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Vo I. 19 No. 29
FARM
TRENDS
FERTILIZER SHORTAGE
IS (IS NOT) AS BAD
AS WE EXPECTED
The fertilizer shortage will and wilt not be as bad as
expected, according,to a USDA report issued last
weqk. Nitrogen will probably ,be short 5 pet.;
phbsphate as much' as 15 pet. -- but there’s enough'
potash to meet needs.
On the other hand, the report points out, a 5 pet.
reduction rate in nitrogen application rates should
have only a “neglible impact” on yields, while a 15
percent reduction in the phosphate application rate is
"not expected to adversely affect yields greatly.”
The report, “United States and World Fertilizer
Outlook: 1974 and 1960,’.’ aslo points out that sub
stanial increases in crop production of 1973 can be
expected for several reasons: Greater acreage, good
weather, higher nitrogen use.
Over-all acreage of mfajor crops is expected to be up
5 percent from last year. Weather conditions so far
have been very favorable, a sharp contrast to the
1972-73 crop year. And, though nitrogen use may’ be
450,000t0ns short of demand, it’ll still bit 8.8 million
ton - that’s 500,000 tons above last year’s record
utilization.
We use a record 5.1 million tons of phosphate
fertilizers last year. The demand is for 5.5 million tons
(Continued on Page 21]
Dairying - the Large And the Small of It
The small family'farm is
viewed by some as an out
moded institution, unable to
cope with the realities of
today’s wild free market
economy. Others view the
family farm - or perhaps it
should be said the farm
family - as a repository and a
breeding place for the values ■
Americans cherish most, a
moral touchstone for a
society of urban centers
wallowing in physical and
spiritual decay.
We’re told that cor
porations must inevitably
take over farming because of
their economies of scale,
their more efficient use of
labor, capital and
management. On the other
hand, we’re told that family
farms must be preserved &
we’re to save open space
around our cities, especially
in the Northeast, and if we’re
to keep the strength of
character of a prosperous
rural population.
Big farm, little farm. It’s a
debate we can’t hope to
answer here, and maybe
nobody will ever decide
which is best for agriculture
or the country. We did feel
that it would be interesting,
though, to interview a cor
porate dairy farm and a
family dairy farm, to see in
what ways they differ and in
what ways they’re alike.
80, last Tuesday, we talked
to the management of
Bryncoed Farms in Chester
by Dick
Wanner
Springs, a 2000-acre complex
which is owned by Luden’s
Candy Co. in Reading, and
we talked to Jacob Dienner,
a Gordonville dairyman with
30 cows whose daily herd
average, per cow stayed
above 70 pounds for about
two months.
The two operations are
certainly different, but
they’re alike in some ways.
We attempt to draw no
conclusions from their
contrasting styles, except for
the fact that both are suc
cessful. T
Bryncoed - 250 Cows,
Going on 500
Bryncoed Farms is an
impressive complex of 2000
acres and some of the most
modern dairy equipment in
the area. It could be said -
and has been - that Bryncoed
is farming with money and
not for money. But herd
manager Bo D’Avanzo and
farm director Phil Schiaroli
both insist that the purpose
In This Issue
Farm Calendar 10
Markets 2-4
Sale Register 66
Farmers Almanac Y 6
Classified Ads 30
Editorials 10
Homestead Notes 38
Home on the Range 42
Organic Living 12
Lancaster Co. DHIA 54
Farm Women Calendar 41
Growing 6l
4-H Calendar 49
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 1, 1974
Lehigh, Country Belle
Stir Legislature Action
A bill which could help
protect the financial in
terests of farm cooperative
-members \ras introduced
into the Pennsylvania House
of Representatives Last week
by Francis Kennedy,
chairman of the House
Agriculture Committee.
Kennedy, a Butler County
farmer, introduced the bill
after likening to complaints
from members of the
Country Belle coop in the
western part of the state.
Country Belle members told
him they stood to lose as
much as $26,000 each as a
Annual
Dairy
Issue
of Bryncoed is to make
money for laiden’s Candy
Co. That objective has been
complicated sometvhat in
the past few weeks by the
fact that the farm is shipping
its considerable output of
milk to the Lehigh Valley
Coop, but both Schiaroli and
D’Avanzo said they’ll
weather that difficulty with
much le&s trouble than a
small farmer.
“The small farmer today
pays high prices for the
things he needs, he works
long hours and he shows
practically no profit at the
end of the year,” D’Avanzo
said in his New England
accent. He was a dairyman
in Massachusetts before
coming to Pennsylvania, and
said that he has been a
dairyman all his life.
Small farms are trouble,
D’Avanzo believes, because
they can’t hire good help,
and that’s why individual
dairy farmers must get up at
3 a.m. and work until 8 or 9
o’clock at night, every day of
the week. “Here we’ve got
nine people to help with die
farm work. Each man works
nine hours a day, and he
works 46 hours one week and
54 the next.”
Farm workers at Bryn
coed get free milk and meat,
hospitalizatioa insurance, a
retirement plan, and a rent
free house in addition to their
wages. For his labor force,
D’Avanzo believes in
result of their organization’s
money difficulties.
Kennedy’s ‘ bill would
require that cooperatives be
bonded, exactly as com
mercial dairies and private
milk dealers are bonded
now. And it would apply to
all coops, not just dairy- In
its present form, the bill sets
a ceiling on the amount of the
bond at $200,000. But Ken
nedy told Lancaster Far
ming on Friday morning that
the ceiling might have to be
raised.
Asked if $200,000 was
anywhere near sufficient,
Kennedy replied that the
money itself wouldn’t do
much to stave off economic
chaos in a situation like
Country Belle, with a deficit
of $960,000, or Lehigh Valley,
which turned up $3.8 million
short. “The real power of the
law, if it’s enacted, would be
the -fact that the bonding
company would be looking
over the coop’s shoulder. Hie
bondholder wants to, protect
recruiting men who’ve
farmed, all their lives,
preferably someone 'at least
[Continued on Page 16]
Buzz Kennedy, from Roaring
Branch, Pa., did "Some roaring last
Saturday night at the opening of the
Buck Tractor Puli track. Driving a
Massey Ferguson Model 55 tractor
their interest, and in doing
so, they’d be looking for
signs of mismanagement
and anything else that’s,
going This Would help
to protect the' farmer
members.”
New Holland Looking
At Sales to Russia
Kenneth F. Thompson,
president of Sperry New
Holland, revealed Thursday
that he expects his firm will
sell farm equipment to the
Russians.
In addition, Thompson,
who just returned from a
seven-day business trip to
the Soviet Union, said some
Russians have been in New
Holland recently to study the
manufacture of farm
machinery. More Soviet
teams are expected here in
the near future.
While ip Russia, Thomp
son said he reached an oral
agreement with the Soviet
government to explore ways
in which future business can
be conducted between his
company and the Russians.
However, no specific deal
was worked out. “All we
know,” Thompson said, “is
that they are extremely
with a 427 Ford engine, Kennedy took
first place in the 7000-lb. modified 1
event and third in the 7000-lb. open.
(See Story on P. 13.)
‘52.00 Per Year
Pennsylvania dairymen
stand to lose millions
because of the financial woes
of Lehigh, Countryrßelle and
Queen ! City dairy
cooperatives. Queen City is a
(Continued on Page 18]
interested (in New Holland
equipment) and we’rei
willing to cooperate.” I
He cautioned that it might
be several years before there
is any “significant business”
between New Holland and
the Soviets.
“I was told that we have to
be very patient,” the
president said.
Thompson was in Russia in
connection with an exhibit of
Sperry Rand products in
Moscow.
He said the Russians
bought three New Holland
machines on display and
plan to study them under
various farm conditions. To
help with the tests, Russian
speaking New Holland
employes from plants in
Europe will go to the Soviet
Union to demonstrate proper
machine s operation and
maintenance.