Maryland Jerseyarid Delaware VOL 23 No. 30 After weeks of unseasonably cool weather, farmers throughout southeastern Pennsylvania are busy with their field work. Most of the corn in the area has been planted, and now, with sunny skies and warm temperatures, hay and Com up, hay looks good as conditions improve By KENDACE BORRY LTFITZ - “Things are looking better every day,” is the way one Lancaster County farmer summed it up and others across the Lancaster Farming area echoed his thoughts. The steady rain that has fallen in the last week or so and the warm, bright weather that has shone on the fields has brightened the hopes of fanners for a better season. “I got my corn all in and it’s up, about two to three and a half inches,” the farmer went on. “The rain didn’t hurt my corn and now I have pretty decent hay. I hope to start cutting it next week.” Another Lancaster County farmer estimated that about Ben Morgan retires UNIVERSITY PARK - Ben Morgan, professor of animal science Extension at Penn State University, will retire June 30 with almost 22 years of service to the University. Prior to his appointment to the College of Agriculture faculty, Morgan served 21 Ritchie heads Leb. Co. FFA unit By JOANNE SPAHR LEBANON - Heading the coming year’s Lebanon County Chapter of the Future Farmers of America wilt be 17-year-old Northern Lebanon High School student Scott Ritchie. Ritchie, and eight other officers, make up the Lebanon County FFA unit. % of all the com is planted and about half of that is up, the average, height being around the three inch mark. “Some of the early com Feeder and slaughter cattle prices are still rising By DIETER KRIEG LANCASTER - Cattle prices continue to escalate to new heights with feeders and slaughter cattle leading the way. Whereas slaughter cattle eclipsed the $6O per hundredweight mark last week for the first time in nearly five years, prices at Lancaster County auctions and elsewhere are indicating that $6O for high choice and prime cattle is almost to be expected. At Vintage on years on the West Virginia Cooperative Extension Service staff as county agricultural agent and livestock specialist. A native of Fairmont W Va., he received an A.B. degree from Fairmont State College and bachelor of (Turn to Page 35) Serving as vice president under Ritchie will be 16- year-old Robert Kreider, currently a sophomore at Annville-Cleona High School. Kreider will also be the ’7B-79 president of the Little Dutchman FFA Chapter The son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Kreider, Annville Rl, Kreider has previously Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 27,1978 planted may have rotted some,” he commented. “But that rain sure helped the hay. It should start coming off next week.” Tuesday, for example, 70 per cent of the slaughter cattle „ offered went for us over $6O per hundredweight. The number of cattle offered was down by nearly 300 com- pared to a week earlier. The Hay prices are mostly steady, but... By KENDACE BORRY NEW HOLLAND - An unheard of thing happened Monday at the New Holland Sales Stables hay sale. A small two-ton load of alfalfa timothy hay was sold for the price of $230 per ton. According to the sales stable, the hay was bought by a race horse owner, Ron Kohr, who is the owner of the Lauxmont Farms, Wrightsville. He reportedly bought the hay for his race horse Bedford Spirit, whose held the office of chaplain in his home chapter. A second FFA member from the Little Dutchman Chapter is David Bomgardner, who will assume the duties of assistant vice president of the county chapter. The son of Mr and Mrs. Harvey T. (Turn to Page 31) haylage is being made by many in the area. The above scene was photographed near Bernville in Berks County. “Growing, we’re still about a week behind schedule,” the farmer continued. “Everything looks better now than it did top price was $64.10 - fully $4 higher than the trend-setting price established at the Lancaster Livestock Yards on May 15. Feeder cattle prices at Vintage on May 19 went as worth has been estimated at $365,000. Norman Kolb, representing the New Holland Sales, related that this was the highest price he had ever heard paid for hay, Agriculture bill draws fire WASHINGTON, D.C. The Consumer and Agricultural Protection Act now pending before a Senate sub committee would lead to a government-managed agri cultural system and add a new layer of bureaucracy within the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the American Farm Bureau Federation. The subcommittee, on. Agricultural Production, Marketing and Stabilization of Prices of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry opened hearings on the proposed law Monday, May but we won’t be able to tell what type of season it is for a month or so yet. But good, warm weather will sure help.” high as $7O per hun dredweight for choice and good Angus, Charolais and Hereford cattle weighing 380 to 600 pounds. Some 700 to 900 pound animals were sold for $63 to $67.50 perhun- and that it in no way represented the market. “Hay prices are holding just about steady,” he stated. “Average alfalfa hay is bringing about $125 to $l5O per ton.” 22, anil completed 'them Wednesday. The biIHS. 2626) would set up a powerful National Board of Agricultural Governors, with members In this issue Farm Calendar 10 Editorials 10 Medicein & Mgmt. 16 Homestead Notes 50 Joyce Bupp 52 Ida’s Notebook 52 Home on the Range 54 Jr. Cooking edition 56 Doris Thomas 60 Farm Women Calendar 61 Classifieds 67 Cumberland DEHA 98 laware $6.00 Per Year From Ephrata, a farmer told that he will start his hay cutting on Monday, weather permitting. And he com-, (Turn to Page 18) dredweight. Two Charolais cows with calves were auctioned off for $7BO each and described as “out standing.” In Lancaster on May 19, (Turn to Page 36) He went on to say that the sales stables is getting less loads of hay now than they did in the midst of Winter. “Dairy farmers are starting to use pasture,” he (Turn to Page 24) appointed by President Carter from agriculture, consumer groups, organized labor and business. (Turn to Page 27) Yesterday’s farming 100 Tillage and planting changes 107 Top chicken cook 108 My Thoughts 112 First endurance ride 117 4-HExpo 100 Rodeo family 125 Ag Safety Council 126 4-H steers branded 129 Kendy’sKollumn 133 Berks County DHIA 137