Laserfiche WebLink
<br />0030S5 <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />THIRTY YEARS AGO, THERE WERE 6.400 IRRIGATED ~ARMS IN THE DISTRICT WHICH SUPPORTED <br /> <br />A rARM POPULATION OF ABOUT 40,000 PEOPle. <br /> <br />TODAY. THE NUMBER OF ~ARMS HAS BEEN REDUCED <br /> <br />I. <br /> <br />TO LESS THAN 4,000 AND rHE' liON_FARM" POPULATION TO LE~5 THAN 17,000 FOR THE: SAME LAND <br /> <br />AREA. THE AVERAGE: SiZE OF THE IRRIGATED FARM INCREAStD FROM 97 ACRES TO OVER 200 ACRES <br /> <br />DURING THAT PERIOD. <br /> <br />ApPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF AS MANY PEOPLE ARE NOW OPERATING TWO-THIRDS <br /> <br />AS MANY FARM UNITS AND PROOUCING VASTLY GREATER QUANTITIES OF FARM PRODUCTS FROM THE <br /> <br />SAME TOTAL ACREAGE. <br /> <br />FOR THE fARMER AND LIVESTOCK FEEDER, THIS CHANGE IS NOT AS ROSY AS IT MIGHT APPEAR. <br /> <br />WHILE THE DOLLAR VALUE OF CROPS PRODUCED IN THE DISTRICT INCREASED FROM ABOUT $26,000,000 <br /> <br />IN 1938 TO APPROXiMATELY $95,000,000 IN 1967, THe PuRCHASING POWER OF THE OOLLAR PECR~ASED <br /> <br />BY 50%, OR MORE;. <br /> <br />THeN, TOO, PRICES THE FARMER AND FEEDER MUST PAY FOR ESSENTIAL GOODS AND <br /> <br />SERVICES HAVE INCREASED MUCH MORE THAN THE PRICES HE NOW RECEIVES FOR HIS PRODUCTS. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />FORTUNATELY, THE INDUSTRIOUSNESS AND ADAPTABILITY OF THt AMERICAN rARMER HAS, THUS <br /> <br />FAR, PERMITTED ~IM TO AT LEAST KEEP FACE WITH THE RAPID CHANGES THAT HAVE TAKEN ~LACE. <br /> <br />'. <br /> <br />By USING THE MOST ADVANCED FARMING TECHNIQUES, HE ~AS BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUALLY REDUCE THE <br /> <br />UNIT COST OF PRODUCTION ANb THUS OFFSET SOME or THE COST-PRICE SQUEEZE IN WHICH HE riNDS <br /> <br />HIMSELF TRAPPED. <br /> <br />THE FAST GROWTH OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY AND THE ALMOST EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN PO?ULATION <br /> <br />IMMEDIATELY FOLlOWING WORLD WAR I' CREATED A RISING DEMAND rOR MEAT PRODUCTS, ESPECIALLY <br /> <br />BEEF. SINCE THE DISTRICT AREA IS ALMOST IDEALLY SUITED rOR LIVESTOCK FEeDING IN RESPECT <br /> <br />TO CLIMATE AND PEED AVAILABILITY, IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT THE rEEDING INDUSTRY WITHIN THE <br /> <br />DISTRICT HAS EXPANDED RAPIDLY WITHIN RECENT YEARS. <br /> <br />IN 1938, THE VALUE O~ SHEEP AND CATTLE <br /> <br />FED FOR MARKET WITHIN THE DISTRICT WAS A LITTLE MORE THAN $18.000,000. TODAY THAT VALUE <br /> <br />IS AT AN ANNUAL RATE OF MORE THAN $250,000,000. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />THE MARKET VOR LIVESTOCK FEED CREATED BY THE FEEDING INDUSTRY, ~LUS THE ECONOMIC <br /> <br />FACTORS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. RESULTED IN SIGNlrlCANT CHANGES IN CROP~ING PATTERN WITHIN <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />-2- <br />