—Lancaster Farming. Saturday, December 30, 1967
4
From Where We Stoat/ ...
“Nickels For Profit”
The voluntary, self-help program
being initiated January 1, 1968, by the
Lancaster County Pork Producers Asso
ciation to improve pork quality and pro
mote their product is a “happening” that
is commendable and worth noting by
other segments of the farm industry.
The program calls for farmers to
contribute 5 cents per market hog and 2
cents per feeder pig when they are sold.
These small donations when lumped to
gether through the cooperative effort of
every producer (from the man who fat
tens only 6 hogs a year to the largest pro
ducer) will have a resounding effect on
both the producing and marketing of
pork.
And with all the negative attitudes
being circulated in farm circles these
days, this program Shows some of the
other kind of thinking which provides
refreshing relief.
This program, as outlined in our
lead story this week, deserves the sup
port of every person connected with the
pork industry every hogman in the
county, every sales organization that ob
tains part of its livelihood from the hog
and every pork packer in the county.
At least that's the way it looks from
where we stand.
Proposed Beltway Poses
Need For Consideration
Of Land Conservation
The proposed beltway around Lan
caster City has been getting a lot of
oiscussion lately. Mostly, though, the
farm side, from an over-all conservation
point of view, has not been considered.
At least not seriously enough.
Certainly, all the routes contain
some of the best farmland in Lancaster
County. And regardless of the one
eiiosen, some farmers are going to be
snoved from their home and farm busi
ness For these families we are concern
ed
And yet, if we must have a Southern
Beltway, it looks like B North would be
best and C would be the least desirable.
Of the total, B North takes only 54
percent of Class No. 1 & 2 land and covers
17 percent of Class 4 and over. It also
rnsses some of the obstacles of B and
would give Southern Lancaster County
j ust as good access to development possi
bilities as C
Not only is Route C the least desir
sole from the farmers view (taking 66
Farm News This Week
City Representation Now Provided
In Conservation Plan Page 1
Beltway Could Take Up
567 County Acres Page 9
Local Hogmen To Start Self-Help
Program January 1 Page 1
Maryland Prepares For Foot
And Mouth Threat ~ Page 6
“Cool-Headed” Cows Give More
Milk, Study Shows Page I
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly
P.O Box 266 -Lititz, Pa 17543
Office 22 E Main St, Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone. Lancaster 394-3047 or Lititz 626-2191
Everett R Newswanger, Editor
Robert G. Campbell, Advertising Director
Subscription price; $2 per year in Lancaster
County; ?3 elsewhere
Established November 4,1955
Published every Saturday by Lancaster
Farming, Lititz, Pa.
Second Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa.
17543
Member of Newspaper Farm Editors Assn.
percent class 1 & 2 farmland) but it also
poses the greatest threat of hardship to
both the city and farm communities in
the future.
This Southern Route would cause
Lancaster City to spread out farther,
eventually making police protection,
sewage disposal and installation of water
lines more costly and harder to accom
plish.
And the pattern of urban develop
ment would follow the new beltway,
causing more good farmland to be cut
into housing projects, leaving many
farms too small or taxed at urban rates
to continue food production. The farmer
who did want to continue would be faced
with paying for water and sewage lines
passing his road frontage on it’s way to
serve residents beyond his property.
Although, many city people disre
gard the need for conserving the best
farmland for food production, signs are
appearing that the message is getting
through. One of the major moves in the
right direction is 'the recent action by
Governor Shafer to form an 18-man com
mittee to study the problems and recom
mend action to preserve agricultural land
for agricultural purposes.
Since 1950, Governor Shafer pointed
out, Pennsylvania has lost about three
million acres of farm land, approximately
20 percent of the state’s total agricultural
acreage of 17 years ago. Eleven million
acres remain in farm land.
&
Much of the lost acreage was used,
he explained, to meet an expanding popu
lation’s need for housing, highways, in
dustrial and business sites, and recrea
tional facilities.
“While these needs must be satis
fied,” he added, “we also must recognize
the necessity of maintaining food produc
tion. Continued diversion of farm acreage
to ether purposes, if unchecked, will not
only threaten food production, but en
danger the 900-million dollar agricultural
economy of Pennsylvania.”
The committee was charged by the
Governor with the responsibility of
studying “all aspects of this problem and
developing a plan for preserving agricul
tural acreage Consistent with the total
land requirements of the Common
wealth.”
The proposed Southern Beltway
around Lancaster would be a good place
for this new committee to go to work.
At least that’s the way it looks from
where we stand.
® W
The Knowledge
Explosion
Anthropologists tell us that if we
were to construct an imaginary graph of
the growth of human knowledge, the bar
representing everything man knew up to
the steam age would be three inches high.
A second bar, representing the gain in
knowledge from the steam engine to the
atomic bomb, would be 15 inches high.
But a third bar, representing the knowl
edge gained from the atomic age to the
present, would have to be higher than
the Washington Monument!
The five-day forecast for the period
Saturday through next Wednesday calls
for temperatures to average below nor
mal The daytime high is expected to be
in the 20’s in the North section'to the 30’s
in the South. Over-night lows to be in the
teens to low 20’s. Generally cold through
the period. The normal average is 29 low,
34 high.
