Heppner gazette-times., May 15, 1980, Page FIFTEEN, Image 15

The Heppner Gazette-Time, lleppner, Oregon, Thursday, May is. 1980FIFTEEN
O
o
Beef still America's favorite food, cattleman's president says
Oregon planting! for 1 980
Oregon growers have planted 1,390,000 acres of wheat for
19B0, according to the Oregon Crop and Livestock Reporting
Service's early spring acreage survey.
Winter wheat, at 1,220,000 acres seeded, is 3 percent ahove
last yenr while spring wheat estimated at 170,000 acres, is 37
percent below last year's large acreage. Winter kill and wind
blow damage was not as severe as during the 1978-79 winter but
some acreages required rcseeding to spring wheat.
Other crop acreage for 19B0 indicates Oregon farmers
intend to plant 4fi,000 acres of field corn, unchanged from last
year; 1 30,000 acres of oats, 4 percent more than a year ago;
100.000 acres of barley, 11 percent less than last year; 7,500
acres of sugar beets, 9 percent more than a year earlier.
Growers expect to harvest l.OfiO.OOO acres of all hay, the same as
harvested in 1979.
Sm all, irrigated farm alive, uell
The small irrigated farm is alive and well. Its owner is
living in the West, on or near the acreage, and working his own
land.
In fact, according to a new and detailed 150-page study by
the Interior Department's Water and Power Resources Service,
more than 90 percent of the farmers served by federal project
water and subject tolegal limitation on acreage own lfiOacres or
less. And 97 percent of them live on their land or within 50 miles
of it.
Fm HA inlerent rates rie
Interest rates on some loans made by the Farmers Home
Administration have been increased. Kenneth K. Keudell, state
director for Oregon, said.
Interest rates for farm operating loans will go from 1 1 to 12.5
percent ; for economic and disaster emergency loans from 13 to
14 percent ; for long term real estate loans 11 to 12 percent, and
from 1 1 to 13 percent for unsubsidi.ed loans for home ownership,
rural rental housing and rural housing site development,
Keudell said.
liSDA to buy potatoes
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has offered to buy an
estimated $.10 million worth of potato products to donate to
charitable institutions and domestic feeding programs,
Secretary of Agriculture Bob Bergland said
"We're making this offer to reduce the price-depressing
impact of a nationwide oversupply of potatoes, which is
seriously affecting producers across the country," Bergland
said
DLM select next Hate director
William G. Leavell has been selected as the new state
director of U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) operations
in Oregon and Washington.
Leavell replaces Murl W. Storms, who retired last
Novemltcr after 33 years of federal service.
Designated as the new associate state director is Paul M.
Vetterick He replaced E.J. Petersen, who retired in February
after 34 year of federal service. tl
Ray French of Heppner,
president of the Oregon Cattle
men's Association, speaking
in John Day recently, de
clared that "glum conclusions
for our industry" are not
supported by evidence.
"The current depressed con
dition of the cattle business
has led some forecasters to be
unduly pessimistic," he said.
"In a recent article, an
agricultural economist from
the Midwest was quoted as
saying that, 'The cattle indus
try is a waning business, and
that pork and poultry are fast
replacing beef on our tables.'
This glum conclusion, for our
industry, is not supported by
evidence.
"On the contrary, our cattle
industry is still by far the
largest agricultural enter
prise in the United States
and I predict it will hold that
position through the 19B0's and
beyond .
"Beef is still far and away
America's favorite food, and it
appears it will remain in that
position for years to come."
French was speaking to a
combined meeting of the
Catllemens' Board of Direc
tors. Eastern Oregon Land
Resource Committee and Ore
gon Stale University Beef
Cattle Day Symposium.
Fench continued. "There
are some reasons for mis
understandings about the cattle-beef
business The nation's
cattle herd has shrunk from a
record 132 million head on
January 1 five years ago to 111
million. Beef consumption,
which is limited to supply,
diminished from a record 129
pounds per person during 1976
to only 107 pounds in 1979. and
likely will lie about KM pounds
this year. The reductions in
cattle numbers and beef
consumption do not indicate a
declining trend in the beef
industry. Rather, they are the
results of the cyclical nature
of the cattle business. Low
points in cattle numbers recur
about every ten years. Cattle
men have begun to rebuild
Irrigon man named to Angus Association
Ted L. Sampson of Irrigon
has been elected to member
ship in the American Angus
Association, reports Dr. C.K.
Allen, executive vice-president
of the national organiza
tion with headquarters in St.
Joseph, Mo.
The American Angus Asso
ciation records ancestral in
formation and keeps records
of production on Individual
animals for its members.
These permanent records help
members select and mate the
best animals in their herds to
produce high quality, efficient
breeding cattle.
( r N
mm
Re Elect
dO&TCfiU
ftflcC
Morrow County
Commissioner
Hlfiiafll
Experienced
4 Year Term
This political adv. pd. for by Warren McCoy
Help Yourself Save Money
Help America Save Energy
You are probably using more electricity, gas,
and oil than necessary. By using our monthly
tip you can identify ways of reducing energy use
and costs, and help the nation conserve energy.
Thermostat set at 65 degrees in winter and at least 5
degrees lower when sleeping or away. (Higher heating
temperatures are recommended for homes with sick,
elderly, or infants.) Set at 78 degrees in summer.
Consider a clock thermostat.
If you need additional help with
your home inspection. Please call
the Heppner office 676-9146.
Home energy audits provided to
our customers at no charge.
CoCuwbia asfo SCcctoic Co-op. $nc.
their herds, and more beef will
be forthcoming in three to five
years.
Fench also stated, "Beef is
still the best seller among
meats. Consumers in 1979
bought 107 pounds of beef per
person, compared with 70
pounds of pork. 49 pounds of
broilers and 10 pounds of
turkey. (All figures are car
cass weight equivalents.) Fur
thermore, at retail counters
consumers paid though not
always happily prices aver
aging $2.26 a pound for beef
versus only $1 .44 for pork, $ 88
for turkey and $64 for
chicken."
Commenting on the pork
and poultry production,
French, head of the 3.400
member beef organization
said. "The hog business, too,
is cyclical But in contrast with
beef output, pork production is
at the peak of its cycle.
Horse show set
for Portland
event
Clark E. Schenkenberger,
general manager of the Paci
fic International Livestock
Exposition, has announced
that this year's fall P.I. Show
will once again feature a horse
show. This marks the return of
the popular horse show to the
PI. following a one-year
absence.
Dates for the annual P.I.
Show, one of America's top
livestock events, have been
set for Oct. 11 to 19. The show
will be lengthened by one
day this year, closing Sunday
the final weekend. The event
is in the Expo Center in North
Portland.
Production this year will
provide about 77 pounds per
person, up from only 56
pounds in 1975.
"But now hog producers are
in a financial bind. Recent
returns of less than $30 per
cwt. were barely enough to
pay feed bills. Nothing was
left to pay other expenss
which range from $15 to $25
per cwt . The result will be that
many farmers will quit the
hog business, and others will
cut production. Pork supplies
likely will be reduced 15 to 20
percent in two years.
"During the past ten years
the production of poultry in
creased from 48 pounds per
Groundwater
discussed for
meeting
The Oregon Water Resour
ces Department will hold an
informational meeting on May
29 in Hermiston to discuss its
study of ground water in the
Umatilla Basin. The, meeting
will being at 7:30 p.m. in the
Hermiston Junior High School
Auditorium.
The Umatilla Basin covers a
2.0on-square-milearea in Mor
row and Umatilla Counties. It
includes Butter Creek. Heppn
ner and Willow Creek.
"At the meeting, Water
Resources Department hydro
iogists will discuss results of
ground water studies made in
the past year,'" according to
Al!ert Petska, Ground Water
Division Administrator.
"Questions from the public
will be welcomed at the
meeting."
Water levels have declined
over a wide area due to
pumping for irrigation.
person to 61 pounds. But
prices to growers have
dropped sharply and produc
tion costs have soared. The
resulting losses will
further expansion."
ux teteption 50t tw Jmokkow County
candidates in tk jUay 20 Section
widH MM at
fflw
UC
1ALLV IMVITT
ANK OF
astern Oregon
"Your Home-Owned, Independent Bank"
MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
OH
o
Mm
1 C y
3
3
J
On everything in the store except
fertilizers, chemicals and bulk fuel.
Where the customer
is the company
(7
Chemical Ferliiier
in ,n"'
Lexington Office
989-8221
check
t