growers still operate in the County, but they use only a small percentage 

 of the available cropland. 



The general picture of the County's agriculture has been one of a re- 

 duction in use of land resources, in numbers of men employed and in 

 number of cows. Increases in efficiency and the use of such capital items 

 as machinery and fertilizer have compensated for these reductions and 

 production of milk has remained relatively stable. 



The retirement of cropland lags the retirement of labor and cows out 

 of this dairy economy. Typically, when a farm ceases operation as an 

 operating unit, the land remains in production and either is rented for 

 a small fee or is merely used by a neighboring farm operator. Hay is 

 harvested until it no longer returns a yield greater than the cost of har- 

 vesting. Then most frequently the land is grazed. Natural reproduction 

 of forest trees begins to occur along the wooded edges of the fields. Event- 

 ually the fields revert to their natural state of forest cover. 



It is within this setting of a declining land use economy, with farm 

 operations based on many acres of cropland operated at low intensity, 

 often by nonowners, that the Soil Bank Program should be appraised. 



CHANGES IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF FARM RESOURCES 

 DUE TO THE SOIL BANK PROGRAM 



The impact of the Soil Bank Program on the farm economy can be 

 measured either in terms of farm numbers, resources and products in- 

 \olved, or in terms of farm income and farm expenses. Because both types 

 of measures are meaningful, both are analyzed. As a point of departure, 

 the resources involved in the Program are discussed first. When possible, 

 trends in resource use are analyzed to better define the net effect of the 

 Program. 



Number of LInits Enrolled 



Participants in the Program in Coos County signed a total of 129 con- 

 tracts. Of these. 120 were for the complete rural unit while 9 were for 

 some part of a rural unit. Table 2 shows a classification of the Soil Bank 

 cooperators. It shows the level of cooperation, whether whole or part units 

 were enrolled, and the type of unit in terms of organization and amount 

 of farming activity. ^ 



These classifications sort the more commercial type of farm unit from 

 the part-time farms and establish the number of rural residences or rural 

 land holdings. Table 2 also shows the organization status as of 1940 and 

 1955 of the units enrolled in the Program. This gives some insight into 

 the type of resource that was attracted to the Soil Bank Program. 



Table 2 indicates that few commercial farm operations at the time of 

 enrollment are included among the Soil Bank units. Of the 120 whole 

 units, only 26, or 22 percent, could be classified as having 4 or more 



5 The organized unit was considered to be one whose owner manages the cultural 

 practices of the land and uses this resource and some other farm resource for producing 

 livestock or crops for sale or home use in addition to hay which might be sold standing. 

 The unorganized unit was considered to be one whose owner is only a land owner 

 and rents the land or sells hay standing. 



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