This week’s column will be
short and sweet.
Did you every try to type
with all of your fingers
wearing bandages’ Well,
after handling over 1000
bales of hay, my typmg-key
pushers are covered with
battle scars and blisters
So, without further ex
planation because anyone
who has experienced bmder
twme blues knows the
feeling let’s answer some
readers’ questions.
Where’s the hare auction?
Paul Turner, owner of the
Red Barn Rabbit Farm, R 2
Airville writes:
Would you please send me
some information? I am
very anxious to visit
Folger’s Auction, but I
haven’t been able to find the
address or phone number. I
have rabbits that I would
like to take up there.
I had some difficulty m
answering your question,
Mr. Turner, because I had to
make an assumption.
You asked for Folger’s
Auction, which I am not
familiar with. But Lancaster
Farming does carry the
reports from Foglesville
Live Poultry Auction, which
lists rabbit sales.
So, my assumption is that
this is the auction you want.
Although I don’t have the
exact location of the auction,
I did manage to get their
telephone number. It’s
215/395-6611.
The town of Fogelsville is
located in Lehigh County,
along Route 100. It is just
north of Interstate 78-Route
22, about 5 miles west of
Allentown and 10 miles east
of Hamburg.
Since there is no direct
route from York County to
AUent )wn, I’ll let you decide
what the best trip will be for
you
What’s parity?
Roland G Kamoda R 1
Monongahela, writes and
asks
What is parity?
Now, that’s a good
question. Farmers
everywhere have heard and
read the word, probably
several thousand times. But,
what does it really mean’
Unfortunately, my
education in agriculture
economics was one of my
weak spots basically
because I always found
columns of numbers much
less interesting than
livestock and crops.
But, knowing farm
business and ag economics, I
suppose, becomes a
necessary evil for all far
mers.
For a very simple ex
planation on the term, I
decided to go to my stand-by
reference, the encyclopedia.
According to World Book,
parity “measures the
equality of purchasing
power of two different
currencies, or of the price of
goods during two different
periods.”
They explam that here in
the US. parity applies to
farm products. “The parity
price for a particular farm
product is that price which
gives a farmer the same
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purchasing power that was
had during a specified period
of tune called the base
period ”
The most common base
period, they say, is the
period from 1910-1914.
To make sure the farmer
got ‘a fair share”, the
federal government passed
the Agricultural Adjustment
Act in 1933. This act in
troduced parity to measure
agricultural equality, and
developed a system of price
supports to insure it, they
explain.
“The law provided for an
index of prices for things
farmers sell, and one for
things they buy. The mdex
number of prices received
for any particular year is
found by comparing the sum
of the prices of crops during
that year with the sum of the
prices of crops during the
base period. The mdex
number of prices paid is
found the same way. If the
mdex number of prices
received equals the mdex
number of prices paid,
prices are ‘at parity’ ”
Then m 1940, Congress
made some changes m how
parity is computed. The
change required the
Secretary of Agriculture to
use a 10-year moving
average if it gave a higher
support price than what the
1910-1914 average gave
According to Ruth
Tallman, county executive
fSaSI
M /Honth wL
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 28,1980—813
director for the USDA’s
Agricultural Stabilization
and Conservation Service m
Dauphin County, parity
comes mto play primarily m
dairy price support
programs.
She said the target period
between 1910 and 1914 is
used; but, she noted, the
price mdex used is that of an
average good year not an
exceptional year.
Shepherds learn
management skills
LEESPORT Fifteen
people received certificates
of accomplishment for
successful participation m a
sheep clinic held at the
Leesport Market & Auction.
The sheep clinic, spon
sored by the Extension
Service and Penn State, was
conducted as part of a
statewide effort to expand
sheep production m Penn
sylvania. Basic sheep
management skills were
taught by Clyde A.B. Myers,
County Agent
Catching sheep, making
“instant” sheep halters,
determining the age of
sheep, determining the
rectal temperature, giving
intramuscular injections,
and dewormmg sheep with
dose syringe, were taught to
enable shepherds to be
competent in performing
Tallman said that parity
can be best understood by
remembering that the price
paid to a farmer should be
equivalent to 1910-14 prices.
“In other words, if a bushel
of wheat bought a pair of
new shoes m 1910, it should in
1980.”
But, she closed by notmg,
today’s milk support prices
are only between 75 percent
and 90 percent parity.
sheep
approved
management practices
Myers explained and
demonstrated each skill. A
laboratory session followed
which allowed each par
ticipant to practice the ‘new’
skills.
To qualify to receive the
certificate of ac
complishment, individuals
had to score 85 or higher.
Those receiving the cer
tificate of accomplishment
were: Ken Cook, R 1
Mohnton; Paul, Pauline,
Paula and Frank Jr. Nave,
R 1 Hamburg; Chris Reed,
R 1 Hamburg; Dennis &
Sandy McLaughlin, R 1
Bemville; John & Barb
Bernard, R 1 Bechtelsville;
Robin & Bill Koch, R 5
Sinking Sprmg; Jay & Bill
Weist, R 1 Leesport; and
Fred Bube, R 1 Robesoma.
sheep