4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 9, 1964 From Where We Stand... Who Pays Subsidies To Who? If farmers used the same methods to produce farm products today that they used in 1940, consumers would pay an additional $l3 million for the food they eat each year. Each family would pay an average of $260 more for farm products than they do now. Mrs. America has about 8,000 pro ducts to choose from at the grocery store. New products, new twists on old prochrcts and specialties that grand mother wouldn’t have dreamed of are right at her finger tips Research and applied technology have resulted in higher farm output and lower consumer prices. As an example, average meat consumption 30 years ago was 131 pounds per person and cost 5.7 per cent of the disposable income. Today 4.7 per cent of the average income buys 163.7 pounds of beef, veal, pork and lamb for each member of the family. Some of the changes have come about with better transportation, stor age, decreased waste, less spoilage, and better processing and packaging. Many other changes have occurred on- the farm where the farmer is producing higher quality meat products with less work and cost. On the farm, tests have been found to spat animals with a higher percentage of preferred cuts, and feeding methods have been developed to produce more desirable carcasses. The emphasis in livestock raising has been to develop high-meat, low-fat animals, but this wasn’t always the case. Many years ago when the price of lard was three-fourths the price of ham, buyers didn’t mind fat hogs. The cur rent price of lard is about one-fourth that of ham, reflecting less use of lard, and buyers reject animals not giving them a high percentage of desirable cuts. But all the changes have not come easy. It takes time and money to develop a strain of livestock with the desired characteristics. It is costly and time con suming to establish a new crop or a new method. For the most part it is the farmer who has adapted methods and developed Our Good Neighbors We do not normally take space in this column to mention books or other writings, but we can’t help mentioning one which came to us recently “Ada and The Wild Duck” is a de lightful story about a little Mennonite girl from Lancaster County and the pet wild duck she raised and learned to love. Edith Brecht, a former Lancaster Countian and the daughter of one of the county’s best known educators, has written a heartwarming and true to life story about Ada, her family and good Mennonite neighbors. We believe all the seven to twelve year olds in your family will enjoy reading it, and perhaps the adults will find it interesting as well. At least that’s how it looks fiom where we stand. DISCARDED FOOD Seven to 10 per cent of the calones in household food aie thiown awaj, fed to animals, or used foi nonfood pm poses This is one finding fiom a sui vey that U S Department of Agncultuie food economists did in coopeiation with thiee State Expenment Stations The data, fiom two mban aieas and one luial corn’niunm, indicate that the discaided food totals about 200 calone-, pei day foi each peison. materials to meet the consumer’s de mands at lower and lower prices, (per centage wise) and of better quality. We have little patience with those who cry loud and long about govern ment subsidies to farmers those who look at the budget of the federal Depart ment of Agriculture and believe all that money is going to the farmer. We hope they soon realize that a very large percentage of the USDA funds goes for consumer protection and benefit. The farmer has been subsidizing the consumer for years and it appears that the end is not yet in sight. At least that’s how* it looks from where we stand. There has been excitement in the cattle country over the importation of manufacturing-type beef the kind of beef primarily used to make hot dogs and hamburgers. As one importer put it, in address ing an agricultural marketing clinic at Michigan State University, U. S. cattle xneh have “abandoned the hot dog and hamburger market.” He buttressed that with compelling figures. “Ten years' ago,” he said, “the U. S. cattle provided 13.4 pounds of a total of 15,1 pounds of processing meat per capita to, supply this very important part of the’ meat business. The supply has diminish ed to 6.5 pounds ...” So imports have been absolutely essential to-fill the gap if these products, which are in vast demand, are to be supplied in sufficient quantity. Two other points need stressing. Trade is a two way street and if we shut off the imports from other countries retaliation will be inevitable. And the cattle industry, which sells big quanti ties of hides; tallow and other by-pro-- ducts abroad,would be a major loser. Secondly, it is difficult to see how the Administration’s “war on poverty” can be advanced by drastically limiting the supply of the less expensive meats. Former Secretary of State Christian Herter, who is. now our Special Re presentative for Trade Negotiations, says - “The most difficult and complex of the problems that face us is that of trade in agricultural products Agriculture and industry are interwoven at every point in our economy Farmers buy a great many of your products, and farmers are more dependent upon ex port markets than any other major seg ment of the American producers. The crops on one out of every five acres cultivated here are shipped abroad. Farmers derive 15 per cent of their in come from exports whereas the United States as a whole exports only 3 8 per cent of its gross national product Moreover, total farm exports, running at $5 6 billion a year,, amount to 27 per cent of our exports as a whole ” There is more to this beef import question than meets the eye. It is well to look farther than the surface to see if the farmer’s interests are being ignor ed in the trade negotiations. At least that’s how it looks from where we stand. Lancaster Farming jack Owen, Editor Lancaster County's Own Farm Robert G Campbell, Weekly P O Box 1324 Lancaster, Penna. Established November 4. P O Boi. 206 - LiUtz, Pa. 19jo Published eiery Satur day by Lancdster-Farming, Lit- Ollup*. 21 E Mam St, Lititz, Pa. Pliodp - Lancaster 191-20 17 or Lititz C2j-2j£»l ★ ★ ★ ★ Back At The Ranch One of the most impoitant factors in harvesting top qual ity forage ciops is cutting at the proper stage of maturity Manv producers allow their ci ops ;o become too upe for maximum feed value. All the grasses should be cut at head ing time (timothy, oichaid, biome); alialfa and clover in the bud eaily bloom stage, „ „ , small grams in the flowering to Entered as 2nd class matter milk stage> e3reep { winter lye _ at Act of a t heading hire. iDon’t cut for- Jlarch «UB7«. . ' . . -age crops to - the cal endai. observe the stage of ma- Achertisicg Director it?. Pa, Doing Nothing lesson for May 10,1964 Back** onnd Scripture: Matthew 6 33; Mark 3:30-32; 1 Corinthian* S:l2-14» 19# 20; Hsilippiann 4:9. Dcvotlvnal Heading: Psalm 150* SYLVIA PORTER says that t newborn baby today has a "worklife expectancy” of 41.4 years; less than if he had been born 14 years ag*> This baby’s leisure-expectancy "ihat Is the length of time he will not be working at any real job for money, is 25.2 years, on the aver age. But even if he ieesn’t have so long a time out of wtrk, his job— whatever it is— indades a good deal of leisure. Dr. Foreman Vacations, coffee breaks, holidays—nobody wants a job with no leisure possible! Now leisure.used to be described as a state of doing nothing at all. But everybody who has tried it knows that doing, nothing is the most wearisome of all occupations. So the question becomes: What do you do in the timo when you have nothing in particular to do? First tha kingdom Does the Bible cast any light on this? Indeed it does, and a good" thing too, for with every generation the problem of what to do with our leisure time be comes mbreaCute. First of all, in work or rest or play, in the activi ties for which we' expect and get no pay, there is one great prin ciple which the Christian must always keep in sight: the prin ciple that may called “Tha Kingdom first.” <fijatthe f w 6:33.) Thus commandment of 3 Jesus is like the" Ten Commandments in that it is good every day in the week. There are no holidays for the Ten Commandments; there is no holiday for the Kingdom-first principle. Now what does this mean? The Kingdom of God means a state of things where God’s will is done "on earth as it is in heaven”; where the will of Now Is The Time . . . Flush spring pasture is a time both the dairyman and the cows enjoy being a part of the business, it means lower feed costs for the dairyman and a very palatable forage for the cows With pastures including legumes such as clover or trefoil, the pio tern content of the dairy ration may be de creased several percent, also the amount of giain fed may also be decreased in ordei to realize full value of the pasture. Howevei, it is stiongly recommended that the cpw held continue to get hay or some other dry mattei daily. To Recognize Spray Timing Many ciops will I 'be sprayed for the con tiol of insects and diseases m the coming months If used ac cording to instructions, these matenals should perform then intended use without causing any residue or danger to the feed or food crop Spray operatois aie mged to follow the sprayu'S instructions At this time of the year, the use of insecticides on alfalfa or clover crops will depend upon the insect and the time of cutting Be sure and allow enough time fiom spraying until harvest MAX SMITH To Learn Proper Stage of Maturity the God who if love eomei to pass. The Kingdom of God, as says (Romans 14:17) is “righteom. ness and peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit." .Let us nail thlj down to our problem of leisure. The Christian principle of ''Kin* dora-first’’ means, among other things, this: The test of how you spend your leisure hours or days is whether you have used thi time in such ways as harmonize with God’s love—with righteoui ness and peace and joy. Don’t make yoursslf worse 1 One very simple and common* sense use of leisure is suggested in Mark 6.30-32, where Jesus urges his disciples to get away by themselves to rest. Here we have the hint that a vacation -from even the most important work a man can do may do the man good so that he will return to the work with brighter eye and stronger hand. Resting can be doing noth* ing; bi\t it can be doing nothing for a good reason. The Bible en courages resting, it has no good words for loafing. Resting is quit, ting when you need ■ rest, loafing is resting when you don’t need a rest. This brings up another point, The Bible warns not once only (as in I Cor. 6:12-14) but from first to last, against self-indul gence, pandering to your own appetites. (There is spiritual self indulgence just as there is physl cal, but that &9 another story,) Msnfal bill af fare When you go into a res taurunt, in moat progressive atates, you can see on the .wall a framed A, if the place deserves it; and you are not- afraid to eat there, even if you are a stranger.-Food for the mind, .however, is lot always labeled; .which is too bad, foe your mental bill of fare is just as important, indeed far more to, than food for the stomach. St, Paul gives us what Is much better than a censor’s blacklist, or white* list cither. He tells-us-What kind of things to think'about. Leisure is the time for conversation, for reading, for seeing TV and the movies, for playing games. Ho* body says these things are |II wrong, period. But a Christian can see that it is just as possible to poison your mind with low-grale mental fare as it is to poison ytpr body with spoiled or unwhole some food at mealtime Menftl poisons are lying around eveily where. Be sure your nund gets only Grade A stuff to dlgestl (Bued on outline* copyrighted by tin SiTieion of Chnitum Education, Nation!) Council of tho Church** of Chriit in the V. S. A. Beleued by Community freu Semet.) BY MAX SMITH To Change Dairy Rations tunty and make every effort to cut promptly. To Make Wilted Grass SdaS c Livestock producers who aio planning to make some g> a ' 5 silage, should make an effort to wilt their forage ‘before o ns; mg. The extra moisture put the silo with the duect-f 11 method is unwanted and h* l3 been responsible for many to” 5 of poor quality grass silaS* Wilting may be done in vaivi'L degiees (fiom 70% down 50%) with good results ® e ‘ ter feed will be obtained if extra ntoisture is left in t field.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers