AlD—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, December 18,1982
“What do you think of the new grain
program proposal?” is a question I’ve heard
asked over and over again during the past
week The announcement from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to try to do
something sensible for a change has created
quite a surprised stir among farmers.
And although details of the proposed
program will remain sketchy until the Com
modity Credit Corporation and the
Agricultural Stablization and Conservation
Service get through studying it, from what
we've gathered, this bureaucratic effort might
actually do what it seems designed to ac
complish help farmers.
Dubbed the "payments-in-kind" proposal,
this grain program will be dipping into grain
reserve bins across the country and the
government-stored grains will be touched by
John Block’s magic wand and transformed
into "currency” without any Federal Reserve
hocus-pocus.
Actually more akin to the old trading system
called barter, USDA's payment-in-kind
program will allow farmers to exchange grain
in the bin for grain in the field without even
planting a seed. This type of grain program is
sure to bring a smile to Office of Management
and Budget's David Stockman. Since farmers
won’t be milking the federal treasury, a
bartering grain program would have a positive
effect of the federal deficit.
As part of an effort to reduce the acreage
planted in grain by farmers throughout the
U.S., the payment-in-kind program would
permit farmers to pull wheat, feed grains, rice
and upland cotton out of storage in exchange
for their word not to plant as much grain in
1983. They’ll have to agree to reduce their
acreage by 10 to 30 percent and must sign up
for the 20 percent acreage reduction program
already established for 1983 in order to be
eligible for Block’s "bin-barter” program. So
we’re looking at each farmer planting
anywhere from 30 to 100 percent less gram
acres in 1983 which brings back memories to
some of the old soil bank program of the
19605.
Giving the grain back to the farmers might
seem to some a fool-hardy thing to do, since
the government has already paid them to put
it into storage. But, in the long run. letting the
farmers feed this surplus grain to their
livestock, or even selling it on the market for
OUR READERS WRITE
Puzzling Reagan policies
Many puzzling and paradoxical
inconsistencies are evident m the
current United States government.
On the one hand President
Reagan travels to South America
and inclusively gives Brazil $1.2
billion to stave off bankruptcy,
while on the other hand he takes
the American dairymen by their
throats and wrings $2 billion from
them in an unjust levy against
om
OTIS, X CAN'T FI
Off the
Sotmc ting
By Sheila Miller, Editor
PaymenUin
their milk checks. What about the
young farmers that will find no
recourse except to declare
bankruptcy; or, have our gover
nment leaders turned so callous
and unfeeling for our own (people)
that they just don’t care?
Recently I, contacted the office
of congressional Representative
Gus Yatron in Reading and was
informed that he had voted against
IND
kind pluses
cash, will save the federal government
thousands of dollars next year.
USD A economists have predicted a 3.33
billion bushel corn carryover for next October,
which will force 1983 grain prices into an even
deeper slump on the economists’ charts than
what was plotted in 1982. Without any
program to reduce next year's crop and
carryover, farmers will be reaping their
"golden harvest" income by way of increased
deficiency payments instead of a profitable
market as prices continue tailspinning.
The problem we see with the payment-in
kind plan, though, is the potential disaster it
could be creating if the idea bombs. Grain
prices wouldn't survive the impact if farmers
who take the corn out of storage try to move it
on the open market too soon, and in too great
a number. The thunder from this kind of grain
bin explosion would be felt across the nation,
from Chicago to Washington, as grain prices
and programs would come tumbling down.
Most of the farm organizations seem to like
it. As Keith Eckel, president of the Penn
sylvania Farmers' Association, said: “We think
the payments-in-kind program will give far
mers a much needed incentive to cut back on
their grain production so we can once again
produce for the market place, not government
storage."
But as Pennsylvania Farmers’ Union’s Carl
Kaufman points out, it could also be an ad
ministrative nightmare.
“If farmers in Pennsylvania accept grain
instead of cash, once they get the warehouse
slip for that grain out in Kansas, they’ll own it
immediately. Then they’ll either have to pay to
store it, pay to haul it to Pennsylvania, or sell it
at a depressed price. There are no
warehouses in Pennsylvania,” Kaufmansays.
We share Kaufman's concern, too, about the
impact this type of grain program might have
on other agribusinesses if too many farmers
retire major cropland acreages and opt for the
already harvested grain. Fallow land could
mean idle sales for local seed, fertilizer, and
machinery dealers.
All in all, though, we feel the payment-in
kind program, if used wisely, certainly has
more pluses for farmers than minuses on
USDA’s scorecard in their attempt to do
something for farmers before they're buried
under a mountain of grain.
