—Lancaster Farming. Saturday. February 12. 1972
18
Lancaster County Extension Association Holds Annual Meeting
The Lancaster County
Agricultural and Home
Economics Extension
Association held its annual
meeting Wednesday night at the
Farm and Home Center.
The meeting included election
of five new directors. By district,
they are:
Mrs. Mark Nestleroth,
Manheim RD3, northwest; J.
Mark Bushong, Columbia RD2,
southwest; Gloyd L. Hershey,
Kirkwood RDI, southern; Her
bert N. Myer, 1150 Village Road,
Lancaster, southeast, and Mrs.
Clarence Stauffer, Ephrata RDI,
northeast.
A special award of ap
preciation was presented to Mrs.
Loretta Kreider, who has been
Extension secretary for 18 years.
In accepting her gift, Mrs.
Kreider commented, “I only did
what I was supposed to do.”
J Wade Groff, Association
president, quipped that that’s
why Mrs Kreider received the
award.
In her report, Miss Joan Lucas,
assistant Lancaster County home
economist, noted Lancaster
County 4-H enrollment was up in
1971 to a new high of 2,502, up
from 2,415 in 1970. She reviewed
work during the past year in
various programs.
Jay Irwin, associate Lancaster
County ag agent, emphasized
that fanning in Lancaster County
is “big business” and that far
ming is in a very healthy con
dition
Decline in the numbers of
farms often results from two or
three farms being consolidated
for more efficient operation. The
fact that the average age of local
Farmers Home 1971
A record number of rural
people, estimated at over three
million, benefited from the
Farmers Home Administration
supervised credit programs
during calendar 1971, Ad
ministrator James V. Smith
announced recently.
Funds advanced through the U.
S. Department of Agriculture’s
rural credit service totaled over
$2.5 billion, breaking all records
for supplementary financial
assistance available to rural
people in a 12 month period for
housing, family farms, and
community facilities.
Housing loans, which first hit
the $1 billion level in calendar
1970, again set the pace during
the 12 months ending December
31 as more than $1.4 billion were
advanced to families with in
comes in the low and moderate
range living in open country or
rural towns up to 10,000
population.
Farm loans increased nearly 20
per cent over the previous year to
$754 million, and rural com
munity facility loans and grants
were up over 70 per cent to over
$376 million.
Economic opportunity loans,
discontinued early last year,
totaled $2.2 million. They
provided funding for existing
farm and nonfarm enterprises in
rural areas for poverty-level
individuals and groups of low
income rural families in
cooperatives,..
farmers has dropped from 45 to
44 years in the past couple of
years indicates a good future, he
said.
Irwin noted the emergnce of
pickles and grapes as a new cash
crop. Blight and rootworm have
been critical problems in recent
years in the all-important corn
crop.
In livestock, labor saving
devices are increasingly im
portant. Use of high moisture
corn will probably continue to
increase. Control of baby pig
disease is receiving new em
phasis, Irwin said
Although control of Marek’s
was “the biggest breakthrough in
agriculture in a number of
years,” control of the disease
contributed to a larger egg
supply and depressed prices.
Looking ahead, Irwin forecast
new efforts in in-house drying of
manure and the need for
neutralizing, not just masking,
manure odors.
Mrs. Dons Thomas, Extension
home economist, described the
new expanded nutrition program
as her “most challenging,
rewarding and frustrating” job of
the past year. While everything
didn’t go as well as hoped, she
indicated considerable progress
has been made in establishing the
“one to one” program to teach
improved family diet.
Expierence showed the need to
work “in all phases of family
living,” as well as diet.
So far, the program includes
123 families and 578 youths in 20
different clubs. Mrs. Susan
Doyle, formerly of Lebanon
County, and other working the in
the program were introduced.
Marion R. Deppen, Penn State
assistant Extension director,
presented some facts on how
Extension staff time was used
during the past year, both
More than 75 per cent of the
amount loaned, Administrator
Smith explained, was provided
by private lenders on an insured
basis. As borrowers sign notes,
these notes are sold to investors,
backed by the full faith and credit
of the government, and the in
vestors’ money replenishes the
revolving fund so more loans can
be made.
“This improved record of
channeling private funds into
community strengthening
projects,” Smith added,
“demonstrates that capital can
be drawn into rural America,
from commerical sectors of the
nation, to underwrite the
programs needed for better
housing and improved small
town water and sewer systems.”
