Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 27, 1994                   TAG: 9404270084
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

IN BUSINESS

NORFOLK - Norfolk Southern Corp. on Tuesday announced a regular quarterly dividend of 48 cents per share on its common stock, payable June 10 to stockholders on May 6. The company is scheduled to report its earnings for the first quarter today.

Deadline looms for grain program

Farmers have until Friday to apply for federal feed-grain and wheat acreage reduction programs.

By participating in the program, farmers will be eligible for price-support loans, deficiency payments and other benefits for 1994 crops enrolled in the program.

Fryda Powell, executive director of the Roanoke County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service office, said farmers should seriously consider the program's benefits.

The program does not have a required set-aside acreage for wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley and oats. Farmers will be allowed to plant 100 percent of their base acreage, Powell said.

Participants may request 50 percent of the estimated deficiency payments at sign-up. Estimated payment rates are 85 cents per bushel for wheat, 40 cents for corn, 46 cents for sorghum, and 52 cents for barley. No payment is anticipated for oats. Deficiency payments are the difference between what a farmer gets for his crops on the market and what the government says he should get.

Applications for the program will be accepted at county ASCS offices through Friday afternoon.