1 0-1 Untangling USDA’s Cow, Production Figures A month ago, USDA’s Crop Reporting Board estimated U.S. milk production for 1974 at 114.9 billion lbs., down seven-tenths of 1 pet. from the 115.6 billion lb. total for 1973. It also estimated the nation's total of milk cows on farms averaged 11,161,000 and that production per cow had averaged 10,291 lbs. for the year. But, with the issuance of the Jan. 1 cattle inventory earlier this month, the Statistical Reporting Service found itself having to readjust all of those figures. It found that milk cow numbers averaged 11,221,000; that milk production for 1974 totaled 115.4 billion lbs., slightly above an also readjusted 1973 total of 115.385 billion lb. total. Production per cow Meat Imports Off Sharply U.S. meat imports off sharply last all pork and lamb and mutton) year. At 1.079 billion (1 billion, 79 totaled 2.142 billion (2 billion, 142 million) lbs., those covered by the million) lbs~ down 17 pet. from a year Meat Import Law (mainly fresh and earlier and the lowest since 1968. frozen beef and veal) were down 20 Figures in the February issue of pet. from 1973 and the lowest since USDA’s Livestock & Meat Situation 1968. Over-all meat imports (those were quoted on a carcass weight covered by the Meat Import Law, plus basis, canned and preserved beef and veal, Beef Consumption Hits All-Time High Despite all that talk about beef lbs. in 1973 and third highest on prices, U.S. consumers ate a record record. Which means it’s still below amount of it last year. USDA reported the 191.8 lbs. record total in 1971 last week that per capita beef con- and the 1890 lbs. total for 1972. sumption m 1974 jumped to 116.3 Veal consumption moved up from lbs. That’s up from 109.6 lbs., in 1973 18 lbs. per person in 1973 to 2.3 lbs and two-tenths of a pound above the last year, the highest since 1971; previous record (of 116.1 lbs.) set in pork, from 61.6 lbs. in 1973 to 66.0 1972. lbs. last year; lamb and mutton Over-all red meat consumption hit dropped from 2.7 lbs. in 1973 to 2.4 187.0 lbs. per capita, up from 175.7 lbs. last year. Stocks of potatoes for all uses held dredweight. That’s up 23 pet. from a by growers, dealers and processors in year earlier, 5 pet. above the previous fall production areas on Feb. 1 totaled record high Feb. 1 holdings of 1971. a record 130.7 million hun- ’74 Farm Exports At *22 Billion There’s a typo on USDA's Cattle of The 6,050,000 figure for Feb 1 is Feed report issued last week. Ignore down 37 pet from a year earlier. A that 6,369,000t0tal quoted on page 1 further check shows January m the report. Check page 2. which placements in those 7 States (Anz, gives the Feb 1 cattle on feed total Calif., Colo., lowa, Kans, Nebr and for 7 States at 6,050,000 head (the Texas) totaled only 1,139,000 head, 6,369,000 total was from Jan 1) down 42 pet from a year earlier Feb. 1 Cattle on Feed Down 37 pct. U S farm exports for calendar 1974 exports Though volume was off 6 hit $22 billion. That’s up 25 pet from P ct - value P er unit increased one the previous high {of $17.7 billion) th,rd from a V ear earlier Thus - whlle set a year earlier gram ex PQ rts were off in volume, the Reasons for the gain Higher prices value of those exports increased one that more than offset lower export lrd t 0 $5 7 d| l |,orl volume; sharply higher gram, oilseed Potato Stocks Soar Feb. 22. 1975 was readjusted to 10,286 lbs. Now, in the process, it readjusted each of the monthly milk production totals for 1974 upward, readjusted those for 1973 downward. The same for monthly cow numbers and production per cow. Confusing? Okay, here’s the January 1975 totals released last week. They show milk production at 9.3 billion lbs. for the month. That’s slightly above the 9.29 billion Ibs.- (readjusted) from a year ago. Cow numbers are estimated at 11,204,0CX) for January. That’s down slightly from the 11,212,000 total now estimated for December for December, but above the 11,105,000 estimate for December in last month's report. SAVED BY HOPE Lesson for February 23,1175 Background Scripture: Romans 5:1-5; 8:18-30; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3; 1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 21:1-7. Devotional Reading: Romans 8:31-39. Psychiatrist Viktor Frank! observed in a Nazi con centration camp that often the key to survival was to be found in the prisoner’s hope or lack of hope. If hope was destroyed in the prisoner, death was soon likely to follow. Another illustration was given to me by a prominent cancer expert. A patient with a cancer that was diagnosed as terminal was put on a new drug that was unproven in its results. The patient, however, believed in the drug and began to improve rapidly. Soon, he was able to leave the hospital and-he seemed amazingly on the road to recovery. In This Hope After he had enjoyed several months of appearent good health, a report ap peared in the newspapers casting doubt on the validity of the drug. Within a few weeks, some of his old symptoms reappeared and it wasn’t long before he was back in the hospital and his case looked hopeless once again. Back in the hospital, however, the physicians persuaded him to disregard the reports and try the drug again. This he did and soon he was out of the hospital again, apparently recovered. When he had resumed his normal life again and en joyed several months of good health, the U.S. government released and published a report that indicated that the drug had been proven worthless in the cure of cancer. Soon after reading management meeting, this report, the man returned Lancaster Farm and to the hospital and died. Home Center. So long as he clung to it, he w 7:30 P- m - ■ Cedar Crest YF was saved by his hope. Q>nn r n I s ' FFA volle y ball > Whether or not the drug was 9 -°®‘ ? dar Crest Middle actually effective in dealing livestock management School. with cancer his hope da . y ’ n_. Penn State 7:30 p.m. - Garden Tractor mobilized the cancer- Schuylkdl campus. Pulling Club fighting resources of his own Monday, Feb. 24 organizational meeting, body and, for a time, 7:3 ® P-m. - Twin Valley Rough & Tumble prevailed. Only when he lost Young Adult Farmers grounds, Kinzers. his hope did his situation arc welding class no. 1, Wednesday, Feb. 26 become truly hopeless. vo-ag shop, Twin Valley 9:00 a.m.