AlO-Lancastef Fanning, Saturday, November 9, 1996 OPINION Good Questions? Fanners continue to have a hard time getting accustomed to the low returns they get when they send a dairy veal calf to market. We keep hearing from our farm friends that they send a nice calf to market and instead of getting a check, they get a bill. A local dealer confirms this phenomenon. The trucking costs, sales commissions, and check-off-for promotion moneys amount to more than many calves are bring ing on today’s market. Ten to 20 dollars for a 100 pound calf doesn’t cover many expenses. At one time, many of the dairy calves were bought by other far mers to take home to feed out for beef. But with low beef prices and high feed costs this doesn’t pay anymore. So much of the other-fanner-market for calves has dissipated. In addition, only a very few packers even handle dairy veal calves. AH the promotion in the world will do no good if there is no consumer market. Which brings us to the questions no one wants to face. Why should a farmer be required to pay a dollar per head for promotion of his veal calf that has little or no market value? With all the dol lars he has paid forpromotion in the last ten years, why isn’t there a market? Satin (la\. No\cmhci l > North American International Livestock Exposition, Ken tudky Fair and Exposition Cen ter, Lousiville, Kentucky through Nov. 22. Northeast Agroforestry Confer ence, Days Inn, Hagerstown, Mmula\. No\imlui' 11 Xt/k'ians' Da\ Poultry Management and Health Seminar, Kreider Restaurant, Manheim, Noon. Dauphin County Cooperative Extension Association annual meeting. Founders Hall, Her shey, 6:45 p.m. Annual Convention of the Nation al Grange of the Order of Pat rons of Husbandry, Cava naugh’s Inn at the Park, Washington, D. C., through Ephrata Area Young Fanners meeting on health issues, Ephrata High School cafeteria, 8:30 p.m. Pa. Turfgrass Council. Penn State Golf Turf Conference, State College, Pa. through Nov. 14. Northeast Regional Greenhouse Seminar, Luzerne Community College Conference Center, Nanticoke, Pa., 8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Bradford/Sulli van Forest Landow ners Annual Meeting, Wysox Fire Hall, 7 p.m. Farm Records Computer Work shop, Penn State Fayette Cam- ADADC District 20 meeting, lnn, Hennietta, NY, 7 p.m. Annal Meeting Pa. Association of County Agricultural agents, Nittany Lion Inn, State College, Nov. 13 and 14. Parenting the Preschooler, Pre- sbyterian Church, Towanda. 10:30 a.m. Parenting the School Age Child, Presbyterian Church, Towanda, Northumberland County Coopera tive Extension annual meeting, Otterbein United Methodist Church Social Hall, Sunbury, 6:30 p.m. Centre County annual meeting, Logan Grange Hall, Pleasant Gap. Lancaster County annual meeting, 7 p.m. Cooperative Extension annual din ner, Leslie N. Firth Learning Center, 7 p.m. Lancaster County Holstein Club annual banquet. Hoffman Building, Quarryville, 7 p.m. Jefferson County Holstein Club Annual Meeting, Astorino’s Restaurant, Walston, 7:30 p.m. Parenting the'School Age Child, Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre, 6:30 p.m. Parenting the Teenager, Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre, 8:05 p.m. Bradford County Extension Annu al Meeting, E. Canton Church, 7:30 p.m. Pest Certification exams, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Luzerene County. 8 a.m. Pa. Farmers Union Annual Con- Holiday Inn West, Wanda’s, Mechanicsburg. Lackawanna County Cooperative Extension Association annual meeting, Lakeview Lounge, Heart Lake Comers, Jermyn, Nittany Lion Fall Classic Sale, Ag Arena, State College, 11 a.m. Clarion/Venango Annual Meet ing, Murphy Gratige, Reidsburg. PSBA Winter Meeting ahd Ban quet, Country Cupboard, r * tTWWVP* r * mr*f m * * ** To Figure Corn Drying Costs Robert Anderson, extension agronomy agent, said farmers need to consider drying costs before harvesting com. • Many com fields were planted later than normal and we exper ienced cooler weather for most of the summer. As a result, com did not mature as fast. With the bumper crop, the price of com has drop significantly. This could make drying com an unpro fitable venture. Two items to consider are field loses and cost of drying com. Over the next several months, the futures market for com is about $2.25 per bushel. Drying costs for com is about $O.OB per bushel per point of moisture. You can afford up to 3.5 percent field loss for each point of moisture (0.08 divided by 2.25). This is your break-even point. For a 135-bushel-per-acre yield this would translate to 4.7 bushels per acre loss per point of moisture. If com is standing well, the longer it is in the field using natural dry ing, the more profitable the crop will be. To Store Firewood Properly Dr. Timothy Elkner, extension horticultural agent, offers a few tips on how to handle firewood. Remember, a pile of firewood is an ideal place for insects and spid ers to hibernate through the winter. These insects include wood borers, beetles, carpenter ants, termites, bees, and wood roaches. Store firewood outdoors in an open area, as far away from the house as practical. Stack firewood off the ground to reduce wood rot and pest problems. Never stack wood against the house. Cover the wood pile with plastic or sheet metal roofing to keep the wood dry. When cold weather arrives, pieces of firewood may be moved closer to the house for easier access. Firewood should be stored on a rack, patio, cm- deck instead of on the ground. Bring only enough firewood into the house to be burned imme diately. Firewood stored inside the house over an hour may warm up Lewis burg. Mercer County Holstein Club Annual Meeting, Mercer Coun- ty Extension Office, Mercer, 7:15 p.m. Meat Goat Conference, Pa. Farm Show Building, Rooms B & C, 8 a.m. Registration deadline: Show Series, Grazing Acres, New London, 8:30 a.m. Penn-Jerscy Equipment Dealers’ Association Convention, Poco no Manor, through Nov. 20. (Turn to Page A3l) f?* T’W'WW^P' enough for the insects to emerge and start spring activities early. Do not store firewood in a heated gar age or basement for the same reasons. * To Prepare To Mulch Strawberries According to Dr. Timothy Elk ner, extension horticultural agent, it is still too early to apply straw to your strawberry patch. The plants are not fully dormant and may still be storing carbohy drates for next year’s growth and fruit production. If you cover your plants with straw now. you cut off this valuable production of energy reserves and your berry crop could suffer next year. Your plants could also rot under a mulch, especially if the weather stays wet. Straw mulch should only be applied to fully dormant SLOW LEARNERS November 10, 1996 SLOW LEARNERS November 10, 1996 Background Scripture: II Kings 24 through 25 Devotional Reading: Psalms 74:1-12 It is hard to imagine a national and personal calamity greater than what befell the people