TATE CREEK BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
President: John Baudisch
Vice Pres: Alois Seitner
Treasurer: Karl Dittrich
Secretary: Valentin Dittrich
Director: Alois Mollik
Auditors: Frank Kuenzl, Franz Zapf
REPORT of the Board of Directors to the Annual Meeting held on March 17th, 1949.
Today it is exactly one year since our institute was formed and we take the pleasure to place before you the report of the activities of our Institute in this year.
Agreement with Veterinarian:
Our first step was to come to an agreement with Dr. Hofflin. This was done. Our members are paying a monthly fee of 20 cents per head of cattle and are getting a discount of 30 to 50% on the fees Dr. Hofflin charges when he is treating cattle or horses. This agreement has worked out satisfactorily for both sides and will be continued.
Weed-Sprayer:
A weed-sprayer was bought on a share basis. All shares are paid up in full. A committee was set up to work out regulations for the maintenance and use of the sprayer. The regulations will be read and agreed upon at the next working meeting.
Fraser Valley Relief Fund:
When the flood disaster struck at the Fraser Valley our members answered the call for help by spending the amount of $189.00. It took our collectors only 48 hours to collect this amount.
Brushing and Breaking:
Since all light land is now cleared and broken, it was left to solve the problem of breaking the heavier bush land. A survey has showed that over 500 acres should be broken. The first step was to obtain money. This was done through the help of the manager of the Canadian Bank of Commerce at Pouce Coupe, Mr. Huntley. Then an agreement was made with the contractor, Mr. Thibault, at Dawson Creek. The brushing started on July 7th and by August 31st, 583 acres were broken. The total cost: $12,781.45 of which amount $6,431.45 was paid in cash and $6,350 through the Farm Improvement Loans. Of the latter amount 25% is already paid up. The increase in cultivated land is 41.7% the total cultivated land owned by the members of the Institute is now 2490 acres.
Emergency Fund:
Some difficulties were met, when old debts must have been paid up by getting the farm loans. All members helped together and all debts are now paid up. This was the reason to discuss the possibilities of establishing an emergency fund to help members who are in need through an accident or so with loans without interest. The Emergency Fund was set up by January 1st, 1949 and the members are paying one dollar weekly until the amount of $1,000 will be reached. Each member is entitled to get short-term loans up to 30 days or longer. A special committee for this fund was set up. Mr. F. Zapf is chairman, Mr. V. Dittrich is treasurer and Mr. Mollik and Mr. K. Fister are members of the committee.
Threshing:
The crop of 1948 was only a little better than the crop of 1947. All members of the Institute were able to thresh their grain. The results are 1021 acres of Oats with 31,891 bushels, 177 acres of barely with 3468 bushels and 37 acres of wheat with 501 bushels — a total 1235 acres and 35,860 bushels of grain, or 38.2% of the whole crop threshed in the settlement.
Seed Grain:
The germination test of the grain moved to 95% of all samples under test only a germination under 40%. In two meetings the whole matter was thoroughly discussed and agreed upon to buy for 1949 only registered seed to improve the grain. Because Legacy Oats is out of registration it was agreed to try Ajax and Victory Oats. The whole order of seed grain placed through the Peace River Co-operative Seed Growers Association at Grande Prairie amounted to 100 bushels of Legacy No. 11, 45 bushels of Larraine, 605 of Ajax, 1876 of Victory, 116 bushels of Olli Barley and 158 bushels of Garnet Wheat.
New Breaking:
The average of cultivated land owned by the members of the Institute ranges around 90 acres. This acreage makes it difficult to leave land for summer fallowing. The question has arisen of how to get more land cultivated and it was agreed upon to start a new project about land breaking. A survey made by the secretary has shown that about 1,000 acres more or less could be cleared if credit would be available. The board started immediately with the preliminary work. Credit will be available through the Farm Loan Board. Ads were placed in the papers to get contractors interested in the project. The whole machinery of this project is now set up, so the project can be started in the spring of 1950. The plan is to pay up the loans for 1948 projects in fall 1949 and start the new projects without old debts.
Harrowing Roots:
Some 250 acres of the 1948 project needed harrowing roots. An agreement was completed two weeks ago with Mr. Thibault at Dawson Creek, who will do this work at 3 dollars per acre, so all the land will be ready for seeding this year.
Warble Fly:
It is the first item that the treatment of livestock against warble fly will be done on an organized basis. Ample supply of Warble fly powder is on hand and will be distributed among the members.
Education:
A film about the science of milking was shown. Besides this the members were encouraged to do some self-education. 13 members are now members of the Open Shelf Division of the Public Library at Vancouver. One of the young members was recommended for the Youth Training Course at Vancouver and has learned many things which will be a great help for all members. A course for bookkeeping and completing Income Tax Returns will be held in a short time.
Cattle Breeding:
All members had agreed that something should be done to improve the breed of cattle and it was agreed to bring in registered Holstein cattle and try to change step by step to this breed. Unfortunately we were not successful in getting a carload of young stock. But provisions are made to get some in fall 1949.
Telephone:
The telephone system is not satisfactory and an application for installing a second telephone at the post office was made. Some other projects are in construction, but we have to place only the report of our achievements in the first year. We think we can be satisfied with the results. Our main aim is and will be to improve our farms in a way that we never will be in need of help from another side. We wish to get an asset for this district and pay in this way the debt we owe our new home country for giving us a home when nobody wanted us, as we had to leave our old home. That is the way we see our work and we hope that we will find a full understanding everywhere.