Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
-THE FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS—WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1982
/f’s Worst It’s Ever Been, Farmers Say
From Page 1A
When asked what he
thought would improve the
plight of the American
farmer, Kirby replied, “The
government must first con
trol acreage, and create a
balance of supply and de
mand.’’ Both Mauldin and
Kirby called for a return to
the government allotment
system, which they said was
S3MI pj| jj
Gulf Life Reopens Here
The Gulf Life Insurance Company has reopened its office in Gumming according to manager
James Herring. The office, located at 210 Atlanta Road, will staff 36 workers, including four
sales managers. Gulf Life is a company which has more than $1 billion in assets and which
employs more than 1,800 full-time agents in 11 southeastern states. Shown above are (front
row, left to right) Kyle Heath, vice-president; Red Whittle, regional vice president; Herring;
(back row) E.T. Wilbom, sales manager; Ed Douglas, regional auditor; Donald Poole, sales
manager; and Stan Cowart, sales manager.
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phased out in the mid-50’s.
Mauldin and Kirby also
called for higher export
prices. “Only one country in
the world sells wheat on the
open market cheaper than
the U. 5.,” Mauldin said.
“The government is not
looking after the farmer.”
Kirby added that the govern
ment was also at fault for not
Waalox
THE 1982 WORLD'S FAIR
MAY-OCTOBER.I9B2 KNOXVILLE,TENNESSEE USA
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making oil producing-coun
tries pay for grain, like the
U.S. must pay for oil.
“At the end of World War
Two, President Truman
signed a law that no UJS.
agricultural product would
be sold for less than 90 per
cent parity,” Kirby said. “In
seven years, the country had
paid off its war debt from
agricultural profits alone.
Cape Enrolled At Tift
Denise L. Cape, of Route 2,
Cumming has enrolled at
Tift College in Forsyth, to
pursue a major in Journa
lism.
Little Theatre To Meet
There will be a Little
Theatre meeting, Thursday,
Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at City
Hall.
Productions for the future
Otwell Open House Nears
An open house will be held
on Sept. 28 at Otwell Junior
High School.
The school’s Parent-Tea
Agriculture is the only rene
wable source in the U.S.”
v, When asked what he felt
would improve the farming
industry, Castleberry re
plied, “I don’t know what we
could do to turn it around.
I’ve hoped for miracles to
happen. It looks like every
one will have to cut back. I’d
rather plant ten acres and
make money, than plant 100
Benefit Yard
Sale Is 25th
There will be a benefit
yard sale for Mount Tabor
Baptist Church on Saturday,
Sept. 25, from 9 a.m. to 6
p.m., at Leon’s Food Mart,
on Georgia 369.
Proceeds will go to the
church, which is now in the
process building on. The
public is invited to attend.
Junior Miss
Meeting Set
Officials of the Forsyth
Counts J unior Miss Pageant
have pOnned an orientation
meeting with the pageant
contestants and their par
ents on Sept. 27 in the band
room at Forsyth County
High School.
The meeting will begin at
7:30 p.m.
The Junior Miss Pageant
will be held Nov. 12-13 and all
high school senior girls are
eligible to enter.
Pine Ridge
Homecoming
Homecoming services will
be held at the Pine Ridge
Baptist Church on Sunday,
Sept. 26, at 11 a.m. Four
singing groups have been
invited.
The church is located on
Stoney Point Road.
Denise is a graduate of
Forsyth County High School
and the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Thad Cape.
will be discussed.
For more information,
contact Charlie Dangler,
Little Theatre President.
cher Association is sponsor
ing the open house which will
begin at 7:30 p.m.
acres, and lose money.”
Agriculture, in its decline,
has also taken with it the
makers of agricultural sup
plies. “They’ve closed a
large fertilizer plant at Ma
con, which employed 70 peo
ple, and the state’s largest
Massey-Ferguson dealer, at
Sandersville, has gone out of
business,” Reid said.
Kirby and Mauldin also
pointed to major increases in
the prices of fertilizer and
farm machinery. Kirby re
called buying fertilizer for
about S4O per ton in 1968, and
paying about SIBO per ton for
the same product today. “I
bought one farm tractor sev
eral years ago for $60,000,
and it now costs over
$100,000,” Mauldin said. “In
1972,1 bought a brand new 40
horsepower tractor for $4,-
000, and it now costs $14,000
the price has more than
tripled.”
While all Americans have
been victimized by ever-in
creasing prices, the farmer
is especially at a loss, be
cause the prices he receives
for his products have not
kept pace with increases in
the prices he pays for sup
plies. One farmer noted that
out of a steak dinner, which
retails for $6, the farmer
receives only $1.83. Someone
else, he says, is making all
the profit. “Do you think the
retailers would keep their
prices the same, if the
farmer were to receive more
for his products?,” Mauldin
asked.
Reid also related the story
of a south Georgia farmer,
who sold his watermelons for
45 cents each. Just 100 miles
away, he said, those same
watermelons sold for $3
each.
As of Sept. 15, corn was
selling for $2.50 per bushel,
but according to Reid, the
production cost of corn is
$3.10 per bushel. Castleberry
and Mauldin both recalled
selling corn for $4.25 per
bushel.
“It’s the worst it has ever
been,” Reid said. “It’s grad
ually growing worse and
worse. It used to be that the
more you did, the more you
had. Now, the more you
With the uncertainty of
interest
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now’s the
time to
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High school and college students, let
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We have a variety of plans, come in
and let us help choose the one best
suited to your needs.
“Just Like An Old Time Friend”
w Forsyth
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LENDER
work, the less you have.”
The Reid family farm has
been operated by seven gen
erations.
The Southeast Farm Press
told the story of a Virginia
farmer who called it quits,
and began producing ham
mer handles. The farmer
produced the handles at a
cost of $1 each, and sold his
products for 75 cents each.
When asked how he could
bear with such a loss, the
farmer replied, “It still
beats farming.” According
to The Press, “farmers are
buying retail at today’s
prices, and selling wholesale
at 1930’s prices.”
Mauldin, who has been in
farming since 1948, also said
that conditions have never
been worse. Castleberry,
who has operated a farm for
23 years, also agreed.
County Extension Agent
Clark Beusse says he fears
that family farms will “go
under,” leaving land open
for sale to large companies.
“Instead of asking, ‘What
will you take for these
crops?,’ those companies
will say, ‘We will take this,
like it or not,’” Beusse said.
“Large companies will buy
land, to spend money that
would otherwise be taken by
the government.”
Reid also noted that
Georgia now ranks third, in
farmland purchases within
the state. Texas, he said,
ranks first, while Arkansas
is second. “People have to be
educated about what’s hap
pening,” Kirby said, or we’ll
all end up being sharecrop
pers.” Beusse also pointed
out that agriculture is
“America’s ace in the hole.”
The cost of starting and
maintaining a farm was also
exemplified by Mauldin. “If
I were to give a young man
250 acres, he would have to
have about SIOO,OOO to make
a go of it,” Mauldin said.
“He’d have to buy the equip
ment on credit, and with
interest so high, his wife
would have to work to buy
groceries and pay bills. He
would need a 100 horsepower
tractor, which costs $35,000;
a small, used combine,
which costs $25,000 (a new
106 W. Maple Street • Cumming, Ga.
887-3165
combine would cost $50,000);
a four-row planter, which
costs $8,000; and a sprayer,
which costs $5,000. A farm is
like a big hole from here to
China. You put everything
into it, and it still doesn’t fill
up.”
All four farmers also re
called a time when low
prices for one crop could be
covered by high prices re
ceived for other crops. They
added, however, that the
prices received for all crops
are now at unprofitable lev
els. “I’ve got the best crop
I’ve had in ten years, and
will lose money on it,” Maul
din said.
The Georgia Farm Report
listed several examples of
declines in the prices re
ceived by farmers over the
last year. From August of
1981 to August of 1982, the
price of 100 pounds of sweet
potatoes dropped from $21.30
to sl2; the price of wheat
went from $3.25 per bushel to
$2.87; the price of corn
Ham Shoot
Starts
Saturday, October 2
at
1:00 P.M.
dropped from $2.95 per
bushel to $2.50; and eggs
went from 71.6 cents per
dozen, to 59 cents.
The Report also said that
U.S. agricultural exports are
expected to fall eight per
cent, marking the first year
to-year decline in the value
of farm exports since 1969.
According to The Report,
the total farm workforce in
July of this year was also
down five percent from 1980,
when the last farm labor
survey was conducted. A de
cline in the workforce means
a greater workload for self
employed farm operators.
Mauldin recalled that in
1975, he employed five trac
tor operators, but that now,
all the work is left to himself,
and his son.
“It’s all over the country,
not only in Forsyth County
and Georgia,” Reid said.
“When you’ve farmed all of
your life, it is hard to quit,
but no one can go on with it
like it’s going.”
BtajJgOY
MEMBER
FOIC