—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 4,1978
126
“The hearing room” can be an awesome sight to a Pennsylvania farm wife when she knows she has
to testify.
the hearing room
By JOYCE BUPP
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON - As I
returned to the hearing
room, my husband was
frantically signalling to me.
I grabbed a dog-eared
folder stuffed with papers,
hastily took the seat behind
the microphone and faced
members of the United
States House of Represen
tatives Agriculture Com
mittee.
This was a “first” for
three Pennsylvania farm
wives, inexperienced m
matters of government
testimony, but prepared to
learn first-hand how it was
done. We had come at the
request of American Agri-
Women, and were
representing both the
A.A.W. national
organization and our state
wide Penn’s Agri-Women.
The role of spokesman had
been given to me, with state
coordinator Ethel Gross,
Manchster R 2, and asst,
coordinator Naomi Spahr,
Lititz Rfi, completing our
small delegation. Added at
the last minute to the team
effort was my husband, who
agreed to get us there safely
following another several
inches of snow that a storm
had dumped the previous
night.
Hearings had been
scheduled to assess the
general economic situation
faced by American farmers,
brought to the headlines by
spreading farm unrest and
publicized by the “farm
strike” movement.
Following six days of in
tensive study, telephone
calls, writing and printing
deadlines, we were anxious
to present our proposals to
the Committee
Testimony from assorted
representatives had been
taken over a several-day
period and the February 14
hearing was the last session
open to public witnesses The
two following days were
allotted to hear out the
American Agriculture,
“strike” representatives,
some of who had remained in
Washington lobbying since
Adventures in
the December 14, 1977 strike
date. Many others had flown
to Washington just for the
several days of hearings and
planned to stay until the
final two days earmarked
for the strike movement had
been concluded.
Into the ornate hearing
room on the third floor of the
Longworth Building, a large
office complex for House
members, farmers had
crowded until there was no
room to stand. Hats and
jackets proclaimed their
strike affiliation. Knowing
that I was not prepared to
recommend the national
legislators the same
directives that the majority
was demanding - one hun
dred per cent parity - did
little to ease the convention
of butterflies that had
gathered in my stomach.
Late in the afternoon, the
half-dozen legislators at
tending the hearings (out of
50 on the committee) were
summoned to the Capitol for
roll-call on a bill up for
voting. Upon returning from
the “calm the fidgets” walk
I took during the brief
recess, I heard my name
being called.
The Agri-Women
testimony came near the end
of the session which included
speakers from agri
business, bankers, a farm
implement dealer, the
Wheat Growers Assocation,
Cotton Pool, a Virginia
Neighborhood Association,
and independent farmers
from Kansas, California,
lowa, and Washington.
Most speakers had focused
on higher supports, in
creased acreage set-asides,
adjusted loan levels, selling
quotas and the 100 per cent
parity demand.
Agn-Women, both on the
state and national level, is
set up as a coalition of in
dividuals and organizations
to work toward a united
agriculture and to con
centrate energies on the
goals that we share, rather
than our differences. In
opening statements, we
explained our purposes and
issued that plea for unity
Our testimony stressed
that farmers only receive a
■small portion of the actual
food dollar; and that even if
growers were to give their
harvest away for nothing,
supermarket food pur
chasers would see little
reduction in overall price.
Emphasis was placed on
the fact that most farmers
do not want handouts or
guaranteed incomes. They
are, however, becoming
increasingly frustrated at
subsidizing a policy of ar
tificially cheap food for a
population obsessed with
collecting expensive
luxuries.
Rather than demand
government intervention
through increased subsidies
and payments, Agri-Women
called for a curtailment on
the ever-growing demands
on the economy from the 96
per cent population that is
non-farm and from the in
tolerable burdens of a
government that is in
creasingly bureaucratic and
over-regulatory.
Suggestions for improving
the state of the farm
economy included a call for
expanded export markets
and changes m the taxing
system of variable levies
both here and abroad.
We called for the freedom
to use agricultural chemical
Travelogue set for 4th
LANCASTER - Another in
a series of travel and ad
venture programs sponsored
by The Paradise Rotary
dub will be held today
(March 4) at the Conestoga
Valley High School,
beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Appearing in person to
narrate his own film “By
Sail Through the Caribbean”
will be Jean Poisson, who is
an accomplished celestial
navigator and blue water
sailor with 14 years of ex
perience sailing his 33 foot
sloop “Le Bateau” through
tools which enable the
farmer to efficiently produce
the high quality food
demanded by the American
pubhc without stifling and
unnecessary regulations.
Increased research funds
and enabling self
assessment legislation to aid
farmers in finding more
nutritious varieties of
foodstuffs, disease
resistance in plants and
animals and increased levels
of production through
superior genetics were
suggested.
Protection for our
cooperative marketing
system, legislation barring
imports of food produced
below U.S. quality standards l
and increased research into
finding alternative energy
and fuels were other of our •
recommendations presented ■
to the House Agriculture'
Committee.
Our concern for the state
of the farmer’s national
pocketbook was summed up
in this closing paragraph:
“And if the time comes when
we have been regulated -
when we have been
legislated - when we have
been frustrated right out of
the independent agriculture
business, the following
epitaph can be chiseled on
our gravestones: Hungry?
Out of food? Eat a
bureaucrat for lunch.”
the beautiful Caribbean
West Indian Islands.
Poisson will visit the
beautiful Grenadine Islands
where the pace is slow and
the atmosphere congenial,
and see Petit St. Vmcent,
Palm Island and the in
comparable Tobago Cays.
He will explore uninhabited
islands and roam native
villages.
Tickets for “By Sail
Through the Caribbean”
may be purchased at the
door. $1.75 each for adults, $1
students, or a special adult
“Six Admission Ticket” for
$7.
See your nearest
HOLLAND
Dealer for
Dependable Equipment and
Dependable Service:
Airville. Pa.
Airville Farm Service
Airville, Pa
717-862-3358
Alexandria. Pa.
Clapper Farm
RD 1
iquipment
814-669-4465
Annviils. Pa.
_ . Mill Hall. Pa.
BH M Farm Equipment, Inc p au | A Dotterer
RD 1 RD i
717-867-2211 717-725 3471
Beavertown, Pa.
Ben H Walter
Beavertown, Pa
717-658-7024
Bernville. Pa
Stanley A Klopp, Inc
Bernville, Pa
215-488-1510
Bielerville. Pa.
Wolff Farm Supply Co
Biglerville, Pa
717-677-8144
Carlisle. Pa.
Paul Shovers, Inc
35 East Willow Street
717-243-2686
Catawii
Abraczmskas Farm
Equipment, Inc
RD 1
717-356-7409
Palm. Pa.
Wentz Farm Supplies, Inc
Rt 29
Clugston Implement, Inc 215 679-7164
RD.I
717-263-4103
imbersburg. Pa,
Pitman. Pa.
Chester Springs. Pa. Marlin W. Schreffler
Nevin N. Myer & Sons, Inc Pitman, Pa
Chester Springs, Pa. 717 648-1120
215-827-7414
Davidsburg. Pa.
George N Gross, Inc
RD 2
Dover, Pa
717-292-1673
Elizabethtown. Pa.
Messick Farm Equipment, Inc po^Boy^r 65 *^ 6 ™' 06 * n °
2750 North Market Street 7,7
717-367-1319
Gettysburg. Pa.
Ymgling Implements
RD 9
717-359-4848
Halifax. Pa.
Sweigard Bros
R D 3, Box 13
717-896-3414
Sheets Bros, Inc
Carlisle Street
717-632-3660
Honev Brook. Pa
Dependable Motor Co
East Mam Street
215-273-3131
Honey Grove. Pa.
Norman D ClarkS Son, Inc
Honey Grove, Pa
717-734-3682
'hesville,
Farnsworth Farm Supplies,
Inc
103 Cemetery Street
717-584-2106
ter. Pa.
L H Brubaker, Inc
350 Strasburg Pike
717-397-5179
.ebanon. Pa
Evergreen Tractor Co , Inc
30 Evergreen Road
717-272-
Lititz. Pa
Roy A Brubaker
700 Woodcrest Avenue
717-626-7766
Lovsville. Pa
PaulShovers, Inc
Loysville, Pa
irt. P«.
Kermit K Kistler, Inc
Lynnport. Pa
215-298-3270
McEwensville. Pa.
Don’s Service Shop
Box 97
717-538-1362
Millville. Pa.
W 0 Diehl & Sons
R D 1
717-458 6421
New Holland. Pa,
ABC Groff, Inc
110 South Railroad
717-354-4191
Oley. Pa.
A J Noss&Son, Inc
RD 2
215-987-6257
Orwigsburg. Pa.
PaulJ EichertSSon
RD 1
717-943-2304
Quarryville. Pa.
C E Wiley & Son, Inc
101 South Lime Street
717-786-2895
Reedsville. Pa,
Rmgtown. Pa. •
Rmgtown Farm Equipment
Rmgtown, Pa
717-889-3184
msburg. Pa.
R B Miller, Inc
Shippensburg, Pa
717-532-4178
Silverdale. Pa
I G’s Ag Sales
Box 149
215-257-5135
Tamaqua, Pa.
Charles S Snyder, Inc
RD 3
717-386-5945
Waynesboro. Pa.
Blue Ridge Fruit Exchange,
Inc
Waynesboro, Pa
717-762-3117
West Chester. Pa,
M S Yearsley & son
114-116 East Market Street
215-696-2990
West Grove. Pa,
S G Lewis & Son, Inc
R D 2, Box 66
215-869-2214
Churchvilie. Md.
Walter G Coale, Inc
2849-53 Churchvilie, Rd
301-734-7722
Rising Sun. Md.
Ag-lnd Equipment Co , Inc
RD2, Route 273 East
301-398-6132
301-658-5568
Woodstown. N.J
Owen Supply Co
Broad Street & East Avenue
609-769 0308