Periodicals Division /To Vol. 19 No. 11 Robert Harnish, Millersville RDI, has a very comprehensive conservation program on his farm. His father, Huber, became one of the county’s Conservation Case History No. 3 Harnish Likes Both Terraces, No-Till (Editor’s Note: This continues a series on con servation fanners in Lan caster County) Robert 6. Hamish and his father, Huber Hamish, have developed a very com prehensive conservation In This Issue FARM CALENDAR 10 Markets 2-4 Sale Register 37 Fanners Almanac 6 Classified Ads 40 Editorials 10 Red Rose Farmers 22 Homestead Notes 24 Home on the Range 28 Thoughts in Passing 33 Pork Producers Meet 36 Farm Feature - DanHogeland 15 Merrill Lynch Opens Hot Lines 11 FARM TRENDS Commonwealth Farmers Announce Planting Intentions Pennsylvania farmers plan to plant more land to corn, oats and soybeans, but the same amount to barley in 1974 as they did in 1973. The acreages actually planted to these crops may differ from current intentions. Shortages of seed, fuel, fertilizer or money, as well as the usual uncertainties of the weather and economic conditions could move farmers to change their plans between now and planting time. Corn and oats acreages are both expected to be up (Continued on Page 18) earliest conservation farmers in the late 30’s when he started planting in contour strips. farming operation, and they■ say they ’wouldn’t Want to farm any other way. The elder Hamish is retired now, but he was one of the first Lancaster County farmers to farm with contour strips. The strips, which were laid out in the late 1930’5, were in use until 1966. That year, Robert Hamish not only bought a no-till planter, he also installed diversion terraces and grass water ways on his com acreage. “My father went to strips because we did have a terrible erosion problem,” Hamish recalled this week in the kitchen of the family’s 19th century farmhouse. “We had gullies that actually had to be filled in before we could harvest the fields. Some of our land has a 15 percent slope, but the strips by Dick Wanner Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 2, 1974 stopped the erosion problem. We rotated com, wheat and ' hay, and' had very little runoff.” ■ Hamish said the move to diversion terraces was prompted by a desire to grow more com. “Com is a more valuable crop,” he said. “At least it was back then. With terraces, we felt we’d be able (Continued On Page 22) County FFA officers elected this week were, front row, left to right, Don Weaver, vice-president; Barry Wissler, president; Jeff Glackin, recording secretary; Dwight Houser, treasurer; Bob Buck waiter, sentinel. Back row, Gerald Phiilipps, ad- Moore Tells Cattle Group . . . Cattlemen Optimistic, But Costs Going Up Record livestock prices have not impressed many cattle feeders simply because costs moved right along up with prices. Even so, Lou Moore told a group of about 150 cattlemen on Tuesday, giant Midwestern feedlots keep expanding. “A few years ago, 50 percent of the country’s beef came from just one percent of our feedlots. Today, 65 percent of the beef comes from one percent of the feedlots.” Moore, a Penn State ex tension economist, was speaking at a day-long program for cattle feeders at the Farm and Home Center. He said in spite of the many factors which could cloud the outlook, both large and small feeders are optimistic about the future. Fuel and fer tilizer shortages are potential threats to all of farming, Moore said. Feed Bulletin Ivan Yost, Christiana RDI, has been named Penn sylvania’s Outstanding Young Farmer by the Pennsylvania Jaycees it was learned this week as Lan caster Farming was going to press. Yost was sponsored by the recently formed Octorara Jaycee chapter, and he was scheduled to pick up his award in Valley Forge today, Saturday, at noon. prices could be boosted higher by a wheat drain. There’s no end in sight to spiraling farm costs. “What happens if we get a recession - or worse?” Moore asked the cattlemen. “What is the consumer going to be demanding?” Inflation was seen as one of the worst of the farmer’s enemies. “In 1974, inflation in this country was about 10 percent. If that rate keeps up, our currency seven years from now will be worth exactly half what it is today.” Pork Meet Examines Grade, Yield Potential “Grade and yield marketing is for the man who wants to get paid for producing top quality hogs. If a producer has nothing to offer but average, run-of-the-mill hogs, grade and yield isn’t for him,” Howard Sparlin told a New Holland Young Farmer meeting on Tuesday night in the Garden Spot vo-ag classroom. Sparlin is a marketing representative for Pennsylvania Farmers Association. He buys hogs and sells them on a grade and yield basis to a local packer. Sparlin said that there are a number of ways to set up a grade and yield system. PFA uses a letter and number designation to determine the baisis for payment. A 1 is the very top category, and Sparlin said only five percent of all the hogs in the whole country would ever grade Al. The “A” stands for muscling quality and the “1” stands for backfat thickness. The packer bases his yield determination on the percentage of lean cuts in an individual carcass. Any yield of 53 percent would be classified “1”, 50 to 52 percent gets a “2”, (Continued On Page 23) visor; Nelson Martin, chaplain; Brian Ober, corresponding secretary; Dwight Martin, parlimentarian; and Kevin Rohrer, reporter. See .story on page 22 $2.00 Per Year Moore said the country came close to a recession in the last quarter of 1973, when a growth rate of only one percent was experienced. He added that if unemployment rises this year, demand for , beef will drop. “The first quarter of this year should be pretty good, though,” Moore commented, “because supplies are going to be five to six percent lower than they were last year. But those prices may drop after April as we get more fat cattle on the market.” (Continued On Page 32)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers