on pros and cons of
t
thousands. My dollar investment is
very important.
The accountability ot a
marketing program should be
ifleasurable. If, within three years,
the marketing program is not
showing returns for its investment,
a referendum should be called. I’m
sure Pepsi doesn’t run promotion
or advertising programs three
years before pulling it if it isn’t
productive. If things are going well
with the program, it will be con
tinued. I feel a three year recall
will strengthen the marketing
program by making it more ac
countable to the producer.
In closing, I strongly feel that all
ot the changes offered to the
Agriculture Act are extremely
beneficial to the producers. It
cooperatives are truly represen
tative of their producers and if
farm organizations are truly rep
resentative of their membership
passage of House Bill 767 will
only stand to strengthen their
position because it is truly the
position ot the producer.
However, if that position is not
truly reflective ot the producers
position and House Bill 767 is
defeated, you have given away the
producers right to vote and his
right to fair representation.
Either way you vote on House
Bill 767, the cooperatives win. The
co-op will block that way or the
producer will vote the way the co
op would have. However, it they do
not represent their producers, and
they very well may not, your op-,
posing vote will cost producers
their vote.
Please support House Bill 767. |
You have nothing to lose The
producer does.
SEE ft 15 BEFORE GRAIN j
rOUR YOU BUY! DRYER |
Strait
PH 301
692-5350
:r o. a. newton nick*
EMS & SON CO. Bli
Bndceville, Delaware 19933 301 Hj
PH: 302-337-8211 GroveC
165 PH.«
BUTLER
AGRI-BUILDER
16627
Coalport Pa
PH: 814-672-5751
Inter-State
My name is Darnel L. Martin. I
am a dairy farmer from Manheim,
Lancaster County and vice
president of Inter-State Milk
Producers’ Cooperative, 1225
Industrial Highway, Southampton.
Inter-State represents over 2,800
Pennsylvania dairy farms and
over 3,300 dairymen in the Middle
Atlantic Region.
As 1 understand the issue facing
us, the proposal is to eliminate the
procedure whereby cooperatives
can collectively represent their
members through the so-called
"bloc vote” procedure. This
proposal would only permit in
dividual voting and would deny
any cooperative the representation
right which is given all corporate
Boards and Legislatures.
II
Dairy cooperatives consider the
privilege of * ‘ bloc voting’ ’ as a vital
tool to support the federal and
state marketing programs which
assist the industry and
cooperatives in producing and
marketing an adequate supply ot
pure and wholesome milk at all
tunes.
The application ot “bloc voting”
■ is an extension ot the democratic
process of representative voting
from the fanners to their elected
Board members. As stated earlier,
this is the essence of our
cooperative institutions and
government bodies. There is no
sound or logical reasoning which
would lead one to deny this
procedure to-cooperative decision
making.
Over the years, dairy
cooperatives have supported "Bloc
Voting” tor the following reasons;
Bloc voting enables cooperative
members to take unified action on
P.O. Box 505
Chestertown, Md. 21620
PH: 301-778-5800
j Address
IN STEEL TRI-STATE MARINE WALTER J. KELLER BUILDING QUILL •
LDERS DIST INC CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS INC. CONSTRUCTION CO. j County
Iroad Street Route 256' RDIBox4O3J - R.D.180x203 P.O. Box 6269 f Clty
lv Pa 1R197 Duals Md 20751 Strasburg, Pa. 17579 Lewisburg, PA 17837 Harrisburg, Pa. 17112 |
2-458-7243 m 301-867-1447 PH: 717-687-8681 PH: 717-524-0568 PH: 717-545-7527 | Phone _
‘Block Vote’ Bill
IDEAL
FOR
GRAIN
OR
MACHINERY
STORAGE
T
r
r
ils
COUNTY
(SYSTEMS
...u#1,80x55
Swedesboro, NJ 08085
PH: 609-467-3174
matters ut vital uiipoilauce u,
them;
Bloc voting gives the cooperative
the total strength of its producers
since all are counted in the vote;
and.
Outside interests cannot coerce
individual cooperative members to
counteract the aims ot the group.
Opponents ot the "bloc vote”
advance the following arguhients:
Bloc voting prevents individual
action by' a dessenter - (This
argument is answered by the
methods used in referenda on milk
promotion plans in Pennsylvania);
Some feel that cooperatives have
too much power relative to non
members; and,
Cooperatives can control the
provisions in marketing plans.
It seems to me that the last two
points are largely unfounded as
they affect dairy farmers. The
proportion of members to non
members is a result of years of
marketing practices and changes
in the industry. If cooperatives
have assumed greater respon
sibilities, they will represent more
of the industry than non-members.
And, in the final analysis, the
Secretary of Agriculture makes
the final decisions and issues the
rules and regulations -
cooperatives do not.
We, at Inter-State, do not believe
the privilege of “bloc voting”
should be changed for the following
reasons:
At this time, it would be con
sidered an attack on -dairy
cooperatives and would ignore
other commodities;
It would surely defeat any
chance for a promotion program
tor milk without any analysis of the
issues;
It would increase the tune and
cost of referendum; and.
It would conflict with federal
YOU CAN OWN THESE BINS
WITH LOW MONTHLY PAYMENTS*
WEETER CONCRETE
CONSTRUCTION
P.O. Drawer V
Knox, PA 16232
PH. 814-797-5122
N, Tier Dairy Co-op
1 am William Sturges, a dairy
farmer and president of the
Northern Tier Milk Producers
statutes which do allow
cooperatives to exercise the "bloc
vote” privilege.
In conclusion, let me say that if
there is a question of whether or
not cooperatives vote in the- in
terest of their members, this is a
f undemental issue which should be
addressed in another forum.
I believe in the democratic
process provided by the.
cooperative structure and law. in
any case, where cooperatives do
not “bloc vote” in Jthe interest of
their members, the remedy is for
the members to chance directors
through the democratically
provided electoral process.
Cooperatives which do not follow
such procedures automatically
would not be qualified under State
and Federal laws and would lose
the cooperative privilege to "bloc
vote.”
If there is something wrong with
“bloc voting,” then there is
something wrong with the entire
structure of business and gover
nment. I do not hold Such a view.
Cooperatives are an ideal
democratic structure and best
represent farmers in the business
world. The “bloc vote” is one of
our important tools.
Inter-State Milk Producers’
Cooperative has also been in
contact with President Alpebus
Kuth ot Lehigh Valley Farmers on
the subject of “bloc voting”. Mr.
Ruth asked, on behalf ot Lehigh
Valley Farmers, that his
cooperative’s support for Inter-
State’s statement be made a
matter ot record.
GRAINS BINS, GRAIN LEGS, KAN-SUN DRYERS
* To Qualified Buyers
RIGGS
ENTERPRISES
Box 98
Boswell, PA 15531
PH: 814-629-5621
Cooperative of Wellsboro. I’d like
to testify on.Uouse Bill 767. Before
1 do, let me explain some of the
problems facing dairymen in
Tioga County.
A group ot dairymen, including
myself, had an honest concern with
the way major cooperatives were
handling producers. As the size of
a cooperative structure grows, the
less control producers seem to
have.
A number of us were tired of
repeated assessments by the
major co-ops, and the lack of
control that the fanner really has.
So, we formed our own cooperative
and recently received our Articles
of Association. Ours is a small but
growing organization. We feel we
have made a step in the right
direction. We hope to offer the
dairymen of Central Pennsylvania
an alternative market.
We as a group have dedicated
ourselves to remain farmer con
trolled. So that means we as a
group will not block vote for
referendums. I’m not here today to
run down major cooperatives. The
major cooperatives have done an
effective job mhelpmg to provide a
stable market for dairymen in
Pennsylvania.
I’m not here to testify against
cooperatives. I’m here today to
testify against block voting. It is
one practice done by dairy'
cooperatives that 1 have found
very objectionable.
First of all, the Board of
Directors of a cooperative decides
which way to cast its block vote.
Since most of the co-op’s m Penn
sylvania enroll members from out
of state, some of the directors on
coop boards are residents ot other
states.
These directors have the power
M & G BUILDING &
GRAIN SYSTEM INC.
P.O. Box 35
Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972
PH: 1-800-322-9605
Lancaster Faming, Saturday, August t, 19tl—A21
I
SPECIAL PRICEfr GRAIN BINS
In Stock For Immediate Delivery
1518 Grain Bin, 2847 Bushel Capacity
2118 Grain Bin, 5776 Bushel Capacity
2418 Grain Bin. 7673 Bushel Capacity
2718 Grain Bin, 9872 Bushel Capacity
3022 Grain Bin. 14,572 Bushel Capacity
r
| BUTLER MFG. CO.
Attn. P.E. Hess
I Box 337, Oxford, PA 19363 -
| I'm interested in more information on Butler products.
I □ Buildings □ Bins □ Dryers □ Bulk-O-Matics
Name
to decide if dairymen in Penn
sylvania would or should be
required to contribute to a
marketing progoram. It’s like the
voters of Canada deciding that the
people in the United States must
pay more taxes.
Should block voting not be
permitted in the Commonwealth,
as House Bill 767 seeks, to ac
complish, then a New York farmer
who’s on the board of a Penn
sylvania cooperative would not
dictate whether I must contribute
to an advertising program.
Another reason that block voting
is harmful is apathy. If a producer
disagrees with his cooperative’s
decision, he may feel that his vote
is not important.
It’s true that his vote is deducted
from the overall co-op block total,
but so many fanners don’t even
bother to cast ballots when a co-op
block votes. They feel if the co-op
throws their 2,000 votes for a
referendum, his one vote
“against” won’t change the out
come - so why even bother.
Many board members have said
that block voting is vital, and good
for the cooperative structure. In
some cases, these same board
members have not properly polled
its membership to determine their
position. After all, it’s the mem
bers who will pay for the program
in the end.
I’m happy to see legislation
introduced in the General
Assembly that would eliminate
cooperative block voting. I’d like to
commend Representative David
Wright and the 15 other co
sponsors of the proposal. Some co
ops may not agree with this
legislation, but the farmers do.
And it’s the farmers whose interest
this committee ought to protect.
For these reasons, I urge this
committee to fully support House
Bill 767. '
(Turn to Page A 22)
State.
(Include area code)