Montana farmer-stockman. [volume], February 01, 1950, Image 1

About Montana farmer-stockman. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1947-1993

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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What Will Fit Your Diverted
Wheat Acreage Picture?
By DOW. B. BOSLEY
WHAT IS THE MOST profitable way to
use the land taken out of wheat under the
allotment program?
This is the major question for practically
every wheatgrower in Montana, and his
economic welfare for the next
several years may depend to a
considerable degree upon his
finding the right answer. For
this reason the problem of di
verted acres was made the
theme of the 35th annual confer
ence of the Montana extension
service at Bozeman, Jan. 16-20.
Many sound recommendations
were developed at the confer
ence. The most important will be presented
in this and in other articles in succeeding
issues of Montana Farmer-Stockman.
First of all it was recognized by the con
ference that there can be no pat answers.
What will be most profitable for any one
operator will depend upon the nature of
his operation, his soils, his equipment and
facilities and upon the operator himself—
his interests, experience, ability and skills.
It was also recognized that the whole
problem involves the most profitable use of
all the land, the acres retained in wheat as
well as those that are diverted. As M. A.
Bell, assistant director, Montana State col
lege agricultural experiment station, put it:
Maximum Production on All Acres
The matter of handling diverted acres
represents but one side of the problem of
land use adjustment. The consideration of
how to realize maximum and sustained pro
duction on land continuing to be farmed is
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RS MONTANA AND NORTHERN WYOMING
obviously of equal or even greater economic
significance.
Largest return from the land will come
only from the planting of best adapted va
rieties on well prepared seed beds at opti
mum dates and rates, spraying to control
weeds at the opportune time, minimizing
depredations by controllable insect pests
and plant diseases, and other considerations.
"In the past, properly handled fallow on
the better adapted soils has produced the
highest average annual yields of grain at
tainable under the usual limitations of nor
mal seasonal weather conditions. Erosion
problems incident to fallowing have been
greatly reduced by strip cropping and es
tablishing stubble and cloddy mulches dur
ing the period of clean cultivation.
Adoption of Best Practices
i I
The first step, then in the establishment
of a successful diverted acreage program is
the complete adoption of approved produc
tion practices. In some cases, this alone will
take care of the diversion problem.
The question of diverted acres is most
acute for the dryland operator who has no
water or range facilities that permit him to
go into any kind of livestock operation.
Such an operator can, of course, shift to
barley and other small grain crops. This is
probably what most wheat producers will
do—at least in 1950, since there are no allot
ments on such grains this year.
And it is a natural adaptation. It involves
no change in machinery, little or no change
in practice. We have in Compana barley a
variety that
(Please turn to page 7)
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