VoL 21 No. 14 Man's best friend led the way while four harder working friends pulled a plow near Ronks on Thursday. 'Plowing fever' got the best of this Amishman and a number of other farmers this week as unusually warm and sunny weather moved into the area. New beef grades upset cattlemen By DIETER KRIEG LANCASTER—The new federal meat grading regulations rhich are to go into effect Monday aren’t likely to benefit myone, according to opinions expressed Wednesday night at ic Lancaster Stock Yards when the new standards were ■xplained by USDA representatives. Most of the ap- iroriinately 150 farmers and packers present didn’t know for ure what the proposed revisions mean, but by the time the Chester Co, Dairy Day featured calf care By DIETER KRIEG .'UNIONVILLE - Cleanliness, the elimination of stress, -foper temperature and humidity levels, draft-free and diy housing, and good management are the most essential points to remember in a good calf-raising program, according to Don Ace, Penn State dairy specialist. Ace was here at the Stone Barn Inn on Thursday to take part in Chester County Dairy Day activities which diw more Solanco youth is Pa. Com Contest winner By MELISSA PIPER QUARRYVILLE - One of the first farming techniques that almost every young person learns is the fine art of growing com. And while the whole operation from Last of the tobacco crop moves to market p RONKS - Lancaster County’s tobacco crop is sold, and as *nas been reported here and elsewhere for the last several weeks, the going price was 58 cents per pound. Trucks and wagons were lining the main street here on Thursday, waiting to unload their crop at an old warehouse. A Denver area former said he had been there since 8 a.m. and didn’t expect to reach the unloading dock until mid afternoon. More loads were still coming in at 2 p.m. Asked if he was satisfied with his price, he responded with a quick “yes,” explaining that it’s very fair considering the quality of Wagons and trucks lined the streets of Ronks on Thursday to deliver the last of this year's 58-cent tobacco crop to the warehouse. plowing to harvesting can be accomplished with great numbers of acreage, per- Meeting one single acre can be quite complicated. For one Solanco area y out h however, his one acre Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, Feb. 21,1976 situation was explained, they had made up their minds where they stood: opposite from USDA. Bill McCoy, president of the Lancaster Stock Yards, Inc., had this to say: “We can ill afford to change standards which for the past 30 or 40 years have enabled cattlemen to come up with a product which consumers want these new regulations could, in my opinion, drive consumers from the than 200 dairymen on a day which was marked by un seasonably warm and sunny weather. “I am well convinced that management is the key to controlling calf losses,” the renowned daily specialist said at one point. “How badly do you want to keep the calves alive? ” he asked. Ace noted that in one study within the state, 545 dairymen were surveyed and out of these, three hadlost all of their calves during an entire year. “Calf losses are pretty com crop turned out to be a prize winning effort. Dam Hershberger, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Her* shberger, Quarryville Rl, was recently named as toe his tobacco this year. On the other hand, it did not cover his expenses. Two Amishmen from Bird-in-Hand were delivering the last of their crop Thursday afternoon. They had sold all of it for 58 cents and commented that “we could use 60 cents, and we’d be better pleased, but we don’t want to complain. A tobacco grower from the Kinzer area said he wasn’t satisfied with his price - which, like all the rest, was 58 cents per pound. He flatly stated that the costs of production and everything else have gone up but the price of tobacco stayed Gold Medal Winner in a one acre com contest sponsored by the Pennsylvania Crop improvement Association, Dan’s honor was atngnlar in the state as the youth was the only producer to have 201 meat counter and even if we lose Just one customer, we took a step in the wrong direction.” It was a point which a number of people in the auction room agreed with. Milt Marshall, representative of Cross Brothers, a Philadelphia meat packing firm, rose from his seat on numerous occasions to contest the USDA position, “We pay for our own mistakes, and I’ll be darned if I want to | Continued on Page ll] dam serious in this state on the average,” he exclaimed. “You can probably live with a calf loss of five to ten per cent, but I’d advise you to stay below the five per cent mortality level.” Speaking of baby calves as frail individuals which are as helpless as human babies, Ace made it dear that he is in bushels of com in his acre plot. The contest is sponsored annual by the crop association and is open to farming youth under 21 years of age. Judging is the same as last year. “It don’t make sense,” he exclaimed. Most fanners were, however, satisfied with the deal they had made. Their costs of production weren’t always met, but then on the other hand, they admitted they didn’t have quite the quality or quantify either. One Amishman, puffing on his cigar, summed up the at titude of most tobacco growers: “I guess we’ll have to be pleased with it.” I In this issue I Farm Calendar 10 Women’s calendar 44 ' Editorials 10 Home on the Range 46 : Barney Nixnutz 10 Tractor Pullers 50 t FF A feature 14 Soybean situation 53 j Solanco corn winners 40D Peach meeting 58 | Soils and crops day 40F Lifeonthelarm 60 I Homestead Notes 42 Corn growers clinic 69 I Country Corner 42 Public Sales Register 72 $3.00 Per Year [CcnSnued on face 17] based on yield per acre along with net profits gained from the venture. Dan’s net profit was calculated at $3Bl. which the youth has put into buying new stock for his dairy herd, (Continued on Pate 15]
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers