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ARM AND F I anch Q u lle t in Vol. 20, No. 2 February 1965 O U T D O O R R EC R EA T IO N IN EAST TEXA S Outdoor recreation is big business in Texas, and there are strong indications that it will be come much larger, according to staff members at Texas A&M University. As incomes and population increase, the potential for the de velopment of recreational resources will im prove over the favorable current situation. income was $5,225 per year in 1960, or $341 above the State average. There were approxi mately 375,000 hunters and fishermen living within 100 miles of the area in 1960. The popu lation in nearby areas appears to be sufficient to support intensive development of outdoor recreation facilities. In 1960, Texans spent $383 million on hunting and fishing — more than double the sum spent on the same activities in 1955. About 2.4 million, or 1 out of 3, Texans 12 years old and over hunted and fished in 1960. Projections indi cate that there will be 2.1 million more people in the Texas population by 1970. Upward trends in expenditures and popula tion probably will con tinue; thus, demand for all types of outdoor recrea tion facilities will increase. The natural resources are well adapted to the development of outdoor facilities. A majority of the land is for ested, and sufficient water supplies are available in lake sites. Fish and game are abundant, and good management may increase the supply considerably. The 12-county area of east Texas designated on the map is strategically located for recrea tional use. The area is within a 200-mile radius of nine Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the State in which more than 40 percent of the population of Texas lives, and metropolitan areas with populations totaling 1.5 million people are located less than 100 miles away. The larger radius includes Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin, where the median family F E D E R A L R E S E R V E DALLAS, One major disadvan tage of the area is the combination of relatively high temperature and hu midity during the summer vacation months, accord ing to Texas A&M Uni versity. Although not en couraging to vacation tourists, the heat and humidity likely do not discourage weekend users. The summer disadvantage is offset, to a large degree, by pleasant spring and fall seasons and a mild winter. The effect that public developments in the area will have upon the demand for privately supplied recreation is difficult to determine. For some types of recreation, such as boating and water skiing, public developments will B A N K TEXAS OF D A L L A S probably be utilized extensively. However, when multiple-activity enterprises are devel oped and managed carefully to meet consumer preferences and provide individual service, pri vate developments should compete favorably. The potential for farm-produced recreation in the area is great compared with present usage. The 12 counties encompass more than 9,900 square miles of land and 20,600 acres of water. In 1961, farm producers supplied various forms of recreation to 10,000 users. Most of the participants were fishermen, as other facilities were supplied at a bare minimum. Before a decision to expand or enter the rec reation field is made, several factors should be considered. Some of the more important considerations are the human factors involving management, liability risks, capital restrictions, location, demand, and community attitudes. The development of multiple-activity enter prises indicates promise and appears to be well adapted to the area. Fishing is currently a major attraction, but hunting and other activi ties likely will become increasingly important in the future. When more fully developed, the area will be in a position to become a major center of outdoor recreation in Texas. A miniature cotton gin in the Agricultural Engineering Department at Texas A&M Uni versity is helping to evaluate cotton mechaniza tion research, reports B. G. Reeves, Extension Cotton Gin and Mechanization Specialist. The gin is used to handle samples from the re search projects which are conducted at differ ent locations in the State. One out of Four A large part of U. S. agricultural production is marketed overseas, according to the Eco nomic Research Service. An estimated 80 million acres, or 1 out of every 4 acres har vested in the United States, were used in 1964 to produce crops for export, an increase of 27 percent over the 1962 acreage. Moreover, exports in fiscal 1963-64 represented about one-sixth of cash receipts from farm marketings. The export market is much more significant for individual commodities. In fiscal 1963-64, three-fourths of the U. S. wheat output was exported; about two-thirds of the rice; threefifths of the nonfat dry milk; over two-fifths of the dry edible peas, tallow, soybeans, and hops; one-third of the rye, cotton, and dried prunes; one-fourth of the lard, dried whole milk, and tobacco; one-fifth of the cottonseed, raisins, and dry edible beans; and one-sixth of the grain sorghums and barley grain. Ap proximately one-tenth of the flaxseed and corn production was marketed overseas. In terms of farm sales, however, corn and barley ship ments were equivalent to 24 percent, and grain sorghums, to 22 percent. The relative importance of the overseas market to American agricultural producers has been increasing during the past few years. Wheat shipments abroad in 1963-64, equiva lent to three-fourths of U. S. production, compared with an average of two-fifths in the 1959-61 period. Two-thirds of the Nation’s rice crop was exported in 1963-64, compared with the 1959-61 average of about one-half. Notable gains also occurred for nonfat dry milk, tallow, soybeans, hops, rye, lard, and corn. Exports as a share of production were slightly lower for cotton, tobacco, and flaxseed. On an overall basis, the 80 million acres producing for export in 1964 totaled 43 percent more than in 1958-60. Management Is Key to W inter Grazing If properly managed, small grains will pro vide lush green pastures and produce good yields of high-quality forage during the winter months, points out Albert C. Novosad, Pasture Specialist with the Texas Agricultural Exten sion Service. Winter pastures should be grazed only after the plants become well established. The plants must be allowed to develop a root system deep enough to utilize moisture and plant nutrients below the 3- to 4-inch soil level. The height of a plant is the best indicator of whether or not its root system is well estab lished. Upright growth-type plants — such as Alamo-X oats, Gator and Elbon rye, and Go liad barley — reach this stage at a height of 8 to 10 inches. Root systems of such intermediate-type plants as Moregrain, Suregrain, and Victorgrain oats usually are well estab lished by the time they are 6 to 8 inches tall. The Pasture Specialist says that the differ ence between profit and loss on winter pastures often is determined by the first grazing. One grazing before plants are well established may reduce yields as much as one-fourth, while a combination of too early and too close grazing over a period of time can lower forage output as much as 70 to 80 percent. Top growth is reduced, and crown and root development is retarded. Constant close grazing hinders the produc tion of small grains and increases winterkilling, according to Mr. Novosad. Livestock should be removed from the pasture when plants have been grazed down to a height of about 3 inches. In order for plants to make sufficient regrowth, 4 or 5 weeks usually should be allowed between clippings or grazings. Cross-fencing is often necessary for proper grazing management. Dividing the pasture into smaller plots will permit more constant grazing and will furnish additional protection for the plants. Fertilizing the pasture is an important part of management. After the plants are grazed down, a topdressing of 30 to 40 pounds of ni trogen should be applied if moisture conditions are favorable. Where small grains are grown for their grain, as well as for forage, grazing should be termi nated before the plants begin to joint. This time will depend upon the area, but it usually will be between February 15 and March 15. A ton of manure is worth about $5 in its ability to produce crops, according to the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The average nutrient content of a ton of manure is 10 pounds of nitrogen, 5 pounds of phos phate, and 10 pounds of potash. Manure usually is worth more when it is spread at a fight rate of about 5 tons per acre. New Process Whitens W h ea t A low-cost process that peels the dark bran from wheat and other cereals, leaving all of the creamy-white inner portion of the kernels, has been developed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The new process opens the way to bulgur wheat that is almost white and to lighter color in other foods including whole or cracked cereals, according to USDA officials. The light-colored debranned wheat has a good commercial potential not only in domestic markets but also overseas, especially in coun tries where regular bulgur is not yet well accepted because of its color and bran content. Several processors are conducting develop mental studies with the USDA process. Even without the new debranning method, U. S. exports of bulgur have risen sevenfold — from 60 million pounds in fiscal 1963, the first year bulgur was exported, to 420 million pounds in fiscal 1964. (Conventional bulgur is processed by boiling wheat, drying it, remov ing some of the bran, and cracking the grain into meal.) In the manufacture of debranned bulgur, the wheat is first parboiled mildly. Then the hot, moist wheat kernels are peeled by the new method and dried. The resulting light-colored bulgur can be served alone after steaming or other heating for 15 minutes, or it can be used in many recipes, according to the USDA. Oats and barley can be peeled by the same process. Although these peeled grains are not nearly as white as the debranned wheat, they can be milled into flour or used in other ways. Selecting Breeding Animals A new method for selecting breeding ani mals, which emphasizes what livestock pro fessors call “functional efficiency,” is receiving considerable attention from Texas cattlemen, points out Texas A&M University. In the new method, the fertility potential of cattle is judged by visual appraisal of their physical character istics. This procedure is best used as a supple ment to performance records. The method was developed by Dr. J. C. Ronsma, internationally known Animal Scietv tist and Head of the Department of Animal Science at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Dr. Bonsma currently is serving as a visiting professor at Texas A&M University. The improvement of the calf crop percentage in Texas is Dr. Bonsma’s primary goal at this time. His solution involves the selection of breeding animals with no structural abnormal ities and showing no symptoms of endocrinal imbalance. Signs of endocrinal imbalance are evident in an animal’s appearance. Dr. Bonsma says that the experienced cattle man seldom recognizes gradations in character istics which are of great importance in assessing the masculinity of the male animal. A similar situation exists in appraising the relative femininity of the female animal. For example, the subfertile female animal frequently has coarse hair growth upon her head and neck, together with a coarse bone structure. On the other hand, the fertile female animal generally is refined in hair growth and bone develop ment, showing overall femininity. In addition to hair growth and bone develop ment, the visual appraisal method considers such body characteristics as fat deposition and distribution and muscle development. The Ani mal Scientist has measured more than 22,000 cows and correlated external measurements with each animal’s fertility rating, according to Texas A&M University. Dr. Bonsma says that most objective and con trolled studies on types of animals have failed to show any correlation with productive or re productive capacity. Continual observation and evaluation of breeding animals and their off spring in natural environments contribute sub stantially to rapid improvement of the animals by selection. cialist in Home Management with Texas A&M University. For at least the next decade, the greatest increases in demand are expected to be for people in professional and technical fields. These positions usually require at least a bachelor’s degree from college. More skilled craftsmen, clerical and sales workers, service workers, and people for man agement jobs are also likely to be needed. There probably will be only moderate gains in semiskilled jobs, few increases in unskilled jobs, and a decrease in farm jobs. The Labor Department studies indicate the following outlooks in some specific fields: Engineers will continue to be in strong de mand with greatest gains in chemical, elec trical, and mechanical engineering. The strongest need will be for those with advanced degrees for research and teaching positions. Physicians, dentists, and nurses likely will be required in increasing numbers, together with more medical technologists, dietitians, and therapists. Teachers probably will find sharp increases in job openings, with a heavy demand for science, mathematics, and industrial arts teach ers. Moreover, there probably will be a need for many more school counselors. Also in demand will be mathematicians, economists, sociologists, historians, welfare workers, accountants, graduates in business ad ministration, and programmers for electroniccomputer operations. Occupational Outlooks for Next Decade In contrast, only moderate numbers of job opportunities are expected in the printing and machinist trades. The outlook in law is for keen competition. Musicians, actors, singers, and dancers are likely to find their fields over crowded, according to the Labor Department’s projection of job opportunities. Specialists with the U. S. Department of Labor have projected occupational outlooks for the years ahead. Their findings should be of special interest to young people who must soon choose careers, as well as to their parents, states Mrs. Wanda B. Meyer, Extension Spe Tractors power American agriculture and are a major item in production costs. In 1940, tractors in the United States were valued at $503 million; in 1960, they were worth $3.4 billion.
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