105 880 'THS_ “- 5‘ so: INK A: o-P-r-t-W c M ‘f"?'_\ :-:_ :02 6:11" * w" - ”Jr. ' :-.\.'5.24~5e5~u mam: :. u...- . ; a..“-LL;.§': 'F’fio‘ ~- "3'6 ‘7‘.“ e'fi*7!‘ot.’r.'-..w~ 1.“ HM“? OL-fizufiTiO'mg L.“ Ii°ahi\w:vti:c'fi: «.6 muff, MICZ'fiGAN Thesis for flu Dagm of M. S. Iafii-C‘HiGAN STATE COLLEGE Re bar? Ear! Band-6 T953 J \{ Ml All 3 1293 01093 0125 _ s r This is to certify that the thesis entitled Evaluating Veteran Farm Operations in Menominee County, Michigan I presented by ' l ' Robert Earl Dando ,’ has been accepted towards fulfillment ‘ of the requirements for Wdcgree minimaltnrfl Economics Major professor Date M4953— 0-169 EVALUATING VETERAN TRAINING OPERATIONS IN MENOMINEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN By Robert Earl Dando M A THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Agricultural Economics 1953 THES‘IQ VITA \ Name: Robert Earl Dando, 7685 Duce Road, Yale, Michigan Personal: Born October 1h, 1919 in Auburn, New York. Attended Skaneateles High School in Skaneateles, New York, graduating in June 1938. During my four years of high school and one year of post graduate work, I lived on my grandparents dairy farm. I entered Michigan State College in the fall term of 1939 enrolling in Police Administration. I left school at the end of the spring term in l9hl to enter the armed services. After Spending 51 months in the weather service of the Air Force, both at home and abroad, I was discharged on Novem- ber 13, l9h5. I then re-entered Michigan State College in January l9h6 and changed courses. I received my degree of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a major in dairying in December 19h7. During l9h8 I took graduate work at Michigan State College and abtained a teaching certificate in Vocational agriculture in December l9h8. I entered the teaching profession as a teacher of agric- ulture in a veteran's training program at Stephenson, Michigan where I remained until November 1951. In November 1951, I left Stephenson to teach high school agriculture in the Yale Public Schools at Yale, Michigan wwere I am still employed. I also own and operate a 120 acre dairy farm which is located near $8.18 0 Affiliations: Member of the American Dairy Science Association, Member of h.S.C. Alumni association, During school was member of Dairy club and Agricultural Education club. Member of Michigan Education Association, National Education Association, Michigan Association of Teachers of Vocational Agriculture, and National vocational association. 317488 CONTENTS ITJLITXOLJUC'T‘IOT‘I o o o o e e o o o o o e o 0 Type of farming area . . 80118 o o e o o o o o o o o o o o o o Elevation and tepography . . . . . . . Climate o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 Weather conditions, l9h8 and 19h9 . . Economic conditions . . . . . . . . . "11'1 [fl 11; SO LIEIATJ'S GEI‘IEi—LAL STIXIIUS o e o o o o o 0 Length of time ofl traininv program Net worth 0 o o o e o o .2) o o o o e 0 Establishment in farming . . . . . . . Size of business . . . . . . . . . . . ILS . C O O C O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Farm acreages . . . . . . . . . . . . Acreages of soil types . . . . . . . . Soil management practices . . . . . . CROPS O C O O O O I 0 O O O O O O O 0 0 Kinds of crops . . Acreages of crops . . . . . . . . . . Rotation practices . . . . . . . . . . Types of machinery . . . . . . . . . . Tilleage practices . . . . . . . . . . Crop program 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o LI'V'fi‘L-SlllUCK . O . O O O I O O O O O O O O 7", Lin/x S Kinds and numbers of livestock . . . . Kanagement practices . . . . . . . . . Amount of livestock and farm earnings Dairy sales per cow and farm earnings Productive livestock income factors . PENSE AND EFFICIENCY mACTOhS . . . . . I'Ian labor 0 o o o o O O O O O O O O 0 Power and machinery . . . . . . . . . Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . b‘eed O O I O O O O O O O O O O 0 O 0 O Crops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taxes 0 o o . e e o o e o o o o o o 0 Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . Efficiency factors . . . . . . . . . . UIHTATIY AIVTD E‘VAL UA‘J.‘ I OBI o o o o o o o e o Page \OxO CID-\lU'L-P' ll EVALUATING VETERAN TRAINING OPERATIONS IN MENOMINEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN ROBE T EARL DANDO The 26 veterans, who c00perated in this study, were located in Menominee county, Michigan. The veterans were in training, under the G. I. Bill of Rights, in an insti- tutional on-the-farm training program, located at Stephen- son, Michigan, see page 3. Institutional on-the-farm training programs were es- tablished by the Congress of the United States under pub- lic law 3h6. This provided that veterans of World War II could receive instructional training, while operating their farms. The training program for farm veterans at Stephenson, Michigan, was established on July 1, 19h6 with six vet- erans enrolled. Membership in this training program.grew until in 1950 the program reached its maximum.enrollment of 176 veterans in training at one time. The purpose of this study is to evaluate, (l) finan- cial progress, (2) Advancements in farming operating effic- iency, (3) establishment in farming and (A) value of the G. I. training, over a two year period of the participants in the veteran's agricultural training program.as Stephen- son. The two year period, in this report, started on Jan- uary 1, 19MB and ended on December 31, l9h9 The following objectives with respect to the veteran trainees were expected to result from such a study: 1. Stimulate the veteran to do a better job of farming, thru; a. Increased efficiency in farm operations b. Higher crop yields c. Increased production per cow, sow and hen 2. Increased net worth 3. Higher level of living h. A better appreciation of the value of accurate farm records 5. A better basis for evaluating the veteran's business 6. An improvement of the total farm training program. With these objectives in mind, the farm account books kept by the veterans were collected and summarized. From the assembled data, the high income one-half, the low in- come one-half, and the averages were determined. The pro- cedure used in making the analysis was similar to that used in the preparation of the "Farm Business heports" published by the Agricultural Economics Department of Michigan State College. In a pregram, of this type, there is a continuous change of participants. Older members leave and new member are added. Many veterans either start of discontinue their training program during the year. Therefore, the number of farm records, used in this study for 19h8 and 19h9 is low- er than the total number of veterans participating in this 11. 