Life On The Modern Farm

e in the Years following World War II American farmers harvested the greatest crops in the nation's history under the impetus of a growing market and with the need to send food stuffs abroad American Farms were becoming increasingly mechanized the acceleration of the tech technological revolution in farming has had an enormous influence on the entire National economy for Better or For Worse the farmer was abandoning his old-fashioned way of gaining his living and was relying more and more on the machine to help him sew and reap his crops the seemingly striking change in farming actually reflects the steady Improvement in farm methods and Equipment throughout the last century with the crude implements and use a 100 years ago one farmer was able to grow food for but five people as against his present output which supplies about 15 today the accent is on ever increasing production efficiency as scores of state and federal agricultural St labor ceaselessly to improve and make more plentiful every type of product raised on America's immense variety of farms pork production has received a new stimulus from the special type of hog bred by the government at Belville Maryland by a rigid application of genetic principles of breeding plus a carefully selected diet Federal scientists have succeeded in producing a type of pig which surpasses standard breeds in its proportion of lean meat another agricultural Innovation is the Beltsville small white turkey precise breeding has produced a bird which while about half the size of the old type has well over half the edible meat and as it fits more readily into refrigerators and ovens government scientists hope it will increase the market for turkeys as interested as the government in improving Farm output are many Urban businessmen who who have developed a profitable avocation in modern farming some 50 City Farmers clubs with a membership of over 5,000 top Executives keep in close touch with the latest scientific developments in agriculture these animals at Hy Hill Farm represent the culmination of the Breeders art their growth and development are dependent upon the feeding of Highly nutritious legumes and grasses produced on soil s that have been well lined and fertilized this bull represents good growth and development three of his offspring have sold for a total of $100,000 because of the continued high prices received for their products in the Years immediately after the war the American Farmer was able to bring his production up to a level unprecedented in history in Licking County Ohio near New York is a diversified Farm of 212 AC operated by a typically successful farmer a dairy herd made up of 50 head of jerseys provides John Walker's main income he is proud of his jersey bull Buckeye dreamer which won fifth place at the Ohio State Fair in 1948 in prosperous times such as Farmers have enjoyed in recent years the Walker Farm grosses close to $188,000 and clears around half of that about 9,000 a year as his income Rose he put a good share of his profits into the latest farm equipment in all he has invested some $20,000 but John Walker did more than invest money in his farm he invested years of hard labor and careful and intelligent farmer as a successful farmer he constantly relies on the advice and help of his good friend the County agricultural agent whose job it is to let the farmers in his territory know of the latest advances in farming as well as the newest in government programs John Walker's efforts have made life easier not only for himself but for his wife Freda she now has a modern streamlined kitchen and one of the latest model food freezers in which she can store 600 lb of Frozen meat and [Music] vegetables everything in her kitchen is electrified including an 8 cubic foot refrigerator a washing machine and a big electric range Farmers like the Walker spend a good 20% more in electrical appliances than City families do Mrs Walker uses the facilities of her modern kitchen finds the job of running her home far easier than it was in the old days there are three generations living on the walker place Leland John's second oldest boy is 19 his youngest son Don is 14 all John Walker's sons are active Partners in the farm established in his own home in the old Walker house next door is the oldest boy 22-year-old [Music] Jack Jack is the father of the third generation of Walkers little Gary aged two and a half Jack's wife Betty also comes from a farm family the youngest Walker has no recollection of the inconveniences which Farmers used to put up with as a matter of course due to the rich yields and high selling prices of the past few years Jack and Betty Walker like the majority of good Farmers throughout America are today basking in a degree of prosperity that would have been utterly Unthinkable to most farmers of a few years ago except for 550 bushels of wheat which brought about $11,000 all crops on the Walker Farm in 1949 were raised for food for the dairy herd and the Hogs and chickens the walkers have 14 acres of Oats which yielded 1100 [Music] bushels and their corn like that of most other corn razors throughout the rest of the country was a bumper crop by using such lab saving devices as their new pickup hay Balor John and his sons can Harvest and bail in one operation though the Bor cost well over $1,400 they expect it to pay for itself in about 5 years for it has helped the Walkers to get along without hiring extra hands and today with every process mechanized the traditional horse has vanished completely from The Walker Farm the Walkers had always managed to handle their produce without a silo but decided they needed one to store the big feed crops they raised in 1949 a modern pre-fabricated cement structure The Silo was the last new equipment they expected to need for a long time in the nearby town of New York John Walker is known as one of the prominent farmers in the county and is the head of the Agricultural Committee of the Kanas Club fellow kananian respect JN as an authority on Jersey cattle and always pay close attention when he talks about Farm problems while John is in town for his meeting Freda Walker and her daughter-in-law used their time to buy household goods employing the same Thrift and discretion in buying that was instilled in them as children Lee Walker has been dating Mona 16-year-old daughter of one of the Walker Neighbors at 19 Lee doesn't have to ask for the use of the family car are for he has saved up enough from his earnings as a partner in the farm to buy a secondhand one of his own Buckeye Lake is one of a number of places where the young people of Licking County go to enjoy themselves there Lee and Mona have a chance to take a motorboat ride or go for a swim or simply relax and watch their friends once a year the entire population of the county both old and young get together at the local fair but the fair is of particular interest to the youngsters members of the 4 clubs while there they have the chance they have been waiting for all year the chance to exhibit for prizes the animals they themselves have carefully raised it is the aim of the 4 clubs to give their young members practical guidance in living and working the boys and girls learn to be self-reliant and independent in sewing and dress designing the girls find an opportunity to save money by making their own clothes which teaches them the advantages of thrift and Enterprise the prizes that the 4 club members win at the fair are a matter of great pride to them and young Don Walker likes to exhibit his prize calf which has already won him recognition his knowledge and skill in handling animals have made him an expert to the other young farmers of Licking County even the youngest Farm children learn to have no fear of animals [Applause] the Walkers run their Farm on a business-like basis and John Walker devotes much of his time to going over his accounts with his wife to learn the latest in farm accounting as well as Farm news of general interest John Walker turns to the farm press and agricultural journals Farm journalists are constantly touring the countryside to get at firsthand the reactions of farmers throughout land to business conditions and how they affect them personally around these parts everything we use feed machines labor all cost several times what they did before the war but the price we get for our dairy products looks like it's going to buzz you know folks down in the city all cuss us dairymen because their milk ice cream and such like all cost so much sharks Farmers aren't to blame it's all that handling and transportation and processing in the [Applause] city each section of the country has its own Regional problems the nature of these and their possible solutions are researched carefully by the farm writers covering all parts of the nation the farm journalists are able to give their millions of readers a clear picture of the national agricultural scene these expert reporters are well aware of the constant apprehension felt by most Farmers over the fluctuation in the market for their goods well the Spectre of large food surpluses always haunts American farmers who remember when Surplus potatoes were mashed up for cattle feed in [Music] 1948 with Europe needing less and less food from America there is an insufficient market for the vast us Farm output in 1949 the huge crop was far in excess of normal storage facilities and thousands of bushels of wheat lay in temporary storehouses or on the bare ground and should there be a recurrence of such harvests in the years ahead it will create new surpluses to be added to those carried over from previous years no matter what the future holds for the US farmer his problems cannot be considered apart from the overall economy of the country to produce the nation's food supply farmers must purchase in addition to appliances and Machinery enormous quantities of such items as chemical fertilizers and sprays and they require huge amounts of oil and gasoline to operate their motorized equipment us farmers are buying goods and services at the rate of some $30 billion a year but with whatever problems the farmer must deal in the future he can be sure of one outstanding fact that not only has he reached a high degree of prosperity but that us agriculture is healthier than at any time in a generation and the people of America know that the basic qualities the faith and self-reliance the courage and good sense which enabled the US farmer to achieve the agricultural miracles of the past decade can still be relied upon in maintaining the nation high standard of living in the years that lie ahead