Al2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 25,1981
Letters To
The Editor
Steicart-suspicion spurs
Md. grain laws
Two bills of major importance to
Maryland’s gram industry were
enacted by the Maryland General
Assembly earlier this year with the
responsibility of administering
them given to the Maryland
Department of Agriculture.
One measure, (H.B. 1319)
requires MDA to set up a system of
licensing gram buyers throughout
the state. The companion bill,
(H.B. 1037) calls for creation of a
“Grain Indemnity Fund” to insure
against cases where farmers
deliver grain to a buyer, but for
some reason or another, don’t get
paid for it.
The-measures are going to be
very complicated programs to get
running properly at the start and,
therefore, my Department is
cautiously devising the needed
regulations to implement them
We don’t intend to rush out and
set up a hasty, crash-type program
which might result in confusion,
mis-apphcation, and a
bureaucratic nightmare Farmers
don’t need MDA to saddle them
with another bind of red tape., no
matter how good the stated pur
pose.
Therefore, -I have given the
responsibility of administering the
program and devising the crucial
implementing regulations to
Thomas O. Meredith, Jr., Chief of
MDA’s Grading Services and Egg
Inspection Section. Tom has a
strong, no-nonsense agricultural
background, and his approach to
problems is one of simplicity,
practicality and directness
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In brief, here’s what the bills call
for:
Buying licensing any person
or company, who purchases 25,000
bushels of grain a year in
Maryland will be required to
secure a buyer’s license from MDA
at a $2OO yearly fee A license will
be required to carry insurance to
cover the value of the gram he
buys. The insurance will cover loss
from fire, lightning, storm, etc
The licensed buyer will also be
required to show that he, or his
grain buying business, has a net
worth of at least $lOO,OOO or that he
has posted a $lOO,OOO surety bond
Grain Indemnity Fund a fund
will be established and ad
ministered by MDA to indemnify
gram producers in the event of loss
of their gram after they have
delivered it to buyers. As you all
know, such losses happen and can
be quite large. What brings them
about is bankruptcy on the part of
the grain buyer or, in some
celebrated cases, outright fraud
where the buyer gets the grain and
the farmer is left holding an empty
bag when it comes to getting paid.
The fund will build up to a
maximum level of $5 million via an
assessment of 5 mills (one-half
cent) per bushel of grain at the
time the grain is delivered to the
buyer. The assessment will be paid
into the fund by the buyer. In the
event grain is resold, no additional
assessment will be made. In other
words, it will be assessed only once
at the first time it is sold.
When the $5 million fund ceiling
is reached iho Jwii
stop and will not be reinstated until
payments are made by the Gram
Indemnity Fund to cover claims
filed by grain producers.
Thus, in theory the fund could
assess the first one billion bushels
of Maryland gram sold, reach the
$5 million level, and exist for years
without assessment as the interest
earned on the $5 million might be
enough to administer the program
and pay modest claims made
against it
But no one knows, for, if they did,
there would be no need for the fund
in the first place. However, at one
half cent per bushel assessment, it
is going to take a long tune to build
up the fund. In 1979, our record
grain production year in
Maryland, about 80 million bushels
of com, soybeans, wheat, barley,
rye and oats were produced At
this rate, it would take about 13
years to build up to the $5 million
fund ceiling
Tom Meredith, Wayne Cawley,
Brad Powers of MDA’s Marketing
Division, and many others in the
Department have been talking
over regulation ideas with the
Maryland Agricultural Com
mission, the Farm Bureau, the
Maryland Grain Producers
Association and many others to get
their input and ideas.
If you would like copies of the
bills to study so that you can offer
suggestions as to the regulations
we should adopt to implement the
programs, please contact Thomas
0 Meredith, Jr, Maryland
Department of Agriculture, Parole
Plaza Office Building, Annapolis,
Maryland 21401, 301/269-2322 He’ll
be happy to send you copies of the
bills.
Both Tom and I will be glad to
hear your ideas as to sound ways to
implement the programs It is
going to affect you if you grow, sell
or buy grain and we want you to
help us to make the two new
programs work to the benefit of all
concerned.
Now, how often do the policy
holders get a chance to help write
the insurance policy 9 In a way,
that’s the chance you have on this
one.
Wayne A. Cawley, Jr.
Md. Secretary of Agriculture
1 would like to take this op- travel up that way rather often,
portumty to let you know how My and j ij Ve on a small
much I enjoy your paper. farm and raise a few head ot
It seems like every week I learn various kinds of livestock and
something new or am reminded of poultry as well as do a little "horse
something I had forgotten to do. trading” from time to tune.
Although I have never been in the Ronnie E. Knight
area that most of your articles are Camden on Gauley, W.Va.
written ahnut I get the notion to
You learn something new
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Farm Calendar
Saturday, July 25
Jefferson County Holstein (lub
sale, noon at Sykesville Fair
grounds.
Keystone Grange Fair, Water
works Municipal Park, Trappe,
11a.m. until dusk.
Traditional craftspeople of Dela
ware Exposition, 10 a m - 4
p.m
National Farm Safety week, July
25-31
Dauphin Co Farmer’s Assoc,
family picnic, Halifax Com
munity park, Halifax, 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 26
Chester Co. Farmer’s Assoc, pig
roast and picnic, Hibernia
Park, 1 p.m.
Clarion Co. Fair, New Bethlehem,
until Saturday
Now Is
The Time
(Continued from Page AlO)
change the pH of your water
supply.
To Take Time To Be Safe
Once every four years the
average farm laborer can expect
to be injured so severely that
medical attention is required. Our
safety engineers tell us that
agricultural workers are much
more susceptible to accident and
injury than industrial workers
Many pieces of farm machinery
need to be repaired and adjusted
on the job. Some of this is done
while the machinery is operating
and on the run. This is dangerous
and we urge you to stop the
machine and shut it off before any
adjustments are made. Just a few
seconds of patience could save a
live or a vital part of the human
body. Farm machinery has
replaced the dairy bull as the main
cause of farm accidents. Keep in
mind however, it is not the
machinery that is at fault in most
cases, but the operator who does
not take tune to be safe.
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duller Co. Fair, Butler, Until
Saturday
Goshen County fair, West Chester,
until Saturday.
Tuesday, July 28
National Chicken Cooking Contest,
Ocean City, Md., continues until
Sunday
Adams In-County Vegetable Grow
ers Tour, 9 a.m.
Sewing Clinic, Hunterdon Co. New
Jersey Extension Center, 10
a.m.-12 noon.
Mercer Co. Pomona Grange Fair,
Mercer, until Saturday.
Jacktown Fair, Wind Ridge, until
Saturday.
Pioneer Research Center Alfalfa
tour, Guy Eshelman farm,
southeast of Mountville along
Dohneville Road, 10 until noon
York Co. 4-H Roller Skating Party,
Roller Way West, Delco Plaza,
7-10 p.m.
Adams County summer dairy tour
to Frederick Co. Md., bus
leaves from North Gettysburg
Shopping Center at 8 a.m.
Adams Fruitgrowers tour,
Fremont and Kuntz orchard,
Com Valley, 6:30 p.m.
Canning Clinic, Hunterdon Co.
New Jersey Extension Center,
10 a.m. until noon.
Southeast Field Day at Research
Lab, Landisville, 10 a.m until
3 pm.
University of Maryland tobacco
field day, tobacco research
farm - Upper Marlboro, 9:30
a.m. until noon.
Thursday, July 30
Berks Co. Holstein Club sale,
Reading Fairgrounds Mall,
Reading.
Lancaster
tour to Baltimore.
PA Yorkshire Co-Op Association
meeting, Lebanon, continues
tomorrow.
Fayette Co. Fair, Uniontown, until
Augusts
1981 FFA Market Hog Show and
Sale, Lancaster FFA, show 8-11
a.m., sale 1:30 p.m., Lancaster
Union Stockyards.
Lancaster Co. Holstein Club field
day, John Landis Farm, 1801
Colebrook Rd., East Petersburg
10:30 a.m.
Friday, July 31
Delaware Dairy Goat Assoc show.
Delaware State Fair
28th Annual Penn State Square
Dance Festival, Hetzel Union
Building, continues to
tomorrow
Western Pa Holstein Show, Butler
Pa Nut Growers Picnic, Miles
Nolt farm, RD #7 Manheun,
open to the public, for more
information phone 665-5760.
Harvesters, Haybines. Tractors, Cornpickers,
Balers. Hydraulic Systems, Corn Binders, Choppers
Monday, July 27
Wednesday, July 29
Poultry Association
Saturday, August 1
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• Diaphragm pump feed
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• Special structure and
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• Engine based on a design
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