Senator AIKEN. Do these figures all represent dollars?

Dr. BLACK. The income figures do.

Plan IV has 56 cows with a net income of $5,025 compared with $2,155 under the present plan.

Any one of these alternative plans would be an improvement over the present plan, under which the farm has been declining in productivity for 50 years. The one which the farmer chose to follow in 1939 when this trial budget was first made was No. III. He was thinking of operating it himself with one year-round hired man and extra summer help. Since then his son has returned and decided to take over the farm and is planning to build a modern dairy barn and follow plan No. IV.

Does this farm have an erosion problem? Yes, the whole central portion of it, which has the best soil and is freest of stones, is a low hill whose sides have slopes ranging from 5 to 13 percent. The cropping systems must be adjusted to these slopes, with the tilled crop, silage corn, grown only on the fairly level crest. But erosion control is one of this farm's simpler problems. The barn is much more of a

problem than the hill-and likewise the stones. Neglect of liming has been the principal cause of loss in productivity.

Plans and budgets like this have been made for each of the 153 farms reported in table B. For each of them, an air map is available, the soils, slopes and stoniness have been surveyed, and the woodland cruised. The plan indicates how each field and stand of timber is to be managed. These plans are being made with the farmer and his county agent by farm management specialists working with the Soil Conservation Service technicians, farm foresters, and other specialists. You will notice, if you will look at the final figures on the six States, that the present plans yield an income, if we assume the prices I mentioned, of $2,900, the revised ones of $4,400.

In order to achieve these increases, land improvements averaging $521 are to be made. They are clearing brush and stones from the lands and removing stone fences so as to make the fields larger. The building improvements average $1,257; new equipment, mostly haymaking equipment, so as to get the hay in in time, Senator Aiken, or get it into grass silage and the like, $869. The livestock increases average $1,398, most of which will be produced on the farm if time enough is allowed.

You might note below that 26 of these farms can make these changes without any borrowing of money; 42 would need to borrow some annual credit; that 47 of them would need to borrow credit for from 1 to 4 years on and chattel mortgage and the like; and that 43 would actually need real-estate credit in order to bring out these changes.

To provide a fuller understanding of the nature of this farm planning, an example of such a plan is here offered. This is a plan for a relatively small farm in Maine that is combining dairying with canning crops and pulpwood. It has only 38 acres of cropland, 18 acres of open pasture, and 105 acres of woodland. Its net income as farmed recently has been around $950 to $1,000, assuming prices at 90 percent of 1943 parity. Improvement of the pasture and the quality of the hay crop will cut down feed bills and increase milk sales enough to raise the net income to around $1,500 a year, assuming the same set of prices, and the program for improving the woodland will increase the income from this source by a fourth in a few years, and much more later.

(The farm plan referred to is as follows:)

TABLE B.-Credit needs of a small sample of New England owner-operated dairy farms analyzed in 1946–48

2,735 4,893 3,820 4,368 4,045

1 Mainly for clearing land of brush and stone, removing stone fences, drainage, initial liming, and fence construction.

3,087

TABLE B.-Credit needs of a small sample of New England owner-operated dairy farms analyzed in 1946-48-Continued

PRELIMINARY PLANNING GUIDE FOR THE FARM OF MR. H

(Confidential-for use of operator)

Possible changes in management of this farm are discussed in the following statement. The "normal" plan of recent years is compared with the most promising alternative plan for the postwar period. In testing income possibilities, expenses have been calculated at 1943-45 levels, and prices received are at levels which seem reasonable in relation to these costs and the long-term outlook. These prices are not intended as forecasts, and the budgets will certainly not be entirely applicable to any specific year, either past or future.

In applying the proposed plan, many details wil have to be worked out by the farmer, with the help of the county agent. Continual revision of the plan will be necessary to meet changing conditions. If this plan helps in pointing out the general direction of desirable changes in farm operation, it will have served its purpose.

PRESENT SITUATION

This is a diversified dairy farm of 160 acres, including 35 acres of cropland, 18 acres of open pasture, and 105 acres of woods. Production from the sevencow milking herd has averaged about 5,500 pounds of 3.9 percent milk per cow, with annual grain feeding of 1,500 pounds per cow. Two acres of sweetcorn and an acre of shell beans are grown for a nearby cannery. The rest of the cropland is in hay, with a small acreage of oats for grain grown in connection with reseeding. Fertilization and crop yields have been low. Most of the hay produced is low quality grass hay. During the winter the operator spends considerable time harvesting pulp in the woodlands; this is an important source of income.

The operator works alone except for exchange of labor in rush seasons. Power is supplied by a team of horses and a 11⁄2 ton farm truck. Equipment includes a manue spreader, grain drill, mower, dump rake, and usual tillage implements. Milking is done by hand. The barn has tie-ups for 10 cows and additional space for young stock.

PROBLEMS AND POSSIBILITIES

Hay and pasture for a herd of 10 milking cows and enough young stock for replacements can easily be produced on this farm without necessitating a reduction in cash-crop acreage. This is as large a herd as the operator feels he can care for at the present time. It should be possible to increase yields and quality of hay and pasture sufficiently to allow for considerable increase in milk production per cow. A milking machine would enable the operator to milk the 10 cows as quickly as he has been milking 6 or 7 by hand. Some changes could be made in field arrangement to facilitate ease of cultivation and to promote soil conservation.

PROPOSED PLAN

The proposed plan is based on improving hay and pasture production enough to allow increasing the dairy herd to 10 cows. With top-quality pasture available

for five or more summer months, with heavy fertilization of cropland reseeded to desirable species of legumes and grasses, and with earlier hay harvesting, the average quality of roughage fed should be considerably improved. This will result in larger consumption of roughage; an increase in milk production or a decrease in grain feeding should follow. Whether to maintain the present rate of grain feeding or not will depend on how well the cows respond to the additional nutrients provided. The plan assumes that production can be increased from 5,500 to 6,500 pounds per cow (3.9 percent milk), with improved roughage and the present rate of grain feeding. This should be possible in a few years' time, especially if the inherent capacity of the herd can gradually be improved. Artificial breeding is being used, and it offers a good chance of success in gradually improving the quality of cows in the herd.

If the above increase in production can be attained, estimated milk sales and grain purchases will be as follows:

618 hundredweight of 3.9 percent milk, at $3.35:

Cow grain---.

Other grain_.

Total grain---

Less home-grown oats___

Purchased grain at $3..

Hundredweight

150

115

265

-96

169

Crop plan

Field

Main soil types

Crops and treatment

L1-4...

Thorndike and Bangor silt
loams (well drained).

L5 and L6.

P1.

Tilled crops, oats, and ladino hay and pasture. About 20 old apple trees in L1 are to be removed to permit easier tillage. The lane between L3 and L4 will be removed and stones from an old foundation in the lane will be carried off. This will permit tillage across the slope. Use of a bulldozer for removing apple trees and the foundation can be obtained through the soil-conservation district.

Dixmont loam (imperfectly Ladino clover pasture. This land will be used for drained).

Burnham stony silt loam
(poorly drained) and Dix-
mont stony loam (im-
perfectly drained).

Fertilizer and lime

pasture to increase the good quality feed available, and permit access to the permanent pasture. A temporary fence will be erected between L5 and L6 to permit rotation grazing.

Permanent pasture. About 5 acres of the better sod will be top-dressed with lime and fertilizer.

To give the best results on pasture or cropland, fertilizer applications must be preceded by enough lime to correct soil acidity. Most of the pasture land will need at least 1 ton of lime per acre, and cropland which has not been limed previously will need more. These requirements should be checked by periodic soil tests. After initial requirements are met, purchase of about 11 tons a year will probably be sufficient for maintenance.

Fertility value of manure will be preserved by using superphosphate and additional bedding in the gutters. Manure will be used to best advantage by distributing it as a light application over a large acreage. Daily spreading is probably no more wasteful than piling at the barn or in the field, and has the advantage of saving labor. If manure is piled, spreading in hot, dry weather should be avoided.

