Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 1961)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, ORE. TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1961 ' 11 1 Loose Pen Sellers usreu iur j die i 4 Red Bluff. Calif. - Range bull buyers who like thera in J the rough will be able to 1 purchase loose pen lots of IHerefords at the 20th annl J versary Red Bluff, California bull sale, Feb. 2, 3 and 4, ac- cording to Donald M. Smith, t manager. J "This feature of America's J largest sale of inspected and 'f graded service-age bulls proved so successful at the li 1960 event that the commit tee in charge determined to continue it," Smith said. Already more than 200 head, out of a total of 400 Herefords, have been con sidled in loose pens of three, four and five, the manager explained. Among those con signing loose pens are the Seven Oaks Hereford ranch, and Fields Hereford (Xanch, both of Central Point.. Other loose pen consignors from Oregon are: Hudspeth Land and Livestock company, Prineville; Herbert Ekstrom, lone; Lost River Ranch, Inc., Klamath Falls, Stearns Cattle company, Prineville; Norman dale Hereford ranch, Merriy. Consignors Listed California consigners are H. Bar Hereford ranch, Covelo; Hellman Hereford ranch TTnnlanri Prirp Wprp- ' ford ranch, Cottonwood: Estes and Estes, Burney; Hoy Here ford ranch, Weed; Dudley Parker ranch, Gazelle, Foley Farms, Middletown, R. E. Connolly, St. Helena; Ralph and John Ahl, Santa Rosa; San Felipe ranch, San Jose; Mt. View ranch, Dixon; .Den nis Welch, Millville, Four ness Hereford's Pleasant Grove. From Washington consign ors are, Schwisow brothers, Ritzville; Alanna Polled Here ford ranch, Lacey. Other consignors are from Nevada, Wyoming, Utah and Montana. The sale will be held s the Tehama county, Calif., fairgrounds, Saturday, Feb. 4. Lots will be shown separately and will be judged the pre vious Wednesday by a cow man's committee of Roy Car michael who has rangeland in Plumus and Tehama counties; Cameron Cliff., Bairns, Ore., and Abner McKenzie, Red Bluff. All three judges are considered successful cattle men. Another feature of the sale will be the appearance of des cendants of pioneer , ranch leaders. These living relatives of men who have been placed In the National Cfiwboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City will be honored at the Friday nig'.'.t banquet on Feb. 3. Jim Rogers, son of cowboy humorist Will Rogers, will auction a donated Hereford bull for the benefit of the na ttonal cowboy shrine. Tips on Early Lambs (Given Regarding Treatment Early lambs have started to arrive, marking the beginning of a busy season' for sheep cowners. Experienced sheep men will save a high per centage of Clambs. Most lamb , losses result from neglect. Prevention of chills and 7f infection from unsanitary quarters, and see ing that the young lamb nurses its mother, will cut down losses. Heat lamps in lsmtjing pens are a big help. ' The flocak is oftOn plagued with diseases during the Ismib lngi period, one Iff which is pregnancy disease of ewes. This most often occurs in , sheep that have bOen undrjj fed during tl-Te gpstgtion3 pe riod. Loc of exercise seems tospeed up the number of cases. Ewes which are affected can be treated with one-half cup of syrup in a pint of water gven as a drench three or four times a day. Ruin Jfctdnct Dh: Another problem of sheep men durinft lambing) sis pulpy gidney disease, or enterotox- emia, in lambs. Tha heaviesti lambs in th flocit; are af fected, beginning tbout to aees of age. Use of bacterin to im munize eises prior to lgmb ing is recommended, but it must be done between thG fiOth 3hd 110th duy of preg nancy. The vijEcine can be used to immunize young lambs, al though from 10 to Vi days ere required to develop pro tective immunity, LijmbS can t vgeciifated t thrsft days of age. but will requira re- inoculation fit six weejjs of f ge i) continue thO immunity. White muscle disease has ejlso caused somO losses be cause of deficiency of the SIRment selenium in the diet of tne eSe prior toambing. FcSf-lin one-quarter pound of linseed or soybean oil me to the ewe for two-thirds of the gestatio period is the best Ajnown prevention Lambs which are affected can be inspected with selen ium by a veterinarian to pre vent pss. 3Docinsf. Catatirtf Docluing of lambs should5ei done at 7-14 days of age, and ram lambs should je car ated a the fume time. A good disinfectant should be used with these operations. When the Ustrator method iiw us'i foi'. docking, the rub- - CHIT CHAT - y JOE COWLEY Mall Tribuns arni Editor This is the time for predictions and studying the guesses everybody else is making about the future of agriculture. Some of the experts are expecting the new Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman to move rapidly Into the new administration s farm program. But it is a notorious fact that neither Ezra Taft Benson, present secretary of agriculture, or the man before him could move any faster than Congress would let them. And Congress is more in terested tight now with the international situation. Mechanization Seen On Rise in '60 s : This emphasis on the international, problem will affect U. S. farming somewhat. For instance, there will be an early renewal of the sugar act which expires at the end of March. This act controls the market for the large produc tion of sugar beets in the U.S. Friendly foreign nations, such as Brazil, will be seeking more of a share of Cuba's slice of our sugar market. This is bound to be a diplomatic headache. Indirectly, this affects the Rogue valley farmers since some of them produce sugar beet seed. Wr;tern congressmen will pr(ably seek a clarification of federal and state water rights. This is fundamental to the west's development. This group of laws seems too com plex to many of the experts working in this complicated fie'i- O 0 , Speaking of water rif)ts and such, many irrigationists in the west hope the new administration will have the good sense to keep Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Floyd E. Dominy in his present position, fie has a thorough under standing of the western water problems and makes frequent field trips to find out. We have yet to hear anyone speak ill of him. His outspoken diplomacy is a refreshing contrast to the evasiveness and strictly political attitude so many high government officials develop." ber band should be removed after several days, at which time'Sthe tail should be cut off and the stub disinfected This method will prevent in fection, which often causes stiff lambs and slows the lamb's growth. e - Creep feeding of lambs with a good quality of any of the farm grains is .follovjjd by most successful sheepmen. Ewes should get a$ the good quality hay they can eat and in addition three-quarters to a pound of grain a day until the time they go onto pasture. The aijn ofj the successful shCepmAn" is to market a high percentoge of milk-fat lambs during May and early June when prices are highest. Further suggestions on care of sheep are available in Ex tension Bulletin 723, "Sheep Management in O r e g o n," available at county extension Now that the Talent division0of Vhe Rogue basin project is rapidly nearing completion manyof the bureau of recla mation people hfc.re are getting ready to pack their bags and move out. 0 We will be sincerely sorry p see them go. They have been fine people to know and have done an ex cellent job-under sometimes trying circums&nces. It might have been possible to have made a comparative easy shift from the Talent division to the main Rogue basin project if things had moved faster. Of course, now when the project is finally started, everybody-fisherman and farmer will be satisfied. But, we often wonder if the importance of a fish ery isn't over-emphasized. e offices. e We could have kept these BR people who are now thor oughly familiar with the country, (project and people in volved. It would have been easier on them and their fam ilies and on us. At a time when merchants are complaining about tne numbers out of work, construction of the project could have obsorbed many of these presently unemployed l&'ore water would have been available sooner to meet the population pressure Even in a democracy, apparently, it isn't always the majority thav1 rules. Sometimes it is a very loud minority. We hope no more unrjcessary obstacles will be raised and the bitter experiences of the past will remain well-learned lessons for the future. Washington, Dec. 3 0IPU -Mechanization and increased yields, the two dominant forces which brought tremen dous changes in agriculture in the fifties, vSill do Vhore of the same during the sixties, in the opinion of a top agri cultural economist. J J. Carroll Bottum,' Purdiie university professor, d I s cussed agricultural changes of the fifties before extension workers at the recent annual agricultural outlook confer ence, and forecast the possi bility of these further changes .n thesixties: -Cultivated land will con tinue to move out of crop production, perhaps 40 to 80 million (M) acres. -Labor will continue to flow out of farm production into other occupations, per haps three-fourths or more of the youth born on farms. -Capital needs will in crease. -Capital inputs purchased om'Jide of agriculture will in crease. -The management level will increase. To this background, Bottum added these assumptions: -In the period ahr&d, we will have reasonably full em ployment and an active econ omy except for the normal moderate business recessions. e -we will wave about 2 per cent increase in the demand for farm products to feed and clothe the population in the decade ahead, but we will adopt new technology at sufficiently rapid rate that land and human resources will neeJ to flow out of agri culture to keep it in adjust ment. -il'nskilled and untrained labor will find more difficulty in finding employment in the next decade to our highly de veloped economy than during' me past decade. -The family commercial farm will prevail in most areas as the main produ'lsihg unit purely on the basis of economic; competition. Suggeitioni Mad With this framework and background, Bottum suggested: -Help for total agricul ture, including the marketing agencies, to expand the out lets for farm products both at home and abroad. -Help for farmers and so ciety to develop overall land policies vo make ijj possible for some cultivated land to move out more easily into other uses. -Ways to improve the train- tig and to facilitate $ie move ment of farm youth infS other occupations. sAn improved education program to help rural peo ple and others allied with agriculture to help make the adjustments in all the institu tions associated with agricul ture. -Outlook information gear ed to needs of different groups in agriculture. Bottum said farmers need to be kept informed relative to long-time trends so that they are not over-extended in such perils as appear to be coming up in hogs and eef cattle as early as 1962. Mint Growers Set Yearly Meet In Corvallis Corvallls - Latest research Oregon Farm Prices Up Slightly Above U.S. Corvallls - Oregon farm prices moved up a little last month and now stand 4 per cent above a year ago and at the highest level since mid- 1053 rnnnWa Mn Flvprn Hnr. to control disease and inseclWrell, ' extension agricultural economist at Oregon State 11 1 lege . Higubr prices on turkeys. FARM NOTES Washington Central Point- ft course in livestock, production will be taught as part of the adult education program at the Cra ter high school starting at8 p.m., Monday, Jan. 16, accord in to Crater high school vo cational agriculture instructor Ed Griggs. KThe coursa will include three classes on lef cattle, two classes on dairy, two on sheep, one on swine anu&two on general livestock- market ing. s guestn insKJjctor, Bill Bray, Midway Auction yard, will te&'ih classes on market ing. Earle Jossy, county ex tension a2nt, will Instruct the Som observers feel 5'iat the law under which Mexican farm workers can be imported wilLbe extended under the new administration. It will if Pacific Coast fruit and vege table grower? unite to make their demands felt. So far we have not seen any attempts at grouping together even though this was recommended at the last hort society meeting in Corvallis. Some observers feel if the Mexican national law is extended, regulations will be ffiiade toughed California people feel there will be an intensification of the controversy over unionzing California farm woi-kers. rnurte will be resorted to aeain this year by grower.", seek ing to establish 'legal roadblocks fiigainst union organizing methods. No wonder soe farmeij have become lawyers. They ere almost fufrced into it. One prominent grower-packer who ke.ps a close watch on such things says California Gov. Pat Brown is changing course ;J)little on his attitude on the farm labor hassle.Cali fofiiia being a leading agricultural state and Brown's in creasing unpopularity with the farmers has built up con siderable political pressure. From what we have seen Gov ernor Brown is a ver-ry stubborn man and stubborn men, even those in politics, don't change their minds easily. How ever, the California Farmer reports that the governor is really shook up by the close vote 1 uamornia s iajj election. Well, we will see. Meanwhilp. fruit pickers we1 talked to recently wrote us from Stockton, Calif., and enclosedSsome clippings. If the Atiricultural Workers' Organizing Committee is losing strength, according to some reports made in this state, then a lot of pressure eis (cing built up by a weak organization. According to two clippings our j?icker friends sent us, muchraof the fuflUre California farift labor battle will be fought in the state legislature. A story dalelined Dec. 24, Sacramento, reports, "But though it's not clear whether the skirmishes at the 1961 legislature will bring any great classes on sheep. Geoie Gil-Ichanges, it is clea? that this year's harvest strife did." man nUmon's Hnirv Ppntrnt I Mn Deere Daf Scheduled Here Thursday, Jan. 5, Hubbard Wray company, 909 South Riverside ave. will hold its annual John Deere Day. It will be the' first local public showing of the new John Deere line of tractors. Besides the demonstration of films of the "New Genera tion of Power" there will be other films. The picture, "Men, Ideas, and Tractors," tells the story behind the story of the new line's design, development and testing. The third film shows the revelop ment of the John Deere line starting with 1837 and the company's first successful steel .plow. Farmers will see also an on the spot review of Deere Day in Dallar.when dealers previewed the New Genera tion of Power at what is re ported to bff one of the largest meetings iif IU kind. Over 6.000 people, Including 4,500 agricultural and industrial John cJ)eere dealers, were flown To Dallas for the event, man, Oilman s dairy, central Point, will instruct the dairy classes. Griggs will conduct classes on beef and swine. . The programs will cover management, economics, feed Jji and disease control. Fee for the 10 week course will be $5. Each class will start with tea film and refresnments will be served each evening. Those interested in registering should contact the Crater vo- ag department Jit Crater high. i&rhool, Central Point. Two oth( csurses schedul ed are parliamentary proce dure and beginning welding. Both will be held beginning at 8 p.m., Wediftisday, Jan. 18. The article report iat some individual growers were hard hit and almost all who were struck made some con cessions, &ut over-all crop losses &vgre slight. However, State Employment Director Irving Perluss says thewscat tered strikes have signaled "an economic hie and death struggle" between the AifL-CIO and the California powerful farm organizations. to (have overcome any skepticism 5 to have helped add $11 million to The ACbC claims among labor and clms fji:m workers' earnines in spite of a small membership-prob- vablv about F.OOO. Farmers, however, have denied AWUU naa any eiicci on uie wage lume. 0 . Hie California growers admit thapAWOC has created a climate in which collective bargaining maybe established some day. Now they have to win ttie rignt to act as Dar gaining agfnt for the farm worker. Court Records 4SHLAND MUNICIPAL COURTS Charles Vernon Ruth, disobeyed traffic signal, Erwln L. Wilkinson, parked In yellow zone. $5. Donald EuRene Wilcox, exces sive vehicle noise, $20. Edna E. Harrt. disobeyed stop sign, no operator's license, $10. J. W. Kingsle,' improper park inr. $5. . rlonald John Norman,) expired operator's license, $10. Jane Kathryn Pollard, disobey ed stop sign, $5. Alfred Joseph Moran, expired vehicle license, $5. Bftrney Joseph Gwinn, following too cloie, $25. Richard Arlen Reigel, excesive vehicle noise, $20. Dorothy Maf Case, dlsoMed atop lgn 5. Thomfis Lee Ferte, double park ed without driver in attendance. $5. David I-Hoy Jackson, following too close, i'2i. Carol Ann ttohnsteln, disobeyed stop sign, $5. Howard Lester Fields, disobeyed traffic signal, $5. Claris Bernadlne Reynolds, dis obeyed traffic nignal. $3. Gertrude Emily Heltkamp, viola tion of basic rule, 1 r ( Gordon Charles Scl.'imberg, fm nrooer Daisinf. $5. Donald Eugene Ralls, following too close. $25. Walter Godfrey Biumi, violation of basic rule. Charles Wesley VanKoten, dis obeyed traffio signal, ij. Oregon Diirymeji To View Work At State Meet Corvallis - National dairy leaders will help Oregon 'farmers take a look at all phases of the tlidustry-from prorfjiction through pricing and milk controls-at thfl Ore gon Dairymen's AssoSation 67th annual meeting. Jan. 10 to 12 at Salem. 