AlO—Lancaster Firming, Saturday, November 14,1981
Going out of business?
Listen to the radio, pick up the local
newspaper, stay tuned for the 60-second
television commercial and what do you hear
and read? Businesses, some long established
in the community, are closing their doors and
‘ ‘going out of business. ’ ’
Are farmers going out of business along with
the rest of these floundering enterprises?
When you think about an established
business, farming ranks close to the top of the
list in Pennsylvania’s history. With our
Commonwealth marking its 300th year, it is
apparent that, ever since the early days of
pioneers and Indians, farmers have been a
vital, economic resource in the Keystone state.
But, after three centuries, economists and
the general public are beginning to wonder
how much longer farmers can hang on. What
are the chances of survival for a group of hard
working, land-loving country folks who, down
through the years, have taken their fruits and
vegetables, meat and chicken, from door to
door accepting what people would offer
them and feeling lucky with their pocket full of
coins?
Things have changed in agriculture over the
years. Farming has become a big business,
with greater costs and even greater risks than
in the days of our farming ancestors. But one
thing has remained constant farmers still
continue to take what folks will give them for
their products.
Having to settle for meager financial
rewards from the fruits of their labor was
offset in the past by research providing higher
yielding hybrids, better producing cows, more
efficient equipment and farming practices. All
these things helped to cut down on costs so
that the margin for profit was still there
despite the low returns on gram, milk, meat
and other commodities As a result, Americans
were able to afford the luxuries life readily
made available since life-sustaining food was
cheap.
The 1980 s, however, are bringing farmers
and their city cousins face to face with a grim
reality food is going up in price, along with
fertilizer, equipment, and seed stock needed
to produce it.
the question of whether farmers are going
to be the next to advertise “final clearance”
sales depends on marketing. Can farmers
organize to insure a market for their goods?
Will they be willing to learn the business
strategies their city cousins mastered and
ployed in the profit-making game for decades?
American Farm Bureau Vice President Cecil
Miller stated during this week's Pennsylvania
Farmers' Association Annual Meeting that “a
really good marketer, a really informed person
capitalizing on current market situations,
using all the trading tools like hedging, for-
NOW IS THE TIME
To Exercise Dairy Cow*
I know that many of our dairy
fanners keep their milking cows
confined to tee stall bams much of
tee tune. This is easy to do when
you are short of labor during tee
winter months.
In order to have a healthy herd,
tee cows should be allowed outside
to exercise* daily unless severe
weather conditions , exist. The
exercise will not only keep their
feet and legs m better condition,
but will permit the cows in heat to
Off the
Somdmg
By Sheila Miller, Editor
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717-394-6851
be detected. This is often a
problem when cows are kept
confined too much of tee tune.
If the herd is turned out for IS to
30 minutes each day, the tune
involved will be very worthwhile.
You’ll find very few days-when the
weather will interfere.
To Check Fire Extinguishers
This is the tune of year that our
bams and other buildings are filled
to capacity with hay, straw, gram,
and machinery. Make certain that
fire extinguishers are mounted in
Board
ward selling, better handling ot money, can
stay in business and make some money.”
Miller pointed out that, under present
circumstances, the farmer’s "best bet for
income improvement lies with strong con
sumer Homand" *n the U S and abroad. AFBF
and PFA have taken the initiative to explore
foreign market potentials in places like China,
Japan, Mexico, and South America.
But sound marketing means staying abreast
of what consumers are buying. Farmers need
to change with the market demand to assure
themselves of buyers not trying to push
over-fattened cattle on a diet conscious
society.
PFA President Keith Eckel offered this
warning. “Farmers need to make decisions
and manage their own marketing efforts or
someone else will do it for them.” Leaving
marketing in the hands of government or
large corporations would rob the farmers of
their trump card for securing financial control
in the market place.
“The farmer who continues to ignore
marketing is going out of business," predicted
Eckeh “A farmer’s net income is influenced by
too many things that don’t happen on the
farm.”
This influence, created by legislation
enacted by a majority of nonfarm government
representatives, is often ‘influenced’ by city
cousins who may respect the farmer and the
rural way of life but who are well aware of the
need for self-preservation.
As commodity adviser David Sauder
describes the situation, “The city becomes a
parasite living off the rural country. When the
economic system gets out of balance and there
is no longer parity, that's when the city has
devoured its country host. This has happened
at the end of every civilization.
“If time lasts, we are now in the end of a
510-year cycle for western civilization. We
have some very critical choices which must be
made. It’s either radical change or revolution
and poverty. It will be one or the other, and it
will come within the next 20 years. You as a
farmer will have something to say about that."
Sauder pointed out that the country is the
“lifeline" to the city, but it’s being exploited.
