LEl'i iCe- ;0 ACRES ClOvEK 

 _^20 TON$ of tIMESrONE + 5 COWS 

 PER ACB.E " 



THE soil conservation program is 

 fast developing into a battle of 

 the lead pencils. P'igures are go- 

 ing round and around and where and 

 when they come out is something that 

 promises to make a lot of grey hairs 

 between now and next fall. Wherever 

 you see two lieads together nowadays, 

 you hear such straiis»e words as '"soil- 

 depletinu." ■suij-huildnii;." "earned 

 payments." ""litM.") I);is(\"" ""new soedins;." 

 "oats clippint;," "siiil consetvum" and a 

 'ot of others. 



The "siiDpltficti" aoreaiie adjust ir.cnt 

 program has dc'vekiped some cdiniiliia- 

 tions. And wliile tlic principles m the 

 new promam are not hard to under- 

 stand, their application to all manner 

 and methods of farming leads to tnany 

 situations rec^uiring special interpreta- 

 tions and riilmss hv the povvt-rs that 

 be. 



Estimatis of many farm advisers and 

 county committeemen made shortly 

 after the program was launched indi- 

 cated 80 to 90 per cent performance 

 or co-operation in many counties. A 

 trip through the corn belt, dairy and 

 livestock counties during mid-April 

 revealed much interest but apparently 

 little knowledge among farmers of the 

 program. 



Those interviewed were generally 

 disposed to co-operate wherever they 

 could without too- drastic a .shift in 

 1936 plans. A substantial number have 

 already made the shift from corn and 

 small grain to clover, alfalfa and grass. 

 Such farmers will have little difficulty 

 in qualifying for payments. In fact, 

 some will n()t be required to shift their 

 plans at all to come within the maxi- 

 mum 1.5 per cent reduction of soil- 

 depleting crops for which Class I |Xiy- 

 -Tients are made. 



But others, particularly m -ii-am- 

 producinu coimlies like I.ivinuslon. 

 Ford. Grundv-. Iro(jUois iiavr a more 

 difficult choiec. Ill these counties it is 

 not uncomjv.on to put 8.") to !tO per cent 

 of ;he latnl under cultivation in corn. 

 small grain and soybcnins. Much of this 

 land needs liming. Most of it is oc- 

 cupied by tenants often owned by ab- 

 sentee landlords who may take little 

 active interest in it. 



Township soil conservation commit- 



It's a "Figgerin" Job, 



This Soil Conser- 

 vation 



Lead Pencils Fly as Illinois Farmers Apply 

 New Program to Their Farms — Township 

 Committees ,Busy ^Explaining How It Works 



tees are insisting that those with high 

 soil-depleting ba.scs shift more than 

 the regulation l.T per cent to qualify 

 tor maximum payments. The key to 

 tile situation in many cases is tiie 

 laiullord and where he does not insist 

 or cip-op( rate in keeping a reasonable 

 aereai^r in eloxi'r and g-ass. the tenani 

 uill liave diffieulty in qualifying un- 

 di T ihis i)rogram. 



()l)servations made at township meet- 

 ings and in the field justify these con- 

 clusions; (1) eorn acreage this year 

 promises to be increased rather than 

 reduced. (2) most of the reduction in 

 .-oil -depleting crops will be taken out 

 of the oats acreage, (3) a heavy yield 

 may bring cheap corn next fall, (4) 

 the general tendency of the program 

 over the long .swing will be to strength- 

 en feed grain prices, (5) a more defi- 

 nite check on corn acreage must await 

 state legislation. 



In some cases soybeans will be 

 I)Iowed under, particularly where part 

 of the objective is to kill noxious weeds 

 such as Canada thistles and quack 

 grass. Perhaps the greatest acreage of 

 gi"a.ss and clover seed ever sown went 

 into the ground this spring. While 

 the soil conservation program reduces 

 soil-depleting crop acreage, it also 

 will improve fertility and inc.ea.se 

 trop jields. A crop of sweet clover or 

 soybeans plowed under green has been 

 l<nown to increase corn yields from 12 

 lo 1.5 bushels per acre. 



What do farmers themselves think 

 about (the plan? "I don't know much 

 about ii \rt."' said John Handorf. Jr. 

 ' t' .\i w Leii.iN Township. Will county. 

 "I tni-sed i;oin<4 to my township meet- 

 !:!•_; and 1 have not read up on it. If it 

 '•.orks in v.ith nn- farming I intend to 

 -> ..loui;." 



Mandorf. a Farm Bureau member. 

 .'la- a 2i;(t acre farm which he and his 

 l'aniil.\ opi'tate without additional help. 

 Last year he had 12(5 acres in soil-de- 

 pleting crops — a low base. This year 

 he is planning to have 136 acres in 



soil-depleting crop-. ioi;itlii': v::',r. 

 aljoiil TO acres oi' aliali.i. titiiotliy and 

 i-loxcr for liay aiui pa-tuic lie- s^eds 

 down most of hi^ .small .main >'ach 

 \eai'. Unless his soil-'d''p!i'tin<; ba-'- :-; 

 increased by the local eoininiltot . for 

 which there ma.\' bi' soini justifica', mi.. 

 he will have to ri duec eorn aereaU'-'. 

 clip or pasture his oat- and barle> or 

 jjlow up part of his .*)1 acres of wlieat 

 to realize on paymeiil.s for a ti.axiinu:?". 

 1.") per cent reduction. 



On .^pril 14. 1.') to 20 p<r i-,nl of \V;1. 

 county farmers had filled out work 

 sheets, comrnitteemen reporteri at tlieir 

 county-wide meeting. Only 20 to 25 

 per cent of the farmers in this county 

 attended their townshi|) meetings. Most 

 of them are depending on local com- 

 mittee to come around, explain the 

 program and tell them what to do to 

 co-operate. 



In the Farm Bureau office a youn? 



D. J. BOLS OF AUX SABLE TOWNSHIP 

 'There's a 20 per cent increase in corn aca- 

 age around here." 



I .\. .\. RKCORD 



