NFO-228 (AV10728): US Farm Report: Agriculture in the Texas Panhandle

[music] it used to be this was all dryland farming down south and west of Amarillo you still see a lot of dryland crops things like cotton and wheat but today most all of this land is irrigated [music] this is the Texas Panhandle once it was dry and desolate today irrigation is helping to make it one of the most important farming areas in this country but irrigation is only part of the Texas Panhandle story stay tuned for the rest of that story on this week's us farm report [music] hi everybody and welcome to us farm report seen on this station each week at this time through the weeks in our US farm reports series we have had the pleasure of introducing to our television audience many of the executives and leaders of the national farmers organization today for the first time in our series we welcome a board member and I'm talking about mr. Clarence Ewert Clarence comes from Mountain Lake Minnesota and represents agriculture all across these United States on the board of directors of the National Farmers organization Clarence it's a pleasure to welcome you to our show thank you Bill it's a pleasure being here now I understand that you have indeed a farming background however you're not actively farming at this time tell us about that well born and raised in a farm northeast to Mountain Lake Minnesota and when I enrolled as a member of NFO I was farming of 400 acres but what were you producing on your acreage I was producing milo- soybeans and corn uh-huh now you today work full-time for NFO that is correct bill and I guess that it's a pretty difficult job to work for NFO and maintain your farming operation all at the same time isn't it yes it is tell us Clarence about your farming background bill I'm still living on the same farm where I was born and raised in North-eastern Mountain Lake Minnesota and I was just a living on a family type farm in the early years we had dairy hogs fat cattle that corn flax soybeans in recent years I've been more or less producing corn and soybeans and cattle and hogs operation mm-hmm now you have been an NFO member for how long I've been a man an NFO member since 1960 what first attracted you to the organization well the first time I heard about the National Farmers Organization was in the spring of 1960 when somebody from Iowa came into our local elevator there and mentioned something about a holding action and later on that summer I saw a notice on a business place door explaining holding actions so I attended that meeting that evening what about NFO of strength and membership through your state of Minnesota Clarance every county every productive county in Minnesota is organized in the National Farmers Organization bill I would like to hear your comments having been a member of NFO as long as you have having served on the board twice regarding the effect of NFO to the farmer of America and perhaps almost as importantly to the rural businessman the effect to the farmer as is because of better prices we've received better prices since we started or collective bargaining effort and it's the same principle that businessmen use up and down Main Street when they have the production to sell a product to sell they hold it for price to put a price tag on it to cover cost a production and a reasonable profit and holder for that price the American farmer needs to get in the same position when enough production is blocked together so we can put a price tag on that production and hold for that price we will get exactly what the American farmer needs to have to stay in business well Clarence through all this vast area you travel I'm sure that you have seen the effect of NFO on agricultural prices tell us about that well wherever farmers have organized and large enough groups bill and block their production and bargain together and sell together prices have increased and it's had an effect nationwide and when this has an effect nationwide it also helped the businessmen up and down Main Street in rural America well now there has been a trend across the country as they're not Clarance of the rural businessman the small town businessman going out of business as there has been a trend toward the reduction of the family farm the numbers of family farms yes whenever 10 families leave the farm a businessman is going to close its doors up and down Main Street one businessman at leat and family at least one businessman will close its doors when 10 farmers leave a community that's an interesting ratio I think that in past programs we have talked about the fact that there is an exodus from the family farm at the rate currently I believe of 2500 per week now this will give you some idea about how many small businessmen are going under yes sir the help that certainly is correct bill well now you have seen NFO grow through the years what has stood out in your memory in NFO's growth well bill wherever I go there are people that are concerned about their way of life and on the family farm and whenever we get into an area and explain the program using the same principle that every other segment of the economy is using they soon enroll with us and start blocking their production with us and help us in our bargaining efforts for better farm prices bill haven't you observed some vast changes in leadership and NFO through the years well I certainly have built the we're noticing in recent years that the more progressive farmers are looking to the national farmers organization for a help they all