Full text of Agricultural News Letter : Vol. 9, No. 10
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<t4 NEWS LETTER 3 F E D E R A L Vol. 9, No. 10 R E S E R V E B A N K OF D A L L A S DALLAS, TEXAS October 15, 1954 D o n ’t G i v e A w a y S t o r e d G r a i n Hundreds of southwestern farmers will “give away” as much as 10 percent of the grain they have stored from this year’s har vest. Rats, weevils, and other insects will take a toll in virtually every storage bin unless adequate precautions are taken to protect the grain. The first step in protecting stored grain is the use of a storage place that is constructed in such a manner as to give maximum protec tion from rodents and insects. The building or bin should be rat-proof and provided with suitable ventilation. Steel structures are the easiest to make rat-proof but may be the most expensive. Properly constructed wooden bins can be used satisfactorily if they are placed well above the ground, in order to give cir culation underneath the building and to per mit the use of rodent barriers—strips of tin to prevent rats and mice from climbing sup porting piers. lons should be applied to every 1,000 square feet of surface. The job is not complete when the grain has been stored properly in a well-cleaned and disinfected bin. Weevils and other insects are present on most farms and will infect stored grain if proper precautions are not taken. Grain should be inspected at least every 2 weeks for the presence of weevils. A probing rod should be used in order to sam ple the grain in the bottom of the bin. This also will enable the farmer to watch for over heating of newly stored grain. If weevils or other insects are detected, a suitable fumigant should be applied imme diately. A number of fumigants are on the market and can be purchased from a feed store or drugstore. One of the more common is made by mixing one part carbon tetra chloride with three parts of ethylene dichlo ride. Ten gallons of this material are recom In the case of rice, storage bins should have mended for fumigating 1,000 bushels of grain provisions for artificial drying of the grain sorghum stored in a wooden structure. Seven and one-half gallons should be ample if the by the circulation of air through the areas. building is of steel construction. Other grains The second step in protecting stored grain will require similar amounts. is making certain that the storage bins are The fumigant should be sprayed over the cleaned adequately and disinfected before placing the grain in the bins. All old grain surface of the grain with a coarse spray. It should be swept out; all debris cleaned from then will penetrate into the stored material, corners of the bins; and the walls, ceilings, usually giving effective control to a depth and floors swept thoroughly and sprayed with of 10 to 12 feet. The bin should be closed DDT, methoxychlor, or TDE. About 2 gal up airtight for at least 24 hours following 2 AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER treatment, in order to give the fumigant time to penetrate all areas. Some entomologists recommend keeping the bin closed for 4 or 5 days and reopening it for an airing before en tering to make the next 2-week test. used verjr successfully in growing dairy calves. The first results of the feeding program, which is still under way, are reported in the Station’s Progress Report 1710. The formula used consisted of 537 Va pounds of nonfat dried milk solids (dried skim milk), 450 pounds of dried whey, 10 pounds of Aurofac 2A, and 2Vz pounds of Quadrex “10” (stabilized Vitamin A and D supple ment). This formula mixture was kept in a dry place until time to mix the feed for the Many farmers follow the practice of fumi calves. Then, it was mixed with water to form gating grain as soon as it has been stored to a gruel. destroy any infestation that may have oc curred during harvest. The same procedure The formula contains approximately the should be followed as that for grain which same percentage of protein as whole milk. The cost of the formula at present wholesale has been in storage for several weeks. prices is approximately $11.40 per 100 The small cost and the relatively little time pounds. Dried skim milk can be substituted required to give proper care to stored grain for the dried whey, pound for pound, up to will more than repay the farmer for his effort. nearly 99 percent of the ration. It is estimated that each rat eats well over $2 worth of grain each year. A severe infesta In these tests, two groups of calves—one tion of weevils not only may destroy a sub composed of Jerseys and the other, of Holstantial portion of the grain but also may steins—were fed the milk-replacer formula lower the grade to the point where the sale after 12 days of age. The first 5 days, all price is only half that which could have been calves were given the colostrum milk from received if the grain had been cared for the mother cows, and from 5 to 12 days of age, properly. the ration was shifted gradually from whole milk to the milk replacer. A few of the calves Rice growers should inquire of local county were changed abruptly at 5 days of age from agricultural agents as to the newest develop colostrum milk to the milk replacer without ments in storing rice. This grain requires spe any apparent detrimental effects. cial care because of its high perishability and high moisture content at the time of harvest. The calves fed the milk-replacer formula showed a substantially faster rate of gain dur ing their first 60 days than similar calves did A New “Formula” for Dairy on whole milk. This is a period when dairy Calves calves frequently show very slow rates of gain when being fed milk replacers. Com Dairymen have long sought a suitable re pared with the control group of calves, which placement “formula” for dairy calves. It is not were fed whole milk until they were 4 weeks economical to feed dairy calves on whole old and then fed reconstituted skim milk, the milk if the dairyman is producing Grade A calves fed the milk-replacer formula gained milk. However, dairy calves frequently do from 11 to 21 percent faster. not do well on substitute rations. The specialists in charge of these tests indi In a recent test by Texas A. & M. Col cate that the results during this first period lege, a so-called milk-replacer formula was of feeding should be fairly reliable, in view Extreme care should be exercised when applying the fumigant. The fumes from such material are harmful to humans and should not be inhaled. A mask should be worn when applying such