7 Z = S a Ww < bn © oe dD TM = ON & sy . : © Ss Aw at = Ses : Zz 2 = obs + | ' omy Z mR aa RE oe Bia. wid Hee ee 2 ap iatcnS maa * deg eS aes DB Pon im a =a 2 5 BBE: A ess fFxeazas all = a_ Pas & Om Hopes Sees | eo AS meee BA Oller: 3 <4 & AE. < < E = rae =: Lae PLE TOR SEO Rs a Sh eat we An outline of the future | basis of agriculture in Montana, from the viewpoint of the Montana State College, Montana State College Extension Service, and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station As presented before a meeting of Montana bankers at Bozeman, February 2, 1924 An Agricultural Program for Montana Every state in its infancy must progress slowly with its agriculture while developing the main factors around which the successful farm practice of that state must be based. The studies that have been carried on by the various agencies of the State College, including the Agricul- tural Experiment Station and the Extension Service, have, we believe, gained sufficient facts and experience to permit us to point out the essentials of agricultural success for Montana. It is not presumed that any fixed agricultural program for the future can be presented now, but we are certain that many of the important and fundamental facts are clear enough to be grouped together for presentation to the farmer and the business man at this time. We realize, however, that in this program only a general setting ean be presented, and that only parts of it will apply in all sections of the state. Later there will be prepared suggested programs for various agricultural regions of the state. Our irrigated lands permit a different type of agriculture from the dry-land areas, and even the lower and the higher irrigated valleys afford different possibilities. The dry-land areas also differ much in their agricultural possibilities, while the immense range areas, which now have passed largely into private ownership, present a problem all their own. It will be our purpose ‘to vizualize broadly the agricultural possibilities of these various regions of the state. PERMANENT FARM HOMES NECESSARY Since 1906 we have had too many temporary farmers who came to Montana to “‘get rich quick’’ on a few bumper crops and then retire to other states to spend the wealth which they thus proposed to gather. A few of these croppers-of-passage did realize their hopes, but in most eases the principal wealth they carried away with them was a wealth of experience. Farming in Montana just simply is not that kind of business and Montana’s agriculture will be developed only by farmers who farm to make and maintain permanent homes here. IMPORTANCE OF INDIVIDUALS Thrift and economy are part of the stock in trade of any farmer. Under any system of farm management certain individuals will fail to make a success where others succeed, for no program can assure NO05S15 4 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION success to every individual. The ability of the individual is important and a program of successful agricultural methods and principles serves mainly as a guide to the best practices for the individual who can and will use them intelligently and efficiently. FARM PRICES IN COMPARISON Because farming is carried on principally for profit and because conditions beyond the farm itself often influence the possibility of profit, it is worth while to consider the relations between the prices of farm products and the prices of labor and supplies that enter into the farmer’s cost of production. The year 1913, the last year before the World War, is taken as an average year upon which to base comparison. Let the price of all commodities in 1913 represent 100. Then, com- pared to the 100 of that year, the prices of various commodities in 1923 were as follows: beef cattle, 121; hogs, 81; sheep, 167; wool, 198; wheat, 117; corn, 137; oats, 105; brick, 285; yellow pine, 229; steel, 217; ce- ment, 168; and skilled labor in the building trades was at 2388. Some point out that the farmer’s products are above the 100 mark, or pre-war level, but a glance at the other figures will show that the purchasing power or price level of agricultural products is generally below the Ievel of steel goods, building material, and other things which the farmer must buy. In other words, the buying power of most agri- cultural products for 1923 is well below the buying power of manu- factured goods and labor. This means that it takes more bushels of wheat to buy a wagon in 1923 than it did in 1913; more pounds of pork to buy a thousand feet of lumber than it took in 1913. So long as this buying-power difference exists between the farmer and the persons from whom the farmer must buy, just so long will it remain difficult for the farmer to purchase the things he requires or wishes with the things he has to sell. This is an important point in considering the future of agriculture in Montana, and a point that must be solvéd. LOW COST OPERATION The foregoing situation shows that it is more than ever necessary to carry on farm operations at a low cost. The use of larger teams to increase the value of man-power and the introduction of home-made implements where possible, are vital points. Man-power is expensive now and returns per man are more important than returns per acre. ay AN AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM FOR MONTANA 5 Hight, twelve, or sixteen-horse outfits will be found an important means of increasing the value of man-power. PRODUCING THE FARM LIVING There is a general tendency to purchase foods that are in con- venient form and that have had considerable processing. The farmer is tempted to follow this tendency even when he may produce these food supplies on the farm. Purchase of these items of food supply greatly increases the cost of the farm living, because the costs include transportation, labor and expense of preparation, raw material, and other items. Vegetables, dairy products, meat, poultry, and eggs in amounts necessary for the farm table should be produced on practically every farm. This is a most essential point in keeping down farm costs. EFFICIENT MARKETING Out of the wide distribution of farm commodities now prevailing has come extensive marketing machinery with