realize that on their own there it's impossible to get a price for their products together you in a united effort everything is possible in agriculture just like it isn't any other segment of the economy Clarence representing NFO you do as you said a lot of traveling covering some 16 states what's been your impression of the membership in those states in terms of growth the membership is increasing by leaps and bounds throughout the areas that I've traveled and from all the reports I have this is going on a nationwide the more more farmers are adopting the principle of collective bargaining and joining with us and blocking their production and giving us the opportunity to have tremendous successes in the bargaining effort for better farm prices for the American farmer what about opposition do you find that diminishing opposition is diminishing yes bill now then as you know are having a visited a little while ago we were in the Panhandle area of Texas at the same time in fact in Amarillo and in certain areas near Amarillo and I'm sorry by the way I missed you there I guess you were doing some traveling in areas that we were not in we were on a field trip for us farm report in the Panhandle area filming the agricultural scene how do you feel about the Panhandle area Clarence agriculturally and where as to where it fits into the national agriculture picture as far as fitting into agricultural picture well that area the panhandle of Texas is developing more and more land more and more productivity through methods of irrigation and developing more and more land for production which we need to feed the people of the world yes a unique area in that respect me we enjoyed filming some of the irrigation areas through there we talked with people about the water table we learned something about irrigation which of course is rather strange in some ways to those of us who live in the Midwestern part of the country but the water table in that area as I recall is generally around what 250-300 feet that is correct bill that's the information I have yes and it's lowering and the farmers are having to do something about that they're having to go a little deeper for their water it is a fine irrigation area and irrigation has certainly brought about a great farming prosperity in terms of crops perhaps not always in terms of price for crops at least these farmers are busy and doing a good job I presume that many of you watching know that the Panhandle area of Texas is a great milo producing area this is true isn't it Clarence yes it is before they came in there with irrigation that land was capable producing all the way from 3000 to 4000 pounds per acre and when he started digging well sinking wells in the various areas they found that they had plenty of water and soon were able to produce all the way from 6,000 to 8,000 pounds per acre well those milo fields while we were there looked beautiful and while we were there of course there was some milo harvesting going on but it's obviously great milo country what why are people growing so much milo in that area well everybody wants to produce more you know when the profit level per unit is down right and when they start producing more milo naturally they had a feed it to something so this led them into feeding cattle and we're finding large feed Lots now with the potential of all the way to a hundred thousand head of cattle for a lot we spent some time at one feedlot capable of feeding fifty thousand head of cattle and I thought that was big but they go really to as many as a hundred thousand head well Texas is big you know they can really expand or they're in all directions bills we were interested to and watching some sugar beet harvest there that's pretty good sugar beet country isn't it yes there's a lot of sugar beet being raised and again because of irrigation potential to raise sugar beets is bigger than ever some of those beet farmers have had some problems in that area however as you perhaps know clearance with leaf rot which has resulted I think they told me and a rather low sugar content by comparison with other years while you were there did you meet the doyle terrell yes I did Bill he's a fine young guy isn't it certainly is one of progressive farmers in the panhandle of Texas that's right he was most cooperative with our us farm report staff and in fact our cameras while we were in the Panhandle area recorded this interview with Doyle Terrell I would like for all of you to meet a young Texas farmer who farms near Amarillo on the high plains of Texas Doyle Terrell is NFO president for Moore County where he resides and farms how many acres are you farming here about 1100 acres about 1100 how much acreage is in cash crops okay well this year I have about 400 acres of milo and about a 170 acres of wheat and it was about 100 acres here of mustard huh-huh now this part of Texas is irrigation country yes we're not long has it been that way Oh since about 1955 whom they really got started and the peak when we really drilled most of the wells was the 60s the first are part of the 60s well now 1955 is only about 15 years ago and that's in the fairly recent past what was this country like prior to the irrigation matter well it was vast fields of dryland wheat was about the only way you did explain it just sections of home sections of dryland wheat we didn't have much amazing the other thing you know and now of course maize is the big crop yes part of this milo is our biggest crowd right and this is what we work on milo corn it's