—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 3, 1973 12 Parity Studies Slated for Pa, Farms Selected farms in three Commonwealth counties will be part of a nationwide survey to determine more accurately the Kreider Heads Potato Council Noah Kreider, Jr , R.D 3, Manheim, has been elected Chairman of the State Potato Marketing Advisory Council according to Secretary of Agriculture Jim McHale George Wolf, R D 1, Stewartstown. has been elected Vice Chairman, and James Watts. Berwick. Secretary Central 4-H Tractor Club Holds Initial Meeting The Central 4-H Tractor Club held its first meeting on Tuesday, January 21 at Landis Bros, Manheim Pike, Lancaster. Mr Jay Irwin, Associate Agricultural Agent, had charge of the business meeting and election of officers. Elected on Tuesday night were: Darvin Nissley, Mt. Joy, president, Dudley Rohrer, Manheim, vice-president, Steve Martin, Conestoga, secretary; Dennis Shellenberger, Manheim, treasurer, Arthur Reist, Lan caster, 4-H County Council Representative Alfred Resit, Lancaster, news Chris Brubaker and Richard Bonholtzer, leaders. There were 21 members enrolled in the club. At their second meeting on Tuesday, January 30 reports were given by Steve Martin, Dennis Shellenberger, and Ar thur Heist The club members were divided into three groups with Mr. Brubaker taking the third and fourth year members, TVIr Bonholtzer the second year group, and Dudley Rohrer, first year members The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 6 at Landis Bros., Manheim Pike, Lancaster kinds, amounts and costs of goods and services purchases to raise crops and livestock. The information will be used to New members appointed to the Council by Secretary McHale were- William Baumgardner, R D 1, Kunkletown; Robert Brace, RD.I, Waterford; Paul Krause, RD.I, Slatmgton; and Fierro Lupini, R.D.I, Nescopeck. Members reappointed to the Council were Don Freeman, Ulysses; Ivan Miller, R D. 3, Corry; James Watts, 228 Rasley Street, Berwick; and Roy Wotring, R.D.I, Slatington. The Potato Council, which includes producers and representatives of processors, is one of nine commodity councils appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture The purpose of the commodity council program is to stimulate greater financial returns to Pennsylvania agriculture and related industry and thereby enhance the overall economy of the Commonwealth. update the Index of Prices Paid by farmers, an important in dicator of the farm economy, and' when related to the Index of Prices Received by Farmers for their production, the basis for determining parity. Parity is a measurement of how farmers are actually faring in the nation’s economy. The three counties involved in the survey are Bradford, Nor thumberland, and Lebanon and the surveys will be conducted by the Pennsylvania Crop Reporting Service in the early months of 1973. Full cooperation of those selected for the survey is urged because each farm has been selected to represent an im portant sector of the entire farm economy. Individual farm in formation is kept confidential and will be used only to develop regional and antional summaries of the reported averages and totals An earlier study for weighting the statistical input needs to be modernized. An example is that farmers buy considerably more fuel, fertilizer and machinery but less labor than several years ago. However, the extent of this substitution of capital for labor is not adequately known.