Phosphated manure will be applied at the rate of 10 to 12 tons per acre on corn ground and on seedings not following corn. The remainder of the manure will be used to top-dress hayland at the rate of 6 to 8 tons per acre. New seedings of legumes will receive 100 to 150 pounds of muriate of potash in addition to phosphated manure. Hayland and cropland pasture not top-dressed with manure will be treated with an 8-16-16 or similar mixture. About 5 acres of permanent pasture will be top-dressed with a ton of lime and 400 to 500 pounds of 8-16-16 per acre. All tillable fields will be reseeded as necessary; probably once in 5 years on the average. Cows will be pastured in rotation on several lots of ladino clover so that each lot will have a period of 2 weeks or more to recover after each

grazing. Annual fertilizer applications will be about equivalent to the following materials:

2 tons of superphosphate for reinforcing manure.

1 ton of muriate of potash for seeding and top-dressing legumes.

6 tons of 8-16-16 or similar mixture for cash crops and top-dressing hayland

and pasture.

With the manure produced from 15 animal units, these materials will provide 44 pounds of nitrogen (N), 72 pounds of phosphoric acid (Р2O5), and 97 pounds of potash (K2O) per crop acre in addition to fertilizer for pasture. This compares with 18 pounds of nitrogen, 18 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 20 pounds of potash per crop-acre under the present plan.

Woodland possibilities

Good forestry practices aim at full utilization of all merchantable trees and of the productive capabilities of woodlands. They take advantage of the fact that trees going from cordwood to saw-timber stage increase in volume and value more rapidly than smaller stock. Trees are harvested when they have reached their most profitable stage of growth. This usually involves periodic partial cutting to remove trees ready for harvest while leaving a cover of vigorously growing trees capable of adding a large volume of high quality production.

The following outline indicates the present condition of the wooded areas of this farm together with suggestions for a reasonable forest-management plan. More specific recommendations on suggested practices and cuttings will be made available as needed.

Suggested treatment

Cut fir and poplar 8 inches or more in diameter.1 White birch can be cut at 12 inches in diameter unless attacked by insects earlier. Encourage spruce for sawlogs at 14 inches in diameter starting to cut in 10-15 years. Repeat cutting every 10 years.

Cut fir and poplar 8 inches and more in diameter. Encourage reproduction by leaving only small openings. Treat white birch as in Wla. Some cedar posts can be cut now and logs 12 inches and up in 5-10 years. Repeat cutting every 10 years. Cut poplar, fir and soft maple 8 inches and more in diameter. Cut white birch as in Wla. Favor ash for sawlogs to be cut at 14 inches in diameter, starting in about 10 years. Repeat cuttings every 10 years.

Cut poplar and soft maple 8 inches or more in diameter. Encourage reproduction by leaving only small openings. Some cedar posts can be cut and grey birch can be cut for fuel. Treat white birch as in Wla. Repeat cutting every 10 years.

Cut poplar, fir and soft maple 8 inches and more in diameter. Repeat cutting every 10 years. Fence to prevent grazing.

Cut same as W2a above. Hold spruce for sawlogs at 14 inches in diameter. Some cedar is available for posts and in 5-10 years logs 14 inches and over can be harvested. Repeat cutting every 10 years.

Cut same as W2a above. Hold ash and basswood until 14 inches in diameter to make sawlogs. Cut white birch at 10 inches in diameter unless attacked by insects earlier. Repeat cutting every 10 years.

1 Diameters are measured stump high

The proposed system of partial cutting, covering the entire area at least once every 8 to 10 years, will result in an annual yield, during the first cut, of about 50 cords of pulpwood plus some logs and posts for farm use. A yearly harvest of about the same volume can be continued but the proportion of sawlogs will increase as the stands mature. The labor requirement will be about 65 to 70 man-days under the present operating methods. However some saving of labor can be made by constructing a drivable road network so that tree-length logs can be skidded to it for bucking.