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* Dairy Farming Important To Houston *
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Houston County Dairy Cattle Feeding
Soybeans In Houston,
Real Cinderella Story
By
James E. Jackson
Extension Agronomist
The latest “Cinderella
Crop” for much of the state
is “old hat” for the Middle
Georgia region. What
glamour soybeans has for
this area is not one of
mystery and a touch of the
unknown, but rather of
recently increased profits
through better markets,
higher prices and greater
production.
Soybeans have long made
an important contribution to
the economy of Middle
Georgia. While an
awareness of soybeans as a
cash crop is now spreading
across the rest of the state,
Middle Georgia farmers still
account for the bulk of the
state’s soybean acreage.
WE PBOUDL I
SAL UTE
The Farmers
Os
Houston County
W. E. Beckham Jr.
L "Gulf Oil Distributor”
Perry, Ga.
Consider, for example, that
only 13 counties from
Houston and Macon across
Mid-state to Screven and
Burke account for overhalf
of the entire state’s soybean
acreage. These counties
planted almost 300,000 acres
of soybenas in 1970, the last
year of record, and even
more in 1971 and 1972.
Statewide, this crop is
beginning to make a real
impact on agricultural in
come. For instance, in 1969
the beans produced on
Georgia’s 467,000 soybean
acres were valued at ap
proximately $27 million.
Soybean farmers haven’t
leveled off yet since it’s
estimated that 750,000 acres
will be planted in 1972. These
acres should return almost
S6O million to Georgia far
mers.
In spite of the phenomenal
soybean acreage increase
during recent years in
Georgia, the annual supply
continues to fall far short of
the demand within the state.
In 1971, more than 35 million
bushels of beans were used
to feed Georgia poultry and
livestock, while Georgia
farmers produced only about
16 million bushels. In fact,
the demand for soybean
meal in Georgia has become
so great that within the past
few years two major
processing facilities have
been constructed and ex
panded. These two plants
alone can each year tran
sform more than 30 million
bushels of beans into meal
and oil. This meal and oil is
used for an almost countless
number of purposes ranging
from food to feed to phar
maceutical to industrial.
The soybean is a
miraculous product. It
contains about 20 percent
high quality oil and about 40
percent protein which is a
“complete” protein con
taining all the essential
amino acids. With proper
processing it is a highly
nutritious food and can be
produced in high quantities.
It is often said that soybeans
offer the greatest hope of
adequately feeding the
expanding world population.
Middle Georgia farmers
have long recognized the
advantages that soybeans
have over many other field
crops, and these begin with
profit and flexibility. This
crops, can be grown as a full
season crop or as a dual land
use crop after small grain
harvest. At current market
prices it offers favorable net
returns, especially when
high yields are realized after
the land has already been
used during the winter and
spring for grazing or grain
Soybeans also have a price
support but do not have
restrictive acreage controls,
furthermore, the market
price during recent years
has been much higher than
the support price, a situation
that reflects the fine markets
this crop enjoys.
The outlook for soybeans is
“great”. Current planting
estimates for 1972 compared
with use projections
suggests a tight supply
demand situation which
should mean favorable
prices to producers. The
danger here seems to be that
insufficient beans will be
produced resulting in an
undersupply to committed
markets. This, of course,
could mean the loss of these
existing markets to com
peting commodities. U.S.
soybeans have tough com
petition too. A few of the
competitors include sun
flower, rapeseed, olive oil,
safflower, sesame, palm oil,
corn oil and fish meal. As
soybean supplies become
tighter with a corresponding
price increase, the market
becomes more attractive to
these other oilseeds and their
production increases. Often
sizeable markets are cor
nered that cannot be
regained.
U.S. soybean producers
must therefore make certain
that they meet market
demand to maintain a
healthy trade.
By
H.K. Welch, Jr.,
Head Extension Dairy
Science Department
University of Georgia
College of Agriculture
Dairy farming makes a
vital contribution to the
economy of Houston County.
In 1971, the cash receipts
from the sale of milk from
the county's dairy farms was
over $850,000. Research
shows that farm income
"turns over" about four
times. In contrast, non-farm
income multiplies only 1.34
times - thus, this dairy
farmer-business man’s
dollar of income is three
times as important to the
economy as a dollar of city
income.
The combined value of all
cows, land, buildings,
milking parlors, pipelines,
bulk tanks, paved lots and
feeding facilities brings the
total investment on the
county’s dairy farms to at
least $1 1 2 million. Operating
costs are another facet of
dairy farming’s economic
importance. These costs for
seed, fertilizer, feed, hired
labor, interest, machinery
repairs, hardware supplies,
food, medical expenses, fuel,
insurance, utilities, and
taxes total $350,000 annually.
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PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, 31069, THURSDAY, JULY 6,1972
The Houston County dairy
farmer is meeting the cost
price squeeze by improved
production efficiency. The
eight herds enrolled in the
Dairy Herd Improvement
Association (DHIA) record
keeping program serve as
demonstrations of this im
proved efficiency.
DHIA, sponsored by the
Cooperative Extension
Service and financed by
cooperating farmers,
provides records that are
invaluable in making farm
and herd management
decisions. The program is a
very effective means of
measuring the results of
following recommended
practices.
The average Houston
County DHIA herd has 127
cows, 28 more than the
average state DHIA herd.
The 8 herds produce more
than 12.5 million pounds of
milk a year. This is an
average of 12,409 pounds
(5775 quarts) per cow - 713
pounds above the state
average for all DHIA cows.
This average Houston
County dairy cow eats 4400
pounds of mixed grain feed,
19,700 pounds of silage, 1600
pounds of hay and grazes 298
days a year. She drinks
enough water to fill a tank
six feet in diameter and
fifteen feet high. She is the
most efficient of the animal
producers, deriving 73
percent of her food from
forage inedible for humans
and converting it into the
most nearly perfect single
food - milk.
Houston County dairy
farmers maintain special
high standards of sanitation
and quality to insure
wholesome beverage milk to
consumers. Cows still must
be milked twice a day, but
sanitary power machinery
does the milking, cools it,
washes and sanitizes the
equipment. The dairymen
must understand how to use
this mechanized equipment
to protect milk quality.
The chilled milk is
checked and sampled at the
farm. It is pumped from the
farm tank into refrigerated
stainless steel tank trucks.
These trucks rush the cold
milk to the milk plants.
Milk’s quality is controlled
all through production and
processing. Sanitary
engineers and veterinarians
check barns, milking
equipment and the health of
the cows. Chemists, bac
teriologists and trained
technicians test samples of
milk at the farm and in the
plants. Thermometers
register temperatures at
every stage. Milk plants are
operated under the most
stringent standards of any
food processing plant. These
quality control steps
guarantee a healthful,
wholesome and refreshing
product from cow to con
sumer.
So today the dairy industry
is packing a pretty powerful
punch in Houston County -
both from a health and
wealth standpoint. In spite of"
increasing production costs,
Georgia dairymen are
determined to provide all
their neighbors - both city
and country - with an
adequate supply of
wholesome milk. Their
continually increasing ef
ficiency will help them do it.
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