Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (July 3, 1958)
T7 o o o O o o o o o o O o o Forim. cans roeini few aW " ' : v?-v tM t'A 7 ef&M&tt , A YOUNG DAIRYMAID Madeline Schnafk, 19. feeds a two weel old calf on the. Schnack brothers dairy farm on Campbell rd. near Phoenix. It won't be long before this young calf joins the milking herd of Jerseys on the farm owned and operated by Madeline's father, Martin Schnack, nd uncle, Henry Schnack. Madeline is the third generation" on the Schnack farm founded by her paternal grandfather, Detlaf Schnack. Herd ASI-Jersey !E3 Feature ef Schnack Farm The Schnack brothers and their dairy farm on Camp bell rd. near Phonix are un usual for two main reasons. First, Martin D. and Henry Schnack have an all-Jersey heri of 38 milk cows and two daymen have a variety of what might be called intell ectual interests. q Many dairy farmers in Jackson-county have a mix- ture oft-Holsteins and Jerseys in their herds. The Holsteins produce the quantity of milk needed for maintaining a quota. (The Milk Producers League allocates a quota to each of the farmers in their milk pool. The share of the receipts from the milk poi3 is based on this qota or shareAboth of tnem in high school courthouse. The other daugh ter, Peggy Lou, has just grad uated from St. Mary's- paro chial school. The two men are looking forward to completion of the Talent irrigation project. They now come under the Talent irrigation district. Their 40 acres now under ir rigation may be increased la terethey figure then they can Hfondle easily 50-60 cows. The two brothers take an intense interest in the stock market. Widely read they fol low such periodicals of the business and financial world as Fortune, Forbes and the Wj)ll Street Journal. This interest started with a . i. i-T . I t l of the pool. When a dairyman over a pencm of time, falls below the production fiJ3i set him may lose this quo- BultFat Pays Orj However, the S c h ira c k brothers say that with a sur plus of milk now the high test, rich in butter-fat milk produced by their herd pays them better. ButterfaT pays off on a flat per hundred weight. The two dairymen feel trgsir 123 acre farm (40 acres in 'ir rigation) is too small for beef raising. The topogr?.r is too hilly for root or row crops. Therefore, they feel they can best take advantage of the marginal land the h i 1 1 sides by dairying. The Sch nack brothers are enthusias tic over southern Oregon be ing good dairy country. Their father Detlaf Schnack farmed the place before them and was just as enthusiastic al though he carried on general farming also. "We just like Jerseys," the Schnack brothers said inre- ply to a question as to whw they kept a straight Jersey herd. "They're good keepers. We have had plenty of bulls not the slightest bit of trouble with them." "You handle a Jersey bull with respect just like you do . any bull," Martin said. "He realizes his position as herd sire. Just see to it you don't ; hurt his pride. Also don't give him a chance to tackle you. Like people, he has a certain routine that can't be disturb ed." "Lots of kids have grown up here," Martin added. "They all learngj that they stay out of the bull pen." His brother is a bachelor, but Martin is married and has three chil dren two girls and a boy. The oldest daughter, Madel ine, works in the Their fathe was interested in the dock market. They gain ed a little, knowiedge from table talk. Then, while still in high schfibl, they invested "a few hundred dollars." "This operation didn't make us much Aoney, but it didn't lo; us any, either," Martin said. "We learned by experience." 'O Th t t o men have also made a othorough study ot Ifcology. Thoy feel this is in valuable to them as farmers since they can more feadily determine the structure of the soil and its quality. During the uranium rush, Martin Schnack hopped in a jeep anrd took off through Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and eastern Oregon. With the two brothers running the farm, one of them could take off a few days to go prospec ting. On his return the other could go. They didn't get rich but they had fun. "Don't maffe us out like a couple of geniuses out here," Martin Schnack said. "We aren't. We just keep up with the markets. Any farmer who hopes to stay operating has to do that. Any other inter est we have are hobbies. We just have fun." 0 Dairy Advisory Group Set Up Salem Delton Russell, McMinnville, was elected chairman of the state depart ment of agriculture's dairy relations advisory committee at its first 1958 meeting held in Salem recently. The unofficial advisory group approved the depart ment's recommendation that the fluid milk act be amended to permit the department to license tank truck drivers to sample farm tank milk for bacterial analysis, and asked that an amendment be pre pared for consideration at its next meeting, July 29. 