27

However, some of the special types among the commercial farms had made
significantly better gains. Vegetable seed, forage seed and whole milk producers
had gained $637, $1,095 and $684, respectively. The crop farms had made the
least gains, averaging $257 per farm per year.

FUTURE PLANS OF SETTLERS

Only 20. of the farmers interviewed had definite ideas regarding their future
plans. Of these 11 per cent planned to discontinue farm operations. That was
understandable since 24 per cent of the farm operators were over 60 years of
age (Table 11). Forty-five per cent said that they considered the extension of
mixed farming operations as the soundest dev elopment of their farm businesses.
Ten per cent thought that they would include the growing of grass or clover for
seed or extend their present acreage of those crops. The remainder planned to
extend some livestock enterprise.

The outstanding characteristic of the reasons given was that most of the
farmers indicated that they wanted to continue or expand one or all of the
several livestock enterprises. Comparatively few were interested in making the
specialized crops that are adapted to the area the major enterprises.

Nearly all farmers mentioned, too, that little could be done toward imple-
menting any plans they had made until they had more land’ under cultivation.
They were keenly interested, therefore, in any scheme that would make the
heavy land clearing equipment available to them.

LIVING: CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH FARMING
IN THE AREA

There are characteristics of farm life which enhance real income but cannot
be measured in monetary terms. Among these are a great freedom of individual
action and a certain basic security of employment and income which a farm
usually provides. Considerable emphasis is sometimes placed on the value of
those satisfactions credited to farm life. This is particularly true when farming
is thought of as a way of life rather than a purely business enterprise. An
enumeration of the amounts that farmers in an area spent for family living plus

A log house under construction.