9.“) 9051.059" PWN!‘ Type of Farming Areas in Michigan mm", mama! Wcm “a m“ -¥ ”14000:": /7 here IRON at." O I’ 1 'x _‘ epherlson 2? Menominee Corn and Livestock Small Grains and Livestock Southwestern Fruit and Truck Crops Poultry, Dairy and Truck Crops Dairy and General Farming Dairy and Cash Crops Dairy, Hay, and Special Crops Beans, Sugar Beets, and Dairy Cattle, Sheep, and Forage Central Potato and Dairy Northern Fruit and Dairy Northern Potato and Dairy General, Self-Sufficing, and Part-Time . Cattle, Potatoes, and Self-Sufficing Cattle, Hay, and Spring Grains . Dairy and Potatoes Potatoes, Dairy, and Part-Time Meanrr actor.» A Alt-urea Has”! \\ /0 ”((05 7A lust Heart”. H Oran n~r 6.91 no r ION/l __/‘-—--"\ ‘HV r |5~unull KM! aunt/v ,__> ILL (an: C l l 8119*! a ro~ INC MAM \ Cums“ LII/N c: IHIIOO j and” l (136 5r Joanav Ill/s], #:5550111 Lunar“ t at! In. (t 02 ~01”. an‘mva ‘ ‘ Ml (nuaL/ACIISCN M34!!! 0' My L M0048 0‘ M1". 00 —— -14- program.during these years. Type pf Farming Area - Menominee County is the south- ernmost county in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This southernly position accompanied by the modifying effects of Lake Michigan, gives Menominee County a longer growing season, than its neighboring counties to the north. These factors greatly influence the farming practices and type of farm organization in this region. The southern part of the county is bounded on the west by Wisconsin and on the east by Green Bay. Menominee County has been classified by the Dapart- ment of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State College, as a Dairy and Potato Area, see page 3. Potatoes no longer are a major crop in the farming program of the farmers in this area. Therefore, at the Stephenson Institute, where the veterans included in-this study were training, the area has been designated as a Dairy and General Farming Area. The 19h5 Report of the Census of Agriculture for Michigan presents the following information regarding the agriculture of Menominee County. The land area of the county is 660,840 acres, of which 300,181 acres were class- ified as land in farms. The land in farms was divided be- tween 2,0h9 farms, with an average size of lho acres per farm. About 32 percent of the land in farms was classed as cropland. Thus, on the average farm, there was about A? : - 5 - acres of land in crops. Approximately 66 percent of the cropland was in forage crops, 23 percent in grain crops, and 11 percent in row crops. The livestock on Menominee County farms is primarily dairy cattle. In l9k5, there were 16,008 milking cows, about 8 per farm, producing approximately 88 million pounds of milk per year. Milk sales gave Menominee farmers an income of $2,247,763 for dairy products. Poultry and egg income was $137,186. All other animal products which in- cluded dairy cattle sales, swine and other miscellaneous animal products provided t68k,115 of the total income. The value of all farm products sold was $3,812,u19, of which 81 percent was from livestock. The sale of milk was 60 percent of all farm products sold, indicating the impor- tance of dairying in Menominee County. .§21l§ - Menominee county is part of a vast outwash plain left by the glaciers. The major land divisions are: (l) The poorly drained soils bordering Green Bay. These low, wet, poorly drained soils make up the Class IV abd Class V land, see page 6. The lowland soils in this area consist largely of Rifle peat. The Rifle peat areas are, for the most part, covered with swamp grass, cedar and tamarack. Some of these low areas have been cleared for Reed canary grass pasture. Very little of bhis low land area is under cultivation, even though the land is Class Class Class Class Class Class Class Class I II III IV V VI VII LAND USE CAPABILITIES CLASSIFICATION - 6 - 1. Land Suitable for Cultivatign .32 Special Problems - Land capable of moderate to high yields of rota- tion crops with no special soil management or erosion control treatment. Moderate Problems Land capable of moderate to high yields of tota- tion crops but requiring some special soil man- agement, or erosion control treatment, or both, because of moderate erosion, susceptibility to moderate erosion, or poor drainage. Severe Problems Land capable of moderate to high yields of rota- tion crops but requiring intensive soil manage- ment measures, or erosion control treatment, or both, because of severe erosion, susceptibility to severe erosion, low inherent soil fertility, droughtyness, or poor drainage. Problems Limit Cultivation Land low in inherent fertility, severely eroded or poorly drained on which moderate to high yields of intertilled crops cannot be maintained. Best suited for grass and legumes. 