—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 5, 1966
4
From Where We Stand...
People-Pressure On Lancaster
County Agriculture
Whether you call it urban fringe
fanning, rural-urban farm problems, or,
whatever, the simple fact remains
the proportion of people to land is
quickly moving from the fantastic to
the impossible.
Between 1920 and 1950, the popu
lation growth in Lancaster County was
fairly constant. In a sense, time stood
still in the county for that one genera
tion interval. But between 1950 and
1960, an 18 percent jump in population
made Lancaster the fastest growing
standard metropolitan area in the state.
The greatest growth rate was in the
townships, not the cities.
By 1980, a projected increase of
150,000 people is foreseen for the coun
ty This doesn’t sound like much until
you consider that for every one-hundred
new people, 75 acres will be taken out
of agricultural production. Therefore,
projecting an increase of 150,000 people,
means that Lancaster County agricul
ture will lose 112,500 acres by 1980
approximately one-quarter of all the
land farmed here in 1960
While we presently have a larger
rural-farm population than any other
county in the state, or in the nation, the
trend shows a steady reduction of farms
below 180 acres, farms above 180 acres
have increased in percentage of total
county farms
The, miracle ingredient that has
made our county one of the most pros
perous in the nation is the balance that
has existed between agriculture and in
dustry That balance has been shifting
gradually in favor of industry in recent
years It will continue to move in that
direction as time goes on, probably at
an accelerated rate
There is very little that we can,
or should, do about that trend But we
can, and must, do some active planning
for the years ahead so that this popula
tion pressure has some definite direc-
Swinemen Hear
Hog Prices Will
Hold Into 1967
Dwight Younkin, Penn
State Extension livestock spe
cialist, told approximately
100 alea hog producers
Thmsdaj night at the Lan
castei Faun Ciedit Building
that good hog price;, should
continue veil into 19G7 He
cited hog futmes and a led
meat shoitage as factois
ninth vntualU assuie puces
m the 'jit 1-30 innge
Vltei opening on tins
blight note the maioi pait
ot i he Lancastei Counts
Swine Pioduceis
Lancaster Farming Farm Calendar
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Lancaster Farming
Lancaster County’s Own Farm
Weekly
P 0 Box 266 - Lititz, Pa,
17543
Offices:
22 E Main St
Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone - Lancaster
394 3047 or
Lititz 626-2191
Don Timmons, Editor
Roueit G Campbell, Adver
tising Dneetor
Subsci iption price—li2 per
yeai in Lancaster County,
?3 elsewhere.
Established November 4,
1955. Published every Satur
day by Lancaster Farming, Lit
itz, Pa.
educational meeting was well
received by the audience
A panel of area hog pro
ducer. including John and
Ahiam Zeiset. both of East
Earl R 1 Norman Martin,
Myerstown Rl, Irwin Martin,
Lincoln, and Herbert Schick,
Krunisvilile, discussed person
al experiences and. problems
mi hog production
Slides depicting each of
these opeiat'ions were shown,
and the meeting was thiown
open tor what pioved to be
a Inely discussion session
Alsu piesent to offei some
ol the technical
tions in hog housing v,as Les
tei Buidette Penn State Ex
tension luestock specialist
Buidette explained that in
a new building piopei lentil-
Association
M.nch 7 On the 7th and
Sib the Penn State Farm
Alanagement shoit comse
will be held on the Uni
teisit'v s mam campus
7 3d pm Coin need
conti ol meetiaig sponsored
In P L Rohier & Bio
and featuring DeKalb Agn
Assn and Geigc Chem Co
i epiesentntn es will be
held at Donesal High
School
Maich S fi 30 pm Lan
castei Countv Soil & Water
Conseitation Distnci an
nual banquet meeting at
Blue Ball Fne Hall
7 20 pm, Gaiden Spot
YPA class at Gaiden Spot
HS subiect: Lea det ship
development.
-f. isni i#;
tion. It should not be allowed to just
“happen”.
The competition for land in the
county, especially that land bordering
the boroughs and townships, will grow
ever more fierce. As farm land prices
pass the $lOOO per acre level, extensive
farming as we know it in Lancaster
County can probably no longer be justi
fied. When this happens, one of the
great agricultural advantages our county
has over- other eastern areas the
ability to grow a large part of its .own
feed will be lost.
When we think - of thousands of
extra people, we think immediately of
homes. That is the most obvious source
of land use. But add to this all the
businesses and institutions needed to
service the increased population
shopping centers, schools, churches, yes,
even nursing homes, as witnessed by the
photograph on the front page of this
issue
What can be done about this
chronic, progressive problem? The Lan
caster County Soil & Water Conserva
tion District, working through the Coun
ty Planning Commission, hopes to effec
tively guide future development of
housing and industry in the county so
that Class I farmland will not be de
voured indiscriminately.
To help avoid some of the un
necessary pressures which will be gene
rated by the projected population in
flux, Lancaster Countians will have to
become, not just aware of the problem,
but actively concerned with its solution.
Agricultural interests can’t go it alone.
They will need the cooperation of in
dustry and home-owners.
By working together on this major
problem, perhaps we can maintain a
semblance of that magic “balance”;
hopefully, this combined effort will as
sure that Lancaster County retains its
title “Garden Spot of the World”.
★★★ . ★
ation can be built in with no
trouble based on present
knowledge of needs. But re
modeling a barn, ‘'involves
tnore than just putting in n.
few fans.
He pointed putt that there
is a substantial difference
tween ventilation and j'ust
moving air around.
Association president John i IVJW
Hinkel reminded the giouip
of the Spring Carcass Show
winch will be held March .To Prevent Soil Compaction
1J at the Lancaster Stock This the time of the year when heavy
Yaids “There is still loom equipment will pack the soft ground so hard
for a few more entnes ” he n< * have much of a
j TT t , ~ , chance With modem, heavy ti actors and
said He also announced that equipment this pioblem becomes more com
the Association s annual han- mon and one veiy haid to conect However
quet would be held Maicb IS we would be of the opinion that it is best
at 6 30 pm, at the Bine to keep this equipment off of ciop land as
Ball Hue Hall. much as possible until the ground has a
chance to diy out The later we go into the
month of March the less chance of heavy
fieezes that will conect this compaction.
To Topdress Pastures
Many peimanent pastures will respond to
iertuization early in the spring The applica-
■weed conti ol meeting spon
soied bv P L Rohiej &
Bio at. shown above To
be held at Witmer Fne
Hall Witmei
Match 1 —7 30 pm, man
agement meeting foi bet
tei tat nving on small com
munity fauns speaker M
M Smith Lancastei coun
ts agent at Lincoln Inde
pendent Slliool, Martin
dale
Maich 10 G 30 pm, Lam
petei-Sti ashing FPA Pai-
ent-Son banquet at LS H
S caletena
Cbaptei Paient-Son ban-
quet at Solanco HS. cate-
tei la,
Growing Practices per acre with • present row '
March 11 Grassland FFA ch 18 He mg published in : ’ £%« . ‘g
Chapter Parent-Son ban- the farm press ablout Plant, ..■ * • .' fc L a j|?