-S.E. Pa. Soybean Someone has said that H.S. meeting, Bucks Co., there are no hopeless Manheim Young Farmers - Holiday Inn, KulpsviUe. situations, only people who first da y °f machinery Take Lansdale in have grown hopeless about reconditioning workshop. terchange of Pa. Tpk. them. What this means is . HLOO a - m - - 3:00 p.m. - 4-H that hope is not to be tune are not worth com- Club Leaders training dependent upon external paring with the glory that is meeting, Lancaster conditions, but inner to be revealed to us” Farm and Home Center, realities. What is really (Romans 8:18). 7:30 p.m. - Garden Spot important is, not what Th® source of our hope, Adult Farmer meeting on happens to us, but how we thus, is never to be found in farm credit, Hinkletown respond to what happens to what we find about us, but in Alternate School, us. The source of our hope is “sharing the glory of God” Thursday, Feb. 27 always something inside us, (Romans 5:2). Greater than 7:30 p.m. - E-Town Young not outside us. an y hardship we may know Farmer poultry No Comparison - in the present is the great management meeting, For example, the situation §ift that God has promised vo-ag room, ET-Town H.S. in which we find ourselves us beyond the present cir- 7:45 p.m. - Chester Co. Corn may seem hopeless. No cumstances. Therefore, we Meeting, vo-ag room, matter where we look there cantake hope in the midst of Owen J. Roberts H.S. at is nothing but discour- our bad times because we Rts. 100 & 23. agement. This is not are confident of the garce DHIA workshop, Lancaster something imagined, but that God has in store for us. Farm and Home Center, real. The situation in which ®y looking ahead to what Continues through we find ourselves is really a God has prepared for us, we Friday, bad one! Yet, no matter how can > 10 a sense, have a Monday, March 3 bad the situation may be, foretaste of the fulfillment of 7:30 p.m. - Manheim Young there is always a reality that our b °P e in the future, and Farmers monthly can overshadow the find the strength to prevail meeting, gloomiest prospects. As Paul amidst the trails of the Tuesday, March 4 puts it: “I consider that the present. It is thus that we are 9:30 - 3:30 - 1975 Livestock sufferings of the present by our , Dgy» .ggpp .State 1 NOW IS I fraf’ THE time. .. j I:|: ) " Max Smith •Si B&V ■ County Agr. Agent ;i|l SL u Telephone 394-6851 ft To Plan For Tree Planting The early spring months of March and April are ex cellent times to plant trees of nearly all varieties. Everyone seems to be in terested in the environment and the effort to have pure air to breathe and pure water to drink. An abun dance of trees in the country and in each community will help accomplish both of the objectives. If mature or diseased trees have to be cut down, then young trees should be planted to replace them. Waste land can well be planted to many kinds of evergreen trees and con tribute to a better en vironment. Shade trees about the home or farm homestead are very beneficial, and should be a vital part of any rural or surburban landscape. To Practice Sanitation At a recent livestock meeting Dr. Sam Guss from Penn State was reviewing some of the important practices in the raising of livestock. He emphasized the importance of having new born animals arrive into a clean, sanitary area. This may be inside buildings or out on the ground, such as good pasture. Little animals should be handled similar to 'new-born babies the less exposure there is to filth and disease, the better it is for them. Special care and preparing for the arrival of new animals will help in crease the percentage raised. Don’t expect Mother Nature to do everything. Farm Calendar To Broadcast Legumes Some alfalfa and red clover producers are making plants to broadcast the seed on top of their winter wheat fields. This may be done from late February until mid-March. The objective should be to broadcast the seed on the open ground while there is alternate freezing and thawing of the topsoil; this will work the small seeds into the ground. In recent years, many growers will wait until the topsoil becomes dry enough to use a drill and then band seed the legumes; this is a better practice than broadcasting. However, some growers may not have the needed equipment. If broadcasting is to be done in winter grain, it should be done within the next month. To Make Plans To Topdress Wheat The application of a nitrogen fertilizer on winter wheat fields during early to mid-March is a good prac tice for most farms. This extra nitrogen stimulates growth and increases yields. However, if the fertility level is very high and lodging has been a problem, then smaller amounts should be used. Also, wheat fields that are to be seeded down to alfalfa or clover, should jet. smaller amounts. The rate of nitrogen application per acre will range from 25 to 60 pounds depending upon these situations. Sand, gravel, or shale soils should get the heavier amounts. The time to make the topdressing is in March when vegetative growth is starting. Tuesday, Feb. 25 p.m. - Swine 7:30
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