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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1960)
MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Or. Tuesday, March 15, 1960 Number of Cattle, Sheep, Hogs Hits Record State High Corvallis-An official nose count shows cattle, sheep, and hog numbers in Oregon at an all-tune high, reports Mrs. El era Horrell, extension agri cultural economist at Oregon State college. This year started with more than IV2 million cattle and calves on Oregon's farms and ranches, Mrs. Horrell found as she studied reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This put cattle numbers six per cent above a year earlier and the high est on record. Most of this increase in cat tle numbers was in beef-type animals, Mrs. Horrell said, although milk -type animals also increased in number. Beef cow numbers in the state now stand at the highest level on record, and milk cow numbers are the highest since 1955. Nose Count Given The nose count showed five beef cows to every two milk cows in the state, Mrs. Horrell also found. This was in contrast to the early 1940's when cow numbers in Ore gon were about evenly divid ed between milk and beef. Hogs and sheep in the state are also more numerous than at any time since the mid 1940's Mrs. Horrell added. Horse and mule numbers held even with last year at 45,000 still the smallest number in Oregon since records were started in 1857. Slightly fewer chickens were also on hand as the year started, and fewer turkey breeder hens. Nationally, livestock trends were reported much the same as in Oregon, except the horse and mule numbers continued downward, Mrs. Horrell said. The inventory value of livestock, both in Oregon and rationally, was reported down about 10 per cent. MARKET NEWS FEDERAL-STATE MARKET NEWS SERVICE Red Bluff Livestock Auction Report, Tuesday, March 8, 1960 CATTLE: Salable 950, including around 300 calves. Around 90 percent of supply stocker and feeder classes, the remainder of the run mainly slaughter cows. Auction active, slaughter steers and heifers scarce; slaughter cows steady to strong; slaughter bulls and calves scarce; stocker and feeder classes generally steady to strong, in - stances to 25c higher on heifer calves. Bulk of supply of northern California origin. Slaughter cows: Small lots and individual Utility and Standard 850-1100 .lbs. S18.00-19.80. Utility and Commercial S15.00-18.00, Canners and Cutters Sll.00-15.00. Slaughter bulls: Individual Utility and Commercial 980-1845 lbs. S19.00-21.70. Stocker and feeder steers: Several penlots and individual Good and Choice 350-500 lb. calves S27 .00-30.50, individual Common and Medium calves S18.00-26.00. Penlots and individual Good and Choice 560-660 lb. yearlings 25.50-27.80, few lots 770-900 lbs. S25.00-25.60; individual Common and Medium 550-700 lbs. $18.00 24.00. . . ; Stocker and feeder heifers: Penlots and individual Good ana Choice 350-475 lb. calves S24.70-26.60. small lots 250 lbs. to S31.7o, , Common and Medium calves S18.00-24.00. Few lots Good and ! Choice 535-640 lb. yearlings $23.60-25.70, few Medium 540-680 lbs. : Stock cows': Few small lots Medium and Good S174.0O-192.00 per head, few shipments Common and Medium $142.00-165.00 per head. Several shipments Medium and Good with young calves at side S200.00-280.0O per pair. Common and Medium S162.oO-lS4.uu per Replacement bulls: Few purebred Heifords, with pedigree papers and around 2 year olds. $310.00-390.00 per head. HOGS: Salable 25. Supply insufficient to fully test the market. Feeder pigs: Small lot Good and Choice 105 lbs. $13.10; few small lots under 50 lbs. $2.50-5.00 per head. SHEEP: Salable none. Market untested. Dot. I H T.hiph Federal-State Market News Service California Eases Import Regulation Salem - Oregon cattle going direct to slaughter may now enter California under certain restrictions, although the Cali fornia scab mite quarantine still holds on other movement. The state department of agriculture has been inform ed by California officials that slaughter cattle may come in if they are slaughtered within 10 days; if they are from a non-quarantined herd or area; if they have a health certifi cate from a state, federal or deputy state veterinarian; and if they have prior California permit for entry. "he prior permit must be Issued by the California de partment of agriculture, Bureau of Livestock Disease Control, Sacramento. for scholarship and merit awards. Completed scholar ship applications must be re ceived by the exposition man agement by April 8, 1960, and are offered by Bank of Amer ica N.T. & S.A., Safeway Stores, Inc., Stockton Union Stock yards and California Cowbelles Auxiliary, to Cali fornia Cattlemen's association. Livestock merit awards will be offered by 25 firms to be divided between 4-H and FFA. Each sponsor gives up to $125 toward the purchase of a calf to be acquired later in the year, fed out and exhibited at the 1961 Junior Grand Na tional. For the fourteenth year the San Francisco Junior Chamber of Commerce has obtained the firms and indi viduals to sponsor the merit award. Local members of the 4-H and FFA participating in the 1960 Junior Grand National are listed above. Eleven 4-H Members To Visit Cow Palace Eleven Jackson county 4-H filiations may also compete club members and County 4-H Agent Glenn Klein are plan ning to attend the Grand Na tional Junior Livestock ex position at the Cow Palace in San Francisco April a-io", ac cording to Robert McCarthy, president of the No. 1-A dis trict agricultural association. Those planning to attend from here and their entries are Patsy Charley, Eagle Point, one polled Hereford; Marilyn Deckel man, Rogue River, one brown Swiss; Georgia Hubbard, Antelope, one Angus; Phil Krouse, Ap plegate, one Hereford; Joanna Malloroy, Antelope, one An gus; Penny Sampert, West Side, one Hereford; Carolyn Sidener, Central Point, one Hereford; Craig Wright and Susan Wright, both of Oak Grove; Larry Wright, Rogue River; and Alice Woolfolk, Antelope, one Hereford. Cow Palace officials said that 3,058 animals will be ex hibited by 1,369 exhibitors. The boys will outnumber the girls, 309 girls and 1,060 boys, ranging from 10 to 21 years. From 82 high schools throughout the state will come 745 Future Farmers of America members. 4-H Club members will come from 35 counties and number 309 girls and 315 boys. The FFA exhibitors will show 326 beef cattle, 197 dairy cows, 595 lambs, and 658 hogs. The 4-H exhibitors will show 214 beef cattle, 213 dairy cows, 520 lambs, and 335 hogs. All beef cattle and lambs grading prime and all first group hogs must be sold at auction the final day of the exposition, Wednesday, April 13. Beef cattle and lambs grading choice and second group hogs may be sold at the option of the exhibitor. All other grades of cattle and lamb and hog groups will not be sold through the auction sales ring. Besides ribbons and tro phies, the total amount of premiums to be offered will be $24,000. Exhibitors who apply through their club af- mm 1 2-PLOW DIESEL ECONOMY ML NEW! FORDSON DEXTA TRACTOR O 6 speeds forward; 2 reverse O Adjustable tread; good crop clearance O Clean,sirjipledesign; O Economical, com easv maintenance rmrt. versatile " O Standard 3-point linkage; efficient hydraulic system O Transmission type; "live" PTO optional easy maintenance low down Payment. . . Easy Credit Terms1. 28Si)00 leaver Tractor AND IMPLEMENT COMPANY "Your Ford Tractor Dealer Since 1941" 634 North Central : Phone SP 2-6425 Christmas Tree Growers Plan Portland Meeting Corvallis Best ways to grow and market Christmas trees will be studied by Ore gon and Washington growers March 18 and 19 at the North west Christmas Tree associa tion annual conference in Portland. The first day's program will start at 9 a.m. in the Wash ington hotel, according to Gary Sander, Oregon State college extension forest prod ucts marketing specialist. Management and marketing of Christmas trees will be dis cussed by Bernard Douglass, Portland, representing the U.S. forest service; L. A. Sel jestad, Christmas tree whole saler from Shelton, Wash.; Jim E. Gibbons, Portland, trustee of the association; and Sander. A proposed marketing re search study to help growers find markets for trees and to discover what type of tree the public wants will be explain ed by Melvin J. Conklin, OSC agricultural economist. Christmas tree cultural practices in Washington will be reported by Knut Lunnum. Washington state extension forester, and in Oregon by Ken Palen, Forest Grove, state farm forester. An informal Friday eve ning session will give persons attending a chance to discuss their own problems involving Christmas tree production and marketing. The group will visit the Marcus Heckman Christmas tree farm near Scappoose Sat urday to view thousands of Douglas fir, true firs and Scotch pine Heckman plant ed between 1950 and 1954. The Douglas firs have now grown into mature Christmas trees. New officers will be elected during the two -day confer ence. Paul Goodmonson, Cor vallis, is acting president of the association. Oregon 4-H Clubs Expand Work for City Boys, Girls Corvallis - O r e g o n 4-H clubs are expanding educational- offerings to youths at a faster pace as population shifts from farm to suburbs, says Burton Hutton, state 4-H extension leader, Oregon State college. - Once looked on as an or ganization strictly for farm youngsters, the 4-H work car ried on today offers many of the same opportunities tp boys and girls living in cities as it does to youths in rural areas, he noted. Regardless of where they live, girls continue to prepare themselves for homemaking as enrollment m clothing, food preparation and knitting projects increases. Child care projects, which include more than babysitting, are also be coming more popular, accord ing to Lois Redman, state 4-H agent. Mrs. Roberta Frasier, OSC family life specialist, is rewriting child care bulletins and new offerings aimed at understanding boys and girls will be available in 1961. Membership in livestock clubs, the most popular agri cultural project, has tripled in the last 15 years. Cal Mon roe, state 4-H agent, notes that more non-farm youths are taking part in livestock programs