ALLENTOWN - The Penn
sylvania Farmers Union Advisory
Board expressed serious concern
over the future of Pennsylvania
wheat farmers.
It was noted at the group’s June
24th meeting held here Wednesday
that a Pennsylvania grain elevator
was quoting a price of $3.35 per
bushel for wheat on June 23.
This price, just prior to wheat
harvest time, marks the third
successive year of lower local
prices for the commodity. If this
trend continues, many of Penn-
HAERISBURG - Total stocks
of wheat, com, oats, barley,
sorghum and soybeans in Penn
sylvania on June 1, at 44.4 million
bushels, were down 25 percent
from a year ago, according to the
Pennsylvania Crop Reporting
Service. Farm stocks were down 27
percent at 37.1 million bushels. Off
farm holdings of 7.3 million
bushels decreased 16 percent from
a year ago.
Com stored in all positions
totaled 36.0 million bushels, 29
percent below last year’s 50.6
million in storage. Wheat stocks
totaled 2.5 million bushels, eight
percent above the 2.3 million
bushels on hand a year earlier.
Oats stocks at 5.0 million bushels
were up two percent from a year
ago. Barley in all storage
positions, at 431,000 bushels, were
down 43 percent from last year’s
Edwards assessed $270,000
FLEETVILLE - A Fleetville,
meat packing firm and its presi
dent have been assessed $270,000 in
civil penalties by the U.S. Depart
ment of Agriculture and ordered to
stop violating trust requirements
of the Packers and Stockyards Act.
Named in the order are R&D In
vestments, Inc., doing business as
Edwards Bros. Packing Co., and
John W. Edwards, the firm’s presi
dent. Under Edwards’ direction,
the firm bought livestock for
slaughter principally from Penn
sylvania, New York, New Jersey,
and Virginia. The firm is no longer
operating.
Administrative Law Judge John
PFU voices grain price concerns
sylvania’s family farmers face
serious problems, predicts PFU.
Wheat at $3.35 is significantly
less than the cost of producing the
commodity, which is estimated to
be $5.50 per bushel, PFU pointed
out. This means farmers, forced to
sell the grain at local elevators will
be losing about $2 per bushel
Consumers should be aware that
the wheat farmer receives about 5
cents for the value of the product in
a single one pound loaf of bread,
they advised. The entire remaining
Grain stocks down
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NO. OF BEEF DAIRY
level of 756,000 bushels. The 390,000
bushels of soybean stocks were 47
percent below last year’s holdings.
At the national level, com stored
in all positions on June 1 totaled
2.77 billion bushels, 24 percent
below last year’s record high 3.67
billion bushels. Farm stocks
totaled 1.82 bilion bushels, down 29
percent from a year earlier.
Old crop wheat stored in all
positions amounted to 991 million
bushels, 10 percent greater than
the 902 million bushels on hand last
year and seven percent more than
two years ago. Old crop oat stocks
in all storage positions amounted
to 176 million bushels, 25 percent
less than a year ago and 37 percent
less than on the same date in 1971
Old crop barley stocks in all
positions totaled 137 million
bushels, 29 percent less than last
year’s 192 million.
Liebert assessed the civil penalty
and ordered Edwards and his firm
to cease and desist from failing to
hold inventory, receivables and
proceeds from the cash sale of
livestock for the benefit of all un
paid cash sellers of livestock.
James L. Smith, P&S official,
said the trust violations charged by
USDA occurred in 1977 and 1978,
but the complaint was delayed
both to allow for pending litigation
and to prevent any interference
with attempts to negotiate set
tlements for the injured parties.
Smith said the order was issued
in default when Edwards and his
firm failed to respond to charges in
USDA’s administrative complaint.
1730 Highway 72 North
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-273-9324
cost is attributed to milling,
transportation, labor, packaging
and advertising.
The Farmers Union Advisory
Committee stated that the state’s
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farmers have such a small margin
to begin with and these ever
declining prices for wheat pose
serious threats to the survival of
the family grain fanner in Penn-
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sylvanla. The Farmers Union has
consequently called for grain
prices which will cover the cost of
production and return a
reasonable profit.