Farmer Adjustments t0 Drouth In a Texas County TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Ii; E. Patterson, Director, College Station, Texas _ In jiooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture Summary Introduction Purpose of Study Scope and Method of Study Area of Study Method of Study Background Information Mills County The Study Precincts Precinct 4 Precinct 5 Precinct 6 Population Changes Mills County, 1950-60 ,_ Farm Population Changes in Sample Precincts, 1950-58 ........................................................... Farm Households Declined by 28 Percent if Farm Population Declined by 34 Percent Median Age Increased from 31 to 39 Years t ts Fertility and Dependency Ratios Dropped Migration as an Adjustment to Drouth Conditions Three-fourths of the 1958 Operators Made No Residential Shifts ....................................... .. " Some Operators Moved Several Times ‘ Age, Health, and Drouth Influenced Farmer Retirement Drouth Influenced Migration of Individuals Farming Adjustments Mills County, 1950-59 Mills County Sample Precincts, 1950-58 Number of Farms Declined by 24 Percent Percent of Older Farmers Increased Size of Farm Increased Farmers Sold More Products Part-owners Increased Operators Have Had Same Farm for Many Years Forty-three Percent of Operators Made Acreage Changes Acres of Crops Harvested Declined Cotton and Peanuts Harvested Declined Operators Shifted from Cattle to Sheep and Goats Other Production Adjustments Were Made Most Adjustments Appeared to Be Beneficial Other Adjustments to Drouth Half of the Operators Had Taken Jobs Off the Farm Changes Were Made in Use of Labor Drouth Influenced Payment of Social Security Taxes Net Worth Stayed the Same or Increased for Most Operators Special Government Farm Programs Widely Used Attitudes Toward Farming and Plans for the Future Attitudes Remained Positive .... .. Some Changes Anticipated for the Future The Post-Drouth Years Related Reports Acknowledgments '1 his report presents information concerning dif- q types of adjustments made by farmers and in Mills County—an area which underwent uous and severe drouth conditions lasting from to 1957. It also includes information concern- ihat has happened in Mills County since the sion of the drouth. . e central core of the study compares data ‘ed in 1958 from households in three separate precincts and from former residents of these cts with agriculture and population census data rlier years in order to reconstruct adjustments 00k place during the drouth years. This in- ltion is further supplemented with agricultural pulation census data to ascertain what hap- ‘ in Mills County as a whole and in the study f, ts after the drouth. djustments in the Mills County study precincts J ed to occur in a fairly well-defined sequence ' during the prolonged drouth. For the first years of drouth, general optimism prevailed, cupational, migration and farming adjustments éattempted on a relatively minor scale. During ,1 t 2 to 3 years of continuous drouth as optimism f to wane, adjustments were intensified and H‘; on a much broader scale. As the drouth q unbroken, the. number and intensity of ‘fin ents appeared to slow down again during the ‘years (approximately the sixth to eighth years). J ills County and the sample precincts experi- Qrelatively heavy population losses during the A years. The net loss through outmigration the county was composed of about two farm for every one person from the town and open- nonfarm population. ‘Accompanying population losses during the were declines in numbers of all age groups f persons 55 years of age or older. Consequently, oportions of young married couples declined der persons increased to the extent that an. _ of deaths over births has existed in Mills since 1956. The median age of persons in j ounty in 1960 was 44.6 years as compared to ian age of 27.0 for the Texas population as e and 28.9 for the State’s rural population. rm households in the study precincts declined percent during the} drouth years (1950-58), and ; pulation declined by 34 percent. Information ~o by migrants indicated that the drouth had Arable influence on their decision to move, i}; advanced age and health were also cited as for making residence shifts and quitting fann- i a result of younger farmers quitting farming summary during the drouth years, the proportion of farm household heads under 45 years of age declined sharply in the study precincts for the 8-year period under consideration. Major adjustments were attempted in different kinds of agricultural operations in Mills County and the study precincts ‘during the prolonged drouth period. One of the major shifts was in‘ the type of livestock—from cattle to sheep and especially to goats. The number of goats enumerated on Mills County farms and ranches jumped from 55,000 in 1950 to 96,000 by 1959. Acreage devoted to cotton and peanut production declined sharply during the drouth years, and the number of irrigated fanns increased from one in 1950 to 19 in 1954. By 1959, when the drouth was considered as having been broken, there were only eight irrigated farms in Mills County. Forty-three percent of the farm and ranch opera- tors in the study precinct reported major adjustments in acreage operated during the drouth years. About four out of five reported that they considered the drouth to have played a major part in their decision to make acreage changes whether it was an increase or a decrease. During the drouth years, 27 farmers in the study precincts either started in poultry pro- duction or substantially increased the size of their poultry flocks. A majority indicated this to be an adjustment attempted as a stop-gap measure during the drouth, and most of them got out of poultry production after the drouth was ended. Half of the farm operators took off-farm jobs during the drouth, and a number of wives entered the teaching profession for the first time even though they had never taught school after earning their degrees some years previously. Others resumed teach- ing after having previously given it up. In general, there was a shift away from the amount of seasonal and hired labor used during the drouth years to an increase in the amount of family labor used. Ap- proximately 85 percent of the farm and ranch opera- tors in the study precincts took part in some phase of the Drouth Feed Program during the drouth years. For the most part, attitudes of fann and ranch operators in the study precincts remained positive toward farming as an occupation in spite of the pro- longed and serious drouth conditions they had under- gone. Since the conclusion of the drouth, a readily apparent change has taken place in the enthusiasm and optimistic outlook of Mills County farmers and ranchers. At the same time, it may be viewed as a “guarded” type of optimism, because Mills County residents fully realize that a drouth can occur at any given time. e \ figure 1 ' Q'- Amarillo . Lubbock Wichita Falls Ft. Worth g O Dallas I Abilene El Paso San Angelo Q ' Waco . '.> PI‘1ddY_ ' "o Houston ' 2 v l San Antonio Goldthw aite Mills County study precincts. Mills County-located near the geographic center of Texas ious DROUTH which occurred over widespread {of Texas and other states of the Southwest e l950’s attracted nation-wide attention. “certain areas of Texas are subject to re- ioisture deficiencies, tit was considered by irvers as the worst on record in the State. id Ward stated in Texas Agricultural Ex- Station Bulletin 801, Some Economic Effects " 0n Ranch Resources, that the drouth which ‘the fall and winter of 1950 was reportedly ; within the memory of persons living at A In comparison it was felt that the one Yas of relatively short duration and the one "d 1918 did not equal this one in intensity. (of the public attention during the recent Qdrouth was focused on economic adversities “Lograms designed to alleviate one or another 1ivestock feed shortages resulting from pro- "nfall shortage conditions. Less attention to personal and family adjustments and o) farming necessitated by drouth conditions. J-people in areas which underwent serious ‘ "ng the 1950's were forced to make various ljustments to meet the adverse conditions. to irrigation where topography and nd water supply permitted. Others added occupational pursuit and reduced their A perations while remaining on farms. Still e up farming entirely and moved away to f? cities. i) gh there has been speculation concerning ftments that farm. people make during a ,- drouth period, little formal research has ucted to verify what actually happens. As f their continuing cooperative research pro- arm population studies, the Farm Popula- ‘ ch of the Economic Research Service "part of the Agricultural Marketing Service) xas Agricultural Experiment Station under- _: study in 1958 to determine and evaluate that farm. people attempted during a v_ drouth period. Purpose of Study ‘Hverall purpose-Iof the study was to provide in which would be useful in planning future for drouth areas. More specifically, the “y, professor, Department of Agricultural Economics H; , Texas Agricultural Experiment Station; and itatisticians, Farm Population Branch, Economic * ice, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Farmer Adjustments t0 Dre-nth in a Texas County R, L. Skrabanek, Vera J- Banks and Gladys K. Bowles* following three major objectives. of the cooperative research project were set up. (1) Determine the farm population changes in a selected area of Texas during a. period of serious and prolonged drouth. This in- cluded changes in total numbers and in composition of persons living on farms. (2) Determine the occu- pational a.nd financial adjustments of persons who remained on farms through a prolonged drouth period and evaluate their future intentions with re- gard to farming and migration. (S) Estimate the extent of migration to and from farms and determine the demographic characteristics of those who moved, the motivating forces which resulted in decisions to migrate, the influence of drouth conditions upon these decisions, attitudes of migrants toward farming as an occupation and the influence of the drouth upon these attitudes. Scope and Method of Study Area of Study For purposes of this research