high costs for handling the farmer’s product. These costs, with the profits on investment and compensation for service, all operate to lower the price to the farmer and increase the price to the consumer. Service of this sort is essential and must be paid for; but since it has an important bearing on the price the farmer gets he should give careful and painstaking attention to the service being rendered and the price he is paying. In this connection there is one additional point of major importance. Modern carrying methods on land and sea have brought into competi- tion products from the four corners of the earth. The wheat growers of the American and Canadian west are vitally interested in the size and quality of the crops in Russia, Australia, South America, and India. In the same way the bean growers of Michigan and Montana are con- eerned over the crops that Japan is raising and exporting. The farm- er’s interest in what his competitor is producing, both at home and in foreign lands, is growing with every transportation improvement. These two features, cost of marketing and the need of world-wide information, point unmistakably to the need for more cooperation in marketing. Efforts in this direction have resulted in substantial im- provement in the past twenty years. However, there remains much to be desired if the farmer is to get his proper share of the consumer’s dollar. Furthermore, it is only through intelligent group action that reliable information on conditions may be accumulated. Individuals will find extensive market studies too costly to be undertaken by them 6 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION alone, but where these may be assembled by a cooperative organization the cost to the individual will be relatively small. The narrow margin of profits and the exacting demands of the present situation should increase greatly the interest in cooperative marketing. CASH’ CROPS Montana always will produce crops to be raised and sold direct in substantial volume. Such crops as wheat, sugar beets, peas, beans, flax, and apples are almost sure to be important in Montana’s agricul- ture for many years. WHEAT In 1923 Montana’s wheat production was estimated at 53,000,000 bushels. This was the largest crop ever harvested in the state and it is reasonable to expect that the production of this crop will increase during the coming years. The wheat belt of the country has moved constantly westward until all the new west has been claimed for crop- raising. As the cities increase in size to the east and west, the demand for dairy and other more intensified products tends to reduce wheat. production, and this crop passes on to lower-priced land and larger units. In the United States there is no room for further great expansion and the present wheat regions will continue to produce wheat unless wheat production moves from the United States to some other region. A second reason for believing that Montana will continue to be an important wheat state comes out of the superiority of the wheat raised in this state. _The experience of millers and bakers, the investigations on bread-making values, and the record of winnings by Montana wheat at grain expositions—all testify to the outstanding excellence of Mon- tana wheat. Even though there may be a surplus of wheat in the coun- try, there is no excess of Montana’s hard winter and spring sorts. Success in wheat-raising depends on getting the largest possible returns at the lowest possible cost. This crop adapts itself to the use of labor-saving machinery rather better than most other crops. Large teams and tillage implements of large capacity are essential if the fair degree of success, which should be possible, is to be gained. Sucar BEETS As rapidly as markets are provided through the erection of sugar beet factories, the acreage of this crop should be increased. Out of the experience of the Yellowstone Valley it is evident that both soil and ? AN AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM FOR MONTANA 7 climate favor good yields of high-quality beets and as a producer of cash sugar beets are of importance. BEANS Beans are becoming an important crop in some parts of the state and because of their quality Montana may easily build up a reputation in the larger markets for the beans raised. This crop is a soil improver, is easily handled, and fits well into an intelligently planned rotation. In many of the valleys of the state bean-raising is almost sure to be- come of higher importance. PEAS Peas do well in the higher valleys of the state. Pea-canning has a future in this state, and important canneries already exist. Peas of fine quality and flavor are produced in good yields. There also is a demand for Montana-grown seed peas, since the state produces vigor- ous seed entirely free from the pea weevil that is playing havoc in eastern fields. The crop has a double value in that it is a profitable cash producer and is a great improver of soil conditions. FLAX Flax is a crop that will continue to be of importance for a number of years. In eastern and northeastern Montana this crop does well and under a fair price level flax-raising may be expected to increase in the state. APPLES West of the mountains in the Bitter Root and Flathead areas there is sure to continue and increase as the years pass an important apple-raising industry.. These sections now are raising such standard varieties as McIntosh Red and Wealthy of a quality that surpasses similar seasonal varieties from other fruit areas. CoRN AND SILAGE That more than 9,000,000 bushels of corn were produced in Mon- tana in 1923 proves beyond discussion that a large part of the state is in the corn belt of the United States. The increase in acreage of this crop during the past ten years is most significant and furnishes the most substantial assurance of a diversified and permanent agri- eulture for Montana. The great corn crop with its tillage and feed 8 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION possibilities insures permanent and enduring homes on the farms of the state. Montana farmers who have raised corn in the central states need to remember that Montana conditions require different varieties, dif- ferent