—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 17, 1966
4
From Where We Stand...
Census And Nonsenses
Not meaning to be cute with the
above title, but we couldn't resist that
play on wmds, especially since there is
a nonsensical side to the government's
five-year agricultural Census.
While we realize it's an immense
undertaking to collect and analyze the
data from America’s approximately 3.1
million farms I we’ll talk about that ques
tionable figure in a moment), it doesn't
seem entirely reasonable that two years
should elapse before the preliminary re
ports are published. With all the high
powered data processing equipment
available to the statisticians today, a
year would seem long enough to get the
job done Of course, we understand that
with these modern machines more so
phisticated analyses are possible. It is
also possible to “over-analyze” data, just
for the sake of analysis. However they
can manage it, the Bureau of the Census
should try to expedite this task in the
future
WHAT IS A FARM?
According to the Census definition,
anything is classified as a commercial
farm if its agricultural sales exceed $5O
a year, or. $2500 if it contains less than
ten acres
Using this definition, the 1964
Census shows a loss of “commercial
farms” in the U.S since 1959 of one
quarter million, and a loss of total
“farms” of one-half million.
This gives a distorted view of the
farm situation, in our opinion Let’s look
at the farm breakdown by economic
classes Class I (sales over $40,000), and
Class II (520,000-$40,000), showed actual
gains in numbers since 1959 39,653
and 49,403, respectively. In terms of
percentage, these changes reflect gains,
respectively, of 38 and 23 percent.
It is reasonable, then, to expect
■that the next lower group, Class 111,
would show a decrease since many from
■this class would have expanded
These changes toward bigness in
agriculture dramatically indicate that
large scale farming is increasing in the
tI.S. One independent agency close to
the Washington scene reported recently
on an updating of these two-year-old
Census figures. It shovted that the rate
of growth among the true commercial
farms those with sales over $20,000
has accelerated even beyond the 1964
Census figures It also found that Class
111 farms had increased since 1964, and
have now more than off-set the previous
five-year loss in numbers in that class
• Producers Co-Op
(Continued fiom Page 1)
1964, and 10 percent in 1965.
He also reported that in the
two months since the Ex
change’s fiscal year ended, 28
new membeis had been add
ed, and that most of these
were good-sized cage opera
tions. He added that volume
for October and November
had already reflected this in
crease, and he looked for
ward to further gains.
In discussing the Exchange’s
giowth m the special pioducts
division, Souders told produc
ers that those pioducts, includ
ing chicken roll, amounted to
11 percent of total sales
LANCASTER r ARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Tai'-n
Weekly
PO r,f)\ 206 - 1,11117, Pa
Ollite 22 11 AI tin -Si
I-it it/ I’ i 17,1!
Phone I,am aster ‘i'M-'jn-lT or
I.itil? 626-21 01
Don Timmons lalitor
Robert '5 Laiiipb. 11, Aduitisins
Dirsctoi
Subs< nption pi iee $2 ptr tear in
Lam aster Count\ . elsswheie
Established N'otembei 4, 1975
Published nm .Saturd.ie b\
Lancaster r uminc, Lilith, I’a
Second cia'-s Postage paid at
.Lititz, Pa v 17743
“These pioducts have been ac- He said that although theie
cepted well, and theie aie aie fewei farms pioducing
plans foi enlaiging and adding eggs nationally, the total pio
new items,” Soudeis said duction is expanding He
To Keep Christmas Tree Moist
One ot the gieatest fire hazards in the
home during the holiday season is a diy
Chustmas Tiee Homemakeis are urged to
keep the tiunk ot the tree either in water
oi in moist soil 01 sand The adding of water
needs legulai attention because most trees
uill absoib a quait or nioie per day
To Inspect Fire Extinguishers
The lecent snow stoim should call to
our attention the importance ot good fire ex
tinguishes on eveiy tarm Many of the wm
tei stoims close loads and lanes so that com
munity fue fighting equipment cannot get
to the building as last as needed Fue ex
tinguishes should be checked to see that SMITH
they aie in woiking condition laim family should know ex-
AMENDMENTS APPROVED and also, every member of the actly how to operate the ex-
Membes voted appioval on f 4-H Veal tinguishers In many cases, a
two amendments to the by- one-man extmgmshei can pre
laws One, peimitting common (Continued f iom Page 1) 10 and December 20 The am- ven ,t a senous fiie Be pie
stockholdeis piesent at any f aims ” piastow said He add- mals should be Holstein or pare d ,t 0 pl event the tragedy
duly called meeting to con- a d that loundups in 1988 Holstem-beef ciosstoieds, pief- of fire,
stitute a quorum, the other, showed a piofit average of $25 ei ’ ab ly
pertained to the issuance of per anima i over calf and feed Piastow said a tentative To Do Farm Planning
prefened stock costs for an eight-week pen- 1 °undup date has been set for Now is a good time to do
p , j. rr niiTinnir rnnn od “This was accomplished February 15 New Holland some farm planning for the
The fStuiel speakef M- the v/ith 190 pounds of gam per JU cab ?es be by coming crop season When tie
_ . _ t*™..™ r«dav, and 147 pounds of milk wyi * m cidbb ana to iaaea farm records are completed fox
1 Cooneiative New he reported participating m this new club spent evaluating the various
‘ v , r t ’ Participants must agree to 1S ad vised to contact the coun- f ai - m enterprises. Long-rang£
roahan toiH tho men feed their veal caM (or calves) ty extension office immediately planning takes time and is one
that “this had been T vood a hl « h ‘ fat ’ all ‘ miW - r e ‘ of the important parts of sou6d
year, and that he looked °for- a o d to house them m fann management. Modern
ward to a bright future for an elevated tie stall > plastow The creative thinker, not farming.is a business-and re-
Pennsylvania pioducers said Also ’ calves must have the mutator, is the one who quires .planning to be success
y <=o v b een bom b e t Ween December gets ahead. , ful.
pomtecl out that, by the most
DIRECTORS ELECTED conseivative estimate, the pop-
Two dii ec tors leelected ulation of potential egg con
umrumously weie John E sumeis is incieasing at the
Melhoin, 334 Donegal Spungs i a te of eight percent a veai
Rd, Mount Joy, and Hany P Geghan lemarked that the
Met? Belleville Elected to a u S Department of Agucul
fiist teim as duectoi was tine is conducting an exten-
Geoige W Robinson, Kreamei S i ve study of the egg pi icing
He succeeds Lester M Geh- syotem, and that lesuPs aie
man, Manheim R 2 expected by next year
17 4*.
The updated figures also showed
that 15 percent of U.S. farms, those
with sales above $20,000, are produc
ing 70 percent of all farm goods.
When one includes the next lower
group, Class 111, in the above calcula
tion it shows that a little over 30 per
cent of all farms are producing 90
percent of our total farm products.
To carry that reasoning one step
further, it means that about 70 per
cent of all “farms” account for only
10 percent of the nation’s farm pro
duction!
We think a reclassification of farm
terminology is very much in order. Not
only would such a move give a far truer
picture of what’s going on in American
agriculture, it would also greatly reduce
the quantity of data and the cost of
collecting and processing it and
would get the results off the press con
siderably faster.
Pi Pi
Enjoy Old Man Winter
Christmas is just around the corn
er. and if you wonder why so much of
your shopping and last minute errands
must be done in blustery weather, don’t
forget that old man winter appears on
the scene officially just three days be
fore Christmas December 22. Since
we cannot all escape to happier climes,
even if we so desired, now is the time to
check again on preparations for living
comfortably through the short bleak
days that lie ahead.
How is the family car? The tires
should be m good shape, chains should
be carried, anti-freeze should be checked
along with windshield wipers, lights,
heater, etc.
Leaving the car for a moment, next
on the list should be the fuel supply,
protection of house plumbing against
freezing and checking of furnaces, flues
and chimneys. Haven’t we all heard the
chilling sound of a siren in the middle
of a bitter winter night?!
After all the preparations have
been made, we may look forward to
winter as a time of surcease from the
chores and exhausting fun of summer.
-There is nothing lake the security
of a warm fire and perhaps a little pop
corn on a cold dark evening, when old
man winter is howling around the eaves
of your house. You may as well relax
with a good book and enjoy it. For most
of us, summer is some thousands of
miles away somewhere to the South,
where whirling snowflakes never brush
the palms and silver beaches with win
ter’s mantle.
Prepare His Way!
Lesson for December 18, 1966
l«ckfr*und Scnplura iuke I
D«v«li*na( Rodtng 'amah 40 ] 5
ing any such day as Christmas
„ , or the like, eitlicr bv forbearing
Several years ago, two mem-, , , *»
r,u * ... fasting, or any other way,
burs of the town council ol r v ~ .
~ i,-„.,as a festival, shall be lined five
a village in Ihuringia,hast . ...
Germany approached the hour- ° * , , , - T
gomeister with a plan that would _ ibe People of the early New
seriously curtail the observance an Co f^” l^ S iaf , , Seea
of Christmas by the people of the f n6u ß. h P a^ n C hnstmas ceiebra
villap-p eh nrr n tu)ns 311 England to sour them on
The/knew thai f 1 ‘'nstmas for;hfe-Thev had seen
Christmas is one how c P nclJ >; lh,s , h , 01 , v da T ;
W asp 0 f faQ e\ents m conles merely a holiday. I jople
year which for£ ? et ’ all too quickly, the pur-
W h [ r g) still draws large P ose ° r the celebration.
- It thou-h Christmas Without Advent
V #1 worship attend- Someone .ms said that when
£3 ance dunr" thc ve edeorate (n ’s.mas without
Ira rest 0 f tj lu \ oai Ad\ent, wo wdl likely aLo ce’e-
Rev. Althouse had dwindled br£,te 3t v.dhout Uuis‘ Advent is
drastically. the season cf pieparation f m the
The Charch in East Germany, coming ot f hiistmas 'ihus, when,
of course, is officially toleiated, we celebiate Christmas w»tJ out
although the state does all it can adequate preparation, we tend to
to make difficult the operation ol miss the whole point of theClinst
congregational life. The goal of mas season. Jesus is reborn into
these efforts is to make things so our hearts and h\es we
difficult that people will volun- have prajei fully prepaicd our
tanly give up their Christian faith selves to receive him, not when,
rather than lose oat on the sparse the calendar shows us that the
benefits of the Communist society twenty-fifth day of December tias
Thus, although the state does not drived.
officially ban the Church, it aims the coming of Christ always
at the same result. requires preparation. Itwa^thus
when Jesus was born in B°thle-
TOO Sentimsntal hem. The way had to be
The tw’O councilmcn hadP re P are d- Eor centuries Co a had
drawn up a strategy to make it been preparing the way whir his
virtually impossible for the prophets Through the wor,c of
church to hold its services. 'The these men he tried to make people
services would not be forbidden, ready for his own Son. ire last
but few would attend under the of these messengers senr from
circumstances. The plan was sub- G°d was John the Baptist who
nutted to the bomgomeister f or came to proclaim Jesus as the ful
appioval. Instead the bourgo- Jihment of ali that had ever oeen
meister shook his head and wa £tedfor.
smiling, said "It is not necessary _ " For V ov wlll &° befo v the
to do this People m church on P re P aie b:s wa J aa, d
Christmas do not mean anything ot his son, John. L the
It is on'j a custom that the people People were not to miss tne
are too sentimental to give up Christ, they would have to be
Pet them have their Christmas ready for hint,
service .. . they’ve forgotten So must we.
what it rea'lv means’ ’ (Boitd on .ullm.t copynpMpd by tfi* D; ision
Whether or not the bomgo- * f . I ch " s, ' ,n (
r> Chyrents of Christ in tnt || S. 4 Ktitostd by
master was conect concerning community prossS.rvic.)
tne people of his \iilage, I do not
know. What he said of them.
Now Is The Time . ..
By Max Smith, Lancaster County Agent
however, might Also apply t»
many of us. Would we be Judging
too harshly to say that there are
many people In our own country
today who have forgotten what
Christmas really means, that it is
a custom that they are too senti
mental to give up.
From Holy Day To Holiday
There was a time when the ob
servance of Christmas was
forbidden, not bv atheistic gov
ernments but by zealous church
men. For example, on May 11,
1659, the General Couit of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony
passed the following law:
Whoever shall bofonnd observ-