Shelhamer
[Continued from Page 1]
complaints and suggestions
from Pennsylvania’s
agricultural interests.
The new secretary of
agriculture does not want to
run his office single-
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handedly, however. While
accepting responsibility for
final decisions, he says he
will not make them without
consulting others who can
inform him on possible ef
fects of a decision. “It’ll be a
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team and coach or cabinet
type of affair, ” he explained.
“Four, six or 12 heads are
better than one,” he con
tinued, continually stressing
his desire to do the best he
can for Pennsylvania
agriculture.
Shelhamer was confirmed
to the top ag post on Monday
afternoon by a vote of 47 to
O.The legislative action gave
the state its first permanent
secretary of agriculture in
more than a year, bringing
to an end the controversial
issue surrounding former ag
secretary James McHale,
who was replaced a year ago
by Acting Secretary of
Agriculture Raymond
Kerstetter. Kerstetter
resigned on Jan. 14. A day
later Governor Milton Shapp
appointed Shelhamer acting
secretary of agriculture. The
senate approved the ap
pointment on Monday and
thus closed an unusual
chapter in the history of the
state’s agriculture depart
ment.
Shelhamer professes a
solid faith in farm people. As
an example of that, he
described one of his per
sonally recruited and
trained aids - Neil Buss, a
INVITES
former Lehigh County agent,
who comes from a farm,
earned his Ph.D. and “never
really got both feet out of the
barnyard,” according to
Shelhamer. On the latter, he
emphasized “I think that’s a
plus, not a minus.”
The new ag secretary does
not personally believe that a
formal education is
necessary to serve in his
department. “Too much
precedent has been put on
that sometimes,” he stated.
“It doesn’t hurt to have a
Ph.D.,” he added, “but I;’m
not necessarily dazzled by
it.”
Showing his identity with a
down-to-earth philosophy
some more, Shelhamer said:
“The problem with too much
professional education is
that those kind of people
sometimes forget how
farmers do things. There’s
too much theory. There’s a
time when you must take
your dreams and theories
and come down to reality
and practicality.”
Applying his philosophy to
a broader spectrum,
Shelhamer opinionized that
“probably every department
in government would benefit
Route 30
BsHey
Farms^jn
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Feb. 19,1977 —
from this type of ‘medical
check-up’.”
In this month’s issue of the
Agriculture News Bulletin,
published by the Depart
ment of Agriculture in
Harrisburg, the new
secretary is introduced in
the following words:
Shelhamer is the first
Pennsylvania Agriculture
Secretary to come from the
ranks of the legislature with
long-term service, and he
feels his experience in the
House will help him in his job
at Agriculture.
“I am in a unique
position,” Shelhamer said,
“to tell the farmers story
and to take the necessary
steps to dignify our farmers
and improve their economic
condition. I want to make the
public aware of the common
interests between our far
mers and consumers. When
we realize that we are all
partners in progress, we will
begin to see some action
which will benefit all of us,
not just special interests.”
Shelhamer said he hoped
that under his direction, the
Department would “expand
our services to the public
even beyond our already
well-established regulatory
efforts.”
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While proud of his farm
background and considering
it a strong asset, Shelhamer
also values the 12 years of
experiences he has had in
the legislature. And he ad
mits to being a politician.
Although “officially” a
Democrat, he says he’ll run
his office on a bipartisan
basis. “I don’t want the
Department of Agriculture
to be bogged down with
partisan issues,” he told
Lancaster Fanning.
“I’m conservative for a
Democrat, and most far
mers are conservative,”
Shelhamer remarked.
“Some would think I’m more
Republican than
Democrat,” he continued,
stressing that the “right kind
of registration” will have
very little to do with job
qualifications in his depart
ment. Summarizing his
views on that subject,
Shelhamer said “I’m a
politician, I know the system
and I respect the system.”
As secretary of
agriculture, Shelhamer has
two top priority projects.
The first is to promote area
marketing by farmers
themselves. As a fruit
grower, Shelhamer has had
considerable experience
along that line. “I was bom
and raised by a Dutch
father,” the farmer
legislator-ag secretary said.
“We were taught to always
strive for quality. After
you’ve grown it (your
product) you have to convert
it to cash. Marketing has
been strongly overlooked in
the past. Pennsylvania is an
unusual state, with many
medium and small-sized
operations. We’re diver
sified. If we’re going to
[Continued on Page 26[
Rheems, Pa. 17570
Phone 717-367-1195
17