The Poplar Standard

Soil Conservation

SPURGEON BROS. STOCK

The soil conservation district program is relatively new in Montana, too new, perhaps to realize its value in all respects; but from time to time a striking example of some phase of the program comes to light—and promises well for the future.

Such an example has been recently cited by Jim and Herb Spurgeon, cooperating with the Montana Soil Conservation district who have evaluated the district's contributions on their ranch in terms of calf crop and increased beef cattle production.

The Spurgeon brothers, operating south of Culbertson in Richland county, can lay claim to the distinction of having the first dam built by the district operated equipment in July 1941—at the very start of the district's program. This dam was filled by Hood runoff shortly after it was completed, and furnished an adequate supply of stock water for the remainder of the 1941 grazing season. Two more dams were built for these operators in 1942, in development of their ranch conservation plan, and further development of stock water is contemplated in 1943 in order to facilitate the good grazing management that these men are after.

This spring, with a full year's use of the dependable supply of water furnished by the first dam, the dividends are coming in. The Spurgeon cows—150 odd of them, coming out of the toughest winter in many years, have produced a 99% calf crop. A lot of this phenomenal calving record is due to good management, and plentiful hay and feed for wintering—this is a characteristic of the Spurgeon manner of operation—but some of the record too. Mr. Spurgeon attributes to the fact that the cows were on good water during the breeding season.

In his own words, "when the water holes dry up or the water gets stagnant, and the cows take on a few pollywogs or snakes with their water, they won't breed; and there's a sharp break-off in calving coincident with this condition. If it rains and they get some fresh water later on, there's a pick up of later calves at calving time. This year, because we had good water straight through, we had only four dry cows—all the others came through."

Undoubtedly other operators who, during the course of 1941 and 1942, have developed stock water facilities on their unwatered range, will or have noticed a similar effect. Stock water is the limiting factor in sound range livestock production, and lack of it nullifies lots of good management practices. No one knows this better than the practical stock man. It is with considerable pride then, that the district board of supervisors, can point to the 75 or more stock water dams, that their program has contributed to war production of livestock, and to the continued welfare of its co-operating farmers and ranchers.