10
—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 24,1979
Editor:
We of Pennsylvania
Farmers Union appreciate
your excellent coverage of
our convention. As always
we thank you for your
willingness to publicize the
farmers’ achievements and
to find solutions to the many
problems which confront us.
We look forward to con
tinuing cooperation with you
and the staff of Lancaster
Farming.
Leonard Zemaitis
Administrative Assistant
for Pennsylvania
Harrisburg
Editor:
As a reader of your paper I
would like some equal time
to speak for at least some of
us silent Pennsylvania
formers who stayed home.
JOINING
HANDS
Lesson lor February 25, 1979
Background Scriptures:
Ephesians4:l-16..
Devotional Reading:
Luke 10:1-11.
The little daughter of a
farmer was lost. Although
TO USE QUALITY SEED
Many folks are now
making plans for the 1979
growing season. In these
{dans should be to use seeds
of the very best quality and
condition. Left-over seeds
may be satisfactory, if
properly stored. If they are
certified or top quality seeds
to start with, it might be best
to run a germination test on
them to be certain they will
germinate. This can be done
with the “Rag-Doll” method
(wrapping seeds in rolled up
rags) or by placing seeds in
a dish on wet paper towels,
cover with plastic, and keep
in a warm place for at least
10 days. If these seeds do not
grow under either of these
tests don’t rely on them for
your crop. Certified seed
may cost more in the
RURAL ROUTE
I refer to your article
“Three million farmers
stayed home.”
First of all, many farmers
who have livestock cannot
just up and go to
Washington. This does not
mean that we are against
those who did.
I cannot speak for fanners
in your area, but around
here we farm the best we can
and find it necessary to use
tractors, not horses.
Sincerely,
Cost and maintenance
have gone up considerably
while farm prices have
moved up at a snail’s pace.
You say most farmers
don’t want 90 per cent parity.
Not so!
We have been told that we
must be happy with 73 per
cent. That was not our idea. I
would like to ask: Would you
ill, she had somehow
managed to wander away
from the farmhouse into the
weeds and tall grass of the
prairie. The farmer knew
-that he would need help to
find her, so he called
together some friends who
searched the prairie for
sevral fruitless hours.
Daylight was beginning to
dim and the temperature
was getting very cold.
Finally, one of the friends
said, “The weeds and grass
are very thick and it is easy
for us to miss many places.
Why don’t all of us join
hands, therefore, and,
marking our starting place,
go through the undergrowth
like the huge rake? Then
beginning, but usually is
worth the difference.
TO GO EASY
ON EXPANSION
The trend on many farms
today is to expand and get
larger. However, keep in
mind that to get “bigger” is
not necessarily “better”.
There are two ways to ex
pand a farm operation. One
is to increase the output per
unit and the other is to in
crease the number of units.
Producers who are not
currently producing the
average per acre, per cow,
or per unit should make a
special effort to increase the
output per. unit rather than to
increase the number of
units. Farmers who are now
producing higher than the
average per unit can in
crease their net returns by
adding more units. As the
operation expands decisions
are more important and
mistakes are more costly.
The recent Pork Congress
held at Hershey was an
impressive gathering of hog
producers. This one-day
affair reflected the great
interest in the swine industry
in this part of the state. As
ivestock men know, the
number of hogs on farms in
this state have increased
rapidly in the past decade.
However, there are signs of
sufficient numbers to return
continued profits. Therefore,
producers should take a good
look at their production
methods in the months
ahead. It is quite possible
that market prices will be
closer to production costs.
Good management in feed
efficiency, parasite control,
larger litters, and other
items will be needed in order
to make any profits.
be satisfied wun to per cent
of what you how make?
There isn’t a segment of
our economy that would
stand for less than 100 per
cent of what is due them. If
they did, they would be in the
same boat that we are in - on
the verge of bankruptcy.
There isn’t a business today
that can exist very long
without cost of production
plus a reasonable profit.
The question should be: If
the farmer is entitled to a
dollar, why should anyone
say he has to be happy with'
75 cents? It’s really a
question of fair play.
As for the government
coming in and running
things if the farmer receives
100 per cent of parity - wake
up. The government is
already on the scene. It has
we’ll be sure not to miss
anything.”
In God’s Name, Why?
All of them agreed that it
was something they should
have done from the very
beginning and so they
started out once again, this
time with joined hands.
After a half hour of united
search, they found the little
girl, but it was too late. She
was dead. “In God’s name,”
the farmer cried, “why
didn’t we join hands
before.?”
This is a tragic illustration
of what happens when we
fail to pool our gifts for the
common good. It is a cry that
we have uttered again and
again. Amazed to find what
TO EVALUATE
SWINE EFFICIENCY
TO PREVENT MASTITIS
One of the major
By Tom Armstro
ijuu Uu.u! toi quite some
time. In fact, things wouldn’t
be as bad if the government
would have kept its nose out
of farming. This is the mam
reason we are at 75 per cent
and not 100 per cent.
They say that the majority
of the vote is off the farm.
This has brought about the
cheap food programs that
both Democrats and
Republicans have followed.
The main reason that the
farmers are in Washington is
because they know that
Washington is where the
whole problem is.
Jack Clark
New Hope, Pa.
