PROGRESS SENTINEL
1
VOL. XXXXV11 NO. 3S USPS 162-860 KEN ANSVILLE. NC 28349 SEPTEMBER 1. 1983 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
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CORN YIELDS EXPECTED TO BE DOWN -
Drought ancP-heat have affected all Nt?rth
Carolina crops tbft summer and EWplm
County Agricultural Extension Agent J.
Michael Moore said local corn yields are
expected to drop 10 to 20 bushels per acre on
the average this season. The entire state
production is expected to be down 50 percent
in corn production from the 1982 record
yailds: The drop of SO percent is due to the
Payment b) Kind program as well as drought
conditions and extreme heat. According to
More. Duplin's corn production average last
season Was about 100 to 110 bushels per
acre. 4
Growers Report Few
Losses During Heat Wave
Poultry growers have
learned ways to counteract
the extremely hot tempera
tures and have reported
fewer bird losses than in
past years. Duplin Agricul
tural Extension Agent Snodie
Wilson said.
Wilson estimated only
about 7,000 birds have been
lost during the recent heat
wave. Duplin County has
several million broilers on
'feed at all times, Wilson
said. Also, within the county
are about i million turkeys
and several hundred thou
sand layers producing
hatchery and table eggs, he
said. Each bird lost is a
double loss for Duplin's
poultry industry.
"Each bird that dies is a
double loss," Duplin Agri
cultural Extension Agent
I Snodie Wilson said. "When
the grower doesn't have the
bird to go to the processing
plant, he loses money and he
will also be out all the money
invested in labor to grow the
bird to the age at which it
died. And, the poultry com
panies are out feed and
hatching costs when a bird
dies because that bird is not
marketable." According to
| Wilson, this year has been as
hot or hotter than years in
which Duplin's pouftry
industry recorded record
deaths due to extreme heat
and the weekend of August
20-21 registered some of the
highest temperatures in area
poultry houses.
"When the temperatures
reach the 90s and above,
there will be some poultry
losses." Wilson said. "And,
kwith the heat wave like we
have been experiencing, I
think it is expected to lose
several thousand birds. But,
this year growers have done
a better job of insulating the
houses and 'using fans to
ventilate which has caused
fewer bird losses than in past -
summers." Fxtreme heat
affects poultry by reducing
the feed intake. Wilson said.
I While the birds eat less, they
"will drink more and the
buplin agricultural agent
encouraged growers to ke?p
m _
the flow level deeper than
usual in poultry waterers and
cover water pipes exposed to
the sun with insulation.
"The birds will take in less
feed and are just concerned
with trying to drink enough
water and stay alive, which
means it will take longer for
the birds to go to market."
Wilson said. "Layers will
produce fewer eggs and the
eggs produced will have
thinner shells, which means
a lot of cracks." The reduced
production of eggs and slow
growth of market birds
reduces farmer profits. Ac
cording to Wilson, most
poultry farmers are paid
under an incentive contract.
The grower's profit is figured
according to the amount of
feed his birds eat to produce
a pound of meat or. with
layers, per dozen eggs. Heat
causes birds to remain at the
same weight level or even
lose pounds, lengthening the
growing period and increas
ing the usual feed intake to
grow out the bird.
1 lie luigcst losses nave
been in the larger birds.
Wilson said. Birds ready for
the market will always suffer
the most loss dui ng heat
waves. Wilson said, because
less room is available within
the poultry house for the
flock to move and cool them
selves. Fans to circulate the
air in poultry houses helps
prevent losses and Wilson
also stressed the need to
keep grass and weeds
mowed to allow natural
breezes to move throughout
the houses.
Bowdens Georgia-Pacific
Building Gutted In Blaze
An explosion at the
Georgia-Pacific Corp. about
7 p.m. Saturday in the town
of Bowdens caused a fire that
gutted the company's wood
chipping building.
Faison Fire Chief Glenn
Jernigan said he believes
some wood chips in the metal
building were ignited about
noon when workmen were
welding. He said the chips
probably smoldered for some
time, causing wood dust in
the air to explode at 6:57
p.m.
The company, located on
S.R. 1301 about four miles
south of Faison. is closed oh
Saturday and no one was in
the building. Jernigan said.
A woman who lives a short
distance away heard the
explosion and notified
authorities. Faison called for
assistance from Warsaw,
Kenan^villc and Calypso fire
departments.
*l"he 30 firemen fought the
blaze for about two hours
before dousing it. Jernigan
said it was under control
after about 30 minutes.
The building, which mea
sures about 20 feet on each
side, was gutted and a con
veyor belt and the wood chip
machine were badly
damaged. Jernigan said.
Plans Underway For
Annual Grape Stomp
September means a busy
time at Duplin Wine Cellars
in Rose Hill. It is the be
ginning of the grape harvest
and time for the annual
grape stomp.
On Sept. 17, the town of
Rose Hill will have a Jam
boree _ in support of its
poultry, pork, turkey and
grape industries. The Jam
boree" will kick off with a
parade at 10:30 a.m. At 12:00
noon plates of Barbecue and
chicken, cooked in the
world's largest frying pan,
will be for sale.
From 1 - 5 p.m. there will
be wine tastings and special
tours with demonstration's of
crushing, champagne
making and wine bottling at
Duplin Wine Cellars. All
other activities will be Keith
Hinson Park.
From 1:30 until 3:30
everyone is encouraged to
participate, in the grape
stomp as all proceeds will be
donated to charity. At 3:30
we will have tne Grand
Stomp Off with the top ten
stompers competing for the
coveted Grape Stomp trophy.
During the afternoon there
will be live entertainment,
games for all ages, and a
cake auction of which all
proceeds go to charity. There
will be 24 arts and crafts
-jf
booths and for
citizens, there will be free
bingo in an air-conditioned
building.
The Jamboree festjvities
will end Saturday evening
with a clogging performance
and an old-timey street
dance. So, come on out with
your family and friends and
just have a good old time.
The annual grape harvest
opens at Duplin Wine Cellars
Sept. 12 and runs into
October. The public is in
cited to %visit the winery
Monday through Saturday. 9
a.m. until S p.m.. and see the
operation during the grape
season. The winery is open to
the public year round.
%
| Duplin Corn Suffers
Some Loss Due To Weather
By Emily Killelte
Desnite recent drought
like conditions and extreme
heat, Duplin Agricultural
Extension Agent J. Michael
Moore expects the county's
corn crop to be better than
those of neighboring
counties.
Farmers have begun pick
ing corn in Duplin and Moore
said many have been sur
prised by the yield. At the
end of the season Moore
expects corn yields to aver
age about 80 to 90 bushels an
acre which is about 20
bushels less than last season.
"Corn is picking good for
the season it has had."
Duplin Agricultural Exten
sion Agent J. Michael Moore
said. "Some farmers have
been surprised by the yield;
I think the corn crop did
better than expected because
the early rains built up a lot
of moisture in the soil which
helped fill out the ears
during the dry spell."
Throughout the state, Moore
said, corn production is
expected to be 50 percent
less than last year's record
crop. He said the decrease is
attributed to the Payment In
Kind program and drought
conditions throughout the
state. In Duplin 43 percent of
the county farmers enrolled
in tile corn PIK program
idling 31,038 of 90,068 acres
of corn cropland, according
to county Agricultural Stabi
lization and Conservation
Serviced figures released in
March. Duplin farmers will
earn 1 139,383 bushels of
corn under the PIK program.
Corn prices last week ranged
from $3.64-3.75 a bushel and
Moore encouraged the idea
of contracting corn crops
with grain buyers while the
price is high.
"It is possible the price of
corn is peaking right now."
Moore said. "Farmers
should take time to contract
their crop this season at the
present price. Most any of
the large area graneries will
negotiate contracts for corn
and it/would be a good idea
to contract about 75 percent
of what the yield is expected
to be." Moore added soy
bens could be contracted,
too. Soybeans have ex
perienced more of the
drought and heat conditions
than corn and Moore expects
the bean yield to be modest.
"The heat and lack of rain
has caused the blooms to fall
off the soybean plants."
Moore said. "If the heat lets
up and rain falls, the plants
will continue to bloom and
there will be a crop of
soybeans." Moore also
emphasized the need to con
tinue checking soybean fields
for insects.
Regardless of the reduced
crop of corn and soybeans in
Duplin, Moore said the
annual county corn contest
will be held. Any farmer may
enter by contacting the
Duplin Agricultural Exten
< sinn office in Kenansville.
Entries should be made at
least one day prior to har
vesting. The contest is spon
sored the by the Duplin
Agricultural Extension office
and the Duplin Earm Bureau.
The countv winner will com-,
pete in the statewide corn
production contest. Last
season. Moore said. Duplin
had 33 entries. Over 600
entered the state corn con
test, he added.
Duplin Approves
Half-Cent Tax
The Duplin County Board
of County Commissioners
unanimously approved a
half-cent sales tax last week
after a public hearing.
The tax. which will likely
take effect Oct. 1. is expected
to bring about $590,000 to
the county for the nine
months remaining in the
fiscal year after the tax
begins.
Duplin's share of this
money will be about
$?155,000. Forty percent of
this will go to the schiKils.
The remaining $135,000 will
be divided among 10 county
municipalities according to
population. The towns must
spend 40% of their shares on
water and sewer systems.
About 85 people attended
the hearing in the court
house. About 20 people
spoke, all but one in favor of
the tax.
After the meeting, the
commissioners said (hey
were generally satisfied with
the turnout, although some
noted that the audience con
tained many people con
nected with the school
system.
"It was heavily weighted
for the schools," Bill Costin
of Warsaw said. "1 would
have liked to have seen more
people, but it was heavily
advertised so what can you
do?"
GERALD BELL speaks against half-cent tax.
LARRY DAVIS of B.F. Grady School speaks for half-cent
tax.
Duplin Agribusiness
Fair Countdown Begins
Plans for the second
annual Duplin County Agri
business Fair are falling into
place as the countdown be
gins. A scant (Jve weeks
away it will appear, to aH
except those who do the
work, that a magic want
transformed the old Elemen
tary School site in Kenans
ville into a professional fair
arena.
During the weekend of
Oct. 1 and 2. Charlie's
Amusements will move in
bringing at least 15 different
rides. Clean family-type en
tertainment will feature
something for everyone.
Bob Barlow and his skilled
assistants will appear and set
up booths in the Kenan
Memorial Auditorium and
the old school building. Then
the very best of everything
Duplin has to offer will be
assembled for everyone to
see and enjoy.
In addition to exhibiting
livestock this year, there' will
also be competition in the
cattle and swine ^vision.
Winners will receive trophies
as wey as cash prizes.
A new attraction this year
will be horses. Tentative
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plans call for a different
breed of horse to be ex
hibited each dav of the fair
with some special activity
taking place Saturday in
Turkey Stadium.
Duplin may well be proud
of her talented ^citizens. We
had an opportunity to enjoy
that talent last' year as our
own people entertained each
night with a, variety of enter
tainm'ent ranging from
gospel music to clog dancing
and a, Little Miss Show. A
spectacular ?vept was pre
sented last year by a square
dance group known as the
"See Saws." This group
performed in the amphi
theater. Dancers came from
all over eastern North Caro
lina and held the audience
spellbound as every stage in
the amphitheater was filled
with dancers. Toe-tapping
music could be heard even on
the midway as the caller
chanted "do ce-do and there
she goes."
If you would like to be a
part of the entertainment this
year, your talent is needed.
Please call feose Hill
289-3193 or 296-1996*. in
Kenansville. '