Farming. Saturday. May 2.1970 Let’s Go to Market Li\ mg cost*, are f!ouif! up. It’s no secret. But the reason living costs are going up is probably understood by relatively few people. In the confusion on the subject, faim ers are taking far more than their share of the blame, in large part because of rising food costs which hit everyone’s pockctbook. But farmers shouldn’t accept the criti cism without hitting back. They ought to point out how other costs are rising tastci. This is particularly true of wages, which nc count for more than half the cost of most products and services. These rising wage costs, which figu r e prominently in the sale, packaging and dis- Inbution of food products, are even c major I actor in high food costs. Farmers know there’s a wide and growing spread between the price they receive for products and the Dnce of products on the grocery shelf. Farmers know also that the prices they pay for materials and equipment are rising fast, generally faster than the prices receiv ed for products. It’s these trends toward costs that rise Faster than income that keeps weeding out more and more farmers and concentrating agriculture into fewer and fewer hands. On !y the more efficient farm operations sur vive from year to year. Fortunately, Southeastern Pennsylvan ia farmers have good soil; they have a well developed tradition of efficient farm opera tion; their survival rate, relatively speak ing, has been high. But they, like farmers everywhere, are constantly under pressure to become bigger and more efficient; to specialize and con centrate in the areas of their greatest effi ciency. While farming in Southeastern Penn sylvania has been disrupted far less than in many other areas by the agricultural re volution, the trend toward fewer and small er farms has been unmistakable. The trends basically mean that fewer persons with more efficient operations are producing more food each >ear to meet local, national and even international food needs. The farmer and the farm communi ty need to be recognized and appreciated for these achievements Other segments of the economy which have not improved and expanded their out put to benefit society at a comparable rate, those segments which cannot claim, as does farming, that they serve more people bet ter each year on a smaller proportion of the gross national product, these are the groups which ought to be criticized These are the real inflation producers These are the .groups which detract from the progress be ing made by American agriculture It’s high time that the American farm* er in particular and American agriculture in general be recognized for what it is, the leader in the race against national and world poverty, the forerunner in improv ing living standards for everyone. To retain for themselves a share ot die higher standard of living they made possible for others, it almost certainh will become necessary for farmers to take on a new aggressiveness m the market place The individual and the farm community' will have to protect and promote farm pro ducts in the market; the> will have to make sure the consumer knows and understands the superiority of his product. The farmer will have to make sure that he. his farming LANCASTER FARMING Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly P 0 Box 266 - Lititz, Pa 17543 Office 22 E Mam St Lititz. Pa 17543 Phone Lancastei 394 3047 oi Lititz 626 2191 RobeitG Carrmbell Acheifismg Duector 2ane Wilson Managing Ediloi Subscuplion puce S 2 pei yeai in Lancaster County S 3 elsewhei e Established Nmembei 4 1955 Published e\eiv Satin day be Lancaster Fanning, Lititz Pa Second Class Postage paid at Lititz Pa 17543 Member of Newspaper Faim Ecatois Assn Pa Newspapei Publishei s Association and National Newspaper Association operation and ins products are not Mibjccl ed to excessive and unlair criticism. He will ha\e to make absolutely cer tain that the American public and its con sumer-oriented leaders understand that ms products are becoming better while requir mg an increasing!}, smaller share of the buyer’s money. The farmer has always stayed close to home and minded the farm. It's because he has minded his own business so well that his numbers and. therefore, political in fluence has declined. In the future, it will be necessary, as never before, to get out in the marketplace to compete and advance farm ing’s best interests. The sentiments in this editorial are well illustrated in another light by an article in a recent edition of Meat Board Reports. The article in full is as follows: The Plumber’s Inflation My Cake and Elat It, Too Got both bemused and irritated the other day as our plumber whacked away at basement pipes. He knows we're in the food-meat business. Idle conversation led to “high price of food these days What's a working man to do? What happened to three pounds for a dollar hamburger? Why does food cost so much? Those farmers doing pretty good aren't they?’’ Tried to explain to our old pal a bright guy what inflation does across the board. Seemed to understand, until we tried to explain how he spends a lower percent age of higher wages on food now than he ever did. He didn't buy that. We tried to explain livestock-meat prices at farm-ranch, packer, retail level. Didn’t swallow that either. As homeowner was cleaning up repair area after his departure, we wondered what plumber's charge would be. Bill came yes terday. - Know what? Costs 45 per cent more to fix a pipe than fn e >ears ago So w e check ed other maintenance bills along with sta tistical data from various sources Know what? Your roof reshinghng will go 40 3 per cent higher than 1964; get fur nace fixed and look at 44 3 per cent up ward jolt (and, bv the wav, our plumbing bill should have run “only” 40.2 per cert over earlier period!). Now that kids aie a little older and don't trust Dad with the clippers, that 33 per cent increase in haircuts takes a bite, too. There's a happv note, though Our stat tables turned up real bargain It'll onlj cost 23 5 per cent more than in 1964 to get the old clunker's valves ground, or replace muffler when it goes in next week. Real problem blaming other fellow for inflation is sheerest kind of hvpocnsv There's a whole scoreboard of “culprits.” not least of whom is the man on the street wdiose demand for higher wages (increases of more than 100 per cent have been made in some industries) becomes a cause We think it's time for schools at all levels, from primary through college, plus adult night schools, service clubs, others to launch classes in the simple economics of the free enterprise system (call it capita lism if you prefer) to explain market ac- tion and reaction, to explain prices, to ex plain wages, product costs, manufacturing, retailing. Most of all to explain how the profit system creates growth, permits better liv ing standards (for an increasingly larger per cent of the population), something many sincerely dedicated anti-estabh'i - ment young people have never really bec-n given the opportunity to understand Even well educated citizens don't ur derstand the difference between net and gross profits, cost of reasearch-develop ment, distribution People should unoer- stand Otherwise, it's another decade of pr.ce boycotting, mostly aimed at the biggest bargain in the U. S , food. To Be Alert For Weevil . Mfa'.fa growers are in business now, for the crop is growing lap.d’.y. With the favorable moistuie conditions the first cut ting should be high yielding. Insect authonties do not expect a heavy weevil infestation on the fi.it c.o? but all grovvtis should nv.ike f equent inspections from no* until cutting time If 75 per cent of the plants aie being eaten, tnen the field should be e her sp.aved or harvested, de pending upon the stage of ma iur.*„. For es‘ablished stands toe firs: Ciop may be cut in the bad stage, but for first-year stands about 25 pe; cent of the plants should show blossoms If weevil aie present at the time of A NEW MAN Lesson for May 3,1970 Boekgreund Scripture Acts 91 31; 11 19 30; Galaticns 1 11-17. Dev«Tion«l ffecdmg Phiflipplans 3 4-17. In his letters, the Apostle Paul told the people “in his churches that Christ had the power to make a person a “new man.” If anyone should have known that, Paul was the man. When Paul was converted to Christ and be gan to preach and teach of his ex perience, the word spread quickly among the churches and there was much fear and trembl ing, for Paul (as Saul) had been a persecutor of the Rev. Althouse church. Was it possible- that he "was really changed? Was he really a new man’ One difference In one way he was still the same man. He was still a intense person who never did anything half-heartedly. He was still ex tremely intelligent and a well educated man. He still retained hjs proud Jewish background, his knowledge of the Hebrew tongue (something most Jews could not claim), his Gieek culture, his Homan citizenship, and his cos mopolitan wars. Only one thing had really changed, but it w as the most im portant thing of all. Though he was still a deeply lehgious man who had a deep desire to please God, the focus of this religion had changed completely. No longer was his lojalty to the law, but to Jesus Christ. This one important exception made all the difference in his life His intensity was now di rected into a constructive chan nel. His whole-heaited dedica tion had, found a woithy cause. His education, his background of diverse cultures and his knowl edge weie now to be put to use for the c ! uuh. In a sen c e he was the same peison with the same high qualifications. Yet, in anothez- sense, he Was » new man. His whole life be fore had been based upon the NOW IS THE TIME... By Max Smith Lancaster County Agent the first cutting, then the stub ble should be sp; aye d immed iately after removal of the for age. To Plant Corn Carefully Com planting t.me is at hand and many acies of this major crop vvill go into the ground in the next few weeks. Growers are urged to plan each step of the planting senedale carefully ir order to get the proper stand with the conect amount of fer tilizer at the lien*, place (not with the seed;, and include plans to control bo a the insects and the weeds. Com growing practices aie changing but the importance of a cood crop de (Continued on Page 5) law, his desire to win God!s proval by his own merit and ao» comphshment. Now, however, where the law had stood, thera was love. He had experienced the love of Christ and knew now that one can ne\ er earn the lova of God; it is freely given as « gift. So the church hod peace < Was he the same haps we can put it most simply hy saying that the ‘'equipment" was the same, but the energizing force that powered that equip ment was completely new, It is the force that empowers us that determines whether we are “new persons” or not. “If anyone is in Christ he is a new being” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Consider what God had Rccont* plished in the com ersion 0$ this man Saul.' He raised up' some one to take the place of Stephen ■ —he gained an apostle. He en listed Saul’s talents for thfejdng dom instead of against it—he lost an enemy. He ended per secution against the church—he protected his church. In .short, we might say that God brought to nought the evil intentions of men and accomplished his will. It is important to note that it was God’s will to end the per secution of his people. Even though he had used it to accom plish his will, to begin the mis sion of the chuich. it was not his desire to see the disciples suffer needlessly. Three who helped It must not be o\ erlooked that God had help with Saul. There was first of all Stephen whose courageous and gracious witness must have made a deep impres sion upon Saul (e\en if it did not have an immediate positive effect). There was also Ananias, the fearful but obedient man of Damascus, whose faithful wit ness to Saul signalled the begin ning of a new life for the man of Tarsus. Finally, there was Barnabas who believed that men could change and become new persons and was willing to risk his own safety to claim a new recruit for the ranks of the Kingdom. . Peihaps jou can assist in God making someone a new nfen! (Based on outlines copyrighted by of Christian Education, Nctionol Council of the Churches of Christ in me U. S. A. Released fey Cemmumty Press ServiceJ 1 ATTEND TH€ CHURCH OF YOUR CHOICE SUNDAY
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