Weather spreads grief and damage
Barns collapse
By JOYCE BUPP
Staff Correspondent
YORK ~ Snow blew
around the silos and tun
neled in on the top of the
eighty ear-old cement block
and wooden truss staunchion
barn extension at the
Smyser’s Richlawn dairy
farm. East Berlin Road.
Then, sometime late last
Friday evening, the roof
went down.
Trapped under the twisted
Thereof is gone atSmyser Rich lawn Farm’s dairy barn.
' "* s j
Fifty-five heifers owned by Perryde(l Farm Dairy were trapped when a roof
collapsed over their confinement area.
Farm Calendar 10
Editorials 10
Life on the farm 14
My Thoughts 33
Homestead Notes 42
Jr. Cocking Edition 43
Southeastern Pennsylvania AreOt - Also Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware
VOL 23 •«•*-
metal and broken timbers
were 35 Holstein cows and a
calf. Miraculously, only one
animal was-killed, pinned
undet overhead silage
feeding equipment. Several
other cows were treated for
cuts and bruises to udders
and backs.
Richard Smyser, who
operates the farm with his
sons, Robert and Rodney,
discovered the collapsed 20
by 40 foot extension when he
made a late night check on
the herd. Members of the
In this issue
Joyce Bupp 44
Ida’s Notebook 47
Home on the Range 49
Plant Lovers’ Comer 51
Farmers Union 52,54
Kendy’sKollumn 55
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 28,1978
Weiglestown Fire Company
were called to assist in cut
ting through the pipes and
debris to free the trapped
cattle. With the peak of the
roof lying directly down the
middle of the center walk
way, stall pipes surrounding
the resting cows had held the
structure just off the
animals’ hades. Cows were
freed through the feeding
areas along each side of the
structure.
The original dairy facility
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Classifieds 56
Master Fanner 82
Lebanon DHIA 84
Remembering... 90
British agriculture > 101
Public Sales Register 106
Crops suffer
By LAUREL SCHAEFFER
Berks County Reporter
READING - Many Berks
County fanners, as well as
farmers in surrounding
areas are being constantly
challenged with additional
problems this Winter,
caused by the impredicable,
and more often than not,
adverse weather. Com-
Farm trucking continues
By DIETER KRIEG
LITITZ - Neither snow,
ice or floods will stop the
wheels of agriculture of con
ditions of the past 10 days
can be given as proof of that
statement.
While most farmers ua
' doubtedly had their own
share of problems and extra
expenses to contend with due
to the harsh weather of the
past 10 days, they ai least
could, heed the warnings, of
Snow fells Farm Show
By JOANNE SPAHR
HARRISBURG - For
tunately, the Wintemational
tractor pulls were over
'before last Sunday evening
when pressure from ac
cumulated snow and ice sent
an approximated 75 tons of
brick crashing through the
roof of the new livestock
offices and photo room on
the western side of the Farm
Show complex. It was also
fortunate that the Penn
Support prices may rise
By JOANNE SPAHR
HARRISBURG - Tony T.
Dechant, president of both
the National Farmers Union
and the International
Federation of Agricultural
Producers, brought good
news to 95 delegates
assembled, here, for the 6th
annual convention of the
Pennsylvania Farmers
Union on Monday and Tues
day.
Speaking at Monday even-
Cattle future predicted
By DIETER KRIEG
LANCASTER - Penn
State’s well-known
agricultural economist, H.
Louis Moore, predicts slight
improvement in cattle prices
for 1978, citing decreasing
cattle numbers and com
paratively 4ow feed prices as
the major reasons. He made
the predictions during the
multi-county Cattle Feeders
pounding the earlier
problems of decreased
quantities of hay and straw
has been the late, and in
many cases the incompleted
harvesting of Fall crops.
Not only has the delay in
harvesting due to the
unusually wet Fall caused
problems itself, but it has
also Increased the dilemma
faced by many farmers with
bedding shortages. With the
very high costs of straw,
the State Police to stay off
the roads. The farmer’s
work is generally not far
from his back door. Many
others, however, have miles
to drive to work. And a few,
such as the truckers, have
hundreds of miles to cover
regardless of the weather
outside.
This area’s farmers ap
parently weathered the
storms pretty well as far as
deliveries and pick-ups are
sylvania Farm Show, held
only two weeks prior, was
over, or the estimated
$225,000 damage could have
exceeded that monetary
figure to include the deaths
of many persons.
According to Wellington D.
Smith, Farm Show director,
the incident was partly due
to deterioration of that 40
year old segment of the
building.
The Farm Show director
ing’s banquet, Dechant told
the delegates that as-of that
morning the chairman of the
Senate Agriculture Commit
tee, Sen. Herman Talmadge,
D.-Ga., had invited Bob
Bergland to come before the
committee on Tuesday mor
ning. At that time Talmadge
was to voice his support of
taking at least 50 million
acres of land out of produc
tion at the cost of 3 Ms billion
dollars. He was also to
Day held this week at the
.Farm and Home Center,
here.
Attended by nearly 200 cat
tle feeders despite bad
weather, the Cattle Feeders
Day addressed a number of
topics of interest to cat
tlemen. Moore led the pro
gram with his assessment of
the present economic fac
tors.
$6.00 Per Year
farmers have been relying
on com fodder to ease the
straw shortages but have
had a difficult time getting it
out of the fields because of
rain, mud, ice and now
snow, explained James
Haldeman, Berks County
Extension Agent. Some area
farmers have had to go to
other types of bedding such
as sawdust and shavings, he
added.
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concerned. The amount of
milk which could not be pick
ed up is very minimal,
which, in the words of one
spokesman, is a tribute to
both dairymen and their
haulers.
It hasn’t been easy,
however. Many truckers had
their 10-hour days stretched
to 14 and more. A few were
stranded and could not get
home for several days.
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explained that the complex
has a parapet wall around
the large arena. This wall
extends four feet above the
eaves of the roof and serves
as a gutter to direct drainage
from the roof into the roof
drains. From the edge of the
parapet wall to jthe ridge
pole or peak of the roof, is
about 125 feet. This sloped
roof collects a large amount
of snow.
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recommend to Bergland that
the administration increase
the loan rate on wheat to
$2.75 per bushel, a 50 cent in
crease which will cost in the
neighborhood of $1 billion
dollars. He is also proposing
that the com rate be raised
by 50 cents, as well, to $2.50
per bushel, and that the loan
rate on soybeans go to $5 per
bushel. The corn boost will
(Turn to Page 39)
The way Moore sees it, a
number of uncertainties
cloud the future. Some of the
ones which aren’t directly
related to agriculture in
clude the nation’s trade
deficit, inflation, the energy
non-program, the protection
of sentiments such as im
ports, the falling dollar in in
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