10—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 7. 1975 f Farm Commentary by Dick Wanner June Is Dairy Month This week Lancaster Farming salutes the dairy farmers in our midst and the many, many people who help the dairyman m his efforts to con tinue the flow of one of nature's finest foods. Dairying is big business here in the five-county Lancaster Farming cir culation area and throughout the state of Pennsylvania. The Keystone State’s $622.5 million worth of milk and milk products produced in 1974 made us the number five dairy state in the nation. Lancaster and the four surroun ding counties accounted for a full 26 percent of the state’s milk produc tion. Lancaster County dairymen had production valued at $71,960,000. Somebody Wants to Your Farm The Lancaster County Con servation District is again on the lookout for a larmer who will volunteer a few acres for the plowing contest held annually by the District If you have 20 acres or so you’d like to see plowed in a single afternoon, contact Everett Kreider, Quarryville, or the Conservation District in the Farmer’s Slice Gets Smaller It isn’t the cost of the bread, it’s the spreads the - transportation - handling - merchandising spread, the miller’s flour spread, the baker - wholesaler spread, the wholesale - retail spread. It’s all outlined in USDA’s current Marketing and Transportation Situation, which points out, in cidentally, Vvhile the farmer’s share on all ingredients that go into a 1 pound loaf of white bread is down from a year ago, thg price of bread is, you’ve guessed it, up. Here’s how It’s worked out. Last year, the farmer received an average of s.4.cents for the wheat, and 7.9 cents in all for all ingredients (lard, Com Soybeans Ahead of Schedule Corn, sorghum, soybean plantings all running ahead of schedule. As of May 25, 90 pet. of intended corn acreage had been planted in the 14 States that produced 88 pet. of the Nation’s corn last year. This, against 75 pet. a year ago and the average of 79 pet. for the date over the years. And, according to the Weekly Weather & Crop Bulletin, 55 pet. of the sorghum had been planted in the 7 States that account for 90 pet. of Farm Prices Higher prices for cotton and apples more than offset lower prices for wheat and soybean to push the Index of Prices up 8 points (5 pet.) during the month ended May 15. At 178 (pet. of its Jan.-Dee. 1967 average), the index was at its highest point since November 1975. It was also up 4 points (2 pet.) from a year earlier. Cattle prices advanced $4.70 per cwt. to $36.50 (but were still 80 cents below a year ago); hog prices were up $5.80 to $45.10 (and were $lB.BO above May 1974). Upland cotton was up 4.1 cents to 36.3 cents per lb. Apples were up 3.5 cents to a record 14.5 cents per lb. On the decrease Berks County had $26,063,000, Chester County posted $27,063,000, Lebanon County had $19,548,000 and York County dairy cows produced $16,266,000. Dollars, of course, tell only part of the story. Impressive as these figures might seem, they very often don’t pay the dairy farmer any more for his 60, 70 or 80 hour week than he could earn in a factory. Working with cows day in and day out is more than just a business, or a way of earning a living. It's a way of life. And here's a hearty Lancaster Farming thanks to the men and women who’ve chosen to lead that kind of life. Borrow Farm and Home Center, Lancaster. The District office number is 299- 5361. Kreider, a member of the District's board and plowing contest chairman, said the contest could be held either in late July or early August, and would depend on when the land could be made available. shortening, nonfat dry milk, and sugar) in a 1 lb. loaf. The marketing handling, etc spread got 2.7 cents; the miller’s spread accounted for 1.0 cents; the baker-wholesaler spread, 17.1 cents; the wholesale-retail spread, 5.8 cents to bring the cost of a loaf of bread to 34.5 cents. During the first quarter of 1975, the farmer’s share dropped to 7.5 cents (4.7 cents of it for the wheat); the tran sportation-handling, 3.3 cents, the miller’s flour spread 7-10 of 1 cent, the baker-wholesale spread, 20.2 cents, the wholesale-retail spread, 5.6 cents to bring the retail price to 37.3 cents. the Nation's sorghum production. This is just ahead of a year ago when 53 pet. had been planted and an average of 48 pet. for the date. The bulletin also reported that 50 pet. of the soybean plantings had been completed in the 18 States that account for 95 pet. of the soybean output. A year ago, only 30 pet. had been completed in those states. The average for the date is 36 pet. Paid Up 5 Pet. side, wheat was off 22 cents to $3.47, soybeans were off 61 cents to $5.00 per bu. On the Prices Paid side the index was up only 1 point ( x h of 1 pet.) to 183. It was 165 a year earlier. The Ratio of Prices Received to Prices Paid also moved up 4 points to 97. It stood at 105 a year ago. Under the old 1910-14 formulas, Prices Received advanced 19 points to 452 and were 442 a year earlier; Prices Paid were up 6 points to 627, and were 612 a year earlier; and the Parity Ratio moved up 3 points to 72. It was 78 a year earlier. INCOMPLETE CHRISTIANS Lesson for June 8,1975 Background Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Luke 4:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:10-17; Peter 1:61-21. Devotional Reading: Psalms 119:89-96. A mother was helping her son to unpack his army duffel bag. In the breast pocket of one of his uniforms she found the Bible she had sent to him. “Did you read it?” she asked. “Oh, you bet,” her son replied. “How far?” she persisted. Flashing a smile, her son replied: “From cover to cover!” Handing him the Bible she said, “Turn to page three, please.” Opening the Bible, he found on page three two twenty dollar bills. “I put them there when I sent you the Bible,” she explained. If it were forbidden In relating this little story, I am not suggesting that all of my readers start paging madly through their Bibles. But I do believe that in many homes the Bible might be the very best place to hide money, for it seems to be one of the places least likely to be disturbed. Church historians tell us that for daring to translate the Bible into English, William Tyndale was burned at the stake and Henry VIII did his best to keep the English Bible out of England. Public notices with this warning were posted: No. women, nor ar tificers, nor ap prentices, jour neymen, ser vingmen, yeomen, husbandmen or laborers shall read the Bible in English to himself or another, privately or openly on pain of a month’s im prisonment. Perhaps we’d be further ahead today if our own government were to pass such legislation. The prospect of people reading it “on the sly,” buying it under the counter at bookstores, having it sent in a plain wrapper” ... well, who knows what that might do! The writer of 2 Timothy assures us that “scripture is inspired by Good and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, That the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2. Timothy 3:16). Hi-equipped Judging by those stan dards and our biblical illiteracy, many of us are quite incomplete as followers of Christ. We are ill-equipped for our discipleship because, although we honor and venerate the Bible, we do not study it, know it, and use it up to anything close to its potential. The Bible is one of the Christian’s finest, most important resources, but it is also one of the most neglected. The most common excuses are that the Bible is just too difficult to understand. Yet, 1% id To Beware of Wood Tick* Summertime is outdoor One of the best ways to get time for many faniilies but additional yields of later there are hazards such as cuttings of alfalfa is to apply snakes, insects, and poison a phosphorus-potash fer ivy. The danger of getting tilizer after the first or Rocky Mountain Fever from second cuttings are har the bites of a wood tick is a vested. Alfalfa plants are possibility and all parents heavy feeders of both should beware of this phosphorus and potash and danger. These ticks are the ground supplies should found on tall grass, shrub- be replaced each year, bery, and in wooded areas. Nitrogen is not needed on They often attach them- established alfalfa because selves to the human body of the ability of alfalfa to fix around the head and hair- nitrogen from the air line. It is suggested that through the root nodules, prevention of these ticks Stands of alfalfa can stand might be the best way to periods of stress much avoid infection. Spray the better, such as insects or area several days prior to improper cutting times, if the visit, or weekly if used the field is in a high state of often, to kill the ticks before fertility. Local crop the area is used. Sevin or authorities feel that very few Diazinon can be used to local growers are getting prevent chances of wood tick maximum yields of alfalfa in infestation. this part of the state. A To Inspect No-Till recent report from Ohio Corn Fields showed a yield of 9.2 tons of The growing of com in ground without plowing or discing is gaining in popularity in many areas. This means the presence of large amounts of organic matter from the previous crop such as winter grain, old sod, or com stalks; This decomposing material on top of the ground provides ex cellent cover from many types of insects that feed upon the com stalk. For example, cutworms, stalk borer, and armyworms can be expected more in no-till fields. Growers should check their small plants several times per week and if the plants are being eaten, then a spray such as Sevin, Malathion, or Dylox should be used to kill the worms. Farm Calendar Saturday, June? Entries for the E-Town Young Farmers Corn Contest should be into the Vo-ag department by June 15. Tuesday, June 10 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Bucks - Montgomery wool pool sale sale at the Reading Freight Station in Doylestown. ' 8:00 p.m. - Farm and Home Foundation Directors Meeting in the Con ference Room of the Farm and Home Center. we uve in an age'of multiple popular Bible translations and have an almost unlimited supply of literature and other aids to help us understand it. There are courses in Bible study and even our' televisions stations sometimes provide this kind of programming. Why is it, then, that many of us continue to be so in complete as far as the Bible is concerned? (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.) NOW IS THE TIME. . Max Smith County Apr. Agent Telephone To Top-Dress Alfalfa alfalfa hay per acre in four cuttings at 35-day intervals. These yields are possible here with proper management. To Use The 1975 Agronomy Guide This Penn State publication is one of the very best for 1 local crop producers. Several thousand have already been distributed to farmers in ; Lancaster County. The Guide covers the growing of all major crops including varieties, fertilizers, weed, v and insect control 'suggestions. We urge locaT growers to study this*-/ publication often and follow the suggestion relating to their particular crops. All recommendations in this publication are based upon research and experience and have the backing of the Penn State Pesticide Committee. Thursday, June 12 8:00 p.m. - E-Town Young Farmers meeting for a special program on certified seeds with slide presentations. E-Town High School • Vo-ag classroom. Sunday, June IS 12:45 p.m. - Manheim Young Farmers Family picnic at the Mervin Hess Pavilion. 12:00 noon • Pa. Poland China Swine Breeder’s Association Picnic at the farm of Roland W. Piper, Benton R 3.16 miles north of Bloomsburgf Pa. Tuesday, June 17 FFA Activities Days at Penn State continuing through the 18th. & A
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers