—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 8, 1972
10
Getting Worse So It Can Get Better?
or Eggs—A Glimmer of Reality?
It’s quite often true that things have to
get worse before they can get better This
is presently the situation with the egg
industry
The December Penn State University
Extension poultry marketing report points
out that the U S chick hatch for the laying
flock was down 20 per cent from a year
earlier in October and eggs in incubators
were down 14 per cent on November 1
With a major egg bust still in full steam,
this is very good news for the egg industry,
right 7
Wrong, dead wrong The eggs that aren't
being hatched are simply being added to
the already oversupply for consumers
In other words, as the industry moves to
cut back sharply on the number of eggs
going into incubators for layers in the
future, this merely adds to current
marketing problems
Of course, the cutback now, particularly
if it continues for the next several months,
will almost certainly result in stopping the
egg glut But the solution from reduced
hatch takes at least six months, probably
nine to 12 months That's how long it takes
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly
P 0 Box 266 - Lititz, Pa. 17543
Office 22 E Mam St, Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone Lancaster 394-3047 or Lititz 626-2191
Robert-G Campbell, Advertising Director
* Zane Wilson, Managing Editor
£ Subscription price $2 per year in Lancaster
S County $3 elsewhere
Established November 4, 1955
Published every Saturday by Lan
caster Farming, Lititz, Pa
Second Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa
17543.
Members of Newspapers Farm Editors
Assn , Pa Newspaper Publishers
Association, and National Newspaper
Association V
Lost in the Shuffle
for eggs being hatched now to become a
significant factor in the total egg
production picture.
In effect, the egg industry is finally
beginning to take the kinds of steps which
will stop the egg bust from lasting forever.
Let’s hope that the reduced hatch con
tinues. It will need to continue for several
more months before it will solve the
problem
This is the type of solution, a sharp
cutback m egg-type chick hatch, which was
very badly needed early in 1970 The type
of cutback then that is being started now
would have saved the industry two years of
financial depression
But while some egg producers and allied
mdustrymen, who have been around long
enough to see previous busts, saw what
was happening in early 1970, not enough
people in the industry were willing to use
their knowledge to avoid two years of
financial losses.
Despite the lower hatch, there are other
trends in the industry which are distur
bing. Forced moulting is up from 10.3
period; hen mortality is down by a similar
amount, probably as a result of progress in
controlling Merek’s disease; frozen and
shell egg storage, which represents future
market supply, is up 42 per cent; military
purchases are down
A bright spot is that feed prices are lower
as a result of the record corn harvest, but
lower costs are not expected to offset a
very poor egg market projected for the first
half of 1972.
Still, the present egg hatch situation
would indicate that reality is finally
beginning to take over and that there really
is hope that the bust will end even
though the end is still some time in the
future.
NOW IS
THE TIME . .
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
To Be Careful With
Space Heaters
Various types of space heaters
are used during the winter
months and if not properly in
stalled and used they can be both
a fire hazard and a health hazard
The portable types should be used
only in emergency and if needed
regularly, it should be connected
to an effective flue Fresh air
ventilation should be provided
when the heater runs for any
length of time. Headaches or
dissmess in a room or building
where the heater is running is a
sign of dangerous fumes and
immediate ventilation or at
tention should be given. If heat
lamps are used, they should be
securely fastened and out of the
reach of children and livestock.
Safety measures are necessary
at this time of the year.
To Beware of Pollution
Through Runoff
Stream pollution by manure
runoff is not only bad for the local
water supply, but many valuable
fertilizer elements are lost. AH
livestock producers are urged to
spread manure on fields away
from streams and with the least
amount of slope during the winter
months. This is especially true on
snow or frozen ground. If the
storage pit is built large enough
to hold at least three months
supply, then there will be less
need of having to spread manure
on snow or frozen ground. Land
covered with a sod or some
vegetation will also help reduce
the amount of runoff. Manure is
still a useful -fertilizer to the
farmer, and should be kept on the
land and not in the streams and
waterways.
Background Scripture Luke 5 27-32,
7-11-23. 36-50, 10 25-37
Devatisnal Reading Luke 10 25-37
I am weary of the scorn heaped
upon so-called “bleeding hearts”!
Although I realize this term
“bleeding"hearts” is intended to
be a criticism of foolish sentimen
tality masquerading as love, still
I find many of the people who
are pegged with
this label to be the
very people with
whom I would
identify myself. I
would not hesi
tate joining many
so-called “bleed
hearts” and their
Rev. Althouse because
what I know of
the teachings of Jesus Christ
would lead me to expect to find
him sharing these same concerns
The trouble with “the
righteoqs”
Nothing saddens me today so
much as the realization that, not
only are many people lacking in
Christian compassion, but there
is, on the part of many, an abso
lute hostility towards the practice
of this virtue. It is equated with
weakness and moral indifference.
It is frequently suggested that
the “bleeding heart” is more con
cerned with the evil-doer than
the righteous who suffer from his
sins. Christian compassion, say
To Be Cautious With
Moldy Grains
The feeding of moldy grain to
any type of livestock is not a good
practice; however, if the farm
supply is not up to top quality,
there is always the need of trying
to utilize it to the best advantage.
Livestock authorities all agree
that moldy grain should not be
fed to breeding animals, because
it may cause breeding problems
or abortion. The limited use in
rations to fattening hogs or cattle
might be the best place to go with
unsound grains. This whould be
done on a trial basis at first with a
few animals to observe the
reaction. In many cases the
grains are not moldy enough to
cause them to be discarded en
tirely. On corn that had the
southern leaf blight last fall,
feeding trials still do not show
any ill effects from feeding this
kind of corn to most any type of
farm animal.
To Respect Stilbestrol
Regulations
On January 8 we are informed
that a Certificate will be required
by the seller of beef cattle and
sheep certifying that the animals
have not been fed the stilbestrol
hormone for a least 7 days before
slaughter time. The farm press
has previously carried this
stipulation about the length of
withdrawel time, but only
recently have we learned of the
effective date. This means that
many feeders should stop feeding
stilbestrol for the last several
weeks of a feeding period since
the exact day of sale is not know.
We urge feeders to respect the
regulations because some tissue
tests will be made at the packing
plants.
many, is a misplaced concern; it
is an unmerited love given to the
wrong person.
There is some truth of a kind
in this charge. Jesus frequently
seemed to be the victim of a
“misplaced concern.” He was con
stantly loving the “wrong per
son,” the sinner who did not
merit his love. The same charges
levelled against “bleeding hearts”
today were made against him too.
This is what happened the day
when he went to the house _of
Levi, the tax collector, for din
ner Any tax collector in Jesus’
day was a “wrong person.”- Tax
collectors were hated because
they collaborated with the Ro
mans in collecting their taxes,
they were forced by their work to
associate with all classes of peo
ple who did not faithfully live by
the Jewish ceremonial laws, and
they frequently exacted more
from the people that was thought
to be honest. There could hardly
be any greater social and reli
gious error than sitting down at
the table with a group of tax
collectors'
Who needs the doctor?
“Why do you eat and drink
with tax collectors and sinners?”
the Pharisees demanded - As far
as they were concerned, the tax
collectors deserved punishment,
not compassion But Jesus stun
ned them with his reply “Those
who are well have no need of a
physician, but those who are sick;
I have not come to call the right
eous, but sinners to repentance”
(Luke 5-31,32) It’s v the sinner
who needs compassion, not the
righteous man
I don’t like labels, but if I must
bear one, let them call me a
“bleeding heart” I don’t mind,
for that’s what my Lord was and
is "