The Rural Voice, 1979-04, Page 6MERLE GUNBY
a farm outside Riversdale in 1975. Right
now the feedlot operation supports 350
cattle and Mr. Jones puts in approximately
300 acres of crops a year, including corn,
alfalfa and straw used for the cattle. In the
future, Mr. Jones is considering experie-
menting with a soybean crop.
Doug Jones said spring approaches from
the time of last fall's harvest.
GOOD TERMS
The beef farmer said one v, inter chore is
"to make sure your loan status is where
you want it to be and to be on as good
terms with your banker as possible." Mr.
Jones advises having the banker come out
to the farming operation "so he under-
stands your perspectives" and knows that
"you're interested in having him know
your operation."
Mr. Jones also recommends using the
winter months to ensure you have as many
funds available in your operating bank
account as possible so when you make a
decision about a fertilizer or piece of farm
machinery, you can make the purchase
immediately.
In addition to making sure his machinery
repairs are completed over the winter
months, Mr. Jones also uses the time to
evaluate future machinery purchases.
Mr. Jones, who installed a mechanized
feeding system in his barn this winter, said
farmers should buy equipment to minimize
labor and buy it this time of year. He said
it's important for farmers to keep in
PG. 4 THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1979
perspective that they can't tie up all their
finances in fixed assets and must have
some operating funds to work with.
GROUND WORK
Mr. Jones also feels it's important to lay
the groundwork for machinery purchases -
consider trading machinery or buying used
equipment. Let people know your in-
tentions in the machinery line. investigate
new innovations and labour-saving equip-
ment and remember that some implement
dealers allow good interest breaks in
January or February and interest defer-
ments.
Also, "the beginning farmer should take
advantage of every gift he can get" in the
form of government grants, Mr. Jones
advised.
He also said he uses the winter months
to get rested and pepped up again, to
review literature on his commodity and
make sure his feed rations and supplies are
consistent.
Mr Jones said this is the point where his
investment in feed handling equipment
pays off, since it saves some manpower.
Although Mr. Jones is involved in the
feedlot opeation with his father, the senior
partner works off the farm. Right now, Mr.
Jones has a fulltime hired man, but
someday, when his operation is more
established, he hopes to enlarge his stock
of field machinery and mechanize chore
work even further so he can move to only
part-time additional labour on the farm.
But that, he admits, is a long term goal.
TAKE A LOOK
Blythe Lannin agrees with Doug Jones
that winter or early spring is the time to sit
down and take an overall look at the
farming operation.
"This is the time, or earlier, that I look at
what our capital expenditures will be for
the year," Mr. Lannin said. "I have time in
the winter to sit down and think about it -
most farmers have goals they'd like to
meet."
Doug Jones said farmers can use the
time profitably by finding out when the
prices of fuels or chemicals will change and
confirm their purchases for spring before
these changes come into effect.
The beef farmer also researches
marketing possibilities for his cattle so he
can determine when and where they should
be marketed.
Doug Jones advocates refining field
operations to the point where the farmer
wants them. Mr. Jones, who is experi-
menting with a minimum tillage method,
goes over his fields with a moldboard plow
in the fall. The plow buries the trash. Then
in the spring, Mr. Jones makes one pass
over the land with a floating cultivator
which forms a firm seedbed on top of the
stubble. The farmer said he is still
experimenting with tillage methods, but
his eventual goal is a one -pass operation.
Mr. Jones said research to date seems to
indicate that the zero tillage method can
create problems with disease and insect
control in successive crops grown on the
land.
Spring was once the busiest time of the
year in the chicken industry, but this too has
MURRAY CARDIFF