growers lobby NOTTINGHAM - The U.S. International Trade Commission met Monday in Washington, D.C. to consider a petition filed by the American Mushroom In stitute to curb imports of canned mushrooms. A group of about 20 Chester County mushroom growers went to Washington to make sure their jjy / ~ U.S. Senator John Heinz addressed growers Wednesday afternoon and was sympathetic to their requests. Boxes of mushrooms on the floor were distributed to congressional offices all over Capitol Hill. More farmers are turning to controlled manure manage ment to save valuable nutrients and to make manure handling easier And Patz has the equipment to help you move, store, spread and inject manure on your farm. The Model 100 manure pump handles free-flowing manure and representatives and congressmen from across the country know about the current situation in the mushroom industry. The lobbying trip was coordinated by Penn sylvania Farmers Union. Mushroom growers, mainly from the Not tingham, Oxford, and Kennett Square areas, spend slurry with fine-cut bedding Both the plunger and plunget sleeve can be serv' iced without concrete breakup The hopper loads by gutter cleaner or scraper And a flapper valve at the end of the 12-mch PVC pipe in the storage facility prevents manure backup. The Model 200 compressed air manure mover features a manually operated hatch cover and a one-way valve at the bottom of the under ground tank, so wear is minimal. An air compressor provides air pressure to agitate manure in the 1,700 U S. gallon collection tank and then air pressure moves manure to your storage facility Want to know more 7 Your Patz dealer will show you how to make daily manure handling push-button easy with Patz two days combing the Capitol for support. Among the influential congressmen they were able to contact were Congressmen Herman Talmadge and John English. Both sit on the Agriculture Committee. In all, the growers got mto about 130 Congressional offices. The growers asked for a favorable statement on the troubles of the mushroom industry. They seek relief under Section 201 of th« trade act which will advist the President of the problen and require him to hmil imports for five years. Twice before the growers have gone to Washington for similar relief. The first time the ITC report was favorable to the growers but Richard Nixon turned down the committee recommendation and allowed the flood of imports to continue to grow. The second time Gerald Ford delayed a decision so long it fell to Jimmy Carter. Carter asked the foreign nations for voluntary action to limit their exports to the United States but got none. So, there was no help for domestic producers. The growers’ lobbying session started with an orientation when the growers were briefed on facts and 'statistics which they may not have had at their fingertips. Among other dismal facts they learned that 55 percent for some import relief * $ * ■v 1^ Among those making the trip to Washington to ask for government support of the U.S. mushroom industry were Dick King, local chairman; Bob Carroll; Jim Davis; Ken King; and Marjorie Edwards. All are from the Oxford-Nottingham area. of the canned mushrooms consumed in the United States now are produced overseas. Just eight years ago that figure stood at only 19 percent. Patz Slurry Manure Pump (left photo) and Compressed Air Manure Mover (above photo) Patz ■I BBH Pound, Wisconsin 54161 USA Performance Strong as Steel Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 14,1980—D9 Iq, < At one point growers were told that they should “become more efficient” m order to compete with the foreign competition. Growers pomted out that they already are the most efficient producers of mushrooms. On a square foot basis they produce more V V <^asssSSS (Turn to Page DIO)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers