Farmers’ decisions tough this year
By JERRY WEB
University of Delaware
NEWARK, Del. - Far- It all adds up to a rather
ming is off to a slow start confusing marketing picture
this year and already it’s for the next several months,
'having an impact in the Mid-west economists are
marketplace. A combination talking about uncertainty
of low temperatures and and confusion in the
more than adequate marketplace as they point to
moisture supplies have increased prices over the
slowed farmers in getting past several weeks for com
back into the fields clear and soybeans.
across the country. Add to The market for com and
that the possibility that some beans seems to be very
fanners may hold land out of sensitive to almost anything
production and the fact that that’s happening. Although
the government is still it’s too early to plant most
messing around with farm field crops, the market is
programs at a time when already sensitive to the fact
ATTENTION
FARMERS...
FREE
ESTIMATES
ON RODENT
CONTROL
RODENTS carry diseases which
can endanger the health of your
flocks. Your business is raising the
flocks. Ours is protecting them.
■ 1278 Loop Rd.
Lancaster, Pa. 17604
Since 1928
Pest control is too important
to trust to anyone else
CUSTOM WELDING
GATES MADE TO ORDER
• NOG SET UPS • BARNYARD FENCING
Gates Made Of Eiߣ or
• ALL-WELDED CONSTRUCTION
• FOOL-PROOF LATCH.
PORTABLE
“SHOP ON WHEELS"
• Repairs on farm equipment at the
farm or in shop.
• Electric and acetylene.
• MIG welding in shop.
• Subcontract work.
• Fabricating.
CLAIR E. BEILER
RD #l, KINZER, PA. 17535
Shop: 2 mi. west of Gap on Smryna Rd.
Shop Phone: (717) 442-8126 Residence: 442-8039
fanners should have their
plans all made.
DO IT RIGHT
that farmers might have
trouble planting those crops.
On the other hand, it might
dry up and they might get
their crops planted in a big
hurry, and what’s happening
now would be mere
speculation.
So what’s a farmer to do?
If he’s still worrying about
whether to plant com or
soybeans, he has a tough
decision to make nghfnow.
And even the best decision
could go wrong between now
and market time because if
too many farmers decide
higher prices for soybeans
make them more attractive,
then they may in fact kill the
market.
The economic experts see
the soybean situation a little
differently than com. They
talk about the old crop and
the amount of usage and the
size of the Brazilian crop.
Some experts are saymg
that country’s output will be
below 10 million metric tons,
and that’s a short enough
crop to add considerable
strength to U.S. soybean
prices.
But unlike so many other little bit of overproduction or
industries, agriculture is at a small shortage that even
the mercy of the weather, the slightest expectation can
Here we are at a time when se nd the market tumbling or
seeds don’t really need to be spiraling,
planted and prices for next By now most farmers’
fall’s crops are being m- field crop plans are pretty
fluenced. So many weather firm. There is some
variables could hit a farmer flexibility depending on what
between now and bar- happens with weather
vesttime that it seems silly conditions, planting con
to even try to guess at a ditions, prices and some
proper selling price. Our other factors during the next
current wet weather coukj. few weeks. But the shifts will
turn into a long dry spell, or be small and the government
those critical rains in July reports of planting intentions
could go somewhere else. Or should be pretty well on
how about an early frost, or target. It’s a long time until
another wet Fall? And harvest, however, and many
maybe we get all those things could go wrong bet
things here in the mid- ween now and then.
Atlantic region and they
•BULIPENS
uare Tubing.
• HEAVY DUTY HINGES.
• GALVANIZING AVAILABLE
WELDING
WELD IT!
have beautitui weather ui
the Com Belt.
It’s tough for a farmer to
come up with a strategy that
will look good next Fall. I
hear farmers talking about
contracting when beans
reach a certain figure or
when com reaches a certain
figure. They talk about
contracting a few thousand
bushels but not the entire
crop. Meantime, they wait to
get into the fields and
wonder what else the
government is going to do.
No one is totally dis
counting the American Agri
culture movement for that
matter. A lot of farmers
are going along with that
program, cutting back
rather drastically on their
production. A report out of
Kansas the other day in
dicated that thousands of
acres of Kansas wheat are
being plowed under as part
of the farm strike. Not many
people are expecting enough
idle production to drastically
affect prices, but every little
bit counts. Farm corn-
modifies are so sensitive to a
Farmers play in one of the
wildest crap games that has
ever come along. They pile
those high stakes on the
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 9,1978
table and win or lose with a soybean crop, a short crop in
roll of the dice. The best Brazil is likely to result in a
farmer who does the best price peak this Spring here
possible production job is in the United States and then
still a big-time gambler, for “prices will decline from then
production is only a small on until harvest. How much
part of the farming game they will decline will depend
and so much of whether he on the size of the soybean
wins or loses is totally out of acreage and the developing
hishands. prospects for final
It’s a strange business production. So a farmer
when what happens in Brazil who’s really concerned
is going to make a about whether to plant
tremendous difference here soybeans or not, or how
in the U.S. Consider this much to plant, needs to be
prediction from the watching the Brazilian
economists. They say for the soybean crop.
WHAT'S NEW
FINGER PICKUP FOR
ALL HESSTON STAKHAND
HAYSTACKERS
A new Finger Pickup
attachment has been in
troduced by Hesston Cor
poration for use on its
StakHand hay stacking
equipment.
The new attachment fits
all three Hesston StakHand
models: The StakHand 60-A
(builds stacks weighing up to
six tons); StakHand 30-A
(builds stacks weighing up to
three tons); and StakHand
10 (builds stacks that weigh
up to IV* tons).
The Finger Pickup installs
just ahead of the paddle
drum and delivers win
drowed crop to the center
line of the rotating paddles.
Since it carries the windrow
up and into the paddles they
can be operated higher
above the ground. This
eliminates regrowth clipping
or “stubble burn” and
minimized paddle damage in
rocky conditions. The in
creased height of the paddles
dramatically reduces dust
pickup, creating cleaner hay
stacks. Also allows operator
to work under less dusty
conditions.
The new attachment
improves windrow pickup in
all crop conditions and
permits windrow travel in
either direction. The pickup
assembly (see drawing) is
attached directly to the
paddle pickup housing and is
belt-driven from the paddle
pickup drum. Skid shoes on
the Finger Pickup at
tachment control flotation in
conjunction with a full-width
gauge wheel on the paddle
pickup.
The new pickup at
tachment is available on any
new model Hesston
StakHand and can be field
installed on most older
models equipped with 5 or 6-
foot paddle pickups.
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