Farm Practices and Organization in the Southern Sand-Clay Hills of Mississippi
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Mississippi State University Scholars Junction MAFES Technical Bulletins Agricultural Economics Publications 9-1-1949 Farm Practices and Organization In the Southern Sand-Clay Hills of Mississippi D.W. Parvin Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/mafes-tech-bulletins Recommended Citation Parvin, D.W., "Farm Practices and Organization In the Southern Sand-Clay Hills of Mississippi" (1949). MAFES Technical Bulletins. 8. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/mafes-tech-bulletins/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Agricultural Economics Publications at Scholars Junction. It has been accepted for inclusion in MAFES Technical Bulletins by an authorized administrator of Scholars Junction. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GI ~40 t----==------------"t"'l;::"it----t"t"v"---- 'C -~ Loss-in--- i Grade 8.30t-----ttt1ttttt----------ct----~i----:....i------ :., II) 0 0 Waste lOt---- Operating Cost Ye.chine 2.50 3.50 Hand Picking Rates per cwt. of Seed Cotton (dollars) Figure 5. Comparison of costs of harvesting cotton by machine and by hand, w ith 3 rates for hand- picking. Machine harvesting cost based on seasonal picking volume of 108 bales per machine. The cost of harvesting cotton by machine in 1947 was equivalent to a hand picking rate of $2.65 per cwt. of seed cotton. BULLETIN 466 SEPTEMBER, 1949 Farm Practices and Organization In the Southern Sand-Clay . Bills of Mississippi By D. W. PARVIN MISSISSIPPI STATE COLLEGE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION FRANK J. WELCH, Director STATE COLLEGE MISSISSIPPI ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many technical workers of the Experiment Station and specialists of the Extension Service contributed to this report by making available information, either directly through consultation or indirectly through published reports. Those who gave of their valuable time for consultation include W. S. Anderson, W. B. Andrews, H. W. Ben-- nett, W. C. Cowsert, R. C. Eckhardt, J. L. Fletcher, T. N. Jones, H. V. Jordan, H. H. Leveck, R.H. Means, J. F. O'Kelly,’ M. A. Payne, A. T. Ringrose and 1-j. B. Vander-- ford of the Experiment Station and Arlis Anderson, E. E. Grissom, L. A. Higginsi, Chesley Hines, W.R. Thompson and J.P. Yount of the Extension Service. The personnel of the county agricultural offices in Newton County gave valuable a£sistance in selecting the sample and in locating the sample farms. Milk plant man-- agers provided information regarding sales by individual farmers. Appreciation is extended to Dr. Roscoe J. Saville, Head, Department of Agricul- tural Economics and Mr. H. P. Todd of the Department of Agdcultural Economics, for suggestions in the organization and development of the study and for critically appraising the manuscript. CONTENTS Page Introduction ------- ----------------········—------— -- ················································ 3 Method of Study ........................................................- ---- ------ ....................................................................... 3 Physical Resources ---------···············-·-·······---·-·---·····------- -— - — ··········································-·······················5 Population ····-···-···--------— ----~~-------------------------·········-···-············--·················— ········-----········-······· 6 Indu strial De velopment ·-··-···········------···········— — —— ···················-···············---- 6 Marketing and Processing Facilities and Services ······-------············-·······················8 Trends in Farm Organization and Man agement -·····················································-························· 8 Land Use __________--------------------- ----···-·······— --------------·······-—· ·············-····-·························---- 8 Size of Farms ---------····--·········-····---—-------------------- ----··························11 Tenure and Color of Farm Operator ··········—------··——········- ······-···············································-····················· 13 Farm Income --···-··--·····-···············— -—-----------------------················-·····----···········-·······-·-·---------- ··-···························-·····15 Farming Practices in 1946 ·····-······-----·---------------------- - -------··--········-········-·············-·········15 _______ ___ Crops ----···········-····_____—------------------------------····························-····-········--·········---····--···········---- 15 Livestock ····-----··--···-··········~ ——---------------········- ----·-----—~ _____ JS Labor and Power -----———-------·······-··· ------------------------ ····-·······················-·····-·····-····-····-········-···············21 Improved Farming Practices ·—-·---- —-——----—-— - - --···········-···········-···············-·················22 ------------------ Crops ····················----------~ —-------------------·-----········- ········--··----················-··-······················· 22 Cotton --------------·-··---------- -----------------------------------------···············-·-·······················-·········---··········22 — --------------------------------- Corn -----------------------···-··-·----- ············································································ 24 Sweetpotatoes ----------················------------------------------_ —-- ~ ········-- --····························-·········24 Oats for Grain and Grazing or Grazing Only -···--··-····-······················- ······································ 24 Lespedeza After Oats ‘------ -----------------·- ···············- ············-·······················-·····----······24 Sudan Grass ··—···--····-·-··············-··-·········-············----------------------------—-------- ·-··········-························-··································-···2 6 Permanent Pasture _ — ----~-----··-··-····-······--------------—- ·········---········-·······························26 Farm Woodland ----··········-·············•--······---------------------------— ------- ·······---·----······················-····-·····-·········26 Livestock --------------— — -------------------------··········- ········- ·········-········-·····················-·····································27 Milk Production ·-···········------------·············-···---—------------------------------····-······································· 27 Beef Production ····-----········— ----------------------------·······-··························-·····- ···------··········--······-··-·····················2 8 Poultry Production ··-··········----------------------------——---···········------ - --····-·········-················· ·······-···········30 Pork Production ·······················-___ —-------—·----------·······························-------- ················-··················-································· 30 Suggested Reorganization of Typical Farms ·-·········· - ··············-········--·-·-·······-··········-···············-··········· 31 Typical 40 •Acre Farm ···-·························--------------——-------———- ·-----······················-·············33 T ypi cal 80-Acre Farm ···-·---------------·······························-········-·············-···········-·······-- ······································37 T y pical !60•Acre Farm ··-··-····-························-----····-·— —-—----- ··············-·····································39 Typical 360•Acre Farm ·····························--------- ·------····················----·····-··········-········-························ 41 Summary ----·····························································—-----------------— -------------------------··- · ··-····- ··-··················································-···············-·43 ---- Appendix --------------························--······················································------— -------———~ —— - ······-····················--·-······-·46 FARM PRACTICES AND ORGANIZATION IN THE SOUTHERN SAND-CLAY HILLS OF MISSISSIPPI By D. W. PARVIN Efficient farm practices and farm or- 6. To indicate the extent to which ganization are important considerations farm income could be increased for in-- in all types of fanning areas; however, dividual farms typical of each size group they should be given special considera- through better farm organization and tion in the southern part of the Sand- improved farm practices. Clay Hills, because of the small size of Method of Study the m:ijority of operating farm units. All Newton County was selected for study farm resources in this area, as represent- as being fairly representative of condi- ed by Newton County, must be used as tions in the southern part of the Sand- efficiently as possible if farm income per Clay Hills. See figure 1. There are two farm family is to compare favorably soil areas in Newton County-the Cen- with that of other sections of the country tral Prairie and the Sand-Clay Hills. The where a larger land area is available field study was limited to the latter area, per family. Operators of small farms which makes up about 90 percent of the must invest more capital per acre in the county. form of fertilizer, seed, equipment, build-- In collecting information in the field ings, livestock, feed, etc., and in general the following schedules were used: (1) follow a more scientific and intensive A crop enterprise schedule to record system of farming than operators of crop practices and production per acre larger units if they are to have compar--