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
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