beginning to come in and take over the field how far down do you have to drill for water through here well the water table is about 250 to 275 feet so we used to go on down and drill our wells around 475 to 500 feet and see what is the situation pertaining the water table is that going down yes we're dropping something and what are- what are you doing about that are you drilling existing wells deeper or are you drilling new wells well we can't drill too many of them deeper there's they weren't set up that way and we're having to drill new wells and it's costing another Oh fourteen fifteen thousand dollars to build a new one now and of course the original will cost around 17,000 with a motor and everything but it's beginning to pinch a little bit yeah well Goyal in irrigation in terms of gallons per minute what is considered a good productive irrigation well a good good productive irrigation will be about 900 gallons a minute 900 per minute yes now how are your wells doing at this time with this lowering of the table well I've got three that are doing real good three of them are still holding their 900 I've got one over here that's dropped from about 700 down to about 300 and 350 and it's really fallen off well now and that represents a fairly expensive situation doesn't it with it you've got the same amount of money invested in that well as you have in the well that produces 900 and it cost about the same thing to run it to run it it's just what hurt yeah and we've got the same investment cost the same to run it and it's just costing all the way around well now all through the Amarillo area what are the farmers doing about this lowering of the table they're going ahead and replacing some of the wells yeah they're having to and this is costing around $15,000 and of course the original well cost 17,000 with everything pumping all in it and they're having to redo the pump and going down a lot deeper have you noticed an increase of dryland crops no no increase of dryland crops it's irrigated what else is dry land you mentioned wheat is there dryland cotton in the area no no cotton in this area on the other side of Amarillo down down below Amarillo below we're up about 50 miles north of Amarillo and oil and I had the pleasure of going down to the southern section a few miles south of Amarillo around Hereford black and Vega and we did see some cotton growing down there now that cotton looks a little bit stunted is it dryland cotton that reason a lot of it is dryland cotton yeah are some irrigated but a lot of it is kind of dry land how long have you been a member of NFO about oh 15 months now well we saw NFO and action together and I thought it was a very thrilling experience the convoy to the cattle feeder yeah rain on contract to him have you ever seen anything like that before no I sure haven't this is the first time I've seen the farmer go to some effort to deliver his products straight to the consumer well now without going in between is this in your opinion simply a matter of NFO displaying the fact that when they make a contract by golly they keep it we're going to keep it you're not a kid and we're going to keep it we've got to keep it yes and this is what we're doing right now is delivering on this contract that we had down here at Briona and we're going to if we have to come in from all areas of Texas Oklahoma New Mexico we're going to bring her in and fill her up you're always on the outlook through this area for a new cash crop yeah and when in fact we're standing right now here in a volunteer mustard field yeah we've been experimenting with this haven't you Doyle we're working on trying to find new cash crops new ways of getting a free place in some of these old cash crops sweets pretty well out or seems to be right now we're situation is and maize is in good position but we're looking for things like mustard and some of these things where we can replace on this cash problem get some others back and of course in this area they got sugar beets that they're working on and the boys had a bad time with those this year because of the moisture sugar content went down when the moisture went up yes when we had a lot of rain and leaf spot on the sugar beet now the sugar content those beets went way down where they couldn't hardly harvest pay the harvesting soil to get to your milo production is that accepted practice through this country now to plant three rows well this is one of the ways they were telling us to increase our efficiency and get more production per acre which is a necessity and this is a necessity I kid you not and this is one way I have gone to some of the men have been unsuccessful with three rows and the only reason I don't like it is when it falls I've got problems yes but otherwise I've been able to increase my production with this three row now you have a little bit of a problem over here in one field that we'll show everybody at this time when I planted it I got the middle row down to moisture and it came up early then I got a rain and one side of the roll of the bed came up then I got a good soaking rain and the other side came up so I had three maturity dates which really messed up my harvest real good yes well you're gonna be able to get in there right away good frost here and I'll be able to get in there and get that out what do you think it'll make 910 hundred I'm hoping for now I was hoping for nine thousand but this frost and some of this green bugs and a few things are gonna probably knock it back down I'd be tickled death with seven would you is what ten thousand bushels are ten thousand pounds per acre is this is this up there's a real good crop in this area well it's really too good yeah oh I'd say an average crop is around six thousand it's a good average crop average acres now some men have been able to own the certain acres they know to make the ten thousand and the problem is there are you going to spend too much to try to make this ten thousand are you going to really really spend more money than you're making I'm trouble with this pounds and bushels and yeah hundred weights and all of these figures are pounds here in this area well now over here you have another milo field that is cut very strangely and perhaps you can tell us why well this is my D cap seed field I'm raising seed so that I would with that the men will be planting next year and we have four rows of male and twelve rows of female the female is sterile so we come in and plant it and then we plant the male and it'll cost pollinate and this is what we call a hybrid yeah this is where the hybrid situation comes in and I'm raising this for the DKI Research Institute or company yes do they pay you a premium for this seed yes we get a premium they it's different for the different types of seed they have a different premium on the different types of seed and used to it was on the market price but now they have got a straight price on it well it's real nice of you to have us out of it and it's been a delight to have a good NFO member like you on us farm report well I'm sure glad you came out and come back when you get well we will now through the Amarillo area what is the status quo of NFO is it growing it is growing by leaps and bounds we're going for really going places it took a little while to get a hold and get going but now it's really going Boyle thanks again you're welcome thank you DN Gamblin is another outstanding NFO farmer in the Texas Panhandle region from Sunray, Texas he talked with me about sugar beets it's quite a cultivation process tell us about that there's two two ways of growing beets here there's a double roll which is two rolls on the on the 14th Center and then there's other farmers that use a Tsang old rail system they plant them from about 30 to 32 inches apart on a single roll this field where you've been taking the picture is 32 inch rows there's various types of cultivation practices everybody's got a different slant on it problem is try to control the weeds mechanically as much as possible we've had a hard time doing it this year has this been a as a result of the wetness well that's part of it but these beets normally the ground is the beach are watered up and if you don't get them real early weeds come when the beets come up I see and from that time on it's quite a battle until you get a little shade there now as we look down these rows we can see the effect of the topper the topper has been through here and has taken the tops off yes the topper is a last piece of machinery used before digging it windrows these tops four rows in a in a win row and that's consumed it can't either be picked up with an inch leads cutter and made into insulin or just left dry in the field and cows come in and take it up house field which is a common way in this area now the next step of course in this process of harvesting is the digging and this piece of equipment looks rather complicated but I guess it really isn't is it well there's lots of wear and tear on it there's a lot of job that it does there's lots of moving parts and it works in the dirt [music] irrigation has helped Panhandle farmers men like Doyle Terrell and DN Gamblin to diversify their farming and to produce a greater yield from their land but increased yields and greater efficiency haven't helped these men to get a fair price for their crops which explains the growth of the national farmers organization in the Panhandle area [music] through NFO these progressive farmers and men like them can participate in collective bargaining can block together and sell together and enjoy a better price for their production these Texas Panhandle farmers are very much aware of the fact that in farming today price is the name of the game irrigation has made the difference creating sharp contrast between irrigated wheat and dryland wheat that depends upon the whimsies of mother nature for life-giving moisture [music] bringing water from 400 feet below the surface of the ground is little problem for this extra-large engine powered by natural gas [music] water flow is controlled by gravity [music] priming these pipes is no trick for unexperienced irrigation farmers but for the uninitiated who fell just try it sometime [music] and this precious water makes the land productive capable of producing more milo than in any other part of the country and even some texas-sized carrot yes irrigation has made the difference in the Texas Panhandle one of the most important agricultural areas in the nation today [music] and that's Doyle Terrell one of our fine progressive young NFO farmers and an all-around good fellow it's been a real pleasure having you as our guest today clearance I hope you will come back and appear on our show at a later date it was a privilege bill thank you thank you very much our guest today on US farm report has been mister Clarence Ewert who comes from Mountain Lake Minnesota Clarence is a member of the board of directors of the National Farmers Organization u.s. farm report is seen on this station each week until next time so long everybody [music]