41 i Faster rise in irSlk produc tion costs than in prices paid to farmers for milk during the past 10 years will focus attention on pricirig, market ing, and future outlook vor '(the industry. Proposed legislation on milk marketing, milk audit ing, and dairy inspection and licensing is allso slated for discussion, reports ODA sec retary H. P. Ewalt, Oregon State College extension dairy specialist. ODA president Eouis Wett- steln, Milt'heur county dairy man, will open the meeting Jan. 10 at 3 p.'v). with special committee session at the Mar- n Hotel, conventAjn head quarters. Speaktrs Listfd Main speakers Jfflr general sessions starting Jan. 10 will include William Hitz. Iowa dairyman and i'lce-piesidcnt of thi? American Dairy Asso ciation, who will discuss dairy production and dairy sales and promotion. Dr. David A. Clarke, Jr., University of California agri cultural economist, will re view milk pricing and milk control programs. Governor Mark Hatfield will present needs in state government reorganization at a Jan. 11 luncheon sponsored by the Oregon Dairy council. Other speakers will include F. IS. Prices Oregon State College dean of agriculture, speaKing on agricultural ao Justmcnts; and W. A. Kessi Scappoose, president of the Oregon Dairy Herd Improve ment associationP (UPU A rcvieffv of the agriculture depart ment's utilization research program has pointed up its general excellence as well as its deficiencies. Dr. Roy Chester Newton, former director of research for Swift and company, said the department's utilization research program is "excel lent," and "has contributed substantially to the economic welfare of the United States."iPathol8v department. ...... V rt 1 j: : Mis praise inciuoeo tne Washington staff, the staff at the four regional laboratories and their field stations, the research projects chosen and the method of selecting them, and the facilities and equip ment. pests of Oregon's $4'" million annual pepper-mint crop will be reported Jan. 12 and 13 at the Oregon Essei&ial Oil Growers league's annual n-Qeting at yegon State col. lege. Market outlook, specF, committee riorts, and panel discussions by growers and OSC agricultural specialists are also scheduled, reports lain C. MacSwan, igSC ex tension plant pathology spe cialist and league secretary. Main speakers will include Dr. C. A. Thomas, U. S. De partment of Agriculture plant pathologist and a leading au thority on mint research. Dan Fig Jr., Salem, who operates mint farms in Oregon and Washington, will discuss pro duction problems resulting from serious insect and dis ease outbreaks in recent yegrs. Research on.mint problems was bolstered recently with a $16,500 grant for 1961 from major mint oil users and $3, 000 from the Oregon league. Oil buyers making the grant were William Wrigjpy, Jr., Beech-fi-it Lifesavers, .Amer ican Chicle Co., Colgate-Pal molive Co.,, and Pjoctor and uamuie. 9 Industry Grants Dr. Roy A. Young, OSC bot any and plant pathology de partment head, points out that almost all OSC mint research costs other than staff salaries are financed with Industry grants rather than state funds, Research underway at OSC agricultural experiment sta tion that will be reported at the meeting includes mint pest control by H. E. Morri son, entomologist; mint nema tode control, D. E. Konicek; and mint wilt by C. E. Horner. both of the botany and plant wool, potatoes, hay, alfalfa and and red clover seed, and food grains led the way to a onevier cent farm price in crease in November. Mrs. Hor rell found as she studied re ports from the U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture. These more than offset lower prices received by the state's farmers for chickens, milk, most meat animals, corn, barley, and al sikle clover, she said. National farm prices also went up a little last month, Milk Production Shows Big Drop For November Coruollis So, this is how things shape up onCCalifornia's political and economic chessboard: The AWPC is pressing lcgisla ture for a "Little NLRB" to extend collective bargaining to farming. The growers are moving to block the committee from getting into position to put on a tight economic squeeze that would force them to bargain with a union O The erowers are seeking laws to ban harvest-time strikes and cancellation' of the government jftrig whic&i forbids use o.' imported Mexican natlanals or state-referrcfA domestic Dickers on farms which have picKel lirs around inem,, Perhaps State Grangemaster J. B, Quinnas come up with a workable compromise: Allow workers to orgartiWe, but ban harvest strikes and csite a state arbitration com mission to force settlement on both; sides whenever a dis pute arises. 'a s However. California authorities are dubious afio whether such" a proposal could be fairced through the two lbies which represent both sides. . Anyway, Rogue valley fruit growers will learn the latest in the farm labof situation as it affects Oregon when they attend the annual meeting of the Fruit Growers League scheduled tentatively for some time in January.- "if you have any gripes come to this meeting and get them off your chest," one of the big pushes in this organization suggests to all growent. However, the gripes usually go with the coffee and doughnulu served after the mectlnS One report wHI be on pear industry public relations. The California growers bnye hired a firm to make a survey of how the public feels toward them. It would be interesting if such a survey were made here. r Total meat production un der federal inspection for the week ending Dec. 10 was estit- rmated at 474 million pounds. This was 4 per cent above the 454 million pounds of a week earlier, but 4 per ceriit below the 492 million pounds of a year ago. The weekly meat produc tion was the greatest for any week since mio-january, dui still was 18"million pounds short of the liberal output the corresponding week a year ago. Production of winter vege tables was expected to be less than last winder. Forecasts for 10 citops, which usually account for more than half of the winter production, in dicated a 3 per cent decline. The largest tonnage decrease from last year wassin cciery production. Substantially less produc tion of artichokes and beets was expected. Partially off setting these decreases were small increases in lettuce, cauliflower, n d broccoli. Acreage estimates for three other winter crops indicated cEfcbage acreage was up 7 per cent but carrots were down 22 per cent and es carole down 6 per cent. Panel discussion reports on use of disease-free plantinS stock jjdll be made byjHorner; uanas Klcnards and Paul Jasa, Madras growers; H. E. Finnell, OSC extension plant certification? specialist; jnd Amos Bicrly, Madras, Jeffer son county extension agent. ur. w. r . Unsoeia. OSC, professor'of philosophy and one of the world's foremost mountain climbers, will speak at the Jan. 12 banquet on climbing experiences Last summer, Dr. Unsocld was a member of the expeditionthat made the first successful as sault on Masherbrum. 25.880- foot Himalayan peak, highest unclimbed mountain at that iHime. Plane Runs Into Flock of Geese Topeka,,Kan. -$?!)-A Conti ncntal Airlines DC3 bound from Denver to Kansas City ran into a f.'ock of geese Mon day night C'.er the small com munity of Silver Lake in east ern Kansas. Three dead geese were found In the cockpit after tlii: plane made a normal landing at Topeka. The pilot, A. M. Rlppey, Aurora, Colo.'Tivas treated for facial lacerations at a Topeka hospital. Several sutures were required. , Only four passengers, all bound for Kansas City, were aboard. i) Three of the four continued their trip to Kansas City by bus. , . Rlppey said the plane was flying at 3,500 feet In clear weather and was about 15 miles northwest of Topeka when the accident happened He said he had no idea how many geese were in the flock Washington- IUP1I -The com mercial apple crop this year iij down considerably fro a year ago and well below av The Agricultural MarKeting Service (AMS) said 1980 com mercial production of all va rieties now is cestimated at U6.4 million bushels, 13 per cent under average. Compar isons with last yiSur by areas: Eastern, down 15 per cent; Central, down 8 per cent; and Western, down 11 per cenv i'he USDAoannounced that on imnortant aaln in mans fliiht aeainst insect peres nns been made with the first rc- norted combination, (IV syn thesis, of an insect attractant ihnt occurs naturally In the fpmnlp IfVDSV moth. Thi rdiscovery also has made possible, for the-, first (imr the svnthesis of unlimit oH nnantitles of a related ,-homical. which can be munu -.'ncturpd at low cost. It win be used fir large-ale siuaies tC,detcrmine the best way to pmnlov such an attractant in controlling gypsv moths. Washington-Mru-The Agri culture Denartmcnt said to day poultrymcn were not likely to have as good a year in' '1061 a they have hed In loan. In 1961, the department said, egg, broiler, and turkey prices wenS1 likely to move wir Inward 1058 levels. The noonrv noted that 1980 prices for eggs, farm chickens, brolfcj ers, and turkeys wouiq av erage higher than last year even though broiler and tur key prices at the end of this year may be lower man uur- ing December oi man. Jersey Cows Get Merit Awards . Three registered Jersey cows owned by W. D. Mon gold, La Pine Jersey farm, Route 1," Eagle Point, have taken recent honors from the American Jersey Cattle club, a club 'spokesman announced. Two of his cows recently completed official production records giwing them cow pow er Index ratings. This rating indicate how many times their body weight in milk have produced during recent lactation. The cows and their produc tion records are: La Pine Standard Gleam, 11,701 pounds of milk, 878 pounds of butter fat. 305 days, for an Index rating of 13.5; and La Pine Standard Garland, 11,050 pounds of milk, 652 pounds of fat, during ?J)5 days test, for index rating of 12.6. Gleam is 3 years, 5 months old, and Garland 2 years, 11 months old. La Pine Sparkling Sheba earned the gold medal gjward for having completed a pro duction record of 11,833 pounds of milk and 701 pounds of butter fat In 305 days at 6 years, 6 months. The official record was su pervised by Oregon State col lege Brill verified by the American Jersey Cattle club Production milk turned downward in Oregon last month, in contrast to national production which continued to lead that of a year earlier, reports Stephen C. Marks, extension agricul tural economist at Oregon State college. Dairy farmers in the state produced 75 million pounds of milk in Nov., 9 million pounds less than in October of this year and one million pounds less than a year earlier, Marks found as he studied re ports from the U. S. Depart ment of Agriculture. This was l')the first time since June of 1959 Hint milk production in Oregon dropped below that of the preceding moffth, he pointed out. With supplies a littlejower, Jbrices received by Oregon dairymen for all milk, whole sale, moved up about 10 cents per hundred pounds above that received in October, but still stand 15 cents below last yew's November average, Marks said. Prices paid by Portland dealers last month for 3.5 per cent fat milk used in the bottle and can trade averaged higher than in October, but were unchanged from a year earlier, Marks also found Retail prices for milk in Port land, however, averaged about 2 per cent higher than a year ago. Cost of producing milkalso moved up a little last month boosted by a slight increase in the price of alfalfa hay. Pro duction costs still remained about 2'i per cent under a year ago, however, as wages, alfalfa hay, and dairy feed prices were all lower than in November, 1959. Averaging it out, the lower average prices for milk com pared to a year ago were only partially canceled out by lower average costs of pro duction. This left the ratio of milk and butterfat prices to feed prices less favorable to dairymen than last year at this time.- On the national scene, un usually mild November weather over the main dairy region helped keep milk pro duction at a high level. While production did drop some, as it usually does this time of year? November's production still topped that of November 1959 by 2 per cent, Marks said. but the increase averaged less than a fraction of one per cent, Mrs. Horreli found. Higher egg, beef cattle, toma to, milk, and potato prices were only partially offset by a sharp drop In corn prices, along with more moderate drops in prices received by farmers for cotton, oranges, and hogs. Artragt Up With this slight rise, na tional farm prices also aver aged 4 per cent above a year ago, and within one point of the 1960 high reached last April. O Meanwhile, prices paid by farmers for things used in farm operation held steady, at a level about 2 per cent be low last April's record high, Mrs. Horreli added. Higher prices paid by farmers for feeder and replacement live stock, as well as used automo biles and trucks, exactly off set lower prices on feed and farm supplies. Interest, taxes, and wagCj rates held un changed. However, prices oPaid for farm-family living items crept up a trifle and now equal tha Record high first reached in November 1959, Mrs. Horreli reported. Higher prices on food, clothing, and used auto mobiles more than offset loTver prices on household furnishings, she said? With prices received by farmers up only a shade, and prices paid unchanged, farm product purchasing power held unchanged. The national parity ratlo-the relationship between what farmers get for their products and what they pay for things they need- stood at 81 in November, tha same as October but three points higher than a year ago, Mrs. Horreli said. Guide Published On Machinery Corvallls - When does it pay a farmer to own special farm machinery - and when is it more profitable to hire custom work? A recent study bj' Qregon State College agricultural ex periment station examines the 'break even" point for vari ous methods of equipment-use to help farmers compete in the ? highly-mechanized, high-capi tal investment trends of to day's agriculture. e Frank Conklin, OSC exten sion farm management spe cialist, and Emery Castle, ag ricultural economist, develop ed charts and tables to guide farmers in figuring most eco nomical machinery costs for various conditions. Alternatives discussed in clude ownership of equip ment, rental, custom work, or pooling equipment costs with neighbors? Details of the study are re ported in the current issue of "Oregon s Agricultural Prog ress, quarterly publication or. the OSC agricultural experi ment station. Oregon residents may obtain free copies of the publication from local county extension iy?ents by writing the OSC etln Clerk, corvallis. Investigation of Plane Crash Ends o Portland - IUPU - An investi gation by federal authorities Into Saturday s plflnc crash near Molplla which claimed the lives of four persons was completed heriy Monday. David Engcr, 28, and his wife, Sharon, 23, both p( Troutdale, and Everett Wayne Boid, 26, '.nu his wife Dianne, 22, Portland, wer-j. killed when ce aingle-engine plane crashed into the snoyV Mt, Hood National forest 20 miles from Molalla. The Investigation was con ducted by Herbert H. Thitst burn, the Federal Aviation Agency general operations In spector, and A. L. Crawford Civil Aeronautics Investigator from Seattle. Their findings will be sub mitted to Washington, D. C. ,jr Oregon Banks Receive Award J. A. Moore, vice president and manager of the Medford branch of the First: National Bank of Oregon, has been informed ' that the Oregon Bankers association has re ceived the agricultural award. Moore Is county key banker of the Oregon Bankers asso ciation for Jackson county. This award is presented each year to the association whose banks 'have been of notable service in agriculture through the previous year. This is the 31st consecutive year that Oregon's banks have received award making it the only state to qualify for the award for so mary consecu tive years. J0 The awards are presented for a wide range of piojects which bankers carry on as a means of bringing greater un derstanding and co-opcratlon between farm and financial communities. i Portland Home Damaged by Fire Portland-IUPD-FIre damaged a two-story frame house here Monday night, but all eight members of the family es caped without injury. The blaze was confined to the bedroom of one of the children. Home owner Santiago Ta blno said one of his sons was asleep when the fire broke out but otheit members of the family were able to gelj hlm out without troulSe. YOUR HAPPINESS IS OUR SINCERE WISH FOR 1961 For prosperity through more efficient livestock we offer PROVED SIRES In all popular dairy and beef breeds. C. C. Williams ROGUE VALLEY PROVED SIRE SERVICE SP 2-4093 Modern Artificial Breeding with FROZEN SEMEN FROM AMERICAN BREEDERS' SERVICE
