B4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 24,1981 Dairy co-op manager outlines his price solutions GRANTVILLE ideal solution to the current dairy price problem is higher gram prices, not lower dairy puces That’s the opinion ex pressed Monday afteinoon by Douglas J Caruso, general manager ot the Farmers Union Dairy Coopeiative His organization represents bOOO dairymen in the upper midwest, in cluding Wisconsin, Min nesota, lowa, Illinois and Michigan Caruso said the reason there is so much milk on the market is because farmers get a better return from turning grain into milk than they would get turning it into beef or pork. We can not go through a period of lower gram prices like we have had without that grain being attracted into whatever livestock products will generate a better return,” he said An increase in gram prices would help U 8 crops growers get a better return lor the corn, soybeans, and small grams they produce The higher price would bring these growers closer to 100 percent ol parity for their production Raising gram prices also would stimulate oui economy by increasing foreign dollars flowing into our nation for gram ex ports,’ he told members of Pennsylvania Farmers Union at their annual con vention held m Grantville Caruso checked oft a whole list of pioblems dairymen are going to have to meet m the coming months Not the least ot them is the challenge offered by such respected and powerful groups as Common Cause and Ralph Nader s Congress Watch. Caruso said an industrial milk users group, mcluumg candy makers like Hershey and M&M/Mars, and restaurant chains like Pizza Hut and Marriott, are quietly organizing to provide technical and possibly financial support to the anti price support lobby But, Caruso said, prices paid by farmers tor production items are in creasing faster than milk prices. Retail dairy product prices have increased less than other foods and the cost of living generally The real price ot milk, measured m terms ot how many minutes ot labor at average labor rates it takes to buy milk, has declined 44 percent since 1950, he con tinued Farm milk prices have been above support levels in 26 of the past 30 years The support price, he said, has been an insurance policy to protect consumers and producers against wide swings in prices At 80 percent of parity, by definition, dairymen get only 80 percent of the purchasing power farm milk generated 70 years ago But, Caruso said, at 80 percent of parity a farmer who grows his own teed t Farmers Union meetin. The averaged only s3.m per houi tor his own labor last year That s barely above minimum wage At 7o pei cent ol parity the tar mer s wage di ops to $l7l per hour The net cost to the govemment ot the dany price support progi am in the last marketing year was roughly $lOO million, he maintained, and not the otten-cited $1 3 billion figure By any measure the dairy price support progiam has been a success tor both consumers and producers It is the envy ot most other nations in the world, Caruso said Despite his argument tor a minimum 80 peicent ol parity, the co-op leader admitted it will be difficult to get 80 percent ot dairy parity written into the new tarm bill Caruso called tor piograms to conect the supply-demand imbalance He blasted the claim that cholesterol m dairy products is harmful He spoke ot a program to push tree milk i etills m restaurants during June dairy month and at other times in the year Caruso called the Com munity Nutrition Institute proposal to allow recon stituting powdered milk hogwash’ The income loss to tar mers under the CNI pi oposal would be substantial. He mocked the idea ot saving money by spending cash to remove water trom milk only to turn around and put it back into a liquid form He asked a lecon sideration ot imports ot cheese, especially from the European Community Sychronizlng heifers can help breeding programs LANCASTER - Prostaglandin was identified as one of the newer "chemical tools” now available in dairy reproduction programs, according to information discussed at a workshop at the Farm and Home Center this week Prostaglandin can be used to synchronize heifers for artificial breeding, Michael L O’Conner, Extension dairy specialist, explained. Presently, it is estimated that only about 20 percent of dairy heifers are bred ar tificially because of dif ficulty in detecting standing heat Use of the drug to syn chronize the estrous cycles is approved only for dairy heifers and not lactating cows. Injection of prostaglandin is suggested between the fifth and IBth day of a cycle. One method of use recom mends a second injection 11 days later in order to catch those heifers, possibly 30 percent, missed m the first injection. After an injection, the Douglas J. Caruso, general manager of the 6000-member Farmers Union Dairy Cooperative, told Pennsylvania Farmers Union members the best thing that could happen to dairy farmers would be for the price of grain to go up. He has some convincing reasons why. Listening is Lan caster County’s Forney Longenecker. Under the 1979 I'iade Act, cheese imports h om Em ope can increase 14 percent, a move which will cost domestic dairy taimers $76 million a year, he said Caruso also pointed out the need toi casein and caseinate quotas Impoits have been rising steadily and substantially in recent years as this pi otein is substituted toi nontal diy milk in more and moie products, he noted While he said he was not a protectionist, Caruso baid tree trade mubt albo be tair trade Caruso gave the Penn sylvania taimeis gieetmgs tiom his Co-op Piesidenl, heifers come into heat three days later Breeding can then be done either by ob serving standing heat or by group at one time To be successful use of the drug requires sound management and planning ahead, according to O’Conner. Proper physical facilities are needed to handle the heifers for in jections and breeding The best results are achieved when healthy normally cycling heifeis are used, the animals are properly grown out, qualified msermnators and high quality semen are utilized There are some notes of caution, too Prostaglandin can cause abortion if used on pregnant M 1 a Mai athon Wisconsin Ron Biown, County, dairyman tell them we re all in the same boat and that the watei looks darn choppy ahead Everybody betlei giab an oai or we may capsize, Bi own asked Caiuso to tell local dan ymen The hist point ot sate passage toi U t> dan ymen will come it the 1981 Farm Bill is wi ilten in a way which will continue the tine tunes tor dairymen Othei vvibe, it may be the btart ot a long, rough voyage toi the dairy mdubtry which will tind itbelt laced with more of the headaches Caruso addresbed —CH animals It will not correct fertility problems and will not improve conception rates Also, it will not induce animals to cycle But it can be added to the list of management tools available to help insure that heifers are bred for calving at 24 months Its use is not for evei yone, the dairy specialist said If a dairy farmer is having good success in his heifer breeding program, the use of prostaglandin may not be necessary And if a decision is made to utilize the drug, proper consultation is recom mended with both the veterinarian and AI per sonnel so that a program can be planned well in ad vance —DA See your nearest HOLLAIND Dealer for Dependable Equipment and Dependable Service: Alexandria. PA iquipment Forshey’s, Inc 110 Forshey St 814-793-3791 Clapper Farm Star Route 814 669 4465 Annville, PA BH M Farm Equipment, Inc p a ul A Dotterer RDI RD 1 717 867-2211 717-726-3471 Beavertown, B&R Farm Equipment, Inc RDI, Box 217 A 717 658 7024 Bernville. PA Stanley A Klopp, Inc Bernville. PA 215 488-1510 Carlisle, PA Paul Shovers, Inc 35 East Willow Street 717 243 2686 Catawissa, PA Abraczinskas Farm Equipment, Inc RD 1 717 356 Chambersburg. PA Ctugston Implement. Inc RD 1 717 263 4103 Davidsburg, PA George N Gross, Inc R D 2, Dover, PA 717 292 1573 Elizabethtown. PA Messick Farm Equipment, Inc Rt 283 Rheem'sExit 717-367 1319 Gettysburg, PA Yinglmg Implements RD 9 717 359 4848 Greencastle. PA Meyers Implement's Inc 400 N Antrim Way PO Box 97 717 597 2176 Halifax. PA Sweigard Bros R D 3, Box 13 717 896-3414 Honey Brook, PA Dependable Motor Co East Mam Street 215 273-3131 215 273 3737 Honey Grove, PA Norman D Clark & Son, Inc Honey Grove, PA 717 734 3682 Hughesville. PA Farnsworth Farm Supplies, Inc 103 Cemetery Street 717 584-2106 Lancaster, PA L H Brubaker, Inc 350 Strasburg Pike 717-397-5179 Lebanon. PA Evergreen Tractor Co , Inc "’O Evergreen Road 717-272-4641 Lititz, PA Roy A Brubaker 700 Woodcrest Avenue 717 626 7766 Loysville. PA Paul Shovers, Inc Loysville, PA 717 789-3117 Lynnport, PA KermitK Kistler, Inc Lynnport, PA 215 298 2011 MartinsburgjPA Mill Hall. PA Nazareth. PA Edwards Farm Equipment 291 W Moorestown Rd 215 759-0240 New Holland, PA ABC Groff, Inc 110 South Railroad 717 354 4191 Oley, PA C J Wonsidler Bros RD 2 215 987 6257 Palm. PA Wentz Farm Supplies, Inc Rt 29 215-679-7164 Pitman. PA Marlin W Schreffler Pitman, PA 717-648-1120 Pleasant Gap, PA Brooks Ford Tractor W College Ave 814-359 2751 Quarryville, PA C E Wiley & Son, Inc 101 South Lime Street 717 786-2895 Reedsville, PA Big Valley Sales & Service, Inc P O Box 548 717 667-3944 Ringtown, PA Rmgtown Farm Equipment Ringtown, PA 717 889-3184 Shippensburg. PA R B Muller, Inc N Seneca St 717 532-4178 Silverdale, PA I G Sales Box 149 215 257 5135 Tamaqua, PA Charles S Snyder, Inc R D 3 717 386-5945 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 Churchville. MD Walter G Coale, Inc 2849 53 Churchville Rd 301 734-7722 Rising Sun, MD Ag Ind Equipment Co , Inc R D 2, Route 273 East 301 398-6132 301 658 5568 Bndeeton. NJ LeslieG Fogg, Inc Canton & Stow Creek Landing Rds R D 3 609-451-2727 Washington, NJ Frank Rymon & Sons 814-793-3791 Woodstown. NJ Owen Supply Co Broad Street S East Avenue 609-769 0308
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