The insured individual housing
loans totaling over $1.4 billion
represented an increase of 17.6
per cent over the previous year,
providing new or improved
housing for 111,097 rural families
of low-to-moderate income.
An additional $28.9 million
accounted for 415 rural com
munity rental housing projects,
and another $4.4 million funded 13
farm labor housing projects, 25
sites for rural housing con
struction, and 15 groups
providing technical assistance
for self-help housing.
Some $287.2 million was used to
finance over 41,300 loans for farm
operating expenses, over $317.3
Among those participating in the annual right, Marion R. Deppen, assistant Penn
meeting of the Lancaster County State University Extension director; J.
Agricultural and Home Economics Ex- Wade Groff, Association president, and the
tension Association Wednesday night at Rev. Dr. James M. Singer, Baltimore pastor
the Farm and Home Center were: left to and former Lancaster Countian, speaker.
statewide and in Lancaster
County. Locally, more than half
of the time was spent in im
proving farm income and 4-H
youth work, with 28 per cent for
improving farm income and 24
per cent for 4-H youth work.
Other categories listed in
cluded: marketing, 1 per cent;
family living, 12 per cent; advice
on home grounds, a growing
area, 4 per cent; natural
resources, 3 per cent, nutrition
program, 4 per cent, and com
munity development, 2 per cent.
Adminstrative work and staff
training took the remainder.
While Lancaster County is still
the leading county in youth
participation, other counties are
gaining, Deppen said. He said
youth enrollment increased 10
per cent statewide last year.
He also commented on the
vitality of the local farm
economy. He noted that the
Loans Are Record *2.5 Billion
million insured 12,404 loans for
farm ownership and im
provement, and $129.9 million
helped 19,486 farmers restore
their operations to a normal level
after being hit by flood, drought
or similar disasters.
Approximately 1,390 rural
communities received over $2%
million in loans while some 720
received loans and-or grants
totaling $60.2 million for con
struction or improvement of
rural water and waste disposal
systems that will serve over two
million rural people. Another $3.2
million in grants assisted some
240 rural planning boards to
develop area plans for water and
sewer systems.
During the year, FHA raised
the limit on farm real estate
loans to $lOO,OOO and received
authorization to subordinate
mortgages to private lenders,
banks and other commercial
lenders or Federal Land Bands.
It also received authority to
extend rural - housing credit to
towns of 5,500 to 10,000
population.
The agency moved forward in
its effort to market insured notes,
as $750 million worth were sold
through a nationwide group of
secutities dealers. An additional
$1 billion were sold directly from
the finanade office of FHA,
making $1.7 billion in total in
sured note sales.
Farmers Home Administration
credit supplements other credit
normally available in rural
areas. It is extended through
average age of farmers in
Lancaster County is about six
years lower than the state
average. The county’s $152
million of gross farm income is
up 38 per cent in the past five
years, double the 19 per cent
statewide increase in the same
period.
Among those present as special
guests were all three county
commissioners; Abram Dom
bach, chairman; Mrs. Jean
Mowery, and Raymond Herr.
The Rev. Dr. James M. Singer,
pastor of Ascension Lutheran
Church, Baltimore, and former
county resident, gave a brief but
challenging message on
“Creative Living.”
Rev. Singer complimented his
farm audience for being
“creative people” but said he
thinks the nation in general has
“lost that great sense of being co--
creators with God” and “things
more than 1,700 local offices that the Virgin Islands. Loans are
serve every rural county in the made only to applicants unable to
United States, Puerto Rico and obtain credit elsewhere.
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have sort of leaped ahead of us
and we’ve sort of lost the belief”
that we can do things.
He explained his belief that the
rebellion in youth today is often a
fear by them that they “can’t live
up to our expectations.”
He urged honesty in teaching
children that adults have fears,
too, but that faith will enable one
to live with and overcome these
fears. He emphasized that “92
per cent” of worries are either
unfounded or of the type that’s
impossible to do anything about,
anyway.
He also urged, “Live your
ideals.” He said most ministers
and psychologists fail to help
others because “they don’t give
themselves.”
Rev. Singer’s siter, Mrs. Jean
Thomas, directed the bell choir of
Manheim Zion Lutheran Churchy
Manheim, for special en
tertainment.