4—-Lancaster farming, .Saturday ~M«rch.23,.1M8
From Where We Stand...
Farming’s Future In Lancaster County
Looking at the number of farm
sales this spring, many people have
come to the conclusion tlrst more farm
ers than ever are going out of business.
We have heard so many pessimistic
remarks about the future of farming in
the Garden Spot that it was a real treat
recently to hear a well-known agricul
turist in the county say, “I really believe
that farming is going to come into its
own in a few years.”
He went on to say he had checked
with a number of auctioneers and found
that several of them had had one or two
more sales this spring than last, but sev
eral others had had one or two less.
Every spring someone moves someone
sells out, and someone else moves in. We
have to expect a certain number of farm
sales every year.
But we seem to be in a period of
pessimism in the farming community
right now. The ‘ predictions from the
dairy experts are almost all gloomy.
The livestock picture is not painted
much brighter, and the tobacco and
canning vegetable growers are all pre
dicting an ever poorer prospect.
Is there any reason, then, that we
would appreciate a vote of confidence
from someone who has been in~the busi
ness for quite a few years.
We believe he is right. Several
times this year we have been asked our
opinion on the future of farming in Lan
caster County. We can’t help but see the
unmistakable signs of urbanization that
is taking some of our best land out of
agricultural production, and we will
agree that farm income is too low. But
then farm income has always been low,
and more and more food can be grown
on less and less land.
All too many farmers are lamenting
that the family farm is a thing of the
past. With this we do not agree.
The family farm is here to stay.
This is not to say that we will not have
to do some re-aligning of our thinking
about the family farm, but we believe
this re-alignment is long over due.
Just a few years ago every farm
had 3 or 4 hundred chickens in ad
dition to the major enterpnzes of dairy,
or beef or cash crops. With the advent
of the huge caged layer houses and the
fully automated broiler systems, the
farm flock is virtually out of the picture.
But with labor saving equipment one
family can manage 10 to 20 thousand
laying hens or 50,000 broilers, and it
is still a family farm.
A few years ago, a dairy herd of 10
cows was a commonplace thing along
with other farm enterpnzes With labor
saving equipment and automatic mater
ials handling, the farm family now has
a herd of upwards of 50 to 75 cows, but
it is still a family farm.
There is no question that farming
has become more specialized and it is
likely to get more specialized in the fu
ture, but this is not all bad This in it
self does not make a corporation out
of a family enterprize.
Farms are larger and fewer, but
with modern equipment one man can
handle larger acreages. Large acreages
alone do not mean the end of the family
farm
We believe the family farm is a
strong unit We believe the family farm
has a great future in Lancaster County.
It is time to stop peddling gloom and
• Farm Bureau
(Continued Irora Page It
lento conpeiative repiesertati
•\ < s thev would not develop a
plan lr the tobacco men rams
up with a program of then
OK 11
Jobacco Coopeiative Har»y
Jleisbev said that while the co
operative was not cirtneh dt\-
< mping the pio-,iani, the board
3f It thev luid acfomplishod its
aim ot getting a maik-lmg
x ii ogi am foi tobacco gi ov ei s
appreciate the opportunity we have in
agriculture in the Garden Spot of the
world.
■ At least that’s how it looks from
' where we stand.
We have long been an advocate of
an adult dairy show to be held in con
junction with the Pennsylvania Junior
Dairy show each fall.
Recently Secretary of Agriculture
Lee Bull announced that his department
will push for such a show combining
the already successful Junior Dairy
Show and the Pennsylvania Livestock
Exposition with -an adult dairy show.
The plan has some merit, but it
also has some drawbacks. On the plus
side of the ledger is the proven success
of both the shows already in operations,
and the size and quality of the state’s
dairy herds offers a plentiful supply of
entries for an adult dairy exposition.
On the other side is the experience
we are now facing with the state Farm
Show in January. For the past several
years all available stable space has been
reserved long before closing date for en
tries. With the combination of dairy cat
tle and the existing livestock entries,
would we not soon be in the same
condition with no place to stable the ani
mals available for entry?
However, with the show coming in
the fall of the year, it is possible that
many of the entries could be stabled
in tents or other temporary shelters on
the farm show grounds. This is not
possible at the January show, and we
believe it would be highly unsatisfactory
at any time of the year.
All considered, we support the idea
of an adult dairy show, whether it be
held in conjunction with the Livestock
Exposition or just the Junior Dairy
Show, and we will back the Secretary to
all reasonable limits if the proposal ever
gets beyond the talking stage.
At least that’s how it looks from
where we stand.
By 1980, farmers will be applying
about eight times as much fertilizer as
before World War 11, if the present
trend continues. USDA reports most
farmers would profit from using more
fertilizer.
If you’re considering better cost
income records, the experience of Her
bert Turner, Saginaw, Mich., may help
you decide. “Records my wife keeps
have made me cost conscious,” he says.
“Before we start a farm job, we con
sider the best method even ask if it’s
necessary. Since we’ve kept records, we
do a better job of farming, mainly be
cause everything goes in the ledger. We
want to end the year on the profit side.”
★ ★ ★ ★
Less trouble with loose housing
Ohio State University researchers
found that while cows with free access
to roughage in stanchions ate about as
much as cows in loose housing, those in
stanchions had more teat injuries re
quiring mastitis treatment. They also
had almost twice as many cases of foot
rot.
❖ ■O - ❖ ❖ -0--0-4
Lancaster Farming
Lancaster County’s Own Farm
AVeekly
P. 0. Box 1524
Lancaster, Penna,
P O. Box 266 - Lititz, Pa.
Offices:
22 B Main St.
Lititz, Pa.
Phone - Lancaster
BXpress 4-3017 or
Lititz MA 6-2191
f s «
* * * *
State Dairy Show
★ ★ ★
More fertilizer, more profit
★★★ ★ .
Bigger balance on right side
Jack Owen, Editor
Robert G. ■Campbell,
Advertising Director
Established November 4,
1955. Published every Satur
day by Lancaster-Farmlng, Lit
itz, Pa.
Entered as 2nd class matter
at L-ititz, Pa. under Act of Mar,
8, 1879.
Tr , .
Critics Crushed
Lesson for March 24, 1963
Bible Material: Mark 12*13-44
Devotional Reading:: John 12:44-50.
VOU can always tell how a
1 man’s mind works by getting
him into some kind of corner. It
may be a physical corner, such as
being caught in a burning build
ing; or it may be a mental corner,
public and contro
versial personage
is being grilled
by a “Meet the
Press” panel. So
it is not only in
teresting but ex
citing td study tiie
short story of the
clash Jesus had
critics during His
Dr. Foreman Jast earthly hours.
His critics, as is well known,
were smart men. They belonged
to the intellectual classes, they
had what we would call a high
education, some were trained in
the art of debate. For reasons
which may be mentioned later,
they were determined to crush
Jesus, and they would stop at
nothing. But while they had a sort
of plan in reserve by which to get
Jesus legally murdered, they did
not try that at first. What they
wanted was to show him up before
the crowds, as an ignorant, con
fused, wrong-headed man. They
hoped to get him laughed at, and
that would finish him.
Three questions
Three questions in a row were
thrown at Jesus, in the hope of
“smoking him out.” First ques
tion: Is it right to pay taxes to
the Roman government (Caesar)?
This was a hot question. If He
said Yes, all the 100% patriots
would be after him at once. For
Judea was an occupied country.
Jews loved the government by
Rome no better than Hungarians
love Russian troopers. But if Jesus
said No, then the Romans would
have him in jail before dark.
Second question - If a woman
has had seven husbands, in the
next world which of the seven is
going to be her husband? The
object of that question was not
for information. The object was
to show how ridiculous the whole
Now* Is The
si\
Growers of spring oats are reminded
of the need to sow the seed during late March or the first
two weeks in April. In this part of the state the weather
gets dry and hot quite early in the summer; spring oats is
a cool weather crop; early plantings will give greater yields.
To Beware of “Hardware
Disease”
To dairy and livestock pro-
Livestock producers may Queers this means the pre
push the spring pastuie season senc e of any type of wire, iron,
by 10 days to two weeks by or metal in the stomach of the
top-dressing dui mg late March bovine Cattle don’t chew their
or early April with 40 to 50 f ee< j throughly when they eat
pounds ot actual nitrogen per lt) and often swallow nails,
acre Good results may be oh- screws, pieces of wire, pins, or
tamed on winter lye or wheat other pieces of metal. These
tor pastuie, as well as stands sharp obiects may pieice the
ot the common pasture glass- stomach wall causing diges
es Treat from one-third to tive troubles, or work their
one-halt acre per animal unit way to the heart and kill the
with nitrogen tor eaiher graz- animal. Producers are urged
mg. This will reduce the a- to be very careful about the
mount ot hay and silage need- barn with these items, and to
ed this spring. clean up their pastures befofe
To Force Early Pasture
1 ~ AV^^w ' tWe4 »2£wJwiSMwesiw'iwi‘eti*si*SHSSSSßsß
W35£22332
idea of a future life Is. From theft
point of view,.,tots,BaddUceesigyhfl(
asked, they
had a sure-fire way to hold both
Jesus and the Pharisees (theft
enemies) up to ridicule.
Third Question: Which is the
greatest commandment? (Mean
ing which of the Ten Command
ments, no doubt.) Whatever Jesus
said about this, He would run into
people who had other ideas, and
have endless arguments on His
hands.
How the Master answered
The reader is referred to his
Bible (Mark 12, the Bible Mate
rial) to see exactly what Jesus
said to each of these questions.
We here observe the how of His
answers. The first question He an
swered by calling attention, dra
matically too, to something they
hadn’t thought of: these profes
sional patriots owed something to
Caesar. The government they
hated had made business possible
by coining money, had made life
safe by their military police, had
made travel possible by building
roads. And then Jesus calls their
attention to something else they
hadn’t thought of; What about
their debt to God? The second
question He showed was meaning
less; no one would ask it who
knew as much about heaven as
Jesus knew. The question-assum
ed that the next life would be jhst
like this one, with wives—and per
haps groceries, medicine and gos
sip! Jesus never tried fully to
describe the next life; He made it
clear that it could not be de
scribed. As for the last question.
He answered it in such a way as
to attract a thoughtful, serious
man, and do him good.
Why the critics?
with his tireless
So Jesus crushed His critics, in
different ways. But why did He
have critics at all? For the same
reasons that He is resisted today.
Some men are too proud to bow
to the Carpenter of Galilee. Some
men do not want to believe what
they cannot first understand. Some
perhaps in their hearts would like
to believe and follow Him, but
they are afraid of what might be
said about them if they turned
Christians. (What did the Sanh<p*
dr in think of the one or two men
who stood up for Jesus?) Some
hang back because they know, as
the Sadducees did, that if they
take up with Jesus they will have
to ditch their prejudices and tra
ditions.
(Baaed on outlines copyrighted bp
the Division of Christian Education*
National Connell of the Churches o(
Christ in the V. S. A, Released bp
Community Press Service.)
Time . . .
BY MAX SMITH
To Prepare For Radio-Active Fallout
Lancaster County will not have to bo
lom'bed in order to be in danger front
atomic fallout. With these tests being mad©
in other parts of the world, we should be
irepared to meet the emergency of these
iust particles arriving in alaiming doses
All citizens are urged to learn how t©
protect themselves and their families; in ad
lition, farmers are reminded ot the need
if protecting their livestock and feed sup
lies.
To Sow Spring Oats Karly