project, geographic coverage of the drouth areas in Texas was not prac- tical. It was decided, therefore, that the research would be carried out on an intensive basis in a more restricted area. The area of study was then de- termined by the following criteria. (1) It was to be an area in which continuous severe drouth conditions had lasted for a period of years extending from 1950 to 1957. (2) The area would encompass either an entire county or a smaller sub- division of a county (referred to as justice or com- missioners’ precincts in Texas) for which certain detailed data for 1950 and 1954 could be obtained from the Bureau of the Census. After careful examination of available rainfall data and information on related aspects of the drouth, Mills County, located very near the geographical center of the State, was selected as the study area (Figure 1). Mills County had suffered intensive and prolonged drouth conditions from 1950 to 1957. In fact, rainfall records obtained at the Mills County Soil Conservation Office indicated that for every year during 1946-56, rainfall was below the 55-year annual average of 27 inches (Figure 2). Although in 1957 total rainfall was above the 55-year annual average, most of it occurred during the latter part of the year when it was too late for a successful 1957 crop year. Reliable sources in the county reported that the rain- fall received in Mills County in the years under con- sideration in this study was largely ineffective for agricultural purposes. Sometimes a fairly large quan- 5 Inches of Rainfall 35 5-year moving average of rainfall at Goldthwaite (Mills County) Texas 30 >- 55-year average Z7. l inches " l‘ 25 - 20 - Source: Mills County Soil Conservation Office 15 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 1935 1940 1945 1950 Figure 2. The extreme nature of the most recent drouth in Mills County is shown by means of a 5-year moving average Goldthvvaite. Note also that it was preceded by a period of favorable moisture conditions of greater length. ' tity fell in a short period, but excessive run-off occurred on the comparatively barren soil. Its sea- sonal distribution was also poor in terms of what was needed for grass and crop production (Figure Although official data indicated a shortage of rainfall beginning in 1946, (Figure 2) its seasonal distribution was apparently favorable for farming and ranching conditions for a few years. About half of the farm. and ranch operators interviewed indicated that in their judgment the drouth began around 1950. Better than three out of four stated they first began to experience seriously low crop» yields and began intensive livestock feeding programs between 1950-53. Consequently, for the purposes of this study, the drouth was assumed to have begun in 1950. Relative to the second criterion of selection, the. six justice precincts of Mills County had been used by the Bureau of the Census in both 1950 and 1954 for collecting population and agricultural data. Rather distinct differences in types of agricultural operations are found among the precincts. Three precincts. which encompass the main types of agricul- ture in the county were selected for study. They were Precinct 6 in the northeastern corner and Precincts 4 and 5 which are contiguous in the southwestern corner of the county (Figure- 4). The distance be- tween the extreme ends of the survey precincts is about 45 air miles, but the connecting highway is 60 miles long because of its winding nature. Agri- culture in Precinct 6, which is located in the Grand Prairie type-of-farming area, is both farming and ranching. Precincts 4 and 5, (in the West Cross Timbers type-of-farrning area) are almost entirely ranching, with much larger units on the average than in Precinct 6. 6 Another important consideration in the of Mills County as the study area was absence of opportunity for farmers to obtai from other sources to supplement their farm Gas and oil resources were relatively abse county, and consequently farm operators? little income from. the leasing of land for u poses. There was little income from deer le a“ is enjoyed by ranchers in nearby counties]; wood, with fewer than 17,000 residents ini the largest population center located in a -_A county. Thus, the county's economy was t_ extent dependent on agriculture. Method of Study The central core of this study com‘ obtained in 1958 (through personal intervf“ a member of each household in the survey agricultural and population census data dates in order to reconstruct some of the chi took place during the drouth years. This in, is further supplemented with 1959 Censusi culture and 1960 Census of Population am tain what changes took place after the con’ the drouth. Other information on cha obtained directly from the respondents. In A data were obtained from or about persons _' formerly lived in the study area. The num .1 of the several types of households or indivi veyed is shown in Table 1. i Although the original project design d' for a restudy of the sample precincts aftef of the drouth period, the area was revisited t, occasions. Observations made at the time i“ are discussed in the final section of this r‘ . Range land in the drouth area so denuded of grass and vegetation and with such hard crust that moisture would not pene- small pits in the background made by special machinery in order to catch water so it will penetrate into the soil. (Photo Soil Conservation Service.) ickground Information 1 My ’c0unty is only a few miles east of the geo~ §nter of Texas, lying at the junction of the iirie and Edwards Plateau regions. It is y Comanche and Brown Counties on the ilton County on the east, Lampasas and "ounties on the west and south. The county mately 34 miles in. length and 22 miles in ¢covers an area of 7 34 square miles. ‘hi? orange in elevation is from 1,200 to 1,750 ynge of hills, kno-wn locally as Cowhouse , extends through the county from south- thwesit. The topography consists of table iile valleys, hills, ridges and a few peaks. is largely quotedpr adapted from A Situational the Effects of Dis-oath as a Disaster on the Mobility d Rural-Farm Population by Clarence W. Ketch, a A in Sociology, Louisiana State University, January i Man’s Land Becomes a County by Flora Gatlin ls County Historical Society, The Steck Company, xas; and Types of Farming in Texas by C. A. ,exas Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 964, i',l The climate of Mills County is mild and dry, with extremes in temperature being rare. The sum- mers are warm and dry. The average summer temperature ranges from 82 to 90° F., and the average temperature in January is between 45 and 60°. Snow seldom falls in the county, and when it does it. remains only a. few hours. The mean average temperature is 65°. Mills County had a population of 5,999 in 1950. Since the-re are no towns of 2,500 or larger in Mills County, its entire population is classified as rural. The town of Goldthwaite, with 1,566 people in 1950, located near the center of the county, is the county TABLE l. NUMBER OF VARIOUS TYPES OF HOUSEHOLDS OR INDI- VIDUALS SURVEYED, MILLS COUNTY DROUTH STUDY, 1958 Type Number Farm operators currently operating in sample precincts 2T4 Nonoperator households on farms in sample precincts 27 Former operators of farm land in sample precincts who are no longer farming 2O Individual memberls) migrating from households of farm operators 69 Figure 4. Mesquite tree with healthy mistletoe growth. Farmers in Mills County gather mistletoe and sell it to a packing plant in Goldthwaite. Over 100,000 pounds of mistletoe are shipped from Mills County annually, amounting to an income of approximately $50,000 to the county. seat and largest population center. The second largest town and only other incorporated place is Mullin, which had a population of 326 in 1950. Neither of these two places was located in the sample areas studied. Neither town had industry which might offer employment to the surrounding farm popula- tio-n. The nearest thing to an industry was the sea- sonal gathering of mistletoe, which was processed an.d packaged in Goldthwaite- (Figure 5) . Mostly women are employed for mistletoe packaging for a short sea- son prior to Christmas. According to the 1960 Census there are only four nonwhite persons in Mills County. A majority of the whites are of Anglo and German derivation with approximately 1 percent being of Spanish extraction. The Mills County economy is largely dependent on agriculture. The types o-f agriculture and changes Figure 5. Typical rolling terrain ancl scrub vegetation in the range country of Precincts 4 and 5. Picture made in 1961 after conclusion of drouth. (Photo furnished by Soil Conservation Service.) 8 occurring between 1950-58 are discussed at 1e a section to follow. In the following analyses, population inf A relates to- January 1958, the time of the su current production information relates to 1957. i. v The Study Precincts 31 PRECINCT 4—This precinct is located all southern border in the southwest corner of th, and has no town. or village. The residents ar of English and Irish stock. At the time of th. there were 48 households on. the 39 farms and These farms had a median size of 320 acres being 1,000 or more acres. At the beginning of the drouth, Precin, a grade school, but by 1958 the school child 7 being transported to the consolidated Goldthwaite. Three churches were holding f in 1950, but all were abandoned by 195 church buildings were still standing at the the survey, but no use was being made of t The soils range from sands to sandy l Precinct 4 and are erosive and lo-W in natural _ The surface ranges from gently rolling to roll' rough stony lands that are not amenable to ti ‘Y Native vegetation consists mainly of bunch A scrub oak trees and brush. Some cactus being burned off and fed to cattle and sh goats in all three precincts during the droufi A limited amount of irrigation was bei in Precinct 4 by pumping water from the H River. Some vegetables, small grains and are grown in the southern portion. of the if‘ but most of it is devoted to raising sheep, =1 cattle. PRECINCT 5—Precinct 5 is located in the southwest corner of the county where the '0, more rough and stony than in. Precinct 4 (Fi The soils are sandy, and this