Agriculture
BURKE SELECTED ? Cedric Burke has been
selected as Perquimans County's representa
tive to attend a two-week agricultural school
at North Carolina State University. The Mod
ern Farming Short Course is sponsored by the
N.C. Bankers Association and the state Exten
sion Service. The Bankers Association pro
vides scholarships for a representative from
each county, and the Extension Service pro
vides the teaching. Picture (left to right) are
Ben Berry of Peoples Bank & Trust Co.;
Burke; Charlie Parker of NCNB; and County
Extension Agent Stan Winslow. (Photo by
Jane Williams.)
USDA announces cotton
grain, rice, wheat programs
WASHINGTON? Secretary of
Agriculture John R. Block re
cently announced provisions of
the 1986 price support programs
for upland cotton, feed grains,
rice and wheat.
The programs include required
acreage reductions of 20 percent
for feed grains, 35 percent for
rice, 25 percent wheat, and 25
percent for cotton Included in
these reductions is a 2Vfe percent
paid land diversion for wheat and
feed grain producers.
Signup for the farm programs
is anticipated to begin in early
March.
The 1986 loan rates (per
bushel), will be $1.56 for barley,
$1.92 for corn, $.99 for oats, $1.82
for sorghum, $1.63 for rye, and ,
$2.40 for wheat. Loan rates for
rice and cotton will be announced
later.
Target prices will be the same
in 1986 as were in effect for 1985
crops. They are (per bushel):
barley, $2.60; corn, $3.03; oats,
$1.60, sorghum, $2.88; wheat,
$4.38.
Peanut banquet set
The 1986 Peanut Production
Meeting and Awards Banquet
will be held on Wednesday night,
February 5th at the Perquimans
County Agricultural Extension
Auditorium beginning at 7:00
p.m. Speakers will be Dr. Gene
Sullivan, Peanut Specialist with
N.C. Agricultural Extension; Dr.
Rick Brandenburg, Peanut Ento
mologist with N.C. Agricultural
Extension; and Mr. Norfleet
Sugg, Executive Director of the
N.C. Peanut Growers Associa
tion. Stan Winslow will discuss
peanut disease control.
This will be a sponsored meal;
please make reservations by Fri
day. January 31st, that we may
plan for your meal.
Attendance at this meeting will
give you one hour credit towards
renewing a Dealer or Commer
cial Applicators license.
Cotton production
meeting slated
The 1986 Cotton Production
Meeting through the Perquimans
County Extension Service will be
held on Thursday, February 6th
at the Angler's Cove Restaurant
in Bethel. The meeting will begin
at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Dave Guthrie,
N.C. Agricultural Extension Cot
ton Specialist, will discuss fac
tors which influence cotton
stands, how to get and maintain a
good stand and variety informa
tion for 1966. Stan Winslow will
discuss weed control options and
we will also have a discussion on
insect control.
Reservations must be made by
Friday, January 31st.
Attendance at this meeting will
give you one hour credit towards
renewing a Dealer or Commer
cial Applicators lincense.
Producers are eligible to earn
deficiency payments on the acre
age planted within the extent
permitted. Producers who plant
at least 50 percent of the per
mitted acreage to the program
crop and plant the remaining
permitted acreage to a non-pro
gram crop, other than soybeans
or extra long staple cotton, will*
be eligible to receive deficiency
payments on 92 percent of the
permitted acreage.
Winter wheat producers who
reduce the acreage planted to
wheat on the farm for harvest so
that it does not exceed 65 percent
of the farm wheat base may be
eligible to receive diversion pay
ments on an acreage equivalent
to 10 percent of the wheat base.
Implementation of discretio
nary provisions relating to pay
ments in commodities and other
contratiial provisions will be an
nounced later.
Individual producers will be
notified of their farm acreage
bases and programs yields by
their county Agricultural Sabili
zation and Conservation Service
offices.
Haying and grazing will be per
mitted on acreage conservation
reserve land at the request of in
dividual state ASC committees.
However, haying or grazing will
not be permitted on the acreage
during the five principal growing
months as designated by county
ASC committees. Block also ap
proved a standby measure autho
rizing, in the event of a natural
disaster, implementation of
emergency haying and grazing
privileges. Approval of the emer
gency privileges would be made
as needed on a county-by-county
basis.
? ?
Readers questioned answered
Here are some answers to
questions from readers:
Inside
Christmas cacti makes a hand
some hanging basket specimen
Peanut
poundage
quota set
WASHINGTON? Secretary of
Agriculture John Block an
nounced recently, a national
poundage quota of 1,355(500 short
tons (2,711 million pounds) from
the 1985 level. As required by the
Food Security Act of 1985, the na
tional poundage quota for the
1986 crop of peanuts is equal to
the quantity of peanuts esti
mated to be devoted to domestic
edible, seed and related use in
the 1986 marketing year, begin
ning August 1, 1986.
The 1986 national poundage
quota will be allocated to each
state based on each state's per
centage share of the 1985 pound
age quota. Any increase in a
state's poundage quota will be al
located equally among farms
producing quota and nonquota
peanuts.
Secretary Block also rescinded
the national acreage allotment of
1,610,000 acres and the national
marketing quota of 2,142,105 tons
proclaimed for the 1986 crop of
peanuts on November 14, 1985.
The legislative provisions upon
which these decisions were based
were suspended by the Food Se
curity Act of 1985.
Block also announced that pea
nut growers will vote January 27
31 in a mail referendum to decide
whether poundage quotas and
price supports will continue for
peanut crops for the next five
years. The Secretary is required
to conduct the referendum not
later than December 15. How
ever, since the 1985 law was not
enacted until December 23, the
referendum will be held in Jan
uary.
If two-thirds or more of the
producers voting favor poundage
quotas, no referendum will be
held for the second, third, fourth
and fifth years of the period and
quotas and price supports will re
main in effect for the 1986
through 1990 crops of peanuts. If
more than one-third of the pro
ducers vote against quotas,
poundage quotas and price sup
ports will not be in effect for the
1986 crop of peanuts.
Producers are eligible to vote
if they are engaged in the produc
tion of quota peanuts in 1985. Pro
ducers ineligible to vote are
those whose only interest in pea
nut production in 1985 was on a
farm on which: (1) the acres har
vested for nuts was one acre or
less; (2) there was no poundage
quota; or (3) the production was
for consumption exclusively as
boiled peanuts.
In the 1982 referendum, 93.9
percent of the 38,755 peanut
growers voting favored pound
age quotas for th" 1982, 1983,
1984, and 1985 crops.
even though it has bloomed.
Keep plants in high light in tem
peratures from 60?90 degrees.
Allow surface to dry out thor
oughly between waterings. Ferti
lize every two months.
Hanging ferns require medium
light, can tolerate low tempera
tures, even down to 32 degrees.
Keep the potting mixture moist
but well drained. Fertilize lightly
about once a month. Prune older
shedding foilage to encourage
new growth. If leaflets turn
brown, more humidity is indi
cated. Mist plants frequently.
Amaryllis that have already
bloomed is into active growth,
nourishing the bulb for next
year's flowering. Keep pot in
good light, and do not allow soil
to dry out. Fertilize monthly until
next September, when the plant
should be allowed to go into dor
mancy.
Keep peperomias, philoden
drons, Chinese evergreens indi
rect light, out of drafts. Keep pot
ting soil moist but well-drained.
Ficus can suffer from low hu
midity. Mist frequently or place
in a container of moist pebbles.
Flowering plants such as Afri
can violets, gloxinias, and bego
nia require a night temperature
above 60 degrees. Sudden shifts
in temperature results in sparse
bloom.
Outside
Check compost pile for proper
moisture to hasten decomposi
tion.
Applying nitrogen fertilizer
(one pound of 33 percent nitrogen
per 100 square feet) will hasten
the process, says Jack Baird, ex
tension soil science specialist at
NCSU.
Rhododendrons may still be
rooted. Nestle a few cuttings into
the mulch under Mama's lower
branches and leave undisturbed
until late spring.
You can still set out s raw
berry plants around eastern N.C.
November to March is consid
ered the best planting times.
Keep bird baths full of water,
even if you have to thaw them out
with boiling water, says Gary
San Julian, extension wildlife
specialist. Birds become depen
dent on these water sources. If
you cannot maintain the birdbath
throughout this critical time,
turn the container upside down in
the fall to prevent the collection
of rainwater. . ?
(Note: Send questions for Mrs.
Winslow to P.O.B. 42, Hertford,
N.C. 27944.)
Consumers seek
convenience
Nutrition has long been a tradi
tional selling point for the red
meat industry. Consumers
should know by now that beef and
pork are nutrient-dense foods.
That is, they contain more nutri
tion per ounce and per calorie
than most foods.
But according to Cornell Uni
versity economist Dr. Max
Brunk, meat producers should
know by now that consumers
son't buy on nutrition alone, in
fact, Brunk believes price and
convenience are the true market
ing keys today.
Case in point... chicken nug
gets. Not exactly loaded with nu
trition but affordable and easy to
prepare. It's a big consumer hit.
Another example... consumers
don't buy groceries anymore,
they buy meals. Pre-packed,
cooked and frozen. Take them
home, throw them in the micro
wave and dinner is served. We 1
used to call them "TV dinners"
but now they're called "en
trees."
The fresh meat counter is be
ing crowded out by the frozen
foods, deli and bakery depart
ments. Convenience being the
major selling point here.
Brunk advises meat producers
not to concentrate on nutrition
alone. He believes increased 1
sales will come by promoting
price and convenience.
PERQUIMANS COUNTY
TIME FOR FILING
NOTICE OF CANDIDACYl
CANDIDATES seeking party
nomination in the First Primary,
May, 1986, may file their "NO
TICE OF CANDIDACY" begin
ning at 12 o'clock Noon on
Monday, January 6, 1986 and
not later than 12 o'clock Noon
on Monday, February 3, 1986.
COUNTY OFFICES TO BE VOTED FOR:
Clark of Superior Court
Sheriff
DaAmI J AMIMIAAlAMAMk 1 A A aA 4 14 ^ ^ M I ? I ? 1 ?
tsoara or commissioners uisincv i \i commissioner)
District 3 (1 ComwiMionor)
P| n m mat nl CA.n atl n n -i
ooara ot taucaiion ?Non-rinmn , (mwkmi6)
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, f |NtW Hop#)
I . A ' I
This Week's Specials Include:
Spare Ribs
1.29 ?
Boston Butt Roast
1.19 .
Fresh Picnics if /
69*
Lb.
Get a Jump on Spring
LET US DO PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE ON
YOUR TRACTOR AND EQUIPMENT
. BEFORE FEB. 28
SPECIAL PRICES
10% Discount on Labor
10% Discount on Parts
And Free Hauling
TO QUALIFY FOR ABOVE DISCOUNTS
SERVICE MUST BE PERFORMED BY
OUR SERVICE DEPARTMENT. .
SCHEDULE YOUR SERVICE WORK NOW!
AVOID SPRING RUSH, AND SAVE TIME,
FUEL, AND MONEY.
BYRUM IMPLEMENT &
TRUCKiCOMPANY
HWY. 17 EPENTON 482-2151