Thursday. January 1. 1981
Commissioner Discusses Agriculture In North Carolina
By N.C. Commissioner
Os Agriculture
Jim Graham
Gambling on weather or
agriculture presents some
pretty long odds. Yet far
mers, like meterologists,
bet on the weather every
day as if the one element
vital to agriculture was not
one over which farmers
have little or no control.
Last summer many of
them lost.
Heat, drought and pest
struck North Carolina and
much of the United States
leaving only dust and death.
With that came shortages,
an ally of inflation. The
ancient and natural law of
supply and demand came
clearly into focus. Con
sumers suffered from
soaring prices and farmers
suffered from lack of
salable commodities. Too
many went under.
The following is an outline
of what happened. It should
be kept in mind that most
declines in quality and
quanityt were the direct
result of bad weather.
Corn, soybeans and
peanuts suffered the worst.
N.C. corn yields, for
example, were down 16 per
cent from 1979 or only 62
bushels an acre. In good
years this can be as high as
80 bushels plus. Soybeans
produced only 19 bushels an
acre, down 18 per cent from
the previous year. Peanuts
took a 19 per cent beating
pTOiPt- ft>r I IBfti < i ■ ■bPlaXu!% s
Albemarle Production Credit Association
Offices At:
426 McArthur Street Highway 17 North (Bus.)
Elizabeth City, N.C. Mlu|sp|| Edenton, N.C.
Telephone 335-5395 Xl!ypFTelephone4B2-4904 faY
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with only 1,850 pounds an
acre. In recent years far
mers have made over 2,800
pounds.
Fortunately, tobacco
maintained its golden lining,
at least partly, and a fan
crop resulted. On the
market flue-cured averaged
$1.46 a pound with a
reasonable yield of 2,012
pounds per acre. Quality
was down but 750-million
pounds were sold bringing a
whopping sl.l billion in
gross farm income.
Still, it was better than the
$1.39 a pound average price
of 1979 but costs of
production also went up. In
1979 only 603-million pounds
were sold grossing $842-
million.
Adding to that, burley
growers produced 18-million
pounds against a poor 8.5-
million pounds in 1979, an
increase of 111 per cent. The
1979 crop was a disaster due
to blue mold. At this writing
North Carolina has sold 11-
million pounds averaging
nearly $1.66 a pound. The
market will remain open for
about two weeks after
Christmas.
Cotton quality was ex
cellent though yields were
down. Only 50,000 bales
were harvested. If weather
had cooperated it is believed
80,000 bales would have been
produced from the 63,000
acres harvested. Cotton is
on the upswing in North
Carolina due to higher
demand, prices, (this year it
brought 85 cents to 90 cents a
pound) the success of the
trial boll weevil eradiction
program and the high cost of
synthetic fabrics made from
petro-chemicals. This is
evidenced in that only 43,000
acres were harvested in
1979.
Hogs saw a reduction in
breeding stock in reaction to
lower prices but they im
proved during the last half
of the year. In October of
1979 top hogs sold for $33.82
a hundredweight. In the
same month of 1980 prices
had increased to $46.67 a
hundredweight.
Beef cattle numbers and
prices were stable with
slaughter cattle selling at
$65 to $67 a hundredweight
or about one to two cents a
pound below 1979.
Milk production increased
two to three per cent with
about a 10 per cent price
increase at the farm.
Broiler production went
up 10 per cent. North
Carolina produces 350-
myiion birds annually. This
is the state’s leading food
commodity and second in
farm income behind tobacco.
North Carolina ranks
second nationally in turkey
production. Twenty-three
million were produced in
1979 compared to an in
crease of three per ent or 24-
million turkeys this year.
Tar Heelia leads the
country in sweet potatoes.
The 1980 crop was 4.6 -
million hundredweight or a 7
per cent drop from the 4.9-
million hundredweight
produced in 1979.
1980 was a record year for
apples with 375-million
pounds or 9-million bushels.
Vegetables were down
this year in both quality and
quantity as a result of
the weather.
Small grains were ex-
Chimney
Sweep
Free Estimates
Rick Brady
26 Westover
Heights
Edenton, N.C.
919/482-4558
THE CHOWAN HERALD
cellent with 350,000 acres
harvested including wheat,
oats and barley.
As we look towards the
1981 crop year, the biggest
problem I see is the hard
ship farmers will face in
borrowing the money
needed to carry this crop.
With the prime interest
rate now going to 21 per cent
with the prospect of going
higher, credit is a great
problem. When this burden
is added to the risk of put
ting out a crop, the result
could be disastrous.
There are not many
Teacher Os Year
Selection Slated
For Mid-January
In just a few weeks, the
eight regional finalists
competing for the 1981-82
North Carolina Teacher of
the Year (TOY) will be
named. Hie nominees will
be selected by mid-January
from competitors re
presenting most of the
local school systems.
A screening committee
in each of the eight regional
education centers is now in
the process of interviewing
local winners and evaluting
notebooks. Once the finalists
are named, a visiting
selection committee ap
pointed by the Office of the
State Superintendent of
Public Instruction will
observe the teachers in
their schools and recom
mend the first and second
state finalists.
The 1981-82 TOY will be
presented to the state board
at its April meeting. The
teacher selected will have
no classroom duties during
the year’s reign and will be
entered in national com
petition.
“Finding the best
classroom teacher in North
Carolina would be an im
possible task,” State Supt.
Craig Phillips explained.
“We attempt to find one
superior representative of
the finest in the teaching
profession who will
represent good teachers
everywhere,” he said.
