122—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 15,1980
d:
the first time you heard it. of milk per cow, and of- *
X IfW But lets examine it Is this course, the 'over-feed-cost
' V advice for you? also soared. Some kind of *
• Most County DHIA annual expansion might well be '
I meetings are held this time indicated and justified, _
\r of year, and we all like to providing he can maintain
examine the current production somewhere in jJ - V *2“?
LI g-m statistics and pat ourselves this high range. It’s a good — r
MIISinKSS on the back at last year’s example of getting better
w progress. before getting bigger. 3 ATI
As an mdustry, we can be From a strictly economic
Rv) justly proud .of the con- viewpoint, whether you are Garage
turning rise m production per comparing the profitability su PP^ es, < "'
Newton Bsir cow, number of cows on test, of a herd producmg 18,000 Take ad'
IS BIGGER
ALWAYS BETTER?
We are beginning to detect
some fallacies in the widely
held notion that progress m
the dairy business is
measured by size. Maybe it’s
time to take a look at some of
the yardsticks by which we
measure progress and
success
Will a herd of 120 cows
return twice the profit of a 60
cow herd? Will the purchase
of an extra 150 acres of land
double the returns presently
realized from a 150 acre
farm? Will a new $75,000
combme pay back its extra
cost over an older but still
useful one 7
Of course, these questions
are all academic and can
only be answered m the light
of the circumstances
surrounding them But they
are the kind of questions
facing dairy and other
farmers every tune a change
is contemplated that will
affect the size of an en
PUBLIC SALE
OF ROLLING HILLS FARMS
AND ADDITIONAL TRACTS OF REAL ESTATE
On the premises of Tract No. I located 5 miles
southeast of Mt. Union, Huntingdon Co., 3 miles
northeast of Shirleysburg and Rte. 522 along
Germany Valley Rd., about 25 miles north of
Penna. Turnpike, Ft Littleton Exit, on
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6
Sale at 12:30 P.M.
TRACT NO. 1 - Dairy Farm consisting of ap
proximately 155 acres known as the Brant farm, about
75 acres tillable, bal. is pasture land with stream of
water, several acres of woodland. Some of pasture land
could be farmed. Buildings consist of large dairy bam
with stanchions for 20 cows and 50 free stalls, plus
cement holding area 50x90 ft., 12x45 tile silo, 10 room
house with two fireplaces, Kalamazoo 27 m, furnace for
coal or wood, forced air, full bath and half bath Farm
is well located along Germany Valley Road. School bus
and mail stops at door, handy for milk pickup.
'TRACT NO. 2 - Known as the Bard Farm adjacent to
tract No. 1 and along Germany Valley Rd. consisting of
approximately 155 acres, about 70 acres tillable, bal.
pasture and woodland with stream thru pasture, good
bank bam for heifers or beef cattle, water system in
bam, nice barnyard and handy to road. Nice site to
build house. Land on tract No. 1 and 2 consists of
limestone and loam soil with creek bottom for pasture.
TRACT NO. 3 - Eleven acres of land with road and
water, partly wooded, woodland has been partially
closed and will make a beautiful homesite overlooking
Germany Valley. Tract No. 3 is included in Tract No. 1
but will be offered separately and together.
TRACT NO. 4 - Approximately 11 acres of level farm
and grassland, hard road on one side and creek on
other side.
TRACT NO 5 - All tillable land or about 60 acres of
Bard farm lying north of Germany Valley Road. Trat
No. 5 is included in Tract No. 2 and will be offered
separately and together
TRACT NO. 6-50 acres of woodland with right-of
way from hard road. Good location for hunting camp or
summer home.
PLEASE NOTE - This is an economical dairy farm
setup. Inspection Saturday, Nov. 29 or by appointment.
Terms 10% down on possession which can be given by
April 1,1981, or sooner. Owners reserve right to accept
or reject all bids.
Owners,
ROBERT M. & MINERVA ARMOUR
RD.I.Mt. Union, Pa. 17066
Ralph W. Horst, Auctioneer, Marion, Pa. 17235
John Gates, Attorney, Huntingdon, Pa. 16652
Phone: 814-542-8913
terprize, or the size of ones
income from it.
Pointing to "economies of
scale”, researchers and
economists and even ex
tension agents have been
selling all kinds of evidence
down through the years that
the easier way to success is
to get bigger.
Well, it’s pretty hard to
argue with facts
especially historical facts.
When we look at the pure
economics of bigness, there
is no denying that over the
past 50 years there has been
a pronounced trend toward
larger herds, more acres per
farm, bigger and more
productive equipment,
and consequently fewer and
fewer people actually doing
the work of feeding the rest.
This last statement is what
has me worried. How far can
this trend continue and
where will it end 7
At this {joint, you are going
to anticipate a truth we’ve
all heard many tunes Get
Better Before you Get
Bigger! Weil, it is just as
sound advice now as it was
and in many cases in rise in
profit over feed cost, which
is also a deceptive figure
Our Lebanon County DHIA
board gives special
recognition to the herd which
makes the most progress in
milk production over the
previous year. This year’s
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recipient went from 16.000
pounds to over 19,000 pounds
pounds of milk with a 15,000
pound herd, or matching a
15.000 pound average with a
12.000 pounder, the higher
profit always goes with the
Higher herd average, in spite
of higher feed costs. Higher
profits don’t always ac
(Turn to Page 023)
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8' Lengths “The smooth sides
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WISE'S COUNTRY AUCTION
Saturday Evenings
Located 4 miles south
of Strasburg, PA at the:
./ WHITE OAK
' • ' First Sale
URbAY, NOVEMBER 22
and body shop tools, shoe shop, machinery &
tousehold goods and lots more to come,
ivantage of our low introductory commission
offer.
We need Antiques, Household Goods, Tools, Etc.
Terms By,
GEORGE H. WISE, JR.
Elvin Siegrist, Auctioneer
. For Consignments and information call
717-687-7018
If no answer 786-4289
>
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