A36—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, August 14,1982
Ag research gets bad press
If the typical consumer thinks at
all about agricultural research, it’s
probably because of some
newspaper account of how money
is being wasted on some
meaningless government effort.
Reporters love to isolate a
research project that they really
don’t understand and then make
fun of it.
In their zeal to uncover gover
nment waste and wrongdoing, they
focus on the smallest bit of a huge
mosaic and conclude that tune and
money are being wasted because
they see no relevance in the work.
In their infinite wisdom they
destroy in print what could easily
be another human's life’s work.
They make the researcher look
silly, they laugh at what he does,
and they warn the public to beware
of such government waste now and
in the future.
No doubt there are government
research efforts that lack proper
focus and perhaps some of them
appear at first glance to be silly.
But does that make it so? Just
because a researcher isn’t looking
for something that a farmer can
take to the field, is he wasting
tune?
Example a bee that makes
baggies. That’s right, a Depart
ment of Agriculture research
effort involves a bee that excretes
a kind of polyester that resembles
a little plastic bag. The bees use
them to shield their underground
broods. But what possible good
would they produce tor mankind?
The Wall Street Journal con
siders this and many other
agricultural research efforts a
waste ot lax money. But is that
really being fair and does the
reporter who made tun of the effort
really understand it well enough to
point out its uselessness? Granted,
it’s a reporter’s lot to be suspicious
ot everything, but does he really
think a scientist would spend time
and money on a project with no
purpose?
Perhaps it’s the researcher’s
fault for not being willing to talk
with a reporter. Or maybe it’s the
way researchers write about the
things they do. But I’ll bet anything
that researcher is an intelligent,
dedicated individual who knows
what he is doing and can fit that
little piece of the mosaic into a
picture that does have significance
for mankind.
Instead of horror stories about
York receives conservation funds
YORK York County farmers
who received storm-related
damages from the heavy rain
storm on June 16 may apply to the
York County Ag Stabilization and
Conservation Service office for
emergency conservation funding.
The York office has recieved a
total of $5,000 to cost share
emergency conservation prac
tices; including grading, shaping,
releveling; removing debris from
farmland; restoring permanent
fences and restoring structures
and other installations.
According to Peggyann Camill,
ASCS Director, interested farmers
must apply to the York ASCS office
by August 27. Applications must be
Farm
Talk
Jerry Webb
wasted agricultural research
dollars, consumers need to know
that agricultural research is
working in the Department of
Agriculture and in college
agricultural experiment stations
across the country.
It’s still the best hope for in
creasing out own food supply and
offering continued assistance to
the hungry people of the world.
That opinion has been expressed
by agricultural leaders, some of
them connected with agricultural
research organizations, but many
of them knowledgeable
agricultural spokesmen who know
that the only way to keep up with
an ever-growing world population
is through increased technology.
And while agricultural research is
making important breakthroughs,
a lot more needs to be done and a
lot more could be done if the
research funds were available.
Sure, everybody in government
needs more money, but the
agricultural research
organizations, primarily the state
agricultural experunent stations
and the U.S. Depatment of
Agriculture, are spending
relatively small amounts. And yet
the payoff has been quite good.
At a time when most people in
this country are pretty well fed, it’s
difficult to raise much enthusiasm
for agricultural research. Ap
propriations are based on today’s
food needs rather than looking
ahead 10 or 20 years. Perhaps
we’re still suffering under the
surpluses that existed in the 1950 s
and 1960 s and the farm problems
that have plagued us ever since the
19305.
At any rate, agricultural
research has been given low
priority compared to national
defense, the energy crisis and so
many other hot issues. Yet when
you look ahead a few years, you
can see the U.S. population is going
to outstrip the available food
supply unless new technology is
brought into the system.
Right now American farmers
are producing more of most foods
than U.S. consumers want. So a lot
is available for export. That export
is important, not only to our trade
position with other countries but
also to the food supply of a lot of
people.
American farmers have met the
challenge of increased food
production fairly well over the past
years. When more of something
approved by the York County ASC
Commitee before a fanner can
begin installation of the con
servation practice. For approved
applications, ASCS will pay 64% of
the total costs to install the
practice.
In addition to the emergency
conservation funding, $12,000 has
been granted to York County for
special agricultural conservation
practices. These funds are to be
used in the South Branch of the
Codorus Creek and the Conewago
Creek watersheds. Any fanner
who lives in either of these
watersheds can apply for funds for
strip cropping, terrace systems,
diversions and sod waterways.
has been needed, it’s usually been
there. But the heavy thinkers in
agriculture seem to agree that it
can’t go on forever. That unless
some major breakthroughs occur,
one of these days we are going to
run out. And depending on who you
listen to, that could be a long time
from now or it could be only a few
years.
So instead of stop-gap, brush fire
kinds of research, they say it’s
time to get back to the basics of
agricultural research. To take a
long look and set up a program that
will go about solving some of the
big technology problems that
agriculture faces.
Unfortunately, agricultural
research is like so many other
things. You get about what you pay
for. Occasionally, some researcher
STRIKE
IT
rich;
SELL
IT
ia^ith
A
LANCASTER
FARMING
CLASSIFIED
with a few bucks will stumble onto
some great achievement, but this
is rare. The big payoffs come
through hard work on the part of a
lot of people, using the best
equipment and working over an
extended period of time.
Research cutbacks over the
years have caused the Department
of Agriculture to reduce its
research force. The state ex
periment stations are having
problems because increased ap
propriations have not nearly kept
pace with steadily growing in
flation.
No one is crying wolf in the case
of agricultural research. There’s
no question but that the need for
food will be overwhelming. The
question is, can we continue to
squeeze out more production with
OPEN HOUSE
Fri. and Sat. - Aug. 20-21
Save Dollars...
Save Energy....
Before Winter
Blows In
Refreshments
Garage Sale
10% OFF ALL
Accessories
&
Supplies
Hydro Heaters with Bifold Doors
*875.00 in stock only
W By Hydro
Temp
The
Conestoga
Air circulates through 18
heavy 1” tubes above the
fire for maximum warmth
for your home.
See the SCANDIA Woodstove
* Only *225.00 - with catalytic converter
*315.00
Air tight efficient models
to suit every need and
taste.
New Multi Fuel Furnaces
Now Available
BEFORE YOU BUY GIVE US A TRY
J & A STOVE SALES
3753 E. Newport Road, Gordonville, PA 17529
Along Rt. 772 - Vi Mile East of intercourse 717-768*8913
I current technology and the
research breakthroughs that are
coming along?
Granted, the polyester bee isn’t
going to feed the world’s hungry
people unless it can figure a way to
pack a sandwich in each of those
little bags it makes. And there are
plenty of other research efforts
that won’t solve the world’s food
problems either. But dedicated
scientists are at work plugging
away at seemingly meaningless
projects little pieces of a big
mosaic. One that continues to
change to meet our growing
demands. It’s a good system, it
works, and it deserves support.
The challenge rests with the
researchers to make the press, and
ultimately the consumers, un
derstand that.,'
75 % OFF
Convect-O-
Heaters
Fireplace Heat
Exchanger
New Model, New
Look. A_Complete
Control Hot Water
System For Your
Coal & woodburning,
cast iron, rocker
grates, scenic 2 door
with wood handles
Hot Air Wood Burning
Insert Installs in a
snap Hot Air Coal &
Wood Insert.
6~STOVH PPE
• Stoves • Inserts
• Coal • Wood
• Combinations
• Corning Vycor Glass
See our selection of air-tight,
efficient models to suit every
need and taste.
FREE
DELIVERY
on ALL Stoves
(within 25 mi.)
Home.