2. Land Not Suited for Cultivation .32 Special Problems Land which if maintained in permanent grass or woodland requires no special restrictions in use. Moderate Problems Land which because of slope, erosion, shallow soil, stone content or other limiting physical factors requires moderate restrictions in use even though maintained in grass or woodland. Severe Problems Land which because of slope, erosion, shallow soil, stone content or other limiting physical factors requires severe restrictions in use even though maintained in grass or woodland. VIII Lots, roads, strip mines, gravel bars, sloughs, or areas not suited to general agricultural use nor adapted to utilization for domestic plants or animals. a 7 - cleared, since the use of machinery in the Spring is not possible. (2) the bottom lands along the Menominee River are largely rolling sandy loam soils. These sandy loam areas are largely Onoway fine sandy loam. The bottom lands slong the river and the sandy loams bordering the bottom lands are quite droughty. These areas make up the Class II and Class III land. The droughty nature of these light, quick draining sandy loams creates an acid condition in the soil sue to the loss of calcium by leaching. Applications of lime in this area have proven to be very beneficial and necessary for such a crop as alfalfa. (3) The central rolling uplands are the agricultur- ally important areas while the others are given over pri- marily to forests and recreation. These level to rolling well drained loams make up the Class I farming land. The major protion of this loam area is classed as Onoway loam. The upland loams have shown little indication of needing lime. Elevation and Tgpography - The average elevation of Menominee County is 775 feet above sea level. The lowest levels are along the Green Bay shore and the Menominee River. The mean sea level elevation at tLe Green Bay shore is 580 feet. The land rises gently toward the center of the county forming a natural divide, which extends north and south through the county. The central upland areas rise - 8 - from slightly above lake level to a peak near Powers in the north central part of the county. Some of the highest ele- vations are slightly over 1,000 feet above sea level. The eskers and drumlins, which make up the rolling uplands, lie in a north-easterly and south-westerly direction and extend from one-fourth mile to one mile in length and vary in width from 20 to 160 rods. Climate - Menominee County, over a period of 30 years, had a mean winter temperature of about 19 degrees above zero Fahrenheit, and a minimum temperature record of near 27 degrees below zero. The mean summer temperature is 66 degrees Fahrenheit, with maximum temperatures about 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual temperature difference be- tween the southern end of the county and the northern end is three or four degrees. The mean annual temperature in Menominee County is 43 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation is 33 inches. The heav- iest precipitation is during the summer months and the lightest during the winter months. The mean annual snow depth varied considerably, being M3 inches at Menominee and 66 inches at Powers. The prevailing winds are from the north-west in win- ter and from the south-west in summer. The average date of the last killing frost in the spring is June 8, and the average date of the first killing frost in the fall is September 26. The length of the growing season averages - 9 - 114 days, varying from about 120 days at Menominee to about 90 days at Powers. Weather Conditions, 1948-1949 - During 1948 the sum- mer growing season at Stephenson extended from June 9 to October 3, giving the farmers in this region a 114 day growing season between the two killing frosts. The mean summer temperature was 67 degrees Fahrenheit, and the an- nual rainfall was 27 inches. During 1949 the summer growing season extended from June 8 to September 24. The mean summer temperature was 66 degrees Fahrenheit, with an annual rainfall of 29 in- ches. During both 1948 and 1949 the rainfall was below the 30 year normal, with 1948 being 5.67 inches below normal and 1949 being 3.48 inches below normal. Also during both years the late summer growing season was rather droughty. Economic Factors - As stated above, the major source of farm income in this region is from the sale of milk. Approximately 50 of the 2,049 farmers of Menominee County are fortunate enough to find an outlet for their milk at nearby whole milk distributing plants. Since these milk plants sell their products locally, the number of farmers who can enjoy the premium price for market milk is restri- cted. Most of the milk produced in the county is sold at 1 local cheese factories and the local condensery plant. The condensery and cheese factories have maintained the price of milk within one cent a pound of butterfat of - 10 - each other, based on the price of butter at Chicago. 0f the 26 veterans, who cooperated in this study, none are selling their milk at the whole milk market. Five are sell- ing their milk to the condensery and the rest to various cheese factories. The majority of grain and forage crops produced in the county are marketed through dairy cattle. A small a- mount of grain is marketed through swine and poultry. The small amount of grain and forage sold as chas crOps are \. ‘- sold locally, during the late winter, to neighboring far- mers, who have run out of their home-grown feeds. - 11 - VETERAN'S GENEAAL STATUS Length pf Timg g§.ngg£gm - The veterans, who coop- erated in this report, had been farming only a short len- gth of time. One veteran had been Operating his farm for a period of four years prior to this report. He is a dis- abled veteran who was discharged before the general demo- bilization of the armed services in 1946. Another veteran obtained his farm less than one month prior to this report. The average period of time that these veterans had been operating their farms is one year and ten months, see table 1. Table l - The number of years that the farms were oper- ated by the 26 veterans in Menominee County, included in this report, as of January 1, 1948, the starting date of this study. Years on farm Number of veterans 4 l 3 3 2 14 l 6 O 2 47 TOTAL ' 26 1.8 Average number of years XE 22 Average number of months XX The veterans training program was established in Stephenson on July 1, 1946 with five veterans. Four of the original trainees cooperated in this study and have had one year and six months training. Eight of the veterans began training on January 1, 1948. The average length on time in training by the entire group, as of January 1, 1948 was 8.4 months, as shown in table 2. -12.. Table 2 - Months of "On-Farm" training of 26 veterans in Menominee County at the start of this study, as of Jan- uary l, 1948 Months of "On-Farm" Number of training veterans 0 - 3 8 4 - 6 2 7 - 9 3 10 - 12 7 l3 - 15 O f 16-19 6 TOTAL 26 8.4 Average number of months per veteran -q-u-uh —‘-. Net Worth - The net worth of the 26 veterans, as of January 1, 1948, averaged $6,332. The highest net worth statement was $16,371, while the lowest was @670. This indicates a range of over $15,000. The Tu,000 to $5,000 range had the greatest number of veterans in net worth vatue. Table 3, shows the general distribution of net worth of the 26 veterans. The highest net worth statement, as of December 31, 1949, was $21,034, while the lowest was 41,305. In no case did the net worth of any veteran decrease during the two- year period covered in this study. Table 3, also shows the general distribution of net worth at the end of 1949. As shown in table 3, the average net worth increased about 42,500. The average net worth in December 1949 was $8,794. Some of these veterans showed a substantial increase in net worth. The majority showed an increase in net worth from 91,000 to t3,000. Table 4 gives the general distri- - 13 _ bution of increases in net worth during the two-year per- iod covered in the report. Table 3 - Distribution of net worth of 26 veterans located in Menominee County, January 1, 1948 and December 31, 1949 Number of veterans Net worth January 1, l948l December 31, 1949 4 $15,001 and above 2 3 $12,001 to $15,000 0 3 A 9,001 to p12,000 4 4 p 6,001 to T 9,000 6 10 T 3,001 to t 6,000 9 3 $ 3,000 or below 5 3 Average net worth $6,332 h8,794 Table 4 - Increases in net worth of 26 veyerans located in Menominee County, Michigan between January 1, 1948 and December 31, 1949 Increases Number of veterans $5,001 to $6,000 p4,001 to $5,000 $3,001 to $4,000 42,001 to 43,000 $1.001 to s2,000 h1,000 or below ¥TGHT$TFHD Total 26 The veteran with the greatest change in net worth had an increase of h5,923. The veteran with the least change had an increase of only @258. The veteran with the lowest net worth, at the beginning of this study, remained the lowest and showed an increase of only @635. The veteran with the highest net worth at the beginning of this study also remained the highest and showed an increase of p4,663. - 1h _ Establishment in Farming - Twenty of the veterans in this study were Operating farms which they purchased since their discharge from the military services. Three of the farms were cash purchases, 7 were local bank mortgages, 3 were government loans, 3 were parent held mortgages and 4 were Farmers Home Administration loans. Five of the veter- ans were operating family farms as partners with their par- ents. One veteran was cash renting. The status of owner- ship changed very little during the two year period. One veteran increased his partnership from a one—third son and two-thirds father to a 50-50 crop livestock share partner- ship with his father. Sigg‘gf Business - Table 5 shows the size of the farm business for the 26 veterans, who were cooperating in this study. The land acreage of these farms remained constant during the two year period covered in this study. The cap- ital investment changed from $8,666 on January 1, 1948 to $11,315 on December 31, 1949, an increase of $2,649 for ' the two-year period. Annual gross incomes as well as total eXpenses increased slightly during the two-year period. The productive man work units per farm increased consider- ably as did the productive man work units per man. However these figures are still below the average of 405 per farm for well established and efficiently operated farms in the area (area 16). Gross incomes during 1948 ranged from 56,638 down to - 15 - @545. During 1949 the range of income was from u7,476 down to $791. The high income was on different farms each year. Table 5 - Size of business on 26 veterans farms located in Menominee Ccunty, Michigan, 1948 and 1949 Item 1948 1949 Acres: Total 158 158 Tillable ‘ 61 _ 61 Capital investment (less house) $8,666 $9,729 Gross income y2,887 $3.253 Total EXpenses * h3.287 T3.597 Productive man work units 175 2 l Productive man work units per man 135 185 * Includes operator's labor but not interest on investment Total eXpenses, which include a charge for the oper- ator's labor, during 1948 ranged from Ql,575 to 96,083. In 1949 expenses ranged from 91,349 to $6,993. The high in- come farm did not have the highest eXpenses during 1948 but did during 1949. The low income farms had the lowest expenses each year. From the standpoint of the amount of productive work available on these farms, the farm with the highest number of units for both years had 384 units in 1948 and 457 units in11949. The lowest farm in this respect for both years had only 37 units in 1948 and 61 units in 1949. The largest farm had 560 acres of land with 175 acres under cultivation. The smallest farm had only 40 acres of land with 35 under cultivation. However, the farm with the least number of acres under cultivation had only nine acres tillable. One might say, that a farm with only 9 acres under -16.. cultivation, should not even be classed as a commercial farm. However, this farm had a herd of five milking cows and the veteran had a sizable income from the sale of woodland products, while in the process of clearing land for future use. The largest farm from the standpoint of capital in- vestment, on January 1, 1948 was 916,909. Another veteran increased more than the one stated above and by the end of 1949 had a capital investment of $21,518. The veteran with the least capital investment had only @670 at the begin- ing of 1948 but increased to $1,305 by the end of 1949. This veteran was renting and his only equity in the farm was the inventory of crops grown on the farm he was oper- ating. - 17 _ SOILS Farm Acreages - The total land area, of the 26 farms included in this report, is 4,101 acres. The range of to- tal acreages per farm is from 40 to 560 acres. The tillable acreages per farm range from 9 to 175. Acreages 2f Soil Classes - Using the land use class- ification chart, on page 6, as a guide in determining the soil types, about one-fifth of the land, on the 26 farms in this report, was in Class I. The following table shows the acreages of land found in the various classes and the percentage of the total land of these farms in each class. Table 6 - Land classification, acreages and percentages, on 26 veteran's farms in Menominee County Land class Acreages Percentages Class I 901 22 Class II 1,070 26 Class III 406 10 Class IV 130 3 Class V 1,594 39 Total 4,101 10v . r . :2. ' o\. 8011 hanagement Practices - A sound soil management program, which\results in high crOp yields, is good busi- ness. Although Farmers in general use commercial fertil- izers, lime, green manure crops, etc., most of them have not reached the maximum.possibility in soil and crop im- provement. This is particularly true of many veterans who have taken over farms on which the soils are greatly de- pleted of minerals and organic matter. - 13 - Table 7, shows the relation of income on 25 veterans farms to the soil managmment practices used on their farms. In general, the high income farms had larger percentages of tillable land in legumes. The high income farms also used more fertilizer per acre of tillable land. It also might be noted that the high income farms planted only alfalfa in 1949. Table 7 - Soil management practices, on 26 veteran's farms located in Menominee County, 1948 and 1949 Item % of tillable acres: Manured, barnyard Manured, green Seeded, alfalfa * Seeded, clover In legumes _ In sod crops Fertilizer used per tillable acre ." v. as.“ I I. ’n Low Average High income 1/2 all farms income 1/2 1948 1949 1948 1949 1948 1949 l3 l3 13 13 13 13 3 8 3 6 2 4 12 13 14 18 16 22 17 2 15 l 12 O 10 18 8 19 6 2O 58 53 57 59 56 57 62.1syt2.75 $2.41 $2.88 $2.69 $3.03 * Percentage of crops planted during accounting year *% Percentage of crops established prior to current year _ 19 - CROPS fiigdg g; Eggpg - As indicated, on page 5 of this re- port, dairying is the major type of farming in.Menominee County. The crops grown in this county are primarily corn, oats and forage. Potatoes, which have been a leading cash crop in the county, have declined considerably during the past decade. On the veteran's farms, in this report, pota- toes average less than one percent of the total cropland. The remaining cropland is given over to minor crops, such as barley, wheat and sugar beets. Acreages gf‘gggpg - Acreages of individual creps var- ied greatly from farm to farm. The average of the 26 farms in this report remained fairly constant during the two years covered. Forage crOps occupied 57 percent of the tillable land in 1948 and 59 percent of the tillable land in 1949. Table 8 shows the total acreages of tillable land in various crOps for the two year period. Included in this table is the percent of tillable acres for the crops. Table 8 - Acreages and percentages of various crOps on 26 veteran's farms, located in Menominee County 1948 1949 Item Acres % of total Acres % of total Tillable land, total 1,585 100 1,578 100 hay and pasture 898 57 943 59 Alfalfa hay 121 8 255 16 Other hay 490 31 400 25 Tillable pasture 287 18 288 18 Corn: Silage 119 8 120 8 Grain 31 2 46 3 Oats 415 26 390 25 Other crops 122 7 79 5 _ 20 - The most significant factor, shown in table 8, is the increase in alfalfa. The table indicates that the acreage of land in alfalfa in 1949 was double the amount grown in 1948. As indicated, the major portion of the increase in alfalfa resulted in a decrease of other hay crops. It may be bcted, also, that a considerable part of the increase in alfalfa came from a substantial decrease in other crops, which were the minor crops grown in the area. Also, a one percent decrease in the acreage of oats was balanced by an increase of one percent in the acreage of cron grown for grain. Rotation Practices - The principal crop rotation, on all of the 26 veteran's farms, was a five year rotation. The rotation consisted of corn followed by oats then seed- ed to forage for three years. The third year in forage was used primarily for pasture. Five of the farms raised wheat and barley in place of oats and three farms raised pota- toes in addition to corn and followed the potatoes with wheat. Types 2: Machinery - Each of the 26 farms in this re- port had a tractor, a tractor plow, a mower, a side-deliv- ery rake, a hay loader and wagon. Eighteen of the farms had a tractor disc. Spring tooth harrows were found on 21 farms. Of the 26 farms, only two had grain combines. One farm had a field chopper. - 21 - Tillagg Practices - The common practice of plowing, on the farms covered in this report, was to fall plow the row crop land in the fall. The ground was allowed to re- main open over winter and, in the spring, the land plant- ed to a grain crop. Sod land was generally plowed in the spring and planted to cron. New ground, which was cleared of timber in the winter was often plowed and planted to corn in the Spring. Since Spring wheat was grown rather than winter wheat, forage seedings were planted with the grain crops. Crop Program - Crop yields were higher during 1949 than during 1948. AlfaIfa yields increased substantially from 0.9 tons per acre in 1948 to 1.5 tons per acre in 1949. Oat yields averaged 33 bushels per acre in 1948 and increased to 41 bushels per acre in 1949. Although acre- ages were small, potatoes increased over 100 bushels per acre from 1948 to 1949. Table 9, shows the crOpping program for the 26 farms for 1948 and 1949. Crop incomes increased more than $100 per farm from 1948 to 1949. The low income farms in 1948 showed a loss in crop income while the high income farms had crop incomes of t1,ooo. The amount of tillable land remained constant for the two year period. The percent of tillable land in hay and pasture increased slightly in 1949 while the percent of tillable land in legumes increas- ed markedly, from 8 percent in 1948 to 19 percent in 1949. -22... Table 9 - CrOp income program on 26 veteran's farms in Menominee County, 1948 and 1949 1/2 low Average 1/2 high Item y__ingome all farmgl inco e 1948'1949 1948 1949 1948] 1949 Number of fanms l3 - 13 ~ 26 _ 26 l3 13 Value land per til acre $ 35 8 41 8 36 $ 37 8 38 8 34 Acres tillable land 65 51 61 61 57 70 Percent tillable land in: Hay and pasture 59 61 57 59 54 57 Legumes % lO 8 l9 13 26 Hay: alfalfa 3 18 8 l6 13 15 other 34 27 31 25 27 23 Pasture, tillable 22 16 18 18 14 19 Corn: silage 9 7 8 8 5 8 grain 3 2 2 3 1L 4 Oats 23 27 26 25 3o 23 Barley - 1 1 1 2 2 Wheat, spring 1 2 l 2 l 2 Potatoes - - - - l 1 Other crops 5 - 5 2 6 3 Yields: Alfalfa hay tons 1.0 1.4 0.9 1.5 0.9 1.7 Other hay tons 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.6 l.%1 1.9 Corn silage tons 8.9 10.3 8.5 9.9 7. 9.6 Oats bu. 28 36 3 41 38 45 Barley bu. 25 20 2 31 28 35 Wheat bu. 17 12 2 20 21 25 Potatoes bu. 350 - 26 382 242 382 Crop yeiad index , 96 86 ”10 .100 . 107 ‘ lll Crop sales & PMA payments .6 26 t 60 s21 #26? 8 395 g 473 Crop income 481142 8 75 $429 $597 '1000 ‘1120 Feed bpught $ 814 $356 $35 $437 303 8 517 As stated above, an increase in production accompanied the increase in the acreage, especially in alfalfa. The in- crease of alfalfa was offset by a correSponding decrease in other hay. The increase in the crOp income and crOp yields was accompanied by increased purchases of feed for live- stock. This indicates an increase in the amount of feed being used for livestock on the veterans farms. -23.. Table 10 - Relation of crop yields to farm earnings an 26 veteran's farms, Hencminee County, 1948 and 1949 1/2 low Average 1/2 high Item income all farms income _*_ 1948 1949 1948 1949 1948 1949 Number of farms 13 13 26 26 13 13 Crop yield index 77 83 100 100 111 123 Tillable acres . 67 59 61 61 55 63 Crop income w288 $337 4429 $597 6571 $858 Labor income A 92 8309 8323 p505 «Shh @701 g‘Crop yields were generally higher in 1949 than in 1948; Table 10 indicates that the 26 veterans cooperating in this report improved their cropping programs, during the two year period. The crop yield index shows a substan- tial increase of both the low income group and the high in- come group from 1948 to 1949. Crop incomes were higher in 1949 for all groups. CrOp incomes increased, on the average 9168 from 1948 to 1949. Labor incomes increased @182. As table 10 indicates, increased crop yields do bring higher 1110 OMG S o -24- LIVESTOCK Kinds and Numbers_gf Livestock - The availability of nearby markets and the kinds of crops adapted to a region generally determines the kinds of livestock found in any I area. Table 11 - Kinds and numbers of livestock on 26 veteran's farms in Menominee County, 1948 and 1949 Number of Average Kinds of livestock farms with per farm livestock 1948 1949 1948 1949 Dairy cows: total 23 24 6.4 7.4 Guernsey 3 3 0.6 0.6 Holstein-Friesian 19 20 5.6 6.6 Jersey 1 l 002 002 Sows 14 15 0.3 0.4 Hens ll 13 17.0 21.7 Horses 9 " 4 0.5 0.3 Table 11 indicates the kinds and numbers of livestock on the 26 farms used in this report. None of the farms had beef cattle or sheep, during the two year period covered. Horses showed a sharp decline from 1948 to 1949. Of the 9 farms reporting horses in 1948 only two of the farms had horses as a major source of power for the farm work. In 1949, only one farm had horses as a major source of power for farm work. Swine and poultry were primarily used as a source of food for the family. One farm raised swine for cash income and two farms used poultry and eggs as a source of cash in- come a Dairying was the most important livestock enterprise, as shown in table 11. Only three breeds of dairy cattle were reported. These were Holstein-Friesian, Guernsey and Jersey. Of these three breeds, the Holstein-Friesian were outstanding in numbers and farms reporting. ianagement Practices - All of the 26 veterans who co- operated in this report used a stancheon type dairy barn. Two of the veterans milked their cows by hand during the two year period, while the remaining 24 veterans used mechanical milkers. Four of the veterans did not have a source of water supply in their barns. All veterans, how- ever, had electric power and lights in the dairy barns. All of the 26 veterans were feeding their cows a- ccording to the production of the cow. however, some vet- erans were feeding as high as one pound of grain mixture to each three pounds of milk, while others were feeding as low as one pound of grain to each seven pounds of milk produced. Amount 2; Livestock and Farm Earnings - Generally speaking, farm earnings in this region increase when the amount of livestock kept on the farm increases. Likewise, the higher the amount of livestock kept per tillable acre the higher the income of the farm. During 1948, two of the 26 veterans did not have any livestock on their farms. However, during 1949, all of the 26 veterans had livestock on their farms. - 26 - Table 12 - Amount of livestock and farm earnings on 26 veteran's farms in Menominee County, 1948 and 1949 1/2 least Average 1/2 most Item livestock all farms livestock 1948 1949 1948 1949 1948 1949 Number of farms 12 13 24 26 12 13 P.A.U. * 5.5 6.1 10.1 10.8 14.7 15.6 T.A. per P.A.U. 9.4 6.4 6.1 5.5 4.9 5.2 Tillable acres 51 39 62 61 73 82 P.M.W.U. ** 120 180 185 241 250 301 Dairy cows, number .3.4 4.5 V6.9 7.3 10.3 10.1 Feed bought 826 8231 438 8436 8516 8642 Labor income 8155 8424 $333 $505 $510 $586 * Productive animal units ** Productive man work units Table 12 shows that the farms, with the most livestock had higher incomes than those with very few numbers of livestock. In 1948, the farms with the most livestock had labor incomes about 3.3 times more than the farms with the least livestock. The feed costs, however, were only two times more on the farms with the most livestock. The var- iations in incomes was not as significant