A26—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 3,1981
Just Coincidence?
In last week’s issue of
Lancaster Farming, I began
a series on rural crime and
its growing occurance in the
US
It seems as if I’ve touched
on a topic that has stabbed at
a greater number of farmers
in our area than I suspected
I began the senes with a
ficticious account of
teenagers trying to have
some fun by turning out a
farmer’s cows This story
was based on statistics
documented by the Ohio
State research team on rural
crime who does it, when is
it most likely to occur This
report comprises the gist of
this week’s article on rural
crime found in Section B
Since the first article of the
senes came out, I have had
several farmers tell me how
current the problem is a
living nuisance or nightmare
for many
One farmer recounted how
vanaals entered his hog
finishing bam late one night
and turned the hogs out of
then pens The fun for the
hogs turned to fighting and
tearing into the fiberglass
insulation around the barn’s
furnace
The next morning, the
farmer walked into the barn
to find two dead hogs
•V.
r
ANDY CLICK, Oley, Pa.
“I usedtoget mycribcorn shelled for feeding
my hogs. But since that cost around 8$ a bushel
even before hauling costs, I decided I’d be
better off with storage. I wentwiththe Harvestall
and have never regretted it.
“I’ve put as high as 32% moisture corn in my
Harvestall and you know, I’ve never had a mold
problem.”
“So I’m impressed with the Harvestall system
and the quality corn I get with it. And I get it
cured down for less than it used to cost just for
shelling.
“I’ve recommended the Harvestall to my
friends. I’m really happy with it.”
Brief answers
to short questions
Sheila's
Shorts
By Sheila Miller
killed from the stress and
fighting that occurred when
the pens were mixed He
figured the loss at several
hundred dollars
The insulation around the
furnace was shredded and
destroyed The prank of the
vandals cost the farmer
another couple hundred
dollars
Slightly more difficult to
calculate the loss, the far
mer also said he felt all of his
hogs were set back
fiberglass and fighting are
not great methods for put
ting on pounds of pork
Again, more feed costs to
finish out the barn meant
more expense for the far
mer
What happened to the
vandals' 7
As the farmer recalled,
somewhat disturbed by the
outcome, he reported the
incident to the local police
who offered to patrol the
area more frequently
Needless to say, the culprits
were never caught
Now, the farmer said, he
has installed a floodlight and
locks on all the doors of his
barns Additional expense
and aggrevation but a
necessity to try to prevent
other occurances of van
dalism from taking place
Another farmer told me
how local police busted a
drug pusher at the farm He
told how the peddler was
parking his car along the
road behind a fence row a
secluded pick-up point How
long this was going on before
the bust was remains an
unanswered question
Striking a bit closer to
home, neighbors recently
had their mailboxes torn
from their posts and stuffed
with beer cans. Don’t people
respect property of the
federal government
anymore 9 If apprehended in
the act, these vandals could
be charged with a federal
offense
But that’s the trick
catching them And even if
you do, you might find
they’re people you know
And, depending on the police
authorities and lawyers, the
vandals might get off scot
free anyway. All the time
and effort of prosecuting has
cost a lot more than just
hammering the mailbox
back in place
How do you cope with this
problem 9 By trying to solve
it and that doesn’t mean
ignoring it or thinking it will
just go away
Farmers need to get back
in touch with neighbors
They need to watch out for
each other’s well-being
Other precautionary
measures could include
installing locks on barn
doors and gas pumps, put
ting up floodlights, keeping a
good watch dog around
and checking to see what it’s
barking about, even if it’s
only a stray cat
For more ideas on how to
make rural crime more
trouble than it’s worth, read
next week’s issue of Lan
caster Farming.
Even though it’s three
11 Har vestall
Chillcuring
works great.
Igettop
quality corn
for
less than
I used
to pay for
shelling
alone."
Advanced Ag Systems
KenSauder Milford Mast
717-656-6519 215-286-9118
PMMB to face fire
(Continued from Page Al)
Such a nrncess would give
opponents of any agency,
including PMMB, a chance
to close it down or at least to
modify its structure or
purpose.
Common Cause said it
definitely will fight for
sunset laws in the coming
legislative session.
Olson would seem to agree
with Common Cause that the
purpose of PMMB should be
modified.
“The price fixing power of
the Board is unfair,” she
maintains
“There is nothing wrong
with the basic milk
marketing law if it is
properly administered. I
don’t think it is properly
administered,” she says.
“It is always a fight and
it’s hard for consumers,”
she says
Dealers have attorneys
and accountants to speak for
them, fanners are well
represented by PFA and the
Grange
But, Olson says, it is
unlikely a group of people in
the neighborhood are going
to get together to pay $20,000
a year to testify at a milk
board hearing
“All I want is to get con
sumers a fair shake,” she
says.
“What if there were an oil
board with Gulf, Standard
and some housewife running
things Do you think the
days late, add one more item
to your list of New Year’s
resolutions safeguard
your farm in 1981 It’s time
to be safe rather than sorry
RD2, Box 174
Elverson, PA 19520
215-286-9118
consumer would get a fair
shake 9 ” she asks.
Olson said she feels it is
appalling there are two
industry representatives on
the board. “It really is
wrong,” she maintains.
Olson said she would like
to see better
represenatation, someone
from another walk of life.
The impact of such a move
would be to remove the two
to-one margin held by dairy
interests on the Board, a
long-standing tradition
Repeating that his group
does not yet have a policy on
PMMB, Thomas DeWall,
executive director for
Common Cause of Penn
sylvania, said Common
Cause may favor abolishing
PMMB’s price-setting
function while keeping other
functions bke the Board’s
standards setting powers.
On the other hand, farm
groups generally support
PMMB
Pennsylvania Farmers’
Association policy, adopted
last month, strongly sup
ports PMMB and recom
mends, “The minimum
THINK AHEAD...
Read Futures Markets on Page 3.
JEJ The Harvested
iH Chillcuring System
It's simple When grain comes out of the field it's a
living seed So instead of destroying the seed with high
heat, moisture is removed with natural air ventilation
The gram keeps all its feed value, there is less shrinkage
than with heat drying because only moisture is removed,
not dry matter You'll neve l- see white dust in Chillcured
corn You actually save half of what you’re used to
'osmg in heat shrink
There's no gas or oil to buy Natural air carries away
heat and moisture as the corn releases it
Harvestall Chillcuring is a back-to-basics system
that just simply makes good sense Find out more about
pricing of milk be controlled
by the Pennsylvania Milk
Marketing Board, the way it
stands presently.”
Thus, the lines in any
battle are drawn.
Perhaps reflecting un
favorably on PMMB’s
chances in the coming fight
are the current milk glut and
the artificially high price of
milk required by federal
milk orders and supported
by Commodity Credit
Corporation buying.
While PMMB and federal
orders are not working hand
in-glove, the bad taste from
the federal pricing structure
carries over to the state
group
Consumer discontent with
federal pncmg shows up in
the Community Nutrition
Institute proposal to allow
restructuring of Class I
prices as reflected in
powdered milk sales.
Thus the sides are drawn
for potential conflict bet
ween dairy farmers and
consumers The outcome
will effect the pocketbook of
whichever side carries the
battle