IG—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. March 15, 1975
Farm Commentary
Broiler Output Lowest Since ’69
U.S. commercial broiler output off
slightly last year. Number produced,
at 2.917 billion (two billion, 917
million), compared to 2923 (two
billion, 923 million) produced in
1973. It was the second straight year
output had declined. The 1974 output
was the lowest since 1969.
Gross income received by
producers in the 21 States that ac
count for 97 pet. of U.S. production
totaled $2.36 billion, down 9 pet. from
a year earlier but still the second
highest on record.
Despite the cutback in production,
Milk-Feed Price Ratio Improves
The milk-feed price ratio (pounds
of feed equal in value to 1 pound of
milk) improved somewhat in January,
according to the current (March)
issue of USDA’s Dairy Situation.
At 1.25, it was up from December’s
Cows in India Are Eating Grain
American farmers have come
under a lot of pressure in recent
months for feeding gram to their
livestock.
But, an article in the current
(March 10) issue of Foreign
Agriculture magazine, hints that
gram feeding of livestock has not only
been common practice in parts of
India, but that farmers found a way to
make an extra buck by switching from
feed grains to wheat during the past
two years.
In his analysis of the India gram
World Apple, Pear Output Off in ’74
World production of both apples
and pears down in 1974. According to
USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service,
apple output in the major producing
countries totaled 14.7 million metric
tons, down 10 pet from a year earlier.
Pear production, at 4.9 million metric
tons, was off 5 pet. from a year earlier,
10 pet. below the 1970 record.
The reason m both cases: Sharply
reduced crops in Europe. While the
U.S. apple crop, at 2.9 million tons,
was up slightly, those in France (at
Hail Loss Study Published
Hail cuts U.S. crop production more
than 2 pet, costs farmers an average
of $685 million annually (in 1973
dollars), according to a USDA
Economic Research Service study
by Dick Wanner
the number of pounds produced, at
11.0 billion lbs., was up from a year
earlier and the second highest on
record. Reason for the gam; Birds
averaged 3.8 lbs last year, up from
3.7 lbs. a year earlier and the highest
on record.
Arkansas (482.4 million), Georgia
(426.9 million), Alabama (398.3
million) and North Carolina (286.6
million) continued as the Nation's
leading broiler producers. The four
accounted for <55 pet. of national
output.
1.20 and the highest since last July.
But, a check through the records
shows that the 1.34 average for all of
1974 was the lowest annual average
since 1955.
situation, John B. Parker, Jr., of the
Economic Research Service’s Foreign
Demand and Competition Division,
points out that farmers in Punjab and
other surplus producing States in
India apparently fed .wheat in their
expanding dairy and poultry en
terprises as a result of lower wheat
(than feed gram) prices.
The reason; They were forbidden
to transport wheat across food zone
lines. So they sold their corn and
sorghum (at $l6O to $2OO per ton)
and retained their wheat for feed.
1.6 million tons) and West Germany
(at 1.2 million tons) were off 21 pet.
and 41 pet., respectively, and the
over-all European crop, at 7.5 million
tons, was down 20 pet.
Italy’s pear production, at 1.4
million tons, was down 9 pet. That m
France (at 388,000 tons) and West
Germany (at 322,000 tons) was off
20 pet and 23 pet., respectively. U.S.
pear production totaled 645,000
tons, up 2 pet. from a year earlier.
issued last week The 5-year study of
20 basic crops showed wheat, corn
for gram, soybeans, cotton and
tobacco accounted for the bulk of the
hail crop losses.
A MUTUAL
STIRRING
SOCIETY
Lesion (or March 11, 1175
Background Scripture:
Hebrews 6 through 10.
Devotional Reading: Mat
thew 5:3-11.
Some time ago a wonderful
friend and parishoner passed
away following many years
of struggle against cancer.
This woman had been an
inspiration to many because
of her undaunted faith that
conquered both sickness and
death. People with lesser ills
and trouble? were frequently
shamed and lifted by her
inspiring witness.
Shortly after her passing,
one of her friends confided
that he wanted to attend her
church so that he could find
“a faith as powerful as
that!” It must be said that
that faith to which she
witnessed was dependent
upon her own unique per
sonality, yet at the same
time it was also true that
that native faith was much
nurtured by a .Christian
fellowship. The* fellowship
was vital to this individual.
To stir up one another
This is the purpose of a
church to be the kind of vital
fellowship in which faith is
planted and nurtured. If it is
not this, no group of people,
regardless of how organized
and authorized, can really be
a “church.” If it is not a
nurturing fellowship, it is not
a church.
In the Epistle to the
Hebrews the writer ad
monishes his readers to
“hold fast the confession of
our hope without wavering..
(10:23). Still, it is easier
said than done. It is one thing
to tell people to keep their
but something else to
tell them how.
Thus, the writer of
Hebrews goes on to point to
one source of help in
maintaining their faith: “...
let us consider how to stir up
one another to love and good
works, not neglecting to
meet together, as is the habit
ot some, but encouraging one
another . . .”(10:24,25).
Christians would do well to
carefully consider this ad
vice. The writer of Hebrews
calls for us to “stir up” one
another. Actually, the
church should be a kind of
“mutual-stirring society”
where people are challenged
and inspired to an ever
increasing level of love and
service to one another. That,
not perfect attendence or
community ‘acceptance,
should be the great goal of
our participation in a church
fellowship.
What is the effect of your
fellow church members upon
you? What is your effect
upon them? Is your church
life a matter of stirring up
one another to greater faith
and service, or does your
congregation represent of God. As the writer of
something less than a Hebrews assures us: “... he
“mutual-stirring society”? who promised is faithful”
The ground of our confidence (10:23). In the Christian
One of the things we leam fellowship we share with
from our life together in a each other both the age-old
Christian fellowship is that stories of God’s faithfulness
we do not have to face life and the contemporary
alone. For one thing, we evidences of his goodness in
have the support of Christian our own lives. In this
friends who can stir in us the fellowship we find that the
faith we need for tough God who did not forsake
times Israel, who kept his
But there is another reason promises to Jesus of
why we do not walk alone Nazareth, will also be with
through life: the faithfulness us in the midst of life.
t
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To Apply Dormant
Oil Sprays
One of the best control
practices for scale on many
trees and shrubs is to spray
them with the dormant oil
spray early in the spring.
The timing should be made
so that the buds are swelling,
but not open when the oil
spray is applied. Scale is a
very common insect on fruit
trees, oaks, and some of the
ornamental plants. Owners
of these trees and shrubs
should be making plans to do
this spraying during late
March or early April.
To Grow More
Alfalfa
Many dairy and livestock
producers could benefit from
greater acreage of alfalfa;
this is especially true with
dairymen. In recent years
the price of com has taken
some of the alfalfa acreage;
now that com prices are
changing, no doubt alfalfa
will be more attractive. Over
the years alfalfa has led the
forage crops in this part of
the country and still
deserves more attention on
many dairy farms. Early
spring is one of the best
times to establish new stands
of alfalfa. This legume yields
from 4 to 6 tons of hay per
acre high in protein and
mineral content. Prices of
alfalfa hay have been very
good and the crop is in strong
demand from many parts of
the country.
Farm
Calendar
Monday, March 17
Lancaster County Young
Farmers Volley Ball
Tournament.
Lancaster County Goat
Meeting at the Farm and
Home Center, speaker
will be Dr. Sam Guss •
7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 18
Montgomery County Dairy
Day at the Collegeville
Inn beginning at 10:10
a.m.
Farm Financial
Management Seminar at
the Lancaster Farm and
Home Center at 9:30-3:00
p.m.
Chester County Coop Ex
tension’s Annual Meeting
in the Central Chester
County vo-tech school in
Coatesville.
Solanco Home Gardening
Clinic at the vo-ag
classroom in the Solanco
High School at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 19
Pa. Poultry Federation
NOW IS
THE TIME.. ,
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone SD-t-OMSI
To Fertilize
Pastures
Many permanent pastures
will respond to both lime and
fertilizer applications. A
complete soil test is the way
to leant the actual needs. In
a pasture mixture where we
have both grasses and
clover, a complete fertilizer
such as 10-10-10 is suggested.
On stands of straight grass
(no clovers) nitrogen only is
suggested. Applications
made during late MarCh or
April should give earlier
grazing and more forage per
acre for the season.
Producers should try to
make every acre produce
more feed and permanent
pastures will respond to
fertilizer.
To Shear Sheep
Wanner weather is on its
way when most ewe flocks
should be sheared. There is
little to gain by allowing the
wool to remain on the animal
into the month of May and
June. Late March and April
would be the best time to
shear the sheep and get the
wool into dry, clean storage.
Ewes that are nursing lambs
will milk better and be better
mothers without the fleece at
this time of the year. Local
growers may sell their wool
clip to custom shearers, or
take the crop to graded wool
pools in either Berks or
Cumberland county. These
are held in mid-June. Wool to
be graded should be sheared
when dry, tied with the flesh
side out with paper twine.
Details are available at our
Extension Office.
Annual Fund Raising
Banquet at the Host Inn,
Harrisburg.
Home Vegetable Gardening
Meeting at the Lancaster
Farm and Home Center
at 7:30 p.m.
Schuylkill Co. Dairy Day at
the Mansion House in
Pine Grove 10:00 a.m.-
3:00 p.m.
Pa. Turkey producers
meeting sponsored by
NEPPCO in Gettysburg.
Second day of the Farm
Financial Management
meeting at the Lancaster
Farm and Home Center
9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Thunday, March 20
Poultry Education Meeting
at the Lancaster Farm
and Home Center 7-; 30
p.m.
Friday, March 21
Pa. Farm and Power
Equipment Association
group meeting at the
Exeter Restaurant, Mt.
Penn at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 22
Pa. Landrace Swine Sale at
the Farm Show Building -
Harrisburg.
Lancaster County Swine
Association Annual
Banquet at the Blue Ball
Fire Hall 6:30 p.m.
Vegetable Gardening
Seminar at the Church
Farm School in Chester
County - Paoli from 10:00
a.m.-12:00 noon.
Kindness is
which the deaf
can read
a
and
Mark Twain
language
the blind