The effects of mechanization on farm families include increasing the capital requirements and cash operating expenses, easing of the workload, reducing the need for hired labor, and contributing to more production per man.

7. Adjustments in farm numbers and size are in process. As a result of mechanization and adjustments to environment, farms are becoming larger and fewer in number. From a peak of about 83,000 farms in 1935, the number of farms was reduced to about 63,000 in 1954. The average-size farm has increased from 445 acres in 1935 to 719 acres in 1954. The greatest adjustments have occurred in the western and central areas, while in the eastern areas the adjustment has been less pronounced.

The increase in size has been a result of consolidation of farm units and changes in the use of land. On many small and medium farms and some other farms, there is a need for increasing the volume of business. More intensive land use is in evidence.

In regard to the problem of size of farm in South Dakota, it is significant to note that in 1954, 11 percent of all the farms had less than 140 acres and that 18 percent of the commercial farms received less than $2,500 gross cash farm income. According to the 1954 census, 96 percent of all the farms were classed as commercial family farms.

8. Improved technology is being applied to grain, pasture, and hay crops; harvesting and storage of grain and forage crops; livestock production; and the entire farm enterprise. Two phases of improved technology must be considered. They are: The amount of new technical knowledge, and the rate of adoption by farmers. A vast amount of technical information is available and new information that will boost yields is still coming out of research laboratories. A very general survey of the adoption of new technology indicates that there is a great opportunity for improvement in this field.

The increased use of commercial and plant fertilizers will be one of the important developments in the future. Greatest gains in productivity in the years ahead may come in livestock production. Much progress is already under way in all kinds of livestock and poultry. Farm budgets for a number of typical farms in each of the 7 economic areas indicate that agricultural production can be substantially increased (20 to 40 percent) by changes in farm organization and by the use of improved crop and livestock practices. These budgets indicate also that important improvements are possible in cost reduction and changes in marketing practices. Price is a prime consideration.

On the basis of the increasing use of new yield increasing technology, conservation and land development, and adjustment in land use, it is entirely possible that the total farm output might increase anywhere between 20 and 40 percent over 1950 by 1975. At the highest rate, this represents for the State an annual growth in production of about 11⁄2 percent per year. Of course, these estimates assume normal weather.

9. Current changes in the farm labor picture are likely to continue into the future. Farm wage rates are high in relation to prices of farm products. Most of the farmwork must be done by the farm operator and his family. Farmers are attempting to overcome higher labor costs by intensifying production and by greater mechanization.

10. Farm ownership may increase slightly in the immediate years ahead, but for the longer run, it is difficult to predict with assurance. At present (1954), full owners account for 31 percent of the total number of farms; part owners, 39 percent; and full tenants 30 percent. Future possibilities are that problems will center around leasing systems, father-son operating agreements, and farmfamily transfers.

11. A number of the foregoing factors of change point toward a need for capital, which must be obtained by savings from farm production or from outside credit. Future credit needs will center on quality and conditions of credit. At present there is lacking an adequate intermediate type of credit to fill the need in modern commercial agriculture. Credit terms need to be flexible and geared to the particular farm and the characteristics of the area.

12. Most of South Dakota's products are seeking, and will continue to seek, outside markets. The marketing problem, then, is that of delivering to outside markets a type and quality of produce that can face the competition from other areas and that of delivering a product that will compete with related products for the consumer's dollar.

13. The final test of an economy is the kind of income and level of living it provides for its people. All of the foregoing trends have a bearing on this factor.

The per capita income of all the people of the State and the income per farm have increased over pre-World War II conditions. The outmigration of people, the decline in number of farms and the corresponding increase in size of farms, bountiful crops, good prices, rising business activity in general, and improved organization and management of farms have contributed to these gains. Recently, downward adjustments from wartime peaks in income per unit have taken place. They may be stabilizing at levels of about $1,350 for per capita income and about $8,800 gross cash income per farm. This level of income can be considered adequate only when prices of machinery, equipment, operating supplies, and labor are in line. That is basic to the concern now displayed over the problems of farmers.

II. RESIDENT TEACHING

Teaching at the college level makes a direct contribution to solving agricultural problems by preparing students for work of the farm enterprise and in the technical pursuits which serve farmers. This was the original purpose of the Morrill Act of 1862. It is of crucial importance today. A shortage of specialized, technical, and professional workers prevails in practically all fields. Agriculture needs large numbers of technically competent farmers who understand technical publications and can apply the results of research to their farms. Too, professional workers are needed to carry on research and to engage in teaching both youth and adults. The shortage of appropriate manpower is a serious bottleneck, which may be of many years' duration.

The curriculum in agriculture at South Dakota State College is designed to prepare people to work in education, business, and industry related to agriculture. Some preparation is broad and some highly specialized. Management and production receive emphasis. Industry and business are demanding more and more employees prepared to work with farmers and farm groups and to give professional advice to industry and business on technical problems pertaining to agriculture.

Farmers with a college education and some technical preparation can put new ideas into use quickly, To do this, they must know something about chemistry, entomology, plant and animal physiology, economics, sociology, and many other subjects. Teachers, buildings, laboratories, and classrooms, are needed to produce this class of manpower.

Resident teaching in rural sociology and agricultural economics has a heavy responsibility to rural people. Those who come from rural areas should have the same cultural advantages and preparation for a full life as those who come from urban areas We should assist the student in achieving a balance between a technical and a general education.

In a broad sense the important objectives of college teaching in sociology are two: The first is the preservation of the continuity of our cultural heritage through changing times. The second is the fostering of such insights into cultural processes as will aid in the development and preservation of understanding among social groups and nations.

The prime objective of teaching in agricultural economics is development of the art of science of decision making. This involves choice among the alternative uses and combinations of our resources to achieve the maximum realization of the values we hold. The two fields of sociology and economics are closely related. With some differences in emphasis, the objectives of the one are the objectives of the other. One common problem of the two fields is to provide such insight into trends and implications of technical developments as will permit an orderly adjustment to the future as it unfolds. The ability to avoid the undesirable consequences of social and economic changes can be an extremely valuable contribution of intelligent teaching in the social sciences. To make this possible, we must convey to students an appreciation of the uses and limitations of scientific methods.

In implementing these objectives we must maintain a proper balance between the basic and the immediately practical. If the basic science is neglected in either teaching or research, the applied fields will be adversely affected Teaching needs to keep step with research in two ways: It should make use of the results, and it should provide personnel with facility in the use of research tools.

Two specific examples of courses in social sciences illustrate the offerings as to type for meeting basic problems: The course, rural sociology, is designed to give the student a better perspective of changing relationships among rural people; and to create an awareness of social and economic contacts between rural and urban people. This course also prepares the student for leadership and citizen

ship in his community through a study of such institutions as the family, the church, and the school. The course in agricultural policy is designed to inform students concerning the group efforts of farmers to influence their economic wellbeing. It includes study of farm organizational and Government programs. The intent is to prepare the student to understand, evaluate, and participate in such activities as an informed citizen. We do not tell the student what to believe or what views to support, but we encourage him to study the whole economic picture rather than one small piece of it.

Government, at Federal and State levels, employs men with professional and technical preparation. Government, business, and industry are dependent almost solely upon land-grant colleges and universities for supplying their manpower needs. None of these segments of society prepare men for replacements and expanding their services. The colleges must do that. In addition, the colleges are required to prepare research workers for their own work, as well as for other enterprises, private and public. Research workers, in the main, must have work in advance of basic preparation, either in teamwork with the experiment stations, on the job, or in formal graduate courses, or both. The graduate program tends to raise the level of the undergraduate teaching work. This complex and extensive organization of teaching and research are exceedingly valuable. Without them, the technical, specialized, and professional manpower pool would disappear in a single generation. Teaching programs must be maintained at a high-quality level and must be extended markedly within the next few years if American achievement is to retain the standards necessary for national and international leadership, and participate effectively in the affairs of the times in which we live. The resident-teaching program is the basic key to this accomplishment.

III. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Farm programs should be founded on the premise that adequate knowledge is the best guide for action. Farmers cannot control all of the factors affecting production. In order to be sure that enough is produced, they may at times produce too much. It is of utmost importance, then, that the maximum utilization of our agricultural production be achieved through research and education, so that the farmers' position in the economic scheme can be maintained. The present methods and practices in production, in processing, and in distribution, will be inadequate to meet the needs of an expanding population and a changing economy.

Research in agriculture, as in other fields, is an organized method of finding truth. Put in a practical way, it is to find answers to problems and to suggest ways of using the results. Much of the research required by a progressive agriculture is of a long-term and continuous nature. It is aimed at reducing unit costs by getting more production per acre or animal, by reducing production hazards, and in improving the marketing processes for farm products. The time when the solution to problems will be acutely needed cannot be accurately foretold. For example, we cannot start today to control the potential stem-rust epidemics of the 1956 season; that is too late. The breeding of today's crop varieties had to start 10 to 12 years ago.

Many of the production, marketing, and general problems are of such a complex nature that a cooperative research attack upon them is required by several departments within the experiment station, as well as scientists from two or more State stations within the region, and scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture. An illustration of this is the silage research conducted cooperatively by seven departments of the experiment station.

Silage has been used by South Dakota farmers for many years, but there is increased interest in its use at present due to the emphasis on grassland farming; changes in feeding and management procedures; and the emphasis on self-feeding. The conventional silo is no longer accepted as the only suitable structure, but those who use temporary structures must deal with the calculated losses due to spoilage. When all phases of the grass silage problem are considered, it becomes necessary for many technicians to coordinate their efforts to get a meaningful answer.

Agricultural economists and agricultural engineers were called on to make a survey of practices of South Dakota farmers with respect to current methods in grass silage work, their preferences, and problems, with all types of silage storage structures and herd-management problems.

The agricultural engineers calculated field machinery costs, costs of various structures, designed and built 2 bunker silos, and 1 trench silo, and obtained a complete temperature study on various silo types. Since storage losses of

silage by the various structures was an important problem, a method of coring samples for density determination, combined with initial weights and final volumes was developed. Small pilot silos were also used where the entire silo could be weighed to get a more precise weight loss comparison between covered and uncovered stacks, and preservative versus no preservative.

Dairy department workers gathered data on self-feeding versus hand feeding, and the nutritional value of grass silage for dairy herd production and maintenance. Grass silage and oat silage were also used for summer pasture supplement, and both have been successfully used for dairy calf rations in comparison to alfalfa hay.

The plant pathology workers followed the development of micro-organic life in silage made in the various structures, and under various cover treatments; coordinating their findings with temperature studies, extent of spoilage, color, odor, and chemical changes.

The duty of the biochemists was to analyze the initial grass samples and the final silage samples and report on chemical and physical changes, nutrient losses, nutrient migration, and moisture changes.

The animal husbandry department combined feeding and herd management of sheep and beef steers on grass silage rations with nutrition and digestive trials to further determine the extent to which the animals can use the silage preserved nutrients. Silage is being compared with dry hay in these trials.

Should comparisons of either varieties or one type of plant versus another, or a combination of plants be made, the agronomy department people will have to lead in this study.

At present, the experiment station has 124 active research projects, of which 26 are in economic and social science, 46 in the field of plant science, and 52 in animal science.

RESEARCH IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

Research in this field has two general objectives. The first objective is the careful evaluation of past and present trends and conditions in order to estimate the nature of future social and economic problem areas. The second is the study and analysis of existing and expected future problem areas in order to provide information and technical assistance in making decisions and adjusting to changing conditions. Research projects presently underway are designed to accomplish these objectives.

Economic research is concerned mainly with the farmer's business operations and the general economic well-being of the farm family. One of the major economic problems facing South Dakota farmers is low income resulting from a prolonged decline in agricultural prices.

One project presently is active in the field of wheat price policy. This project is designed to analyze objectives and results of past agricultural programs and to study the impact of alternative policies on agriculture and other sectors of the economy. Results of the study will be of use to policymaking bodies in formulating programs that will accomplish the desired objectives.

Farm-management projects are aimed primarily at discovering more efficient methods of combining agricultural resources through research in technological relationships and incentives to adoption of better practices.

Ten projects are active in the field of marketing, 3 in livestock and meat marketing, 2 each in dairy and poultry marketing, and 1 each in marketing of grain, roughage, and farm equipment. These projects are aimed, on the one hand, at reduction of marketing costs through increased marketing efficiency and, on the other hand, at expansion in demand for various agricultural products through improvements in quality and consumer appeal. As examples, under a project in butter marketing, a detailed study is being made of consumer preferences and reasons for these preferences for table spreads exhibiting various characteristics. This project will provide data on the type of product desired by consumers. Results of the study will be of use in expanding consumer demand for butter. A project in grain marketing will provide data on patterns of grain movements. Data obtained may be used to reduce costs of grain transportation through increased efficiency in use of transportation facilities and reduction in unnecessary hauling and cross hauling.

Studies are being conducted in the areas of population change, retirement and health problems, socieconomic influences of communal type farms, and social and cultural problems of the South Dakota Indians. The importance of the communal type farm research is evidenced by the Governor's request that he be provided with results of the study as they become available. The project dealing

with the Indian population is of great importance to the people of South Dakota as almost one-fourth of the State's land area is in Government land with Indian reservations containing approximately one-tenth of the Indian population of the United States. Under the terms of the agreement with the Indian service, the Extension Service will operate the education program among the Indians. This presents a need for more information concerning the cultural background and problems of the Indians in South Dakota.

The population research is designed to analyze the trends in population composition and migration patterns of South Dakota people. The next phase of this project will study the present anticipated effects of these trends upon the lives of the rural people, their communities, and institutions. The results will provide a basis for formulation of public policy in many areas.

The proportion of South Dakota's population which is in the 65-years-of-ageand-over group has more than doubled since 1920 and the trend is for a continued increase. Seven of the counties in South Dakota have no physicians and 20 have no general hospital beds available. These problems are studied in the project dealing with retirement and health problems of rural families. The results of this research will provide a basis for sound planning and policy formation.

Other general areas of research in which projects are active include the fields of taxation, farm credit, and climatology.

In addition to continued work in areas mentioned, new work is planned in the economic effects of weather risks, economic problems of Indian farmers, wool marketing, agricultural prices, and studies of the vocational and educational opportunities for rural youth in South Dakota. Other specific problems peculiar to South Dakota that require research are: (1) Why do South Dakota wheatgrowers receive a lower price per bushel for hard Red Spring what due to socalled ash content; and (2) why does South Dakota grown barley bring a lower price when marketed within the State as compared to a higher price when marketed across the borders of neighborhood States?

RESEARCH IN PLANT SCIENCE

Much research has been done and is being done to help farmers produce crops more efficiently, to reduce production hazards, and to maintain soil resources. The protection of crops against these hazards provides for greater stability in crop production and for better living on the farms and ranches and in the villages and cities. Research is providing varieties which are superior in quality and nutrients, possess disease resistance to some of the most destructive plant diseases, and are tolerant to drought and possess greater winter hardiness. There are three major crop production areas in South Dakota; namely, the eastern one-third, the central one-third, and the western one-third. Consequently, crop varieties need to be bred specifically for South Dakota in order to be adapted to the wide variations in weather and soil conditions found in these different crop areas of the State. Because of these factors, new varieties from other regions are usually not suited to South Dakota conditions.

The most shortsighted agricultural planning would be involved in curtailment of agricultural research. Research must be a continuing program in order to collect the basic information which will be needed to insure against the day when all the basic results from research will be required to produce and provide the food supplies of peoples around the world.

The following represents a summary as to the nature of the research underway or in progress in the plant science field at the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, and also a statement as to the new research planned. All of the research in progress and that proposed is based on the need for solving definite problems which exist in the State and have been requested by the growers who live on and operate the land.

A. Crops and soils

RESEARCH IN PROGRESS

1. Development of adapted field crop varieties to fit severe droughts and hard winters.

2. Making of soil surveys as an inventory of our soil resources of the State. This is conducted in cooperation with the Soil Conservation Service.

3. Soil problems in relation to irrigation development in South Dakota. 4. Breeding and testing of superior grasses and legumes for the State.