—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 4,1979 152 Five acres stands between us and starvation By JERRY WEBB University of Delaware NEWARK, Del. - Although we Americans are the best fed people in the world, there really isn’t much between us and starvation. Department of Agriculture figure show that we each depend on die production of about five acres of farmland. From that we get almost all our food and at least some of our clothing and building materials. Add to that the frightening fact that your five-acre farm averages less than afoot deep. That means that thin little crust of topsoil must produce all of the food crops, feed crops, pastureland and farmstead space that’s required for our sophisticated diets. Of course, it hasn’t always been that way. When the Pilgrims came there were millions of acres and only a handful of people. But the ratio has been declining steadily ever since. There was a time when American farmers would “wear out” a farm and just abandon it and move on. There was always more free land farther west. But those days are gone and those worn-out farms have been reclaimed and urban sprawl has taken up where the migrating farmer PUBLIC SALE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22 New Holland Sales Stables New Holland, PA 25 Bred Gilts - 3 way cross; Duroc, York & Hamp shire. Bred to Chester White. Due Aug. 28 & next two weeks. Terms by, PHILIP M. HORNING PUBLIC SALE OF VALUABLE LIMESTONE FARM SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 AT 2:00 P.M. Located on the road leading from Clay to Brunnerville, Pa. on the Hammer Creek Road from Hammer Creek Church to the Brubaker Valley Road. All that certain tract of Limestone Soil Containing 52 Acres More or Less On Which Is Erected A 2Vi STORY FRAME DWELLING with aluminum siding with 12 rooms, washhouse and 2 car garage attached. Oil fired hot water heat summer and winter hook up; 5 room and bath upstairs; 6 rooms down stairs, modern kitchen, dining room and % bath; large cistern and well. LARGE FRAME BARN with tobacco shed, stripping room. Implement shed and corn bam attached; 2 steer stables; pigstable; 2 com mbs, place to hang 6 acres tobacco; 22 x 40 shop; 11 x 50 silo, cemented barnyard Buildings in good condition Adjoining land of Melvin Brumbach, C.P Wenger, Landis Martin, Harold Hess, Alvin Seiberlmg, John Sensemg and public road. Buildings are about in the center. Will be seeded If you are looking for a good farm don’t miss this one No out of state checks accepted Sale by, ELAM S. & EDNA S. SHIRK Frank and Paul Snyder, Aucts. 859-2688 733-7052 Paul Diehm, Clerk 10% down, balance April 1,1080. Not Reponsible For Accidents To View Property By Appointment Only Call 626-8058 —Week of Sale Only left off. Starting in the East and spreading westward, it’s claimed more and more farmland—meaning that the piece of land that you and I rely on for our groceries becomes smaller and smaller. Department of Agriculture figures indicate that each of us relied on 10 acres of farmland 50 years ago and eight acres 30 years ago. Fifteen years ago we had the use of six and one-half acres, but the current estimate puts the figure at just under five acres per person. Here’s how that five-acre farm divides up. Grassland pasture accounts for 2.12 acres; crop pasture adds another .41 acres and woodland another .53 acres. All crops add up to 1.72 acres and idle land, farmsteads and roads account for the rest. Any forecaster worth his salt ought to be able to look ahead somewhere in the future and find the time when there’ll be no land left Freezing Pork Cooked pork and com bination dishes containing pork can be stored in the freezer at zero degrees Farenheit for up to three months with little or no change in quality. for any of us, but until that day the efficiency of modern agriculture allows us to be the best-fed nation in the world. Even though our farm is half the side it was 50 years ago, it produces a whole lot more. And that’s not the whole story because almost one acre out of every three of American cropland is currently producing for the export market. So your little farm is not only feeding you, it’s also helping feed a foreigner. If tiie thought of trying to survive on five acres worries you, I can only say that your future rests in the hands of PUBLIC SALE VALUABLE REAL ESTATE & CONTENTS SATURDAY, JULY 28 AT 9:00 A.M. Located Elizabethtown, R.D. #3, Mt. Joy Township, Lancaster Co., Pa. WILL BE OFFERED IN 3 TRACTS AT 2:00 P.M. JULY 28,1979 TRACT #1 - Beautiful STONE 3-BEDROOM HOME. Situated on a large wooded lot, 113 ft. frontage. Modem Kitchen & Dining Rra. Comb, w/commg-top stove, eye level oven; Living-Room 21x13’ w/stone fireplace & Planter; Bath; enclosed Bx2o Breezeway; 12x20’ 2-car heated garage w/Powder room, Heated full Basement w/outside entrance; Oil Heat, Anderson windows, Lots of closets, insulation, central fan, Patio, Mature shade, in a very desirable location. TRACT §2 - LOT 95x374” (Approx.) Perked & probed. TRACT #3 - LOT 217’ Frontage. Perked & probed. The 3 Tracts are joined and will be offered separately and as 1 Umt. ANTIQUES & CONTENTS at 9:00 A.M. To Be Held in Tent 12 Pane Dutch comer cupboard, Cherry drop-leaf table; 6 Windsor plank chairs (100 yrs. old); Dry sink, Majestic coal range, Boston rocker, Wash stand, Rock Maple Bedroom suite, Empire Bureau, Wicker porch set But Boj dal Dj Sla; ch( turai dis) - butter dish, creamer & sugar set; Ironstone - Fostona - Carnival - Depression - cut & pressed glass; Salts, Prince Albert can, Two Ruby 1863 & 1868 Gettysburg mugs - 1903 York Fair; Pitcher & 6 glasses initials ESF; 1908 cups, 2 cnuts; cake stand; banana dish, 1897 German Baptist Conference glass, glass basket, Bullseye Compote; 2 moon dishes; cut glass miniature punch bowl set w/6 cups; Childs glass sugar & creamer; Vases, Wooden compote w/7 kinds wood; 2 post card albums, lots cards w/stamps; Valentines & love notes, 6 German Celery dishes w/peacocks, Lefton china Mother hen & 6 chicks, Bavarian Figurines, Doll furniture - (reed rocker - high chair - swing - dressers - etc.); China doll, wicker bottle etc. COINS - $5 Gold piece, Silver & half dollars, Indian head pennies, Buffalo nickels; 2-pc. Living-room suite, 2 end and coffee tables. Humidifier, GE upright freezer, breakfast set, cabinet, lamps, copper craft set, utility cart, Maytag wringer washer, glider, bench, BOLENS GlO riding Mower & tiller, Lawn trimmer & roller, wh. barrow, Lawn sweeper & sprinklers. Tools & chest, vise, dog box, Chicken House, Alum, ladders, cherry lumber lots of berry boxes, and numerous useful items not listed. LUNCH AVAILABLE - ALL NICE CLEAN MERCHANDISE - NO OUT OF STATE CHECKS. Owners, RAYMOND L. & VERA E. NEWGARD Auctioneer Attorney C. H. Wolgemuth Jack B. Horner R.D. #2, 23A S. Market St.. Manheim, Pa. E-town, Pa. 665-5664 367-1357 our efficient agricultural system. A combination of factors including owner incentive, agricultural research, profit motive, pride, and whatever else is at work keeping our food producing system constantly running ahead of our need. And the experts say we haven’t nearly reached our potential. New acres are being tilled each year despite the fact that this great nation has been far med from coast to coast for many decades. Dry-land acres are being turned into fertile gardens through the use of irrigation and commercial fertilizers and the end is nowhere in sight. New technology, new varieties, new systems allow us to create the equivalent of many new farms every year. Even though urban sprawl and other nonfarm uses continue to eat up valuable farmland, producers are staying ahead with double cropping, even triple cropping, doubled and quadrupled yields through fertilization and irrigation Hammondale Acres HOLSTEIN HEIFER SALE at the farm located three miles North of Chambersburg, Pa., one mile south of Let terkenny Army Depot. Gate 1, between Cheesetown and Salem Church on: FRIDAY EVENING, AUGUST 17 Sale at 7:30 P.M. 45 HEAD OF FRESH AND SPRINGING HOLSTEIN HEIFERS 1 REG. BULL An outstanding group of well grown heifers, some are registered. 15 or more will be fresh by sale, some close springers, balance due Sept, and Oct. Many are A.B.S. sired, others from A.I. sires or good bulls, many from dams with good records of 4% test. A real promising group of heifers accustomed to free stalls. Calves from fresh animals will sell. Reg. 15 month old bull, sired by Life-O-Riley Marquis and from dam with 4 yr. old record of 19,050 M, 4.3 test, 810 F. Certified; accredited; Some are Vac.; 30 day test; Also Vac. for 1.8. R. and Lepto., Folders at Sale; Terms Cash; Refreshments, Sale Inside. GERALD AND MABEL HAMMOND AND FAMILY R.D. 11, Chambersburg, Pa. 17201 717-263-4227 Ralph W. Horst, Auctioneer Fred M. Naugle, Announcement Gossert and Carty, Clerks AUCTION FEED MILL - HARDWARE The “MATEJA FARM SALES & SERVICE”, located one mile south of 1-80, Garfield St., West Middlesex, Pa., Mercer Co. Due to ill health, we will offer for sate at auction on; FRIDAY EVE., AUGUST 10 6:00 P.M. A COMPLETE OPERATING BUSINESS - “MATEJA FARM SALES & SERVICE” One fifty by one-hundred foot Shenango Steel Building w/full basement, ten ft. ceiling, reinforced concrete walls, on one acre of land. OVER $100,000.00 worth of inventory - hardware, feed, lawn equipment & farm supplies; 80 ton bulk storage; Mod. #3OOO PRATER elevator leg; Mod. #14TW250 PRATER mixer w/100 H.P. motor; 1 ton mixer; molasses blender w/5000 gal. storage tank; truck scale; dump pit; battery operated fork lift; small gas fork lift; gas pump w/underground tank. TRUCKS: 1974 International Mon dump, V-8, 4x2 transmission, power steering. 1973 GMC 12 ft. stake, new motor. A FANTASTIC BUSINESS OPERATION TO BE SOLD IN ITS ENTIRETY, SUBJECT TO CON FIRMATION. TERMS. $20,000.00 cash or certified check deposit as down payment day of sale, with the balance due in 60 days. OWNER FINANCING AVAILABLE - phone for further details. Sale Conducted By ANDERSON AUCTIONEERS, INC. R.D. #l, Georgetown, Pa. 15043 Phone; (412)573-9767 Auctioneers: McConahy Brothers, Harry Anderson, Edinburg, Pa. Georgetown, Pa. (412)652-4608 (412)573-9767 Members of the Pa. & Nat’l. Auctioneers Associations and pest control, and whole new farms from land clearing and drainage. It’s true we’re living off of five acres apiece, but it’s the most productive five acres in the world and it’s getting better. Two challenges he ahead, it seems to me. One is to continue to make that little farm highly efficient and highly productive and the other is to keep that thin layer of topsoil from washing or blowing away.
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