6, 



This accounts in part for the figure of $1.46." 



"The other point of importance however, is the fact that cost account farms 

 in general are well above average in operations and hence the cost structure re- 

 flects above average management. 



"As you know there is a direct relationship between yield per acre and cost 

 per bushel. Yields during this period on these farms averaged slightly under 400 

 bushels per acre." 



"The important point we tried to stress in our report was not the absolute 

 cost figures but the relationship between harvest costs and total production 

 costs. I think this point is perhaps more important than the cost figure itself, 

 although I can understand your growers' concern, especially this year, with the 

 cost figures themselves." 



---William J. Lord 

 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 



RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT 



The resumption of testing of atomic bombs by the Russians and probable 

 future testing by the United States and some other countries has renewed our 

 Interest in radioactive fallout. Even though this testing is carried on far out 

 at sea, we can be effected to some degree b}' fallout materials. 



The majority of the radioactivity from atomic bombs is quite short lived, 

 and two-thirds or more is dissipated within a week. Some fine particles, however, 

 are carried around the world. These materials are brought back to earth weeks or 

 months later in rainfall or snow and the highest concentrations from present tests 

 will come back near the 40° latitude regions of the northern hemisphere. 



The most dangerous aspects of fallout for man from these far-off tests comes 

 from the absorption of fallout materials by the soil and subsequent uptake by 

 plants that are consumed either directly or through animal products. This sub- 

 ject, especially with respect to the fallout of strontium-90, was discussed at 

 the Dairy Farmers' Seminar at the University of Massachusetts on January 27, 1960 

 by Dr. Ronald G. Menzel of the U.S.D.A. The following abstract of this talk 

 gives the essential facts of the problem. 



To bring the matter up to date it is necessary to consider all long lived 

 and dangerous fallout materials including not only strontium-90 but also barium-140 

 and cesiura-137. These are the materials that react with soils and are taken most 

 readily up in the food cycle. Carbon- 14 is mentioned only briefly because of the 

 disagreement among scientists as to the deleterious effects of this low energy 

 beta emmiter. 



It was pointed out that of the total radioactive dose rate the average man 

 receives per year most comes from natural sources and only an insignificant 

 portion comes from fallout. "Hot spots" of fallout and absorption could make 

 departures from the average quite great. 



In the case of strontium-90 with a half-life of nearly thirty years and 