Editor:
I think your editorial on
the farmers tractor parade
in Washington was right on.
happens when we join hands
in war, we wonder why we
didn’t join hands in peace.
Often it is only when it is too
late that we realize what we
can do together when we
share what God has given us.
This is one of the reasons
for the church as a
fellowship of disciples; to do
together what we cannot do
as well by ourselves.
Sometimes, however, we
assume that the purpose of
the church is to bring
together people of a similar
nature. But it is to share our
diversities, not our
similarities that God calls us
together. As the writer of
Ephesians saw the church, it
management practices
stressed at the recent
Milking School was for
dairymen to prevent
mastitis, rather than try to
cure cows already with the
infectioiuMany local herds
Today, Feb. 24
Garden Spot Young Farmers
annual banquet, 6:45 p.m.
at Blue Ball Fire Hall.
Ham and chicken dinner,
sponsored by the Mon
tgomery County Equine
Council, Skippack Fire-
Hall.
Pennsylvania Guernsey
Breeders annual
meeting, and dinner, 11
a.m. at Chilcoates
Restaurant, East
Freedom, on Route 220,
south of Altoona.
Monday, Feb. 26
Ortho Unipel Fertilizer
appreciation dinner
They may have done more
harm than good.
However, I am very much
concerned about the high
cost of equipment for the
young, small farmer star
ting out. Will we have
enough for the kind of people
it takes to establish a debt
free smaS'farm operation at
50 years of age?
The free-wheeling labor
unions, and uncontrolled
government spending over
the past 25 years have
brought this about.
Editor:
Being a regular reader of
your paper, I read your Feb.
10 editorial “Three million
was composed of people
whose gifts were varied and
different.
Given To Each
He began with the con
viction that each person is
given gifts by God, en
dowments that can con
tribute to the welfare of
other people: “...grace was
given to each of us according
to the measure of Christ’s
gift” (4:7). Everybody has
something that is needed by
and can be a blessing for
others. Too many of us
assume that we were behind
the door when the gifts were
passed out. But the writer to
the Ephesians says that
have the problem and
owners have been battling
the infection for years. Cows
with this udder in
flammation may produce 30
to 40 per cent less milk
during that lactation. The
Farm Calendar
meeting, Meadow Hills
Dining House, 1 mile
south of Lancaster along
the New Danville Pike,
6:45 p.m.
York County 4-H hor
ticulture club meeting,
7:30 p.m. at the 4-H
Center near Bair, west of
York.
Cumberland County
Cooperative Sheep and
Wool Growers annual
meeting and banquet, 7
p.m. at the First United
Methodist Church, comer
of Frederick and Simpson
Streets, Mechamcsburg.
Pennsylvania Young Far
mers Association Region
H Leadership Training
Conference, 9:30 a.m.
through 3 p.m. at the
Brownstown Vo-Tech
School, Lancaster
County.
Tuesday, Feb. 27
Lancaster County Swine
Producers Day, 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. at the Farm and
Home Center.
Egg marketing outlook
meeting, 7:30 p.m. at the
Adams County Extension
Center; John Hoffman of
PPF will speak on “Egg
Promotion is Working”
and Penn State’s Kermit
Editor;
Every week when I
receive Lancaster Farming
I turn the pages and read
- your editorial first.
Most times I agree with
you 100 per cent.
I certainly want to
congratulate you on your
recent editorial (Feb. 10).
Sincerely,
Lloyd W.Nolt
Mount Joy, Pa.
Sincerely,
John H. Hull, Sr.
Westminster, Md.
milking with proper vacuum
is very important along with
teat dipping after milking,
and dry cow treatment.
Good milking practices are
very important to good herd
health and top production.
Birth will focus on the
meaning of Expansion of
the Poultry Industry in
Southeastern Penn
sylvania.
Forage workshop at Kutz-g
town Grange Hall, 9 a.m. "
Garden Spot Young Farmers
meeting, at the Sperry
New Holland Training
Center, 7:30 p.m. Topic:
justments.
Agribusiness breakfast, for
AUentown-Lehigh County
area, at City-Vu Diner,
Allentown, 7:30 a.m.
First meeting in a series of 3
for Maryland dairymen.
At Frock’s Sunnybrook
Farm Restaurant,
Westminster, 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. Nutrition is topic
this day.
National Young Farmer
Institute meeting for 1981
Convention (Penn
sylvania is host) at the
Hershey Motor Inn, 9:30
a.m.
Ephrata Area Young Far
mers meeting, 7:45 p.m.
at the high school. Topic:
Motor Oils - natural and|
synthetic.
Thomasville 4-H Club
fanners stayed home,” with
great interest.
Having been associated
with an employee of A.S.C.
for the last 27 years, yotir
editorial just sounds like a
rerun out of Washington -
“You never had it so good. ”
Thank you.
Don Ishler
Bellefonte, Pa.
everyone has a gift to con
tribute. So, the diversity of
gifts should not separate us,
he says, but bring us
together, because there is
one common source: “one
Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of us
a 11...” (4:5,6).
And as we grow to
maturity, we grow, not
apart, but together: “...we
are to grow up in every way
into him who is the head, into
Christ, from whom the whole
body, joined and knit
together by every joint ...
makes bodily growth and
upbuilds itself in love.”
1f... we join hands.
Forage harvester ad-
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