Show County Agent Notes By Jack Herring Extension Agent In the last 20 years the price of food has gone up 47 percent for the average American but nobody has bothered to tell him that he Is now spending almost a third less of his tax after-tax Income for food than he did 20 years ago In the past 20 years his income has gone up percent his taxes percent percent percent per per- cent medical care percent and his daily dally newspaper percent His food is up 47 percent If It the average In Industrial industrial Industrial In- In workers worker's wages had gone up no more than the cost of food hed he'd be making 39 percent less than he Is today The average American works only 24 minutes to pay for a pound of sirloin steak The average Russian works 2 hours and 12 minutes and the average average average aver aver- age Japanese works 4 and a ahalt half halt hours for the same steak Food Is essential to life and the fancier It is the better ov vs everybody likes it but one may say the same about clothing housing medical care and In Inmany inmany inmany many cases transportation but you dont don't hear everybody squawking about it like they do about food prices When steak eggs lettuce ham go up In price everybody points his finger at the farmer and yells foul Maybe agriculture agriculture agriculture agri agri- culture Is to blame for this as every time someone complains complains complains com com- plains about the high cost of food tood the farmer either crawls into his shell or mumbles something something something some some- thing under his breath about taking only 30 cents of each dollar dropped at the supermarket super super- market For years agricultural or organizations organizations organizations or- or and agencies have been telling people that food in America Is of top quality plentiful and cheap Has that made the farmer a hero Maybe Maybe Maybe May May- be It Is time to look at food as we do the other essential commodities not all of us can afford all we want of the best DONT DON'T B BURN URN THOSE LEAVES WHY you ask In the first place open burning Is now against most city ordinances and In the second place leaves make very good soil condi condI- Pile them on your garden garden garden gar gar- den and plow them under this fall and I guarantee you will have a better garden next year |