Milford chronicle., 1961-04-14
Corn Growers Getting
Ready For Program
(continued from page one)

continued from page one)
formational meetings are schedul-
ed III each of Delaware's three
counties and details of the feed
grain program will be publicized
the next few weeks
Information meetings for corn
farmers in New Castle County will
be held at 500 p. m, Wednesday,
April u. at the Middletown High
School. and on Thursday, April 13,
at 500 p. m. in Agricultural Hall,
University of Delaware. Newark.
Meetings in Kent County will be
held on Wednesday, April II. at
1880 p. m, at Wheatley Hall, Clay
ton; April IA. 1880 p. m, KS
Fairgrounds Restaurant, Harring-
ton; April II, 1880 p. m, Fire
Hall, Magnolia; and April Is, $50
D. M, Bethesda Grange Hall, Hart
ly.
Dates for meetings in Sussex
County have not been announced.
Although the details of the new
program were made available to
state agency personnel only this
week. il was decided at a meeting
in Dover on Wednesday to lose no
time in passing the facts along to
corn growers. The main objective
is to reach farmers with the in
formation before they start plow-
ing down cover crops that would
otherwise qualify for diversion to
conservation use. Some farmers
already have started plowing
fields for corn, but the majority
have not.
Mr.. Mitchell urged all corn
growers to attend one of the in
formation meetings before plow-
ing fields with either permanent
cover of legumes and grasses, or
temporary cover of grasses, le-
gumes and grasses, or temporary
cover of grasses, legumes or small
grains. "Such land may qualify as
diversion acres without further
expense or effort he said.
The feed grain program, passed
by Congress only two weeks ago,
was developed by u. S. Secretary
of Agriculture. Orville l.. Freeman
to halt the buildup of the Nations
feed grain supply, now at an all
time high. Farmers who agree to
take some of their land out of
corn and grain sorghum produe-
tion and divert it to conservation
uses, will receive payments from
USDA for compliance Since al
most no grain sorghum is produc-
ed in Delaware, the program here
affects corn farmers.
For most farms. the payments
will be higher than the probable
net income from the diverted acres
if they were producing corn. The
main advantages to corn farmers.
aside from assurance of receiving
income from the diverted acres.
are u savings in seed, fertilizer,
tractor fuel and weed chemicals;
p savings in personal or hired
labor; and - eligibility for price
supports on feed grains produced
on permitted crop acres.
Farmers who choose not to par
ticipate on the other hand, will
not be eligible for price support
on 1861 feed grain production This
means that farmers who have
corn in excess of their require
ments for poultry or livestock
feeding and who do not intend to
store the excess for future use,
will have to sell it at the going
market price. Some observers be-
lieve the Department of Agricul-
ture will start releasing some of
its surplus. holdings of feed grains
after the sign up deadline Farm
ers not participating in the feed
grain program therefore would
have to sell their corn under un-
der uncertain market conditions.
Details of the feed grain pro-
gram were presented to state ag-
ricultural agency representative
at a meeting at the Capitol
Grange Hall In Dover. Wednesday,
April 5. by E. W Bazzel. program
specialist, Delaware ASC Office,
ard Jacob William Zimmerman.
Dover potato grower. Bazzel and
Zimmerman attended USDA-
sponsored Eastern regional meet
ing in Atlanta. Ga. last week
where the program was explained
TO state representatives.
Attending the meeting in Dover
were state and county Tepresen-
tatiYes of ASC. the Soil Conserva-
tion Service, Farmers Home Ad-
ministration and the Agricultural
Extension Service OF the Uniyer-
sity of Delaware.