City business people are cashing in on com
modity markets, “trading paper commodities
which represent real commodities produced in
the country. .Meanwhile the real producers of
commodities in the country go broke working
with their hands. Country folks are forced to
buy everything they need at retail, while
selling all they produce at wholesale."
Will organized marketing be the salvation of
the family farm?
There are a lot of people involved in
agriculture who are staking their futureson it. ,
each building,' including your
home.
The first step is to have the
extinguishers; the second step is to
be sure they are in good working
condition; the third step is to be
sure that all members of the work
force and family know where they
are located and how to operate
them. In many cases a good fire
extinguisher can help control a fire
until the fire company arrives. And
finally, be sure they are checked
(Turn to Page Al 2)
ARE YOU
CHARISMATIC?
November 15,1981
Background Scripture;
1 Corinthians 12 through 13:
Devotional Reading:
Romans 12:1-13.
Knowing of my interest and
involvement in the ministry of
- spiritual healing, the newspaper
reporter said, “Are you a
charismatic?”
My first impulse was to reply in
the negative. I realized that he
assumed that only members of the
“charismatic movement” are
interested in the healing ministry
of the church—a wrong bat un
derstandable assumption. But I
decided the time had come for
someone to try to put the con
troversy over the “gifts of the
Spirit" in a diffemt perspective.
Except by the Holy Spirit
“The answer to your question is
both ‘yes’ and ‘no’,” I replied. “I
am charismatic and, if you’re a
Christian so are you, but that
doesn’t mean that we are
necessarily part of what is known
today as the charismatic
movement." I went on to say that,
while I have no quarrel with that
movement, I have not been at
tracted to become part of it.
My quarrel, I said, is with those
who use the issue of the gifts of the
Holy Spirit to divide and an
tagonize Christians. The Holy
Farm Calendar
Today, Nov. 14
Central Pa. Ayrshire Club annual
meeting, 1 pan., home of Carl
Swemhart, Rl, New Enterprise.
Monday, Nov. 16
Research for Small Farms
Symposium, Beltsville, Md.,
through Wednesday.
Lebanon Farm-City legislative
meeting, 8 a.m., Treadway Inn.
York energy meeting, 6:30 p.m.,
York County 4-H Center.
Tuesday, Nov. 17
Penn Hort ornamental meeting, 9
a.m.-4 p.m., Wicomico Civic
Center, Salisbury, Md.
Dover Young Farmer class, 7:30
p.m., Dover High School ag
room.
Ephrata Area Young Farmers
monthly meeting, 7:45 p.m.,
Ephrata ag dept., topic: Rural
HAV HAWS
S#si
W/
“Good news! Our increase in profit has raised us to a new
poverty level.”
Spirit is not the special or unique
possession of one particular group
of Christians, nor are the gifts of
the Spirit limited to people
following -one Christian lifestyle.
All of us have the Holy Spirit within
us and all of us are granted gifts by
the Spirit, although we may not be
aware of them or make use of
them.
Today, however; it is customary
for some Christians to insist that
they alone “possess”, the Holy
Spirit and are endowed with the
gifts of the Spirit. Even more
arrogantly, some of these further
bold that when the rest of us
preach, teach or heal in Christ’s
name, we are endowed not by the
Holy Spirit, but the devil.
Remember that the same charge
was made against Jesus (Matthew
12:24).
By the Same Spirit
Thus in I Corinthians 12,13 and
14, Paul deals with the same
problem. Some people in Corinth
are claiming that they alone have
the gifts of God’s Spirit while
others are empowered by the
power of Satan. Paul says it
plainly; “I want you to understand
that no one speaking by the Spirit
of God ever says ‘Jesus be cursed! ’
and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’
except by the Holy Spirit. Now
there are varieties of gifts, but the
same Spirit; and there are
varieties of service, but the same
Lord” (I Cor. 13:3,4).
Paul goes on to say that the gifts
of the Spirit without love love
that is not jealous or boastful, love
that does not insist on its own way
are worthless. Thus, if we have
the Holy Spirit in us, we will be
humble, not proud, loving of
others, not contentious, and willing
to acknowledge that all of God’s
children are gifted with the
charisma of the one Spirit.
Clean Water Program.
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Delmarva poultry short course,
7:30 pm., Georgetown Sub
station, Del
HB 1483 Water Bill panel
discussion, 8 p.m., New Garden
Twp. Bldg., Rt. 41, Avondale,
Chester County.
Lancaster Ag-lndustry banquet, 7
p.m.. Good ‘n Plenty
Restaurant.
Thursday, Nov. 19
Inter-State Milk Co-op annual
meeting, Host Farm, continues
Friday.
Lebanon Farm-City banquet, 6:30
p.m., Prescott Fire Hall.
Somerset County DHIA banquet,
Berlin Community Bldg.
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