CROPS

\1liEA '.l'

'l'he ! roauction oi' wheat is the dominant agricultural enterprise in the northwEistern one-third of Oklahoma (li'i{;ure No. 12 ) anci is the state's most l.l!lportant agricultural cash crop. ln this ar~a the return i"rom 'the wheat crop detenuint.is the proaperi ty oi' the farmers.

'£he Okle.homa v.heat crop fluctuates widely i'rom year to year aoooraine; to ,vea.ther conditions anct <ieme.na. The 1944 crop oi' Bb,914,000 bushels valued at tl20,280,0UO is the largest on recora. The smallest orop in the last "twenty years was that of' 19;;6 when 28.,27t,OOO oushels -were harvested.

Nineteen Oklahoma counties were among the 100 ieadmg wheat prouucint; counties 1.n l~;;~. Gari'leld, Grt:lnt and .hlfalfa placed thira, fourth ana seventh respectively.

In l!:144 Oklaho1:1a ranked third among the s-cates in the production ot· wheat ·oeing exceeattd only oy North Dakota and Kansas.

The area in Oklahoma where wheat growing has developed is in many ways v.ell suited i'or -chis type of' H~rming. 'l'he soil .i.s fertile, with a re1ai;ive1y rine texture, and with 'the exception of occasional drought periods 'the rain1·au is sui"l'icient to .ravor a good crop. The 1eve 1 rolling .!. and permits i;he use or moaern mu.chines in the plo-wing, so-..r.i;'.J.?; und ri::apint; 1.1nc. h"-s greatly i11croased the use or comoine3 and other equipment.

'!'he ht1rd v,inter varieties of wheat grown in Oklahoma have e. high protein vaJ.ue ana i'ind a ready 1riurket.

'!'he trena in proctuction e.na va 1ue ot· wheat, 1914-43 is snoffll on rigure No. 11. Annual proauct.ion aata t'or wheat oy yeari; is given in Table No. 10 and acreage, product1c;n 1;.na yield data oy counties for 1944 is given in Table .No. 11 •

TABLE NO. 10 r,~T rn OKLAHOMA 1894 - 1944

TABlE NO. ll CKLAhvr- :A "tiliEAT Acree.ce, Yield, froouction--1S44 by Counties

Flanted I Harvested Yie M.-·p-er :Yield per, County : Ji.I! reef e Acrear,:e planted acre :Harvested i (acres) (acres) ( bus Le ls) : acre : Production : (bushels) : ( bushels)

TAB.LE NO. ll(cont'd) OKLAl-,Olii.A 'WHEAT Acreage, Yield, Production--1944 by Co\Ultie•

: :eie.nted Harvested 1 Yield per l fie la per I County l Acreage l Aorea{;e ,planted aeresHarve•teds s (acres) (acres) (bushels) I acre

Cotton has been groYIIl in Oklahoma sine~ prior to the civil war and untii reoentl.y was the moi;t important cash crup. Since 1910 Oklahoma has ranked as one of the leading cotton froducing states.

Trend.a in cotton, F'ie;ure No •..!!,_ ana Tfl.b Le No. _lLshow strong year to year t'luot~ation. Maximum production ocoured in l~l6 when 1,773,000 ba1es were pro<iuc6d. 'l'he maximum annual acreage of 5,288,000 acres was he.rvestea in 1~25. The 1931-42 avera~e for ~oreage h11.rvested exoeede:,d two miLion acres. Okh,hor.la ranked 10th in -i:he production oi' cotton in 1943. ln 1944 the 1:o"ta 1 cash income from cotton lint and seed was :a,76,ti06,ouo.

'lhe mt:.xirnum price oi' ~4.96 cents pt;r pound was rt1ceivee1 in 1919 when the crcp v11. ue v.us tl7'/,ol9,000 the greatest of' record.

The distribution of cotton production in 1944 by counties is shown in Figux·e No. 14 and Table No. 13 gives county data on cotton.

Co1:tonseea and. Cottonseed Products

The procesaing of co~tonseed for oii and other products is directly associ~ted with ootton production. In 1943 there were 546 active cotton gins in the state and in 1944 there Mre 22 mills crushing oottonseea. 'l'he pounds or· products obtained per ton of Uklbhoma cottonseed crushe d in 1944 were:

The 1944 cottonseed proauction t o t~red isi,ooo tons valued at .il3,ij8o,OOO.

TABLE NO ._ll

COTTON IN OKWtOI,,A 1894 - 1944

NO._!!(oont•d)

Corn

ln 1944 Oklahoma produced over 32 million bushels of oorn valued at ~9 million dollars and it was the third most important agricultural crop. At one time corn occupied first pl~ce in point oi' acreage but is now exceeded by both whe1>.t and cotton. Maximum production occured in 1906 when 131 million bushels were produced from 4 million acr e s.

Trends in corn proouction l:llld va.J.ue are sho;,,n on ,l<•igure lfo • ...!.!.,_.

The distribution 01' corn production in Oklahoma. (Figure No. --2:.!_) tends to follow some of the larger strewn valleys e..na in areas receiving more than ~5 inches of e.nnu&.l rEi.ini'e.11. :Uata on Corn production by years t1nd counties 1:1.re given in Tables No.~and 15 •

Corn acreage has declined in recent years to an average of about 2 million acres. i'he long time range of' yields of corn varies from a low 01· 5.8 bu1>heis per acre to a hi gh ·of 33 bushels per acre.

OKLAHOMA PLANNING 8 RESOURCES BOARD

DISTRIBUTION OF CORN OKLAHOMA 1944 Planted Acreoc;ie

1000-19,999

W,j

20,000-39,999

40,000- 59.999

60,000 and over

TABLE NO•.J!._

OK.l.AliO:tl:A CORN Acreage, Yield, Produotion--1944 by Counties

OK LA,.':lt-:A CORN

Acrea§'.:e, Yield, Production--1944 by Counties

Yioid per: Yisid per: :Planted acre-: lfa.rves ted planted Harvested: ::>rocluotion

Oats

Oats are an important crop in Oklahoma. 'lhey are grown in all seotions of the state with the greatest acreage intensified in the southwest central ana. northwest parts of the state. In general the central pe.rt of the state is adapted to a high production of oata. - tigure No. 17 shows the trends in production and value of oats rrom 1~15 to 1~44. Yearly aata on o~ts are sUJAJDarized in Table No .

The most cOJnrnon type of oats grown in Oklahoma are red oata -.hioh are aaapted to resist the hot dry weather at heading and filling time.

The 1944 oat orop was 27,569,000 bushels harvested frca 1.451,000 acres with an average yield of 19.0 ouahels -per aore. '!he highest produotion 01· record w&.s 46,780,000 bushels in 1920. The prioe of ;;. 78 per bushels received in 1943 is the highest of reoord.

16 and county data for 1944 is given in Table No. 17 • '!he distribution oi' oats by coun'ties h shown on Figure No. 18 •

TABlE NO. 16

OKLAJiOl:A

OA'IS I ,Acreage, Yield and Production-1900 - 1944

,

County

TABLE N0.-1,!_

OKI-IAHOdA OATS

Acreage, Yield, Produotion--1944 by Counties

1 Yield -per, Yield per, Planted ' Harvested s planted : Harvested, 1 Acreage I Acreage aore , acre (acres) 1

(bu.) (bu.)

TABl.E NO _!l_(cont•d)

OKl.JJ-;Olf.A OATS

Acr e a r, e, Yield, Produotion--1944 by Counties

Yield per:" Yield per a Planted Harvested planted I Harvested: Production County Aore ar, e Acrenge a.ere acre

RY~ AND B.Euil..EY

As a ot:tsh grain crop rye is of minor iniportence ill Oklanoma. Its pri noipal uses a.re ior a winter cover crop• oomptlnion crop with winter le t umes lind ~in~r p«,.sture.

The 1944 harvest tlCrea.g e totaled i5i,ooo acres yielding l,3~0.000 bushels. 'l'hi8 was the greatest crop oi' record.

tee.rly data for rye ttre given in Tabl e No.~.

Barlev

In 1944 bti.rley re.nkea 12th in ~ash value e.mong the prinoipal crops in Oklahoma. Comp&reci to the other grains its acreagt1 is rel at1 ve ! y small. 'l'he 1944 orop of 3,990,000 bushels we.a hlirvested from 210,000 acres, the smallest acreage since lb~7. The trend in production ttn<l value of b11..dey 11.re shown on F•i g ure No.~. Yearly data is aunu11arized in ·Table No. 19 •

The au-row winter types 01· bt>rley ar e most common in the ::;tate. Barley ia used prinoipal y for grain and pasture.

Table No._!2._ gives county data ror barley in 1944.

TABLE NO- 18

OKI.AfiCJ.iA

RYE: Aoreage, Yield per a.ere am production. 1900 - 1 944 s

TABLE NO. 19

OKLAHl.11irBARLEY: Acreage, Yield, and Production 1900 - 1944

TA.BIE HO. 20 OK lJJJOJAA BANI.Ex

,Acreage. Yield, Production--1944 by Counties

Pieiited : Harvested: fie!cl per 1 Yiela per I • County I .Acreage 1 Acreage sp lanted acre I Harvested : (acres) 1 (acres) s(bushels) I acre Proauotion I I , ( bushela) I

TABLE NO. 20 (cont'd) OKL.An<l A B.ARLEY Acrear,e, Yielq, Froducti ~n--1944 by Counties

:Planted ' : Harvested : Yield per 1 Yield per County :Aoree.ge r A,rcrea[e :Planted ao re I H!il"vested ,(acres) (acres) (bushels) acre

Sorghuks

Sorghum• haTe good drought re1i1ti.D.g qualitiee and are playing an important roll in •stern Oklahoma where they e.re replacing many acres

1 prnioualy daToted to oorn and other grain crops. 'l'he principal typea adapted to Oklahana are the kafira. miloa. and •-•et sorghums. Commercially milos are probably the most important. Grain sorghums are used mainly for gra.in and feed while the anet sorghums are used primarily for hay. fodder and silage.

In 1944 Oklahoma ranked third in the nation with a production ot oTer 12 million bushels of grain sorghums. Table No . _,!1,giTas 1orghum data by counties for 1944 .

Table No.~ gives acreage, yield and production data tor aorghwa used for syrup. Acreage, yield and production data for all 1orgbUlll ie given in Tabla No._!!.

Bay

Prari• hay is an important commercial orop only in Northeast Oklahoma where the harvest is largely from native wild grasses.

Tame bay production in 1944 totaled 1.331,000 tons and wild bay 668,000 tons. Yearly data on tame and wild hay are given in Tables Ho. 24 and 25. Important n&tive hay grasses are Little Blue Stem, Big Blue item, Switch Grass, Indian Grass, tUld Side-Oat Gruaa. l'l-end1 in tame bay are 1ho11D on Figure No. 20.

The more important tame graaaea are Benauda. Sudan and Annual rye.

Commonly used legumes for pasture inc l ude sweet oloTer, lespediza. vetoh yellow hop, white dutob and bur clovers. and blaok medic.

TABLE NO. 22OKI.AHrMA

80RGBlDl CilE FOR SIRUP1 .&.oreage, Yield, and Production, 1916-19.,.

NO. 23OKLAHCMA

.:JO SNOl771 V\I

OKLAlil..Ai.AlULD HAY: Acreage, Yield and Production, 1912 - 1944

ALFALF:&. AND ALFALFA SE.ED

Alfalfa baa been grown in Oklahoma largely as a hay crop. 1hree to five cuttings a year are produced and aom.e alfalfa is grown in every county.

With the deTelopment or efficient dehydratinr, equipJDent, several new dehydrating plants have been built in Oklahoma.

The processing of alfalfa by dehydration elimin~tes losses due to weather conditions a.n<i gives increased pro1'its to the 1'arm.t1r due to the higher price of alfalfa meal.

In recent years the production of alf'a1f'a seed hta.s been increasing in importance. '.lhe 1~45 crop is estimated at 175,000 bushels, 3~% above the ten-year (1934-43) average. The 1943 crop of' 184,000 bushels is the greatest of record.

Oklahoma produced about 15~ of the nation's alfalfa seed ano ranked first in production in 1944.

Tables No._,!!_and 27 give yearly data on ~lfalfa hay and alfalfa seed.

ALFALFA SEED 1~29 - lf;45

tiROOMCO.NN

Oklahoma usually ranks first in the nation in the production of broomoorn. Principal produoin~ areas are central. Oklahoma where Lindsay is the center of p~·oduotion tllld in the western part of the state. 'l'he 1:1tan.daru o,· tall varieties of broomoorn are grown in the Linasay area, while the dwarf varieties predominate in the western part of the state.

The annual broomcorn acreage fluctuates between wide limits. Production ranges i'rom 9,000 to :w.ooo tons annually. The 1944 production of' o::0,400 tons 111:,d a cash va.iue of over 4 million dollars.

Acreage, yield ana production aata by years for broomoorn from 1915 - 1944 is given in '.l'able No. 28 •

In reoent years peanuts have beoome more important as a cash orop. In 1940 the total peanut acreage waa 106_.000 and in 1948 the total 119.8 617,000 aorea. Corresponding production figures for that portion picked and threshed f or nuts wer~ 54 million pounda in 1940 and 61 million pounds in 1943.

'lbe 1943 yield per acre of 250 pounds waa t'ar below the 1940 figures of 600 pounds.

1944 production for all purposes totaled over 139 million pounds with 116 million pounds picked and threshed for nuts. The aalea value or the 1944 peanut production at ,1.11 average price of 7.6 oenta per pound was ts,.ooa_.ooo.

Figure No. __2_1__showa the prinoipd producing counties 1n 1944 and Tkble No. 30 gives acreage, yield and production figures for 1944. Table Bo. 29 gives yearly data for peanuts.

PWU!S: Aoreag•• Yield and Production, 1919 - 19'"

OKW.OP:A PEANUTS Acreage, Yield, Protiuotion--194~ by Counties

];/ Total F.quivalent Solid Acreage (Alone plus oDe-half interplanted)

Source: u. s. Department of Agriculture

Oklahoma is a loadixlg state in the production of Pecans. Much effort is being mllde to improve and increase the pro<1uction. !lany native pecan and walnut treea are being budded or grafted ~ith paper ahell peoana. New orchards have been planted to paper shell varities and old orchards improved by removal ot other trees and underbrush.

The improvement in cracking machinery baa resulted in increased interest ot growers in improving native groves aue to better market• for seedling nut,. Many new cracking plants h~ve been establishea in the star.e wb1oh tends to improve the market i'or seealing nuts. Potentially there are thousands of acrea tht1.t can be improved economically by thinning and cul tiv1,.ting or ptlsturing the aret1.s. This method oi'fera the beat possible profit to the Gklahoma pecan grower.

For many years Oklahoma has ranked 2nd in the pro<1uotion of pecans. ibe greatest year or record was 1941 when over 30 million pounds •re harvested. Production for lij44 is below normal.

1he 1~44 production to'tti.!ed 14 m111ion pounds or which improved varitiea accounted for 1,400,000 pounds and seedlings li,600,000 pounds. PrelimiluLry eatim~tea indickte th~t the 1945 orop will excee~ th~t or 1944 by 81 million pounds. In 1944 Oklahoma rank:ed 4th in the production 01' pecans.

Table No._3_1_...:gives yearly o.ata on peotlll prociuotion for 1919 -

!not Crop•

!be ocaneroial growing of truok orope 1a beoca1Dg aoN iaportu.t in Oklahoma. In the past a ltLrge part of the Vegetables and fn.1 te were grown tot home oonaumption. oenaue prooedure does not preea.t the true pioture as to Oklahoma produotion of fruit• and vegetables due to the taot that in many oaaea Olclabma produotion ia ore• dited to another state under present teohniques.

In 1944 truok crop growers harvested 48.200 acres whioh was 86% above the ten year (19~3-42) average. The value or production waa $4,788,000 and consisted mainly of oantaloupes, onions, sp1naoh, we.tennelona, map beans, tomatoes, aweetpotatoes, 11.lld oommercial potatoea.

1be prinoipal truok crop areas are in the eastern p~rt of the atate, and concentrated in the Arkei.nsas River Valley. Tomatoes and snap beana production is apreb.d over most 01· the eastern counties. Locali£ed centers of sweet pottt.toe production are Rush Springs, Okemah etnd Thomas. Onions are produced mainly in .McIntosh 1:tnd neighboring counties, ~atermelon production is centered in Major, Graay. Stephens e.nd Hughes counties tt.na in "the Arkansas River Valley. During the war perioci the production 01' 1,nap beans ano. spinach has greatly increased, The Arkansas Hi ver Valley is now recognized 1:1.s one 01' the leading spinach areas 0£ the United States.

Fruits

Oklahoma is one oi' the leaning states in the production 01· bramble fruits. The production is centered near McCloua in Pottawatomie oounty ano. Adair oounty. Other areas 1:1.re in the sub-irrigated areas 1n Kajor and Dewey oountiea.

Peaches have been plenttid over most oi" the state with oe;nters of production Ul 1ulsa, Cherokee and McCurtain counties. McCurtain and adjoining counties 01·ter ,;he best ooDUT,eroial poseibili ties due to freedom of frost damage.

Apple production is scattered over ,;he e~btern part of the state, mainly 1n Delaware, ~nct Cherokee counties.

In recent years the plantin~ oi' early maturing apples have oeoome of grets.tt.:t importance.

Strawberry acreage declined our:i.n~ ;;he arought ye~rs 1.1.lld has never fully recovered. The easte : rt part oi' "the state i1> well aa.aptea "(;O -c;his crop.

Yearly da"i.a for potatoes, sweetpotatoes and fruit are given in Tables No.~ and ~•

DBLE 110. OICLAHQIA

FRUU't ~roduction - 1916 - 19'4

LIV&TOCK AND LIV.l!;S'roCK PRODUCTS

In general, natural conaitions in Okl~homa are favorable tor the produotion of livestock. Good. p~sture 111.lld is abund1U1~, most or which baa a bith grazing v~lue. Feed crops o~n be grown in many l:l.l'eas to supplement the p11.stures. In ~hese areas where uncertain rainfall makes corn growing hazardous, grain sorghum cian oe substituted.

In the early days before statehood the career 01· the livestock industry in Oklahoma 'ffiiS colorful and occupies an uportant place in American History.

In recent years there has been a great explUlaion in the development ot high grade peaigreea livestock. Among thQ breeds of livestock in which Oklahoma has nationaJ.ly recognized herds are herefords, Aberdeen Angus, shorthorns, southdown, shropshirea, v~rioua swine breeds, saddle horses, pulmino horses i..na 'iuarter horses.

Most of the livestock associations sponsor annual sales on oonaigmnent basis to aiseminate gooa oreed.ing i.took throughout i:be state e.nd. nation.

The estillla.teci number ot' livestock ana poultry on !'arms January 1, l94ti are given in 'fable No.~

Cattle

As of January l, 1~45 the toul number of cattle and calves on farms totaled ~,091,000 head.. Of' this number 912,000 1'8re olas&ified aa milk oowe. The above tota1 iti slightly below th~ all time high of ~,164,000 head on farms January l, 1944. The maximum TB.lue head of 16~.10 ooourred in 1944.

The dbtr1 ·0ution of oa..ttle by counties in 1945 ( Table No. 36 and ~•igure No. 23 ) ahowa Osage County aa the leading protluoer w1 thCaddo County ranking seoond. lhe trends in oattle and milk cows ar~ sho11'D. on Figures lo. 22 and 24 and production and value figures by years and counties aregiven in Tables No. 36 and Swine37 •

The hog population in the state has varied irregularly onr the years. 1be low point was reached in 1926 when 7;,6,000 were reported. The maximwn number of 1,600,000 was reported in 1911. ihe nuabor on hand January l, 1945 is estimated at 908,000, a abarp decline troa 1944 figure of 1,.466,000. F1gure .Ho.~ aho-.. the dietribution of hogs and Table Ho.~ gives the number and w.lue by year1.

Sheep

Sheep railing ii of little importanoe in Olclahcaa. 'Die :mmber of sheep and lambs on farms January 1, 1945 ia estimated as ~26,000 head. Stook sheep are estimated at 266,000 head. 1he number and value of atook sheep by years are aho1111 in Table Ho. 39.

Horses and Mules

'lhe number and value of horses anci .m.u i.es on i'arms January l, by yett.rs is given in Tables No. 40 and 41 ---- •

The production of poultry plays an importen-c part in the program of the Oklah,oma farmer by increasing his purchasing power ~d stabilizing income. 1''igur• No.~ ahowa the distribution of· chickens 1940. In ieneral Oklahoma is well ~dapted to poultry production. lhe principal obstacle to gooCI poultry production is the hot swnmer weather which tends to check egg produ ~tion, deore~se egg size and siow growth.

The number or normal laying hens on i'arms at present i8 slightly ' less than the number on !'arms in the early twenties.

