Bl6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 6,1982
••Will There Be Enough Food? ”
That’s the title ot the 15*1
Yearbook of Agriculture produced
by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. It’s a question of vital
concern to many millions of
Americans and to a growing
population around the world. It’s a
question that’s not easily an
swered.
In 344 pages, a variety ot
yearbook writers have pondered
the question, some pointing out the
harsh realities ot our agricultural
history and others looking torward
to new agricultural successes. The
yearbook covers a number ot
agricultural concerns, including'
the loss ot prune farmland,
whether agricultural productivity
is leveling oil, the problem ol soil
erosion, the diversion ot
agricultural resources trom tood
production to meet energy
requirements, increased water
and soil pollution and tood short
tails around the world.
In introducing the new yearbook
recently in Washington, Secretary
of Agriculture John Block said the
subject ot the yearbook, "Will
There Be Enough Food?” is more
than one simple question. He posed
a variety ot questions.
Can American fanners continue
to meet our needs and help ease
hunger around the world ' Will our
tood production system continue to
provide more paychecks for
Americans than any other in
dustry? Will farm exports continue
to pay lor one-fourth or more ot our
imports each year? Block said the
information in the yearbook
represents the considered
viewpoints ot many authors, with
Fans
Talk
Jerry Webb
ik eiiuii being made towards a
pre-deterrnmed answer.
Block told his Washington guests
that he thinks American farmers
will provide ample food products
needed by the nation’s population
for the foreseeable future. But he
pointed to two main clouds that
might threaten that situation.
The first, the problem ot
maintaining the nation’s natural
resourse base with emphasis on
revitalizing soil conservation
programs. The second, protecting
and strengthemng agricultural
research.
Block said the world is in
creasing its dependence on
American farmers. He expects
them to be providing lb percent ot
the world’s agricultural supplies
by 19to. Compare that with only
two percent m the early bOs, and
only il percent a couple ot years
ago. To do this he says, U.S. farm
exports will have to increase as
much as eight percent a year.
The yearbook ceremony was
primarily a media event, auned at
gaming as much attention as
possible fur the publication.
Through good luck or good plan
ning, the secretary had the perfect
backdrop tor his introduction
speech—a year’s supply of tood tor
a family of tom-. There it was, all
stacked up in boxes and bags,
bottles and plastic containers—
-5,446 pounds ot tood, with a retail
value ot slightly more than SS,DUO.
The backdrop was an old idea
updated and brought sharply mto
tocus by the title ot the yearbook.
"Will There Be Enough Food?”
When you see how much food it
lakes tom people tor a year, it
makes you wonder.
I lie idea ol a display ol a year s
.apply ol tood was tirsl pulled
together in 1S&1 by an A&P
supermarket in Cleveland. The
DuPont Company, workmg with
Sateway stores, updated it a tew
years back and was responsible tor
getting it all together again tor
ISHU.
Standing in tront ot .that
agricultural abundance, Block
discussed the importance ot
American agriculture around the
world and the department's
commit nu'iit to insuring a con
tinuing supply ot healthy
wholesome tood at a reasonable
price.
It was mteresluig to note what
the big-tune media tolks wanted to
talk about. Block was there to
introduce his yearbook and talk
about agriculture's commitment to
the luture. But the media tolks
wanted to look tor scandal.
They wanted to know U the
yearbook ot agriculture was
necessary. They wondered how
many tood stamps could have been
issued instead ot the yearbook.
They worried about what was
going to happen to that huge
display ot tood, once the TV
cameras stopped rolling. And they
wanted to know who paid the bill
tor the media event they were
participating in.
i guess John Block is used to that
kind ot questiomng. He kept his
cool and gave sensible answers
without being drawn into a debate
that would have pul turn on the six
o'clock news. He said the yearbook
was a tradition that he tell was
important, that it provided good
usetul intormation to lots ot people,
and that he planned to continue it
even though it did cost quite a bit.
He said the question, "Will There
He Enough tood" is one that all
Americans need to consider and
that the yearbook will help them do
that.
He also said the media event
didn’t really cost the taxpayers
anything, since the bill tor must ot
the activity, including the tood
display, was being picked up by the
UuHont Company and Hateway.
And he also pointed out that once
the event was over, the tood was
going to be donated to the Capital
Area Food Hank. One reporter
even wanted to quarrel with that,
since tmns that donate to tood
banks, get a tax wnie-ott.
1 came away ti uiu thai gathering
, convinced • that agriculture has a
tremendous story, but we're going
to have a lough tune telling it. It
was obvious to me that the media
present wasn’t really interested m
the Yearbook ot Agriculture and
what it said and the issue that it
rmsa**. They wanted to tmd some
..•I .11 mi. Department ot
Agriculture. They wanted to
provoke the secretary into saymg
something that would make good
headlines and they wanted to look
for waste of taxpayer Rooney.
1 sincerely doubt that any ot
them knew anything about
agriculture to ask meamngful
questions about it, so instead they
focused on what they did know
about—waste in government.
Therein lies a message tor the
agricultural community.
The big city media doesn’t un
derstand agriculture, and as a
result isn’t gomg to give u
coverage. They’ll either ignore it
because they don't dunk what
agriculture tolks are douig is
unportant, or they'll distort what is
said because they don't understand
U. Or they'll look lor a scandal.
Society honors Bamer §
Frank G. Bamer, left, retired chairman of Agronomy Ex
tension at Penn State, is honored as "Man of the Year" by the
Pennsylvania Plant Food and Protectant Educational Society.
Making the presentation is William Gerhart, of State College,
representative of American Cyanamid Company and member
of the awards committee. During a quarter century at Penn
State, Bamer developed fertilizer and seed recommendations
that evolved into the Agronomy Guide and started district
and state hay shows.
And it there isn't a scandal, then
there probably won’t be much
coverage.
Thai’s a tairly broad indictment
and 1 suppose n isn't tair to all big 3
city media tolKs. Perhaps some do’
understand agriculture, but their
concerns at the yearbook
ceremony didn't show U.
There may be waste in govern
ment, even some in the Depart
ment ot Agriculture, but atter
scanning the 1981 Yearbook ot
Agriculture and pondering Us
topic, 'Will There Be Enough
Pood?" 1 don't think we can
categorize it as a waste.
As a footnote, 1 might add that
the yearbooks of agriculture over
the years have become classics,
even collector’s items, cherished
by their owners tor then - content. 1
can recall one or two that weren't
that great, but most ot them are
worthy ot publication, and I think
the 1981 yearbook will be classified
as one of the really good ones.
Copies are available tor $V trom
the Superintendent ot Documents,
Wastungton, D.C. 2U4U2. You might
be able to gel a Iree copy by
writing your congressman.