Al2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 28,1981
Block submits marketing order report to White House panel
WASHINGTON, D.C. - How the
47 fruit and vegetable marketing
orders affect the nation’s economy
are covered in a report Secretary
of Agriculture John R. Block has
turned over to the President’s Task
Force on Regulatory Relief.
Block said he will soon announce
guidelines for existing and future
federal fruit, vegetable and
specialty crop orders, then
evaluate each order on a case-by
case basis.
“Four provisions of marketing
orders give me particular con
cern,” Block said. “Producer
allotments, which restrict entry of
new producers into commodity
industries; prorates, which
restrict the quantity of a com
modity that each handler may ship
to market over a stated time
Now is
the Time
(Continued from Page AlO)
genetic potential. If sires are
chosen wisely, heifers should
possess genetic potential superior
to that of the present cows. They
are the hope for upgrading the
herd in the future.
Whether heifers will ever
develop and produce to . their
potential depends largely on the
care given to them when they are
young. The proper care and
management of dairy heifers is
discussed in a new Penn State
circular. For a copy of the cir
cular, contact your Penn State
Extension office. In Lancaster, our
office is located in the Farm and
Home center, 717/394-6851.
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period; reserve pools, whereby
portions of a commodity are held
back from primary markets for
later sale, diverted to secondary
markets or disposed of in non-food
uses; and quality provisions,
which may possibly be misused as
non-tanff tradebarners. ”
Crop marketing orders were
among several areas of federal
regulation the presidential task
force targeted for review last
spring. Block appointed a team of
five U.S. Department of
Agriculture and university
agricultural economists to review
the programs.
Block said the review team’s
report indicates marketing orders
have potential for increasing
economic efficiency by stabilizing
returns to crop growers and by
providing quality assurance to
buyers.
He said the report also indicates,
however, that if marketing orders
limit quantities of commodities in
one or more outlets, they may
impose inefficiencies on the
production and marketing system.
The team’s report describes
research provisions of marketing
orders as the most likely to con
tribute to economic efficiency.
This is followed, in descending
order, by:
—Pack and container stan
dardization;
—Grade, sue and maturity
standards, particularly those that
remain essentially the same from
year to year;
—Prorate regulations con
trolling rate of flow during only
part of the season, and reserve
pools that are used for storing
commodities for later return to the
market;
—Market allocation and full
season prorate provisions; and
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—Provisions that allot market
shares among producers.
The tive-member review team,
headed by USDA staff economist
Richard Heifner, examined
market orders in light of changes
that have occurred recently in
economic conditions and
philosophy.
The team’s report addresses the
likely effects of tour major op
tions:
—continuing the programs as
they are; eliminating them, but not
substituting new federal
programs; replacing them with
other programs designed- to
overcome some of the same
marketing problems; and
changing individual marketing
orders to focus on those provisions
which contribute most to efficiency
and productivity.
The report said marketing order
provisions that allocate products to
markets or regulate the flow’ of
crops to market throughout the
season have little positive effect on
overall economic efficiency and
may actually have a negative
impact. However, the report said,
these provisions “when used in
frequently...may be justified as a
‘safety-valve’ to protect growers
from disastrously low prices.”
Provisions that allot market
shares among producers are
generally the most likely to detract
from economic efficiency, ac
cording to the report, “although
even these provisions may carry
some stabilization benefits.”
Marketing orders are designed
jointly by USDA's Agricultural
Marketing Service ' and affected
producers to help overcome
specific marketing problems.
Marketing orders may regulate
the quality and sizes of the com
modity marketed, the quantity, or
330 Fonderwhite Road, Lebanon, PA 17042
PH: 717-274-1483
Division of Leonard Martin Company
both. Unlike many government marketing,, as well as market
regulations imposed on industries, development activities and ad
the orders are put mto effect or vertismg.
eliminated only following a of the re P° rt W, H 1)6
referendum of affected producers, available in about three weeks
Assessments that handlers pay if om the AMi * Information
are used to finance research to jJ* Vl ® on » 263#-S, USDA,
improve production and Washington,D.C.2o2so.
Md. offers 6 Choose and Cut’
Christmas tree directories
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The 1981
“Choose and Cut” Christmas Tree
directory is now off the press and
. or those interest m selecting and
cutting a Christmas Tree right on
the farm where it has been grown,
it is free for the asking.
Copies are being sent to the
public library systems throughout
Maryland including the Enoch
Pratt system in Baltimore and the
Washington, D.C. library network
and can be picked up at any
library. In addition, copies are also
sent to all county offices of the
Maryland Cooperative Extension
Service.
The 1981‘ edition of the ever
popular director lists 25 Christmas
tree farms and three retail sales
lots operated by the growers. The
farms are located m Anne Arundel,
Allegany, Baltimore, Calvert,
Caroline, Carroll, Frederick,
Garrett, Harford, Prince George’s,
Talbot and Washington counties.
Also listed are complete road
directions to the farms, the hours
and days of their operation, the
type and sizes of the trees and
related decorative material they
produce and telephone numbers
for each grower.
The director is a joint effort of
the Maryland Christmas Tree
Association and the Maryland
Department of Agriculture’s
Division of Agricultural
Development and Marketing.
Five growers are listed for the
first time further broadening the
geographical choice of farms:
Garrett, Caroline, nearby West
Virginia and two in the Baltimore-'
Washington metro areas; Bran
dywine and Annapolis.
. If it would be easier for you to.
secure a copy of the directory by
mail, send a postcard request to:
“Christmas Trees”, Maryland
Department of Agriculture, Parole
Plaza Office Building, Annapolis,
Maryland 21401 by December sth
and one will be mailed to you.
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