A34—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Junt 19,1992 Federation honors poultrymen (Continued from Page Al) agricultural program development committee and is past chairman of the region’s steering committee on educational programming. Jay has been the recipient of numerous honors including the National Association of County Agricultural Agents Career Guidance Award; Master Educator Award from the PA Association of Farmer Cooperatives; National Association of County Agricultural Agents Achievement Award; and Outstanding Service Award from the Cloister FFA. To an astonished Bob Bucher, the Federation presented the title of Egg Industryman of the Year. After the announcement, Bucher was joined by his wife, Kathy and daughter Beth Ann, and his im mediate staff at Commonwealth Bank. Bucher, bom and raised on a dairy farm m southern Lancaster County, graduated from Solanco High School in 1957 and attended Penn State where Be majored in agricultural economics. After serving three years in the U.S. Army Security Agency, he began a five-year career as assistant manager of Lancaster Production Credit and Federal Land Bank Association. In 1970, the new Industryman joined Commonwealth Bank as manager of the agri-loan depart ment. Today, he is vice president of the bank, manager of the agri-loan department, and president of the Commonwealth National Agri- Loan Corporation, a subsidiary of the bank formed in June 1970. Bob’s business and community commitments include Lancaster Chapter of the American Institute of Banking, Lancaster Co. Bankers Assn., Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, Farm and Home Foundation of Lancaster Co., PA Bankers Assn., Lancaster Co. Agricultural Council, and the Pa. Logo Marketing Task Force. William Carlin, last year’s Egg Industryman, presented Bucher the award and said, “His en deavors to promote the welfare of farmers and their products is well known throughout Pennsylvania. We salute him for his leadership m developing Commonwealth Bank as a partner in the progress of agriculture.” The honor of Turkey In dustryman of the Year was bestowed upon George Wentz. George and his wife Eleanor have one son, George Jr., and a daughter, Betty Jane. George and his brother Harry began farming in 1945 with 150 turkeys on a farm in Ambler, Pa. The turkeys were raised, dressed and marketed right on the farm. In 1963, the brothers moved the turkey operation to its present location. Wentz is known for being the first in Pennsylvania to use conf mement housing. Expansion led to a partnership with several others in building a turkey processing plant, often referred to as Godshall’s processing plant. The plant is still in Birdsboro, but is owned by Swift and Company. Today, Wentz is operating one farm in Harleysville and two in Schwenksville. The farms total 225 acres and Wentz is presently raising 275,000 birds annually. They are marketed and sold by Swift and Company. In 1958, Wentz received the Master Farmer Award. He is past president and member of the Montgomery Co. Farmers’ Assn., member of the Pa. Farmers’ Assn.,and member of the Pa. Poultry Federation. The success in the poultry in dustry for all three of the In dustrymen in many ways was linked to their understanding of the farm economy. Two other experts presented their views on the nation’s and agriculture’s economy during Thursday’s conference. Speaking to combined sessions of the turkey, broiler, and egg con ferees, Penn State economist Lou Moore shared an optimistic outlook for the poultry industry while Washington Post writer John Berry presented a less en couraging forecast. Getting their dose of bad news first, the poultrymen heard Berry predict the nation will be in economic trouble for an indefinite period, and economic news is going to be gnm for the next two or three years, at the least. The single exception to this fate, he said, would be the inflation problem where progress has been made recently. Berry, who described himself as a Reaganomics skeptic, said it’s tune to overhaul government’s mefficient giveaway programs and for the Reagan Administration’s business control regulations to be given a hard look. “You can’t cut business and income taxes and increase defense spending stimulative fiscal policy while at the same time trying to fight inflation with a tight money policy,” he commented. The Washington Post journalist pointed out Reagan is “backtracking on his own program” by accepting $lOO billion in tax increases over the next three years. This, he said, shows that Reagan, too, is becoming more skeptical of his economic policy. Rather than the economic boom Reagan predicted for 1982, Berry reported there are more businesses going bankrupt in the U.S. this year than during the penod after the Great Depression. While Congress continues to “tie itself m knots” and haggle over next year’s federal budget. Berry predicted the national deficit will loom at $l4O billion rather than the $42.5 billion predicted by Reagan’s advisors who recommended cuts in non-defense spending. The reason for the much higher deficit, he said, is continued weakness in the economy even though the recession probably hit bottom last month. The slow economy was at tributed by Berry to the fact that consumers will be spending money but businesses won’t because they’re locked into contracts and high interest. An additional factor, he said, is the Federal Reserve’s restricted money supply. Businesses have been forced mto borrowing at high interest rates to try to stave off bankruptcy, he commented. “The money’s available if you can pay the price,” Berry remarked. In studying why the recession had such a dramatic, negative impact on the nation’s economy, Berry noted that it “came after the shortest post World War II recovery penod” on record. Looking toward-the end of the year, Berry predicted markets will firm and will realize an increased price for products. He also said inflation will rear its head again and reach 6 percent by late this year. Unemployment will come down slowly, he added, and will only reach 8% to 9 percent by the end of next year mostly due to the drop m teenage unemployment. And the Federal Reserve will continue to keep a lid on money supply so that interest rates will stay high. Penn State’s Lou Moore echoed Berry’s predictions about interest rates staying high, however he anticipates more of an economic Egg industryman 01 le is awai ly night at the Federatior. Bob Bucher from Commonwealth National annual banquet. Pictured are: daughter Beth Bank. Bucher, the vice president and manager Ann, wife Kathy, Bucher, and last year’s of the ' Moan department received the red 'int William Carlin. For being named Turkey industryman ol Year, George Wentz and wife Eleanor like other award winners, received this com bination clock-plaque. Wentz is a producer recovery as the result of the planned July 1 tax cut. How long the recovery will last, be said, is another question. This year’s projected farm in come, Moore announced, is $l5-21 billion, significantly lower than 1972’s $33 billion. Reasons creating this drop in agricultural returns, he said, are current surplus situations in the U.S. and abroad, lack of storage facilities, and a depressed export market due to strong U.S. dollars overseas and weak foreign economies. Moore cited problems within the industry that aren’t helping agriculture’s well-being: in- Poultrymen shifted in their chairs after Washington Post Economic Correspondent John M. Berry answered his own question of "Reagonmics, can we survive the cure?, with an affirmative "yes;” although Berry went on-to add that "the medicine will continue to hurt.” from the Montgomei igh area, /esenting the award is last year’s winner, Lowell Koch, left. creased brand name competition; competition between meats, dairy, and poultry; increased pressure to produce more processed food items; and this week’s an nouncement of the American Medical Association’s study linking diet and cancer. Out of all the protein sources, Moore said, poultry will fare the best because it is inexpensive and it already is thought of as less fatty than beef or pork. Other things that are in poultry’s favor are: it can be marketed in weeks, not months; there is a quick return on borrowed capital; cheap gram; Astutely aware that economists aren’t the most popular fellows these days, Penn STate Extension economist H. Lou Moore, donned a wig and his “tongue-in-cheek” comicality to sneak into the Host Corral, Thursday, to discuss an economist's look at the future. low cholesterol; —it has opportunities for processing. To emphasize that point, Moore reported last year more than 150 million pounds or 25 percent of the poultry meat produced in the U.S. went into poultry franks. The Penn State economist also cited the inroads poultry has made in the fast food restaurant business after the pnce of beef went up. With the year-end outlook showing a six percent decrease in the total amount of meat, Moore optimistically predicted a bullish market for poultry which was music to the mdustrymen’s ears.
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