10—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Jan. 18. 1975 Farm Commentary MHiiiiiuMiiiiiiiuiuiiiiiinmMiiuuiiijiiimmuiuiiiiiiiiiniiummiiiiijiiiiiuiiiiiiiitttitiiimuiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiuiniiiiiimiiitimiiiiuniiinii The price of corn, both nationally and locally is coming down. This week's price in Lancaster Farming’s local gram report stood at $3.30 on Thursday afternoon, but many of the dealers we talked to said they ex pected that price to drop another nickel by Friday. Part of the reason for the dip, of course, is the livestock men are cutting back their herds, thereby If past history is any indication, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Jim McHale is in for another round of hoo-ha's from the farm press and farm organizations. At the annual Pennsylvania Farmers Union meeting in Harrisburg this week, McHale said they planned to butcher a yield grade 3 steer and sell the top cuts at retail. The rest of the carcass will be ground into hamb burger McHale hopes to make the Who’d have ever thought that loaded barges would be leaving the US, bound for Arabian ports, loaded with liquid cow manure. Several thoughts, all beginning “Poetic justice..." spring to mind but they're probably better left unsaid Apparently, the Arabs are moun- December Milk Production Off From ‘74 US milk production, at 90 billion lbs during December, down 3-10 of 1 pet from a year earlier, USDA reported last week. Though this marked the first month since June U S turkey ouput may be down this year At least, turkey growers in the 20 major producing States say they intend to raise 6 pet fewer birds this year then they did either in 1974 or 1973 Turkey output in those States - which account for more than 95 pet of the Nation’s production - is seen at 118 7 million birds That’s down from the 126-million totals produced in those States during each of the last two years. A decrease of 6 pet from both 1974 and 1973 is seen in heavy breed output, while production of light breeds is seen down 2 pet from 1974, 10 pet. from 1973 Growers in those States produced 111.4 million heavy breed birds in 1973, 112 2 million of World tobacco acreage and production hit record highs last year At 10 6 million acres, tobacco acreage was up 5 pet from 1973 and 8 pet above its 1968-72 average Production, at 11 4 billion lbs, was up 7 pet from 1973 s previous high, and 14 pet above 1968-72 U S held its position as the world's Number Two tobacco grower, though Wheat Prospects - A Familiar Story Encouraged by higher prices, farmers expanded their wheat acreage 20 pet - only to have their hopes for an abundant harvest dashed by severe drought Sound familiar 7 It certainly does, Corn Price Slipping Back McHale’s Computer Does It Again The Arabian Manure Deal Turkey Growers Plan Cutback World Tobacco Hits Record High weakening demand. Another factor, we were told by a seasoned gram buyer, is that the winter had been pretty mild in the Midwest. This meant a lot of cattle were out in the cornfields, grazing on stover. The weather picture has changed drastically in the last week, however, which will increase some farmers’ needs for corn. Of course, many of the cattle caught in the snow and freezing cold perished point that with the profit from the top cuts, retailers could afford to pay consumers 10-cents a pounds to take the hamburger You’ll remember a few weeks ago the secretary made headlines by “proving” that it was possible to produce hamburger for 28-cents a pound. His calculations, though, were said to ignore such things as trucking, packaging and normal retail markups ting a tremendous effort to attain a measure of self-sufficiency in food, just as we and other nations are striving for self-sufficiency in energy production It will be something of a modern-day miracle if they really can make the desert bloom. that production had been below that of a corresponding month a year earlier, output for all of 1974 still totaled only 1149 billion lbs., down 7- 10 of 1 pet. from a year earlier them fast year. Light breed output totaled 15 3 million in 1973, 141 million last year Intentions are to produce 105 million heavy breed, 13 8 million light breed birds in the 20 States this year Despite the over-all cutback, growers in Minnesota, the Nation’s leader, say they intend to boost production 11 pet - from 21 9 million to 24 3 million this year Those in North Carolina say they plan to up output 1 pet - to 15 1 million birds in 1975. But, California growers say they’ll cut production 12 pet - from 17 9 million last year to 15 7 million Turkey production totaled 132.2 million nationally in 1973, but declined 1 pet - to 1314 million last year it still ranks third in tobacco area The People’s Republic of China produced 2 2 billion lbs, the US 196 billion lbs India, 973 million lbs to lead the world producers China, with 19 million acres. India, with 11 million acres, the US, with 957,000 acres, and Turkey, with 890,000 acres, were the leaders in the area devoted to tobacco plantings but it's the story of Argentina’s 1974- 75 wheat crop, the latest to be hit by weather And, output is now put at 5 0 million metric tons, including Durum, and perhaps even less LORD OF LIFE Let ion for January If, IMS Background Scripture: John 6:35-51; 11: 1-53. Devotional Reading: John 6: 35-51. When Socrates was told that the time had come for him to prepare for death, he replied: “Don’t you know that I have been preparing for it all my life?” Quite unlike Socrates, many of us delay in preparing for this great life event. Sometimes we procrastinate too long and then there is no opportunity to prepare for it. Frequently it is only when we are con fronted by death that we begin to ask ourselves what we believe about this ex perience and its con sequences. He who believes in me The story of Lazarus in John 6 is founded upon the conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord of both life and death and if we accept his Lordship we do not need to fear death. In the. story we fmd some of the common attitudes that still abound today. First there is some petulance on the part of the two sisters. Martha, upon greeting him, seems just a big accusing: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (11:21). In a similar fashion we sometimes complain meekly to God suggesting that if he loved us he would not have let a loved one die! Next, we find Martha resorting to theological arguments. Told by .Jesus that her brother would “rise again,” Martha gives lip service to her beliefs: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (11:24). Gut Jesus is not talking about theological beliefs: he is speaking of her trust m him: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (11:25). “Do you believe this?” Jesus wants to know and Martha begins to understand at last: “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world” (11:27). She really does not know what Jesus is going to do next. At the same time she knew that she trusted this man implicitly. Therefore, she would put herself and her brother Lazarus in his hands. Somehow, whatever happened, she knew that it would be all right because of Jesus. Take Away The Stone! Yet, it is not so easy just to put everything in his hands. We are too conditioned to doing things ourselves to trust another so fully. Thus, when Jesus approaches the tomb and commands the stone to be rolled away, Martha protests that there will be too great an odor from the decomposing body. Once again Jesus must remind her: “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” If she will just trust him, she and her sister will be truly blessed. So Jesus commands, “Lazarus, come out,” and the dead man is'restored to I •A (i To Get Farmer’s Tax Guide The supply of Farmer’s Tax Guides is in our Ex tension Office and farmers are urged to obtain a copy of this booklet in helping to file their 1974 tax returns. This help is also available from the Internal Revenue Office. Since there have been some changes concerning agriculture in tax reporting, all farmers and others who are working tax returns should study the Tax Guide before filing. These are free of charge to anyone in terested. To Be Interested In Pure Water Modem civilization makes heavy demands on water supplies when we realize that we use about 75 gallons of water per day per person. Obtaining water is simple to most of us merely by turning a faucet or spigot. However, we all must realise that the supply must be there to kart with. Water supplies must be preserved and expanded to meet the growing needs. Penn sylvania is in a favorable water situation compared to some states in the southwest such as Arizona; our ob servations there last October reflected their surface water supplies almost entirely exhausted. Each person should do everything to keep from polluting water and in conserving its use. To Raise First- Calf Heifers A recent release from the Dairy Extension office in Virginia calls attention to the Farm Calendar Tuesday, January 21 Ephrata Area Young Far mers meeting concerning new changes in taxes. 7:45 p.m. Ephrata High -School Ag Department. Cedar Crest Young Farmers Meeting on Feeding Management at the Cedar Crest High School vo-ag classroom life. We miss the point of this story, however, if we think of it only as a miraculous feat by Jesus. The point is not that Jesus will keep us from dying - for even Lazarus died eventually - but that Christ is the Lord of both life and death! The call to us is the same as that which was given to Martha and Mary: if we will trust him, if we will put ourselves m his hands, we will find that neither life nor death can intimidate us. Like Socrates we can prepare for the experience of death throughout our life because we are secure m the knowledge that Christ is Lord of both life and death. (Based on outlines copyrighted by the Division of Christian Education, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Released by Com munity Press Service.) WAV.** NOW IS THE TIME. Max Smith County Agr. Agent Telephone 394-6851 mistake of not keeping calves from a first-calf heifer. We are aware of this common practice in this part of the country. The Virginia study shows that many high producing cows and out standing show animals have been from first calf heifers. One cow that sold for nearly twenty thousand dollars was from two generations of first calf heifers. In addition, the practice of breeding first calf heifers to a beef bull is to be discouraged. Many calves from first-calf are just as good potential herd replacements or show animals as a calf from older cows. To Stress Quality Forage Crops One way out of the high grain cost of producing milk or meat is to place more emphasis on nutrients from forage crops rather than from grains. This suggestion has been highly promoted for the past several months and continues to have con siderable merit. Dr. Sam Guss at Penn State reports that many dairy cows will be in better physical condition at calving .time if a larger part of their nutrients come from roughages rather than from grain. In the past many problems at freshening time have been caused by high grain consumption and little amounts of rughages. As livestock and dairymen plan their crop acres for this year, we continue to suggest that more importance on quality hay and silage could return greater profits. beginning at 7:30 p.m. Manheim Young Farmers Welding Class No. 3. Twin Valley Young Fanner monthly meeting, vo-ag classroom, Twin Valley High School, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 22 Farm Income Tax Meeting at the Farm and Home Center 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Thursday, January 23 Ephrata Area Farmers Association Beef and Poultry Field Trip leaving the Ephrata High School parking lot at 8:30 p.m. 12:00 noon - Inter State Milk Producers Cooperative District 3 annual meeting, Quarryville Methodist Church. 6:30 p.m. - Annual meeting, Farm and Home Foundation of Lancaster County, Farm and Home Foundation of Lancaster County, Farm and Home Center. Manheim Young Farmers Welding Course 4. Tuesday, January 28 9:30 a.m. Feeder Day, Lancaster Farm and Home Center. 7:45 p.m. - Ephrata Adult Farmer Dairy Calf Management meeting. x- X' A' vk*x*:j • • Beef Cattle
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