Food Production and Conservation in Utah

Food Production and Conservation In Utah By Dr. E. G. Peterson, President Utah Agricultural College In order to meet the present national emergency and espe- cially in view of the present and threatened shortage of food, it is necessary that every possible effort be made by the people of Utah to produce more food and forage and to adopt measures of conservation which will extend the usefulness of our supply. We are remote from the active scenes of war, living as we do in a very inaccessible part of the civilized world, possibly the most inaccessible from the standpoint of physical invasion. We consequently feel only remotely the pressure of war. The fact is, however, that we are at war and are partners in the greatest of all world conflicts in the interest of freedom. We must re- joice or suffer with that great part of humanity who are now our allies. Our food must be shared with them, as well as with our fellow countrymen. We must sustain ourselves and raise in such abundance that we can feed a vast army to be raised in our own land and the armies and civilians of those nations who fight with us. A state-wide organization, encouraged by proclamation from the Governor's office, has been perfected in Utah and at work actively in each county since April 10. The organization consists essentially of a chairman in each county who has grouped around himself a committee with representatives from the important localities in each county. The first meeting of the State-wide organization, which will work in the present emergency under the title of "Committee on Food Production and Conservation," was held at the Utah Agricultural College at Logan on April 10. At that time the Committee decided upon the following method of procedure. The county chairman in each county was to organize as indicated above. He was to se- cure, if possible, an appropriation of $500.00 from the county commissioners with which to employ an emergency county agri- cultural agent, at a reasonable wage, providing there was not already a county agent and a farm bureau in the county. The county agricultural agent was immediately to secure, if possible, a small appropriation from each town or city in the county (from the city council) with which to employ garden super-

678 IMPROVEMENT ERA visors for three months at least, one in each of the larger towns. The garden supervisors should immediately begin organizing the boys and girls, and older people where agreeable, into clubs for the production of easily stored garden crops such as onions, potatoes, beans, carrots and turnips. The emergency county agent, as well as the regular county agent, immediately began a campaign throughout the county to emphasize especially the following points: Increase the Live Stock.

1. Use greater discrimination in the selection of cattle, of both the dairy and beef types.
2. Develop farm flocks of sheep.
3. Raise more hogs.
4. Make a bigger business of farm poultry.
5. Conserve all feeds.
6. Feed carefully and economically.
7. Give animals proper care. Increase Production on the Dry-Farm.
8. Encourage the planting of fallow land to corn, potatoes, beans, or other cultivated crops.
9. Where moisture conditions will permit plant spring barley, oats, and wheat.
10. Encourage the building of silos and the growing of silage crops, as a means of producing more and cheaper feeds.
11. Urge the testing of all seeds, and plant only the best obtainable. Increase Production on the Irrigated Farm.
12. Utilize all waste places by planting standard crops on the best land, and sweet clover and rye on the poorer land.
13. Encourage the boys and girls to utilize all the vacant lots and yards in the cities and country, by planting to onions, beans, sugar beets, tomatoes, etc.
14. Encourage a greater interest in home gardening, so that each family may be provided with sufficient vegetables for home use.
15. In young orchards plant such crops as beans, potatoes, sugar beets, tomatoes, carrots, mangels, and garden crops; in the old orchards plant rape, clover, oats and peas, rape and barley, or rape and oats for forage and pasture. Conserve all Products of the Farm and Garden. Eliminate all Waste in the Home and on the Farm. Encourage each Community to be Self-Supporting. In the larger effort to produce more, let us not forget the obligation to save more. We should now, above all other times, be abstemious in eating. Do not over eat. We should discard the extravagant and injurious foods. Stimulants and narcotics, such as alcoholic drinks, tea, and coffee, should be discarded as wasteful, if for no other reason. All food, and fats especially, should be conserved — not thrown away. Candy eating should be cut to a very low minimum. Chewing gum is unnecessary. Old clothing should be renovated where possible. An effort should be made to do with fewer neckties, shoes, shirts and in some cases, hats. The following are the expenditures in America each year

FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION 679 for worthless and harmful stimulants, narcotics, intoxicating liquors, and luxuries: Tobacco $ 1,200,000,000 Jewelry and plate 800,000,000 Confectionery 200,000,000 Tea and coffee 100,000,000 Chewing gum 13,000,000 Intoxicating liquors 2,200,000,000 The total reaches the truly stupefying sum of $4,513,000,000. Adoption of the "Word of Wisdom" by the United States would save the county $3,500,000,000 each year. And this overwhelm- ing figure does not include the much larger gain which would come from greater efficiency on the part of the workers from abstaining from stimulants and narcotics. The increase in pro- duction would probably increase the figure mentioned ten fold. In the farm practice the young folks should learn how to can and preserve vegetables, fruits and meats and an ample sup- ply of these should be stored in every Utah home. Let ua fill our pits and pantries and cellars with an ample supply for the very serious times which may be ahead of us. And in this economy we can save much that is usually wasted. Windfall apples and other fruits, excess vegetables and meats can, by very simple methods, be canned so that they are very appetizing and nutri- tious. Instructions in all these lines of work have been sent broadcast throughout the State and will be furnished free by the Extension Division of the Agricultural College, at Logan, Utah. The following men are designated as the leaders in their counties in the present emergency. The county chairman, in the counties where there are farm bureaus, are asked to co- operate with the farm bureaus and keep the executive secretary of the committee informed of anything that can be designed to help in the general movement: R. S. Collett, Roosevelt; C. R. Marcussen, Price; H. H. Blood, Kaysville; J.jmes Houston, Panguitch; A. H. Belliston, Nephi; fin. Seegmiller, Kanab; Daniel Heiner, Morgan; J. E. Peterson, Circleville; G. H. Robinson, Lake- town; R. D. Young, Richfield; L. R. Anderson, Manti; L. H. Redd, Grayson; Moses W. Taylor, Coalville; C. Alvin Orme, Tooele; Don B. Colton, Vernal; E. H. Snow, St. George; Joseph Eckersley, Loa; J. R. Murdock, Heber; John P. Holmgren, Bear River: W. W. Farrer, Beaver; Ephraim Burgeson, Cornish; H. A. Nelson, Ferron; F. B. Hammond, Moab; John U. Webster, Cedar City; Dean F. Peterson, Delta; W. C. Winder, Salt Lake; John W. Alleman, Springville; D. D. McKay, Huntsville. The following county chairmen of the Agricultural College are putting their influence back of the farm bureau presidents, in order to make the campaign effective: