—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 26, 19?2
10
Pa. Milk Marketing—More of Same
Recent statements by Harry E. Kapleau,
successor to Lm Huber as chairman of the
Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board have
received enthusiastic endorsement by
some of the urban press We suggest
Kapleau's comments deserve praise by
those who would like to see lower milk
prices
We also suggest that Kapleau's com
ments should cause farmers to continue to
view the recent changes in state milk
marketing with deep concern
In particular, Kapleau announced
“reforms” m Milk Marketing Board
procedures While some of these reforms
may be sound, we suggest that the overall
impact will be, at worst, to force milk prices
down, or, at best, to keep milk prices stable
resulting in growing pressures on farmers
as costs continue to rise
One daily newspaper commented
editorially on Kapleau’s new policies as
follows
Both dealers and farmers will
be asked to justify with audited
figures any requests for price in
creases. The report declared that in
the past “too much unaudited data,
particularly the revenues and ex
penses of dealers were accepted by
Pa. Ag Community Concerns Grow
Concern within the farm community
about Pennsylvania Secretary of
Agriculture James McHale started almost
from the time of his appointment
Lately, growing numbers of influential
farmers representing the most out
standing farm organizations in the state
are speaking out openly against McHale
and his programs and policies
The open break with McHale stems from
many causes, the break is deeply felt
within the farm community; it comes only
after repeated indications by McHale that
he does not and will not represent most
Pennsylvania farmers and their
organizations
The key Pennsylvania farm issues during
the past year spell out the situation These
issues have included milk marketing,
Farm Show, ag reaserch funds, Penn State
University Extension more and more
farm leaders are saying that these are only
the most obvious and most important
programs endangered by McHale.
Our experience is that Pennsylvania
farmers m general have a live and let live
attitude They’d rather bend a little than
get bogged down in a fight, particularly a
fight within the farm community itself
But the feeling is growing that McHale
leaves only two alternatives fight or
surrender He has repeatedly demon-
The Mountain and
Political hassling this week gives an
indication of how farmers currently rate in
Harrisburg
LANCASTER FARMING
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the Board and put into the record."
In the future, Kapleau said, "the
auditing and investigative staff of
the board will be utilized to the
fullest extent in the verification of
all financial data." And this will
include not only the data on dealers'
costs, but cost of production data
from farmers, as well as other
factors such as market supply,
competitive prices in and outside
the state. All “will be considered
and verified by this Board,"
Kapleau said.
We suggest that neither dealers nor
farmers will be willing to submit detailed
audited figures asking for price in
creases—whether or not those increases
are justifiable—to a state administration
which has already committed itself to the
proposition that lower milk prices are
sound and essential.
Asking for milk price increases is a
burdensome task under the most favorable
circumstances.
Asking for them with the certain
knowledge that the facts and figures
presented will be used against you—that
doesn’t make any sense, does it?
strated that he will not compromise, will
not attempt to represent all of Penn
sylvania farming
Finally, realizing that McHale is a man
who can be neither worked with nor
ignored, growing numbers of farmers and
their organizations are preparing for
battle
Pennsylvania farmers have not felt for
many years that they’re getting a square
deal in Harrisburg For years, they’ve been
fighting a losing battle with higher taxes
and a smaller share of state spending.
But no matter how small their share of
state monies, farmers have always felt they
had a spokesman in the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture who could save
them on the really crucial issues
Now, that voice is gone.
And it’s causing a mighty uproar.
So far, most groups outside the farm
community itself have failed to
acknowledge the intensity of the farm
community’s concern. And the deter
mination of farmers to be heard has not yet
been fully appreciated m the right places.
But the message is coming through loud
and clear to those who are taking the time
to listen
And to those who can’t or won’t listen,
we predict the message will get much
louder
the Mole Hill
While debate was proceeding on
whether to lower taxes or simply find new
ways to spend an estimated $250,000,000
of surplus monies—-that is, monies which
are lying around after all budgeted ex
penses have been met.
Meanwhile, the $400,000 of harness
racing monies which go to Pennsylvania ag
research, local farm fairs and many other
important farm projects was being
diverted by the Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture into rural non-farm
programs.
While Harrisburg wallows m money,
Pennsylvania farmers are mounting a
major campaign to keep themselves from
losing the pittance they now get.
To put it, in perspective, the entire
$400,000 of harness racing monies which
go to farmers and farm programs in
relation to the $250,000,000 surplus is a
ratio of $1 to each $625.
Since when has the farmer been worth
so little on the Hill?
NOW IS
THE TIME . .
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
To Plan Your Estate
Everyone should give some
thought to the settling of his
estate, regardless of the size of
his holdings and possessions. The
common practice is to keep
putting this decision off until
something happens. We urge ail
farmers and all citizens to
protect their families by making
a will and have some definite
plans in writing as to how their
life’s wealth is to be handled. For
a number of years our Extension
Service has held educational
meetings on this subject and
another one is scheduled for
Thursday evening, March 2, in
the Farm and Home Center. The
general public is welcome to
attend.
To Select Proper Varieties
The 1972 planting season is
approaching and many pur
chases of farm and garden seeds
are being made; the ideal of
planting different varieties of
field crops such as alfalfa and
corn is a good one and several
speakers at recent meetings
advised this practice. If a large
acreage of one variety ripens at
one time, it is difficult to get it
harvested or picked at the proper
stage of maturity or moisture
content. This often happens with
hay crops and in recent years
with corn that is to be made into
hi-moisture corn for feeding
purposes. Stage of maturity is
very important to get the most
feed value and should be
staggered by planting several
adapted varieties. Consulting
with your local seed dealer wifi
help accomplish this practice.
A LIFE
AFTER BIRTH
Lesson for February 27, 1972
■•ckgroimd Scriptun- Luk« 241-49.
Dpvotional Rooming; 1 John 1 1-7.
In Lloyd Douglas’ novel, THE
GREEN LIGHT, one of his char
acters muses on the universal de
sire and belief in immortality.
Most people, he notes, think of
it only m terms of a “conscious
ness after death.” “Only a few,
comparatively,”
he says, “make
use of the immor
tality concept as
a practical mea
sure available
here and now . . .
Whatever may be
the value of it
Key. Althouse ®f l S^A in
other- pattern of
life, its chief benefit accrues to
us in our daily hying.”
No “cop-oof”!
Karl Marx called religion “the
opiate of the people.” He believed
that religion was used so that
people, looking to the eventual
bliss of heaven, would placidly
accept the injustices of life on
earth. For him, religion was, in
the terms of today, a “cop-out.”
What Marx and so many other
have missed, however, is that one
of the greatest benefits of the
Christian belief in the ressurrec
tion of Christ is what that belief
inspires people to do in the here
and now of life. What we believe
about eternal life has tremendous
To Manage Livestock Wastes
The handling of barnyard
manure is becoming more of a
problem in many areas; it is a
valuable farm fertilizer and
deserves good handling; at the
same time it is the subject of
considerable controversy
relating to both water and air
pollution. We urge livestock
producers to leam as much as
possible about the way to manage
manure, about the regulations in
the community in regards to
environment, and to make a
special effort to get along with
nearby neighbors. The practice
of storing the waste for several
months at a time and then
spreading it just prior to plowing
or working it into the soil is a
good one, but does not suit on
many farms because of the lack
of storage space. Farmers are
urged to become interested in
community regulations and state
laws that may be too restrictive
in the practical handling of farm
manure.
To Beware of
High Machinery Overhead
At a recent meeting of our
cattle feeders Fred Hughes of our
Penn State Farm Management
Section reminded our farmers of
the danger of getting too much
overhead for the cattle to pay for.
Since our farms are small in size,
it is very easy to get a high
machinery investment that
makes it difficult to justify the
ownership of some of the larger,
more expensive machines; he
referred to large tractors,
combines, and crop harvesters.
In many cases it would be more
efficient to use custom operators
or have joint ownership of the
more expensive machinery. Good
farms records will reveal the
overhead load and the cost per
unit of production.
effect in the way we live our daily
lives The resurrection of Jesus
Christ speaks to us, not only of a
life beyond death, but a life after
birth as well.
Sophie Tucker, the singer, once
said in tribute of songwriter Ir
ving Berlin: “What a wonderful
feeling it must be to know while
you’re still alive that you’re im
mortal!” Actually, her statement
had a deeper significance than
she may have realized, because
this is precisely what the resur
rection faith means to us - that
while we are still alive here on
earth, we know we are immortal
And because we know we are im
mortal, we can live without the
fear of death As the writer of
Hebrews puts it, Christ came to
“deliver all those who through
the fear of death were subject to
lifelong bondage.”
Linked with a living Lord
When Jesus walked with the
two disciples on the Emmaus
road, what he gave them was not
a doctrine of immortality, but a
living Presence. This is also what
the resurrection means to Ger
man theologian Helmut Tluet
lecke “ . . . this story is no
longer a museum piece At a sin
gle stroke it has altered my own
life For in such circumstances
Jesus Christ is a living Lord with
whom I may be linked at any mo
ment, who now speaks to me and
to whom I may speak . . ”
That is the beauty of the resur
rection It assures me of eternity
and thus frees me to fully invest
myself—all that I have and am—
in the present. I don’t have to be
afraid to spend myself for I am
linked with a living Lord who
promises me the fullness of life,
after both death and birth.