11 the amendment is ap proved, the members of the advisory committee will re fer the amendment to their parent organizations Ore gon Dairy Industries, Oregon Dairy Producers, and North west Retail Ice Cream Manu facturers for their consid eration. Recommend" T Incrcaie The recommendation that frozen dessert license fees be increased was held for study by the advisory group. Chair man Russell appointed An- tone Larsen, Portland, and H, S. Dixon, Tillamook, to work with department officials and Oregon state college to study possible revisions of defini tions of fluid milk products. . The department's suggest ion that surveys of municipal milk inspection services occur not less than once every two years was approved by the committee, Committee mem bers recommended that the purebred breed association be contacted regarding amend ing the present sections of law governing the use of breed name m advertising and la bels of fluid milk. Br JOE C. COWtCY Mail Tnbtme farm t4v tHoo Proftls Hiah L. rumian nme, A dut-cover4, plain black ledaa bounceg down rutty county road and turni through a farm gate. A bespectacled, tolidly built gray-haired man eases out from behind the wheel. A farmer hangs up the phon and curries to the door to greet the visitor. So another few hours are added to the busy county agent's schedule as Ben Tucker, now retired, answers an other urgent inquiry regarding some crop or livestock prob lem. The farmer probably is impatient to learn an immediate solution to a perplexing problem. Tucker on the other hand must be ready" to give the right, carefully thought out answers. If his advice is mishandled, like as not, poor results, it will be blamed on him. If his advice is carefully followed to the letter, then the farmer is tempted to pull on his galluses, stick out his chest and expand a little on what a good crop he has raised. An airplane pilot may carefully count up his hours of flight time and awe his listeners with tales of his compara tively glamorous life. A large proportion, of the -county agent's hours are never counted. They are shrugged off as part of the day's work one of the many small pieces which fit into and help solve the eternal puzzle of agriculture. A newspaperman, a writer or an artist may affix his signature in bold letters to his work for all the world to see. Rarely is a county agent given widespread public credit for his work. It's just part of a continuous flow. A lawyer, real estate man. and even a doctor mav make good use of his professional and business acquaintances to launch himself on a political career. A county agent is sternly forbidden by sharply drawn rules to do so. Like the now almost extinct species of selfless country doctor the county agent works on a 24-hour basis of availa bility to those he serves. He spends hundreds of hours at meetings but never reaohes for any office higher than that of secretary. As mentioned before, a county agent must remain aloof from politics. However, he knows it is to his advantage to know of the politics in his community and area. He must know who makes the emery wheels of politics go around so he can carefully sidestep "hot issues" and avoid being ground down with political opponents. These are just a few of the duties, responsibilities and lookouts of the county agent. We tried to find something which would officially list those duties, but without success. His influence may be indicated by figures in a fairly recent report of extension activities and accomplishments. Such agents in the United States actively assisted 3.377.762 farm . families, according to 1955 "statistics (hcmemaking practices, too; a total of 4,085,397 were assisted. An official communication recently stated that "Ben Tucker, Jackson county extension agent since 1947,. will retire June 30. This terse announcement along with details of his service and background, even though concise and accurate, hardly expresses the feelings of those who worked with Ben. It doesn't begin to reveal the appreciation of those who benefited from and took advantage of his patience, wisdom and cheerful outlook. "I have known Ben for 25 to 30 years and have always known him to be a conscientious, devoted worker. His personal interests and pleasures were always placed second ary to the -welfare of the people." "What more can you say for a man? He was capable He made a special effort to keep informed on the newest and latest techniques. Furthermore, he was always available to pass that information on." This brief comment by one of his fellow workers prob ably best sums up the way people feel about the veteran county agent. To this we merely add, "We hate to see you leave the work you were so long devoted to and we wish you the best of luck in your retirement, Ben." We hope everybody will attend the picnic in . honor of Ben Tucker in TouVelle state park on the Table Rock rd. on Aug. 20, starting at 1 p.m. The affair is sponsored jointly by the Medford Rotary club and the Jackson County Agri cultural committee. Rotarians and members of various farm organizations are expected to attend. , Predictions Say Corvallis Hog profits have been too food t last through next year, but long- term prospects for Oregon producers are still promising, Oregon State college agricul tural economists believe. . Highest hog prices in four years and indications that they will continue favorable for the rest of '1958 are spurring farmers into increas ing farrowings in the months ahead, says M. D. Thomas, OSC economist. The 1958 fall pig crop is expected to be about 13 per cent larger nationally than in 1957, according to a recent USDA report. Oregon's fall crop is estimated even higher 20 per cent above 1957. Recent prices of $25 to $26 hundredweight at Portland are the highest since 1954. Thomas says this partly be cause farmers sold potential breeding stock during the past winter, resulting in a smaller than expected 1958 spring pig crop. Producers Confident Present confidence in the price level has producers in an expansion mood. Indica tions are that national supply Inquiries ReceVec On Milk Audit law Salem Cross-country inter est has been shown in Ore gon's grade A milk usage au dit law, according to field su pervisor D- P. Shoup of the state department of agriculture. He reports letters asking for copies of the law and reg ulations have been received from private organizations and state and federal agen cies in South Dakota, Nevada, Washington, D.C., Colorado, Indiana and Kentucky. Set on Grade A, freight rate program has been worked oot to savt try farmer thousands of delltrg iu gradsg nd aerttf ied weighed hay purchis, ic corduag to Letar Adam, man ager ol O?egon Mils) rojus ers. The Htw rrtn$ment tgs worked out after month of negotiation and pleadings i fort Oregon Public Utyitiet commission, he explained. Adams said his organiza tion had succeeded in obtain ing .a stabilized rate structure which will permit ewery day man in the state to k&frv in advance his eaact Jted costs and provide high qualitjaha regardless at the ara in itiicn it is purchased. "Seeking means To cut op erating cdsts we appealed to a disinterested common car rier company to deliver grad ed hay any place in Oregon at any time in any amounts compatible with each indi vidual dairyman's storage space at a reasonable tariff approved by the P. U. C", Adams said. Make Arrangements "We finally concluded ar rangements with Consolidated Freight lines official who agreed to provide us graded hay with certified weight of pigs for marketing during tickets, the -hay to be hauled 1959 may equal the 100 mil lion pigs in 1951. A danger signal for farmers, Thomas believes, is that the new peak in pork production will come at a time when beef and poul try supplies will be greater than in 1951 and when over seas needs may be less. The economist also points out that the 1959 numbers are likely to be at least 10 per cent over 1955 national marketings that helped force prices down to $12 a hundred weight at Portland. Recently, a pound of hog on Oregon farms would pay in covered carriers "Many more weeks were spent presenting arguments for lower freight rates, now m - succssfcill? concluded. Ince focth, no tiry tfarratr sjhouls mtrg thgn Vi ly cry sW lover rats p cicr ted c-i mileofe, gad sfral cents -heye thfn rte that btgineft efort ou l4io tha J. U. C." tich rsilfrr of Orm o fcalemi-'Sha tftte deart- meat of ajrisulture'sroposed proteenve tdd sargtgtigp re quirement Ar beed warehouses- ill OregonQmet with prottst fJom the 2& ware housemen SeXending the de partment's public hearing in Salem rtcently. Representatives of the in dustry contended thatdhe pro posed regulations which' in clude permanent screening of windows, tight-fitting doors and exterior walls, and rodent-proof coverings for ex terior hoppers and unloading pits, were repetition of the federal Pure Food and Drug act. They said the fact that grain is inspected andj) passed by federal officials should be proof of the housekeeping conditions under which it is stored. O Prodecgrs will be sent haulingate schedule as ap- prqg-ed by the P. U. C, Adams si. Jrom this authorized Sthedi dftirmen will know exact spsts g hay regardless of tUt rea from which it is hauled. . SigShci arrangements for t(6te purches of thousands of tons of graded hay in the Red monand Klamath areas have alrsjpdy Igen concluded, Ad ams said. 6 pounds of barley, Thomas states. While the present hog prof it boom appears on the way out, the longer-term out-look is still good for efficient Ore gon producers, Thomas says. Pacific Coast states use much more pork than they produce, resulting in the highest hog prices in the country. Also, the Northwest new has a big Daily consumption of fish per capita in Japan is 102 grams, compared with 14 grams for the United States and 36 for England. Phone SP 3-3613 GLASS CO. 303 North Bartlett SELBY HERTZ TRUCK RENTAL . . -I Available at HOPKINS RICHFIELD SERVICE McAndrews at Court SP 3-9068 supply of barley priced fair- for 10 pounds of barley. By'ly .competitively witho feed the fall of 1959, the same (grains in other parte of th pound may buy no more than country. 5x7 EliLARGEQEIlT With every black and , whits roll of film! fine Grain Develefieg tmi Priek'ag IN IY 10, OUT AT 4:10! ANDERS PHOTO SHOP 212 I. MAIM PkeRe tr2-S4e SHOP FROM 9 A M. TILL 8 P.M. Thru Thursday Closed the 4th Saturday 9 a-m. to 5:30 pjm. , O Lucas & Howard's BIG ifQQE- 011 m i S & H GREEN STAMPS! lAyt ou - 8rrJtor4 f bor Covering! o , SODA POP FOR EVERYBODY! LUCAS & HOWARD'S FGOniTURE CAflJ AIR CONDITIONED FOR YOUR COMFORT (South of Central Point on 99 - North of Medford 9 Medford Ships Out 200 Cars of Pears Salem Approximately 1390 cars of fresh fruits and veg etables were shipped from Oregon inspection centers in May, according to the month ly report of W. L. Close, mar- j keting specialist, with offices in the Oregon department of agriculture. ' Potatoes topped the list, with more than 670 cars in spected at Klamath Falls and 423 cars shipped out of Red mond. Over 200 cars of. pears were shipped from the in- eounty spection center at Medford. The Following ESgle Poinl Uerc&aits Wijl Be Closed July 4th, 5th, and 8th BROWN'S MARKET BROOK'S CAFB 0 eaSle POINT HARDWARE OLSEN'S COWFKfTIONERY TOVVN & COUNTRY LOGGERS VAN'S SHOP o TOWN & COUNTRY SHOP EAGLE POINT GARAGE LITTLE BUTTE. GROCiyiY EAGLE POINT LUMBER CO. I f liPAY-SWin at 1T - n nil uiiii ii ii h i a nm lAMrc rrvl COLOBFUIL, SPECTflCUILAB MISLAYS! o Admission $1.00 - Children 5k - Donefit Paklis As A Mile Senrte fa (te?sr H W Tb Dstferf YUCA Dy- 1 0 O t o o O
