IQ-tancaatar Farmlnf. Saturday, Jan. 3, 1976
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EDITORIAL COMMENTS
BY DIETER KRIEG, EDITOR
Challenging
cooperatives
The federal government in
cluding primarily the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) and White House
personnel is out to kill farmer
cooperatives. That’s the word we
receive here by way of letters, other
publications and personal contacts.
As is true for many, if not most
farmers and farm leaders, this is an
issue which irritates me more than a
field full of thistles which might be
an appropriate analogy considering
some of the legislation that’s coming
out of Washington.
Farmer cooperatives are being
charged with “inflating consumer
prices through monopoly power." The
Federal Trade Commission (FTC),
which is meddling in everything from
toilet bowls to test tubes, is making
this outrageous charge. The agency
has indeed done a commendable job
in many areas, and it is needed in our
every-day living, but here’s a perfect
example of how it is grabbing a victim
by using false accusations.
If such an accusation is true of any
group, then I recommend the charge
be aimed at unions. Aren’t they in
flating everyone’s cost each and
every time they go on strike and
squeeze more money out of their
employer in return for less work? And
farmers haven’t forgotten George
Meany’s trick at the docks, I’m sure.
Wasn’t he manipulating prices
downwards for consumers and up
wards (higher pay) for his men? And
what about the fact that practically
every union in the country is either
affiliated with the Teamsters or the
AFL-CIO? In other words we have two
large, omnipotent labor organizations
which tiwst anyone's arm at will. Has
anyone ever heard of a proposal to
bust the AFL-CIO into smaller units,
as we have reports of splitting
General Motors, other corporations,
and now farmer cooperatives?
Unions have tried for legislation
which would exclude non-union
members from jobs—thereby forcing
an individual to join or be out of work.
They have contributed millions of
dollars to politicians in return for
votes which would support this sort
of visciousness. That’s where the FTC
should focus its attention. One
example is the “common situs” bill.
According to the Associated Press,
Senator Harrison Williams (D-NJ.),
Senate sponsor of the “common
situs" picketing bill, received $15,000
from unions while the bill was on his
desk. The AP also reports that
$lOO,OOO went to 78 congressmen
while they were pushing the bill
through the House. Thank God that
President Ford had enough sense to
veto this bill which would have
eliminated any non-union members
from construction jobs.
Lest anyone farmer or non
farmer misinterpret this, let me
add to this attack on unions that it is
not aimed at the membership as a
whole. Just the bad apples, and most
of them are on top of the heap. We
can find them everywhere.
I believe it's time for farmers to
meet this challenge head-on.
Cooperatives have done a lot of good
for the farmer. They can continue to
serve agriculture if they’re not wiped
out. It seems to me that their big
challenge now should be the
organization of a massive, nationwide
effort to bring the true identity and
purpose of farmer cooperatives
before the public and those govern
ment officials who want to deny them
the right to live.
Be heard where it counts
It’s been less than two years since I
was employed on a farm full-time. I
mention this to establish a bond
between myself and readers, because
the subject of this commentary might
otherwise be brushed aside too
easily. My words will hopefully take on
more meaning if you, the readers,
know that I’m not the so-called city
slicker with a fancy college education.
Well, I do have a college education
but my degree is in dairy production
and I’ve spent all but the past 21
months of my working years on farms.
have a tendency to not believe it until
we find out for ourselves.
I, must confess that I’ve had. my
share of laughter over city folks who
think cows bite and heifers are “male
cows.” And when it comes to com
plaining, I’ve done by share like
thinking i 5 cents for a newspaper is
“highway robbery.”
Too often, I believe, farmers give up
before they attempt to explain their
problem to “outsiders.” Their excuse
usually is “what's the use they
don’t understand, they don't know
anything anyway, they’re against us.”
And if an attempt is made, it usually
falls short because of a lack of un
derstanding and patience. I’ve been
guilty of it myself and have heard
others make the mistake as well.
But, reverse the situation for a
moment. Come into a newspaper’s
production room, for example You
wouldn’t comprehend everything
within a half hour yet chances are
So what 7
For one thing, I can say now that
the grass isn’t always greener on the
other side of the fence. I can admit
that some of my opinions of other
kinds of work and other businesses
weren’t accurate when I was still on
the farm Things often look easier
than they really are but most of us
BP/
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“BUTI SAY
TO YOU..’’
Le»non for January «, UTt
Background Scripture;
Matthew 5:1 through 6:18
Devotional Reading:
Romans 8:1-8.
To Evaluate
Farm Accounts
Farm records are a
necessity these days for
many reasons; however, the
real value of good farm
accounts Is to plan ahead for
the future. When records
reveal success or failure in a
certain enterprise, they
should be used to drop or
expand that particular part
of the fanning business. This
requires time in the office to
evaluate the various income
and expense items and to
make major decisions
regarding the coming year.
Since we are at that point
between two years, it is
suggested that fanners take
the time to go over their
records with their ac
countant, or with members
of their family, in order to
place efforts in the proper
place. Don’t be too busy with
outside work and daily
chores, and neglect the
important part of good
decision making.
Jesus probably never
spoke words more
provocative than when on
the Sermon of the Mount he
said, “You have heard it was
said ... But I say to yon
...”! We are so familiar
with these words that they
nuke little impression upon
us. What we have to realize
is that with these words
Jesus stirred terrible op
position to himself. Many of
those who heard these words
were enraged.
