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Soil program underway
The first round of bidding for ceptable. After all, that is the key
entry into the Conservation to your decision on whether to
Reserve Program is now past, participate or not.
We’ll all be watching the papers There will be later opportunities
for reports on how the program has to submit bids, and so give you
been received, and for hints as to more of a chance to assess the
the level of bids that were ac- situation. I believe that everyone
9>£M Hol)s£
AND SALES DAYS
WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
APRIE2, 3AND4
Look for full details in next weeks issue!
HENRY S. LAPP
r * Box 175, R.D. 1 (Cains) Gap, PA 17527
Systems (717)442-8134
Glencoe*
Stretched
Soil Saver models
• For highest yielding fields with heavier stu
and more residue
• In just one pass, it chops, slices, digs, churns and blends soil
and crop residue into a uniform ridged surface that resists wind
and water erosion
• Deeper 4-bar frame with 3 ranks of shanks provides additional
trash flow clearance
• 5 year limited warranty on both mam frame and shanks
• Available in cutting widths from B'9" to 16'3"
See your Glencoe Dealer today!
Distributed By
HAMILTON EQUIPMENT, INC.
567 South Reading Road P.O. Box 478
Kphrata, PA 17522
Telephone (717) 733-7951
Please Contact Us For Your Nearest Dealer
should at least study the effect of a
bid on your operation. Whether you
are serious about it or not, it will be
a good exercise in economics. And
it might even open up a new vision
of how you might help save some
soil for future generations, at no
cost to you.
Don’t be fooled by the over
simplification of the rules. A per
acre bid based on rent that you are
currently paying for land can be
misleading. Much rental land in
Southeastern Pennsylvania is
actually overpriced for
Agriculture. I find it hard to justify
paying $125 an acre for corn land,
even for good limestone soil. Even
$45 for rolling, shaley or sandy soil
is hard to justify at present grain
prices.
To arrive at a fair and profitable
price per acre for a Conservation
bid, considerable pencil work is
necessary. In the first place, Class
II and 111 and IV Soil Capability
Classes are our commonly farmed
soils.
Any classes higher than these
are not commonly farmed m this
ncker stal
ible, tl
area. They usually are too steep,
rocky or thin to even plow up for
farm crops. Anyone in his right
mind wouldn’t consider it in the
first place.
But don’t assume that those
Class I, 11, and 111 soils aren’t
going to qualify. Too much of what
we consider our best farmland is
washing down the Susquehanna at
a furious rate.
Since those steep and stony soils
are also eligible for the program,
_they should be considered first.
"They are not usually profitable to
farm anyway, so even a very
conservative bid for taking them
out of production will benefit you
and all mankind. Covering them
with grass and trees will be a
blessing for years to come.
What about those fairly level
fields that have been farmed for
many years? Or those rolling hills
that used to produce 80 bushels of
corn, when the mules could still
jump over the gullies?
Have you noticed that the sod
strip your father left stand m the
bottom is now fifty feed wider than
it was a tew years back? Or maybe
it has turned into two or more
gullys, separated by the original
strip.
In many of those fields that we
consider fairly easy fields to farm,
the soil is still moving down hill
faster than you think. If it were not
for tons of chemicals added each
year, the present crops would be
mighty poor.
Every farmer in Pennsylvania
Holstein breeders plan meeting
The Central Jersey Holstein report of the association president,
Association will hold its annual Bernard Beatty, Bethlehem
dinner dance and meeting on Township, will take place during
Saturday, April 5, at the Ringoes the music intermissions.
Fire House. Social hour is set for “It will be a fun evening, with
6:45 p.m. and dinner to follow at good food, music, and fellowship,”
7:15, report Bill & Natalie Teets, ,says Mrs. Teets. All members and
Clinton Township, co-chairmen for friends of the association are
the event. encouraged to attend. Tickets are
Dinner menu includes roast beef $l6 each for dinner and dance,
and roast ham served family style. They are available from dinner
Dancing to the music of Les committee members, directors,
Parson’s Band has been arranged and in the Hunterdon County
by the dinner-dance committee, Cooperative Extension office,
and will continue to 12:30. Extension Center, Flemington.
Brief items of business, in- Ticket sale deadline is Wed
cluding election of directors and a nesday, March 26.
CAU US FOR FREE ESTIMATES
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To earn a dollar give a dollars worth of service and work Pay only $750 for the
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Being self employed enables me to take the time to properly apply my barn
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I will share helpful guidelines on roof maintenance of steel roofs by brushing on
at primetime
The farmers in Lancaster Co. are lucky because of the amount,
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Check with us for the best deal!
PHARES S. HURST Years of experience plus self
RD I, Box 503, Narvon, PA 17555 employment gives you quality
215-445-6186 work for less expense.
STOLTZFUS BUILDERS
Honey Brook, PA
We Specialize In Pole And Frame Buildings
CALL US FOR AN ESTIMATE
(215) 273-3495
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 22,1986-A39
should seriously consider putting
at least some of their poorest land
in the Conservation Reserve. If
everyone would apply the simplest
economics of profitability to these
soils, they would invariably find
that most gram crops could be
purchased cheaper than they can
be grown on such land. The savings
in time and energy alone would
make it worthwhile to put it in
grass or trees for a long term.
So if you have missed the first
deadline for sign up, you still have
time to sharpen the pencil for a
later signup. Here are some things
to consider:
• Present per acre cost of
growing a crop.
• Your net profit over direct
costs.
• Total acreage considered for
entry in Reserve.
• Added costs of establishing
cover crops.
• Annual upkeep costs.
• Reduced machinery ownership
costs.
• Savings in labor, seed, fer
tilizer, etc.
The total annual reduction in
income divided by the number of
acres involved will give the
minimum bid per acre, to equate
the Conservation Program with
continued production. Use the
worksheet provided by ASCS, or
better yet, use a computer
spreadsheet to figure your bid.
Above all, don’t guess, use ac
curate figures, and add a little
margin for safety.
BRINING
(215) 273-3456