Vol. 11. No. 16
Egg Production
Shows First Drop
In Five Years
HARRISBURG Egg produc
tion on Pennsylvania farms last
year reached a total-ot 3,629,000,-
000 eggs, one per cent v below
output for 1955, the State De
partment of Agriculture reported
Monday.
It was the first time since 1951
that annual production of eggs
failed to exceed output of pre
vious year, Federal-State surveys
revealed.
Keystone State hens started the
new year by producing an all
time January record of 328 mil
lion eggs, four per cent above
January 1956 At 19,354,000, the
number of layers was the lowest
since 1951.
January milk-production was
up four per cent from December
but the 510 million pounds was
three per cent below the 524 mil
lion pounds for January 1955.
Low quality roughage due to
extremely wet weather last sum
mer continues to affect milk pro
duction in the state, the Depart
ment said. January was the third
consecutive month with produc
tion of milk “below the same
period a year earlier.
Somewhat higher milk cow
numbers failed to offset lowered
production per cow January
numbers, estimated at 952,000
cows, totaled the same as in De
cember but one per cent above
January 1956.
Declines in Pennsylvania milk
output in recent months have in
creased the proportion used for
doorstep t-livenes and other
fluid sales. This condition has
served to increase the price re
ceived by farmers for milk, aver
aging $5.20 per hundred pounds
wholesale on Jan 15, or 55 cents
above a year earlier
Dairy feed costs increased to a
lesser extent than milk prices
and the relation between these
costs and the price received for
milk was the most favorable for
the date since records began m
1938. However, this favorable
aspect was' offset by reduced
quantities of milk for sale and BJ*
adverse effects of low-quality feed
on the health of producing ani
mals, the survey report declared.
Pennsylvania farmers received
an average of only 39 cents a
dozen for eggs as of Jan. 15. This
ic presented a 5-cent seasonal
drop from mid-December and a
16-cent decline from Jan. 15 last
year. Low prices encouraged
severe culling of flocks and con
tubuted to the reeprd average of
17 05 eggs per layer
Prices for liveweight farm chic
kens averaged 17.5 cents per
pound, lowest January average
since 1941. Broiler prices held
steady in January but 3 cents a
pound under a year earlier. Tur
kgys_brought farmers an average
of .35 'cents a pound liveweight,
within 1 cent of the record low
of 34 cents in January and Febru
ary of 1955.
Quarryville (Lancaster County) Pa., Friday, Feb. 22, 1957'
THESE ARE the new directors of the.
Lancaster County Poultry Assn. They are
(left to right) Arthur Graybill, John Herr
and J. Richard Kreider. Herr was also
named delegate to the Pennsylvania Poul-
‘Operation Bootstrap’ Planned
To Reduce Surplus, Poultrymen Told
“Operation Bootstrap” went m
"o effect yesterday in an efforfto
reduce the hatching egg supply.
Under the plan, the poultry in
lustry is planning to market a
mllion more stewing chickens
than would normally go to mar
ket at this time of year.
The drive will extend through
out the month of March.
Details of the heavy fowl sell
ng program were outlined by
Robert R. Parks, president of the
Pennsylvania State Poultry Fed
iration at the annual meeting of
the Lancaster County Poultry l
\ssn. at the Poultry Exchange
Feb. 14.
Processors will have facilities
•eady to handle the double nor
mal slaughter of hens. Stores and
other outlets will actively pro
mote consumption of stewing
ohiekens by the public, according
to Parks.
Breeders normally reduce their
laying flocks by about 10 per cent
at this time of year, Parks said.
The program, instituted by poul
try industry leaders and the food
industry, will attempt to double
the number of fowl sent to mar
ket.
It is hoped that this will have
a double barreled effect re
duce the number of broilers
hatched and reduce surplus egg
production.
A similar program to reduce
hatching over the Christmas holi
days cut placmgs sharply and
helped the market recover, he
said.
Parks also indulged in some
predictions for the future. He
said that the use of atomic en
ergy and anti-biotics to preserve
food, and the influence of mod
ern transportation will likely
try Federation. The new directors were
elected Feb. 14 at the annual meeting of
the association at the Poultry Center. (LF
Photo)
change the marketing habits of
the country. However, he said,
the population of the United
States is "estimated to be 192 mil
lion in 1967, giving a much great
er potential market for poultry.
He also predicted organized
labor in processing plants and
on the farm in the next few
years.
In predicting the future of egg
.marketing and quahty control, he
said that the “big deal” opera
tion in the~Midwest is showing
greater strength and acceptance.
In these “big deals” a feed com
pany contracts with a large food
distributor and /or retailer to
buy eggs.
The company then sets up the
farm for egg production, includ
ing a plant with all the latest
cooling and handling equipment.
The operator contributes and is,
paid for little more than his time
in tending the flock.
John H. Herr, R 7 Lancaster;
Arthur Graybill, R 1 Stevens and
J, Richard Kreider, R 3 Manheim,
were elected directors at the,busi
ness meeting. Herr was named a
delegate to the Pennsylvania
State Poultry Federation.
