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ARM AND Q anch Q ulletin Vol. 19, No. 3 March 1964 TH E 1964 FEED G R A IN P R O G R A M As in previous years, the feed grain program for 1964 is entirely voluntary, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Par ticipation in the program is a matter of in dividual decision by barley, corn, or grain sorghum producers. The farmer who grows more than one of these feed grains will have a total feed grain base for his farm and may make a choice of diverting, from the base acreage to conservation use, one or more of these feed grains. The base period is 1959-60. Although the provisions of the 1964 program were not available prior to the planting of fall barley, farms on which barley, corn, and/or grain sorghum were grown in 1959-60 may participate by reducing the acreage of such grains since these crops will have contributed to the farm feed grain base. Two major improvements have been made in the feed grain program for 1964. First, as much as 50 percent of the total feed grain base may be diverted on any farm. This figure com pares with the 1963 maximum of 40 percent of the feed grain base. Second, the average payment rate per acre for diverting 40 percent or more of the base will be substantially higher than in 1963. One of the purposes of the feed grain pro gram, according to the Department of Agricul ture, is to raise farm income by assuring fair prices for feed grain producers and by pro viding a basis for stability in livestock prices. The program is aimed toward continuing the substantial progress toward a national goal of FEDERAL RESERVE DALLAS, reducing the feed grain carry-over to 45 to 50 million tons. Previous programs have already reduced the carry-over from 85 million tons to less than 60 million tons. Moreover, the pro gram is designed to lower costs to taxpayers through savings on the storage cost of grain held in Government inventory. Farmers who participate in this year’s feed grain program will be eligible for diversion and price-support payments, as well as pricesupport loans, on their 1964 production of barley, corn, and grain sorghum. The pricesupport payments will be made to participants regardless of whether the feed grain produced this year is fed on the farm, sold, or placed under price-support loan. According to the USDA, the principal points of the 1964 feed grain program are as follows. 1. The program is voluntary. 2. It applies to barley, corn, and grain sorghum, which together are referred to as the “total feed grain base.” 3. In order to participate in the program, a farmer agrees to take out of production at least 20 percent of the total feed grain base for his farm. 4. The farmer who diverts as many acres as he signs up to divert, and otherwise com plies with the program, earns a payment for acreage diversion and becomes eli gible for the feed grain price support. However, he is not eligible for payments BANK TEXAS OF DALLAS or price support if the feed grain acreage exceeds the feed grain base on any other farm in which he has an interest. 5. Diversion payments based on the farm’s established normal yield and the local price-support rate will be made on quali fying acreage taken out of production. 6. Price-support payments of 15 cents per bushel, based on the established normal yield for the farm, will be made on the 1964 acreage of corn. A similar payment will be made on barley at 12 cents per bushel and on grain sorghum at 23 cents per hundredweight. The same per bushel and per hundredweight price-support rates will apply to all complying farms. 7. Advance payments for diversion — up to one-half of the amount of the diversion payment for taking feed grain acreage out of production — may be made upon request at signup time. 8. Price-support loans, purchase agree ments, and the price-support payment for corn, barley, and grain sorghum will be available only to those who sign up to take at least 20 percent of the total feed grain base for their farms out of 1964 crop production and devote that acreage to conservation uses and maintain the acreage normally placed in conservation uses on the farm. Price-support loans and purchase agreements for those who take part in the program will be available for their entire 1964 output of barley, corn, and grain sorghum. Growers who cooperate with the Gov ernment in an effort to continue the re duction of feed grain supplies will thus receive financial returns for acreage di verted from feed grain production, plus support prices, including price-support payments, for the feed grains they produce. Although the program is entirely vol untary, producers who choose not to participate will be ineligible for price sup port on corn, grain sorghum, or barley. Forms to be used by farmers in declaring their intentions to participate in the 1964 feed grain program may be obtained from Agricul tural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASC) county offices. The signup period began February 10, 1964, and extends through March 27, 1964. Growth Retardants for Annuals Fowl Cholera Defies Control Dr. Henry M. Cathey, Horticulturist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, has re ported the successful use of chemical growth retardants in making many garden flower an nuals compact and more desirable for beddings or small landscape areas. Although it is one of the oldest recognized poultry diseases, fowl cholera has defied con trol by scientists ever since Pasteur made the first pure culture in 1880, states Dr. Chester Meinecke, Veterinary Microbiology Depart ment, College of Veterinary Medicine, A&M University. The retardants can be applied as leaf sprays to annuals without regard for the day length Despite years of work on its control, fowl to which the plants are exposed. This feature cholera is still a major problem in Texas, and is in contrast to the use of retardants on cer the incidence of the disease is rising says Dr. tain perennials on which the treatment is in Meinecke. Bacterins used to treat fowl cholera effective unless combined with applications of are sometimes effective and sometimes of little supplemental light in a greenhouse. value, depending upon which type of organism has been used to make the bacterin or is Retardants used in the ARS experiments causing the disease. were B995 and phosphon-S. The annuals tested were bachelor buttons, China asters, cleomes, The organism’s tendency to resist medication cosmos, marigolds, petunias, salvia, and zinnias. and build a drug tolerance has caused research ers to use many drugs in attempts to control the disease. Fowl cholera varies from acute to chronic in its effect. With drug-caused altera tions in the disease, fowl cholera is doubly difficult to diagnose, points out the veterinarian. In order to eradicate fowl cholera from a flock, a depopulation and clean-up program must be followed. Although disposal of the entire flock is not always necessary, cleaning of the poultry house is essential. All organic