I
Washington’s farm ‘experts’ try to forecast prices
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The experts are planning to
do some pretty important
forecasting in Washington,
D.C., starting November 13.
The forum will be the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s
(USDA) annual Food and
Agricultural Outlook Con
ference. Since agriculture
plays such a vital role in the
U.S. economy, the experts
will look at more than just
food prices and the general
economy. They’ll also zero in
on the outlook for individual
agricultural commodities
and food products.
The Department of
Agriculture has been
sponsoring an agricultural
outlook conference for the
past 55 years, but both
character and content of the
Conference .have changed
greatly over tune. The
evolution of the annual
conference mto the high
profile, packed house it is
today was a long and
deliberate process.
CLICK'S
ROOFING & SPOUTING
Handler & Installer Of
BAKED ENAMEL TIN ROOFS
Colors: Turquoise, Red, Olive Green, Rust,
Brown, White and Plain.
Sizes: 5 ft. up to 36 ft. All in one. Also cut to
exact length.
SAMUEL B. CLICK
RD 1, Kmzer, Pa PH (717)442-4921
Call in Morning Before 6 30
ana Evenings after 6:00 P M
No Sunday Calls
s
ffl
DICK THORNBURGH
:
Ralph W. Hass - Nicholas B. Moahlmann
28th 48th 102nd 100th
Senatorial District Senatorial District Legislative District Legislative District
am
''4?
Noah W. Wenger
99th
Legislative District
June N. Honaman
97th
Legislative District
The first conference took
place in April 1923 when 20
men gathered behind locked
doors m a USDA conference
room. The locked doors were
a caution against the effect
their results would have on
commodity markets. The
men were attempting to
decide whether the amount
of acreage farmers claimed
they were going to plant was
in line with prospective
demand in the upcoming
year.
The need for a conference
was confirmed at that very
first meeting. In at least one
case, they spotted a possible
trouble spot. It looked like a
prospective increase in
tobacco acreage was out of
line with probable demand.
That would mean an over
supply of tobacco and
resultant lower returns to
tobacco farmers.
Almost from the begin
ning, pressure grew to
provide more localized
outlook information to
VOTE REPUBLICAN
THIS TUESDAY...
Governor
AN HONEST CHANCE
FOR
GOOD GOVERNMENT
POLLS OPEN AT 7 A.M.
BILL SCRANTON
Lieutenant Governor
■ m
Paid for bv the
Lancaster County Republican Committee
Robert L Resster, Treasurer
Joseph S LaMonaca, Chairman
supplement the national
conference report. The early
outlook researchers were
aware that farmers were
interested not only in the
total national outlook, but
also in how it applied to their
individual localities and
their individual farms.
“We can pass the buck on
down to the individual
farmers and tell them they’ll
have to figure that all out for
themselves,” said one of
these early outlookers.” “Or
we can develop the outlook
program to the point where
we can answer those
questions.”
No one wanted to pass the
buck. So shortly after they
established the national
conference, USDA outlook
experts began seeking ways
to increase the input from
agricultural economists
working throughout the
country.
A group of nationally
known economists and
statisticians from outside
the USDA drew up the first
conference report. The
second year, the outlook
conference continued as a
department affair, with no
outside experts sitting on the
committee. But the
Washington agriculture
department staff brought m
USDA economists from its
field offices, who could bring
their knowlege of local
conditions to bear on the
final revision of the national
reports. These economists
were also responsible for
adapting the outlook in
formation to fit local needs.
This led, in turn, to a series
of analytical reports by
commodity and thence to
ROBERT S. WALKER
16th Congressional District
POLLS CLOSE AT 8 P.M.
newsletters and other
publications.
The desire at USDA to
develop its outlook program
to the point where it would be
truly beneficial to farmers
led to formation in the 1920’s
of year-round outlook ser
vices.
These services greatly
changed the character of the
national Agricultural
Outlook Conference since an
even flow of outlook material
became available
throughout the entire year
instead of being bunched mto
one annual effort.
The scope of the annual
conference was broadened
further in the 1930’s when the
participants decided to take
a good look at the
significance and impact of
economic and other factors
on rural living. Year by year
this family living component
of the conference has grown
in importance as the target
audience has been
broadened to include
families in urban as well as
rural residential areas.
In 1977, the conference’s
name was changed to the
Food and Agricultural
Outlook Conference in
recognition of the current
outlook’s critical im
plications for U.S. families’
diets, energy use, credit and
housing needs, and other
related subjects. And
today’s conference includes
sessions on our natural
resources, the environment,
and the weather outlook.
But despite all these
changes in scope and con
tent, the conference’s basic
goal has remained the same
down through the years.
Legislative District
v x $* V"
* '»» f .
Marvin E. Millar, Jr.
96th
Legislative District
Earl H. Smith
13th
Legislative District
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 4,1978—141
President Coolidge,
keynoting the 1925
Agricultural Outlook Con
ference report, summed up
the purpose rather well:
“Inasmuch as orderly
production is a necessary
preliminary to orderly
marketing, the well
informed farmer must keep
himself posted, months in
advance, concerning the
probable production of
various (commodities)
during the coming season, as
well as the probable
requirements of the
market.”
In keeping with this basic
conference goal,
“OUTLOOK ’79” will be
geared toward providing
information needed by those
who produce, process, and
market our food and fiber
products. The conference
will include sessions on the
outlook for major farm
commodities, inputs, food
prices, transportation and
storage for agriculture, and
inflation. There will also be a
look at world developments
affecting U.S. agriculture.
Lancaster Co.
Grange 71 meets
OAKRYN - Lancaster
County Pomona Grange 71
met October 20 at the Fulton
Grange
Hall,
Oakryn,
Master Jesse Wood con-
ducted the meeting.
Mr. and Mrs. Clifford
Holloway, Jr. will be
representing the Pomona for
the “Shrine in 79” project for
the National Grange when it
DEALERS
WANTED
7th Largest Seed
Corn Company
Inll.S.
Choice
Territories
Available.
215-869-2344
MASSEY FERGUSON
DEALING DAYS
RED HOT SPECIALS
MF 275 Diesel 8 Speed
Tractor (67 H.P.)
High Clearance
MF 275 Diesel Multi
Power Tractor (67 H.P.) 13,368.00
MF 285 Multi Power
Tractor (82 H.P.) ..
MF 520 10 Ft,
Disc Harrow .
MF 468 4 Row
Corn Planter.
MF 110
Spreader
Spreader 2,425.00 2,050
j Personalized MF
W 8 Financing
PARTS and SERVICE
AVAILABLE
]7JB LEBANON VALLEY IMPLEMENT CO.
700 E. Linden St., Richland, PA.
Ph; (717) 866-7518
USDA experts feel both
these topics and the con
sumer-oriented sessions
reveal important trends
people will want to know
about, both as consumers
and as concerned citizens.
In recent years, con
ference attendance has
swelled to over 1,000 people,
representing groups in
terested in or involved with
U.S. food and fiber. The
conference is open to the
public (no more locked
doors) and there is no charge
to attend.
For an early guide to times
and topics, send for a free
copy of the preliminary
program. Copies of the
Conference Proceedings
containing all the papers
presented will be available
(while supplies last) soon
after the close of the con
ference. To receive either
publication, send separate
postcard requests to:
Donnell Royster, USDA
ESCS, Room 0054, South
Building, Washington, D.C.
20250.
comes to Lancaster, Pa. m
1979.
Pomona youth committee
will be making a pennant for
the National Grange.
Edward Zug was elected to
the Executive committee for
three years. Shirley
Galebreath was elected to
the Finance committee for
one year, and Clifford
Holloway, Jr. was elected to
the finance committee for
three years.
Peggy and Sandy
Galebreath won first prize in
the regional talent contest.
They went on to the State
Grange competition.
Mildred Tindall had an art
entry at State Grange, and
Elaine Knight represented
the Pomona at the State
Youth Day.
The next meeting will be a
dinner meeting on January
20, 1979, at 7:30 p.m. The
place is to be announced.
SELL
List
11,700
. 14,272.35
11,300
13.750
1.750
16,200.00
2,100.00
2,450
2,875.00
1,450
1,675.00