in 1949 as in 1948. Dairy Sales Per Cow and Farm E rnin s - Since dairy- ing is the major farm income enterprise on these veteran's farms, the dairy sales should be a determining factor in obtaining the total farm earnings. Perhaps it should be stated, at this time, that the average price of butterfat, during 1948, averaged about 40 cents a pound more than in 1949. One of the veterans, - 27 - who cooperated in this report, sold 88,237 pounds of milk in 1948 giving him total dairy sales of 43,556. In 1949, this same veteran sold 98,882 pounds of milk and received only 82,619. Table 13 illustrates the dollar decrease in milk sales during 1949. The labor incomes during 1949, however, were still higher than in 1948. The higher aver- age labor income was due primarily to the increased crop income on the veteran's farms as shown in table 10. Table 13 - Dairy sales per cow and farm earnings on 26 veteran's farms in Menominee County, 1948 and 1949 Dairy products sales per cow * Item Lowest 1/2 Average Highest 1/2 1348 1949 1948 1949 1948 1949 Number of farms 12 12 24 26 l2 l3 Tillable acres 51 61 61 61 73 61 Til. acres per P.A.U. 5.2 6.1 6.2 5.6 7.0 5.0 Prod. man work units 18 252 186 241 190 229 Number of cows 7.3 7.1 6.9 8.4 6.3 9.7 Dairy sales, total t1428 81188 @1768 41535 82109 81882 Dairy sales per cow 8 194 w 167 p 257 p 182 p 330 p 194 Pounds of milk sold 38691 43413 45783 53299 52874 63184 Pounds milk sold/cow '5246 .6095 6655 6331 ‘8283 _6504 Feed bought 8 338 8 296 8 388 8 436 8 494 8 577 Labor income 34* 383154 390 4. 333 w 505 ii» 283 '4 619 % Range: 1948-low 250 and under, 1949-low 200 and under Productive livestock Income Factors - Investments in livestock, during 1949 averaged higher than in 1948. The livestock incomes per tillable acre were higher in 1949. Also, total productive livestock incomes were high- er in 1949 than in 1948. However, as stated previously, dairy products sales were lower in 1349 than in 1948. -23- although the pounds of milk sold per cow were greater. The sale of dairy cattle was higher in 1949, which aided in balancing the loss in dairy products sales. This factor is shown in table 14. Swine numbers increased slightly during 1949 over 1948 as did the pigs weaned per litter. However, hog in- come totals were lower in 1949. Table 14 indicates that farms, with the least total productive livestock incomes, had a substantial increase in hog incomes from 1948 to 1949. This was due to the fact that more of the pigs were kept on the farm until large enough to sell as fat hogs. The numbers of laying hens per farm remained fairly constant during the two year period. Egg sales per hen showed substantial increases from 1948 to 1949. Poultry meat incomes increased markedly in 1949 with an increase of over 100 percent. 0N0 3 mmm 00m M033 m3 3: 3 30303 3030033 0333303 03m3 3 00 0 003 3 m , 0 3 0303 303 030033 300: m0: mm3 0mm 0 3 mm 3 00 3 3303 300 00300 000 mm. 03 30.m3 mm.m3 Mm. .m3 03.33 00.33 303 300 00300 003 :3 0m 03 NH mm wnappommm 2303 300 mcmm 0: N: .mm m: 0m 0m wnfippomoh memwm mo & "unpasom mm33 0mm3 mm33 mm33 0333 m3 3 2303 303 030033 0 N 0 3 0 3 30333H pom vmcwoz 0030 0.0 0.0 m.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2300 300 00303303 0303333 0.0 m.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 0.0 wdflpmommp £303 300 mzom :m mp 00 0m m3 0m wcfippogmp 0830M mo fl ”0000 00mm 0030 N030 0000 00mm 3M0: 300 303 003300 "0300 333: 0003 _ 3003 0003 03m3 30m3 mmm3 3303 303 030033 033300 003m3 330m3 m0033 00033 00033 M00 3 03000033 33300 2303 303 00300 3mm3 00m3 0om3 0mm3 m033 0033 03000030 33300 .300 303 00300 m. 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 i. 0 j. : mafipmommm E303 300 0300 003 003 00 003 m0 003 033330303 03303 30 3 "033300 mm. 0003 33.m33 00.033 no.3m3 m0.0m3 mm.mm3 .0.3 303 030033 300300333 .0033 0.0 3.0 3.0 0.0 0.0 .0.0.3 300 00300 .333 m. 33 0.03 m.a3 3.03 0.3 0.0 03330 303330 0333000033 00033 03033 0mm33 mmm33 30m33 m303 3303300333 300300333 0333030033 m3 m3 mm m3 m3 03303 30 303302 0303 0303 0303 0303 0303 0:03 oEooGH mahwm Ham . oEooGa EopH . 3033 m\3 0003030 :03 m\3 . hpcdoo omcfieocmz £3 08303 0303030» 0N do moEoocH 300300333 0333030033 . 33 03303 - 3o - EXPENSE ARD EFFICIENCY FACTORS Man Labor - The average number of men per farm on the 26 farms in this report was 1.3. As indicated in table 15 the hired labor was very low, showing that most of the lab- or on the 26 veteran's farms was supplied by the veteran and a member of his family. Man labor costs per tillable a acre remained fairly stable for the two year period. Hired labor averaged less than 0100 per farm. Power and fiachinery - Investments in machinery and equipment was about 30 percent higher in 19h? than in 19u8. The high income farms had machinery investments below that of the low income farms indicating that the low income farms might have been more profitable if the veterans had invested more capital in productive livestock than in the non-productive equipment. Consequently, the annual cost of equipment ran higher on the low income farms. Machinery expenses during 1948 averaged 3636 and during 1948 eXpense averaged 0753. Improvements - Improvement investments were about the same during the two years of this report. The investment in buildings was about the same for both high and low in- come groups. Improvement annual eXpenses were 0192 in 19h8 and increased slightly in 19h? to $2hh. Many new im- provements were being made on the veteran's houses but the dwelling of the operator is not included in the farm business. - 31 _ Table 15 - Expenses on 26 veteran‘s farms located in Men- ominee County for the year l9u8 Lowest Average Highest Item. income all income 1/2 farms 1/2 Number of farms 13 26 13 Tillable acres 63 ' 61 S9 Gross income $2, 302 62887 f3,uhh. Gross income per til. acre @37oh6 $47.36 .58.60 Total expenses per Til. acre ‘54. 05 653.92 $53.79 Total eXpenses * 3 41h $3,287 $3,161 Man labor: Number of men l.h 1.3 1.2 Prod. man work units per man l2u ' 135 1&8 Hired fi 70 6 83 $ 95 Family 328 6 265 w 203 Operators T1: 200 1,200 ”1,200 Man labor cost per til. acre W25. 30 25. 39 t25.h9 Power and Machinery: . . Investment 2,337 $1,858 $1,379 Annual expense ‘ 720 fi 636 W 553 Expense per til. acre 611.0 $10.uu t 9.u1 Improvements: Investment (less house) p2, 317 $2,126 ”1,936 Investment per animal unit 6 2&5 # 229 ‘“ 212 Annual expense ” 193 6 192 t 192 Expense per til. acre ‘ 3.06 t 3.09 e 3.27 Feed bought: total ‘ 372 t 358 t 3u5 Per tillable acre ‘ 5.89 t 5.89 W 5.86 Crop expense: total 6 365 6 379 fi 392 Per tillable acre t 5.78 6 6.21 6 6.67 Taxes: total 6 3n t 35 6 36 Per tillable acre t 0.5u e 0.57 t 0,61 Other expenses: total 6 107 $ lhO y 173 Per tillable acre 6 1.69 t 2.29 @ 2.9h * Includes operator's labor charge but not interest on investment -32- Table 16 - Expenses on 26 veteran's farms located in Men- ominee County for the year 1969 Lowest Average Highest Item income all income, 1/2 farms 1/2 Number of farms 13 26 13 Tillable acres 57 61 . 6h Gross income 62, 82M 63, 253 63,681 Gross income per til. acre 669. 61 653. 59 657.31 Total eXpenses per til. acre 66A. 97 59.27 656.19 Total expenses * 63,713 3 597 '3,u8l Man labor: Number of men 1.3 1.3 1.3 Prod. man work units per man ' 189 . 185 u 176 Hired 6 no 6 67 6 53 Family 6 258 6 305 6 351 Operator's 61, 200 61, 200 61, 200 Man labor cost per til. acre 627. 57 625.56 626. 97 Power and Machinery: Investment 62,726 62,655 62,186 Annual expense 6 819 6 686 expense per til acre “16.36 612. 60 610. 68 Improvements: ‘ Investment (less house) 62, 052 "2,092 32,132 Investment per animal unit 6 182 f 192 ‘ 203 Annual eXpense 6 306 6 2 6 182 Expense per til. acre 65 .35 6 6.02 6 2.83 Feed bought: total 6 387 6 633 6 686 Per tillable acre 6 6.77 6 7.19 6 7.57 Crop expense: total 6 356 6 3M7 6 339 Per tillable acre 6 6.22 6 5.72 6 5.27 Taxes: total 6 37 3 So 6 63 Per tillable acre 6 0.66 6 0.82 ' 0.97 Other expenses: total 6 217 6 178' 6 160 Per tillable acre 6 3.80 6 2.96 6 2.17 * Includes operator's labor charge but not interest on investment - 33 - £326 - Feed costs continued to rise during the two year period with feed costs during 1969 being about 6100 higher than in 1968. During 1968 the low income farms pur- chased more feed than the high income farms, while in 1969 the high income farms purchased more feed. Lower feed costs do not always mean more profits. ngpg - Crop expenses on the 26 farms in this report ran higher in 1968 than in 1969. With more land being put into hay and pasture crops, less land is being used for the higher cost grain and row crOps. Likewise, during 1969 four of the 26 veterans were planning on using grass sil- age in 1950 and left more land in forage and prepaired less acreages for corn. lggggg - In Menominee County the property taxes are very low. The low assesment of farm preperty made the taxes on the 26 veterans farms a small item in their total eXpenses. Taxes were higher in 1969 than in 1968. Miscellaneous - Miscellaneous eXpenses included such items as the farm share of electricity, farm papers, dog licenses, medicine for livestock, breeding fees, livestock or crop losses and interest. These other expenses were slightly higher in 1969 than in 1968. The high income farms in 1968 had the higher expenses, while in 1969 the low in- come farms had the higher miscellaneous eXpenses. Efficiency Factors - The productive men work units per man increased on the 26 farms in this report from 1968 -3LL- to 1949. The same number of men were resorted both years indicating an increase in the amount of productive work being accomplished be each veteran on his farm. In spite of the lower price of milk in l9h9, farm incomes increas- ed during 19h9. Ex,enses also increased. The high income farm, however, during both years, showed gross incomes per tillable acre that were higher than their expenses per tillable acre. High income farms showed more profits with lower machinery Operating eXpenses. Tiis was also true for their annual exbanses in their improvements. EVALUATING V;TELAN ThAINING OPShATIONS IN MENUMINEB COUNTY, MICHIGAN by Robert Earl Dando * * % ABSThACT % * % The 26 veterans who cooperated in this study w,re lo- cated in Menominee County, Michigan. They were enrollees in an institutional on-the-farm training program. All 26 veterans were receiving their training under the G.I. Bill of Rights. As of January 1, 19h8, the beginning date of this re- port, these veterans had been in training 22 months. Twenty of the 26 veterans were operating farms owned by them. The net worth of these veterans, at the beginning of the study was $6,332 and increased to g8,79h by the end of the two year period. Although not indicated in this report, capital debts were being retired at an average rate of @600 per farm per year. The average size of farm of the 26 veterans was 158 acres total, with 61 acres tillable. The major crops were forage, corn and oats. The major livestock enterprise was dairying with and average of 7 cows per farm. After each veteran's account book had been summarized the veteran was contacted and his progress shcwn to him. The strong and weak points of the farm business were also pointed out to each veteran. -36.. the veteran was contacted and his progress shown to him. The strong and weak points of the farm business weye also pointed out to each veteran as an instructional instrument to aid in improving the farm business and level of living. The increase in the use of alfalfa in place of other sod crOps and many other items showing increases during this study indicates that the training which the veterans were receiving was being put to use in a practical way on their farms. This study indicates that crop yields were improving and livestock production was also improving. the fact that capital debts are being retired and net worth be- ing increased each year, these 26 veterans were becoming more established in farming as each year indicated. 391654. Ar 30 '5! 3““ L0 58 ‘ RBOM USE mm . 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