—Lancaster Farming. Saturday. November 10. 1973
10
The people of the United States have had
quite a number of rude shocks during the
past year as regards the cost of some of our
basic necessities of life, which have
traditionally been very cheap in this
country. Take-home pay for most
Americans has been high relative to
amounts paid for such things as food,
electric power, gasoline, heating, natural
gas and housing. Burgeoning federal
deficits and other forces have, for the past
generation, kept the ball of inflation rolling.
But most people have, up till now, been
able to keep pretty well ahead of it. Much of
the average family’s iqcome has gone for
the luxuries of life and recreation-color
television sets, sporting equipment,
campers, boats and other items con
tributing to the fullness and enjoyment of
life. The necessities were pretty much
taken for granted by most people.
Suddenly, this picture has changed.
Prices of the things we can't get along
without have risen sharply and, in some
cases, much more rapidly than the general
level of inflation. A classic example is food.
During the summer months, price controls
and freezes proved effective in only one
respect. They quickly contributed to a
disruption of agricultural production and
food distribution. For the first time since
the darkest days of World War 11, 30 years
ago, there were widespread predictions of
food scarcity and rationing in this country,
which has traditionally been a land of food
surpluses capable of meeting food supply
emergencies around the world. U.S.
Department of Agriculture and food in
dustry spokesmen made it clear that
unless price ceilings and freezes were
removed in time to permit retail sale of
meats and processed foods at a price
sufficient to cover the cost of buying
agricultural products, processing and
distributing them, there would be severe
food shortages. Shortages were predicted
not only of beef, which suffered the longest
price freeze of all, but of more mundane
items such as canned fruits and,
vegetables.
Out of this experience has come a better
understanding of the capacity of U.S.
agriculture to produce, as well as the
outlook for the supply and cost of food in
the United States. From the farmers’
standpoint, the future looks promising.
Farm prices are good. Worldwide demand
for gram is high and, by all accounts, will
stay that way. Farmers selling wheat a few
years ago at a dollar a bushel are now
getting $3 and $4. It is the same kind of
story for corn and soybeans. As a result,
the incentive to produce is there. There
have been record harvests of all kinds of
crops. Increased marketing of cattle will
reduce pressure on alternative meat
BLANCHESTER, OHIO, SiaR
REPUBLICAN: “Those who maintain that
punishment is no deterrent to crime might
well observe a magical performance of law
enforcement experienced in New York City.
The angry blowing and blasting by horn
happy drivers, it is reported, has disap
peared. Gone are the high decibels that
polluted the air. Over the entire city of 365,
square miles and 8 million souls there now
abides the blessing of quietness. Why?
Because the power that be cracked down
with a fine of $25 for every unnecessary
toot!"
NEW LONDON, lOWA, JOURNAL: “An
oldtimer said the other day the number of
intellectuals m this country is really going
down-now that the draft has been called
off. And isn’t it funny-how already the
colleges are worrying about hard times 7 ”
Feeding
Grassroots
the World
supplies such as pork and chicken, but
prices will stay strong. U.S. farmers will
close the year of 1973, according to U.S.
News & World Report, with a "... gross
income, before expenses, of $B6 billion.
That is an increase of $l7 billion over
1972." Expenses, it is reported, will be up
sharply too by some $ll billion, but still,
farmers are making more money. Many are
paying off debts and are encouraged.to buy
new equipment and supplies to better use
their land and increase their production.
“Time" magazine reports that the
relaxation of federal acreage controls
designed to reduce production will result
by next year in some 60 million acres out of
330 million being put back into use. This
ends the policy, enforced since the '3o's,
designed to deliberately limit output in
order to hold prices up and give the
American farmer a living wage. Now, as
"Time” magazine puts it, the U.S. farmer
has a “Golden Opportunity." There is
"... little reason to doubt that over the
long run, the world market will absorb as
much as he can grow. The Department of
Agriculture estimates that the tonnage of
U.S. crop exports will climb about 60
percent by 1985."
The U.S., as a major farming nation, will
have to help supply food not only to the
more affluent populations who are eating
better in the countries of Western Europe
ahd in Japan but also to the developing
nations around the world in Africa, South
America and the Far East. These nations--
which suffer from the highest birth rarte--
for the most part have not yet learned to
grow enough food to feed themselves.
It is little wonder that the past year has
been upsetting in the local supermarket.
U.S. agriculture has been in the midst of
making an historic turnaround from fear of
overproduction and starvation prices to a
new condition of reliance on the free
market, bolstered by world food demand.
Farming can, in this new era, be a
profitable business and maximum
production is the key to success. In this
new agricultural world, the American
consumer may pay a little more for food,
but it is still likely to be a bargain in the
overall cost of living.
As “Time" magazine sums it up, “Having
given up the unrealistic goal of policing the
world, the U.S. can turn with enthusiasm to
the more rewarding job of trying to feed it."
In doing this, productive U.S. agriculture
will help pay for the increasing quantities
of petroleum and other raw materials
which must be imported. Most importantly,
it will make an inestimable contribution to
the well-being of millions of people in other
nations and to the peace and stability of
the world for generations to come.
Opinion
LONDON, KY., SENTINEL-ECHO;
‘There are borrowers who have the idea
that all loans run for life. Most of us would
be better off if we worked less, made less,
and spent less. The simple life, praised in
prose and verse, isn’t so simple in this day
and time.”