The old law
For one thing, Jesus
seemed to be casting doubt
on the authority of their
scriptures. Jesus was
placing his own teachings
above the authority of the
' Old testament. In other
words, Jesus was saying that
there were teachings in the
Old Testament scriptures
that were no longer binding
upon the people.
Since you and I accept the
authority of Christ, we
probably don’t have any
trouble with is statement of
“But I say to you ...” Yet,
at the same time, we might
be highly offended if
someone were to
acknowledge that they do not
follow and accept certain Old
Testament teachings. Some
people take the stance that:
if the Bible says so, we must
do it! Yet, the Bible said “An
eye for an eye and a tooth for
a tooth,” and Jesus was
clearly indicating that this
teaching was not for the
Christian.
To Order
Supplies Early
The law of supply and
demand is still very much in
the agricultural picture and
producers are urged to
decide what seeds and
materials will be needed
than any law or rule. Those
who would justify violence
with an Old Testament
scripture passage, would do
well to turn to the Sermon on
the Mount instead.
The new spirit
Thirdly, - Jesus makes it
clear that the essence of the
good News is a spirit, rather
than a law or any set of laws.
Matthew finds interesting
parallels between Jesus and
Moses, the great law giver,
actually, in his eyes, Jesus is
the new Moses, the new
lawgiver for Israel.
Yet, the Good News is not
about laws - old or new - bdt
about the “higher law” as
taught and demonstrated by
Jesus. Actually, it is not a
law at all, but a spirit. The
spirit of the law goes far
beyond any rules and
regulations. As Moses stood
on Mount Sinai and received
the tablets of stone, so Jesus
is, in the Sermon of the
Mount, delivering the new
law that is written, not upon
stone, but upon human
hearts.
Obviously, just because
something is in the Bible
doesn’t mean that we ought
always to be obedient to it.
There are some things ad
vocated in some parts of the
Bible that other sections
decry. To say, “The Bible
says...” is not enough, for
sometimes it will also say
something quite contrary.
Secondly, Jesus was
demonstrating that violence
could not be sanctioned by
the Bible. If one wants to, he
can always find a passage of
scripture that will indicate
the most brutal kinds of
violence. There are many
Old Testament passages that
not onlypermit violence, but
actually encourage it. But
Jesus makes it very clear
that his teaching will not
acknowledge any reason for
violence at all. To every
passage that encourages
violence, Jesus answers:
“But I say to y0u...” Jesus’
teaching is higher by far
Despite all that Jesus says'
concerning legalism in the
Sermon on the Mount, still
many, many Christians
continue in a legalistic ap
proach to religion that still
causes Jesus to say to 1 us:
“But I say to you ...”
you have printers' products all over
your home. We wouldn’t expect you to
understand it all. Likewise, the
fellows in town have your products all
over their home, but when did they
ever have the opportunity to have
your work explained to them?
Granted, we've had farm-city
weeks and similar events, but we
need more. Much more. What's
needed is better understanding,
education, and service. Might we
tailor our fairs and the Farm Show to
be more educational and appealing to
consumers?
counts.
& HH
£• Max Smith
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next spring and place orders
as soon ax possible. We have
in mind grass and legume
seeds, lime and fertilizer,
new machinery, fruit trees,
or other major purchases.
Dealers will also appreciate
knowing the needs of their
regular customers in order
to do a good job in the
community; in some in
stances discounts may be
available for early ordering.
The big advantage is to get
the quality and variety of the
supplies needed. To wait
until next spring might
result in accepting what is
available. . *i
To Be Careful r
When Dealing
With Strangers
Again we would like to
caution all home-owners and
farmers of the risk of dealing
with strangers who have
“bargains" to sell. Ex
perience has showed that
many of these deals turn out
to be costly and disap
pointing. When the seller is
not around to guarantee, his
product, and cannot be
located, the buyer is left
“holding the bag.” We
suggest that purchases be
made with reputable people
and concerns who are
always available to make
adjustments and continue to
give service year after year.
The traveling salesman from 1
another area is usually very
aggressive and isintpresteto,
in for cash at if
reduced rate; local folks ari
cautioned about this type of
transaction and urged to
investigate the dependability
of the concern before making
any monetary payment.
Farm
Calendar
January
Pa.- Farm Show in
- Harrisburg. For com-'
plete schedule see the
third section of this
edition.
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Pa. Guernsey Breeder’s
meeting at the Schin
dler’s Restaurant - Camp
Hill 10:00 ajn.
Tuesday, Jan. 13 I
Ephrata Young Farmers
meeting at the Ephrata
High School 7:30 p.m.
Dairy management
meeting.
Dairy Milking School at the
Lancaster Farm and
Home Center 10:00 a.m. -
\ 3:00 p.m. Continues
through the 14th.
Where do most farmers turn when
they want to complain? From what
I've seen, it’s the pages of farm
magazines, the farmer down the road,
and the equipment dealer’s sales
room. They’re all practically useless
efforts because they aren’t directed
to the mass media, congressmen,
your non-farm neighbors, and your
local governing bodies.
Give them a try patiently and
- cordially and be heard where it
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