Newspaper Page Text
14
‘ fi Free Press-News & Farmer, Tues., Feb. 14, 1967
A Changing Agriculture and How to Meet It ]
By GEORGE WADDY
President, FFA
Our Pioneer New England
ancestors were taught by
friendly Indians to fertilize
corn by putting fish under
each hill. A few generations
later, trading ships from our
eastern ports carried ship
loads of merchandise to
South America, rounding
Cape Horn and unloading at
some of the coastal towns.
There was need of ballast for
the empty ships on the re
turn voyage. Shiploads of
chilian beach soil, where for
countless ages refuse had
been cast and dead fish had
been washed ashore, were
used for this purpose. On
reaching the home ports,
this dirt was always dumped
out on waste lands near the
ports. Soon the luxuriant
growth of weeds where this
soil was deposited led to the
discovery of its great fer
tilizing value. Today the
progressive farmer has his
soil tested and knows what
particular type of fertilizer
he needs. So he buys nitrate
or phosphate or potassium
PROMOTING COMMUNITY
IMPROVEMENT PROTECTS!
Congratulations, FF A
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| CITIZENS BANK OF
CLAYTON COUNTY
Forest Park
Member F. D. |, C,
SALUTE TO FFA!
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LIBBY'S BEAUTY
SALON
SPECIAL!
PERMANENT WAVES
Regular S2O
URE.. ... sl
During February and March
5390 Riverdale Rd. College Park
766-6111
We Believe in
The Work of the FFA!
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BUTCH'S
CHICKEN HOUSE
Highway 54—Jonesboro
OPEN SEVEN DAYS
Specializing in Fried Chicken,
Hamburgers, Hot Dogs,
Short Orders
Featuring CHICK-FIL-A Daily
TAKE OUT ORDERS
PHONE 478-9088
as his need may be,
This story shows only one
of the changing practices in
agriculture throughout our
land. Similar instances could
be related as to the changes
in farm implements, seed
improvements of marketing,
rotation of crops, or live
stock breeding and produc
tion. There are even greater
changes which affect the
agricultural world. Let us
look at some of them.
There are more people to
be fed than ever in our his
tory, but there is a steady
decrease in farm population;
from 9.9 million to 5.1 mil
lion in 1965. So many farm
families now go to work in
industrial plants that many
counties of rural Georgia are
fast becoming industrialized.
Nearly one of three farms in
the nation is now classed as
“part time” or “residential”
because the operator works
a good part of every year
off-the-farm or has non
farming income greater than
his agricultural income.
Economists of the United
States Department of Agri
culture conclude from their
studies that a new agri
cultural community |is
emerging, described as “city
life widely spaced.”
The trend is now toward
larger size farms, on which
a few men using the new
implements, improved seed,
and proper fertilizers can
produce large crops. Labor
saving machinery is replac
ing man power of the past.
In the past two decades total
agricultural output has been
increased around 50-60 per
cent with substantially fewer
workers. Total man hours
for all farm work has
dropped about one-third or
more in the same two dec
ades. This means that farm
output per man hour has
more than doubled in the
past 20 years—a record of
efficiency and accomplish-
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THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTY
DEPENDS UPON FOOD
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KENT'S
OF JONESBORO., INC.
Jonesboro, Ga.
Groceries, Dry Goods, Prescriptions
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WE BELIEVE IN FFA WORK!
BLALOCK
OIL COMPANY
PHONE JONESBORO 478-8888
Distributor of Pure Oil Co. Products, Fuel
Oil in Clayton and Fayette Counties
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COMPLIMENTS OF
A FRIEND TO THE FFA
ment that few major indus
trial groups in this or any
other country can match.
The upswing in machinery
purchases of course accounts
for much of the increase in
working capital needed on
today’s farms. The index of
power - and machinery in
1960 was 2 to 3 times the
1937-41 level.
In 1940 the average farm
had about $4,000 invested in
land and equipment for each
farm worker. Today the in
vestment per farm worker is
more than $25,000 while that
per industrial worker is
about $16,000. The nation’s
agricultural plant had a
total assets of $226.2 billion
at the beginning of the year.
This is a record high figure,
averaging about $48,000 per
farm,
Now let us look at some of
the problems these present |
day conditions present. First |
there is the inescapable |
problem of cost. Mechanized
farming requires a lot of
capital in the beginning.
This initial outlay is only
the beginning. There are
cash outlays for expensive
implements themselves;
then there are the continual
costs for oil and gas and for
repairs and upkeep. Also
sKilled laborers to operate
these expensive machines
demand more wages oOf
course than the unskilled
men who worked with plows
and hoes and rakes and
axes. With the tendency, al
ready mentioned, to operate
larger farms by use of better
equipment and fewer work
raen, there comes also the
need for more expensive fer
tilizers and better seed of
more varieties. In the live
stock program there is a
great initial cost in money--
for good breeding animals,
more barns and fences, and
for better pasturage.
The President’s Commis
sion on Increased Industrial
Use of Agricultural Products
recently stated another farm
problem in this manner.
Quote. “American farmers
have succeeded so well in
the necessary effort to in
crease their efficiency that
they now consistently out
run the capacity of the
economy to consume what
they produce.” Food produc
tion has, since 1920 increased
80 per cent while the popu
(Continued On Page 16)
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Mack’'s 5 & 10c¢ Store
‘B Main St. College Park
LATEST FASHIONS
in Our
Ready-to-Wear Department
f C&S CHARGE ACCOUNT SERVICE
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Compliments
Riverdale Hardware
AND
Barber Shop
778 Main St. Phone 478-4242
RIVERDALE, GEORGIA 30274
WE SALUTE THE FFA!
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|} THE F.F.A. CREED IS A SYMBOL OF
WHAT F.F.A. MEMBERS BELIEVE IN
Bonanza Barber Shop
Bonanza Shopping Center
L South Expressway Jonesboro, Ga.
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- Charolais Bull Is Given To FFA |
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= There is a new resident at the State
& FFA-FHA Camp. Even though he’s
= French by nationality, he feels right at
% home in his new surroundings.
24 Pearce 869, as he is officially called,
= is a year-old Charolais bull given to
the FFA Association as part of the
= Sears Foundation Beef Breeding Im
# ° provement Program, - " .
% The young bull will first be used on
3 the registered and commercial Here
% ford cattle at the Camp. Semen will
also be collected and made available
% to interested groups.
% After he reaches maturity, he will
be made available to approved Voca
tional Agriculture Departments for
% given periods of time for the purpose
% of cross-breeding. Details for how
= a vo-ag department may borrow the
animal will be worked out by C. D.
. L.
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Brannen, State Livestock Specialist,
and other members of the vocational
agricplture supervisory staff.
When asked why the Charolais breed
was selected when the bull was pur
chased, Mr. Brannen answered, ‘‘We 5
feel that because of the rapid rate of 3
growth and doing ability of the Charo
lais breed, we can increase the wean
ing weight of the cattle we now have
available.” fi
“There has been an increased inter- %
est in the cross-breeding system of beef %
production, and we felt that through
our Sears Beef Breeding Improvement
Program, this would give us an oppor- i
tunity to introduce the Charolais breed &
of cattle to this area,” he continued. %
The Charolais breed is a French
breed of cattle and is relatively new i
to this country. 5
Pearce 869 came from the herd of
Bryant Pearce in Quitman, Georgia. i
He had a 205 day weaning weight of &
789 pounds. 5
&
This is the néw Charolais bull given to the %
State FFA Association as a part of the Sears :EEE
Beef Breeding Improvement Program. E:E:
Checking him over are State Livestock Spe- EEES
cialist, C. D. Brannen and FFA-FHA Camp IE!E
Director, 1. A. Dickerson. The bull will be EES
housed at the Camp. EEE
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ALL AMERICA DEPENDS ON AGRICULTUR.
31«%& i
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JANE AND ROGER TRAMMELL
TOWN N’ COUNTRY
FLOWERS
106 S. Main St. Jonesboro
Phones: Day 478-8822
Night 478-6768
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SAFETY - CONVENIENCE
SERVICE
BY SPECIALIST IN THRIFT AND
HOME OWNERSHIP
CLAYTON COUNTY
FEDERAL SAVINGS
AND LOAN ASSOCIATION
Home Office Branch Office
Jonesboro, Ga. Forest Park, Ga.
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Congratulations,
JONESBORO F.F.A. MEMBERS!
ROBERT COLEMAN
Tax Commissioner, Clayton County