matter, together with 3 or 4 inches of the dirt floor (if the house has one), should be remov ed. The building should then be scrubbed, dis infected, sunned, and aired before the birds are replaced. Dr. Meinecke says that Texas poultry producers must observe basic sanita tion practices and obtain more professional help in order to bring poultry diseases, especial ly fowl cholera, under control. There Is A Difference Most people know that American poultry is processed under close Federal supervision, but there still seems to be some question about the difference between poultry inspection and grad ing, reports the Agricultural Marketing Serv ice. These are two separate operations, per formed by different people, for different pur poses. However, both operations are done by the AMS. Poultry inspection is an examination of the bird during slaughter and processing to insure that it is wholesome and suitable for human consumption. This inspection is required by law for all poultry moving in interstate and foreign commerce. Poultry grading is an examination of the bird during processing to determine its level of quality. Grading is available to packers on a voluntary basis, but it is not required. About one-half of the poultry sold in the United States is federally graded. The inspection mark is circular, as shown in the accompanying illustration. The consumer is assured that birds bearing this mark are safe to eat, assuming that they have been properly handled after inspection. Every bird with an inspection mark has been individually inspect ed for wholesomeness by a trained USDA ex pert under the supervision of a fully qualified licensed veterinarian. The grade mark is shield-shaped, as shown in the illustration. Grade A is the top grade. Poultry rating this grade has the highest meat yield, is well finished, and has the finest appear ance. Most buyers prefer Grade A poultry if the bird is to be carved at the table. Grade B is the second highest grade. Birds of this grade may be slightly lacking in meatiness and finish and may have dressing flaws. According to the AMS, there are no levels of wholesomeness in poultry inspection. The bird either is found to be wholesome or is rejected and cannot be packed and sold. While all graded poultry is inspected, not all inspected poultry is graded. Polystyrene Foam for Cushioning Watermelon Shipments Better protection for watermelons shipped in railroad refrigerator cars may be obtained through the use of expanded polystyrene foam for cushioning melon loads, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Preliminary studies by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service show that rail shipments of melons in the conventional five-layer loads, cushioned by the plastic foam, incur only about one-half as much damage as those cushioned with hay or straw. Loads six or seven layers high, cushioned with the plastic foam, also have fewer damaged melons than loads of the same size in which hay or straw is used. Melons loaded on strips of polystyrene foam average 1 to 6 degrees cooler during transit than those shipped on hay or straw bedding. This difference in temperatures results from improved air movement through the plasticcushioned loads. Straw or hay bedding on the floor almost completely prevents air circula tion upward through the load. Air movement through the loads helps to reduce overheating and spread of decay. The USDA says that the cost of the plastic foam needed for cushioning a refrigerator car of melons is about the same as that for straw bedding. Depending upon the thickness of the materials, costs of the foam cushioning vary from $11.25 to $14 per car, compared with $12 to $15 for straw. Other advantages of using polystyrene foam, rather than hay or straw, are: 1. Precut strips of polystyrene foam sup plied in rolls are more easily and quickly ap plied than hay or straw bedding. 2. The foam cushioning permits the melons to nest in each compressed area. The material also acts as a frictionizing agent and prevents sliding of the melons more effectively than does straw or hay. 3. The material does not absorb or retain moisture from condensation or from cracked or decayed melons, as is the case with hay or straw bedding. 4. Cars cushioned with plastic foam are noticeably cooler during loading, and there is no straw chaff or dust in the air to irritate the loaders’ eyes and noses. Trapping Boll Weevils A blue-green light may someday be used to trap boll weevils, the number one cotton insect pest, says the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The weevils were attracted to the light source, under laboratory conditions, in studies con ducted by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in cooperation with the Texas Agricul tural Experiment Station. An effective light attractant would give cot ton producers another new weapon in their fight against the boll weevil. This pest has destroyed around $10 billion worth of cotton since entering the United States in the 1890’s. In order to study the potential use of light traps against the boll weevil, the scientists placed adult weevils in the base of a Y-shaped tunnel. The end of each arm of the Y held a light of different color and intensity. After approximately 10 minutes, the scientists check ed to determine which light attracted the most weevils. Light traps are now used primarily as a sur vey tool to determine the presence of various insects and to trace their movements. Field traps equipped with a source of “black light” (near ultraviolet in color value) have attracted pink bollworms, cabbage loopers, and tobacco bud worms. However, similar efforts against boll weevils have been unsuccessful. Grain Sorghum Pigments Studied The Indiana University Foundation, under contract with the U. S. Department of Agri culture, will conduct research to identify pig ments and related compounds that color and flavor grain sorghum and its products. This contract research is aimed at providing a basis for future studies on avoiding discoloration of sorghum products, such as starch, and on avoiding bitterness in sorghum feeds. The isolation and characterization of pig ments from varieties of milo or kaffir sorghums will be studied under the Indiana contract. In addition, tests will be made to determine the response of these pigments to bleaching and other treatments. Earlier USDA studies show that, in addition to pigments, sorghum grain contains uniden tified colorless compounds that are converted to colored ones by acid. These compounds could discolor sorghum products that should remain white. Moreover, they are believed to cause bitterness. The dairy cow is the world’s greatest food factory, according to the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. On the average, this ani mal’s production from an acre of crops totals 2,190 pounds of milk, which contain 72 pounds of digestible protein and 712 units (therms) of energy.
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