The produotiun and va1ue 01' chickt:ins by years is given in Table No. 43 •

Produo tion

Through the development of better hens ana improved f·eeding pratice the egg production per hen has been praotioally doublea. The weight of eggs has increased approxim~tely 5 pounds per case. ~gg production by years 1s given in '.l'&ble No.~.

Hatchery Prouuction I

!11 1923 there were no hatcheries in the istate. As of" January 1946 there ~ere approximately 280 oomme~cial h&toheries with a capacity of 11.000,000, eggs per setting. A reduotion of ohiok mortality from 257~ to sro hb.s resulted f'rom the adoption of' en improved testing progrem.

lr.arketa

The amount 01' u ve poultry, shipped out oi' Oklahoma htl.s decreased while the emount 01· dressed poultry shipped out has incree.seti. '.l'he . prinoipal market hus changed from the ea s t to the southeast and south- west. The prociuction of broilers has increased, mainly in metropolitan areas.

The establishment oi' a large number of freezing lockers has increased the number of small kil j ing &Ild dressi?li, pl&Ilts with a corresponding increase in local poultry consumption. Coma,ercial dressing plants number 17 and one plant is canning ahicken and 5 plants dry eggs.

Table No • ..l!__giTes poultry sales data for 1944.

'furkeys

Oklahoma turkey production is now 1n a transition period. 1n past years the principal producing area v.-as the ud I<iver Valley. current production is well ~catterea over the state with some flocks numbering as high as 10.000.

A great opportunity exists for Oklahoma to expand the production of early turkey eggs. Some hatoheries are specializing in the incubai:ion or 'turkey tiggs.

Table No.~gives turkey proauction by years.

:OUoks

Duck pr-eduction has been a neglected field in uklahoma. Conditions unsatisfe,.ctol'y ror chickens will in many oases support ducks ~n d they are also good eg g producers. Opportunity exists ~no some interest i~ being sho~n in COJ1U11ercia~ duck r~rms.

TABLE NO. 43

CHICKF.:NS PRODl 1CF,D rn OKLAJIOMA

Souroes U. s. Department of Agriculture

VA1.:::t1NG

In gencr&.l, com;iti'-DS in Okl&.homa are a vorao1e tor c.airy production. Cue to m1.li u.ry and ns.ve.1 insta.1la taons tr.ere he.s been an unpreciden'ted ciem&na tcr c.a1ry rrocucts our1n6 'the last i'ive years which has reGul ted in a lc.rge incree..se or the number o!' milk COY16. It is estimated tl:at the ntlllloer or cheese re.c'tories has doubled sinoe 1941. Fip;ure No. 28 plants.

shows distr1Lu'tion of dairy m&nui'acturing

The principal dairy proaucinf. aret..s 01· the ste:te inciude the central a.nc north cer;tral ree,ions, ana l'ulsa ana 1 uskogee county areas. The southwest corner is a fair ctairy region.

The trend in numJer a.na value 01 mi1k cows is shov.n on figure No. 37. The to ,;;al mi1K pro<!uced on ranns by years is given in Table No. 4"/ • ----

Thr 1~44 prouuo'tion or aairy prooucts a.nc. casi1 1 ece ::. p;s from aa1ry p·oaucts l.l.re t;iven in Taole No. 46 •

'l:ABLE NO. 46

DAlrlY PttODUCTS Okl.tihoma 1944

Creamery Butter

Y4hole milk cheese

C~tr.e.ge, pot ana oak~rs cheeae

Conc1enstt<i milk (a ...ee~ned)

Bulk goods (~kimmed) ( unslnuuned)

Plain condensed milk

Bulk eoods (sKimmed) (unskimmea)

Condens~d or evaporated buttermilk:

Nont'at dry milk: solids spray process roller prooess

Pure skim milk i'oi rmimul fee<1

Dry buttermilk

Dry whey lJry casein

Ice oream

Sherberts (milk)

Wholesale milk Retail milk

OF OKLAHOMA CITY/ Table No. 48.

CREAMERY BUTTER AND AMERICA:N CHEDDAR CHEE.SE IN OKLAliOMA.

The attached material is supplied to brins the 1early production figures tor the state up to date. Changes may be made an the pagee indicated, or the Addenda sheets inserted. at the back of the report.