Farmers Get Pat on Back, But Pocketbooks Still Hurt
WASHINGTON, D. C.-
America's farmers, who have
often been accused of getting
lota of government money for
not producing, finally got some
nice things said about them.
The praise, long deserved, but
slow in coming, showed that
contrary to public opinion, the
nation's farmers have been ex
tremely productive, outstrip
ping non-farm productivity
growth two-to-one.
The man citing the figures
was no less than President
Nixon himself, and the occa
sion was a "Salute to Agri
culture," which brought farm
machinery and animals to the
White Hquse lawn. Many
Washington observers say it
was the first time any farm
animals had been on trie spa
cious lawn since President
Wilson had sheep grazing there
during World War I.
The aalute to America's
fanners came at a time when
spiralinp costs are sending
food prices higher and the
farmer's profits lower despite
arapid increase in his produc
tivity. And farmers, like their
city cousins, aren't happy
about their situation.
Productivity Climbs
Speaking to a group of farm
leaders gathered at the White
House for the event, President
Nixon noted that in recent
years the productivity of
American farmers has been
increasing at an average of six
percent per year, while non
farm productivity has been
increasing at three percent.
This productivity, the Pres
ident said, makes Americans
the best fed and best-clothed
people in the world. Our agri
culture, he added, is a leading
contribution toward world
peace.
"Armies from American ag
riculture go abroad carrying
plowshares, not swords," he
said.
Some Farm Facts
All the attention given
farmers came at a time when
they will be needing better
understanding of their prob
lems. The latest census figures
indicate a shift of population
that means urban and sub
urban areas hold an over
whelming balance of political
clout. Many Americans, far
removed from farm contacts,
will be exerting pressures on
legislatures for passage or re-
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FARMER'S PRODUCTIVITY has been helped by modern
farm machinery like this New Holland combine being
deacribed to Preaident Nixon by Secretary of Agriculture
Clifford M. Hardin, left, at White Houae aalute to agri
culture diaplay.
jection of legislation which
affects farmers.
The dwindling number of
farmers has left the job of
feeding the nation in the hands
of about three million farm
owners and operators. They're
using bigger, more sophisti
cated machinery and larger
amounts of fertilizer and other
necessary inputs. This is cost
ing them more, while their in
come remains static.
In a speech in Washington
last year, former Congress
woman Catherine May said
it takes an investment of
$200,000 in land, machinery,
and other farm costs for a
farmer to earn enough to sup
port a family of four and send
his two children to college.
Emphasizing these costs at tne
White House event were the
farmers are caught in the mid
dle of a squeeze from rising
operating costs and a declin
ing share of retail food prices.
As an example, USDA fig
ures indicate tne farmer gets
machines on display with price
tags attached. A tractor with
six-plow hookup was $18,587;
a tractor with cultivator was
listed at $15,545; a grain com
bine $15,669; and . a grain
dryer at $6,652.
Marketing Coats Up
While food costs are in
creasing, and signs are they
will continue to ao so, farmers
are reaping little benefit from
spiraling costs. A brochure, by
New Holland, the farm equip
ment division of Sperry Rand,
issued to help show the farm
ers' side of the story, notes that
Dr. Norman Borlaug, Nobel prize winner who developed
new miracle wheat, joined the president on the tdur. The
combine was one of Ave pieces of machinery displayed
to illuatrate the large investment farmers make to step
up their productivity.
about 2.6 cents for the corn in
a 31 cent box of corn flakes.
The rest of the cost is in pre
paring, packaging, transpor
tation and other marketing
costs. And, the farmer is at the
mercy of his age old adversary
—weather—in trying to make
even the meager living he man
ages to get for his labors.
Compared to average fac
tory worker wages, his pay for
the work involved and the
financial risks he takes, leaves
the farmer on the light end of
the scale. As the New Holland
brochure points out, average
net income per farm in the
United States in 1969 was
$5,401. The average hourly
wage for farmwork performed
is $1.67, compared to $3.19
for a factory worker, or $2.83
for people engaged in market
ing the food the farmer had
grown.
While many urbanites talk
about the farmer getting paid
for not growing crops, few
understand what is happening
with funds channeled into the
USD A for "agriculture" pro
grams. In reality, only about
naif of the department's bud
get goes into programs for
farmers. Non-farmers received
slightly more than half the
expenditure of USDA funds
in 1970.
Farm Program Misleading
"Agriculture" money that
benefits city and suburban
dwellers includes large expend
iture items such as inspection
and marketing services; for
estry expenditures; the food
stamp program; the special
milk program; and the child
nutrition program.
NO. CAROLINA
GARDEN TIME
"What are the trees now
blooming on the campus with
the beautiful yellow flowers 7"
One is a Golden Rain tree and
the other a Golden Chain tree.
They are both beautiful plants,
not commonly found in the
landscape.
The Golden Rain tree
(Koelreuteria paniculata) is a
native of China where the trees
may grow to a height of 40-60
feet. The leaves are very
large and handsome and di
vided into numerous leaflets.
The yellow flowers are real
pretty and borne in large ter
minal clusters, followed by in
flated triangular seed pods
which bear one or more hard
brown seeds. In this area the
trees may reach a height of
30-40 feet. The tree likes
full sun and a well drained
soil.
The Golden Chain tree
(Laburnum anagyroides; also
other species and hybrids) is
ranked among the most de
corative of all spring flower
ing trees. The golden flowers
are borne on long pendent
clusters in May and June.
The tree will grow to a
height of about 25 feet and is
very long lived. The heart
wood is very hard, heavy and
dark in color. In a manu
factured state, it has the ap
pearance of ebony. It is a
native of Europe and is some
times used in that country for
"turnery and cabinet work."
You might keep this in mind
if you are a woodworking buff.
A warning note. The
Golden Chain tree, as are all
Laburnums, is poisonous in
all its parts if taken inter
nally. Warn the children
about this, especially if they
have a yen for seed eating....
Side dressing your veg
etable crops with readily
available nitrogen will pro
mote growth and make your
products more tender and
tasty beans, tomatoes,
watermelons, cantaloupes,
squash, cabbage, lettuce,
broccoli, kale and spinach.
It is best not to use too
much nitrogen at one time.
Two light applications, about
three weeks apart, is better
than one heavy application
after the crops have been
planted and are making good
growth.
Use two kitchen measuring
cups of nitrate of soda or one
measuring ciq> of ammonium
nitrate for each 100 feet of
row. For ithe hill crops
watermelons, squash, etc.—
use one level teas poo nful of
nitrate of soda per plant. If
you have been having good
luck using a complete fert
ilizer for side dressing, don't
change. However, I prefer
the readily available nitrogen
as suggested. Keep the fert
ilizer off the foliage.
Be on constant watch for
for Insect and disease pests.
Clobber the pests before they
get you. There is no point
In locking the door after the
horse has been stolen.
Utilities Bill Softened
Legislation granting "quick
take' condemnation authority
(or electric power companies
has been watered down in
the General Assembly.
The bill is expected to clear
the House with provision*
similar to powers now granted
to the State Highway Com
mission.
A Mouse committee rework
ed the Senate-passed pro
visions Thursday, to the
chagrin of some power com
pany lawyers, and sent the
bill back to the House floor.
The condemnation pro
visions were rewritten
"completely in favor of the
landowner," said Rjp. Sam
Johnson, D-Waija, chairman of
the committed
The bill would give the State
Utilities Commission "one
stop" authority for granting
environmental clearance for
power plants and transmission
lines. State environmental
agencies and private con
servationists would be
guaranteed a voice In the
decisions.
Under that provision, firms
would have to go only to the
utilities commission when
seeking environmental
clearance. Under present law,
they have to go to several
agencies.
The bill, already passed by
the Senate, ran into trouble
on the House floor last week
and was returned to com
mittee when Rep. McNeill
Smith, D-Guilford, asserted
that its quick take con
demnation provision was
"novel and ruthless."
Those expressing satisfac
tion with the changes in the
measure included Rep. Jim
Johnson, R-Cabarrus, who
served on the Judiciary I sub-
k A\\ Aft v\ dixie darling
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PURE VEGETABLES OIL FOR COOKING OR SALADS
ASTOROIL
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WITH $5.00 OR MORE FOOD ORDER
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SATURDAY, JULY VI, M7l THE CAROLINA TIMES.
■ ■■■■■ 111 ■ . LI . a *a
com mine* wmcn arinen r nc
changes. Johnson said that as
originally drawn the bill gave
the power companies greater
condemnation authority than
state agencies possess.
He said the amended con
demnation provisions are
similar to the law under which
the State Highway Com
mission can condemn lands
for road construction.
The quick take provision
would permit a power com
pany which has obtained 3
certificate at convenience and
necessity from the utilities
commission for a power pro
ject to move to take im
mediate possession of land
needed for a project when
it could not agree with a land
owner on the price.
LAPNDIIIII * {LIANIBI
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REFRIGERATED PUR STORAGE AMD
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Hm pnfUn would require
the power wpnj to ad
vance what it coaaktered die
property was worth and the
laodowntr would have im
mediate um of the wwy
while the courts were making
a final of the
value of the land.
Rep. Sam Johnson said Us
committee tightened up a pro
vision under which the utilities
commission could issue a
certificate at convenience and
necessity for a power project
without hearing in an emer
gency.
Johnson pointed out the bill
now provides that such
emergency certificates are to
be issued only when an "im
minent emergency threatens
the health, welfare and safety
of the public " '
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