methods of planting and tillage, and different plans for har- vesting from those employed in the corn-belt states. The methods followed and the strains developed by the Indians point the way for success In corn-growing in the Northwest. Of course, these methods and varieties have been much improved, but the corn types that best apply have been built up from early native strains rather than adapted from larger and longer-season corn-belt varieties. In deciding what varieties to use, the methods of harvesting to be employed should be kept in mind. If the crop is to be harvested in the field by cattle or hogs, early-maturing varieties with small ears produced low on the stalk should be planted. When silage is required, varieties with larger stalks are best; while if the corn is to be har- vested with the binder and threshed, the fine-stalked sorts should be used. In this connection attention should be called to the use of sun- flowers for silage in localities where the nights are too cool to insure a fair growth of corn. This crop was developed in Russia and is hardy to cool nights and short growing seasons. Under irrigation it returns a large silage yield of a quality quite equal to corn silage srown under similar conditions. . On a large percentage of grain-raising farms a certain acreage of corn fills a useful place. Under Montana’s conditions as to moisture supply there is need for moisture-conserving tillage between grain crops and this need can frequently be most economically met with corn. Up to the present bare fallow has been extensively used and no doubt will continue to be used to some extent, but the more varied income that corn makes possible contributes to the security of the farm unit. With proper planting methods and careful tillage, the moisture-conserving effects with a corn crop closely approach those where bare fallow has been used. SWEET CLOVER To balance the ration where corn is used there is need for some hay and pasture crop high in protein, and for the dry lands sweet clover appears to be the most promising. It withstands the drought, yields a AN AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM FOR MONTANA Y a satisfactory quality and a fair quantity. On the irrigated farms alfalfa and red clover and certain grasses furnish the hay and pasture, but on the dry farm sweet clover is destined to fill a highly important place. SEED PRODUCTION Because of the superiority of Montana-grown grain, alfalfa, and potato seed, a profitable market in these seed crops may be built up outside the state. When sold for seed, grains command a premium above the regular market and this offsets the freight charges for the long haul to the out-of-the-state regular market. Recent tests in southern states show that Montana-produced seed potatoes yield more than seed potatoes from other states. Because of the deterioration of seed grown under southern conditions these growers are looking to the Northwest for their annual supply of seed potatoes. Montana has a great opportunity to build up a market for her surplus potatoes. It is conservatively estimated that 700 carloads per year of Montana-produced seed potatoes eventually could be sold to southern 2Trowers. Growers in the east and the middle west are willing to pay a prem- ium for certified Montana-grown Grimm alfalfa seed, so that the pro- duction of Montana seed under careful inspection is increasing each year. There is a growing tendency in eastern corn-belt states to pasture off corn, and there is therefore a growing demand for a low-growing type of corn to suit that type of feeding. Many of these states look to Montana for their seed corn of this type, as after the first year in those eastern and southern states corn goes back to high stalks and heavy leaves. In all of this seed production work growers will have to cooperate in producing the proper varieties and in putting the product up in clean, marketable condition; also in growing sufficient quantities to attract buyers. Even more than in regular marketing, the marketing of seed crops requires carefully planned and intelligently managed cooperation. A PROGRAM FOR LIVE STOCK BEEF CATTLE The old range days are gone forever in Montana—too much Mon- tana land is now under private ownership. Under this private owner- 10 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION ship, even where land seems valuable for range purposes, values are set too high to permit efficient use by rental or lease for grazing. A balance must be established between winter feeding and summer grazing. The five months’ feed of the pastures is not enough to carry over large herds and the industry can not stand the heavy winter losses that come where there is insufficient winter feed. There is need for a public range land policy to put public lands under supervision so they can be leased for a period of years, similar in effect to the policy governing in the forest service leases. This will permit the lessee to protect his pastures from overgrazing. Low-priced beef and high labor make many changes necessary. We must produce well-bred, early-maturing cattle and get them off as yearlings and two-year-olds. The fat five-year-old steer is a thing of the past. The market now wants 900 to 1100-pound beef animals. Stockmen must get a bigger calf-crop percentage and must provide feed to keep the calf gaining through the winter months. The old 50 per cent calf crop is too small under present conditions. To increase the percentage may require pasture breeding, and plans for this must be worked out. Again let it be remembered that winter feeding must prevent the heavy winter losses that the stock business can no longer stand in Montana. At the same time there must be greater attention given to live-stock diseases and to the destruction of predatory animals. The freight rate situation makes it necessary to ship only young or finished animals to market. The freight to Chicago takes half the value of a thin animal, while the higher-priced young or finished stuff takes a much lower proportion of its value for freight. In many sec- tions the method of finishing is to turn cattle into corn fields for two months in the fall before shipping. A -certain number of stockmen are now growing corn or contracting for grown corn as this lowers the labor costs. DAIRYING In spite of the natural advantages for dairying in Montana this industry has and no doubt will continue to develop slowly in this state. Dairying is a heavy and consistent labor consumer and many farmers still prefer to devote themselves to grain-raising for which labor-saving devices have been worked out, or to general stock-raising where regular and persistent attention is less essential than in dairying. | In communities where dairying is being built up. care should be a9 AN AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM FOR MONTANA 1k exercised to see that farmers do not undertake it in a large way before they have had actual experience. Where cows are shipped in to be sold, there is much better prospect of success if the sales are confined rather strictly to men and districts that have had some dairying experience and have demonstrated fitness and willingness to follow this.line of work. Even in the older sections of the state where dairying is now thoroughly established there are many instances of failure on the part of inexperienced farmers who have been attracted by the success of those who have gone in gradually. SHEEP Since the United States does not produce enough wool and mutton to supply its own demand, sheep raisers are enjoying relatively satis- factory prices. Even though the business is profitable there are im- provements in methods which sheepmen may introduce. The use of improved sires to insure lambs of higher wool and mutton production, and more care at breeding time to bring about a higher percentage lamb crop, make for better returns and put the grower in shape to continue profits as the wool and mutton market adjusts itself to lower ‘evels. HORSES The present price of horses has turned most stockmen and far- mers to other kinds of live-stock production, with the result that a shortage of good horses is almost sure to be felt in the near future. This would suggest that farmers will find the raising of a few colts of good type and quality, to replace the farm needs and also for sale, a good line to take up. Even though the use of mechanical power has gradually increased during the past few years, there will always be a place for large numbers of 1500 to 1800-pound horses for farm and city service. Hoes Local demand and western markets call for a substantial increase in hog production in this state. Like other kinds of live stock, hog-rais- ing must be handled at low costs. The present low land values make corn production possible at lower bushel costs than is possible in the central west where land values are high. The combination of corn and legume pastures provides for cheap pork production. 12 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION THE PROBLEMS OF LAND SETTLEMENT Montana needs more people. This enormous commonwealth will support millions of people when its resources are properly utilized and it is ‘‘people’’ that the state needs most. In attracting people to the state, however, it is important to remember that only the settlers who come to the state and meet a fair degree of success are permanently an asset. A person who settles in Montana and fails not only returns little to the state but goes away with an antagonism that expresses itself on all occasions. SOIL SURVEY NEEDED There is, therefore, pressing need for reliable and thorough in- formation on the soils of the state. .A start has been made toward ac- cumulating this in a few of our counties and the work should be pushed forward vigorously. As a guide to settlers, investment companies, rail- way companies, and business men generally, soil survey reports are most valuable. THE FARM UNIT In settling the lands of the state consideration should be given to the proper size of the farm unit. This will vary with the condition in any given locality. Enough study has been made and enough expert- ence gained to show that the quarter or half-section dry farm is too small to afford a living up to a reasonable level in most sections of the state. One, two, or three—and in some parts of the state four-section farms—are none too large to permit the effective use of the equipment needed for low-priced production. SETTLERS SHOULD KNOW REQUIREMENTS Prospective settlers should be furnished with as reliable informa- tion as possible to show the actual conditions to be met.. They also should be told of the amount of money needed to promise a fair measure of suecess. Recent surveys show that many settlers have come to the state and attempted to become farm owners without having enough money to get together the necessary equipment or to carry them through the first year until crops can be harvested. This absence of capital predicts failure in most cases and the need of money for initial expense should be fully stated. Finally, it should be borne in mind that if farming is to attract and hold the grade of intelligence essential for success, it must afford ey <s AN AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM FOR MONTANA 13 fair returns on the money and effort invested. Furthermore, farm life must make possible as great community contacts and satisfactions as are available to the family in town. This does not mean that they will be the same as those in town, but agricultural community life must prove attractive if farming is to hold its place. Community cooperation for collecting essential business informa- tion, marketing of farm products, and assurance of social contacts— these are vital to successful agriculture. To a greater extent than in any other line of work, farming is a mode of life as well as a means of making a living. Through this discussion there has been little mention of diversifi- cation as a necessary element of farm success in Montana, yet the sub- jects discussed and the emphasis placed upon various points will indi- cate our belief in the neccessity of diversification to as great an extent as is possible under varying local conditions. eo: ; “> Pe Pin 4 ; ] ~e ‘ ia 7? 7 ie A ~ iF a + sues anes , Ty - : . Fd Fait mn » x hy f miee an a . 7 fs ’ d " > ; he ee a) 7 ‘ cate * ied hae ‘Gs anemenwes 3 0112 073241603 IAIN