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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1981)
m J. 12 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1981 National Help with management decisions Computers benefit farming Pj United Press International w Jack Scarth and his son, Pat, yj wanted to plant sunflowers on 260 rn acres of their Panhandle farm last pjyear but a microcomputer told them soybeans would be better. The computer’s decision made them an extra $20,000. ‘‘We could have run those fi gures up with a calculator but we probably wouldn’t have,” Scarth said. “And it wouldn’t have been with the same speed or accuracy the computer provided.” Rising production costs, which mean smaller profit margins, and the fluctuating prices for agricul tural products have placed an in creasing importance on manage rial skills for Texas producers. And farmers are finding out more and more that such skills can be ac quired with a computer. “Without our computer, we’d have grown sunflowers instead of soybeans last year,” said the youn ger Scarth. “Sunflowers looked like the best crop for those acres, but using the crop budget prog ram, the computer said soybeans would bring $88 an acre more than sunflowers.” After less than a year, the Scarths have saved far more than the cost of the $7,000 computer. The Scarths’ computer, which is linked to an agricultural computer network established by Texas A&M University, includes a video display terminal, a printer and in formation storage capabilities. The family purchased their computer after seeing a demon stration by Dr. Ray Sammons, a Texas A&M extension service eco nomist from Amarillo. The pilot program developed by Sammons has paid rich dividends to the Scarths, who farm a 2,000-acre grain and livestock operation at Texline and Stratford in the Texas Panhandle. Sammons is now conducting “hands on” computer demonstra tions for farmers and developing programs to help them in their management decisions. The prog rams include crop, livestock, irri gation and land price budgets, which enable producers to predict profits or losses on the basis of current information about his or her own situation. “Agriculture produce prices were fairly stablized until the mid 1970s,” Sammons recently told a group of farmers gathered in Lub bock for his demonstration. “But since 1975, prices have started to fluctuate and can change more in one week than they would have over several years.” He told the group that to main tain a standard level of living, pro- Relax, Have Fun, Enjoy Enter a new wonderful world of excitement. The atmosphere is different — the perfect setting- for your favorite cocktails! And what food! The menu offers a variety that all the family will enjoy. Popular prices, too. Discover Julie’s Place soon it’s the kind of restaurant that makes you want to come back again and again. 607 Texas Ave. College Station Phone: 696-1427 Open every day — Lunch, Dinner, Cocktails *21 I if ducers must grow faster than infla tion and that better managerial skills could be attained through the use of computers. He told the group that farmers in the future will use electronic transponders to locate animals im planted with special sensors and that the computer will “flag” an animal that has not moved for sev eral hours — pointing it out for special attention. He said computers will measure the amount and temperature of milk obtained from dairy cows and — by recognizing each cow by a neck chain — develop a feeding schedule based on each cow’s pro duction. Sadat’s death reminds first lady of own tragedy United Press International WASHINGTON — First Lady Nancy Reagan told aides as she watched the reports of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s assassination, “It brings it all back.” Mrs. Reagan, who tried un successfully to reach Sadat’s widow, Jihan, Tuesday before it was known that the Egyptian leader had died from his wounds, Wednesday called the wives of two of the three Amer icans who were wounded in the shooting as they sat on the re viewing stand in Cairo. The first lady was able to reach Helen Agenbroad, the wife of Marine Maj. Jerald Agenbroad stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., and Lil Loney, wife of Air Force Lt. Col. Charles Loney stationed at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., an aide said. She was attempting to reach Patty Ryan, the wife of Air Force Capt. Christopher Ryan stationed at Stuttgart, West Germany. Sheila Tate, Mrs. Reagan’s spokeswoman, said the first lady talked for a few ininutesto each woman “to express her concern and relief that they were okay. “She said one of the women told her, T really identified with you yesterday.’” The comment was a refer ence to the March 30 attempt on the president’s life. Mrs. Reagan, who watched televised accounts of the tragedy Tuesday, told her aides, “You tend to relive your own experience” as the events unfold. "It brings it all back.” i “A computer is a good place to play the ‘what if game,” he said. “You can find out what will hap pen if prices go up or down, or if there’s a drought or flood.” Sammons said farming had changed drastically since the last generation and that “with diffe rent times, you need different tools.” Haig warns foreign powers against intervention in Egypt e United Press International WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Alexander Haig Wednes day warned foreign powers against attempting to intervene in Egypt’s political affairs in, the uncertainty created by the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. During a nationally broadcast news conference, Haig reaffirmed the commitment of the U.S. gov ernment to working with Egypt in seeing the Camp David peace pro cess successfully implemented. In the absence of Sadat, who signed the accords with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1979, Haig said the United States will maintain its role in the peace process and its full support of the Egyptian government. Haig characterized Sadat’s kill ing as an isolated assassination plot by Islamic “religious fanatics’ within the Egyptian military rather than a broadbased coup. However, he warned other na tions against exploiting the politic al instability that might exist in the aftermath of the killing. “We view with great concern at this juncture any effort by an ex ternal power to manipulate the tragic events of the last 24 hours,” he said. While he did not specify any nation or political faction that might seek to profit from the assas sination, the Reagan administra tion, like Sadat, has been con cerned about the designs of neij boring Libya and its radical leat| er, Col. Moammar Khadafy, i northern Africa. Only last week, Sadat sentl vice president and likely succes sor, Hosni Mubarak, to Washin| ton for high-level talks that in eluded discussions of a building confrontation between Libyan forces and U.S.-and Egyptian backed Sudanese troops alongtk Sudanese border. Haig said U.S. efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the volatile Mid dle East “must not ignore the threat offerees inside and outside the region, forces whose interes leas a are antagonistic to every countn an a in the area.” Coming Soon! The first issue of the new magazine of science Z Z fact and fiction, brings you a ^ brand new short story by Harlan Ellison, award-winning master of science fiction; fresh reports on gene splic ing, marijuana research and other startling science and technology news; plus an eye-opening assessment of the Big Blast — how much de struction could nuclear war bring? And there’s more ... a career in California’s bubbling hot job market, unraveling Rubik’s Cube, a tough Star Trek trivia quiz, life with a home computer, plus advertising from top job recruiters eager to find future professionals like you. And that’s not all ... this month, Beyond brings you a spe cial eight-page feature section, Around the Campus, from the editors oi Modern Photography. This how-to photogra phy guide covers everything from buying a camera and per fecting your exposures to use of trick filters and camera maintenance. Best of all, Beyond comes to you free right inside the next issue of your college newspaper. up to ilainec Parfitl ted e: idoss ntfroi and ! dy the bones 'arfitt: die nc its but sons les.” r ex Unit austi: [rders i it six n partme Is repoi BELJOniD the new national science fiction and fact magazine. Distributed exclusively in college newspapers. G WE SUPPORT COACH TOM WILSON and the FIGHTING TEXAS AGGIE FOOTBALL TEAM! Mr. & Mrs. James M. 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