BLAIK, NEBR., PILOT-TRIBUNE;
“American taxpayers should begin to take
note of the elected state and federal of
ficials who sanction the continued ex
pansion of government programs and
government spending. They should analyze
every legislative and Congressional vote
carefully to determine whether the price is
worth the taxes which will be required and
whether the project is a genuine benefit to
the state and nation or merely a vote
getting maneuver at the expense of the
taxoayers."
NOW IS
THE TIME . . .
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 394-6851
To Do Some Tax
Planning
By now fanners should have an
accurate estimate of their
taxable income for 1973. If that
income is substantially higher or
lower than expected, there can be
an advantage to making some
last minute adjustments. Any
steps taken to adjust the 1973
income must be done before the
end of this year.
Suppose your 1973 income is
above normal. Such a situation
can be evened out a bit by putting
off sales of crops and animals; by
paying all current farm business
bills before January l; by buying
ahead for next year’s feed, seed,
fertilizer or similar supplies; by
purchasing things like paint,
small shop tools, building repairs
and fencing but are deductible
only in the year of purchase.
There are still other ways - all
legal - to reduce the tax bite.
Of course, if your income falls
below expectation, follow the
reverse procedure. Sell instead of
buying and paying off.
Do Some Pall Plowing
The Fall season this time
around was an unusually good
one, weatherwise, to get most
field work completed ahead of
schedule. This means that con
sideration can be given to doing
more Fall plowing than usual.
The soil is presently in good
working tilth to plow.
Turning the furrows in the Fall
has several advantages. The
practice aids in pest control,
especially such insects in corn
stubble fields as the corn borer.
The plowed soil warms and dries-
TO OVERCOME
Lesson for November 11,1973
Background scriptur*: Romans 12
14 throufh 13 4.
Davatianal Reading: Romans 131-14
Sometimes the teachings of
Jesus in regard to responding to
evil are labeled “non-resistance.”
At first glance it might seem that
this is what the Gospel of Jesus
Christ is all about. Paul’s inter
pretation of Christ’s teaching in
Romans 12 is of
ten cited as an ex
ample; “Repay no
one evil for evil
... Beloved never
avenge your
selves.”
Those admoni
tions from the
great Apostle are
reminiscent of
similar teachings
by the Master: “turning the other
cheek,” going a “second mile,”
etc.
The failure of retaliation
It has often seemed that Jesus
and Paul were counseling weak
ness and capitulation in the face
of tormentors and adversaries. By
taldn . g ? way tlle usual option of
retaliation, there seems to be
little left to the follower of Jesus
Christ but defeat and surrender.
It is assumed by many people
that only the threat of retaliation
can ever adequately control peo
ple who would otherwise do us
harm. Despite almost two thou
sand years of Christianity this
opinion still seems to prevail in
the world today.
It is truly amazing, however,
that this point of view should still
prevail among so many people
out more rapidly in the Spring
permitting earlier sowing and
planting. Some of the Spring rush
work is eliminated. Application
of lime andfertilizer can be done;
these will mix well by plowing
under.
Fields where wind and water
erosion are problems to contend
with should not be plowed now.
To Update Partnership
Agreement
Partnership agreements like
trucks, tractors and other farm
machinery, must be checked
regularly, occasionally revised if
they are to operate in a satisfying
manner.
Once a farm partnership is
established the agreement should
be checked annually. First, to see
how well each of the partners are
meeting their partnership
obligations. Second, to carefully
evaluate the agreement to
determine if it is doing its in
tended job.
Farming these days is a
rapidly changing business. Do
not be surprised if the agreement
set up only a couple of years ago
now is inadequate to meet today’s
needs.
Where changes ought to be
made make plans to do this
before 1974 rolls around.
Editor’s Quote Bonk
“The secret of the man
who is universally interesting
is that he is universally inter
ested
—William Dean Howells
including Christians because
history has proven it in error so
many, many times. Although the
threat of retaliation may deter
some people in some situations, it
is generally ineffective with most
people. Many people commit acts
of violence and agression without
any planning or forethought
They are too driven by passion
to stop and count the consequen
ces. Many nations have marched
off to war without giving any
thought to the dangers of retali
ation.
The vicious cycle
In fact, instead of deterring
violence, retaliation often causes
it when people or nations become
locked-into a deadly cycle of pay
ing back each other. The tragic
story of “Romeo and Juliet” is
the classic dramatization of that
fact In the feud between the
Capulets and Montagues the ac
counts were never settled, never
balanced. One act of retaliation
seemed to spawn another Retali
ation has long been demonstrated
to be an ineffective way of reduc
ing conflict.
But the Christian approach as
outlined by Jesus and Paul is not
negative, not a matte/ of what
you don’t do when you meet hos
tility. It is a most active, positive
response. New Testament scholar
Clarence Tucker Craig once said,
“The principle which he (Jesus)
had laid down was not one of non
resistance to evil. It would be
truer to say that his whole life
consisted in one long resistance
to evil” (The Beginning of Chris
tianity, Abingdon). It is not a
matter of not resisting evil, but
how.
The answer: “Do not be over
come by evil, but overcome evil
with good” (Romans 12:21).
an aullinai capyrl(htao by tha
Civilian of Chrlillan Educallan, Nartiaoal
Cauncil af tha Churchai af Chrlll In tha U.S.A
nalaasaa by Catnmunlly frail Sarvlca.)