in? loom in more narrow .ctyisraer a closer; row spaoit;
quet at Garden Spot High ro , ws This might be the trend ing ‘ along' • with quite aiji
7 p m , S'Ol'anco FFA
> •
Man in God
'tenon for March 9, 1969
,s the habit of thinking often
|.ckn.u.l Sector.. 116, Luk. about God, shutting one’s eyes a
11:1-13; John 14:15-17; 16:1-7; Hckrawa moment to think how close he is,
ft££Sid*iikMk and f wh »t kind of God he is and
what kind of life he wants us to
A THRONE MAY look like a
live. True prayer deep, joyous,
**• chair, hut it is no ordinary free comes only out of life
chair. In ancient times only that is in harmony with God if
one person could sit on a throne: prayer-time is the only time you
a king. Even when the king ear- give a thought to God, you soon
ried his throne about with him. may find it is difficult to think
like a camp chair, as one of the 0 f him even then. Another habit
better _ Herods of thought,, fruitful for the sin
did, still it wss cere God seeker, is to become
■ a throne and the familiar with the life and words
alone had of our Savior. This cannot be
K done without long-continued study
h there. In the and meditation. Remember what
KSH Bible, which is he said. “If you abide in me and
full of picture- my words abide in you,’’ (that
words, as we were is, if you have absorbed my spirit,
thinking last and my teachings have become
-J)r. Foreman week here, God part of the fabric of your think-
Is never said to be seated in a mg,) “ask whatever you will and
chair or on a couch, only on ait shall be done for you ” The
throne. He is “seated” not be- most successful prayer arises out
cause he is tired or lazy. To be of Christ-centered, Christ-diiected
seated was then the mark of au- lives,
thority (our Lord always taught c .. , _
sitting down), and the throne Fru,f or bonfire
itself stood for the power and Fellowship with God can be
majesty of the one who sat upon looked at selfishly, like his other
it. and lesser gifts. But the mystic
. vision, the inner light, is not to
Honesty in prayer he enjoyed apart from service of
The simple and easy word for the Master and his cause. Jesus
coming before the throne of the put it plainly. The secret of the
Almighty, the Lord of the uni- bright Christian experience is in
verse, is prayer. It is the mist the words, I in you , . . you in
uplifting and at the same time me . . . The sunshine is in the
the most humbling experience flower, the flower is in the sun
possible to man. The Christian, shine both equally true. The
life has been defined as life-in-Christian is in Christ, Christ in
God. Call it communion, call *it the Christian. But for what pur
fellowship, call it companionship, pose? To bear fruit, Jesus said,
or simply the life in God, there fruit of joy, fruit of faith, of
is to compare with it. hope, of love.
One thing we must always be (9md „ . umi „ rf
sure of: we must leave all make- Division of Chri*li«« Education, Nation*
believes outside. There is no f r 0U o nci i o£ J’?« c^ Jr ,f h *» o{ Chr “‘»
fooling God. Beneath the high- sirnc.j **** hj *•-
sounding religious language we
often use, he hears what we really
want.' There is no 'use trying to
flatter God, he cannot be flat
tered. Dishonesty ruins all friend-
ship. Especially is it ruinous to
any fellowship we may hope t«
have with God. We can often
Is The Time ...
By Max Smith, Lancaster County Agent
ns 20 to 30 Poftnds per acre of actual nitrogen will bring
the glasses earlier than normal, some livestock men will treat
pai t of then pastm es with mti ogen to force earlier grazing On
permanent bluegrass sod with some white clover, a complete
fertilizer such as 10-1010 is recommended. P
To Establish Contours has some advantages includ-
Fanne.s that have some ing mcieased yields. How
s ope to then ciop land e \ei, in the opinion of this
should considei establish.ng County Agent. many corn
con tom stnps to contiol both giow'eis can achieve the sumo
' ,Ol 1111 "‘ ltei eiosion In jq to 15% mciease in yield*
many fa'-es the held can be bj nnpiovmg good practice*
staited when being plowed ~
loi (oi n Alternate stnps of Wltlx their nonn ‘ al 36 to 38 -
a iow <iop and a sod crop inch 10 " s When a grower
will be of gieat help in mam- has put all the best-known
taming soil lei 1 1 litj as well piactices into operation and
as mci easing \ields
after producing from 125 to
To Evaluate Corn
heck the honesty of our prfcytrs
jy asking,.How ihuch am I will,
mg to do, or to give up, in-order
to bring my prayer to pass 0 “Thy
Kingdom come” is a noble prajer;
but when the offering plate is
passed it may turn out that what
we really meant was “Thy king
dom come, but not over a dollar s
worth this week, please.”
Habits for prayer
Good words are often spoken
about habits of prayer; but there
ire some pre-prayer habits which
we may call habits for prayer One
150 bushel of shelled corn,
SMITH