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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1962)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON : Meet; .. ar Alternative Source of Tax Money Needed "A Good Oregon EGG' mm of soutwkh orwom va turn EGG PROMOTION The Independent Egg Producers Coun cil is placing these posters wherever their eggs are sold in stores. Purpose is to point out locally produced eggs which are fresher than imports. Since Oregon is an egg-def lcit area, egg men are concerned that the state's potential markets may be taken from them by out-of-state producers, paricularly by California producers. "Eggber" will start appearing on local egg cartons soon. Independent Egg Producers Start Sales Promotion ' Oregon consumers will be meeting "Eggbert," a good Oregon egg, in their grocery 'stores soon. Residue Tests And Checks Told By OSU Chemist I Corvallis (Special) - "Ways of improving testing of pesli 'cldes and preventing any 'chemical residues which .would result in seizure of a crop because of excessive resi dues were explained Friday by Dr. Virgil H. Freed, head of the Oregon State univer sity department of agricul tural chemistry, i Dr. Freed made his com- 'ments before the vegetable 'fection of the Oregon State Horticultural Society meeting .at OSU. He and Marvin Mont gomery, OSU agricultural Jchemist, reported on the pres ent status of pesticides resi dues on vegetable crops Fri day. , Present methods of testing 'and control are adequate 95 'per cent of the time, Dr. iFreed noted, but scientists are concerned about the five per cent when a chemical misused or used under unusual circum stances could result in chemi cal residue appearing on the 'crop. i Chemicals are thoroughly checked by scientists and Jcleared by the federal gov ernment before they can be used on food crops, he point 'cd out. .Constantly Checking , Staffs of agricultural ex periment stations, the U. S. Department of Agriculture !and Federal Drug Adminis tration are constantly check ing to see that chemical prac tices are up on the latest Scientific infor-iation, h e stressed. When they are used in this manner, competent scientists .are satisfied that no harm can result, Dr. Freed added. " However, use of agricultur al chemicals under certain conditions can leave traces on harvested crops and it is then !that the crop is seized by au thorities if the residue is found to exceed tolerance level and it is in thl area that Dr. Freed feels that there is a need for improved test ing. ' Researchers are faced with the problem of not being able -to test each chemical under all different conditions. Chemical tolerances are granted for crops grown un der "usual" conditions and may not take into considera tion the effect of different tlimatic and soil conditions. J Refinements in analytical techniques are occurring quite rapidly, with research ers and growers both strug gling to keep Bbrcast of new developments, he noted. For instance, Dr. Freed bointed out that crop inspec tors are now using tes'.ing equipment which allows them to check more samples for Residues than ever before and at a faster rate. . Dr. Freed also sees a need for more study of chemical toxicity to dclermlne pre cisely how safe a chemical is and where biological zero tolerance can be established. I Above all, the .hemists grossed, users of agricultural chemicals should read the The happy egg from happy hens is attired in a bright yel low straw hat, has a broad smile on his bright little face and is carrying a blue ribbon. "Eggbert" appears on post ers distributed 'by southern Oregon egg farms and spon sored by the Independent Egg Producers' Council. Purpose is to make the con sumers aware of the fresher Rogue valley eggs produced by 14 member farms from Ashland to Grants Pass, from Medford to the Applegate, to Eagle Point. All the egg pro duction from these farms is distributed in southern Ore gon. Flock size ranges from 1,000 birds to 10,000 layers. "We are attempting to show which eggs are produced and packaged locally," a spokes man said. "Some are pack aged here, but not produced here." Local Eggs Fresher Local eggs are getting into the markets in two to three days to allow time for clean ing and cooling. Eggs shipped in from California, mainly, and perhaps some from Wash ington, are older. Local egg producers note that the current egg price is about the same with prices on smalls somewhat higher. However, no local producers appear to have any of these, it was noted. This is a peak time for egg consumption and a lime of low production, egg producers noted. A shortage of eggs exists in the local area now. Currently, the independent local producers are moving for standardization of Ore gon's law to conform with neighboring states and the U. S. Department of Agricul ture standards. Oregon now has lower requirements on weight size than neighboring states which ship their eggs into Oregon. The independent producers will meet at 7:30 p.m., Thurs day, Dec. 20 to elect officers at North's Chuck Wago.i restaurant. Corn Title Given 2 Local Growers Central Point-Dixon Salts gaver. Central Point, was awarded first prize premium award for the best 10, ears of corn in district 3. At the 21st., annual Oregon Corn Show, held Dec. 1, at Canby Oregon. The State is divided Into four districts, region 3, con sists of the counties, of Jack son, Josephine, Coos, Curry and Douglas. First prize winning ears were of the 54 40 variety. John Ncalon, of Table Rock, received second place in district 3 for his ten ears of corn on exhibition. Nealon's were of the Idahy brid 544 variety. Carl Hover, ficldman for the Grange Co-op Supply, helped in picking and select ing the corn. The first Oregon State Corn Show was held in 1037, with the exception of a five year period during World War II the show has been held an nually since that time. Corvallis - All who feel property taxes are oppressive should work out alternative revenue sources to achieve the needed reforms, Dr. Grant Blanch, Oregon State univer sity agricultural economist, told vegetable growers Friday afternoon. Dr. Blanch made his com. ments in a talk on property taxation before the vegetable crop section of the Oregon State Horticultural Society which ended its 77th annual meeting at OSU Friday. Taxes levied against all property in Oregon have more than doubled in the last 12 years, he noted. Farm property taxes are becoming an increasing proportion of operating costs. Pointing out that farmers have always accepted their responsibilities and been willing to pay their fair share, Dr. Blanch pointed out that taxation ranks high among problems facing Ore gon farmers. Valut Estimates i Property taxes are levied according to value, he ex plained. Three methods of estimating true cash or mar ket value for tax purposes are capitalization of net in come, sales comparison and replacement cost minus ac cumulated depreciation. In Oregon, county ap praisers use sales comparison almost exclusively on farm property, which creates many hardships on farmers whose lands lie in proximity to ur ban areas, he pointed out. The sales comparison tech niques is frequently abused as the real estate market for farm property is not a perfect market, sales are few and financing arrangements affect prices, he said. Oregon agricultural pro ducers are seriously and ad versely affected by increased property taxation, he said, as modern technology demands that farmers increase their property holdings to be com petitive even though the ratio of income to farm property value is very low. Taxes levied aganst farm property in Oregon have been rising while net money in come from farming has been falling. The increase in taxes and decrease in income has compounded the adverse eco nomic effects of the property tax on Oregon farmers, he continued. Many contend, Dr. Blanch said, that the property tax fails to meet the test of im. portant critera of sharing the cost of government services These criteria are ability to pay, benefits received and equality of treatment. However, the properly tax does have certain practical advantages in that the amount of tax revenue is not affected by changes in economic activ ity; it provides a relatively definite amount of revenue from year to year; real prop erty is difficult to conceal and evasion is almost impossible, and, as a fixed cost, it inter feres very little with produc tion of goods. Changes are obviously need ed to bring the system of financing local services more nearly in line with accepted criteria of how to distribute the costs of locally adminis tered services, Dr. Blanch pointed out. Seeks Other Source Secondary and elementary education are the major items supported by property taxes, but this Is a general society benefit and responsibility and is not directly related to prop erty ownership, he stated. This cost should be funded at an increasing proportion from some other source, he believes. There is a need to return to the tax rolls much of the tax exempt property, he con tinued. Equality suggests that if it is propitious to tax some properties according to value, it is right that the exempt properties be accorded the same treatment. Such a move would also result in a broader tax base. However, loss of revenue from reduced property taxa- non would have to be re placed from some other source or sources. In the field of education, this could mean increased state aid to local school districts or even fed eral assistance, he noted. If state aid is increased, the state would require additional money for other services. Possible sources for addition al revenue might be heavier reliance on the graduated net income tax by broadening the base, a general sales tax or a gross income tax. FARM Woodlot Facts Christmas trees Christmas Trees are not always chance by-products of forest lands. They are often a deliberately planned and managed farm crop. They are a big business in many areas of the Pacific Northwest. Each year, about six mil lion trees, mostly Douglas Fir, are cut in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. A low esti mate of the sale value of this crop is ten million dol lars. Trees are shipped to markets in nearly every state and in some foreign lands. The two main factors that make Christmas tree growing attractive in Jackson and Josephine Counties are; 1. The close, large California mar kets and 2. The good natural Christmas tree growing soil and climate. A good Christmas tree has buyer appeal. More specifical- ly, it has fresh, clean foliage and a dense, uniform, well- balanced crown of evenly spaced branch whorls that sweep gently upward. Good shape in a Christmas tree varies considerably with the kind of tree and the likes of people in different areas. Whether a land owner Is thinking about managing nat ural Christmas tree land or starting a plantation, he must consider soil, climate, loca tion, roads, protection, labor supply and cost. Christmas tree farming, like any other business, takes Ion g-range planning. Farming tips Farming natural Christmas trees consists generally of re moving brush and helping the trees to shape themselves by systematic thinning, pruning and shearing. Farming under plantation conditions involves site preparation, planting, cul tivation, systematic pruning and shearing. In future arti cles these cultural practices will be discussed and ex plained. In past years many a local grower has lost money on his Christmas trees. The rea son for this type of loss is that no written agreement was signed. Buyers picked trees up with a promise to pay when trees were re-sold or for other such reasons, This type of verbal agreement has no place in business Christmas tree growing, as stated before, is a business and should be treated such. A written sale contract should be entered Into by seller and buyer. To protect his Investment, a grower should receive half of the sale price before the trees are cut and the other half at the time the trees are picked up or delivered. Copies of sample Christmas tree con tracts can be obtained from your Farm Forester's office. One Oregon grower who has marketed his crop pro fitably over the past 20 years makes these suggestions for wholesaling trees: 1. Cut good trees; 2. Cash on the barrel head is the best credit policy; 3. Do not hold trees for any one for any length of time without a substantial deposit; Advertise plenty and you will have plenty of buyers; 5. Accept no more orders than you can deliver; and 6. To market safely, time the cutting right. Cutting should not begin earlier than Novem ber 6. It should be completed and the crop sold not later than December 10. label on the can or bottle be fore the chemicals are used. Labels contain the best in formation available in a con densed form, they empha sized. 1 SAVE 50 OR MORE! 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The operator still may wear overalls, work hard, appear stupid and short of money, but he operates a rather large business insofar as the amount of cash and credit business he accomplishes an nually is concerned. The new term for modern farming is Agribusiness. It is now dos- sible to secure an academic de gree from college in this field. The general farm that once grew a great variety of ctods has largely disappeared from the American scene. Farms are now very large In area and the operators tend to grow large acreages of rela tively few crops. In other words, he has become a spe cialist In the production of certain economic crops. The government helped this hap pen by paying out subsidies on crop production. Their reason for paying the subsidy was to save the small farmer and the family size farm. At any rate we in this country can be grateful for being well fed. Sometime TUESDAY. DECEMBER 11. 1962 when we feel .the urge to give the farmer a good cussing, it may be well to remember how well we eat and at a fairly reasonable price. New Crops More and more is men tioned each year about such new crop plant innovations as red apple sports, redder peaches or hybrids of some of the field crops. The seller of these items is often aided by the crop specialists who tend to encourage the pro duction of the newer sorts. One wonders if many mis takes aren't being made in this regard. The newer red apple sports are more beauti ful than the old standard A 7 sorts, but all too often they do not have good eating quality. True we say they mature earlier and can be harvested earlier and bring exra money in the market place. For Christmas Shopping GET A $ Handy Hundred $ on signature only loans to $1500 Horn Owned & Operated "MONEY FROM CRATER FINANCE is like MONEY FROM HOME" m,-OW . laBv.-x 'ttill Jtf I CRATER FINANCE jfl 135 PINE "o" 664-1273 g 772-5266 Beit For . . . 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