through, horse, sheep, rabbit, dairy goat, and dog projects. However, Mon roe also notes that more farm boys and girls are raising dairy, beef, sheep and swine than ever before in the his tory of Oregon 4-H work. Horse Project Grows The 4-H horse project has grown from 30 members 15 years ago to today's total of 2,300 youngsters in all Ore. gon counties. Twice as many girls belong to horse clubs as boys, Monroe says. A new livestock advance ment program recently made available to Oregon 4-H youths provides greater incen tive, to stay with their proj ects and make a more com prehensive study of animal husbandry. A total of 32,000 boys and girls are now enrolled in Ore gon 4-H clubs, Hutton re ported. How is the 4-H program changing to meet youths' needs? More career explora- tion programs for older youths, development of new projects, and more opportuni ties for government studies, says the 4-H state leader. Hutton notes a decided trend toward study and par ticipation by 4-H in govern ment. A study program in state government was started three years ago in Salem, called "Know Your State Gov ernment." Several counties have followed this example with "Know Your County Government" conferences. Parents and Oregon's 5,300 4-H volunteer adult leaders will also be given more atten tion this year. Ruth Brasher, 4-H agent in charge of train ing, says that subject matter training has already been giv en in foods, clothing and child care. Hutton emphasized that the 4-H program encourages "long-term" learning. Youths may work several months to complete a project before they are ready to advance to more difficult stages of it, he explained. Bad Check Charge Brings Reduced Gain Los Angeles - It was take and give for Edward Perry, owner of a shoe store, when he brought another man to court to answer a bad $60 check. Perry got his money, but as he was leaving court, the judge handed him a packet of unanswered traffic sum monses amounting to 46, which he paid. Walt Whitman issued his "Leaves of Grass" in 1855, the same year Henry Wads worth Longfellow wrote "The Song of Hiawatha." CHIT CHAT By JOE COWLEY Mail Tribunt Farm Editor A meeting was called Friday for Rogue valley vegetable growers to discuss possibilities of developing a vegetable industry here. Development of such an industry is possible if the grow ers could get together and form some sort of organization, agricultural authorities feel. As one of the OSC men remark ed after the meeting, organization is important since growers must sell their produce to large retail chain outlets if they are going to create any steady market. Population is one of the prerequisites to a successful vegetable industry and Jackson county is fast getting a large population growth. Total county population has risen from 36,213 in 1940 to 70,840 in 1956. Of the total 1,802,880 acres of land in the county 26.2 per cent or 472.739 acres are under farm ownership, according to a report made by the 1957 program planning conference of the Jackson County Agricultural Council. Some agricultural authorities feel ad ditional acreage can be used for vegetable growing as more irrigation water is made available through the Talent project. More vegetable growing activity would improve the val ley economy by broadening the agricultural base. Along with the extension service the Southern Oregon branch experiment station has been doing its part by experimenting with possible earlier varieties of corn and tomatoes. .This research will be broadened to include other vegetables, too. The valley produces top quality vegetables but they come on the market too late to command the premium prices they should. This is the way the valley's vegetable crop shapes up now and these are the crop recommendations made by a committee of vegetable growers previously. To ensure keep ability corn should be hydro-cooled before shipping. Corn acreage should not be increased until a better fresh market or processing plant can be developed. Growers should know where at least one-half of the corn will be marketed when he plants, since his production must compete with Yakima. Cantaloupe and melons are limited to a local fresh market with little room for expansion. Cucumber acreage can be increased slightly for limited processing markets. A few acres of parsnips can be planted for local production. Broccoli or cauliflower are considered generally unprofitable for this area. Cabbage acreage could be expanded but growers should control the planting. MODERN ARTIFICIAL BREEDING WITH FROZEN SEMEN FROM AMERICAN BREEDERS' SERVICE Get more return from your family cow. Top dairy type replacements or "gain tested" beef. ' Every Sire Proved Great! C. C. Williams CALL SP 2-4093 I ROGUE VALLEY PROVED SIRE SERVICE fjpl 2h ' Rogue Valley onions have long been top quality on the market. Earlier this year the vailey's onion growers got to gether and decided to ship under one label symbolizing Rogue valley quality. In 1957 a committee recommended that onion acreage expansion be limited. An earlier committee also recommended a tightening of Oregon onion grades. The committee also suggested that varieties be kept separate, in a bag, and true to the label. Raising of such varieties should be left to the individual grower depending on his soil and location, it was agreed. Other recommendations were that wilt resistant varieties of cantaloupe should be considered in planting. Varieties should be left up to the growers. Also, to get around the labor shortage, it was recommended that mechanical harvest ing be increased. Labor is one big problem in developing a valley vegetable industry. Growers must continue to develop high school age group labor. A local organizational group of vegetable grow ers should be set up for handling importation of Mexican Nationals for vegetable labor, if necessary, it was recom mended. At the same time more use of local labor was urged. At the same time, it was suggested that growers develop better housing facilities on their farms for transient labor. The market is the key factor, of course, to development of any industry. If farmers are going to grow more vegetables they must have a place to sell them. Growers need a central marketing organization. Marketing of valley vegetables needs coordination, wiser planning of planting, improved packaging methods and containers, maintenace of high grades ad stand ards plus advertising of local products. Farmers could increase their share of what they receive for their produce by doing some of the processing them selves through modern methods and equipment. Also, the retailer should be educated on better handling of produce and produce displays. All agencies must be used to advertise the local fresh produce. Tomatoes can be boosted by empaha sizing uniformity in pack and grade and expanding the acreage to make it more worthwhile for the processor to handle them. Local processing plants are needed. Some authorities think existing fruit packing facilities could be used to handle produce from the family size vegetable farms. These are merely some of the main recommendations. Considered all-American vegetable selections for 1959 by agricultural authorities were Golden Cross bantam corn, Nantes U. S. type carrots, garden green bush snapbeans, the ice-box sugar baby watermelon and the big early Burpee hybrid tomato. The hybrid turnip was the only new vegetable given 1960 all-American award. Down in Tennessee one grower got yields of two bushels per plant from tne .Burpee big boy variety. A new cylindrical beet is shaped like a carrot. Vegetable growing in Oregon has gradually increased in importance from pioneer times when vegetables were raised only for home use. Exportation started with the Cali fornia gold rush. However, it wasn t until 1880 that the first commercial canning occurred, according to a booklet pub lished bv the extension service. First cannery was establish ed in Portland between 1875 and 1880. Then the Ray Maling company of Hillsboro produced the first frozen foods on the Pacific Coast in 1929. a mni-a wpupta'hlo nrnrpssinff nlants were established . f- O x in the state, vegetable production increased, inis industry grew from 7,000 tons in isz to zaz.duu xons in iao, dui o ciitrht arm off in 1957 and 1958. Overall vegetable uhu w production in the state accounted for 11 per cent of the production value of all Oregon crops m ioo. uregon now ranks tenth in vegetable production and third in value of processing. rwnne which the Hoeue valley nroduces in outstanding quality, have placed Oregon in the top ten nationally. During recent years it has varied between third and fifth. Onion production centers are Malheur county and the Willamette valley. Oreeon is one of the top five states in producing sweet mm for processing. This is considered Oregon's fourth most important vegetable crop. Oregon is the most important producer of nap beans for processing and accounts for one fourth' of national production. Since 1939 Oregon has not ranked lower than fifth in producing green peas. This back ground shows why Rogue valley vegetables should take their part in one of Oregon's leading argicultural industries. Oregon vegetables received an unexpected boost due to the severe freeze in winter vegetable producing areas par ticularly in Florida this year, according to Stephen C. Marks, extension agricultural econonomist at OSC. That state's winter snap bean crop now looks about half as large as usual and a fifth smaller than last winter. Florida's sweet corn crop was so badly damaged that crop estimates nave been revised downward by a half from January's forecast. Other vegetable crops suffered varying degrees of damage, Marks said. This helped most frozen vegetables to move out of the storage warehouse at a rapid pace the first of the year. So, any sales of frozen vegetables in the markets may wait until later when the fresh produce starts to appear. If Mrs. Housewife finds the cash in her procketbook is buying a little less than before, she can't blame it on the farmer. Retail prices climbed about 1 per cent, but farm (Farm amid Gairdemi Grange News Phoenix The Phoenix Grange com pleted their plans at the last meeting for the smorgasbord that was held at the hall March 12. It was a public event for the purpose of rais ing funds for the Grange. The degree team announc ed that they had initiated 17 new members from several Granges with the first and second degree work at the Upper Applegate Grange March 7. They are now invit ed to perform the work at Williams Creek Grange in April. Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Rob erts were visitors at the meet ing. Roberts, county deputy, gave a report on Grange in surance. Tickets are now available for the Jackson County Fes tival that will be held in July. The next Home Economics club meeting will be at the home of Mrs. Charles John son, March 16. Several members were re ported ill. The serving committee members were Mr. and Mrs. Ray Harrison, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Lattie and Charles Setchell. Dairy cows enrolled in the national DHIA program re turned an average profit to herd owners in 1958 of $78 per head over total estimated costs of feed and care. Bills Do Not Mean Gains for Dairy Las Vegas, Nev. - Legisla tive gains in Washington do not always mean the passage of new bills, reminded E. M. Norton, secretary of the Na tional Milk Producers Federa tion, at a regional meeting of the organization here Monday. "Equally as important as the enactment of additional sound legislation is the block ing of ill-advised proposals," he stated. "Faulty bills appear in greatest number during election years. Because of the attention required from con gressional leaders and farm organizations as well, at- Auction Market Law Recently Changed Salem State regulations governing livestock auction markets have been amended to bring disease control sec tions in line with recent changes in the brucellosis, tuberculosis and paratubercu losis requirements. Copies of the amended or der may be obtained from the state department of agricul ture at Salem. Dairymen with medium to large herds probably can save money by installing a silo un loader or other automatic feed handling equipment. prices dropped 4 per cent, according to Elvera Horrell, OSC extension agricultural economist. Grocery store prices on food last year dropped more than IVi per cent. Optimistical ly, the 1959 income dollar was worth 3 cents more in the goods and services it bought. tempts to pass needed legisla tion often go by the board. "Of principal concern to dairy farmers m me present Congress are bills which would permit farmers and buyers of milk to bargain in groups; proposals to clarify: procedures under which farm er cooperatives can acquire existing business operations and a review of the tax posi tion of farmers marketing through cooperative associa tions." Mr. Norton said he hoped that the special milk program would be assured of suffi cient funds to carry it through the present fiscal year with out cutback, and that it would be extended. He also discuss ed progress being made in providing funds for the suc cessful continuation of the school lunch program; the ac celerated brucellosis eradica tion program; and other meas ures of vital concern to dairy farmers. The first of this month prices received by farmers showed a 2 per cent rise. Farm costs moved up in January, leveled off in February for a net gain of 1 per cent. Nationally retail prices slipped downward, but Oregonians, based on Portland prices, continue to buy with a shrinking dollar. State Inspected (Mote uairy rarm 60e MILK Gallon You Pickup GREGORY PHONE ROAD TA 6-922 OW BIG FEUIT TBEE PEOFITS EYEN IN ACID SOIL You can do it with Viking Ship Calcium Nitrate Acid soil can rob you of fruit tree profits three ways. 1. It can slow the conversion of am monic nitrogen to usable nitrate forms. Even with heavy applications of am nionic nitrogen fertilizer, fruit trees can actually starve. 2. Because of low calcium, acid soil is susceptible to compaction and puddling. Feeder roots may become water-logged and die. 3. Excess acidity can cause the forma tion of toxic chemicals highly dangerous to living tree roots. Viking Ship Calcium Nitrate can help you fight these acid-soil dangers. The fast-acting nitrate nitrogen in Viking Ship is available without conver sion. Unlike ammonic forms, nitrat mi trogen is not trapped in upper soil layers. It moves with water to the root.zoiw where it can go to work immediately to give trees a vigorous start, help them set big crops. Viking Ship also provides 20 water soluble calcium that helps counteract soil acidity. By improving soil structure, it helps prevent compaction, so that tree, roots can .forage easily for nourishment And Viking Ship is easy to apply. It can be spread evenly or metered accu rately in irrigation water; it dissolves quickly; it leaves no residue. Ask your fertilizer dealer for complete informa tion about Viking Ship Calcium Nitrate. Equivalent to 28 lime expressed as calcium oxide. Use the fertilizer that fights, soil acidity! Viking Ship Calcium Nitrate VTROM NORWAY JL Distributed by WILSON & GEO. M EYER & CO., San Francisco Portland Seattle Yakima FOR CAR OR TRUCK LOT QUOTES WRITE OR PHONE US MID-COAST DISTRIBUTORS P.O. Box 1468 Medford, Oregon Phone SP 3-6370 i
