... . n Periodicals V' Vol. 18 No. 48 {manniiiiiiiiinnitiiniiiiiiimmtiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiEiiiimii I FARM TRENDS I A summary of market and commodity news for the past week Record Harvest Forecast The forecast of Pennsylvania’s production of corn for grain remains at 84.8 million bushels, according to the Penn sylvania Crop Reporting Service. Average yield per acre is expected to be 80 bushels. If this year’s forecast materializes, the Commonwealth’s corn crop will be 31 percent larger than it was last year. Potato production in Pennsylvania is forecast to be 6.8 million cwt, an increase of 34 percent from last year’s production of 5.1 million cwt. Average yield is forecast to be 220 cwt. per acre, compared with last year’s yield of 170 cwt. Total production of hay in Pennsylvania is expected to be 4.4 million tons, an 18 percent increase over last year’s crop. Alfalfa hay comprises 2.2 million tons of the total. Average yield per acre of all hay is forecast to be 2.16 tons, and of alfalfa hay, 2.70 tons. Pennsylvania’s commercial apple crop is expected to be 410 million pounds (9.8 million 42-pounds equivalents). This is 2 percent more than last year’s crop of 400 million pounds (9.5 mHlion 42-pound equivalents), but 19 percent less than the 1971 crop. Grape production in Pennsylvania is expected to total 40,000 tons, 6 percent more than last year’s production. Pennsylvania’s seedleaf tobacco production is forecast to be 23.8 million pounds this year, a 31 percent increase over last year’s production. Average yield is expected to be 1,700 pounds per acre, compared with 1,400 last year. The United States corn crop is forecast to be a record 5,763 million bushels, 4 percent higher than last year’s crop. A record United States soybean crop of 1,588 million bushels is forecast. This is 24 percent more than last year’s U.S. soybean production. A record yield of 28.3 bushels per acre is expected. Production of fail potatoes in the U.S. is forecast at 252.7 million cwt., up 2 percent from the 248.8 million cwt. har vested in 1972. Milk production in Pennsylvania during September was 533 million pounds, 3 percent less than in August, and 4 percent less than in September last year according to the Crop Reporting Service. The number of milk cows in the Commonwealth in Sep tember was 666,000 the same as the August number, but 2 percent less than a year ago. Milk produced per cow averaged 800 pounds in Sep tember compared with 825 pounds in August and 820 pounds in September last year. United States milk production during September is estimated at 9,044 million pounds, 4 percent less than a year earlier. U. S. average milk production per cow during Sep tember was 798 pounds compared with 808 pounds in September 1972. During September there were 11.3 million milk cows on U. S. farms, down 3 percent from September last year. Milk Advisors Slate First Annual Meeting The steady drop in milk production and the financial and marketing problems of dairymen will be aired at the first annual Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Conference Nov. 7 at the Penn Harris Motor Inn, Camp Hill. Called “Crisis In Marketing,” the conference is sponsored by the State Milk Marketing Ad visory Council in cooperation by Dick Wanner I Milk Production Is Down with the Pennsylvania Depart ment of Agriculture. Jack Kooker, a Berks County dairyman who is Council chairman, said various panel discussions will center on options available to solve current marketing problems. “Some of the top dairy experts in the nation will address the conference,” (Continued On Page 21) Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 20, 1973 At Clean Streams Meets . . . Conservation Plan Needs Explained July I, 1977, is a date that farmers are going to hear a lot about in the months ahead. Under the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law, that is the deadline for having conservation plans on all farms. According to the law, these plans are to be drawn up by a person trained in conservation techniques. Lancaster County has some 6000 farms, of which only about 1500 presently have conservation plans. And, according to Lan caster County Soil Con servationist Orval Bass, about half of the existing plans should be rewritten. “Some were done way back in the Forties, and farming programs have changed a lot since then,” Bass told a Clean Streams Law information meeting Tuesday night at the Mt. Joy Vo-Tech School. About farmers were present. KC Special Solanco’s Randy Clark was high individual in the nation at the FFA Dairy Cattle judging Contest held Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo., during the annual FFA convention there. The Pennsylvania team, all Solanco FFA’ers, was the nation’s third best in the contest. On the team, in addition to Clark, were Gary Akers and William Hershey. In This Issue Marxets 2-4 Sale Register 35 Farmers Almanac 6 Classified Ads 37 Editorials 10 Homestead Notes 22 Home on the Range 25 Thoughts in Passing 18 Posing for a group photograph after the annual banquet meeting last Monday night v ire the 13 directors of the Lancaster County Farmers Association. Seated are Nathan Stoltzfus, Mary Martin, Donald Bass noted that the county would need about 5000 con servation plans by the deadline, and there was no way that number of plans can be prepared by the existing Soil Conservation Service staff. “We now have two and-a-half men writing con servation plans,” Bass said, “and there’s a good possibility we’ll get cut back to one-and-a-half.” SCS has for years provided free conservation plans for any far mer requesting them. Farmers have paid nothing for the plans and they’ve had part of the cost of conservation practices paid by Farm Association Adopts Resolutions The Lancaster County Far mers Association held their annual meeting Monday night and adopted 26 resolutions, all but two of which had been proposed by the group’s policy development committee. In cluded in the nine or so resolutions pertaining directly to farm issues, the group voted to support the construction of atomic power plants. They also voted to support the efforts of county commissioners to en courage the keeping of agricultural land for agricultural purposes. Other farm related resolutions adopted were: -Recommend that grain ex porters publicly announce all grain sales and prices. -Recommend that soil con servation practices of the REAP program be reinstated. - Recommend that Penn sylvania Farmers Association Rural Environmental Assistance Program funds. REAP funds, however, were cut out of the 1974 federal budget, and there’s still some question as to how much REAP money will be included in the new farm bill. How are the plans going to be written, and will there be any REAP funds available, Bass was asked at the meeting. He replied that there are many people who know how to write conservation plans, but there are no govern ment funds to pay them for doing the job. “Maybe farmers will (Continued On Page 37) (PFA) support a State Expo Complex. - Recommend that PFA oppose any legislation against the use of steel traps. - Recommend an increase of $5 per year membership dues for 1975. - Recommend much stricter laws and punishment for ar- sonists, -Recommend that 51 percent of those responsible for enforcing the Clean Streams Law and other DER officials be required to own at least 100 tillable acres so they Farm Calendar Saturday, October 20 1 p.m. - Pennsylvania Pork Cookout King Contest, Manor Shopping Center, Lancaster. 1:30 p.m. - Manheim Young Farmers Annual Gun Shoot, Jay Foreman Farm, Lititz (Continued On Page 21) Hershey and Roger Thome. Standing, left to right, are John Myer, James Shertzer, Robert Wagner, Robert Kreider, Earl Newcomer, Carlton Groff, Ellis Mentzer, Reid Wissler and Jesse Balmer. $2 00 Per Year ' Continued On Page 20)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers