10—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. March 22, 1975
Farm Commentary
Gin a Corn Cut Back Work?
The movement to cut back corn
production has been felt very little
here, but farmers in the Midwest are
apparently very interested. A meeting
in Ames, lowa, on Thursday brought
close to 5000 farmers. Without a
doubt, they represent a significant
chunk of lowa’s and the nation’s corn
production.
There's been some noise in Penn
sylvania about cutting back, but even
so, a lot of farmers haven't heard
much about it, and many of those who
have wouldn’t think of taking the
planter out of the field until they’ve
got every last kernel planted. Some
Midwestern growers have pledged to
plow down an acre a day for every day
after June 1 that the corn price is
below $2.90. It would take a pretty
strong-willed farmer to do something
like that, and Robert Lounsberry,
lowa’s secretary of agriculture, told
Lancaster Farming that he couldn’t
see very many people doing it.
Vermont farmers are sorely in need
of hay right now, and they’re looking
for sources in Pennsylvania They
need good dairy quality hay, and if
any of you farmers or dealers think
you can help them out, contact Al
House Sends Farm BiD to Senate
The House passed an emergency
farm bill on Thursday that could put
extra income into farmers' pockets
this year. Perhaps the best news for
local farmers is the proviso that milk
price supports be computed quar
terly instead of annually as is now the
case. Dairy groups had been lobbying
also for a change in dairy parity to 85
percent from the present 80 percent,
but the bill retains the old parity
level.
The bill was passed on a 259 to 162
vote and went to the Senate. The
Senate Agriculture Committee
planned to start considering it on
Friday.
The bill provides higher govern
ment supports for wheat, cotton and
livestock feed grains in addition to
more frequent computation of ad-
Cattle On Feed Hit 6-Year Low
Cattle on feed on March 1 for
slaughter market in 7 States (Anz.,
Calif., Colo., lowa, Kans., Nebr, Texas)
at 5,463,000 head. That’s down 41
pet. from a year ago and the lowest
since Sept 1968 (way back when
there were only 6 States in the
monthly total Kansas was adde ( d in
U.S potato stocks held in fall
production areas totaled a record
102 3 million cwt on March 1 That's
up 26 pet above a year earlier, 4 pet.
above the previous record March 1
holdings of 1972
Here’s the breakdown. Stocks in
by Dick Wanner
Emergency Call For Hay
Potato Stocks Hit Record
Because Pennsylvania is a gram
deficit state, many Keystone farmers
could suffer from the effects of a
cutback in corn productipn. Farmers
who specialize in corn production
could, of course, benefit by higher
corn prices whether or not they went
along with the cut back notion. One
thing that seems to have been
overlooked, though, is that a cut back
won’t guarantee a price high enough
to offset the loss in production.
Lou Moore, Penn State’s well
known extension ag economist, said
that if domestic usage stayed the
same, corn prices could jump 40 to 45
percent if production were cut back
10 percent But domestic usage could
very well plummet with that kind of a
price hike. Most of that corn, after all,
goes into the bellies of hogs, cattle,
chickens and dairy cows. And if corn
today were 40 percent higher, far
mers would be paying well over $4 a.
bushel.
Or would they 7
Heald, 802-862-6501, extension
6386. Heald is with the Vermont
State ASC Committee, 411 Main St,
Room 396, Grassmount Building,
Burlington, Vermont 05401
justments for dairy price supports.
Farm experts have estimated it will
cost the government $470 million.
Figures on its cost to consumers
have been disputed. The Agriculture
Department estimated that a year
from now milk will go up 6 cents a
gallon, butter up 15 cents a pound
and cheese up 7 cents a pound.
However, backers of the bill say
that projected inflation over the
course of the coming year will be!
responsible for price increases and
not necessarily the impact of the bill
alone.
The cost of the bill was estimated
by farm law experts as $350 million
for cotton, $5O million for milk and
$7O million for grain. The measure
affects government supports for
these crops.
1972)
Sharpest declines from a year ago
were in California, Texas and Arizona.
California’s March 1 total, at 476,000
head, was down 55 pet.; Texas’, at
1,076,000 head, was down 54 pet;
Arizona's total, at 304,000, was down
49 pet.
the 8 Eastern States, at 21.6 million
cwt., up 40 pet. from a year ago; those
in the 8 Central States totaled 17.8
million cwt, up 28 pet. from a year
ago. Stocks in the 8 Western States,
at 62 8 million cwt., up 22 pet. from a
year ago.
THE GREAT RACE
Lesson for March 23, 1975
Background Scripture:
Hebrews 11 through 12.
Devotional Reading:
Revelation 3:18-21.
Perspective can make all
athe difference.
For example, life can be
viewed by one person as a
“wild goose chase,” while
.another views the same
circumstances as “the great
race.” »
It is the latter view which
captures the imagination of
the writer of the Epistle to
the Hebrews. Climaxing a
long passage on the meaning
of faith, he challenges his
readers; “ ... let us
run .. the race that is set
before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
This is a view that very
much parallels that of a little
boy who was leading his
sister up a rocky hillside.
“Why this isn’t a path at
all,” complained the little
girl, “It’s all bumpy.” “Of
course,” replied her brother,
“the bumps are what you
climb on!”
Lighten the load
If we are to regard life as
“the great race, however,
there are certain provisions
that will help us from ex
periencing it as a “wild
goose chase.”
For one thing, a runner
must travel light! “Let us
also lay aside every weight
and sin which clings so
closely...” (12:1). A
runner in a race will not be
able to successfully com
plete the race in good time if
he is burdened down with
non-essentials. His uniform
is lightweight and he carries
nothing on his back or in his
hands.
Unfortunately many of us
try to run “the great race”
with too many en
cumbrances. We are
weighted down with things
that cannot possibly help but
slow us down. If we want to
run the race successfully,
then we must get rid of any
and all encumbrances.
So it is, says the writer,
with life itself. If we are
burdened with the weight of
our sins, we will be too
preoccupied to meet lifes
challenges with confidence.
As the obese person must
give up food, the alcoholic
his drinks, the lung cancer
candidate his cigarettes, so
the disciple of Christ must
divest himself on any en
cumbrance in running the
“great race.”
Keep going
Running the “great race”
also requires perseverance
says the writer of Hebrews.
What this means, of course,
is that in life as in races, we
must not give up before we
have reached the finish-line.
Just as the tortoise defeated
the speedier hare by his
perseverance, so this is the
same means by which we
can prevail in this race. So
many people lose the race
because they do not per
severe and give up
somewhere along the way.
The road of life is dotted with
the evidences of those who
did not “keep going!”
There is one other prin
ciple that is necessary to
keep life in perspective: we
must keep our eyes on the
goal. The writer of Hebrews
says: “looking to Jesus, the
To Meet Lime Needs
One of the best ways to get
maximum results from
fertilizers is to have the soil
at the proper degree of
acidity. In most cases this is
from a pH of 6.5 to 7.0
(potatoes will be lower on the
scale). If the soil needs more
lime and it is not applied,
then the fertilizer elements
will not be as available to the
plants. As was stated last
year, one of the best ways to
make fertilizer dollars go
further is to meet the lime
requirement before the
fertilizer is applied. This is
true for commercial farms
as well as home lawn and
gardens. An investment in
lime helps to get greater
returns from the fertilizer.
To Place Fertilizer
Carefully
Many folks are anxious to
grow maximum amounts of
crops and vegetables from
their small plots and as a
result, are quite liberal in the
use of commercial fertilizer.
A word of caution is needed
to prevent the fertilizer from
burning the seeds or plant
roots. Any fertilizer con
taining nitrogen or potash
can do damage to seeds or
roots. This means that the
fertilizer should be applied
and worked into the ground
ahead of planting, or placed
to the side and deeper than
the seeds or roots. Wien they
both go into the ground
together, and in contact, the
seeds may not germinate or
will be stunted. Fertilizer
placement is important in
order to get strong plants
and top yields.
Farm
Calendar
Saturday, March 22
Pa. Landrace Swine Sale,
Farm Show Arena,
Harrisburg.
6:30 p.m. - Lancaster County
Swine Assoc, annual
banquet, Blue Ball Fire
Hall.
6:45 p.m. - Twin Valley
Young-Adult Farmer
annual banquet, Twin
Valley H.S.
Tuesday, March 25
7:30 p.m. - Solanco home
gardening clinic, vo-ag
classroom, Solanco H.S.
Wednesday, March 26
7:00 p,m. - Pa. Farm &
Power Equipment
meeting, Shainline’s
Power House
Restaurant, Collegeville.
7:30 p.m. - Adult farmer
pioneer and perfector of our
faith, who for the joy that
was set before him endured
the cross, despising the
shame, and is seated at the
right hand of the throne of
God” (12:2). Jesus could
endure the hardship along
the way because he kept his
eye focused on the goal.
Because he did, he was
richly rewarded at the
completion of his race.
So let us run unem
cumbered, persevering in
the tough places, and
keeping our eyes on the goal
in this Great Race that is set
before us!
NOW IS
THE TIME. . . I
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 394-6851 |:;j
To Graze Animals
Gradually
Forage growth is starting
in many fields and pastures.
Winter rye is making rapid
growth and some livestock
producers may be grazing
their animals in the next few
weeks. Since this new growth
is very lush, it could cause
scouring or bloating if the
animals are not accustomed
to the grass. We suggest that
animals first be given a
feeding of dry matter such as
hay- and silage before going
to the spring pasture; also, it
is best to permit them on the
new pasture for short
periods (20 to 30 minutes) for
the first several days. The
continued feeding of dry
matter after the animals are
used to the new growth is
suggested for best results.
To Keep Weed
Killer Sprays
Out of Gardens
Many gardeners are of the
opinion that chemical weed
killers may be sprayed or
worked into their garden soil
to prevent weed growth this
summer. This is a dangerous
practice in the hands of the
inexperienced grower and
we would suggest that weed
killers not be used in the
home garden. Some plants
may not be harmed by the
common weed killers while
others nearby can be killed
by this same chemical. With
the large number of different
kinds of vegetables growing
in such a small area, it is not
practical to consider trying
to stop weed growth with
chemicals. In many cases
they will do more harm than
good. We suggest clean hand
or mechanical cultivation for
the home gardener for best
results. -
meeting, clean streams
law, Hinkletown Alter
native School,
Hinkletown.
7:30 p.m. - Chester County
grain marketing
meeting, Octorara H.S.
Thursday, March 27
7:30 p.m. - Elizabethtown
Young Farmer meeting,
beef and hog
management, E-Town
H.S.
7:00 p.m. - Pa. Farm and
Power Equipment
meeting, Dutch Town &
Country, Paradise.
Monday, March 31
8:30 a.m. - Lancaster County
Guernsey Breeders
annual tour. Leave.
Willow Street Mennonite
Church. Pick up also at
8:45 at Mussers Store, the
Buck.
Tuesday, April 1
Penn State milking school, at
Penn State. Continues
through April 3.
Pa. Poultry sales-service
conference, Keller
Conference Center, Penn
State.
American Egg Board annual
meeting, St. Petersburg
Beach, Fla., continues
through Apr. 2.
7:30 p.m. - Chester County
vegetable gardening
meeting, Devereux
Foundation, Berwyn.
Wednesday, April 2
Pa. Ag Bankers meeting,
Sheraton-Conestoga,
Lancaster.
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