Holt Soil District
Report Lists 15 Dams
Holt Soil District Annual Report
This is the report of the Holt soil and water conservation district's
activities and accomplishments during the year 1958.
The following table gives an outline of the accomplishments for the
* past year on some of the major conservation practices carried out hy
district cooperators Also included is the total amount applied hy 794
cooperators in the past 15 years of district operation.
Practice Unit 1858 To Date
Contour Farming--- Ac. 120
Strip Cropping___— Ac. 186 108,609
Range Seeding --Ac. 1,872 22,969
Pasture Planting .....- —.— — Ac. 321
Tree Planting _—- Ac. 158 11,558
Pond Construction - No. 15 215
Terraces ....Mi. 4.9 52.0
Diversions-—-— Mi. 1.4 VIA
Land Leveling_—-Ac. 27 <0
No. 1958 Acres No. To Date
District Cooperators , , 41 27,685 794
Basic Conservation Plans -40 22,500 475 303,060
ANNUAL MEETING
1 :(»o I’M. legion Hull, O’Neill
Friday, January 9
Holt County Extension Service
Holt S*»il \ Water Conservation
District
FEATl RING
Ray Switzer of Sioux City .Market
He will interest you with "The
Challenge That Is Ahead"
PROGRAM
Film Free Horizons
Extension Annual Meeting — Ora
Yarges, chairman
, .iection of Three Board Members. ,
Organ Music Kenneth Waring
Minutes of Meeting
S.W.C.D. Annual Meeting.
Presentation of Awards.
Harv ey Krugman and Roy
Shelhamer.
Vocal Solo George Hartman, j
Assist. Agent.
Guest Speaker Ray Switzer.
Refreshments.
ALL ARE WELCOME.
Most of the 15 dams construc
ted this year were for the purpose
of providing livestock water. Three
of these were outstanding in that
they were on intermittent spring
flows and provide fairly large im
pending areas. They were construc
ted for Simon Timmerman, M. G.
McKathnie and George Syfie. E.
C. Weller constructed a large ir
rigation dam.
The McKathnie dam will pro
vide ample water for livestock In
cooperation with the game com
mission, the dam, spillway and
most of the em()onding area will
he fenced It will make an excel
lent wildlife area.
Fred Horn set a record for this
district for terrace construction on
one field in one year. He construc
ted 4.5 miles of terraces and 1.4
miles of diversions. In addition
many uncrossable ditches were fill
ed and waterw'ays constructed.
An alfalfa feld with numerous
uncrossable ditches was given
complete conservation treatment
>n Horn’s ranch north of Atkinson.
He plans to grow irrigated com on
this field for a few years before
returning it to alfalfa.
Contour bench leveling was used
in Holt county for the fisrt time
in 1958 By doing this type of land
leveling it is possible to surface
irrigate sloping land. Gordon Har
vey and Thilo Poessnecker were
two cooperators to try this com
(, ratively new practice. They both
intend to do more bench leveling
in -)9. In fact surveys have been
me ’ * on six or more bench level
in ■ jobs for 1959.
tsencn leveling wus umrc
Thilo Poessnecker farm north of
Atkinson. Com yields of over 100
bushels per acre were attained.
Cooperation with Other Agendo*
The district appreciates the ef
forts put forth by the technical
staff of the soil conservation ser
vice It is through their efforts and
cooperation and the splendid work
of our cooperators that conserva
tion work continues to expand in
the Holt district.
The need for technical assist
ance continues to increase. We hope
to maintain and expand our or
ganization so that the people of
Holt can he served promptly and
efficiently. We know that it is dif
ficult to reduce government ex
penditures during these years of
rising costs, and increased de
mands by many groups. We have
heard many discuss ways to broad
en the tax base. One of the first
things we need to remember to do
is to protect the tax base we al
ready have which is what the local
soil and water conservation dis
trict is trying to do with our var
ious conservation programs. Sure
ly tax money spent on sound con
servation is a sound investment.
Our conception of conservation to
day is much different than it was
when districts were first organ
bed So many of the practices have
proven themselves in conserving
our precious soil and water that
applications for assistance in car
rying them out exceed our ability
to comply with the requests. Con
serving our natural resources is a
never ending job.
The technical staff includes: Or
ville Indra. soil scientist for sev
eral districts: Bob Hill, unit con
servationist: Weston Whitwer, con
servationist; H. T. Young wai
transferred to the Broken Bow un
it in September and Willis Sanders
conservation aid, has joined th<
staff. Philip Fischer was assignee
the first of December to the staf
Turning in their score cards alter lamb judging competition are
a dozen 4-H’ers at Holt county fair.
■ ---—— ---
and will remain until April 1 as a
conservationist.
Mrs. Dean Reed has again serv
ed as part time clerk. Funds were
made available by the county sup
ervisors for clerical assistance.
H. C. Sholes has continued to
work most of the year, part of the
time for the soil conservation ser
vice, and part for the Holt soil and
water conservation district, super
vising seed harvest, cleaning, seed
sales and machinery rental.
The staff has expended every’ ef
fort to keep up with the applica
tions for assistance of our old co
operators and also writing plans
for new cooperators along with
furnishing technical assistance for
ACP practices and developing
Great Plains conservation plans.
The district and the Holt exten
siun board continue to sponsor a
joint annual meeting. Last year s
joint meeting was held at the Leg
ifgi auditorium in O’Neill. Dr.
Gooding from the University of
Nebraska was the principal speak
er.
Other cooperative ventures with
the extension service were grass
land livestock day held at Stuart,
a county irrigation meeting and
range clinics at Chambers and O -
Neill.
Cooperation with the ASC com
1 mittee was of the very best.
Friends of St. Mary's card
l party Sunday, January XL »*•
t Mary’s gym. 37P
- i
When You Think of
CONSERVATION
Think of International Harvester.
• Pasture Renovators
• Rotary Cutters
• Drills
• Fertilizer Spreaders
• Tractor Loaders and other
• Conservation Equipment
SHELHAMER EQUIPMENT Co.
_ O’NKII.l. —
______ —
. •* * ,*• r .* ■* v . *'■ ••• ' ■
County Interest in
Sheep on Increase
Cattle aren’t the only livestock
showing an increase in Holt coun
ty. Many people are realizing that
sheep ranching is a profitable bus
iness and are setting out to prove
it. The sheep raising in this area
is limited to a owe and lamb set
up. As yet no feeding operations
have been tried.
With the incentive payments
from the government, many small
ranchers and farmers have found
raising sheep requires less capital
to get in the business and often
times give greater returns per
dollar invested.
Last January, the Holt county
extension service held a sheep
management meeting with the as
sistance of the University special
ists. and in cooperation with Mid
West wool co-operative associa
tion. At this meeting management
practices and problems in nutri
tion were discussed, as well as
wool marketing and price outlook^
There were 51 men present from
Holt and surrounding counties, rep
resenting over 1850 head of sheep.
Sheep have become a possible
way for many small ranchers and
farmers with limited capital to ut
ilize some of the roughage that has
been so abundant the past two
years. _
an 1 daughters, Tom Bruce O
Bonesteel, S. D.. and Miss Shar
on Miler were new year d.i <
nor guests of Mr. and Mrs. Mel
vin Roach and Larry. Larry lef
Friday for San Diego where hf
will he stationed- .___
Dr. Donald E. David
OPTOMETRIST
Eyes Examined
Glasses Fitted
Phone 2101 Spencer
GOOD HATS
deserve factory
rebuilding!
Gleaned, blocked, re-styled
with new bands, bindings and
leathers with postage paid
back to yon . . . for only —
$4
Hats of Distinction
Made to Order
Styled to your Individual
measurements
$10 to $100
(Style folder on request)
Cy Langdale
CTSTOM HATTER
Box 8(59 Norfolk, Nebr.
_
Pictured above Is the board elected by the people of the county
ami the agents and office assistant who art* elected by the extension
board. They are: (Seated) Mrs. Floyd Butterfield, secretary : Mrs. A.
T. Crumly, Page, home extension council chairman: Mrs. Indra.
home agent, and Mrs. Helen Johnson, office assistant. (Standing)
George Hartman, assistant extension agent; Ora Yarges. Stuart,
chairman of board; Hamid Coburn, Anncar route, board member;
Balt Fick, Inman, board member; Neil Hawes, county agent; Glen
White, Amelia, board member; Frank Beclaert, Page, vice chair
man. and Chprles Mulford, Stuart, treasurer.
Scholarship Offered
Bv Fed. Land Bank
Two $300 Federal Land Bank
scholarships will 1h? provided again
this year for high school seniors \
who enroll in the College of Agri- j
culture at the University of Ne
braska this fall.
The scholarship program is
sponsored by the 11 national farm
loan associations in Nebraska and
the Federal Land bank of Omaha,
according to Lyle P. Dierks, sec
retary-treasurer of the fartn loan
association at O'Neill. Mr. Dierks
says the scholarship program has
been in effect for the past seven
years, and is planned to be con
tinued in future. He encouragse
high school students other than
seniors to work toward the possi
bility of* a Land Bank scholarship
in their senior year.
The intent of the scholarship
program is to encourage boys of
outstanding ability to continue
education in agriculture, Dierks
says.
Application blanks are available
from vocational agriculture teach
ers, county extension directors,
high school superintendents, and
at local national farm loan offices.
Applications should be submitted
to the College of Agriculture, Uni
versity of Nebraska, Lincoln, be
fore February 1, 1959.
MORE CORN—MORE MROilT
Harlow Schwisor of O'Neill hits
123 bushel com for the second year
under irrigation.
When asked how he did it, Har
low says, ‘‘I just followed the Uni
versity recommendations the coun
ty agent gave me. 1 thought 1
would see if they knew what they
were talking about so I left an un
fertilized strip, i found out they
know alright.”
Fred Lindberg of O'Neill also
set a record for dry land com in
1957 he had 87 bushels per acre
and in 1958 he had 93 bushels per
acre. When asked how he did it
he said, “In the top corn yield pro
gram I sent in my soil samples
to the extension office and the Uni
versity of Nebraska made recom
mendations as to fertilization re
quirements, and planting sugges
tions.” Then in typical Fred Lind
berg style he said, "You know I
think they know what they are do
ing.”
These are samples of what can
be accomplished through the corn
yield and proft program that your
county extension sendee has as a
part of their 1959 program. Fifteen
of the cooperators had official com
yield and profit program that your
12 irrigated fields averaged 99.5
and three dryland yields averaged
81.
If you are interested in more
yields and profit get in touch with
the office. We hope to have a dis
trict program and finish up meet
ing of cooperators in 1959. More
emphasis will be placed on the ef
ficiency of producing high yields.
TllF^riE. ' 8 f.j|!.T—ill -^SaHBHWr a^»»£S*»8S— *
The Chambers renter used Hie farm ami home >feiy theme. Mrs. I.loyd deed (left foreground)
met with a traetor “accident” by Improper use; Mrs. Vern Wilkinson lost her “arm in a eornplrker;
>lrs. E. M, Jarman. Mrs. Kiehard Sumlermaii and '1 Fry “trlp|»ed” on such things as farm tools
| and "tumbled” from stcpladders.
safety Is I heme ot
Chambers Center
While safety is hard to enforce,
l we have had some very graphic
examples in our county as to what
accidents mean to lx>th farm and
town people broken tones, miss
ing fingers, hands or legs, are liv
ing proof of the need of safety.
What can you do to promote
safety?
Proper nutrition and plenty of
rest will aid clear thinking, clem
thinking will help cut down chances
taken. 1> n s went ragged clothin;
around machinery. Take tractor
out of gear before adjusting or fix
ing the machine. Keep articles
picked up around the home to less
en chances of falls.
U hat's New—
A group of young married coup
les formed a new organization in
the county. John Orr, assistant
state leader of young men and
women help the group with the or
ganization. He explained that the
purpose of the group was primar
ily educational.
Officers selected were: Mr. and
Mrs. George Mellor or spencer,
chairmen; Mr. and Mrs. Harold
Cobum of O’Neill, secretary; Mr.
, and Mrs. Bob Summerer of Ew
ing, publcity.
One addtional meeting was held
before the close of the year. Coun
1 ty Attorney W. D. Griffin spoke to
the group on legal matters that
I might pertain to them.
New Holt county home extension officers Installed for 1959: Seated—Mrs. < lay Johnson, jr., of O -
Nelli, secretary treasurer; Mrs. A. T. Crumly of Page, chairman; Mrs. Byron Blotz of Stuart, vice-chair
man; standing—Mrs. Harold Mllnar of Atkinson, Mrs. G. H. Grimes of Chambers, Mrs. Lawrence Kaup
| of Stuart; Mrs. Fred Roberts of Atkinson; Mrs. George Melior of O’Neill; Mrs. J. L. Pruden of Ewing;
Mrs. Linden Mulford of Stuart; and Mrs. Lloyd Gleed of Chambers, all are committee chairmen. Mrs.
George Kiedel of Stuart is not pictured.
_—.
Use a Double-Duty
JOHN DEERE
DISK TILLER
You can do better work at low cost
on any number of jobs with a versa
tile John Deere Disk Tiller. You can
prepare seedbeds ... till and seed in
one operation . . . weed . . . work fal
low . . . mulch stubble . . . disk . . .
replenish humus . . . and cut stalks.
What's more you can build terraces,
fill in gullies or ditches . . . build
levees. This double-duty value makes
a John Deere Disk Tiller one of the
most profitable implements you can
c./n.
Tyq us about a John Deere Disk
1 -y. C*d;r yours early!
I HARRY R. SMITH IMPLEMENTS
— Your John Deere, Farmhand, Studebaker Dealer
O’NEILL, NEBR.
E. L. Miner and M-M Pride Bandolier, grand champion bull,
in Aberdeen-Angus sale here. Miners were one of the first cooperators
in the extension supervised beef production testing, 1958 was their
tldrd year of participation.
fern Pays for itself
elds, Better crops
fl($h SPRINKLER IRRIGATION MEANS
MORc CATTLE Per Acre
Bigger Besf end Milk Profits
A & M Sprinkler Irrigation means luxuriant pasture
growth even in late summer when dryness ordinarily
causes a drop in milk production, because you are
assured the right amount of water where and when
you want it. There's no risk of drought damage with
an A & M Sprinkler Irrigation system and you save
land space because A & M eliminates the need for
ditches, rills, dikes or other corrugations. A & M
systems cut costs, save time and make irrigating
easier.
the only Sprinkler System with
ALL* the features you want.
‘Instant auto-lok coupling and uncoupling
saves time, makes work easier.
‘Exclusive hi-angle couplers permit coupling
from standing position.
PHI SURVEY ‘Self-draining coupler gaskets empty line as
r .* ... . soon as pressure is off.
and •itimatt, without r
ebliaation Write or ‘Light, strong aluminum alloy construction In
i'.. 7,?;.“'.';•- 40 **
WM. KROTTER CO. kml
O’NEILL, NEBR. IfMl'iri