Since 1970, when North
Carolina first participated
in the teacher of the year
program, the state has
produced four national
finalists and two national
winners. The national event
is jointly sponsored by the
Council of Chief State
School Officers, En
cyclopedia Britannica, and
Good Housekeeping
magazine.
The present teacher of the
year is Mrs. Linda Lee, an
English teacher at Cum
mings Senior High School in
Burlington, who began her
term July 1.
IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
MRS. NINAB.
VALENTINE
In loving memory of
Mrs. Nina B. Valentine,
who departed this life 7
years ago, January 6,1975.
Yet it seems only like
yesterday we often think
of how we stood by her
bedside Dear God, how
our hearts did hurt to see
you close your eyes. And
swiftly passed away, you
did not have time to say
goodbye. O, How God gave
us strength to bear it and
courage to face the blow.
Then we remembered how
you always taught us
“God’s” help is only a
prayer away. You left a
beautiful memory so great
that we shall never forget.
It will forever be a
keepsake deep in our
hearts. Though we loved
you but God loved you best
sleep on Mother, sleep on
some day we will meet
again in that great
beyond.
Your devoted Daughters,
Gladys V. Whitaker
A Essie V. Morris,
ft Grandchildren,
Great-Grandchildren
farmers who can shoulder
all of the
necessary without the use of
borrowed capital. Paying
these exorbitant interest
rates may be more of a
burden than many farmers
can bear.
In spite of the concern this
Attorneys Request Legislature
To Retain Felony Provisions
The president of the N. C.
District Attorneys
Association, Joe Freeman
Britt, has announced that
the association will work to
retain the provisions of the
Habitual Felons Act in the
coming session of the
legislature. The act, which
is now scheduled to be
repealed in March, 1981,
provides that when a person
has been convicted of his
fourth felony and is found by
a jury to be a habitual felon
his sentence must be at least
20 years and could be life
imprisonment.
The District Attorneys
Association feels that none
of the provisions of the
newly enacted “Fair Sen
tencing Act” adequately
deal with the career
criminal, but the current
Habitual Felons Act does,
since it mandates lengthy
Tarkingtons Storewide
Fall & Winter
Clearance Sale
Is Now In Progress.
Shop and Save at
Tarkingtons
Downtown Edenton
TERRYS SHOE ROX
GOING OUT OF
Business Sale
I Ladie s D ,"; S L ShOeS II Ladies Casuals
Black, Brown. Gray, Navy. Taupe Reg. 11.88 - 32.88
Sale $5 - sl9 Sale $5 - $25
White Duty Shoes Ladies Wedges
Reg. 9.88 - 24.88 Sdl6 $5 ■ $lB Reg. 10.88 - 21.88
“ ; -1 Tan. Black, Rust, Navy
Mens Hush Puppies Sale $5 - sl6
Slip™ Reg. 21.88 Sale sl7 Mens Casual
4 Lace Reg. 37.88 Sale $27 With Crape S*'* 3288
zzz=zz=====J Sale $26
Mens Mens Dress
Leather Sneakers B,ack ’ Tan * Gray Reg 3288
Hi & Lo Top Reg. 32.88 Sale $26
Sale $26
Canvas Sneakers PhilrlrAnc
Pro Keds Hi &Lo Top Reg. 17.88 \*nilUr©lls
Sale sl s Stride Rite white Hi Top*
w ™ a T 0 Reg. 15.88 Sale $9
Navy, White Hi & Lo Top Reg. 15.88
Sale $lO I Little Girls Dress wh««. C R«d
Reg. 13.88 S ie $7
Stride Rite Casual
Easy Walkers
D oob Rt * 1588 Sale $5
Reg. 8.88 _ .
Oxfords
Sale * 5 | Tan, Blue Reg. 14.88 Sale $5
ALL SALES FINAL
Hoars: Monday Thru Saturday 9:30 - 5:30
l OPEN ALL PAY MEW YEARS DAY *
causes, I do have faith in the
$ fanners ability to turn a
minus into a plus and I think
this will happen this time. I
know I hope so and I also
know it must if we are to
have the abundant food
supply we have come to take
for granted.
prison sentences for
habitual felons and prohibits
them from being
released on parole until
they have served a majority
of their sentence.
Dist. Atty. Britt noted that
the “one time transgressor”
or “youngster that makes a
mistake” is not effected by
the act. Only a person who
has clearly shown himself to
be a career criminal by
committing four felonies,
each one of the series being
committed after he was
convicted of the previous
one can be prosecuted as a
habitual felon.
The courts need this ef
fective law, according to
Dist. Atty. Britt, to deal with
the most hardened and
professional of criminals in
a manner that adequately
protects the people of the
State.
So says the VA... jftjj
BRE.
OF 'VORE
ORESS
'7
v
Contact nearest VA office (check you
phone book) or a local veterans group.
The true end in living is in
the development of human
happiness.
Inventory
Clearance Sale
Save On TV’s
★ 19” Quasar Color TV
Reg. 529.95...5a1e 469.95
Save $60.00
Save On Carpet
★ Vinyl as low as
$4.95 a yard
★ Carpet as low as
Save On ..
★ Frigidaire Refrigerators & Freezers
*Kitchenaid Dishwashers
★ Amana Radar Ranges
★ Maytag Washers
Carpet & Appliance
Broad St. PI3Z3 Edenton
Page 5-A
Notebook
Continued From Page 3-A
Bandon’s history. Rev.
Robert S. Harrell will be
installed as our FIRST full
time, resident minister.
Communion will be served
following the installation.
Happy New Year to one
and all. May God grant us
Hope, Faith and Love.
wimsiEMzr
YOU CAN REST IASI
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