materials. AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER of the number of calves included and the conditions under which the tests were carried out. They emphasize the fact that the milkreplacer formula is relatively simple to pre pare and, compared with other milk substi tutes, is relatively easy to feed. Additional tests are being conducted to compare this simpli fied milk-replacer formula with some of the leading commercial formulas and several of the more complicated experimental formulas. Insured Loans for Soil Conserva tion and Water Facilities A new type of credit for financing soil con servation measures and for developing irriga tion systems and farmstead water supplies is now available through the Farmers Home Administration. An amendment to the Water Facilities Act by the recent Congress pro vides this additional credit service to farmers. In general, loans under this provision can be made to pay the cost of materials, equip ment, and services directly related to the application or establishment of soil and water conservation practices, water facilities, or drainage. These include the construction or repair of terraces, dikes, and ponds; pasture improvement; the basic application of lime and fertilizer; and tree planting. 3 willingness to provide the funds for such a loan. After proper processing, the bank is informed that funds should be advanced to cover the loan. In turn, the Farmers Home Administration provides the bank with a written guarantee for the full face amount of the loan. The loan is serviced by the Farmers Home Administration, and the payments, including instalments and interest, are made directly to the bank once a year. The interest rate cur rently is 31/2 percent to the lending agency and 4Vz percent to the borrower, with 1 per cent going for loan insurance and servicing. Loans can be made to some tenants, pro vided they have suitable leasing arrange ments to insure their operation of the farm during the period of pay-out on the loan. All loans must be made to the operator of the farm. They cannot be made to absentee owners. Actual terms and conditions of these loans will vary with the location and the purpose for which the loan proceeds are to be used. It would be well for interested bankers and farmers to obtain complete details from their local Farmers Home Administration super visor. These insured loans would appear to fill a gap that has existed for some time, par ticularly in Texas, in the financing of soil The loans are made through the local conservation and land improvement practices. Farmers Home Administration office. How ever, funds for the loans are derived from either local lenders or a group of national pri Methyl Brom ide Controls Insects in Stored Rice vate lenders. In either case, the funds come from private sources rather than from appro Circulating methyl bromide through stored priations. rough rice resulted in effective control of in To illustrate the procedures in obtaining sect infestations in tests by the Rice Pasture such a loan: If a country banker has a cus Experiment Station at Beaumont, Texas. tomer who needs a loan for any of the abovementioned practices, he may direct this cus In the tests, which were conducted on tomer to the local Farmers Home Adminis rough rice stored on the farm in buildings de tration supervisor. The customer makes the signed for drying rice by aeration, the methyl necessary application for the loan, and the bromide was circulated through the rice by bank furnishes the local Farmers Home Ad introducing the gas over the grain, drawing it ministration office with a letter indicating its through the stored grain with a circulating 4 AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER fan, and returning it to the bin from the ex haust side of the fan. The gas was introduced into the circulating system at an average rate of 1 pound per minute and was circulated for 20 to 30 minutes. The total amount of gas used in the test was 1 to 3 pounds of methyl bromide per 1,000 cubic feet of bin space. The dosages of 1 and 1V2 pounds did not give complete kill in all tests, while 2 or more pounds gave a 100-percent kill in all cases. areas, such as the barn, machine shed, and storage tanks of gasoline and kerosene. Re charge extinguishers according to manufac turers’ directions. (4) Have an adequate supply of water available for the use of fire trucks and port able pumps. While adequate equipment for fire-fighting measures is essential, a program of fire pre vention, cannot, of course, be overempha sized. The surviving insects in tests using IV2 to 2 pounds of methyl bromide were found in Publications the lower part of the bin near the bin wall. Further investigation revealed an improper seal between the wall and the floor in this bin, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Col thus preventing complete circulation of the lege Station: fumigant. Southern Pea Variety and Strain Test, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Fall 1953, Fire-Fighting Tips Progress Report 1705, by R. T. Correa, Jr. It is often said that fires that are not con trolled within the first 5 minutes after they Control of Early Weeds and Grasses in start usually cause extensive destruction be Cantaloupes, Progress Report 1706, by fore being brought under control. This em H. C. Mohr. phasizes the importance of farmers making provisions to fight fires that may occur on Terramycin in Rations for Fattening Steers, farm buildings. Most rural areas do not have Progress Report 1712, by P. T. Marion available the services of fire-fighting equip and others. ment; even in communities serviced by such equipment, 10 to 15 minutes generally are re American-Egyptian Cotton Variety Tests, quired for the arrival of such assistance. El Paso Valley Experiment Station, 1953, Progress Report 1708, by L. S. The Louisiana Agricultural Extension Serv Stith and others. ice offers the following suggestions with re spect to equipping the farmstead with proper The Effect of Temperature and Rainfall on fire-fighting equipment. Peach Production in Northeast Texas, Progress Report 1709, by H. F. Morris. (1) Have ladders long enough to reach the highest roof on the farm buildings. Copies of these publications may be ob (2) Have enough garden hose and a filled tained by request to the publishers. water bucket for each 400 to 500 square feet of building. (3) Maintain approved fire extinguishers in convenient locations near all hazardous The Agricultural News Letter is prepared in the Research Department under the direction of C arl H. M oore, Agricultural Economist.