Montana farmer-stockman. [volume], May 01, 1951, Image 1

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

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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Here are views of the leveled and border diked fields
of the Hodges farm, Yellowstone county, 160 acres
of machineless farming with irrigated pasture. Center
pictures show the pump house, metal headgates. con
crete outlet box, concrete lined ditches and the elec
tric pump unit that lifts 3.500 gallons of water per
minute from the Yellowstone river to irrigate the
pastures.
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160 Irrigated Acres
Gone to Grass
By JERRY LESTER , Roving Reporter
il
IRRIGATED PASTURES with their comparatively "labor
free and machineless" type of livestock agriculture are def
initely on the increase. But just how far some people are
going along this line is probably best illustrated by taking
a look at the farm of Dr. Ernest Hodges, Yellowstone county.
Dr. Hodges has leveled an entire 160-acre irrigated farm, put
in border dikes and seeded it to irrigated pasture. A pump
ing plant was installed on the Yellowstone river to give a
reliable water supply to this laud.
Development costs on the irrigated pastures have been
admittedly high. Leveling the land averaged about $40 an
acre. Valuable free help was Obtained from soil conserva
tion district engineers who planned the leveling, border
dikes and pumping installation. The seeding operation,
ditching and pump installation Were also costly.
Sound Investment
Hodges explained that he knew everyone might not be
in a position to take an entire H 50-acre farm and turn it into
irrigated pastures overnight. Still, he is convinced that all of
the things he has done in the Way of development will cer
tainly pay off just as any good investment?
And almost any of these development procedures are
within the capabilities of the average farmer to accomplish
over a period of years—especially with engineering help
from soil conservation districts and technical information
available from county agents and other government agencies.
The first "pay-off' will come immediately in reduced la
bor costs for operating the farm. Heretofore, the farm had
been in sugar beets, beans, barley, oats and alfalfa. These
conventional crops required a good deal of machinery as well
as extra help at many stages from seeding to harvesting.
With the irrigated pastures once established, labor is limited
to turning water into border dikes and moving livestock
from one pasture to the other.
The livestock program with irrigated pastures will be to
buy calves in late winter and (Please turn to page 38)
S MONTANA AND NORTHERN WYOMING
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