Crawford Farm Council
(Continued from Page A3O)
single most supportive group” he’s
ever worked with. He also thanked
the man who helped to get a lot of
the work done for June 25, herd
sman Ken Custard. Bruckner
added that Ken is the “best cow
man I’ve ever met and that’s no
bull.”
This year’s Ag Industry Award,
the third presentation of the
evening was given to Meadville
Production Credit Association.
President of the Board at Federal
Land Bank, Hope Leise, received
the plaque from Dave Reusing,
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representative of the NW Pa.
Colored Breed Assoc. Leise
thanked the Council and read the
inscription “Presented to Mead
ville Production Credit Association
for outstanding service to
Crawford County agriculture in
1983.”
The highlight of the event was
the announcement of the farmer
named to the Council Hall of
Fame. Each year, one person is
selected who has done outstanding
work in the community and for
agriculture.
Harold Hines, Pres, of the Board
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biography of the recipient which
included several positions in the
community. The honor was
bestowed upon a gentleman that is
in partnership with three of his six
sons on a 600-acre Holstein dairy
farm. He also has two daughters
and his wife Jean. The farm is
located at R 4 Cochran ton, and is
known as Rynd-Home Farm.
The man has been an elder in the
United Presbyterian church, V.P.
in the Masonic Lodge, Grange
members, pres, of Farmer’s
Union, and past president of the
CCCFO. He also helped to form the
dairy princess program and the
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Craw. Co. Council of Farm
Organizations. He has been a
former rural mail carrier, 4-H
leader and chairman of the
Holstein show for Craw. Co. The
coveted award went to Jack Rynd.
Jack accepted the plaque which
was given “in recognition of
achievements in farm operations
and farm organizations.’’ He was
visibly surprised and pleased as he
acknowledged that “if I have
contributed it is because of my
family.”
Rynd is also the chairman of the
building committee for a new
Extension Service facility. He said
that people have been temilc and
he gets cooperation from
everyone, “especially the com
missioners.’’ He added that
although money is hard to come by
for the new endeavor, everyone
acknowledges the need for larger
and more appropriate office and
educational space for the Ex
tension US. Congressman Tom
Ridge is seeking financing for the
county for this project.
Jack Rynd and all other
recipients were well deserving of
the awards presented for a fan
tastic Farm-City Day and plans
are already underway for the 1984
county event which attracts 3,000
annually.
Bleak outlook
(Continued from Pace A 33)
generalize about what's hap
pening. For example, combining
high yield estimates on irrigated
cornfields or land near the nver
that got adequate ram this sum
mer with estimates from burned
out fields elsewhere in the state
gives a distorted picture of the
situation
He recently pulled together some
figures on the costs and returns
from growing Delaware’s four
major field crops-corn. soybeans,
wheat and barley. These figures
show that since 1979 farming
hasn’t been profitable for even
some of the state’s best managers
“This information is based on
averages, of course. And you’ve
got to remember that, with
averages, half the values are
above and half are below the
figures you give," he said. “What
concerns us in the extension ser
vice is that the averages generally
are not at profitable levels for our
farmers. You can find some in
dividuals who may get 140 bushels
of com an acre. But on the average
Delaware farmers aren’t going to
get anywhere near that this year. ’’
To find out just how serious the
situation is. Tilmon sat dowr
recently with county extensior
agents and got from them figures
on what it cost locally to produce
corn, soybeans, winter wheat and
barley this year. Then, using the
cost analysis format used by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Economics and Statistics Service
in its report to the U.S. Senate
Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition and Forestry ("Cost of
Producing Selected Crops in the
United States-1978, 1979, 1980").
the economist took current
Delaware production prices and
worked them back for the past four
years, adjusting them for inflation.
The figures he came up with arc
very close to those used by the U.S.
Senate although, in three out of
four commodities. Tilmon found
that he and the Delaware agents
had understated their estimates.
Even with the conservative
Delaware figures, however, he was
able to show that breakeven costs
for each of these commodities have
been so high that, given the yields
and prices achieved, many far
mers couldn't possibly have made
a profit-especially those saddled
with any debt load.
For example, though returns on
com have covered variable costs
of production in all of the past four
years, m only two out of the four
years have producers made
enough! to cover both variable and
machinery costs. In only one have
they realized a return to
management, when all costs in
cluding land are considered. Look
ing at Sussex County alone t
Tilmon said the picture is even
bleaker. In none of the past four
years have farmers there made
enough from corn to cover all
production costs. When these costs
aren’t covered, growers must live
off depreciation and equity.
“Given these figures. -
economist asked, “how
anybody held on this long 0 ’’
To make matters worse, farm
(Turn to Page A 36)
the
has