AGRICULTURAL J; 1 J?c Af GOtLE6E
Vol. 111. No. 26
ON DISPLAY AT the World’s Fair in B ussels is a color transparency taken by Lancaster County agricultural photogra
pher Grant Heilman, R 3 Lititz. This black and white photo was taken at the same time. The farm is known as the Aungst
Bros farm, R 1 Marietta Both the transparency and the photograph were taken in 1954.
April Prices Best Since 1953;
Only Dairymen Take Income Drop
Pennsylvania - farmers during
the last of March and the first of
April had the best month, price
wise, since October 1953
The index of prices received
for all farm products except
dairy rose five points from mid-
March.
Higher prices were received
for corn, oats, barley, rye, soy
beans, potatoes, apples, hogs, beef
cattle calves, and sheep and
lambs Potatoes rose 35 cents a
hundred, apples 25 cents a bushel,
hogs 40 cents a hundred, and beef
cattle a full $1.50 a hundred
CALVES CLIMBED to $25 90 a
hundred, the highest since March
1953 Lambs at $22.50 a hundred
were the highest since May 1954.
Milk cows jumped to $260 a head,
up $55 from the comparable
period of 1957 and the highest
since January 1953.
But on the other side ot the
ledger, the index of prices paid
by farmers for commodties and
services, including interest, taxes,
and farm wages rose nearly one
pel cent during,the month to 306
per cent of the 1910-14 average.
This established a new high,
three per cent above a year earh
er Prices of family living items
averaged the same as in mid-
Maich.
NATIONALLY, the index of
prices received increased by only
thiee points to 266 per cent of
the 1910-14 aveiage Primarily
responsible for the increase were
record high prices for fruit and
vegetables and a substantial use
in prices received for cotton
Partially offsetting were lower
prices for dairy products, eggs,
and poultry The April index was
10 per cent above a *car earlier
and at the highest level since
January 1953 With both the m
dt' of prices received and paid
up approximately one pci cent
during the month, the parity
ratio remained at 07. about six
per cent hgher than in April
Quarryville (Lancaster County) Pa., Friday, May 9, 1958
1957.
A GREATER than seasonal de
cline in the average price for
milk sold at wholesale was pri
marily responsible for the five
per cent drop in the dairy pro
ducts price index. This was two
per cent below last April, but
with the exception was the high
est for the month since 1953.
Farmers received an average
of $3 91 per hundred for milk
sold to plants and dealers with
the price being $4.16 a month
earlier and $3.98 a year ago Con
tributing to this decline in the
price of all milk was a 20 cent
drop in the price of manufactur
ing milk during the month partly
the result of lowered price levels
on April 1 Prices received for
butterfat in cream dropped 16
cents to average 57 8 cents per
pound on April 15
THE POULTRY and egg index
dropped eight per cent "during
the month as a result of lower
prices for eggs, broilers and tur
keys. Prices for farm chickens
were reported somewhat higher
in most regions, but, compared
with March, April' sales were
relatively more important in the
areas of lower average prices and,
as a consequence, the U. S. aver
age price remained at 16 7 cents
a pound
Prices for eggs, commercial
broilers, farm chickens and tur
keys all were higher than a year
earlier At 172 the April index
was 15 per cent above April 1957
STRENGTH IN corn prices
was primarily responsible for
raising the index for feed grains
to 162 at mid-April. This was
seven per cent above a month
earlier but 10 per cent lower than
in April 1957
Higher quality and a general
rise in market prices combined to
boost substantially the average
price received by farmers for
corn.
Corn prices advanced 12 cents
to $1.12 at mid-April while the
gram sorghum price at $177 a
hundred pounds was up 8 cents.
Norman Myrick
To Address
Dairymen
A knowing lok at the long-range
milk marketing picture will high
light the 73rd Annual Convention
of The Holstem-Friesian Associa
tion of America, June 4-5, at Bos
ton - ,
Featured speaker Norman M>-
nck, a recognized authority, has
as his topic “After Milk Leaves
the Farm Where is the Dairy
Industry Headed’”
Mynck is editor of “American
Milk Review ”
His lifelong experience in the
industry dates back to boyhood
jobs on dairy farms in Massachu
setts where he delivered milk dip
ped from 10 quart jugs
Mynck has addressed dairy
groups in every section of the
country and - has a first-hand
knowledge of problems and de
velopments within the industry.
During his 11 years as editor
ot “American Milk Review”, he
has gained a national reputation
as a champion of some aspects of
the dairy industry and an out
spoken critic of others
More than 2,000 dairymen from
all 48 states, Puerto Rico and sev
eral foreign countries are expect
ed to be on hand for the annuiT
business sessions of the national
Holstein organization at the
Sheraton-Plaza Hotel.
Lewis B. Rock
Follows McMillen
As Benson’s Aide
Appointment of Lewis B Rock,
Jr, as Assistant to the Secretary
for special assignments was an
nounced today by Secretary of
Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson.
The appointment becomes effec
ts e May 1.
Rock succeeds Robert D Mc-
Willen who resigned recently to
return to private business
His home is in Westmoreland
H.lls, Montgomeiy County, Mary
land
COT Birds
Average 8.59
At Coatesville
With 41 buyers in the bidding,
Chicken of Tomorrow birds av
eraged 59 cents a pound Wed
nesday at Coatesville
Paying top money for the first
place lot of birds was Daniel K.
Good, R 1 Columbia, who paid $2
a pound for the birds grown by
Bobby Stroback, Yoe
The next high price paid was
$1 75 a pound.
A total of 6,078 pounds, dress
ed weight, of poultry was sold
netting the youthful growers
$3,629 53.
WINNER OF THE Junior Chicken of Tomorrow contest
is Fred M. Romig, R 1 Beaver Springs, Snyder County.
Here he is seen being presented an electric clock by Dr.
William Henning, state secretary of agriculture (LF Photo)
$2 Per Year
Snyder County
Youth Wins
COT Contest
A Snyder County jouth took
top honors m the state Chicken of
Tomorrow contest held in Harris
burg Tuesday
He is Fred M Romig, 111 Bea\-
rr Spungs, an FFA student His
15 birds, weighing 53 pounds,
were an Eisenbar-Arbor Acres
cross
No Lancaster county youths
placed in the top 10 m the state
contest However two Lebanon
County entries were seventh and
eighth and a Yoik County entiy
was ninth
HAROLD J. MARTIN, Myeis
town, placed seventh and Joy F.
Donmoyer, also of Myerstown,
was eighth In the Number Nine
position was Bobby Strobech of
Yoe
Strobeck took first place honors
m the Coatesville Region judging
Saturday All the top five lots of
birds fiom the Coatesville region
were grown by York County
youths ..
Heie is the way the regional
places came out First, Bobby
Strobeck, Yoe; second, Gene B
Seitz, R 3 Dillsburg, third, Carl
R. Shearer, R 2 Dover; fourth,
Donald Kiusely, R 1 Dover, fifth,
Ronald Alwine, R 3 Thomasville
SIXTH, ROBERT W. Arm
strong, Rl Drumore, seventh,
Cnai les Cooper, Box 211, R 3 Man
heim; eighth, Timothy A. Nishel,
Rl Thomasville, ninth, Robert M.
Wilson, Rl Bareville, and tenth,
Jean M Boner, Rl Lewisberry.
This was the second consecu
tive year that Lancaster County
has failed to place an entry in
the state contest
Guest at the contest finals was
Dr. William Henning, state sec
retary of agriculture He present
ed plaques and special prizes to
the winning entries
Also on the program was Dr.
E I Robertson, president of the
state Poultry Federation, which
sponsors the annual contest.