Farmers get Washington connection
By DIETER KRBEG
FAWN GROVE -
Congressman Bill Goodilng
of York County on Wed
nesday night told southern
Bill Goodling
I some of the problepasTacing
I the nation’s econoiny. and
I farmers inparticular!
Stockyard hearing testimony split
LANCASTER - Cat
tlemen, stockyard
operators, taid' livestock
balers filed, into the
Treadway Inn, here, last
Tuesday, to offer their
viewpoints on a USDA
proposal which will deter
mine the future of fees
charged by stockyards for
the sale of livestock.
The outcome is still un
certain, according to Jack
Brinckmeyer of the Packers
and Stockyards Ad
ministration in Washington,
Adams Countians fed up with underfed cattle
By DIETER KRIEG
GETTYSBURG - Adams
County residents are getting
fed up over a situation which
allegedly involves cattle
which are underfed. The
situation is reportedly so
severe, according to area
residents and reports in the-
Gettysburg Times, that a
FFA membership growing by 1000/yr.
LIHTZ - January of this
year rang in the 50th an
, mversary of the Future
* Farmers of America, and
today (Feb. 18) marks the
beginning of FFA Week - a
I period of time set aside to
I recognize the organization
and its accomplishments.
*' Nationally, the FFA has
grown from 30,000 members
Serving The Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania Areas - Also Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware
VOL. 23 No. 16
Goodling’s speech was
carried direct from
Washington D.C. via an
amplified telephone con
nection of Kennard-Dale
Area Young Farmers who
were holding their annual
meeting here at the high
school. A former teacher at
this York County school,
Goodling explained that
energy, taxes, trade deficits,
and imports figure heavily
into this nation’s economy.
The farmer feels the effect
on all counts.
Goodling, a Republican,
sees President Carter’s
energy program as nothing
more than a tax package.
According to the
congressman, it’s not the
answer to alleviating this
nation's energy problems.
What he’d like to see instead
,«f inceatiye ptqgfamswhichj
would spur development' of
additional and alternative
energy sources.
D.C. The views presented on
Tuesday were diverse, he
told Lancaster Farming,
explaining that the auction
people wanted deregulation
of stockyard rates, while
farmers for the most part
wanted them to continue.
Some middle-of-the-roaders
wanted the markets to file
their own rates with the
government and customers,
and if there weren’t any
complaints, the government
should accept them.
Currently, under the
number of animals are dying
of starvation and thirst.
The situation is not new for
1978. According to records
kept at the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture,
which is actively in
vestigating the situation, the
owner of the animals in
volved has been fined in
in 1928 to over 500,000
members in 1977. In Penn
sylvania tins year’s mem
bership* is now at 20,500.
According to James Fink,
state supervisor and senior
program specialist for the
Commonwealth, the state
organization is growing at a
rate of 1000 members per
year, a spurt that began in
1968.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February IS, 1978
The taxation of energy
idea, Goodlmg believes,
would not only fail to solve
the energy problem, it would
Outgo!n|. ;> Jsenna r d-Dale Y©ting Farmers
Marsteller of Stetvartskown,
offers ahandshake '
wishes to his successor; James Cooper of Delta.
Pictured with them are their advisor. Ralph Travis,
Packers and Stockyards
(P&S) Act, the government
requires stockyard
operators and market
agencies to file a schedule of
“reasonable” rates charged
producers for services and
facilities involved in selling
their livestock. Agriculture
Department officials
determine the
reasonableness of these
rates through a financial
review and have the power
to modify or deny them.
Because of changes in the
previous years for allowing
animals to decompose in the
pasture. Pennsylvania law
says dead animals must be
removed from the premises
within 48 hours.
It isn’t just the dead
animals which has neighbors
upset. It’s also the condition
of the remainder of the beef
“We’re opening up about
six new programs on the
average per year now,”
states Fink. “That’s in
secondary and area
vocational schools.”
The programs in the FFA
have also become widely
diversified since 1968. They
now include agriculture
products, agricultural
processing, forestry, hor-
be unfair to rural people,
because people living in the
country do not have access
to some energy-saving
livestock marketing in
dustry in the nation since the
inception of the P&S Act in
1921, the Agriculture
Department is considering
changes in the rate program.
The hearings were called to
obtain views on what should
be done.
According to Lancaster
County stockyard operators,
the rates charged here vary
enough to hinder the free
marketing concept. They
want the stockyard rates to
be deregulated in some form
herd, which some folks
claim is underfed.
At least one of the
neighboring farmers has
repeatedly had his farm
“invaded” by cattle which
he claims belong to James
G. Angelaras.
Angelaris is an engineer
who owns a number of farms
ticulture, ag menchamcs,
and pre-professional
agriculture training along
with the original program -
production agriculture.
The diversification as well
as an increased interest in
agriculture .are the two
factors which Fink cites as
the reason for the
blossoming gi owtii i a to
"People arc gaining a new
proposals, such as mass
transportation facilities.
Deregulation of prices would
solve some energy
secondtromleft, and other officers. They are, left
to right, Mervyn C. Marsteller, Stewartstown, vice
Krick, Delta, public relations
manager; Don Wilson, New Park, secretary; and
Dan Buttorff, New Park, treasurer.
or another. The consensus is
that the livestock auctions
can’t operate as freely as
they’d like without
deregulation. While ad
mitting that the federal
government place has its
place in livestock auction by
proper scales
maintenance, financial
bonding, and prompt
payments, auction operators
say Washington has no right
to set stockyard rates.
Those favoring the con
tinuation of the federal
m Adams County, but has his
business and permanent
residence m the Washington,
D.C. area. Neighbors are
accusing him of neglect of
his property.
One of the more vocal
complainers is an Adams
County cattle and hog far
mer who claims dozens and
sense of appreciation in
agriculture,” believes Fink.
“They see the blessings and
the benefits of it, like the
clean life.”
Fmk does not think,
however, that the growth
rate will continue at its
present pace, however, since
(here is a population decline
in the nation, which will have
its effect on membership.
$6.00 Per Year
problems, the congressman
suggested in his telephone
message.
(Turn to Page 42)
program argue that the
system protects all involved.
The Pennsylvania Far
mers Union, for example,
released the following
statement on the matter:
Deregulation of the
ratemaking procedure
would open the door to the
very same unethical
practices which charac
terized the livestock
marketing system before the
Packers and Stockyards
(Turn to Page 36)
even scores of cattle have
broken through fences and
made a mess of his feed
supplies. The allegedly
starving cattle have broken
(Turn to Page 39)
In this issue
Farm Calendar 10
Editorial 10
Homestead Notes 50
Ida’s Notebook 52
Home on the Range 53
Joyce Bupp 58
Farm Women Calendar 58
Kendy’sKollumn 59
Jr. Cooking Edition 60
Plant Lovers Corner 62
Leb. 4-H banquet 66
Classifieds 71
Lancaster DHIA 98
Jerry Webb 108,121
Facts for dairymen 112
Dover Young Fanners 114
York DHIA 128