Jay Greider, vice president, and
L. Howard Martin, treasurer, are
the other delegates.
The financial report showed
the net worth of the association
as of Dec. 31 at $23,467.98, in
cluding a cash balance of $447.51.
Major assets are the land for the
Poultry Center valued at $7,500
and the Center building, which at
the end of the year cost $32,896.
Contributions toward construc
tion of the Center amounted to
$14,093 and a mortgage loan of
$16,000 was made.
The annual barbecue grossed
$8,990 and an additional $1,496
was realized for the-sale of bar
becue equipment and supplies
and the rental of equipment.
Costs of the barbecue were $7,-
096 while new equipment and
supplies added another $1,682.
Spray Program
To Be Explained
By Specialists
Three specialists from Penn
State will present the 1P57 spray
program at a meeting to be held
at 9 3$ a.m. Friday at Art’s Din
er on Route 72 south of Man
heim.
Custom spray operators, field
men and dealers are invited to
meet with growers at this special
meeting, according to Harry S.
Sloat, associate county agent.
“The Miller Bill and amend
ments which went into effect late
last summer provides penalties
when residue is over certain tol
erances on food crops or prod
ucts. The penalty comes on the
grower, but the responsibility will"
fall on those who recommend or
apply such chemicals to various
crops,” Sloat says.
“The kind, method, timing and
amount of material used will be
more important now than in the
past,” he said.
Dr. R. S. Kirby will discuss
spray programs to control dis
eases on tomatoes, lima beans,
carrots, cauliflower and potatoes.
The spray program to control
insects on vegetable crops, leg
umes and potatoes will fee covered
by J. 0. Pepper, and J. O. Dutt
will discuss chemical weed con
trol on vegetable crops.
Sloat has requested that all per
sons desiring to attend the meet-
mg contact him today or tomor
row so that the proper amount of
food can be ordered for a cold
plate buffet luncheon at noon.
USDA Buys 48,544
Cases of Large Eggs
Last week the USDA bought
48,544 cases of large-size shell
eggs to help stabilize producer
prices. They will be delivered
next week and will be distributed
through the National School
Lunch Program.
$2 Per Year
Stock Exposition
Members Honor
Leader, Henning
HARRISBURG Gov George
M Leader and State Agriculture
Sec. William L. Henning were
rained Monday as honorary mem
bers of the executive committee
that is to conduct the first Penn
sylvania Livestock Exposition in
the State Farm Show Building
here next Nov. 12-16
Leon Falk, Jr , Pittsburgh civic
leader, a breedeir of beef cattle
at Schellsburg, Bedford County,
is chairman of the executive com
mittee. He named 22 prominent
breeders and agricultural leaders
appointed to the committee which
meets again on March 5 in Har
risburg.
The 1955 State Legislature ap
propriated $50,000 to the State
Department of Agriculture to de
velop and operate the livestock
exposition which will be open for
entries from all parts of the Unit
ed States and from other coun
tries.
The act provided that the De
partment could make allocations,
as it deems appropriate to an in
corporated association whose pur
poses are in accord with the in
tent of the act. The Pennsylvania
Livestock and Allied Industries
Association, Inc,, has been desi
gnated to steer the show in co
operation with the Department.
The executive committee in
cludes members of the livestock
association, educators, "breeders,
meat packers and others. In addi
tion to Falk as show chairman,
N. L. Claiborne, Pittsburgh, is the
show treasurer; L. H. Bull, De
puty State Secretary of Agricul
ture, is secretary, and Buff L.
Coleman, Easton, is show man
ager with headquarters in Harris
burg. Other'members are
Robert Aten, Macungie; Hiram
P. Ball, Pitsburgh; John P.
Bloom, Ebensburg; Ernest S.
Burch, Harrisburg; Walter Dun
lap, Jr., Lancaster; J. Raymond
Henderson, Hickory, Edward A.
Hummel, Harrisville; Neal D.
Ivey, Malvern, Glenn R. Kean
and Thomas B. King, University
Park, Walter W- Krebs, Johns
town; John B. McCool, Harns
■burg; William L. Medford, Ches
ter, Herman R. Purdy, Univer
sity Park; Dale M. Ritter, Harris
burg; Kenneth A. Rugh. Bolivar;
Fred W. Smalstig, Pittsburgh;
Jomes F. Torrance, Export, and
B. H. Wilson, Coatesville.
Grades Proposed
For Canned Onions
Issuance of United States
standards for grades of canned
onions the first to be formu
lated for this product was pro
posed Friday by the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture. The propos
ed standards were developed at
the request of industry to assist
in marketing the product.
The proposal applies only to
whole canned onions which are
commonly prepared and served
with a sauce or used in the pre
paration of pot roast or stews.
The proposed standards pro
vide for classifying the product
as “U. S. Grade A” or “U. S.
Fancy,” “U. S. Grade B” or "U.
S. Extra Standard,” and “Sub
standard.” The quality is deter
mined by the evaluation of color,
uniformity of size and shape, de
fects, and character.