Farm wife
By MELISSA PIPER
HERS HEY - Appearance-wise Laura Heuser looks like
any other farm woman and wife. Her face and arms arc
tanned a healthy golden color and her hair has been
naturally bleached by hours in the sun. She has a pleasant
smile and is genuinely charming to all she meets. But
Mrs. Heuser’s one attribute which makes her stand out
among people is that she is an outspoken advocate of
farmer’s rights and presents her ideas with vigor and a
convincing tone of voice - often tinged with her Michigan
accent. During a speech at the National Peach Conference
held here this week, Mrs. Heuser made firm her stand on
agriculture and encouraged other farm women to become
involved in changing the farmer’s unage.
Mrs. Heuser told the farm women that work must be
done and soon if farmers are to receive their fair profit as
well as survive. "As fruit growers you are often told what
you will get as far as a price goes," Mrs. Heuser stated,
but “no one buys products that way and it isn’t fair.”
The farm wife expressed adamatcly that the fanners
unage needed to be corrected as far as consumers were
concerned. “Five years ago farmers had a rotten
reputation,” she exclaimed, “Today it isn’t much better
but it sure has unproved.”
“Urban consumers and especially legislators see the
irmers as people too stupid to do their own marketing, so
icy feel a need to market our products without giving us
fair chance.”
Mrs. Heuser facetiously chided the women present for
not wearing calico dresses, “you know that you’re ruining
our image,” she heckled, “people have that mental pic
ture of farm wives and until we tell our story it will stay
that way.”
The farm wife has been quite interested in helping the
urban consumer leam about agricultural production
because in her words, “urban consumers have the vote
and if they don’t understand our needs think of the
legislation that could be passed - not in our favor.”
Also critical of the legislative action and
“beauracrats,” Mrs. Heuser has visited the governor of
Michigan, several legislators and also made her way to
the office of George Meany, as a director of the Ag Council
of America. “We have to be more forceful and show these
people that we are very capable of making our own
decisions on marketing ag products,” she said, her voice
wavering with emotion, “if we don’t the beauracrats will
vaccum us to ruin.”
“You’ve got to remember,” she noted, “most urban
consumers and legislators are agriculturally illiterate
and they are making the decisions for us.”
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Mrs. Heuser called the farm wife "a very brave person"
and encouraged the women to become involved with
farming's story. “Farm women have had to be brave and
although it means being scared to death at times - we
proved that we have guts!”
"Set your priorities”, she stated “and work diligentlv
toward them," women shouldn't be colorP k, ip-inns a,
and if we understand the needs then we can do a good
job."
Leaning quietly against the podium, Mrs. Heuser
concluded her remarks by stating, “we don’t have much
tune and we must work for understanding and legislation
before our freedoms get plucked away.”
Mike Morton (left) representing
the Ag Council of America looks over
the prograrr during the National
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“I remember hearing that another bunch of rebels once
staged a tea party to get people’s attention and maybe
that’s what we need-a party of our own."
“Women were the first fanners you remember, It was
the men who went hunting and we still have to do our part
to survive.”
Mrs. Heuser is the wife of a fruit grower in Michigan
and helped to organize the American Agri-Women
program to promote understanding of agriculture. She is
also a member of several other ag and farm women
associations and is currently on the board of directors for
the Ag Council of America.
Peach Conference with Gail Mc-
Pherson, York County, and guest
speaker, Laura Heuser.
tapec
forage systems
DEftITl
York Lamb
dub meets
A demonstration on tan
ning sheep hides, given by
Laune and Lisa Dobrosky
and Donny Flory was the
program at a recent York
County 4-H Lamb Club
meeting held at the 4-H
Center near Bair Station.
Following the demon
stration the President Linda
Ebaugh, opened the
meeting. She reminded the
members to get their project
books from their local clubs.
It was then discussed
whether or not to attend the
Peach Festival at Maple
Lawn Farms and set up a
booth to sell something
promoting lamb. A motion
was made and a committee
appointed. A committee was
appointed to plan the
meetings for the coming
years and the meeting was
adjourned.
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