University Trf't, J?tv.
Vol. 19 No. 3
FARM TRENDS
A summary of market
and commodity news
tor the past week
Livestock Producers Hurting
Local livestock producers received scant cheer from the
USDA’s Livestock and Meat Situation report published on
Wednesday. Many beef producers, especially, have been
stung badly by precipitous declines in the price of finished
animals. Some beefmen are reportedly losing $lOO and more
on every animal they ship.
The USDA report began with this tantalizing statement:
“Higher fed cattle prices and smaller beef supplies are in
prospect for this winter." But from there, it was mostly
downhill. The rest of the report follows:
In the past year, high feeder cattle prices, increased
feeding costs, and market disruptions in spring and summer
discouraged placements of cattle on feed. This backup of
feeder cattle from the 1972 beef calf crop, together with a
larger 1973 Crop, indicates a large number of feeder cattle
are available for feedlot placement this fail. This could lead
to a large increase in fed beef production by next spring and
summer, accompanied by declining prices.
Fed cattle prices have stabilized near $4O per 100 pounds
this fall after some dramatic declines from .near $5B in
August. Slaughter is up substantially from’the low summer '
level but is still averaging under last year* Although fed beef
production is down from last year, cow slaughter has been
up slightly.
Feeder jattle prices have dropped since summer, but not
as much as fed cattle prices. Further reductions in feeder
cattle prices are probable this fall but some recovery may
occur this winter as fed cattle prices rise.
Hog slaughter this fall is seasonally larger than in the
summer but it continues below 1972. Hog prices tumbled
from near $6O per 100 pounds in August to $41.50 in mid-
November, but remained considerably higher than last year.
Although feed prices have subsided somewhat from mid
summer highs, hog producers are still not planning to ex
pand production. The 10-State June-August pig crop was
down 4 percent from last year and intentions for farrowing in
the Corn Belt during September-November indicate no
increase from 1972. This would result in a slightly smaller
total fall pig crop and point to lower marketings during the
Masonic Homes Ayrshire
Tops In Canadian Show
The Royal Agricultural Winter
Fair held annually in November
at Toronto, Canada, is to the
livestock world in Canada, what
the Rosebowl or the Superbowl is
in football annals here in the
United States. The best of all
breeds of livestock are convened
at this great show, from all parts
of Canada. Occasionally various
breeders from the United States
exhibit, making competition
extremely close, and winning
individuals quite superior.
At the 1973 Royal Winter Fair
on November 14, a registered
Ayrshire bred by Masonic Homes
Farm, Elizabethtown, Pa. in
competition with all dairy
breeds, was judged the winner of
the inter-breed udder class.
Capturing this coveted award
was Masonic Homes Flashy Star,
sold by Masonic Homes Farm a
few years ago, and now owned by
Stanley Mount and Allan Barr of
Brome, Quebec.
by Dick Wanner
(Continued On Pageiw;
The udder is the milk
producing factory of a dairy cow,
and its importance may be
likened to the engine in an
automobile. Breakdowns, or
faults of the udder, are one of the
major reasons dairy cows leave
the production line,
and most dairymen and breeders
of dairy cattle place a high
priority on udder appearance,
either in securing replacements
or in their breeding programs.
Masonic Homes Flashy Star,
prior to winning this coveted
award produced as a junior two
year old 15,640 lbs. of milk in 305
days, or approximately 7100
quarts of milk.
In past years Masonic Homes
Farm Ayrshire cattle have won
numerous national honors,
however, this most recent
recognition gains inter-breed,
and international recognition for
their Ayrshire herd.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 8, 1973
Senator George McGovern, center, and
Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture
Janies McHale, right, stop to chat with an
ag department employee shortly after the
•* * r •*> " _ ■"
Shapp, McGovern Speak . . .
National Food Policy
Meeting in Hershey
Few fanners and even fewer
Republicans were among the
participants at a two-day
National Food Policy Conference
which convened Thursday and
Friday of this week at the Hotel
Hershey. Despite a super
abundance of political polemics,
it seemed, at least to this writer,
that the conference did address
itself to some legitimate
problems of food supply and it
seemed that at least some of the
speakers were more concerned
with feeding people than with
dethroning the Nixon ad
ministration.
Bishop Edward E. Swanstrom,
executive director of the Catholic
Relief Services, eloquently
charged the conference Thursday
morning with the task of finding a
way to provide adequate diets for
all the people of the world. “Our
scientific and technical
knowledge thrusts us ever closer
to the stars,” he said, “and yet
our public morals appear
determined to sink equally as far
into a morass of godless
In This Issue
Markets 2-4
Sale Register 34
Fanners Almanac 6
Classified Ads 36
Editorials 10
Homes lead Notes 22
Home on the Range 25
Thoughts in Passing 27
Farm Calendar 40
Free-Stall Pros and Cons 17
By Dick Wanner
materialism with almost similar
velocity.”
“We meet at a time when
weather, population growth and
increasing feffluence are com-
bining to increase alarmingly the
dependence of more and more of
the peoples of this world upon the
North American bread basket,”
Only Agway Shows Up ...
Buyers Ignore
Tobacco Meet
“I have a bias about marketing
good tobacco,” Mark Hess told a
crowd of 75 tobacco producers on
Wednesday night at the
Hinkletown Elementary School.
“It’s tragic that the best cash
crop we have is sold on a single
price basis. The man who takes
the time to harvest a good quality
crop is penalized by the smgle
price. The man who produces a
poor crop is paid a premium.
“When this happens,” Hess
warned the group, “your market
erodes. Some say quality doesn’t
matter because all our tobacco
goes into cigar filler. But quality
does matter. It can bring you
better markets.”
Hess was speaking at an adult
young farmer meeting organized
by Dr. Robert Herr, head of
Garden Spot High School’s vo-ag
Senator arrived at Hershey on Thursday
for a speech before a National Food Policy
Conference.
Bishop Swanstrom continued. “It
is W *U. then, that this conference
intends to come to grips with the
problem of the world’s ' food
supply and America’s role in
allaying world hunger. In fact,
the overriding challenge to this
conference may well be to halt
' (Continued On Page 37)
department. He was the only
tobacco buyer at the meeting,
even though all major buyers in
the county were invited, ac
cording to Herr. “I hope you
remember which buyers were not
at this meeting,” Herr told the
group. “And when they come on
your tarm to buy your crop, I
hope you’ll ask them why they
weren’t here, why they didn’t
want to talk to you as a group.”
Companies not represented at
the meeting were American
Cigar Co., Bayuk Cigar Co., P.
Lorillard & Co., Lancaster Leaf
Tobacco Co., and the A. K. Mann
Tobacco Co.
Herr feels that buying patterns
in Lancaster County are one of
the big reasons tobacco output
has fallen from 60 million pounds
(Continued On Page 40)
$2 00 Per Year
Zsncaatar Panning: Photo