VOL. 28 No. 21
Lancaster honors
top conservationists
BLUE BALL The Lancaster
County Conservation District
paused Thursday night to honor
the top conservationists for the,
past year.
Sharing honors were', Francis
and Ethel Kirk, of near Wakefield,
the Outstanding Cooperators;
individuals from ASCS and SCS
J
Pa. Extension
hiring freeze
beyond July, 1?
LANCASTER The current
hiring freeze for Agricultural
Extension personnel could well
continue beyond July J, Samuel
Smith, Dean of Perm State’s
College of Agriculture, -sidd on
Wednesday. . - -
“Right now, we have no plans for
lifting the freeze on July 1,” Smith
said.
“If we don’t get some good signs
from Washington' (concerting
budget cuts) and there £3 no state
budget, there’s quite a good chance
the freeze will continue”
Counties, such as Lebanon where
Agent Newton Bair is retiring, are
vitally interested in the hiring
freeze and how long it may con
tinue.
Prior to a scheduled Ag Week
speech before the Lancaster
Rotarey Club, Dean Smith
discussed the depth of his concerns
over fiscal problems that are
looming for the College of
Agriculture at Penn State and the
Extension System throughout the
Commonwealth.
He explained that formula
funding from the Federal
Government for ag research and
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From farm
Five Sections
Narvon mine
cited for service and several
groups who accomplished a storm
water management project in
Sadsbury Township.
And amidst this pause, featured
speaker, State Ag Sec. Penrose
Hallowell favorably predicted the
survival of the small family farm
that is characteristic of Lancaster
County.
And, in somewhat of a couple of
departures from the regular
speech theme, Hallowell spoke
briefly about the Narvon Mine and
efforts to make the Farm Show
“All-Americanmade.”
-In answer to a question from
the audience concerning the Pa.
Department of Agriculture’s
position on the proposed har
zardous waste dump for the
Narvon Mine, Hallowell said:
“You can be sure we willprotect
the interests,of agriculture.” .
He cited the landcondernnation
boardthat now exists, that can take
a -look at the proposal to make
certain that the proposed dump
would not affect area agriculture
and that there is not a better
-location for such a facility.
Hallowell qualified these
statements by explaining that
location of such facilities is one of
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Ag Sec. Block
coming to Lancaster
LANCASTER - U.S. Sec. of
Agriculture John Block is coming
to Lancaster next month.
Block will be the keynote
speaker at the open house for the
new Purina Chow Plant in the
Hempfield Industrial Park west of
Lancaster on Friday, April 8. He is
scheduled to speak about 11:3(1
a.m. at the plant, located off Rt. 30
at the Centreville Exit.
Pa. approves $250,000 in leans
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
HARRISBURG - Twelve low
interest loans totaling a quarter of
a million dollars have been-ap
proved thus far in Pennsylvania’s
program to encourage direct
marketing of Commonwealth farm
products.
With the approval of the 12 loans,
nearly three-quarters of a million
dollars still remains in the
revolving fund, which features an
interest rate of four and a quarter
percent this year.
The dozen initial loans are
spread across the state and include
a variety of direct farm marketing
operations.
Two of the loans involve Lan
caster County markets, including
expansion of an existing diver- - ,
. rifled farm market and another i
V jTt* <rurV'
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 28,1983'
Francis and Ethel Kirk, Lancaster County’s Outstanding Cooperators, with aerial
photo'of their farm presented at Thursday's Conservation District banquet.
Hog, poultry farmers to feel PIK
Pennsylvania hog and.poultry
farmers are keeping a keen eye on
the aftermath of PIK.
Their interest is not centered on
those millions of idle acres, but the
effect that those grainless fields
will have oh feed and production
’ costs in the coining months.
Even ~ before the government
announced on Tuesday that 82.3
'million, acres will be taken out of
production,-the cash and futures
grain markets had been feeling the
effects of the expected record
signup.
And when traders heard that
more than one out of every three
acres normally planted to major
crops will lie idle this year, the
upnard swing in grain .prices
escalated.
Here’s some examples:
The March 10 price on the
futures market for May com was
$2.83 a bushel. It has since jumped
more than 25 cents.
Soybeans futures wete up about
50 cents a bushel.
And meal had risen more than
$15.00 a ton. -
And all of this will be reflected in
feed to be used by area fanners
and increase their production costs
Direct marketing
that retails only apples on a 10-
month basis.
Hie first loan involved a farm
market in Armstrong County.
And the most unique market
operation approved for a loan is a
lamb and wool operation in
Westmorland County. In addition
to the sale of meat, the operation is
installing a blocking machine and
will be selling wool products from
the small flock associated with the
market.
Presently, two or three ap
plications are under consideration,
according to Don Unangst,
director of agricultural develop
ment for the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture.
“The fund was established last
July with |987,000 in federal Coital
rehabilitation money that was'h'ot
to finish each pound Of pork, raise
a broiler orproduce a dozen eggs.
Irwin cites
artichoke
questions
LANCASTER Farmers
considering the - planting of
Jerusalem artichokes should ask
themselves several questions
before making any decision,
cautions Jay W. Irwin, County
Agricultural Agent
“We have received many calls
about this crop,” Irwin said.
“We suggest that farmers ask
themselves the following;
questions:
—ln there a guaranteed market
for the product?
-What new machines will be
required to plant and harvest the
crop?
-Will this crop require ad-,
ditional labor?
-“Most importantly, how will
this crop affect my good land?”
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being used," Unangst explains.
"The funds were put into the
direct farm market development
program because w 6 think it is one
of the best ways for Pennsylvania -
farmers to sell their products.”
In addition -to Usangst, the
program’s board which reviews
the loan applications includes
Amos Funk, Tom Styer and Paul'
Konhaus, three well-known direct
farm marketers in Pennsylvania
and Eugene Wingert, of PDA’s
Office of Planning and Research.
Hie major requirement to apply
for a loan is that the applicant'
must be engaged-in an agricultural
operation that produces a com
modity that is sold at the farm
$7.50 per year
Poultry operators, who have
been walking a tightrope, will find
their positions even more
precarious.
And the hog farmers, who have
had something of a profit margin
lately, may find it harder to
maintain those levels.
All of this concern is due to the
position of Pennsylvania and the
Northest in general as a grain
deficit area. Much more is fed out
here than is grown.
While the figures announced by
the USDA have already caused
widespread ripples throughout
grain markets, there are some
questions that will need to be
answered as the full effect of all of
those idle acres is felt.
Saying that the signups were
beyond “my wildest ex
pectations,” Ag Sec. Block was
already predicting drastic
reductions in particularly com and
wheat crops this year.
There’s no doubt that overall
figures will be down, but it still
remains to be seen how much.
While more than one-third of
acres will be out of grain
production, you can be sure that
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to home