D4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 17,1981
Rural
(Continued from Page D 3)
The researchers suggested
most farm and rural canines
are not trained guard dogs
just barking burglar alarms
“Many property-oriented
criminals are not frightened
by barking dogs, especially
if they are aware no one is
home to hear them ”
And, it was found that
those country folks who
make a practice of lockmg
their doors every tune they
leave their homes are more
likely to be burglarized than
those who don’t lock.
The researchers reported
the practice of lockmg doors
does not prevent a
professional thief from
opening a house or building,
but it will discourage an
amateur.
So why then would 60
percent of those surveyed
people who locked their
doors be more likely
burglary victims 9
One hypothesis of the
research team is that those
people who lock their doors
live in a higher risk situation
than those who still feel it is
not necessary to lock all the
time
Nevertheless, G Howard
Phillips, director of Rural
Crime Prevention at Ohio
State, recommends rural
families take more
precautions
“People who live in an
area with problems need to
take the same precautions as
anyone else,” he said "They
need to lock up valuables,
like tack and other horse and
livestock equipment They
need a secure place for tools
They need to learn to lock
windows and doors and
use secure locks.
“The trouble is most of the
buildings on farms were
built in the days when people
didn’t have to lock Buildings
were built to dry gram, and
keep hvestock out of the cola
they weren’t built for
locking.
“The nature of farming
and rural living in general
makes locking up a difficult
task because of the distance
of outbuildings, the
frequency of use of equip
ment and the inconvenience
of carrying keys for locking
and unlocking purposes.
“But now, there is more
affluence in the rural
community. Farmers own
stereos, com collections,
televisions, high-priced
cattle and equipment.
“And gasoline tanks, the
most frequently broken into,
are only locked by thirty
three percent of the rural
residents. A greater number
lock their automobiles (39
percent), but less than ten
percent lock their farm
equipment and bams ”
Phillips suggested far-
BLUE BALL MACHINE WORKS
Box 716. Rt. 322
crime
mers identify their property.
“Tractors, in most cases,
are unlicensed Anyone can
write a bill of sale and go
several counties over and
resell the tractor. You need
to mark your tractor in at
least two spots, one in a
primary marking location,
and the other in a spot known
only to you. That way, even
if the primary ID is
removed, law enforcement
groups will have your out-of
the-way engraving of your
state’s abbreviation and
your social security number
as a means of iden
tification," he said
Phillips also recom
mended farm machinery not
be left along roads If it is
necessary to leave a piece of
equipment away from the
farm buildings, he suggested
parking it near a neighbor’s
place.
“Even if the burglars
aren’t interested in the
whole machine, they’ll steal
the batteries and tools ”
Phillips also recom
mended all livestock be
marked This type of
identification can take many
forms, he noted, from the
simple ear tags (temporary
and easily changed) to
tatoomg, ear notching and
freeze branding (a more
permanent marking)
The latest rustler in the
age of wood burning stoves
and fireplaces is the timber
thief
Phillips recommended
woodlot owners locate and
maintain records of valuable
trees, including their
location, diameter at feet
above the ground, height to
first branch, and what
species of tree it is
Along with these records,
he suggested a record be
kept of any distinguishing
characteristics on the tree's
bole or better yet, take a
picture of the tree
He noted trees could be
marked with a paint stripe
down one side if the tree’s
appearance wasn’t im
portant starting as high up
as possible and running
Grain workshop rescheduled
DOVER, Del - The gram
marketing workshop
originally slated for January
16 at the Sheraton Inn m
Dover has been rescheduled
for February 10
According to University of
Delaware extension crops
marketing specialist Carl
German, topics to be
covered during the day-long
session include: weather and
its implications for farmers
this year, the outlook for
oilseeds such as soybeans,
the outlook for Delmarva-
WE NOW HAVE INSTOCK
WOOD-WORKING MACHINERY
AND ACCESSORIES
We Handle:
• Powermatic
• Rockwell
• Makita
• General
• Poitras
We Stock:
SENCO Pneumatic Tools,
Staples and Nails
MODEL 390
GENERAL
20" WOOD
CUTTING
BAND SAW
“In Stock”
Featuring.
• MODERN DESIGN
• ACCURACY
• RUGGEDNESS
• VERSATILITY
Blue Ball, PA 17506
down to the ground The
paint should be unable to be
washed otf and should soak
into the bark, he said.
For those trees where
appearance does matter,
Phillips recommended using
phosphorescent paint. Using
an artist’s brush, he said,
apply a unique identifying
mark and keep a record of
each mark used
Phillips also c uggested
working with neighbors,
letting them know where the
valuable trees on your
property are, keeping each
other posted on vacation
schedules, future timber
sales, and farm boundaries
so no timber could be cut
down on someone else’s
property by ‘mistake’
He added that close-knit
neighborhoods can be each
other’s eyes and ears
Various rural communities
are banding together to from
neighborhood watches
noting any abnormal oc
curances or unfamiliar
loiterers and using C B s to
keep every on" on the alert
Ohio States Phillips also
recommended the following
steps can be taken to lessen
the chances of property
crime
—Make your home look
occupied,
—Lock all outside doors
before you leave or go to
bed.
—Leave lights on or a
radio playing when you go
out Jf you’re going to be
away any length of time,
connect some lamps to
automatic timers so your
lights turn on at dusk and go
off at oedtune
—Keep garage doors and
other sheds closed and
locked,
Don’t allow daily
deliveries to accumulate
when you’re gone,
—Arrange to have youi
lawn cut in summer and
walks shoveled in winter if
you’re going to be away for
an extended period of time
Rural crime it’s on the
rise But by following the
advice of the Ohio State
experts, farmers and rural
residents can take steps to
make life tougher for van
dals, theives and burglars
grown teed grains; and
marketing alternatives for
1981
There will also be a
marketing strategy
question-and-answer sessi
on.
The workshop is sponsored
by the Delaware
Cooperative Extension
Service It will start at 8 30
a m and end at 3 30 p m
For further information see
Delaware county extension
agent or call German at
302/738-2511
717-354-4478
NPPC says pork promotion
DES MOINES, la -
Market prices for hogs
during the last quarter of
1980 remained higher than
most analysts predicted,
announced the National
Pork Producers Council
The broad range of ex
planations offered by
market analysts show that
no one really knows the
reason why market prices
have followed this trend
Other explanations, such
as those received by NPPC,
credit pork producers and
their promotion programs
with making the difference
‘I think that the con
tinuing NPPC eifoit to
stimulate pork demand is
the reason that demand is
greater than expected,”
stated Olm Andrews. Jr,
president of Farmers Hybi id
Companies, Inc ‘ln any
event, every 220-pound
market hog being sold in
December returned to the
pork producer $l7 60 more
than could be expected A
good return for a 20 cent
checkoff
The Wall Street Journal
reported
Hog laisers.
made difference
smarting from the price
effects of their venture into
record production, have
been pushing pork this year
• Radio advertisement
pushed pork during the 1980
World Series, for example,
and hundreds of producers
spend two days or more in
their local supermarkets
trying to persuade con
sumers to choose
pork Those developments,
plus higher demand, in
creased stockpiling of pork
in cold storage and a recent
diop in hog slaughtering
have led to a jump in hog
prices, which are JO percent
higher than a year ago ”
And Dick Hummel,
Economist and Market
Analyst, stated
We think the increased
daily amount of retail ac
tivity directly attributable to
the pork producers
promotion is responsible for
this (movement of pork)
We believ e this equates to
a minimum of $J per bun
dled weight, moie likely $5
per hundred weight and it is
them etically possible even
$7 per hundred weight m
crease in hog prices for the
still
USED TRACTORS
hog producer for the last
quarter of 1980 ”
T.A. Hieronymus,
University of Illinois
economist commented,
• On the basis of partial
information, pork produc
tion for the quarter appears
to be almost the same as in
the fall quarter of 1979
Production is in line with
expectations based on the
large pig crop from March
through May
‘The price ol hogs
averaged $47 per hundred
weight during the period,
compared to $36.60 for the
same period last year That
is an increase of 30 percent
Pork producers can
chalk 1980 up as a landmark
year, said Orville Sweet,
NPPC s Executive Vice
President, they have tar
exceeded the expectations ot
anyone in positive progress,
while cairymg the govern
ment on their backs
gg