Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 14 · column 2 of 4 · from the scan, no model involved
(Continued from Page 1) „ should exceed the break-even $46 to $48 per hundred weight level by a few dollars but they will not approach the 1975 record of $74.”
The number of hogs raised in Rappahannock parallels the market decline, judging by the 1982 ag census. The total number of hogs and pigs in the county dropped from 1,291 in 1978 to 645 in 1982. During the same period, the number of hogs and pigs used for breeding fell from 428 to 151 and the uumoer sold fell from 2,bzz to 950.
Corn Production
Corn yield and prices were down last year across the state, largely due to the summer drought. In 1982, Virginia com producers harvested a record crop, averaging 105 bushels per acre, but received only $2.30 per bushel, well below the break even price of $2.60 to $2.80.
But again, judging from the 1982 census, Rappahannock farmers appear to be following a gambling, optimistic lead. The number of acres devoted to com production here went from 2,938 in 1978 to 3,722 in 1982.
Apple Outlook
One area where the economic picture doesn’t look quite as promising is apple production. “For livestock in general, Die market has improved,” said Sam Snead, Rappahannock orchardist and member of the Virginia Farm Bureau’s Apple Marketing Committee. “But we’ve just come through the worst year that I can remember for apples. It was a combination of over-supply from the huge new acreage coming into production out west and the quality of the fruit here. I don't think we’d have, any problem selling top apples but Rappahannock County doesn’t have a reputation for producing top quality packing fruit,” said Snead, noting that the majority of apples grown here are used for processing.
81.8%