—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 4,1978
134
Farm
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The
National Council of Fanner
Cooperatives, an association
of farm cooperatives with
offices in the nation’s
capital, reports the following
news from Washington, D.C.
CO-OP INVESTMENT
TAX CREDIT PASSED
Congress has passed and
sent to the President a tax
reduction bill which in
cludes a provision extending
the investment tax credit to
fanner cooperatives The
provision will allow co-ops to
take the full 10 per cent
credit for capital im
provements, or pass through
part of all of the credit to
members, if the cooperative
is unable to use it. Effective
date of the credit is
November 1, 1978. National
Council of Farmer
Cooperatives president
Kenneth D. Naden estimates
that tax savings from the
credit should average $5O
million per year for fanners
and their cooperatives. He
said it is one of the most
beneficial and positive
pieces of legislation passed
for family farmers in recent
years.
NATURAL GAS
DEREGULATION
APPROVED
Hard-fought attempts to
deregulate natural gas
ended m victory on October
15, when the House passed
the Natural Gas Act (H.R.
5289) The measure would
allow gas prices to rise by
about 10 per cent annually
until deregulation is reached
in 1985 Until then, price
controls would be extended
from the interstate to the
intrastate market Two
important provisions for
agriculture would: provide a
priority for agricultural uses
of gas during periods of
supply shortage, and exempt
agricultural uses from in
cremental pricing. Charles
D. Hartman, NCFC energy
vice president, said the
Planning to Dig
780 EAST MAIN ST.,
NEW HOLLAND, PA 17557
717-354-4246
FREE ESTIMATES
co-op council reviews Capitol situations
priority provision should
help insure gas supply for
nitrogen production during
heavy Winter-use periods.
LOCK & DAM
26 AUTHORIZED
A compromise worked out
by Senate Finance Chair
man Russell Long (D-La)
has led to congressional
authorization for a new Lock
& Dam 26 on the Mississippi
River The badly
detenoratmg Alton, Illinois
facility has impeded ship
ping of farm products on the
Mississippi for many years
Included in the legislation is
a fuel tax levy for barge
operations on all mland
waterways The tax, starting
at 4 cents per gallon in 1980,
will increase to 10 cents per
gallon by 1985. Money
collected from the tax will be
placed in trust to help
finance future waterways
improvement projects
Construction of the new $421
million lock and dam can
begin as soon as an en
vironmental impact
statement is approved by the
federal courts.
TRADE EXPANSION ACT
CLEARSCONGRESS
New credit incentives for
foreign buyers of U.S.
farm products were included
in The Trade
Expansion Act (5.3444)
passed near the end of the
95th Congress. The bill in
cludes new “intermediate”
credits for U S. trading
partners, with repayment up
to 10 years. In addition, it
extends CCC credit for the
first time to the Peoples
Republic of China The
legislation also includes
diplomatic initiatives It
directs the USDA to open
between six and 25
agricultural trade promotion
offices in major markets
abroad. And it would raise
the diplomatic status of U.S.
agricultural attaches in not
less than 10 major foreign
markets to the rank of
Counselor. This would
permit the attaches to
compete on more equal
terms with trade
representatives of other
countries.
PRESIDENT SIGNS
PESTICIDE
AMENDMENTS
A two-year debate on
revising federal pesticide
laws ended September 30
with the President’s signing
of amendments to the
Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide & Rodenticide
Act. The amendments
authorize up to $7O million to
fund federal pesticide
regulation through Sep
tember 30, 1979. They also
1) clarify groundrules for
compensation on research
data needed to register
pesticide labels; 2) give the
states primary enforcement
responsibility for pesticides;
3) provide for conditional
registration of pesticides)
and 4) permit more
flexibility in using pesticides
on pests and crops not noted
on the registered label.
Hopefully, the amendments
will result in more efficient
registration of pesticides
essential to agricultural
production.
TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
FACE NEW
ROADBLOCKS
Several last-minute ac
tions in the 95th Congress
created new hurdles for the
multilateral trade talks
underway in Geneva. An
amendment to exempt
textiles from the talks
passed Congress, and now
faces a Presidential veto
Attempts to extend a
countervailing duty waiver
failed, further endangering
the talks. However, some
progress was made on grain
talks, even though critical
issues on size and cost
sharing of world wheat
reserves are still to be
resolved. And the dairy
industry continues skeptical
about the shape of the export
subsidy/countervailmg duty
code under discussion m
Geneva. Net result could be
a delay of efforts to have a
grade agreement
framework in place by the
Administration’s December
15 target date Farmers and
their cooperatives are
keeping negotiators in
formed of their views in hope
of achieving an agreement
that will help U S
agriculture, and avoid
serious threats to our major
markets abroad
NCFC’s 50th
ANNIVERSARY MEETING
ATLASVEGAS
The National Council of
Farmer Cooperatives will
hold its 50th anniversary
meeting at the Aladdin
Hotel, Las Vegas, January 9-
11, 1979 Cooperative
HMfR M. SHMINtR
T/A
Good’s Feed Mill
R.D 1, NEW PROVIDENCE, PA PHONE (717) 786-2500
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-FULL SERVICE DEALER MOO-ORE
CUSTOM WELDING
GATES MADE TO ORDER
* HOG SET-UPS • BARNYARD FENCING • BULLPENS
Gates Made Of Pipe or
• ALL-WELDED CONSTRUCTION
• FOOL-PROOF LATCH
PORTABLE WELDING
“SHOP ON WHEELS"
• Repairs on farm equipment at the
farm or in shop
• Electric and acetylene,
• MIG welding in shop.
• Subcontract work.
• Fabricating.
CLAIR E. BEILER
RD#l, PARADISE, PA. 17562
Shop: 2 mi. west of Gap on Smryna Rd
Shop Phone: (717) 442-8126 Residence: 593-2444
directors and executives
from around the country will
review legislative policies of
the NCFC, and hear
presentations on issues
affecting the economy, in
ternational trade, antitrust,
energy, transportation, and
political action President
Jimmy Carter has been
invited to headline the
meeting Other speakers will
include leaders from
Congress, the executive
branch, the business com
munity , and the media The
meeting will also preview a
new NCFC film on family
farmers and their
cooperatives which will be
shown to the general public
in movie theaters and on TV
next year
NCFC MOVING OFFICES
IN DECEMBER
Offices of the National
Council of Farmer
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DO IT RIGHT WELD IT!
Cooperatives will move to
the new headquarters
building of the National
Rural Electric Cooperative
Association on December 2,
1978. Effective that date, the
NCFC’s address will be- 1800
Massachusetts Avenue,
N W , Suite 604, Washington,
DC 20036 Phone 202/659-
1525 Also moving to the new
location in early December
will be the American In
stitute of Cooperation, the
national educational arm for
farmer cooperatives
uare Tubim
• HEAVY DUTY HINGES.
• GALVANIZING AVAILABLE
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