precinct has the ance of being more arid than the central an eastern parts of the county. It has a fairly A growth of bushes and trees, most of which and scrubb-y. Cactus grows well, and nativ grass is found throughout the precinct but_is sparse, with patches of bare ground showing the clumps. Precinct 5 had 64 households on 56 fa f’ ranches at the time of the field survey. Fa L: precinct had a median size of 792 acres. On’ were dryland farms, and the remainder were or else combined farming and ranching. if no water for irrigation purposes other t Colorado River, which is the southern bou the precinct. Farming is devoted almost en small grains, sorghums and other hay cro ranching is mainly sheep and goats, with a f if d in this precinct has been. a shift from cattle- ,-and goats, with the change being accelerated '9 e drouth years. ijtown or village is located in Precinct 5. When th began, it had three active churches. By of the survey in 1958 all had closed, although ,ings remained. The residents of Precinct 5 ded church, generally went to Brownwood, A ty seat of adjoining Brown County, and to- aite or Mullin, in Mills County. ade school had operated in the precinct when ,_ th began but had been abandoned prior to l school children were being transported out isitrict to schools either at Mullin or Brown- __ NCT 6—Priddy, the third largest place in the jg is the community center of Precinct 6 and is .115 miles from. Goldthwaite. It had an esti- ‘ipulation. of 180 in 1950 and was the only r town in the entire study area. The resi- Precinct 6 a.re chiefly of German stock. lliéfthe time of the survey in 1958, Priddy had ces and several stores (including two grocery combined with filling stations, and a with the p-ost office in one corner of it). It a one cafe-and-hotel combination where the public was served meals and older persons. sed, a bank, a lumberyard, a feed mill, an repair garage, a general blacksmith shop, one office and several other miscellaneous .j. . en of the families residing in Priddy operated i the precinct in which it is located. The idents were mostly retired persons or opera- the places of business mentioned previously. were 129 residences in. the precinct out- 7 Priddy area, located on 119 farms and The farms were mainly devoted to the pro- of beef cattle, sheep and poultry. Some cotton '0 but the bulk of the cultivated land was in small grains, corn, cane and sorghums for lost of the land of the precinct was in grazing Pecans grew abundantly on native trees e creeks, and a few farms had pecan orchards. s in Precinct 6 had a median size of 254 “th only five being as large as 1,000 acres. ls are primarily clays and clay loams which Pm. productive bottomlands to gently rolling nd shallow stony soils. They are more fertile e in Precincts 4 and 5 and produce well if and other weather conditions are favorable 7). The-re area's-no natural bodies of water tithe precincts although several creeks flow it periodically. igilthe time of the field study, Priddy had a i consolidated school which served all of ' 6 and portions of adjoining precincts. There Figure 6. More of the land in Precinct 6 can be cultivated than in Precincts 4 and 5. (Photo furnished by Soil Conservation Service.) were a Baptist church and a Lutheran church in Priddy, both of which had resident ministers. The Church of Christ denomination had two congrega- tions in the precinct outside of Priddy, but no resident ministers. a Population Changes Previous research conducted on a cooperative basis by the Farm Po-pulation Branch of U. S. Depart- ment of Agriculture and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station indicated that between 1950-57, declines in farm population were associated with seriousness of drouth conditions. In. connection with an annual survey of the farm. population made by these two agencies, estimates were made in 1957 of farm population changes for different sections of Texas classified on the basis of seriousness of drouth conditions during 1950-57. The findings indicated that between 1950-57, in areas of serious and pro- longed drouth, farm population declined by about Figure 7. Goats in Mills County Commission Company pens. During the drouth years goat raising increased in Mills County. 9 35 percent. In areas of intermediate seriousness, the decline was 27 percent; and where conditions were least. serious, the decline was only 15 percent. During this same period, the farm population in the United States as a whole declined about 23 percent. Thus, in the State as a whole, the farm population declined at a faster rate in areas» of serious drouth such as Mills County and at slower rates in areas where drouth was less serious. The objective of this sectio-n is to describe the overall population changes that have occurred in Mills County an-d the sample precincts brought about through migration and natural increase. their feeling toward farming looked upon ore favorably than before. Only one re- f indicated that the drouth had a negative j upon his opinion of farming. . leaving the farm-operator households, a the migrants interviewed had engaged only ork during the 1950-58 period, and a third i1; only in nonfarm work. Forty percent a switch from farm to nonfarm employment a nonfarm job in addition to their farm ' s_ ose persons who changed their employment iicated that drouth had been influential in (1.8 change. Several said money earned from ‘work had influenced their moving from the ‘y of the respondents felt the drouth had jipart in their not attending college. Those planned to attend college were able to do j others indicated no desire to attend. When ‘a had wanted to remain on the farm, about Z five of the migrants indicated this would , their preference. The respondents’ reasons ing able to stay on the farm were marriage, l ndance, lack of employment opportunities iouth. About one-third of the migrants con- _f drouth to have played a part in their f residence. half of the persons who left farms during y years indicated they did not plan to return l; in the next few years. A number of these Considered the drouth to have some influ- , 's decision. l of the migrants who reported a desire ‘to farming remarked they would not want to do so until they were reasonably sure the drouth was over. Farming Adjustments Mills County, 1950-59 As previously indicated, Mills County has tradi- tionally been largely dependent upon agriculture. The Censuses of Agriculture for 1950, 1954 and 1959 provide certain statistics which may be used in de- termining what happened in agriculture in Mills County as a whole for this period of years. In 1950 Mills County had 1,061 farms and ranches, as con- trasted with 893 in 1954 and 767 in 1959, declines of 16 and 14 percent, respectively. With essentially the same amount of land remaining in agricultural pro- duction, the average size of farm increased from 407 acres in 1950 to 475.3 in 1954 and 553.3 in 1959. Only those farms and ranches which were 1,000 acres or larger increased in number between 1950-59. During this period, these larger farms increased by about one-fourth with most of the increase occurring between 1954-59; their number rose from 82 in 1950 to 89 in 1954 and to 103 in 1959. Although the number of farms was fewer in all other size categories, the largest proportionate decrease was in the smallest farms-IO acres or less. A part of this loss is due to a change in definition by the Bureau of the Census of what constitutes a fann. At the same time, there is no doubt that the overall trend has been toward fewer but larger farming operations. Although livestock production remained impor- tant in the agricultural economy of Mills County, a major shift was made in the type of livestock pro- duced during the drouth years. There were about the same number of cattle and calves on Mills County fanns in 1959 and 1950, but fluctuations occurred in their number during the drouth years. In 1954 there were 1,500 less cattle and calves on farms than in 1950. Between 1954-59, herds were built back up and in 1959 there were 21,557 cattle and calves as compared with 21,368 in 1950. The biggest change occurred in the number of sheep and lambs and goats and kids produced on Mills County farms and ranches. In 1950 there were 98,009 sheep and lambs in the county. Their number dropped off to 94,429 in 1954 and expanded by 1959 to 126,162. A considerable expansion took place in the production of goats and kids, raised mostly for mohair. In 1950, there were 54,674 goats and kids enumerated on Mills County farms. They had in- creased to 77,599 by 1954, and by 1959, the number of goats had increased to 95,558. Cotton and peanut production declined during the period under consideration in Mills County. In 1949 there were 5,478 acres planted to cotton, but 17 TABLE 11. NUMBER OF FARMS, MILLS COUNTY SAMPLE PRECINCTS, 1958, 1954 AND 1950 Percentage P . Number of farms change recmct ____._ 1958 1954 1950 1950-58 Total 214 242 282 -24.1 4 and 5 95 112 135 -—29.6 6 119 130 147 —19.0 Source: 1954 and 1950, unpublished data from the 1954 and 1950 Censuses of Agriculture, Bureau of the Census; 1958, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Economic Research Service field survey. only 2,645 acres in cotton in 1954 and 1,862 acres in 1959. Acres. planted to peanuts fell from. 1,793 in 1949 to 889 in 1954 and 796 in 1959. One of the effects of drouth may be noted by taking into consideration the number of farms that were irrigated. The Census of Agriculture lists only one irrigated farm in 1950, and the number increased under drouth conditions, to 19 in 1954. By 1959, when the drouth was considered as definitely having been broken, the number of irrigated farms had de- clined to eight. Mills County Sample Precincts, 1950-58 That the prolonged period of drouth necessitated many agricultural adjustments on the part of sample precinct farmers is evidenced by the fact that only 12 percent of the operators farming in 1958 for whom information was obtained went through the drouth years without making either a major production or operational change. Farming adjustments in the Mills County study precincts during the drouth appeared to occur in a fairly well-defined sequence pattern. During the first 2 or 3 years of drouth, farm, operators were apparently optimistic about the future and underwent a period of uncertainty in regard to making changes in their farming operations. Thus, at first, adjustments were attempted on a small scale to meet these new condi- tions. Durin.g the next 2 to 3 years their optimism began to wane as the drouth continued, with efforts TABLE 12. AGE OF FARM OPERATORS, MILLS COUNTY SAMPLE ‘ PRECINCTS, 1958 AND 1950 Number Percentage distribution A9‘ 195a 1950 195a 1950 Total 214 282 100.0 100.0 18-19 years 1 3 .5 1.2 20-24 2 15 .9 5.4 25-34 18 39 8.4 13.8 35-44 45 77 21.0 27.1 45-54 66 74 30.9 26.2 55-64 51 35 23.8 12.5 65 and over 31 39 14.5 13.8 Median age 51.2 45.9 Source: 1950, unpublished data from 1950 Census of Population, Bureau of the Census; 1958, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Economic Research Service field survey. 18 at adjustments becoming more intensified and. attempted on a broader basis. As the drou‘ mained unbroken from 1950-57, the rate and t tude of both population and farming adjus‘ appeared to slow down during its latter stages.- A general description of some of the adjustments made in the‘ study areas du ' drouth years follows. ‘ "'1 ' NUMBER OF FARMs DECLINED BY 24 PER According to the Bureau of the Census, the 282 farms in the Mills. County sample preci 1950. In 1958 there were 214 farms rema' the area, which represents a decline of 24 I Table: 11. This decline in number of farms the drou.th years was higher than the percen I cline in number of farms experienced by T 5 the United States as a whole during the same 7 The percentage declines for these were 21 respectively. Unpublished data from the 1954 Census . culture revealed that the rate of loss in farm n" in the study area was slightly less during the l, of the eight-year study period. Farms decl' 14 percent between 1950-54, and by 12 per g tween 1954-58, closely paralleling changes f, County as a whole. Precincts 4 and 5 had * tially higher declines than Precinct 6. The j ences may be explained in part by cultural, {A and type of agricultural enterprise differenc‘ . PERCENT OF OLDER FARMERS INCREASED changes in the numbers of farm opera g examined by age, striking differences betw and 1958 become apparent. As a result o younger farmers quitting fanning during the", the proportion of farm household heads r years of age declined from 48 to 31 percen total during this 8-year period. Part of this in number of younger heads of farm hou -“ also due to aging, as not many young men. farming during this period when returns fr ing were expected to be very low. The r. that older farmers (65 years of age and Q prised of the total remained about the sam the drouth years, but those in age groups 45’; and 55-64 years increased. The median age household heads increased from 45.9 years‘ years during the period under study, Table l, SIZE OF FARM INCREASED-AS farm nu creased during the drouth period in the st l greater changes took place in farms under (l and ove-r 1,000 acres than in other farms. a 21 percent of the farms were less than 100 a 1958 this proportion had dropped to 6 per »~_ the same time, large farms (1,000 acres o increased from 9 to 17 percent of all farms,‘ A with all the increase occurring in. Precincts ,0 A considerable increase also occurred in the tion of farms that were 500 to 999 acres l’ T": from 12 t0 17 percent of all farms between 8. Large farms became more numerous as j- enlarged the size of their o-perations by buy- ~ renting additional land from farm operators ’ ere no longer farming. This increase in the of large farms in the area resulted in the i; size of farm increasing by about two-thirds the 8-year period, from 418 to 707 acres. Anpublished data from the 1954 Census of p! lture for the study precincts revealed that farms ediate in size fluctuated in the proportion they ed of all farms during the study period. The ion that farms 100 to 139 acres comprised of i, al- fell between 1950-54, but by 1958 they had d almost back to their 1950 level. Farms of 179 acres reached their peak in 1954 and de- Tslightly by 1958. The proportion of farms 180 pf l acres dropped in 1954 and increased beyond 950 level in 1958. Farms of 260 to 499 acres , e only group which comprised approximately e proportion of all farms throughout the ZRMERS Sou) MORE PRonucTs—For the 1957 . 16 percent of the farms reported a value products sold in excess of $10,000, as com- with only 6 percent in 1949. Although this sales would appear to be high, it must be jv- that in 1958 over 17 percent of all farms lstudy precincts were 1,000 acres or larger in arms with value of products sold in the pre- Qyears of under $400 and between $400 to $799 by 38 and 45 percent, respectively, between i while those with sales over $10,000 increased 190 percent. This indicates that those who operation after 1950 were mainly on farms with _~ues of products sold, made up largely of small- , l owners and tenants. rators were asked to estimate the value of ,' oducts sold for their worst drouth year, as ‘in 1957, so that effect of the drouth could be The majority of the farmers indicated a f; income in the worst year. Practically all fie-group attributed their lower values of farm - the severity of the drouth in that year, but l in size and type of farm operations also have "ted to the difference. A few operators who _ had a higher value of farm products sold _ eir worst drouth year attributed this higher p products sold to the sale of livestock. They Lindicated that they sold off their livestock ‘rtain years because of the lack of grass and '1 caused by thg drouth. About 30 percent g ers in the area reported no change in their ;farm products sold. T-OWNERS INcREAsED-Operators were classi- _ three groups to examine changes in their ltus during the drouth years. The groups ]ll owners; part-owners and managers; and TABLE I3. LAND IN FARMS AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF FARMS BY SIZE, MILLS COUNTY SAMPLE PRECINCTS, I958, I954 AND I950 Year Size of farm I958 I954 I950 Total farms 2I4 242 282 Percent I00.0 I00.0 I00.0 Under I00 acres 5.6 I7.8 20.6 I00-I39 II.2 9.I II.7 I40-I79 I3.6 I4.0 I2.I I80-259 I3.6 I0.3 12.4 260-499 2I .4 2I .I 2I .6 500-999 I7.3 I5.7 I2.4 I,000 and over I7.3 I 2.0 9.2 Land in farm (000’s of acres) I5I I28 II8 Source: I954 and I950, unpublished data from the I954 and I950 Censuses of Agriculture, Bureau of the Census; I958, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Economic Research Service field survey. all tenants. There was little change in the proportion of operators classified as full owners; in both 1958 and 1950 about half of the operators owned all the land they were operating. The proportion that part- owners and managers comprised of all operators in- creased considerably during the study period, from 21 to 34 percent. These were farmers who indicated that they were forced to rent additional grazing land dur- ing the drouth years. On the other hand, the pro- portion of operators who were tenants dropped from 27 percent in 1950 to 17 percent in 1958. OPERATORS HAVE HAD SAME FARMS FOR MANY YEARS-The response to the question “How many years have you operated this fann?” revealed that despite unfavorable farming conditions, new opera- tors continued to enter farming in the study area during the drouth years. In 1958, 9 percent of the operators in the sample precincts indicated they had started farming within. the period of years under observation. Precinct 6 attracted more new farmers during the drouth years than either Precinct 4 or 5. About three out of every five operators who reported they had started operating the present farm during the drouth period were in Precinct 6. About 23 per- cent additional farms in the sample precincts had been operated by the present operator less than l0 years. Thirty-six percent of the farmers and ranch- ers had operated their present farm or ranch l0 to 19 years, and 31 percent had operated their farms 20 years or more. FORTY-THREE PERCENT OF OPERATORS MADE ACRE- AGE CHANGES — About two out-of five of the operators in the Mills County study precincts reported adjust- ments in acreage operated during the drouth years.“ Sixty-two operators increased the size of their opera- tions during the 8-year period while 24 operators reduced acreage. Three operators first decreased acre- “Data in this and following sections on adjustments and shifts in amount of acreage operated, kind and number of livestock raised and shifts in acreage devoted to specific crops are based on reports from 211 opcrrators- 19 INFLUENCE OF DROUTH AS REPORTED BY MILLS COUNTY SAMPLE PRECINCT-FARM OPERATORS WHO MADE ADJUST E TABLE 14. ACREAGE, CROPS, LIVESTOCK, AND LABOR DURING 1950-57 F . Role of drouth arms reporting Adiugment specified change Percentage distribution Acreage operated 91 43.1 100.0 73.6 12.1 6.6 7.7 Crop production 66 31.3 100.0 72.7 10.6 Livestock production 138 65.4 100.0 94.2 4.3 Use of hired and family labor 76 36.0 100.0 78.9 8.0 Source: 1958 Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Economic Research Service field survey. age and then increased it later. Two operators re- ported the opposite situation—increasing acreage first and then cutting back as the drouth continued. These changes in size of operations were accomplished through such usual means as leasing or renting, buy- ing or selling and inheriting land. Records were not obtained on land acquired through inheritance. Among operators who increased acreage during the drouth years, a majority did so by renting additional land, and the rest bought more land. Other operators increased their holdings by a combination, of renting and buying additional land or renting out less land to other farmers. Six farmers decreased the acres. operated by rent- ing out more land, l3 rented in less land, and 7 operators decreased land operated through other combinations of renting and buying land. The acre- age and conservation reserve program initiated in 1955 also had some effect on the size of farming operations. Open-ended questions were used to determine the various reasons for making adjustments in the amounts of acreage operated during the period of years under consideration. About four out of five operators indicated they considered the drouth to have p-layed a part in their decision regarding the acreage change whether it was in increase or a decrease, Table l4. Operators who did not consider the drouth as being a factor in their change of acreage gave such reasons as poor health, old age and being new farmers. Both situations—expanding and cutting back- involved shifting acreage devoted to row crops, live- stock grazing and feed for livestock. Changes in acreage operated usually accompanied some change in either crops, livestock or amount of labor used. Of the operators reporting acreage changes, only l1 made these adjustments without an accompanying shift in crop production or livestock changes. ACRES or CRoPs HARVESTED DECLINED — Almost a third of the operators in the sample precincts made adjustments in, their crop production during the drouth years. The general trend during the period was to cut down on crop acreage. Of the operators 20 who reported a change in cropland, about r of five had reduced their acreage. Six of ‘ operators reporting a decrease in crop p o, indicated they had first increased productionj making the reduction. 1 One significant factor about the decrl increases in crop acreage is the degree to whi changes were adopted. Ten of the operators, ing increased crop production indicated the of change; among these, eight operators their acres in crop production by half or contrast, more than half of the 39 operat reported the degree of cutting back on ac 5 voted to crops decreased their production or more-. i Some changes in acreage devoted to j duction took place every year between l950-5T ever, for each successive year from 1950 to I number of operators making changes increas the peak number of operators making cha reached in 1953, fewer changes were cessive year through 1957. l Of the 66 operators who made some 1' change in crop acreage, only six did so wi _ volving changes in farm acreage, livestock or‘ of labor used. Five operators who made a. crops as their only major farming adjustme the drouth years reduce-d crop production. * Respondents were asked about the vari f entering into their decisions to increase 0r their acreage in crop production. Over 70“ of the farmers and ranchers in the study who made changes in crop production indi drouth had been a major factor, Table l4. one out of ten operators felt that although l-_ entered in as a factor, it played only a v_ subordinate role in their decisions to cha production practices. Among other factl were listed were acreage allotments and the Y Program. i COTTON AND PEANUTS HARVESTED DECLI i number of farms producing cotton in thj precincts decreased by about 40 percent drouth years and only about one-third as u I’ nted t0 cotton in 1957 as compared with le 15. A number of smaller farm operators that their cotton allotments became too T, efficient production and that this was a their giving up cotton production. How- Vrge proportion of the operators felt that the ‘ as a major factor in their cutting back in 7_ oduction. was a moderate decrease in peanut pro- ‘g-hetween 1950-57, with the decline occurring 71950-54 and some increase occurring between Acreage in peanuts declined 46 percent 1950-54, and farms reporting planting pea- ) ined 39 percent. Between 1954-57, both n peanuts and farms producing peanuts in- but not back up to the 1950 level. This i1 uring the 1950-54 period occurred when, to a number of respondents, the worst lnditions prevailed. Increased peanut" pro- f curred in later years when rainfall increased fall of the year. More rain fell in 1957 y time since the beginning of the rainfall i111 1943. ‘if TORS SHIFTED FROM CATTLE TO SHEEP AND lthough adjustments in the number of acres 33nd in the amount of land devoted to crops :- e drouth p-eriod assumed significant pro- farmers and ranchers in the study precincts I more active in making changes in their numbers. Almost two-thirds (138) of the made some noticeable change in livestock. ps. the most far-reaching production changes in the different types of livestock which I during the p-rolonged drouth. For the SELECTED CROPS HARVESTED AND LIVESTOCK ON FARMS COUNTY SAMPLE PRECINCT, I957, ‘I954 AND ‘I950 1957‘ 1954 1950 ” m! F 64 79 105 1,123 1,920 3,236 ’ (111165) 1 3 24 31 11 grown) 9, 33 23 33 933 656 1,221 (61165) 3o 29 32 Ives l? 171 21 s 252 _ 5,226 5,435 6,316 "YInumbersI 31 26 25 " bs -S 150 151 134 32,993 26,599 21,935 Inumbers) 220 ‘I 76 I 64 - s 97 , . 74 46 36,743 19,759 9,121 11111111111115) 379 a 267 1 93 v relate to acres planted for crops and peak numbers for I and I950, unpublished data from the I954 and ‘I950 ‘uses of Agriculture, Bureau of the Census; I957 data i‘ I958 Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Eco- Research Service field survey. Figure 8. Portion of “worm ranch” near Priddy showing beds of worms being propagated in Canadian peat moss. This is one of the successful enterprises a young farmer started during the drouth years. period under consideration (1950-57 crop and live- stock years) the number of cattle and calves on farms and ranches declined by 17 percent and the number of farms having cattle and calves declined by about one-third. The big increases were in sheep and lambs and goats and kids. Much of the terrain in Mills County is rough with considerable growth of lo-w brush, a combination which lends itself to sheep and goat production. During the 8-year period the number of sheep and lambs increased by 50 percent. The number of goats and kids doubled between 1950-54 (from 9,000 to 20,000) and quadrupled between 1950- 57 (Figure 8, Table 15). There is little doubt that drouth was the major force that brought about the shift in Mills County from cattle particularly to goats. Soon after the beginning of the drouth the forage supply was badly depleted for cattle. Sheep and go-ats, however, could still graze underbrush, weeds and leaves from small oak trees and less feed was needed for this type of livestock. A change in livesto-ck numbers was the only major adjustment in farming operations made by a number of farmers. Although adjustment in livestock numbers was usually accompanied by changes in either acreage or cro-ps or both, about one out of four operators shifted his livestock production with- out involving these other changes. ()ther adjustments reported by operators making a. change in livestock but none in. acreage, crops, or labor included (1) irri- gatio-n, (2) poultry production and building earth tanks. Practically all of the farmers and ranchers who made changes in the types of livestock raised felt that these were adjustments necessitated by the drouth. Furthermore, they felt that they were wise in decid- 21 Figure 9. Wives and daughters of Mills County farm operators’ households supplement family income by working in a mistletoe- packing plant in Goldthwaite. ing to make these adjustments. A typical answer to the question, “What production shifts did you make that proved helpful during the drouth period?” was the reply, “The luckiest thing I did was turn to sheep and goats. It is the only thing that saved many of us from, complete bankruptcy.” Questions dealing with the effect of the drouth revealed that more operators were influenced b-y the drouth in their decisions to shift livestock numbers than in; other farm enterprise changes, Table l4. Ninety-eight percent of the farmers and ranchers considered the drouth a factor in changing livestock numbe-rs as compared with about 80 percent of those making acreage and crop production shifts. OTHER PRODUCTION ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE— Other production changes which were o-f consequence- during the drouth should be noted. One was a shift to poultry production. Although data were not obtained. on the numb-er and size of poultry flocks at the beginning of the study p-erio-d, 30 operators indicated they had made some shift in. their poultry production during the drouth years. Of this number, two indicated they had decreased poultry production and one farmer quit the poultry business. The re.- maining farmers indicated they either started in poultry production during the period or made sub- stantial increases in. the size o-f their poultry flocks. A number o-f new modern poultry houses was evident when the study was made in 1958. When questioned about the reaso-ns for venturing into poultry production, a majority indicated that the: drouth was a major factor. Likewise, a majority felt poultry production was a successful venture and said they would do it again under the same set of circum- stances. As in the case cited previously in connection with sheep and goat production, numerous operators expressed the opinion that shifts to poultry produc- tion were a fortunate adjustment which helped them to- counteract other effects of the drouth. 22 Irrigation was not being practiced by County farm and ranch operators before the begin of the drouth. The 1945 Census of Agriculturei no irrigated farms in Mills County, and only‘ irrigated farm is. indicated in the 1950 Cens a Agriculture. i At the time of the 1958 {field survey, 14 ope stated they were irrigating their farmland. Ran who had started irrigating during the drouth Y were particularly concentrated in Precinct 5. all indicated that the drouth was the primary in their decision to- invest in irrigation systems. ,- also- felt that irrigation helped them consi during the dro-uth years. Several operators wh no-t yet begun to- irrigate their land indicated; if the drouth did not end soon they would‘ irrigating in the near future. On the other 5 several of those irrigating indicated that they j discontinue this practice if they had some ass that the drouth would end soon. " So-me unique: enterprise adjustments we covered in. the course of carrying out the field One farm operator started. in the business of gr fishing worms after the drouth began and had i ently become highly successful in this venture, j 9. In his opinion, the drouth played a de-finit in the development o-f his “wo-rm ranch” b Other operators reported that the drouth stiml the. building of more “earth tanks” or “water ’ tanks” to provide water for livestock. ’ Sixty-three operators in the Mills Countyli area stated that they had definite plans in ml, regard to» changing their farming and ranching-j tions which were disrupted by the drouth. Ni operators had planned to increase the size farming operations but were afraid to take L during the drouth period- Another 16 had p to make improvements on their land a.nd p 1 11 had planned to buy equipment and stock, had financial plans disrupted and six had i to change their type of farming. All of thesef to-rs believed strongly that their plans woul been carried out if it had not been. for the r5, MosT ADJUSTMENTS APPEARED TO BE BENE After the specific farming adjustments made the drouth were reported by each operator, i- then asked to give his evaluation of how these turned out —— whether they improved his ove atio-n, caused it to be less favorable or had eith or no effect upon his overall situation. Several adjustments were described by operators as being beneficial during the drou Fo-r example, l4 operators felt they were r: as a result of increasing acreage operated; 21-7; starting or increasing poultry flocks as a if change; 20 stated that decreasing the size c herds and /or increasing their sheep or goa a ion; l2 operators believed their situations v improved by irrigating; and 2 were of the ' at they had done the right thing by getting if ton farming. "-1 other hand, a number of operators felt better off for having cut down on acreage, or poultry. jority of the operators who had made f farming operations during the drouth years {r or the most part their decisions were wise Jugh the decisions were often not the same in to farm. A few, however, mentioned isions which they felt made their situations ~~ this category were 12 operators who felt g down on livestock had not turned out ‘ - decision. Adjustments to Drouth p, the population and farming adjustments Were taking place in the Mills County study other forms of adjustments were being simultaneously. lithe Operators Had Taken Jobs off l i‘ operators and their families in the study ‘ numerous occupational adjustments during period. Nearly half of the operators had f_ one time or another away from their farm liinning of the drouth, and a majority of '1 ted that declining farm income caused Thad been instrumental in their taking off- i to supplement their farm income. Only I of those having done off-farm work had , e off-farm job by 1958. Those who were “'0 in other employment were asked what y-c to do with their off-farm jobs when i ame plentiful again in the future. Of the rs who had other employment in 1958, 33 ould give up the extra job, but 25 said ded to keep their job. The remainder .n0t given this question careful considera- not care to express an opinion about what v (l0. i percent of the samp-le farms the operator i y family member with additional off-farm ; t in 1958. Thirteen of the farm-operator i, had members who held off-farm jobs while the household did no off-farm work. But A of the farm-operator households both the A d other family-members had engage-d in fork at some time since the beginning of ‘observed during the survey that a number d daughters were working in a mistletoe- A t located in the county, Figure l0. This § for only a short season prior to Christmas. Some wives had entered the school-teaching profession for the first time during the drouth years, even though they had never taught school since earning their degrees some years previously. Others resume-d school teaching after having previously given it up. In almost every case of first entry or re-entry into school teaching, the wives felt strongly that the drouth was a deciding factor in their making this change. There were a few who said that other factors (such as their children having left home) entered into their de- cisions, but even in these cases they felt that low incomes due to the drouth played a prominent part in their decisions. When asked what they thought family members would do about their off-farm jobs after the drouth was over, only seven operators replied that they thought the members of their families would no longer continue to work away from their farms. About 60 percent of the farm households which had operator and / or family members working off-farm felt the drouth was a major factor in the seeking of other employment. Nearly a fifth felt the drouth played only a minor role in their taking nonfarm work while 16 percent considered the drouth to have had no bearing on their decision. A high proportion (79 percent) of the operators asserted that money earned through off-farm jobs played a definite part in per- mitting them to remain in farming during the drouth years. Changes Were Made in Use of Labor Important adjustments also took place in the use of hired and family labor during the study period. In general, the shift was away from the use of regular and seasonal hired labor with an increase in the amount of family labor used. Changes in the use of different kinds of labor had no particular pattern on a year-to-year basis, but most of the changes re- ported took place before l956, with there being very little change in 1957. Over a third (76) of the farmers and ranchers in the study reported shifts in the amount of labor (including family) used during the study period. Half of these decreased the amount of labor, about 40 per- cent increased the labor used, and the rest had both decreases and increases in the period. Over 85 percent of the operators who» had made labor use changes indicated that these shifts were influenced by the drouth regardless of the type of labor changes adopted, Table 15. Ninety-five percent of those who decreased labor and 77 percent of those who increased labor felt the drouth-either directly or indirectly-was a significant factor. The adjust- ments indicated previously in the amount of land operated and types of crops and livestock produced were undoubtedly related to shifts in labor use. Other reasons mentioned for making changes in labor were high labor costs and advanced age of the operator. 23 Drouth Influenced Payment of Social Security Taxes An amendment t0 the Social Security Act in 1954 made participation in the program for farm operators mandatory if they made a specified minimum income from their farming operations. Thus the Social Security program applied to the farmer during the latter portion of the period covered in this study. Farm operators were asked if they had made Social Security payments for the crop years 1955, 1956 and 1957 as a result of their farming operations. Eighty-four percent of the operators made Social Security payments for at least one of the three speci- fied years under consideration. Of the 177 farm operators who made some payments, 85 percent paid for all years; 11 percent paid 2 years; and the re- mainder paid their Social Security tax only 1 year. Among operators who did not pay Social Security tax-es, 5O did not pay the tax because of low farm earnings in 1955; 40 failed to do so for the same reason in 1956; and 36 in 1957. When asked about the factors involved in nonpayment of the Social Security tax, 38 operators considered drouth as the main reason for insufficient income for payment. A number of others felt that while the drouth was a factor other items were equally important. Net Worth Stayed the Same or Increased for Most Operators Data were obtained on the net worth of farm and ranch operators in Mills County study precincts for 1950 and 1958 with the intention of using this information to gauge the effects of drouth upon their financial status. Data reported in connection with net worth estimates apply to only 177 operators in the sample precincts. This is chiefly because a number of operators did not feel they were able to estimate appropriately this new worth in 1950. More than half (56 percent) of the operators for whom information was obtained estimated their net worth to be about the same level in 1958 as it was in 1950, and about 28 percent felt that their net worth had increased. About 16 percent estimated their net worth to be lower in 1958 than in 1950. Operators reporting an increase in net worth at- tributed this to- higher land values in 1958 than in 1950, payment of debts, and types of farming changes. Most of the operators indicating a lower net worth figure at the end of the period felt that the drouth had been a definite factor causing their net worth to decline. Even though a high proportion of farmers who estimated a decrease in net worth attributed this decline to the drouth, net worth cannot be considered as an effective means of measuring the effects of the drouth. This is particularly true because land values increased substantially during the 8-year interim. 24 Thus, even though a given farmer may havj deeper in debt during the drouth years, the i _ value of his property more than made up for ' deficiency and his net worth was greater not ‘ he had accumulated more but because of i in land values. This was further borne out‘ fact that a number of operators who estim increase in net worth between 1950-58 attri' to higher land values. A " Those operators who mentioned the dro” reason for the change in their net worth we i- if they felt that it had played a major or mi, in this change. About half of the operat mentioned drouth considered it a major fac‘ commenting on the effects of the drouth,=; operators indicated that even though their n did not change or had even increased, t strongly they would have been considerably w; their 1958 financial position had the dro l occurred. Special Government Farm Programs lWideIy Used Because of the general feeling that fa M ranches in drouth-stricken areas were in need ance, the Federal government sponsored a? drouth feed program during the 1950's in i, designated. Mills County farmers and ranch qualified to participate in the Hay Purchase in 1952 and the Drouth Feed Program al :5 tinuously from 1953 to April 1957. *1 The general consensus of field perso "f ducting the interviewing (and verified by a of business and civic leaders in Mills Co A that Federal assistance ran counter to the of Mills County farm and ranch operators. l quently, any Federal program which involv tion or assistance might have been expect counter strong resistance. However, of the operators for whom emergency program par data were obtained, 179 (or 85 percent) too some phase of the Drouth Feed Program. 5 On the whole, Mills County operatorsg Drouth Feed Program was helpful, although expressed disapproval for the way in whi phases of the program were administered. l 50 percent of the operators indicated the pr been greatly beneficial to them and an a‘ third felt the program had been of some os-l few operators stated that the Government; Program was the major factor which permit to remain on the farm. When operators wl specifically to state the way in which the had been beneficial, the consensus was th, provided more feed at a cheaper price and; the operators to keep their stock. Only 11 g considered the Drouth Feed Program to h of no benefit to them. .~ lators were also asked to give their overall jof the Government Drouth Program. About e10 expressed their approval. However, 42 Y this group made some qualifying statement ificated that although they approved the f u; am, they saw some room for improve- ‘en percent of the operators disapproved of ‘ m. Most of this group expressed the that it was not well adapted to their par- Al} ing situation. The remaining l0 percent ke any position in reference to the Drouth ‘i; m either because they had been in farm- f ching for a very limited number of years care to express an opinion if they had one. ides Toward Farming and lans for the Future =fquestion of whether a change in attitudes j ing as an occupation takes place among f; ranchers in an area during a prolonged “riod is of immediate concern to sociologists persons in planning positions related to he. Further, extended drouth conditions ,[affect the plans that farmers and ranchers lithe future. Because attitudes have a direct jon action of individuals, a series of ques- 1 designed to determine how farmers and ifelt toward agriculture as an occupation A life. _i Remained Positive ‘f; be anticipated that farmers and ranch- v be less enthusiastic about farming as a q. king a livelihood after having lived under nditions for several years. As the out- from the area discussed previously indicates, A persons this is true. For those who re- or entered farming during the drouth i itudes toward farming remained positive. indents were asked to state what they spe- ed about farming or ranching. A total of i that the thing they liked the best was that ‘ be their own boss. Two operators felt that lifbest place to bring up their children. Only ,“nothing” as their reply to the question in; the things they liked about farming. i ntioned more than one item. ,nd question concerned some of the things disliked about farming and ranching. frequently qmtentioned were its unpre- , size of investment in proportion to returns, 'gh costs of land and machinery, low fann ‘a the amount of hard work in relation to ‘ being given a chance to state what they i‘ liked and disliked about farming or ranching, operators were then asked: “If you were to balance out your likes and dislikes against each other, what would you say is your overall opinion about farming at this time?” Approximately 7 out of l0 operators gave an unqualified affirmative answer. Two out of l0 indicated they were pleased with farming in general as an occupation but quali- fied their answers. Only 8 operators were unhappy with farming as an occupation at the time of the survey. Only 28 farm operators reported that they felt their feeling toward farming as an occupation had changed some during the drouth years. Most of these were less enthusiastic about farming than previously and indicated that drouth was a major factor in their change in outlook. Nevertheless, even after several continuous years of drouth, most were very optimistic about the future of farming and ranching in Mills County and still felt that “there just isn't any occupa- tion as good as farming, if we would just get enough moisture.” In order to probe deeper into their feelings about farming, the operators were asked what they would do if they had a chance to sell out at a reasonable profit and had been promised a fairly good job in town, but that it would involve moving from their farms. Only 4 percent of the 209 operators replying to this question stated they definitely would sell out under these circumstances. Seven percent replied they would have to think about it more seriously but probably would sell out under the stated conditions. Eighty-two percent stated they would definitely turn down the opportunity, while 7 percent did not care to speculate on what they would do. Thus, based on this evidence and evidence presented previously, it appears that in spite of the drouth and the number of adjustments which farm, operators had to make, a large majority still preferred farming as their occupation. To get an idea of the factors influencing some people to remain in agriculture while others left it during the drouth years, operators in the sample precincts were divided into three major groups. These included those who: (1) stayed in farming during the drouth period, (2) started farming during the drouth period and (3) moved out and back into farming during the drouth period. About 90 percent of the operators remained in farming during the period. These were asked about the most important factors that led them to stay in farming. “We just like it” was an answer which was given to the question more than any other reason. Other reasons which rated high were “owned my land,” “famlwork is only kind of work I know,” and “being able to do nonfarrn work at the same time.” Those farmers who started farming during the period (9 percent) did so mainly because they were 25 from farm backgrounds, liked farming and felt secure in it. Two operators started farming because they viewed it as a land investment, and one operator indicated he started farming as an old age security. Only two operators moved out and back into farming between 1950-57. One operator left the farm because he “was not making a living at it” but then returned because he thought conditions might change. The other operator quit farming to go into a non- farm business and re-entered farming when he had a chance to get an irrigated farm. An overall evaluation of attitudes of farm and ranch operators in the study area toward farming indicate-d general optimism and a belief that “farming is all right, and since I like it, I had just as soon take my chances here as well as anywhere else, drouth or no drouth.” Some Changes Anticipated for the Future In addition to obtaining information about what happened to farm operators and their families during the drouth years, some data were gathered about their future plans and intentions. One of the questions asked of farm operators involved plans they had for changing their fanning operations in the next few years. Sixty-four percent of the operators stated they did not plan to make any change in their farming operations. Another 21 percent indicated that they planned to increase the amount of acreage operated; l0 percent were going to change management arrange- ments; two percent planned to reduce their size of operations and the remaining 3 percent planned to get out o-f farming altogether. Regardless of the type of change planned in the future, most operators indi- cated that they would have to wait and see if the drouth was over before attempting to carry out their plans. The seven fanners and ranchers who indi- cated they were planning to quit farming felt that the ending o-f the drouth would have little influence on their decisions. The main reasons given for quitting farming in the future were old age, poor health and low levels of profits. Some information was also obtained relative to the future intentions of farm operators in the study area in regard to the place of their residence. Only 10 operators stated they planned within the next few years to move off the farm they occupied at the time of the field study. Of this number, two planned to move to another farm. and seven planned to move to a city or village. One operator did not know where he would move but apparently felt that a move was in order. Only three operators felt that the drouth was a major factor in their desire to move from the farm which they were occupying at the time of the field study. Poor health, retirement, older age and the desire to operate a larger farm were among other reasons given by operators who anticipated a move in the near future. 26 The Post-drouth Yea , As previously indicated, Mills County V; serious and prolonged drouth conditions f7 to 1957. Rainfall in 1957 was above th annual average of 27.1 inches for the ar_- first time since 1945. However, much of the A become so denuded of grass land vegetation-j surface so crusted that excessive water runoff if Consequently, in order to break the drouth‘ had to be general and at frequent intervals l palatable grasses and ample moisture to n- in the soils. At the time of the field study moisture conditions were beginning to be { and prospects appeared bright for a prom' year. Rainfall data supplied by the Mills o, Conservation office in Goldthwaite indica cient quantities and seasonal distribution of I for successful agricultural production duringj following 1958. E Mills County and the study area were on several occasions after the 1958 survey C changes were observed to have taken place _ end of the drouth. Several of these are readih able even to the casual visitor While o’ verified through interviews with selected in The purpose of this section will be to des of these changes. A readily apparent change had taken f‘ the conclusion of the drouth in the enthu optimistic outlook of farmers and ranch was evidenced in several ways. Common t the question of how the people are now fa t“ “There is a lot of difference now,” and "y happy and getting along fine,” and “We not possibly want things any better.” Seve q in the study area indicated that they were- more aware of their current blessings than l» have been had the drouth not occurred. One of the most striking changes inv number of new homes which had been I; since the end of the drouth. While the f» was being conducted, no new structures (ei ness- or home) were in the process of co‘ However, several new homes and additio homes have been completed in the last‘ Farmers with new homes indicated that th seriously consider building them during years although they had hoped to do so. ~ conclusion of the drouth, they felt that I and future in general looked prosperousf expressed little concern over being able Q their new homes. 1 One of the largest farm machinery a‘ ment dealers in Mills County indicated c‘ of sales of new tractors and farm impl considerably greater during the first 3 yeam‘ conclusion of the drouth than it had w...‘ ‘7 years combined while the drouth was in _ It was his opinion that farmers and ranch- t have the money during the drouth years p’ to buy farm machinery. Since they also A; in about future prospects and their ability y newer machinery, they repaired old equip- A tried to make it last longer. new-found purchasing power of farmers and [in the post-drouth years had considerable i- the economy of the area. One of the y kers in the county stated that while some being made during the drouth period, they lithe most part more selective and very care- inized. By comparison, there has been a ed attitude toward lending farmers and oney since the conclusion of the drouth. “its in Mills County have more than 'nce favorable moisture conditions have re- q- a number of businessmen in the study ' ted that fewer farmers were currently buy- j on credit than during the drouth years. indicated that the unpaid balance of bills :1 by farmers and ranchers was much A at any time since the beginning of the wo persons operating stores indicated that '41» credit for farmers up to a certain de- present time while during the drouth years ed credit to farmers more reluctantly. One i" a nonfarm business indicated that about p ers who had not cleared up their bills drouth years were those who had moved the area. 1- in the study area showed a definite in- llections and contributions since the end L» th. One of the churches added a very ucational building) to its facilities which dyed constructing until after the drouth was bership declined in the church chiefly outmigration. Since the conclusion of the urch membership has remained fairly sta- inisters indicated that they did not expect __bership to increase since persons who had y had transferred to other churches. 1_ctor considered important in potential llment is the age distribution of persons i: study area. As previously indicated, the of young people from the study area in l, proportions during the drouth years so 3- number of potential younger parents dough youngsters are expected for popula- 7w! “enrollment in the study area declined 'ng the drouth years and has continued after the end of the drouth. The Mills lastic population numbered 1,274 for the ill year and 916 in 1957-58. By 1960-61 f of scholastics in Mills County had been , ced to 885. As in the case of church en- ool officials feel that the number of youngsters and potential school pupils will not be great enough to cause enrollments to increase. Several agricultural changes may be noted since the conclusion of the drouth. As indicated by data for the drouth years, a definite shift took place from crop production and raising of cattle and calves to the production of goats and sheep. Persons in im- portant agricultural positions indicated that the shift toward goat production which started during the drouth years had continued after the end of the drouth. According to several agricultural officials, farmers and ranchers became aware of the advantages of goat production in Mills County during the drouth years and have continued to expand in this direction ever since. In general, goats are easier to handle than are sheep or cattle, they thrive on the vegetation which sheep and cattle will not eat and help clear up underbrush. In addition, the guarantee on mohair prices and the increased volume of mohair produced through better breeds of goats have made goats a more profitable enterprise. More land is being turned over to pasture for the goats as their numbers are expanding. The livestock auction market at Goldthwaite has developed into the largest goat auction market in the Nation. Mills County is not the largest producer of goats. in Texas, ranking seventh among the counties of the State in 1959, but the successful market in Goldthwaite has attracted the business of farmers from other counties. An in- quiry into the factors related to the success of the goat auction led to the operator’s observation that the greatest single factor in his successful operation was the large increase in numbers of goats in Mills County and surrounding counties during the drouth and post-drouth years. Another agricultural change taking place after the drouth was a shift away from poultry production. During the drouth years, 27 farmers in the study precincts either started in poultry production or made substantial increases in the size of their poultry flocks. Agricultural officials in the county reported that a relatively high percentage of the poultry producers who started in poultry production during the drouth years either cut back considerably in their operations or got out of poultry production altogether after the drouth was over. Discussions with some of the farm- ers who had considerable poultry operations during the drouth years indicated they had quit the poultry business because of low returns in relation to the amount of capital, labor and time invested, and they went into the poultry business strictly as a stop-gap measure during the drouth years. A couple of those who had gotten out expressed their viewpoint in the following manner: “We never were sold on the poultry business. We got in it because we thought it would be one way to ride out the drouth. Anyway you look at it, we never were poultry farmers and never expect to be. It was just something we tried that we will not go back to unless we have to.” 27 Another agricultural change taking place after the end of the drouth was a shift away from irrigation. At the time of the field study in 1958, 14 operators in the study area indicated that they were irrigating their farmland. The 1959 Census of Agriculture reported only eight irrigated farms in the entire county. Farmers and ranchers in the study area appar- ently expanded their efforts considerably to improve their land and other agricultural operations after the end of the drouth. According to officials of the Mills County Production Credit Association and the Soil Conservation Service, farmers particularly became more aware of the necessity for ponds and other means of holding water for a relatively long period of time. Although the number being con- structed either during the drouth or immediately following it was not great, the size of ponds and tanks followed different patterns. There were apparently more tanks and ponds constructed after the drouth, but the most noticeable change occurring was that they were much larger in size than in previous years. This trend was explained as being the result of farm- ers having more money to invest after the drouth and also having learned that larger tanks were needed. Soil Conservation Service personnel indicated that there had been an increased interest in getting differ- ent grasses established after the drouth was over and also that a relatively large number of farmers and ranchers were carrying out planned grass-seeding programs. An official of the Production Credit Association stated that fewer farmers were borrowing money after the drouth than during the drouth years. At the same time, the size of the average loan is now much greater. His general observation was. that “during the drouth, farmers and ranchers were afraid to expand too much, but now they are more ready to risk it.” In general, those people who lived through the drouth years are now optimistic and pleased with the progress they have made since the conclusion of the drouth. One of the local officials in the study area who prepares a majority of the income tax state- ments for the people in his community summed up this spirit of optimism in this manner: “They used to come in here and say ‘we wish we had this and that’ (usually referring to a new automobile or other material possession). But now they come in here 28 and either say ‘we bought one’ or ‘we are, ready to buy it'.” At the same time, he r i it is a guarded type of optimism, and that not forgotten the effects of the drouth. A clusion is based on a statement commonly if‘ the study area such as: “We had better buil it now, because if another drouth sets in, it a long time before we can thliriek about doing i‘ Related Reports l. Bonnen, C. A. and J. M. Ward, 1955, Some Econ _ of Drouth on Ranch Resources, Texas Agricultur ment Station Bulletin 801. " 2. Bebout, Harley, 1961, The Ranch Credit Situati , During the 1950-57 Drouth, Texas Agricultural ' Station Bulletin MP-487. '5 3. Bowles, Flora G., 1958, A N0 Man’s Land Becomes Mills County Historical Society, The Steck Com 4. Boykin, C. C., Gray, ]. R., and Caton, D. D., duction Adjustments in Eastern New Mexico, N“ Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 470. 5. Edwards, A. D., 1939, Influence of Drouth and in a Rural Community in Kansas, Farm Securi l tration and Bureau of Agricultural Economics w Report No. VII. ' 6. Landis, Paul H., 1941, After Three Years: A i?’ Social and Economic Adjustments of a Group Migrants, Washington Agricultural Experim Bulletin 407. r 7. Taueber, Conrad and Taylor, Carl C., 1937, the Drouth States, Works Progress Administra ' ' of Social Research Bulletin Series, Vol. No. 2. 8. Wakefield, Richard and Landis, Paul H., 1939, g Farmer Adjusts to the West, Washington Agri periment Station Bulletin 378. } Acknowledgments This study was conducted cooperatively by the 4 cultural Experiment Station, Texas A8cM Unive -» Farm Population Branch, Economic Research Department of Agriculture. Special acknowledgment is made of the coo { assistance of the late Margaret jarman Hagood, f0 Farm Population Branch, ERS, USDA, in ca f project. Appreciation is also expressed to W. J. Warren P. Duren of Mills County, who gave gener g time in assisting the field study group in locating J for providing background information. .: Acknowledgment is also made to the Bureau w f for providing information for the sample pre ' County for 1950 and 1954, through which analyses? during the drouth period were facilitated. _