Precipitation may total greater than
one-half inch occurring as rain or snow
Morris (Minn.) Sun
Weather Forecast
My Little Share
Often we are asked to imagine
the state of our churches, oui
communities, our world, if every*
one else were no more generous,
than ourselves. The above story
shows what did happen because
everyone thought alike: No onel
will miss my little share! Thai
saddest aspect of this parable is'
not that the doctor received no
wine, but that the barrel of water i
d*v*iioiwi »«dms- Matih«w6l9 2*. stood as a glaring symbol of thai
The doctor had spenthis whole people’s ingratitude,
professional career in the little It was this same kind of in*
French wine growing town. He gratitude that Malachi attacked 1
was known and loved by every- when he spoke to the people o£'
one. Someone estimated that two- Jerusalem: "Will man rob God?'
thirds of the population of the Yet you are robbing me. Bug'
town had been delivered by the '{ ou 'How are we robbing
little physician, thee” In your tithes and offerings*
The others had The result: "You are cursed with,
been there before a curse > for y° u are robbing me;f
he arrived. the whole nation of you” (Mala.*)
He was not a 3:8-9 RSV). 1
man of consider- Actually, they sinned against
able means, for Mm in two ways; (1) They failed
often they could to S ive him what they owed him}
not pay him for and ( 2 ) they demonstrated thei*
his services, or l at -k of faith in him. "Bring th®
if they did, it hill tithes into the storehouse , . *,
might be eggs or and thereby put me to the test**,
vegetables, sometimes a chicken (Malachi 3:10 RSV); If they!
or small roast. When he an- reaUy trusted m him to provide!
nounced his retirement, therefore, “ ieir , needs » they would not hold!
the people of the village decided back on their gifts. Stinginess:
that there ought to he some token t°w ar d God is a declaration of|
of appreciation. Since almost mistrust, an insult to hia
everyone was engaged in growing providence.
EXTRAVAGANCE!
Lesson for December 31,1967
Background Scripfurr Mala chi 3.
grapes and producing wine, it „ „
was decided that a large barrel Never TOO Generous
would be placed in the town /, have never been in[financial
square and everyone would con- difficulties because I was too
tribute a pitcberfull for it. generous. When finances hav»
been tight, it has been a matter!
No One Will Notice of my own self-indulgence. Noe*
In a few days the barrel was have I ever heard of a church;
full and the town turned out for “at had to close its doors be*
the presentation. Taking the bar- cause it shared too much with
rel to the doctor’s house, the those beyond the walls of thel
mayor made a long and elabo- church. I have known of churchea
rate speech. From now on, when- “at . went under because dfl
ever the doctor sipped his wine, building too lavishly, but neves)
he was to think of the gratitude because of missions or be*J
of his fellow-citizens. evolences.
When everyone had wished T - G°cl is an extravagant giyert'
him well and gone home, the f> a y e his dearest possession,
doctor sat before the fire, took -^ ow do you say "thank you*
a dipper, and sampled the con- a gut .like mat. . . except to
tents of 'the barrel. A strange ex- ) oin him “giving extravagantly
pression crept over his face as of yourself,
he swished the liquid about in
his mouth and swallowed its: it
tasted • • • like • • • water. He church** *f chnst in ih* y, s» A* Rtitttwiby*
took another sip: . . . it • . . Comnwmly Pr»n Strvict.) i
WAS . . . WATER! In fact, IT
WAS A WHOLE BARREL OF - _ •
water! (f a in ilt ill* rh
Confused, the doctor called the i “ Ul
mayor, the mayor called the #* J
council, and the council met in jllllOdV
closed session. At last, the mayor rfMimii y
To Evaluate
Insurance Coverage...
For the past decade I have in
cluded this 'utem m my column
at least once a year, but it
seems just as 'important each
year Farm buddings should be
insured for then- replacement
value and not their original
cost. Wuith the (increasing costs
of labor and materials many in
surance figures may not be
enough to replace the structure
in order to continue operating
Consult with your insurance
agent to (be certain you have
the proper coverage.
To Kill Rodents.
The weather conditions have
chased most of the rats and
mice from the fields into the
bU'ildL'ngs. Only poor manage
ment will allow them tb stay
there and increase their popula
tion. They will destroy feed and
and {be council stood shams*
facedly before him. Eyes cast
down, the mayor tried to explains
apparently everyone had felt that
he did not have enough to spara
and no one would notice a little]
water in so much wine!
NOW IS
THE TIME...
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
fire hazard in buildings. Before
the winter goes any further 30m
others in your community and
get rid of the rats. Poison bait
stations w.i’l help after a good
salutation program is practiced.
To Improve Management...
This is easy to say but very
difficult to do; however, at is
very important and may mean
the difference between success
and failure on many farms.
Good farm management re
quires effort, planning, knowl
edge. SKull, and the abilitj to
get things done on -time. The
proper management of both la
bor and capital is essential' for
a successful farm operation.
Farmers are urged to spends
time planning, learning, and
evaluating their enterprises and
practices. “Pencil pushing” of
ten returns more-than the scoop.