LEace

October-November,1962 37

Facts

On Renting

A Farm

FARM ^RENTING

^isabig business inagriculture. But ittakes abit of forethought to

make

^it suc- cessful.

The

essential element for successful rentingcanbe created only withagood farm, a good landlord, and a good tenant.

Finding a

Farm

Do

not wait until late in the crop yeartolookfor afarm. Startlooking sixtoninemonthsbefore the

new

lease yearbegins.

Talk withrelatives, yourag teacher, friends, your banker, implement deal- ers, and realestatemen.

Arrange for a thorough inspection.

Here are

some

of thethings you

may

want to do:

Discuss the situation with

someone who knows

thefarm andin

whom

you have confidence. Talk with a local farm

owner

or tenant to discover strengths and weaknesses about the farmandthe presentsystemof farming.

Have

atalk with the landlord orhis agent.

Do

not

make

aquick decision, but do not put oft' your decision too long

—

^{another tenant}

^may

^{be looking}

at the farm.

Location

Although the location of the farm

is not as important as the farm itself, its location should be considered. Are electricity and ^telephone service avail- able?

What

kind of roads lead to the farm? Are schools and churches ac- cessible?

Does

the

community

have strong commercial, cooperative, civic, andfraternalorganizations?

What

about 38

By Raymond Sclmessler

informal cooperation in the

commu-

nity?

The House

Ifyouwill liveontheplaceyou are renting, give careful consideration to the house. Is it large enough?

Too

large?

What

are its

modern

conven- iences? Storm

windows

and doors?

Screens?

What

is its general state of repair?

How

are thefloors?

Windows?

Doors? Paint? Paper? Are septic tank and refuse drainsingood operat- ingcondition?

Buildings

Are the outbuildings suited to the type of farming you visualize? Are they arranged for efficiency of opera- tion?

What

remodeling and repairs willtheyneed? Willupkeepbeaprob- lem?

OtherConsiderations Fencesandgates are importantitems.

Inquireas toyourresponsibilityregard- ingthe line fences.

Do

they need re- pair?

Or

are

new

crossfencesneeded?

What

aboutroadsandbridges?

The

watersupply is of vital impor- tance, yetisfrequentlyoverlooked.

On

most farms water mustbe available for both

home

and livestock. Whatever thesource of water,tryto find answers to these questions:

Isthere enough purewater?

Will the supply be dependable even during a severedrought?

Is there any danger of future con- tamination?

Can

youget water tothe house?

Is there an alternate supply in case ofwatershortage?

Isthefarmlargeenough,considering itsfertility,for thetype offarmingyou plan? If it is too small, you cannot expect to get ahead financially and to live well, regardless of

how

good the landlord

may

be,

how

adequate the buildings, or

how

ideal the location.

Does the farm fit your machinery?

Does

it fit yourlivestock? Isit suited to your experience?

Your

likes and dislikes? Perhapsyouwill needtobuy a few items of machinery or to sell a few.

Evaluateat least roughly the poten- tial earning capacity of the farm.

How much

and

how

efficientlycanyou pro- duce the various crops and livestock?

A

check onthe pastcrop yieldsof the farmwillbe helpful.

The

Lease

Inorder for the farmlease tomeet certain

minimum

requirements,itshould state:

Who

the landlord and tenant are.

What

realestate isrented.

How

long theleaseistobeeffective.

How much

rentistobe paid.

The

signature of thetwoparties.

In order to avoid misunderstandings

later, it is advisable for the landlord andtenant todiscuss and reach agree- ment upontherightsandduties ofeach party and to state them clearly inthe lease.

It is best to have a written lease.

Provingtheterms andconditions of an oral leasepresents seriousdifficultiesin case of disagreement.

The

two majortypes ofleases

—

cash and share

—

^{are based on the kind of}

rent paid.

The

landlord and tenant usually

work

out terms to suit their particular situation. Variations and combinations include:

1 .

Straight cash

—

^{a fixed}

^number

^of

dollars per acre for each type ofland use. or a fixed

amount

for the entire farm.

2. Sliding-scale cash or flexible-pay- ment cash

—

^the

^amount

^{of cash rent}

varies according to production condi- tions and price changes.

3. Crop-share

—

the rent is in terms of proportions of certain crops, usually allmarketablecropsgrown onthe farm.

4. Crop-share cash

—

^{specified shares}

of themajorcrops plusa fixed

sum

for rentonselected acreages and buildings or both.

5. Livestock-share

—

^{specified shares}

of livestock, livestock products, and crops are paidas rent.

6. Standing rent

—

the rentis a^fixed quantity ofoneor

more

of the products of the farm, usually of themajorcrop produced.

Your

vo-ag teacher

may

haveseveral publications on farm leasing; or you

may

find itadvisable to talkwithyour lawyer about particularitems. But be informed as to whatthe law provides.

TheNational

FUTURE FARMER

By Ron

Lutz

A ^TOWN

^{hisWest,heart.a}

^BOY

22-year-old college^{Thatwithdescribescountry life}

^Todd

stu-ⁱⁿ dent

who

has single-handedly roped success.

Born without a right arm,

Todd

learnedtoride a horseatfour,

became

interested in the Clydesdale breed dur- inggrade school, turned a professional ropetrickartistduring high school,and

managed

the national Clydesdale show while incollege.

Todd's interest and knowledge of Clydesdalesstemfromthedayswhen,as a youngster, he would say good-by to hisdadatthenewspaperofficeinGlad- brook, Iowa, and headforthe Clauson Brothers'farmneartown.

The

Clausons

Thisscalemodelofafamous Clydesdale hitch is one of Todd'sfavorife works.

"No more

workfhan shoeing a pony,"

Todd

says.

He

doesthisevery6weeks.

Photos by DennisEilers

Through the loop,

Todd

practices the "Texas Skip" near the Iowa State horse barns.

He

has

become

afamiliarperformerat

many

of the University's events.

are

among

the nation's largest Clydes- dale breeders.

By

the time he reached high school age,

Todd "knew

the ropes" of farm

life.

He jumped

at the chance to join the Gladbrook

FFA

Chapter

when

^it was organized in 1955.

"Iwasasophomore

when

the chapter was formed."

Todd

explained. "I fed a fewbeef cattle and raised registered quarter horses and hackney poniesfor

my

supervised farming program."

And when

stateconventiontimerolled around,

Todd

would entertain fellow

FFA members

withhisropetricks.

Todd

practiced

many

longhours be- fore he turned professional in 1955.

From

then until the

summer

of 1960.

hetravelednearly 15.000 miles a year, givingperformances mainlyatfairsand rodeos.

Extra time needed forcollegestudies was one factorthat prompted

Todd

to quit hisrope act. Although he travels nearly20,000milesayearas aspokes-

man

for the Clydesdale breed,

Todd

stillfindstimeto "hitthebooks"atIowa State University in Ames, where he is

earning a degree in farm operations.

He

shares an apartment with another Clydesdale enthusiast. BillSchumacher, a student in animal husbandry from SiouxCity, Iowa.

"Many

of the terms and concepts I've encountered in agriculture courses aren't

new

to

me

becauseIwas exposed to them in vocational agriculture and

FFA

while in high school."

Todd

says.

Todd

discovered a

new

^talent while visiting a Clydesdale breederin Illinois last

summer —

^letteringand stripingthe fancy wagons pulled by six-horse hitches.

"I've always been ^{interested in oil} and water painting,"

Todd

says. "I juststartedpaintinga

wagon

and found

I could do an acceptable job. Since thenIhavepaintedeightwagonswithin afew hundred miles of

my

home."

A

few months ago.

Todd

^built a scale modelof the

wagon

pulled by a famous eight-horse hitch of St. Louis.

He

hasbuilt severalmodels

—

each with movable parts and authentic details

—

that have found

homes

with theowners of the originals.

Todd's enthusiasm for life hides the handicapthat he hasfaced

—

and over-

come —

sincebirth.

He

wears an artificial

arm

and hand

made

offlexible

wood

and hardrubber.

Althoughtheselimbswearoutandneed replacingfiveorsix timesayear,

Todd

has oneartificial gripperhand that has lastedfor fouryears.

He

built thatone himself.

"The

summer

after Iwas graduated from high school, I designed one that

Icould use

when

driving horses,"

Todd

relates. "Ithasflexible fingers thatcan be shaped."

"I designed the

arm

myself, too,"

Todd

said."Thedoctortold

me

Iwould neverlike it,but it'salways been satis- factory."

Todd

was

named

managerof thefirst national Clydesdale show ever held.

He

gained valuable experiencein horse

show

management, the field he hopes toenter upongraduation from college.

That is the story of

Todd

West, a young

man who

overcame a handicap to

become

a success. Whether he is

buildingamodel,shoeingaClydesdale, or spinning a rope, he makes it look easy.

TheNational

FUTURE FARMER

MoorMan's dairy researchers see better by "seeing double"

Suppose you want

to find

out which

of

two combinations

of pro- teins, minerals

and

vitamins will help dairy

cows do

the best job of balancing grain

and

forage?

Quickest way

istotry

them un- der

identicalconditions.

At our

research farm,

we

help

whip

the

problem with

16 pairs of identicaltwins.

Results on twin pair equals 20-30 cows

It'sestimated that

each

pair of identical twins gives us the

same comparative

test results as

we'd

get

from

aherd of

up

to 20-30

un-

relatedanimals.

Double-checking with twins

is just

one

ofthe research tools

we

October-November,1962

use. In

our modern Research Lab-

oratories,

and on

our 1280 acres of

Research Farms,

there's a never-

ending

search for better

ways

to boost feedefficiency.

We milk 100 cows, run tests on heifers

In additionto

our twin

herd,

we have

the

added

help of daily rec- ords

from

aherd of 100

milk cows

(loose housing)

and continuous work

in heifer

development.

Then

there's the final test for

each

of our products: Field

Re-

search

on thousands

ofanimals

on working farms and ranches over

the country.

Our

research

has one

aim: to help

dairymen, stockmen and

poultry-

men

get

more

production

from

their

home-grown

grain

and

forage.

Our purpose

isto provide only those ingredients for

a

livestock ration

which

a

farmer

can't raise or processhimself.

Our

research

and

productsoffer

twin

benefits:

Higher

production

and

lower feedingcost.

More

profitwith your

own

groin

and

MonMaifs*

MOORMAN MFG.

CO. •

QUINCY,

ILL

"TrademarkReg. U.S.Pol.Off.

(Hereisa new feature ofyournational

FFA

magazine. Let ushearfrom you

if your chapter has a good story or picture.

—

Ed.)

Former Future Farmer Receives Arizona Award

(E> ^FFA

The 1962

MAN OF THE YEAR

IN

ARIZONA AGRICULTURE

is Marshall Humphrey. Mr. Humphrey was selected to receive the award by the State

FFA

ExecutiveCommitteeand 200fellow civic and agricultural leaders in the state

who

alsoholdtheHonoraryState Farmer De- gree.

The award winner operates a 700-acre ranch near Chandler. Arizona, and has served in Arizona state legislature. He ^is currently chairman of the Governor's Committee on Technical-Vocational Edu- cation. As a

member

of the Arizona Houseof Representatives,he co-sponsored the bill which established the Arizona YouthFarm LoanFund.(Story"Moneyto

Farm

With" in The National

FUTURE FARMER,

August-September. 1961.) Mr.

Humphrey was a

member

of the North Phoenix

FFA

Chapter whileinhighschool.

Across the U.S.A., Future Farmers are "Learning

to

Do;

Doing

to

Learn; Earning to Live; and Living

to

Serve."

Kentucky and Indiana Future Farmers Swap

Visits

When

you read about exchange pro- grams,you usuallythink of foreigncoun-

tries, but Indiana and Kentucky

FFA

members have found you can learn a lot justby crossing statelines.

TheMilton. Indiana.

FFA

Chapterand the Millersburg. Kentucky.

FFA

Chapter exchanged members this summer to start the program. The idea was originated by two chapter advisors, Mr. Delbert Vaught. Milton, and Glen Massengale.

Millersburg. Members for exchange are selectedby their chapter, and transporta- tionis financedfrom thechaptertreasury.

The member's week-long visit consists mainly of daily trips to different farms inthehost chapter area.

Fife

Future Farmers Squash Breaks Record Even After Shrinking

Three Fife, Washington,

FFA

members have had complete responsibility for op- erating a Children's Farm Zoo at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. Washington.

thissummer. Jim Gorham, Ray Walker, and

Tim

Geehanhave takencare of feed- ing,maintenance,ticketsales,and playing host to visitors, sometimes as

many

as 2,000on Sundays.

Many

Seattle World's Fairvisitorshave stoppedatthe zoo.

42

Larry Dacca, Fife FFA, displays his prize-winningGreenHubbardSquash. This wasthe largestsquasheverenteredinthe Western Washington Fair and weighed 150 pounds when taken from the field.

After the initial shrink, it was weighed in at the fairat \AlVi pounds. This was the second year that Larry has

won

this award.

FFA Advisor Honored

Presented to

MR. CHARLES

S.

LONG

by

The Citizens ofNewport, N. C.

For

thirty-two years of meritorious service toour school,

our students, ourfarmers, our veterans,andourcommunity.

Theabove message wasinscribedonthe plaque presented Mr. Long at a special appreciation day marking his retirement.

Theeventwas sponsored bythe Newport Adult Farmer Association, an organiza- tion started

many

yearsago by Mr. Long.

Newport's mayor,LeonA. Mann.Jr.,pre- sided as master of ceremonies and paid tribute with the words, "Mr. Long is a

man

ofstrong character and moral princi- ples

who

over the years has left an in- delible markoftruecraftsmanship of his profession upon his

many

friends and pupils."

Crop Demonstration

F'rofjram Attracts

New York Chapters

Forty-eight

FFA

chaptersin

New

York have earned cash awards foroutstanding crop demonstrations. Thestate

FFA

Crop DemonstrationCommitteepickedthewin- ners from 54 chapters completing adem- onstration duringthe 1961 program. The winners willshare $1,500 providedbythe program sponsor.Cooperative G.L.F. Ex- change Inc., G.L.F. has sponsored the program since 1953to speed up adoption ofcropmethodsthat improvethefarmer's net return.

More than90

New

York chapters have received final approval of their plans for 1962 demonstrations. Prizes are awarded on the basisof original plan, a^fieldevalu- ation during the growingseason, and the use made of the demonstration to teach betteragriculture.

TheNational

FUTURE FARMER