Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / Sept. 11, 1986, edition 1 / Page 8
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Agriculture : Scorching heat bakes crops in piedmont and western Carolina no one neeaea to tell farmers in Piedmont and western North Caro lina how dry their fields were. Day after day of relentless, scorching heat and cloudless skies baked crop6 and the earth in much of North Caolina's fertile counties. The corn crop was among the first to fall preV to the drought, then the spring wheat, and the pastures, and by the middle of July, thousands of farmers in this state were desperate for relief. Among the hardest hit were those with dairy, beef or horse operations. While it was possible for some to turn under row crops or cut corn for silage or at least harvest a little wheat, those with horses and cattle were left with animals starving in dying pas tures. The state's poultry farmers lost thou sands of birds to the heat of July, and hog farmers lost some animals and watched weight gains diminish on others. But hogs suffered through the worst times, and when temperatures finally fell out of the hundreds, chicken and turkey production re turned to "normal" conditions. How ever, cattle and horse farmers were stuck with hungry animals, too little water and even less feed. Many beef and dairy cattle herds were thinned as farmers began to sell some livestock. These cattle, many of them bred and carrying calves, were sent to livestock auctions so they would not have to be fed and watered through the toughest drought times. Farmers fully expected prices to fall as large numbers of animals came up for auction, but heavy buy ing in northern and western markets changed the picture. Farmers there bought the cattle for replacement stock instead of allowing them to go the slaughter. This boosted prices and maintained a strong market. Likewise, farmers carrying hogs to market were pleased to find a healthy market for their animals. Poultry farmers saw record high prices for their birds by the middle of August, as demand outpaced supply for hogs and chickens. But the good prices for poultry and livestock didn't help farmers inter ested in keeping their beef cattle through the winter or in maintaining their dairy herd. Many found them selves in a position where they didn't have enough feed to see their cattle through next week, let alone through the winter. And this is where the story of love and caring for fellow farmers begins. Through channels of communica tion opened by all forms of the media, farmers across the United States be came aware of the acute needs of their farming brothers in the south east. Offers of help began pouring in, and the North Carolina Department of Ag riculture became command center to coordinate bringing free hay into the state for distribution. Calls came in from states all over the country, with farmers offering from a few bales of hay to thousands. It seems Mother Nature had been giv ing North Carolina's share of rainfall to farmers in other areas, and those farmers had hay to spare. Before long, Departments of Agri culture in responding states, along with countless farmer, church and civic groups had banded together to collect as much hay as possible and facilitate shipment to the Southeast. Personnel from the Division of Marketing of the North Carolina of Agriculture manned phones from sunrise until after dark, seven days a week to coordinate relieve efforts. Two WATS lines, furnished by South ern Bell and AT&T, aided fanners and truckers who had hay or trans portation to donate. Computers were put into service to match donated hay with transporta tion offers. Nine distribution sites across the hardest hit areas of the state were selected and readied for hay shipments. Personnel from the Division of Marketing and other divi sions within the NCDA were pressed into service to receive and account for distribution of hay from the sites. And even before the gifts of love in the form of hay began arriving, farm ers in North Carolina were clogging the phone lines wanting to know where they could get free hay, or even if someone knew where hay could be bought at a reasonable price. And the answer was always the same... make application through your local Exten sion office and wait for hay to arrive. It wasn't long before hay beghan arriving. At first by plane, to fill the critical immediate need, courtesy of the Air National Guard, through the Pentagon. And later the hay rolled into North Carolina on trucks and in trains, with prison labor used to un load the hay and place it in the distri bution sites. Companies donated trucks, trains and fuel, and drivers and engineers volunteered their time to bring hay to North Carolina. Permits were waived by neighboring states to allow the trucks to travel without highway tolls, and unit trains and individual rail cars brought hay into the state as thousands stood beside the tracks waving as the trains passed. There were some critics who pointed to the total need of bay for livestock to make it through the win ter, and that all the shipments of free hay together barely made a dent in that total need. But what the critics failed to see, or at least recognize, was that farmers in North Carolina weren't expecting farmers in other states to provide them with enough free hay to make it through the winter. They only needed enough hay to make it through the critical drought period, giving their pastures enough time to recover and begin growing again after the rains came. No doubt, farmers in this state will buy thousands of tons of ahy this win ter from hay producers in all parts of the country. And each time they pick up the phone to order hay, they'll likely have a warm feeling for their fanning brother on the other end of the line who provided a little hay free of charge when they needed it moat. And those same farmers will gather this winter at country stores across North Carolina and reminisce about how dry 1966 was, and how much they needed and appreciated those special gifts of hay, and all those who worked so hard to get it to them. Perhaps Jim Graham, N.C. Com missioner of Agriculture, recognizing that if he tried to thank everyone indi vidually he would leave someone out, summed it up best by saying, "simply thank you, one and all." Plant lovers donate to seed program If you have plants you love and want to share their benefits with oth ers, donate seed to the 1987 Seed Pro gram. Information may he obtained from Steven Davis, Att. 1987 Seed Program, American Horticultural So ciety, Box 0105, Mount Vernon, VA 22121. Make the world a more beautiful place, says the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center by partici pating in World Flowerbulb Day was introduced three years ago, sales of Dutch bulbs have increased by 55 per cent. This year Holland will send 550 million bulbs to America, the best known being the tulip. Plant at le^t one and make their day. The Ail-American Rose Selections for this year are 'Bonica', 'New Year', and 'Sheer Bliss.' 'Bonica' is an ever-blooming hybrid shrub with pink flowers. It is very col I ( rcmiD THE WEEDS , wiNbuW orful planted in groups or as a hedge. Flowers are borne in clusters of 20 or more, followed in fall by bright orange rose hips in abundant num bers. 'New Year' is a grandiflora with strikingly different Spanish-orange colored flowers. The flowers have proven themselves to possess excel lent from and lasting quality, plus sturdy stems. These qualities should make 'New Year' a world-class cut flower. 'Sheer Bliss' is aptly named? its fragrance is unusually strong and sweet. The flowers of this award win ning hybrid tea are creamy white, with a soft pink center. St. Albert Rauber, medical director of the Georgia Poison Control Center, says don't clutch if your child eats an ingamous castor bean. The poor cas tor bean is much maligned, and has been proven a lot less toxic than sus pected. The beans can still make you sick, however, and a physician should be contacted, who will prescribe methods for cleansing the stomach, without having to go to a hospital. O.M. Scotts, the Lawn people, are offering a new product. This is a lawn supplement to use any time to correct lawn yellowing and provide a light feeding of nitrogen in conjuncture with regular fertilizing. ATLANTIC SATELLITE SYSTEMS^^J Your Area's Authorized Birdview Dealer FREE Descrambler Program with a Birdview System FREE Your Choice For 1 Year of one of the following HBO, MOVIE CHANNEL, CINEMAX, OR SHOWTIME TIME IS RUNNING OUT DON'MISS THIS GREAT DEAL We service and repair all types of systems FULL TIME Commercial Department FULL FINANCING UP TO 60 MONTHS with approved credit for homeowners NO MONEY DOWN Your Areas FULL TIME Professional Satellite Systems Dealer Located Hwy. 17 South 264-^47 ? ? " HAS IT iF- STORE HAS IT ALL! FALL" FIX-UP tTlME^ ?? r- < We Carry * Hardware ? Auto Parts ? Plumbing Supplies ? Shotgun Shells ? Grocery Items ? Deli Sandwiches IF WE DON'T HAVE IT - JUST ASK Newest Arrival Reel Home Theatre ? VCR MOVIE & RENTALS Come and look through our new selection Mon.-Sat. 8 A.M.-9 P.M. Sun. 12-6 P.M. HAS IT STORE jim & pat davis SR 1329 & 1300 ^ . owners New Hope 2oA-2/??l "When it comes to building a new home, Fll offer you a great deal!" As a matter of fact ID build for you and offer you an optional completion allowance of up to $2000.00 for permanent improvements to your home. Who else will offer you a deal like this? James W. Walter, Chairman of the Board Install a well and septic tank or hook up to existing . utilities. Buy new carpet or landscaping. Its up to you what you do with this allowance. It's your option . . . and you'll have more home tor less money than you ever thought possible. Come in today tor a GREAT DEAL and a monthly payment you can afford No Down Payment to qualified property owners Instant Fixed-Mortgage Financing No "Points" ? Mo Closing Costs ? No Loan AppRcatkxi nees That* right! When Jim Walter Home* is your buHder, you pay no money down, unless you went to. But you never pay points, closing costs or other toes that add to the cost of financing your new home When the expense of aH these items ? totaled, It's like adding to the rate of financing. This could add 2 or 3 percent, even more. to the cost of your new home. So don't be fooled What you believe to be a low financing rate might actually be substantially higher than mvTow fixea mortgage financing that has no closing costs or othor fees added on. Open Weekends Jim Walter Homes is open daily and on weekends. Come in. Let us show you our display models. Let us tell you how we buHd on your property up to 90% complete. We finish the outside. Then you finish as much or as little of the inside as you like. The more you do for yourself, the moreVnoney you'll save. We build homes with two, three or tour bedrooms, one or two-bath models. There is one to suit your famityS dream of a new home. Choose your home from the more than 20 models available TeK us how much finishing work you want to do and lei us quote you the exact cost and your exact monthly payment tor the home of your choice. We can begin construction almost immediately, almoet anywhere thai you own property. Completion allowance option H a imrted ttme offer and may be withdrawn without notice Call Toll Free 1-800-4-WALTER (1-800-482-8837) tor free brochure or visit our display parn ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. H*ry. 17 South
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 11, 1986, edition 1
8
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