Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Pressures Mount For The Farmers 4-C—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., September 4, 1969 CLEMSON - Could there be anything more frustrating than farming under today’s coodi- tibns? Nobody has a snap in this com petitive, pressure-packed econo my. The industrial operator in most cases is fighting an uphil battle with shrinking profit mar gins, the marketing scramble, and labor problems. The businessman and the mer chant, from uptown to the coun try store, are caught in a re lentless squeeze of rising prices and crushing competition. But farmers are carrying this load, and more. They live day to day with the changing labor situation — if the help is there it’s hard to keep and harder to depend on. Farm ers have the rising tide of in sects and diseases trying to scut tle the crop. They have the mark eting squeeze which can wipe a man out in a season. And they have the weather, the most powerful factor of all, over which they haven’t the slightest control. Reports from two of South Carolina’s vegetable-producing areas underscore these condi tions. In Jasper, County Agent E. G. Tate says, “in spite of many difficult problems the Jasper County truck crops proved pro fitable to the farmer this year.* Weather, disease, and insects cut into the profits, but the big gest problem was still the short age of labor for harvesting, Tate says. And he warns, “unless some means of mechanical harvesting can be arranged for next year, the acreage will be even short er than in 1969." In Charleston’s truck crop country, the box score for the past season was much darker. County Agent B. S. Lawrimore tells about it: "The snap bean market drop ped and all the farmers stopped harvest. The last three days of the market a lew lots reached $3.25 per bushel. However by then most farmers had plowed their beans under. “The tomato market opened at $5.50 for number one’s. On June 24 two sheds closed and on June 26 the other sheds closed be cause farmers were getting back less than 50 cents per 40-pound box on their best grades and los ing money on off grades. This 50 cents was what was left af ter picking and packing.* “Overall,* says Lawrimore, “we had one of the worst years on vegetables since 1953. Very few farmers will show a profit on any vegetable crop, and a majority won’t break even." These thoughts and reports give only one side of the pic ture on farming, of course. There’s still opportunity, still a way of life for many that can leave a man with a sense of pride and achievement in working with the land. But the frustrations and pres sures are mounting. A feller named Truman said something about being able to stand the heat or get out of the kitchen -- and a lot of folks in farming today are wondering how much longer it’ll be before they have to start looking for the door. Timely Tips SOIL FUMIGATION-Garden ers and home owners who are in terested in fumigating soil should do so this fall. Methyl Bromide is used. It must be used under a plastic cover. This material kills all insects and diseases a- long with grass and weed seeds. DUROC SALE - Shannon Bro thers, Rt. 2, Gaston, S. C., will have their registered DurocSwine sale at the Orangeburg Fair Grounds Saturday, Sept. 6. DEFOLIATION - Timing more than anything else determines how much benefit you will get from defoliation. For complete defoliation wait until 50 to 75 percent of the bolls are open. See? If it slips out of your hund, it comes right bock?* Beef Prices Don't Mean Big Farm Profit BY M. L. OUTZ County Agent Is the price of beef too high? I suppose it depends on whether you are buying or selling. The farmers certainly aren’t getting any great thing out of beef as yet. In fact the price will go even higher before the farmer realizes any profit to any degree. I believe the wise thing for consumers is to buy a beef di rect from the farmer, have it slaughtered, dressed, and pack aged for the freezer. I kill one every year. My family likes ham burger, roast, and steak so all the stew beef is ground into hambur ger. Calves that are now going to market weighing four to five hundred pounds make excellent beef. Usually they are fat Those calves may be purchased at the livestock auction or from the farmers. Much of this type of beef is purchased across the counter anyway. I’m sure a sav ing of 30% or more can be re alized. However, let me suggest that you buy right away as the calves are going to market fast. “What will you give me?* That is the situation the farmers are in, according to W. H. Flem ing. Everything we buy has a price the high labor cost and all that you buy with it. But when I take my goods to town I am not sure what I am going to get Yet the consumer seems to want to fuss when food goes up and says no thing when cars and appliances go up. Last week I had a call from J. T. Hollingsworth about corn that had few grains on the cob. This seemed to be true all over the community where a particular variety was planted. The corn looked very goood until you shucked the ears. While down there Mr. Hollings worth showed me his cotton. I was pleasantly surprised. The entire crop looked as if it had not suffered a day for water. I believe, he will come out with more than a bale to the acre. Let’s hope he has a good fall to get it out of the field. It’s time to get pastures fer tilized for fall and winter graz ing. Of course, this should be done just before you expect a rain, or when the ground is moist This will take it down and put it to work. Also I would like to mention rye as an annual grazer. This plant will outdo anything we have for winter grazing. The cold wea ther Just doesn’t affect it like it does oats and barley. So let me suggest you get a few acres sown this fall. TRANSIT HOMES INC. ADMINISTRATIVE OFF I CES-GREENVI LIE, S.C. NATIONWIDE AND LOCAL MOBILE HOME TRANSPORTERS ICC APPROVED CARRIER BONDED - CERTIFIED - SAFE DRIVERS t’ t TERMINAL Spartanburg address 1508 Asheville Hwy. TELEPHONE 583-5901 MOVING YOUR MOBILE HOME • Don’t Chance It—Call Transit