marketed 2,750, 000 bushels of wheat and barley for its patrons from the 1962 crop. About half of this grain was shipped by river barge with the balance going to terminal markets by rail. All of the wheat handled and most of the barley was exported to Europe and Asia. As a result of these favorable earnings the mortgage due the Spokane Bank For Cooperatives and all other obligations were paid off before June 30. The cooperative will start the new season with a sub stantial balance in local banks and with no debts or bills due or payable. The association has called in for redemption Capital Reserve Certificates issued patrons for earnings from the 1951 and 1952 crop years so patronage earnings are presently on a 10 year revolving basis. This Demonstrates The Results Of Farmers Working Together To Help Themselves. --AI Lamb, Treasurer 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 In For More Details ilercer-lshenfelter Phone 384-3000 Condon, Oregon
