Ahlgren Outlines .Need for Rural Development
. Henry L. Ahlgren, USDA At the same time he noted
deputy under secretary for that many of the nation’s ruial
rural development, spoke on aieas have major problems, in
what he considers to be a eluding lack of facilities which
national need to reverse the tide are available in urban areas
of people moving from rural to
urban areas.
According to Ahlgren, it is farm family. But now, these col
“generally agreed at the top leges are adding ag economics
levels of both the legislative and and marketing issues, social
executive branches that _ the sciences, public policies and
movement of rural people from public affairs, he noted,
smaller communities to larger Ahlgren said, “We are now at
communities is creating an im- the point where our rural corn
balance in the private sector mumties are in almost the same
that puts our nation on a collu- position that farm families were
sion course with disaster.” when land grant colleges and the
If present trends continue, USDA first came into being
Ahlgren said,'by the year 2,000 This is all leading to a new
most of the people in the U S thrust in community develop
will be located in one of four ment, “a subject the President
major metropolitan areas: the discusses, a subject that has be-
Eastern seaboard, Florida, the come part,of a new language of
Great takes or the West coast, the executive branch,” Ahlgren
. Ahlgren also told News- said - -
paper Farm Editors of America Commenting on rural develop
that “the evidence suggests ment; - Ahlgren said, “Like so
that some cities—New York, Los many things; we have to reach
Angeles; Chicago and Washing- a crisis:hefore'we start reaching
ton—have already reached a lor solutions.”-
point where congestion, .housing in legislation sent to Congress,
problems, pollution and crime” each -state 'will continue an agri
are-almost insoluble. He des- cultural';Extension program of a
cfibed -conditions in these areas level and' scope earned in 1971
as "Socially intolerable, political- arid 'each' slate is required to
ly unmanageable and economi- carry,on-its 4-H and nutrition
cally inefficient.” ‘ ■ ' aicT-pxograms.
The-feeling, is growing,- Aht - the multi-billion dollar
gren said, that the solution is..pmgrim,'* no' : '-state will get less
not to send more people to these “than"it’s getting now and most
places. will get more 1 . _
This was a typical-scene during the
President’s comments at Newspaper
Farm Editors of America meeting in the
In'this typical scene at the annual Newspaper Farm
Editor’s of America conference, S. Archie Holdridge,
Hertford Courant, NFEA president, __ standing, intro
duces the first speaker of the morning - , Clifford Hardin,
U.S. secretary of agriculture, who relaxes with his pipe
before asking for questions from, the "farm editors.
In the past, the emphasis of
land grant colleges was on the
White House Rose Garden. In the back
ground beautiful Japanese Cherry trees
are in full blossom.
In response to a question on
welfare, Ahlgren said that a
national policy of balanced
growth requires a uniform wel
faie program “that does not pro
i ide an advantage to live on wel
fare in New York City because
welfare payments are better ”
Without rural development
Ahlgien said he sees that within
the next few years there will be
only about 400,000 giant com
mencal farms with everybody
else having gone to the city be
cause theie’s no job anywhere
else.
Reversing the trend and
achieving rural development, he
said, is a 15 to 25 year move-
ment,
Pesticide
The issue of pesticides was dis
cussed at the National News
paper Farm Editors of America
convention by both a govern
ment official and by a represen
tative of a private chemical
firm.
H. L. Straube of Stauffer
Chemical Company said the
chemical industry “will not put
dollars into research and de
velopment if there is too much
restriction.”
Straube indicated that chemi
cal industry already is cutting
Among those present are: from left, Zane Wilson,
caster Farming editor and NFEA regional vice presi
dent; Bernard Brenner, UPI farm editor; Holdridge,
and Hardin. Other farm editors facing the speaker are
from' North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 1,1971
President Nixon prepares to present a presidential pen
to each of the farm editors.
Issue Is Discussed
back on research and develop- search and development would
raent and is increasingly con- have serious implications for
cerned about the national move- farmers.
ment toward greater restrictions But Dr. Johnson also indicated
on pesticide useage. that the movement toward de-
Straube said pesticides should veloping better means of mon
be evaluated on a “benefit itonng the environment and de
versus risk” basis. He noted that teetmg the adverse effects of
some 200 persons died last year pesticides will continue. The
from the misuse of aspirin, but trends toward short hved pesti
the benefits of aspirin are wide- cides and toward some type of
spread and no one is seriously control of the use of pesticides
proposing that aspirin be ban- which are potentially hazardous
ned. The same attitude should to the users probably will con
prevail in relation to pesticides, tinue, he indicated,
he indicated. Commenting on a proposal to
He specifically pointed out license pesticide useis, Straube
that no accidental death has ever stated he is opposed “because it
occured from DDT. would take too long for the farm-
Dr. Kaymond E Johnson, to respond in event of an in
assistant director of research for sec t infestation emergency.” He
the bureau of Sport Fisheries proposed a dual system which
arid Wildlife in the U. S Depart- would separate relatively harm
ment of the Interior, agreed on l ess pesticides which should
the record of DDT and stated, nee< i little or no regulations
“The Federal government has f rom the more potentially haim
never banned DDT and has tul pesticides which may need
never-recommended it.” more regulations.
Dr Johnson noted that the Asked about the gypsy moth,
“Woild Health organization is which has been rapidly spread
the biggest user of DDT” and in g in the Northeast and destroy
that “DDT may be the best pes- mg or seriously damaging laige
ticide for human health evei in- acreages of forests, Johnson
vented.” said, “I’m a little appiehensive
Dr. Johnson emphasized that it (the moth). He said
the U S. government is “Aware be doubts that the si nation can
of the international implications controlled without some type
of U S actions on pesticides ” ot chemicals
He also said there is a stiong H® noted, however, that
awareness of the importance of “there may be natuial parasites
pesticides to farmers in mam- developing” which will destroy
taming plentiful food supplies at the gypsy moth. The big ques
reasonable costs. tion, he indicated, is whether the
He particularly noted that sub
stantial cutbacks in pesticide re-
natural enemies will develop
fast enough to stop the gypsy
moth from causing very high
levels of damage.
GOP National
Chairman Talks
Robert Dole, Republican
national chairman, spoke on
national and international tiends
and events and some of their
political implications
Commenting on the outlook
for the 1972 elections. Dole said
that President Nixon “will need
to run on the record and I think
we’ll have a good story to tell ”
Dole said that Vietnam cur
lently is Nixon’s biggest political
liability but he projected that
Vietnam casualties will be down
to zero or near zero “before
many of Nixon’s critics think ”
When this happens, Dole
projected, there will be a big
increase in intei est in rural de
velopment and solving other
problems of interest to the
American people and “a reser
voir of strength” will show up
foi the Piesident and offset the
present attitude of Americans.
The GOP in 1972, according to
Dole, will stand for “Generation
of Peace, Generation of Pro
gress and Generation of Pros
perity.”
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