MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL THIBUWE SEVEN
Conservation Practices Encouraged by PMA Grants to Farmers of County
Sunday. June 1. 1951
Maximum Usage
01 Farm Acreage
s Aid of Program
Local Budget Totals
$54,600 This Year
' Are you a "producer who
operates as either owner-operator,
landlord, tenant or share
cropper a bona fide farm In
Jackson county in 1052 . , .?"
If you are, you are eligible to
participate In the Agricultural
Conservation program which is
carried on in Jackson county
through the Department of Agri
culture s Production' and Mar
keting administration office in
the courthouse.
This is one of the programs
with which the department Is
working to achieve its basic
physical soil , conservation ob
jective, or the use of each acre of
agricultural land up to its full
capabilities, and the treatment of
each in accordance with its needs
for protection and improvement.
Said "Partnership"
The conservation program is
described in the county hand-
book as i." . . . government-
farmer partnership not only for
Improving our sou and water re
sources, but as insurance that
those resources will not be de
pleted. The government's contri
bution through the program rep
resents a small part of the total
cost of conservation activities
carried on by the farmers. It is
a means by which non-farmers
as well as farmers invest in the
future of America."
In general, conservation meas
ures approved under the pro
gram are to oe performed by in
dividual farmers on their own
farms. Assistance payments froVi
the PMA are limited to $750"for
any individual. However, pro
ducers In any local area may.
with the approval of the county
and state committees, formulate
a written agreement to perform
certain practices affecting sev
eral farms by a pooling agree
ment and gain the maximum
payment for each cooperator.
During 1932, the total alloca
tion to be used In the county is
934,600. Responsibility for ad'
ministration of these funds lies
with a three-man county com
mittee. This committee is made
up of Jackson county farmers
serving on a yearly ' basis. The
BEFORE AND AFTER IN PROGRAM Shown above Is an illustrative example of the
practice of preparing land for Irrigation. Pictured (left) is a portion of a 50-acre tract which,
according to estimates by the Jackson county extension service, was only supporting five
or six head of cattle for a period of two months. After the project was okayed for federal as
sistance, which was United to 50 per cent of the cost or $15 an acre, under the Agricultural
Conservation program, the Job was contracted to the Tru-Mix equipment company which went
to work with a carry-all and ripper in leveling the ground. The picture at right shows the
results of the leveling work which took the top soil off the rises and covered up the rocks.
After all the ground Is leveled, seeded to permanent pasture and applied to irrigation, it Is esti
mated it will support 100 head of cattle for elgha months.
elections, held each fall, are open
to all eligible farmers and their
wives. In addition to the county
committee, a three-man commu
nity committee is also elected at
that time to represent each, of the
seven communities into which
the county is divided. "
An off ice is maintained by the
county committee and all office
personnel are hired by it. Includ
ed on the local staff is an assist
ant secretary, engineer, one full
time stenographer and one part
time stenographer.
The county committee is made
up of David B. Lowry, chairman;
Albert L. Straus, vice chairman;
Chester H. Wendt, regular mem
ber; Robert' B. Fleming, first al
ternate; David S. Blair, second
alternate; Talbert D. Sehorn, as
sistant secretary (administrator)
and County Agent W. B. Tucker
(ex officio), secretary.
Committee members for the
individual communities are as
follows: Applegate F. H. Smith,
chairman; James F. Corson, vice
chairman; Lewis T. Buckley,
regular member; W. H. R. Nos
trand, first alternate; and Fran
cis A. Krause, second alternate,
Ashland ClaranceC. Wil
liams, chairman; John S. Bil
lings, vice chairman; Ben Daw
son, regular member; Joseph M
Rapp, first alternate; and Philip
Feddersohn, second alternate.
Central Point Homer A. Con
ger, chairman; Robert O. Wolff,
vice chairman; Dixon Saltsgaver,
regular member; Ray Vogel, first I : '
alternate; and John Bohnert,
second alternate. '
Eagle Point Robert B. Flem
ing, chairman; F. H. Moody, vice
chairman; R. L. Conger, regular
member; K. L. Oliver, first al
ternate; and R. i R. Bitterling,
second alternate.
Jacksonville-Medford Paul
Culbertson, chairman; John Dun
lap, vice chairman; and W. H.
Arnold, regular member.
Rogue River David S. Blair,
chairman; C. H. Tjoelker, vice
chairman; F. R. Sanders, regular
member; Vern Orr, first alter
nate; and William Krauss, second
alternate.
Sams Valley R. E. Nealon,
chairman; Earl Peffley, vice
chairman; R. A. James, regular
member; and C. W. Duggan, first
alternate..
The practices for which money
Is allocated in Jackson county
this year were . chosen by the
county and community commit
tees, soil conservation service,
extension service, and represen
tatives of other agricultural
agencies, from a list of practices
approved by the national PMA
office. Local approved practices
are the ones this group considers
to be the most needed in the
county and from which the
greatest benefit could be derived
in view of the size of the county
allotment for this year.
The practices chosen include
construction of diversion . ter-
LEVELING EQUIPMENT Shown above is a 10-yard carrv
all being pulled by a caterpillar from the Tru-Mlx Equipment
company which contracted the leveling job under the conserva
tion practice of preparing land for irrigation, described in the
accompanying article. The carry-all scoops the dirt off the high
points and dumps it over the lower places which in the accom
panying picture were covered with rocks. This implement is fol
lowed in the leveling procedure by a "ripper" which evens up the
ground consistency so it will ail settle at the same level rather
than unevenly at the soft spots. . The ground is then land-planed
and ditched before seeqlng to permanent pasture.
races or ditches to collect or di
vert excess, water, .establishing
permanent sod waterways to dis
pose of excess . water without
causing erosion, and constructing
erosion control dams to prevent
or heal the gullying of farm land
and to reduce run-oft of water.
Others are constructing perma
nent riprap; stream or shore con
trol to prevent erosion or flood
damage to farm land; seeding or
reseeding of permanent pastures
on cropland for erosion control; completed,
controlling perennial weeds as a
necessary step in soil and water
conservation; artificial reseeding
of grazing land; controlling com
petitive plants and shrubs on
non-cropland; reorganization of
farm irrigation system; prepar
ing land for irrigation; construc
ing or enlarging dams, pits, and
ponds for irrigation water.
Construction and enlargement
of drainage ditches; installation
of drainage tile; and installation
of. permanently located mainline
pipe and stand pipe for sprinkler
irrigation, are others.
In no instance does assistance
for any of these practices exceed
30 per cent of the cost, and usual
ly it, will fall beW this figure
as a result of various restrictions
applied to the practice.
One use of the program in this
county is called "Individual
Practice, Prior Approval Meth
od," and under it the producer
is required to file a request for
approval with the county com
mittee for each practice just be
fore performance is carried out.
An inspection of the proposed
work Is then made, and if the
committee approves the practice
It will give formal notification
to the producer of the units ap
proved (In acres, feet, or other
measurement), a date when the
practice is to be completed and
reported on, and the amount of
money set aside for assistance.
As soon as performance Is
the farm operator
must submit a report of comple
tion to the county committee,
and the farm operator must sub
mit all necessary evidence, such
as sales slips, Invoices ,and re
ceipts, to substantiate the report.
The accompanying pictures
show work in progress on a job
approved by the committee un
der the practice of preparing
land for irrigation. Following
through oh this particular pro
ject will serve to illustrate the
step by step procedure to be fol
lowed by farmers, in obtaining
PMA assistance.
The operator in this case con
tacted the local office at the
time he decided to do the work.
There the requirements for this
type of project were explained
and it was pointed out that as
sistance for this practice is lim
ited to 80 per cent of the cost or
$13 an acre, whichever is less.
Arrange Inspection
After the application was
made, the office arranged for an
on-the-farm inspection. As a re
sult of the inspection, it was de
cided that the proposed work
was a needed practice and would
meet with all committee re
quirements, and a prior approval
for 30 acres was issued.
The farmer was free to make
what ever arrangements he
pleased for equipment to do the
work, so long as the completed
Job met with PMA requirements
Ip this Instance, the . Tru-Mix
Equipment company contracted
for the Job. When work la com
pleted, the operator will report
back to the office, and a final in
spection will be made. If work
has been completed according to
specifications, the committee
gives final approval.
The project Illustrated will
cost approximately $33 an acre
to complete, or a total of $1,750
for the 80 acres. Of this amount,
the farmer will receive the maxi
mum assistance allowed by the
committee ($750), and will pay
the rest himself.
Increase Estimated
According to rough estimates
by the county extension service,
this acreage which previously
supported five or six head of cat
tle for a period of two months,
will, after leveling, seeding to
permanent pasture, and applica
tion of Irrigation, feed 100 head
of cattle for eight months.
In addition to administering
the conservation program, the
county PMA office has three
other activities. These Include
the price support program, other
specialized loan programs, and
defense activities.
In the price support program,
loans, purchase agreements, and
other aids are available to the
farmers. On the loan basis, the
farmer is loaned up to the sup
port price on his commodities.
For satisfaction of the loan the
farmer can forfeit the commodi
ties. If the price should happen
to raise above the support level,
the commodities can be redeem
ed and sold and the loan paid off
at the agreed interest rate.
Special Loans
Another program set up Is for
specialized lions. Here, loans are
available for the construction or
purchase of storage facilities for
certain farm commodities. This
loan program for storage facili
ties has "been extended through
June 30 of this year.
The county PMA committee t
also responsible for carrying out
certain defense activities dele
gated to PMA by the secretary
of agriculture. It has been nam
ed the claimant agency for agri
culture to the National Produc
tion authority, and, as a. result,
the local committee works with
problems of supply .and psiorlty
requirements as they relate to
farming.
Provisions of the operation of
PMA in the county are set forth
each year in a handbook issued
by the county committee. Copies
of these, as well as any particu
lar Item of information concern
ing the programs, are always
' available at .the county office.
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