—Lancaster Fnrmmg. Saturday. January 31.1970
4
From Where We
Beat That Marketplace
Competition
Wo wore asked the other clay. "Do you
believe, really behe\c. there is competition
for meat fiom soybeans, fish flour, and
other such high protein products?" Well,
sometimes the best way to answer a ques
tion is to ask another question.
So, here goes. Did you believe there
would ever be a “magic ray", before the
laser beam came into existence? Did you
think there really would be a man on the
moon by 1969? Did you ever suppose you
would drink orange juice, the ingredients of
which aren’t remotely related to an orange?
Yes, we really do believe there is com
petition abuilding and abounding to move
into the heretofore untouchable sphere of
prestige and healthfulness of our meat in
dustry’s products. From the hot dog
hamburger stew market to the kinghest
of roasts at e\ ery step, there is someone
out there who believes he can do it better,
and cheaper.
Consider comments made by the presi
dent of General Mills, Inc., that sophisti
cated marketing-alert “flour miller.” On
receiving an industry award for chemical
engineering in de\ elopment of General
Mills’ line of meat-like, soybean-based, en
tree foods prexy James Summers is re
ported to have said, “The challenge be
comes engineering plus consumer market
ing. The acceptance of foods depends on
their fit in the existing cultural pattern For
instance, if you want to achieve acceptance
in a society which regards fried grasshop
pers as the ultimate m food elegance, then
you must provide a product which locks and
tastes and has the texture of fried grass
hoppers. You find out what the consumers
want and then you supply it to them at a
price they are willing to pay.”
General Mills has been test-marketing
their “meat-like” products for about a year.
Apparently they believe it will go over with
the public and rumors have it that when the
multi-million dollar manufacturing plant
is completed in Cedar Rapids, lowa, there
will be an awful lot of the synthetic meats
around. They can be tailored to be poly
unsaturated, high or low in carbohydrates,
animal or vegetable fat, zero cholesterol,
with or without vitamins and minerals and
controlled in calorie and protein content.
Yes, we believe it. And of course, we
congratulate General Mills.
Now that we have those social amenities
out of the way, let’s see the livestock-meat
industry buckle down and meet and beat
that competition in the marketplace. Let’s
see them continue to develop better ’burg
ers, franks, steaks, roasts and chops. After
all, that is their business, and it is what
consumers have wanted. Let’s keep them
wanting real meat. And besides, General
Mills likes competition.
At least that’s the way it looks from
where we stand.
Farm News This Week
Program For Egg Price
Stability Given Poultrymen Page 1
Dairymen Must Increase
Cows In Herd To Compete Page 1
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly
P. O Box 266 - Litxtz, 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, Adveitismg Director
Subscription price- $2 per year m 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.
Stand. ..
Take A Lesson
At limes we must report news that
is not what >oii would call complimentary
to farmers. Such is the case with the story
this week wheie USDA reports the reten
tion of 258 hogs m a New Mexico slaughter
house because it was discovered that some
of the animals might contain a mercury
residue.
Needless to say, USDA regulations do
not permit any mercury residue in meat or
meat products. Eating anything with a large
mercury residue can be fatal.
Naturally, accidents can and -do hap
pen and the family who slaughtered one of
these hogs for its own use has three children
hospitalized with mercury poisoning. We
feel sorry for them. But what we think
there is no excuse for, is the second farmer
who was told not to ship his hogs for slaugh
ter but he did so anyway. We think such ac
tions show down right stupidity.
Farmers have a moral responsibility
as well as a legal responsibility to provide
humanity with good food. And it doesn’t
matter if it is mastitis treatment for dairy
cows, growth stimulants for broilers or any
other medication for our livestock or poul
try that may leave a residue in the food
products, a withdrawal period is a must.
Let’s all take a lesson from the misfor
tune of the family in New Mexico and vow
once again that we will follow all regula
tions for the use of all types of farm chemi
cals. If each one of us will forfeit the few
dollars we lose by doing so, and consider
the other person who will eat the food
rather than being so self-centered, we will in
the long-run make it up in extra consumer
acceptance of our farm products.
At least that’s the way it looks from
where we stand.
Sixth Grade Capitalism
A new kind of grading system has been
adopted by a sixth grade California school
teacher, It is based on a point and incentive
system that pays the student, in imaginary
dollars, for good work and fines him when
he falls down on the job. The teacher says
the system works: . . It has done away
with grades. I substitute academic dollars.”
At the beginning of the year, the instruc
tor gives each pupil a $5OO credit to start the
semester. The nest egg expands or shrinks,
according to the caliber of academic work
produced by its owner. Students can build
small empires. A superior student can ac
quire a firm that dispenses facts to those
who were inattentive in class or didn’t do
homework. There are about a dozen other
firms successful students can buy and oper
ate. They also may earn academic dollars
for helping slower students, for good work
habits and for co-operation in class. Says
the instructor: “You can’t keep the kids at
home. They come even when they’re sick.
. . . The students are motivated to work.”
When parents criticize the idea of bring
ing capitalism into the schools, the teacher
answers, “But I’m teaching the American
way of life. ...” What is wrong with capi
talism? The imaginative California school
teacher deserves praise. We need more like
him
Local Weather Forecast
(From the U. S. Weather Bureau at the
Harrisburg State Airport)
The five day forecast for the period Sat
urday through next Wednesday calls for
temperatures to average above normal with
daytime highs in the mid 40’s and over
night lows near 30. Seasonably cold Satur
day and Sunday, milder on Monday and
Tuesday and colder again on Wednesday
The normal high-low for the period is 39-23.
Precipitation may total one-fourth to
one-half inch water equivalent with chance
of ram on Saturday and Sunday and again
Tuesday.
Judge rlg'Mly.’looWflß tfwoncl (ha
appearances to the realities. ,
'Phis is probably why Jesus
used the comparison of the wheat
nnri tares, 'fares arc a weed (hat
look verv much like wheat, mak
ing it difficult to differentiate bjf
appearance alone To mistake ti
tare for wheat could be a serious
mistake, for tares have a very
bitter taste and cause dullness.
THE FINAL HARVEST
What is true of tares and wheat
is often true of people too. Some
people may appear to be one
thing and turn out to be some
thing quite different. Aren’t there
, ~, people whom you have substan
■«iir.unil Scripture Amos 2 6 through 3.2 j misjudged? Or perhaps yott
Matthewi3i*si Revelation 19# mee tsomeone who seems distant
Dpy.h.n.iK'.ti.r, Psoirasl. and un friendly, ye t In time they
Some of the richest men In prove to be very fine people. We
the United States today include ar e not really equipped to judge
a number of racketeers who have with finality the souls of out few
amassed millions of dollars in low men ~,
Illegal profits and yet have man- There is a third thing this par
’ ' -wade irosecution by the able tells us: the execution of
cleverly escaped Q od > s judgement comes, notdur
detection and, as , th j s lifetime, but at some time
each year pass- s n th e life beyond this world. The
es, the possibil- para bie speaks of the final "harv
ity of convicting £ st „ w jj en w heat and seeds will
them seems to di- separated according to the in*
mimsh. structions of the householder.
Many people This, then, is the answer to
i want, to know questions which point to
[ how God can al- persistence of evil in the world
■■ low this to hap- and “ as k ; "How can God let it
pen. How can he happen?” Some evil, to be sure,
permit these peo- do £ s bring punishment in this
inished? How can. to those who practice it, but
, to prosper while the ultimate and final penalty is
good men are in want? If the ieser ved for God’s own day of
law cannot give them what they judgement.
fh“7StS?Ss t ? Godl ’ llng ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY
THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
If we are to seek answers to until the harvest ...” At that
these questions we must under- time judgement will he executed
stand, first of all, the source of j, y w ho alone is able to judge,
evil in our world. God neither J Thjs parable also helps us to
causes evil nor is he indifferent understand better our mission in
to it Yet, he also gives human. tde world. It is a mission that
beings the freedom to choose to ta k es U s into the whole world,
to either good or evil. Thus, he not j ust t Q the “wheat” or the
permits evil to the extent that go-called “good people.” We have
he allows men to choose for them- adde d opportunity to win people
selves. It is his will for them to j or the kingdom, people who
choose to do good, hut he does otherwise might be - lost to the
not make that choice for them. powe r of evil. For we must re-
Because he permits people to member: the tares do not have
choose evil, if they desire to, there to rema in tares!
are always many opportunities
for evi! in our everyday lives. {|astiJ on outllnes e , pyrWW ty dw.Ub
The parable of the weeds and. oI C |, mtl<m Eduction, Nat,.n.i Council ot A*
the wheat helps us with this prob- church.* .( chmi m th. u. 9. A. IMnnd fcy
lem in that it, reminds U§ that Community Press S«rvic«.)
it is God alone who can determine
which are the “wheat” and which.
OF WHEAT
AND TARES
lesson for February 1, 1970
are the "tares.” The householder A'r'roivm Tin?
tells the servants. "No, lest ia /w*
gathering the weeds you root up LnUKI/n Ur
the wheat along with them.” You YOUR CHOICE SUNDAY
and I judge according to appear
ances which often, we find, may
be quite deceptive. Only God caa
Read Lancaster Farming
For Full Market Reports
To Complete Census Forms lack of fresh water at all times.
AH farmers have been mailed Some of these items seem quite
the 1969 U S Census forms and small but if they are not cor
are requested to fill them out rected or provided, efficiency
and return by February 15 will not be attained. Good man-
This census is to be taken by agement must be present and
mail only and theiefore it is requires special effort from all
important that all farmeis om- farmers
plete the needed mfoimation
and coopeiate as requested
Agricultural mfoimation is im
pel tant for many leasons and
we urge all laimeis to comply
with the icquested procedure
To Manage For Efficiency
_ ull!.
Modem agiicultme lequires
efficient production in older to
be successful, this means dis
coveung and conectmg all the
problems that reduce gams and
pioduction, or reflect the waste
of time and materials. Such
items and either internal or ex
ternal parasites on livestock,
faulty feed troughs or feeders,
lack of salt or minerals, or the
NOW IS
THE TIME...
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
To Make Farm Plans
The 1970 cropping season is
less than eight weeks away. We
urge farmeis to be making de
finite plans for all of their ma
jor faim entei prises and to he
getting their orders placed for
materials The farm records of
the past several years should
be evaluated and used as a
guide for future plans or ex
pansion. The servicing of farm
machinery should be done
weeks ahead of the time need
ed. Thorough planning and or
ganizing of the work load and
the farm labor should result in
improved management.
I 2