38 



University of New Hampshire [Sta. Bull. 322 



izer on the tillage land and pasture to produce a larger part of the 

 dairy herd feed requirements. The out-of-pocket costs for lime and 

 fertilizer are larger than the amount normally expended in the past, 

 but this is offset by a marked reduction in purchased grain. The 

 farm is also on a conservation basis, improving rather than dej^-eci- 

 ating in capacity. 



From the long-time point of view, such a conservation program 

 seems essential if commercial agriculture is to continue in the re- 

 gion. When the gross returns from all crops are small due to low 

 prices, it may be a hardship for the operator to purchase lime and 

 fertilizer for the upkeep of his land even though such an investment 

 seems necessary for the continuous maintenance of the farm. Since 

 the investment in soil improvement is directed toward sustaining 

 social as well as individual assets, the AAA program at present would 

 carry part of the cost. 



The program as outlined would eventually result in greater quan- 

 tity and better quality roughage. This would enable the operator to 

 substitute some roughage for present purchased grain and to carry 

 two or three additional cows or additional young stock. This might 

 result in little increase in production of milk, depending on the 

 price. The tendency would be to withhold feeding of purchased 

 grain when prices were low. However, if all the farms in the area 

 increased cows and production, the total milk ex])orted from the 

 group of farms would be larger. 



It should be noted that this is a concentrated dairy region and 

 while total production may be slightly increased, other marginal 

 areas in the same county are giving way to other uses. There can 



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I'lGLUi-: 2U. Cropping plan on a two-man dairy farm with over seven 



acres of potatoes each year. 



