The Cooperative Soil Survey

    Early settlers in Barton County settled in forested areas near the larger streams where game and water were plentiful. Timber was available for constructing shelters and fences and for fuel. Cattle and work animals grazed the nearby prairie lands. Corn, flax, and tobacco were cultivated, and meat animals were produced to supply the family needs. Most of the income was from the sale of cattle, hogs, horses, and mules.
    Tall prairie grasses once covered the best-developed and most-prized cultivated farmland in the county. Cash-grain commercial farms are most common in the nearly level areas near the crest of the divide that separates the watersheds of the major streams. Large, efficient ma-chinery is used to work the soils. The principal crops are soybeans, corn, wheat, and grain sorghums. The sale of grain, feed cattle and hogs, and dairy products provides the major part of the income.
    Nearer the streams, somewhat broken and stronger slopes are dominant and the type of farming is more diversified. The same crops are grown, but small grain, grasses, and legumes make up a much larger share of the total production. Cattle, produced mostly on forage, are sold as feeders. Many farmers grow corn and grain sorghums to feed cattle and hogs raised for market. The sale of dairy products is also important. Large numbers of broilers are produced, and laying hens are kept on a few poultry farms. Wheat and soybeans are sold as cash grain. Although the acreage of native prairie diminishes each year, Barton County continues to produce and sell more prairie hay than any other county in Missouri.
    Farming is, and always has been, the most important enterprise in Barton County. Deep wells that tap the ground 'water have been developed by the Barton County Public Water District. Water is now available to most farmers and others persons residing in rural areas. Similar wells are being developed and impoundments constructed to trap surface water for supplemental irrigation. The acreage of irrigated vegetables and field crops has increased, but further increase depends on the availability of an adequate water supply. Deep wells produce from about 200 gallons to more than 800 gallons of water per minute. Although few and far between, a number of favorable impoundment sites are available. Many farmers plant adapted varieties of grain and forage crops, and they use lime and fertilizer for high production. Each year more farmers are making greater use of chemicals for preventing plant diseases and for controlling weeds and insects. Many farmers are providing the necessary drainage and erosion control. A well-managed, intensive, highly specialized type of crop production is becoming commonplace.
    Many acres of the deeper, better soils in the county remain uncultivated. Under good management that uses an intensive cropping system, higher production can be expected. Erosion control on the sloping soils on uplands is needed. More field terraces, cross-slope channels, contour cultivation, and other practices for conserving soil and water also are needed.
    Draining the wet soils of the bottom land significantly increases the production of grain and forage. Flood control measures, properly planned and installed, also help to increase and stabilize production.
    Good land use and the installation of needed soil and water conservation practices to protect and improve the soils generally increase production. This is particularly true if the kind and numbers of livestock are adjusted to assure good utilization of the increased production of grain and forage. Cash-grain farms can adequately support a larger number of cattle and hogs if more of the grain is diverted from other markets. Crop residues can be better utilized. On the shallow and moderately deep soils that are clear of trees, better use of the land can be made by planting a larger acreage of small grain, quality grasses, and legumes and. by raising more dairy and beef cattle or sheep.
    According to the 1964 Census of Agriculture, about 89.5 percent of the land area of Barton County is in farms. The size of the average farm is about 235 acres, and the total number of farms is 1,270. There are 228,201 acres of cropland and 103,630 acres of pasture and timber land. Study of the recently completed soil survey indicates that over 84 percent of the land in the county is suitable for cropland. There were 13,498 beef cows, 11,600 hogs, 3,871 dairy cows, and 1,400 sheep in Barton County at a particular time in the period 1964-69, according to Calvin G. Jones, Extension Director.