10— Lancaster Farming, Saturday. Jan. 25, 1975 Farm Commentary McHale’s Math Questioned An item in this column last week about Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture James A. McHale aroused the ire of Donald Hershey, Manheim, president of the Lancaster County Farmers Association. In essence, what McHale said was that it is possible to butcher a yield grade 3 steer, sell the top cuts at normal retail prices, then pay consumers 10- cents a pound to haul away the hamburger. And still make a profit. “Ridiculous!" said Hershey. "No retailer is making so much money that he can afford to pay people to haul away hamburger. And farmers can’t butcher and sell directly from This is the year that Pennsylvania Farm Show Director Wellington Smith said he was going to scale down the deficits that have historically been a part of the financial picture for the aging com plex. That was the reason visitors to this year’s Farm Show paid a dollar for parking. The dollar fee, though, was to be collected all year at events scheduled for the Farm Show facility - like the Keystone International Livestock Show, the Dairy Show, Horse Show, and the PIAA state basketball and wrestling championships “Foul!” roared the powers that be at PIAA, and they withdrew to other arenas. Penn State will see the wrestling championships this year, and some colleges may~share in the basketball action, which could also be staged in Hershey. What impact will this have on the Farm Show budget, we wondered, so we talked to Wellington Smith on Thursday. “I’m going to miss wat ching the basketball games,” Smith said, “but other than that I’m not really too sorry to see them go. I understand they’ve been wanting to Sim Hangs It Up - After 43 Years We weren’t able to make the an- he’s going to be retiring after 43 nual meeting this year of the Mt. Joy years on the job. In next week's issue, Farmer’s Cooperative, but we want to we hope to share a few of Sim’s ob say congratulations and best wishes servations about the changes he’s to Sim Horton for the job he’s been seen over nearly half a century as a doing as the coop’s general manager milk marketer. for many years. Sim called and said Polishing the Farmers’ Image Lebanon County farmers took some positive steps this week to combat some of the bad publicity springing from Midwestern NFO members who slaughtered their calves and buried them The scene at area meat markets was not nearly as dramatic as the wire-service photos of weeks past, like the one of that cigar chompmg Nebraskan holding his pistol to a calf’s head. And the wire services were noticably among the missing as some 70 Lebanon County dairy farmers took their calves to butcher shops and donated them to by Dick Wanner The PIAA’s Big Bounce their farms because it's against the law. "McHale doesn’t like the retailers, but they've got to make a profit, too. And we need them. They not only move our product, but they buy it for their own tables, too. I wonder if McHale has ever stopped to think about all the people who'd be unemployed if you took away everyone who helps move farm products from the farm to the table." We take it, we said to Don, that you aren't a Jim McHale fan. "I think Jim McHale is doing the farmer more harm than good,” he replied. "And I hope you quote me." move out of the Farm Show anyway, and the parking fee just gave them an excuse “Actually, they were only paying about half the rental fee we charge v other groups. Last year, they paid us $16,000 for 43 days here, and by the time we figured everything in, we probably lost money. This year it's going to be worse because everything has gone up. Coal, for example, went from $l4 to $5O a ton. Paid parking would have helped us a lot to make up for the deficits we incur from some of these charitable groups. “And, you know, so far the only complaints I've heard about the parking fee have come from the groups that aren’t paying their way.” Smith said he did have one com plaint about the way the PIAA officials ended their agreement with the Farm Show. “If they had let me know a little earlier that they weren’t coming back, I could have lined up some other events. The state could have had some income from those days they cancelled out of. Now the buildings will just stand empty. But we’ll try to get some business next year to replace the PIAA crowd.” be used as food for hungry people. While their action didn’t make a big splash in other than local news media, we can’t help feeling that the Lebanon County farmers who donated their calves helped at least to reaffirm the good opinion most of our local citizenry has of the farm folk who live among them The farmers know, too, that their calves are going into empty bellies, not a hole in the ground. No matter what kind of ledger you use, that has to be worth a lot more than publicity. CHRIST POWER Lesion for January 28,1915 Background Scripture: Acta 2:22-41; Romans 1:14-17; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Ephesians 1:1 through 2:10. Devotional Reading: Psalms 106:1-10. We live in a world feedin g u P° n the bark ? f preoccupied with securing y S g ItS and exercising power of all kinds. There fc economic Periods of Q when thc newer - for examole the snow remains on the ground, power cu^entlyTerted by of these trees the oil-rich nations. There is w ,!j be „r °finVinff military power - the United aluminum fo , g States and the Soviet Union c n VemiS being the two prime rabblts - Some .f 1 ®™ 10 ? 1 examples. There is nSclear f™** ar p e av . a^ able h ° power - the question of how discourage rodents but we will it naeeine us Sequent applications are power - to our mid* the « - SStfTmZ constant sUmgg e for it by con tinues. When the rri h :r.. p “ “senior dowgf snd ni3r circumference, serious, senior power, snd muny cp-innc damaffe will result otter kinds « well None of sea %S§lSn these by themselves are v«n«ia«An either good or evil. Power is weather necessary inoimworld. What livest t J ck cou i d makes the difference is the some ven tii a tion problems, motive behind the exercise often en . be close dbarns, power can oe eimer con en there is condensation structive and destructive. oftheW ailsor ceilings, it is a The eyesof your sure sign of a< f ditional Thp h< HWnrmp g p te il!L thp ventilation needed; or more The difference, says the insulation. Electric exhaust writer of Ephesians, is fang are commonly used t 0 Chnst-power. Unlike so o ut the foul air and much of the power exercised j! emove the problem . Ef . by man, Christ-power is nrilk production or With“ oSS-Mwer S die weight gains are not K 81 the bam is too warm or too motivation, atomic energy tight. Open bams such as free-stXdairy bams will phnief B have little trouble with destruction. With Christ- ven tilation providing they sytsassrs Ss~yrs&l Bamven^tionteavailable. power so different? Planning The writer of Ephesians It , „ ot to early to be teUs us. for one thing, that dec l isions y n what Chnst-power begins with | re to be grown this en i g Kf n eT e summer. The spring season with Christ-power sees hfe = aDDroac hin e ranidlv and Si".?* SXSSJSVS Ephesians prays that the p i ace d very soon. Good farm Father of glory, may give cords he lp guide the you a spirit of wisdom and of direction of the production revelation in the knowledge effort and make it possible to of him, having the eyes of know which enterprises are your hearts enlightened . . ” (Ephesians 1:17, 1».) One reason that man lives so impotently is chat he fails to realize what life is all about. Jesus referred to this when he spoke of people who “see but do not see and hear but do not hear.” How we look at life and the world in which we live makes a big difference in how we operate in that world. Knowledge is power. The greatness of his power For one thing, when we are enlightened by God we un derstand what true power is. We come to realize that brute force and violence are very limited forms of power. Nowhere was this better demonstrated for us than in the example of Jesus Christ. Not only was his power vindicated in that he was raised from the dead, but also in that he was exalted and given dominion over all sources of power: “ ... according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dea d and made him sit at his right hand in the | NOW IS | I THE TIME... I I 8 ’li-i 8 $ al i{:;: Max Smith ggl ii|; County Agr. Agent ;j|:( Telephone 394-6851 |:|J S! | »¥ To Protect Shrub* And Trees Recent snow cover for several days at a time could result in rabbits and mice heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion ...” (1:19-21). Equally important as Christ’* own resurrection from the dead is what his power is able to do to and for us. By that power we are recreated and given new life that is imperishable: “But God who is rich in mer cy... even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ... and raised us up with him ... ” (1:4-6). All other power must be controlled and shaped by the power of Jesus Christ. With Christ-power all forces can be sued for the good and welfare of men. Too often we have had to witness the terrible consequences of the world’s energies that have not known the redeeming force of Christ-power. (Based on outlines copyrighted Jay the Division of Christian Education, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Released by Com munity Press Sendee.) the best for each farmer. With the favorable price of most feed grains it is easy for livestock and dairy farmers to overlook the place of quality forage crops in the feeding program. Good hay and silage continue to be cheaper sources of feed nutrients for most farm animals. Planning should include these lower-cost sources of nutrients. To Handle Livestock Wastes Properly Manure continues to be a very good source of fertilizer elements and all livestock and poultry producers are urged to recognize this fact. With the mounting cost of most fertilizers, and especially nitrogen, manure merits water-tight storage pits, and application to the fields at a tune when the run off will be a minimum. Figures are available to give the average fertilizer values of various farm manures and these sources need to be included in planning the fertilizer program. Some kinds of poultry manure may run as high as 90 pounds of nitrogen per ton, therefore it is necessary to limit the application amount per acre. Good manure storage and handling is very much in order so that fertilizer purchases may be kept to a minimum. Calendar Tuesday, January 28 7:45 p.m. Class 2of Ephrata Area Farmers Dairy Calf Management meeting at the Ephrata High School ag classroom. 9:30 a.m. - Beef Cattle Feeders Day at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center. Thursday, January 30 7:30 p.m. - Elizabethtown Young Farmers Hog Production meeting at the Elizabethtown Ag Classroom. Saturday, February 1 6:45 p.m. - Ephrata Area Young Farmer’s Banquet at the Mt. Airy Fire Hall. For more information contact Charles Ackley. Pa. Yorkshire Swine Association Show and Sale at the Farm Show Arena. Monday, February 3 Manheim Young Fanners Soil Conservation program at Manheim High School. Tuesday, February 4 9:00 a.m. - Dairy Conference at the Guernsey Pavilion. 7:45 p.m. - Ephrata Area Farmer Dairy Cattle Management meeting at the Ephrata High School. Wednesday, February 5 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Dairymen Milking School at the Farm and Home Center. Registration required. Friday, February 7 Computer Workshop for Cattle feeders at the Lancaster Farm and Center. 6:45 p.m. - Garden Spot Young Farmers annual Banquet at the Blue Ball Fire Hall.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers