nakes a 



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AFBF Plant Food Program 



lockers 



By Frank Gougler 



Construction of the new 850 locker plant 

 at Paris, Edgar county, is nearing comple- 

 tion. The board of directors is investigat- 

 ing possible locations for a slaughter plant. 



At a recent meeting of the board, C. W. 

 Allen of Chicago was interviewed and em- 

 ployed as manager. He will assume the re- 

 sponsibility of management sometime before 

 the plant opens for business. 



Members and officers of the board are as 

 follows: president, Leo Swinford, Paris; 

 vice-president, O. O. Winans, Paris; secre- 

 tary, David B. Long, Paris; and treasurer, 

 John M. Tate, Kansas, III. 



Since there has developed a deficit meat 

 supply, Washington OPA officials have un- 

 der consideration, plans for bringing lock- 

 er plants under more strict regulations. Re- 

 cently a two day conference of locker op- 

 erators and OPA officials was held in 

 Washington, D. C. Briefly, what they are 

 attempting to do is to require every locker 

 patron to fill out a detailed statement about 

 all rationed food products that goes into the 

 locker plant and to indicate if any is for 

 resale. Also, they propose to have all beef, 

 veal and mutton that is processed in the 

 locker plant, graded. Furthermore, an at- 

 tempt is being made to require the operator 

 or manager to act as the agent for OPA. 



The National Frozen Food Locker As- 

 sociation has registered a strenuous objec- 

 tion against such a demand on the part of 

 OPA. No other similar business acts in such 

 a capacity. Local OPA Boards regulate the 

 distribution of tires, gas, etc. without re- 

 quiring the dealer to assist or act as its 

 agent to see that every buyer conforms with 

 OPA regulations. Representatives of the 

 National Association will probably be re- 

 quired to remain vigilant until this thing is 

 worked out on a satisfactory basis. 



The second new locker plant project ap- 

 plied for through the district WPB office 

 has been denied. These two are the only 

 cooperatives in Illinois that have been de- 

 nied since new construction of locker plants 

 started July 1943. One was denied because 

 it is within 10 miles of an existing plant. 

 At Chapin, Morgan county, the reason given 

 for rejection was that the plant is not neces- 

 sary to the war effort. 



d U Roy 

 advlter, 

 laughter. 



Plans are being developed for two new 

 slaughter plants. One of these will be built 

 .It Yorkville, Kendall county, in connection 

 with the locker plant which is housed in 

 the Kendall County Farm Bureau building. 

 Kendall county has locker plants at the fol- 

 lowing other points: Yorkville, Plattville, 

 Piano, Newark, and Oswego. 



Dana Cryder, president, Illinois Coopera- 

 tive Locker Service, who lives in Kendall 

 county, states that plans are for a slaughter 

 plant large enough to slaughter all the ani- 

 mals for patrons of their locker plants who 

 may want this service. 



MAY. 1945 



Are farmers building up future 

 troubles by working long hours to 

 maintain high wartime production.' 



Yes, if they fail to replace the phos- 

 phate, potash and nitrogen removed by 

 big crops. 



To increase mineral fertilizer sup- 

 plies and show how to use them most 

 effectively, the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation, representing over 828,000 

 farm families, proposes a national fer- 

 tilizer program. 



Two plants producing phosphorus 

 and one for the production of potas- 

 sium would be built and operated for 

 not more than five years by the gov- 

 ernment. 



Within the five-year period, the gov- 

 ernment would oflFer the plants for sale 

 at a fair appraised value to farmer co- 

 operatives which would continue manu- 

 facture and distribution of the ferti- 

 lizers. 



Fifty per cent of the plants' output 



would be sold to farmer cooperatives 

 and the fertilizer trade, and the other 

 50 per cent would be earmarked for a 

 proposed test-demonstration which, 

 eventually, would include an average 

 of 73 farms in each agricultural county 

 in the nation. 



Development of phosphate deposits 

 in Florida and the inter-mountain area 

 of the West is asked in the program 

 that is now before Congress. Potash 

 deposits in the Southwest would be de- 

 veloped and public lands would be ex- 

 plored for other possible deposits. 



A recent report by the American 

 Farm Research Association said farmers 

 should triple their present use of min- 

 eral fertilizers. Although the proposed 

 plants actually will produce but a frac- 

 tion of the country's total fertilizer re- 

 quirements, the program is designed to 

 give incentive to fertility practices that 

 safeguard agriculture in the postwar 

 years. ■ 



Prof. A. L. Lang says "Soil testing lab- 

 oratories will do the bookkeeping of fer- 

 tility for the farm soil". He also points out 

 that "much fired corn seen during hot 

 weather is suffering more from the lack of 

 plant food than it is from a lack of mois- 

 ture". 



By John R. Spencer 



The 300(h man brought in a sample to 



the Whiteside county soil testing laboratory 

 on March 19, approximately six months 

 after the start of testing work. This is a 

 much larger participation in usage by 

 farmers than had been hoped for within the 

 first year according to Farm Adviser F. H. 

 Shuman. 



It now appears that Illinois established 



last year a new all time high record in lime- 

 stone usage of approximately 3,985,000 tons 

 according to the State Geological Survey, 

 which compiles figures from several 

 sources. 



Another new all time high record in rock 

 phosphate usage was made last year by the 

 application of 218,986 tons according to the 

 U. of I. College of Agriculture. For this 

 amount, 160,520 tons were commercially 

 sold, 45,081 tons was AAA distribution and 

 13,385 tons was colloidal phosphate. 



Woodiord County Farm Biueou'a complete 

 soil testinf laboratory is now in op^a- 



tion. Homer Reesmon, science teacher in 

 Eureka High School is at the left. 