I’VE CHECKED
THE FARM PACE
AND THE
POLITICAL WbE
Board
this measure in Congress and has
remained opposed to the levy on
America’s dairymen.
Thereafter a call was placed to
President Reagan at the White
House. Although he didn’t answer
the telephone (he was resting from
his South American jaunt), the
secretary to whom 1 spoke ex
claimed—“ You sound exactly like
my husband! to which I replied,
‘Then 1 must be expressing the
mood of America today, but why
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BEYOND
UNDERSTANDING
December 19,1982
Background Scripture:
Luke 2.
Devotional Reading:
Proverbs 23:15-25.
Being the parents of the child
who was someday to be .God’s
Messiah was not the “snap” we
might have expected it to be. First,
Mary had to overcome her own
natural doubts about Gabriel’s
message from God. Secondly,
Joseph had to adjust to a situation
which was mystifying, not to
mention socially embarrassing as
well.
Furthermore, having been
promised this wonderful child sent
from God, they must have won
dered why- such a great honor
should be bestowed in the most
humble and unprepossessing
surroundings. If this was God's
“favor,” as Gabriel had told them,
then what must his “disfavor” be
like?
MINE EYES HAVE SEEN
No less troubling must have been
the experience with Simeon in
Jerusalem. Simeon proclaimed
their infant child the “salvation"
of God': “a light for revelation to
the Gentiles and for glory to thy
people Israel.” That was a won
derful prophecy but the following
words were as troubling as the first
had been wonderful; “Behold, this
child is set for,the fall and the
rising of many in Israel and for a
sien that is spoken against (and a
NOW IS THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717-394-6351
To Use A Real '
Tree For Christmas
This is the time of year that most
people are considering the type of
Christmas tree to buy. And I hear
objections to using real trees as
being wasteful. So let’s take a lode
at this situation.
Actually, the Christmas tree
farmer is raising trees as a crop,
and a source of income. This is
much the same as the farmer that
raises wheat, com or soybeans to
sell or use on the own farm.
Christmas trees are raised on land
net suited for other crops not
even pastureland. It’s mostly
rolling land and highly acid.
Also remember that these
Christmas tree farmers are put
ting this land to good use by con
serving the soil and providing an
excellent water shed. Keep in mind
that Christmas tree farmers have
a slow return on their capital in
vestment. From the time they
plant the tree until it’s ready for
your living room the wait can be
r t-i« years on small trees to
on larger trees.
Another fact to consider is there
u> auuung like the fresh aroma of a
real tree in your home during the
Christmas season.
To Care For Calves
Care for calves in winter is
important. Calves that are kept in
cold housing, such as calf hutches,
need to be well-bedded and they
need to be keptdry. ~
To help them generate enough
body heat to maintain normal body
temperature, County Agent Glenn
Shirk emphasizes the need for
sword will pierce through your own
soul a 150)...” It must have seemed
impossible for Joseph and Mary to
put these two messages together.
When they returned to Nazareth,
it must have made them wonder
how they could go back to life as
usual. With all the wonderful
promises and prophecies, it would
be understandable for Joseph and
Mary to expect something more in
the days ahead than the quiet,
humble life of Nazareth.
THEY WERE
ASTONISHED
Nor did being the parents of
God’s Messiah mean their life with
this boy would be me of harmony
and full understanding. When, at
age 12 they took him to the Temple
for the Passover, Luke tells us
that, when Jesus stayed behind in
the Temple, “His parents did not
know it, but supposing him to be in
the company they went a day’s
journey...” Like any other parents,
there were times when they “did
not know” what he was doing and
made false suppositions.
When at last they found him in
the Temple, Luke tells us “they
were astonished” not an un
familiar - experience for any
parent. He may have been God’s
Messiah, but that didn’t stop him
from doing things that astonished
.them. Nor was all the astonish
ment pleasant: “Son, why have
you treated us so? Behold your
father and I have been looking for
you anxiously.”
“And they did not understand the
saying which be spoke to them,”
but their failure to understand did
not keep them from loving Jesus
and keeping their faith in God’s
promises. Nor did their failure to
understand him keep Jesus from
being “obedient to them.”
Even when we fail to understand
God’s will, like Mary we may
nevertheless keep “all these
things" in our hearts.
feeding more energy, inis can be
accomplished oy feeding calves
more milk or milk replacer, or by
using a replacer that has a higher
fat content For calves that are
consuming dry feed, additional
grain and hay may be needed.
Also, provide calves with plenty
of fresh air, but protect them from
cold drafts.
To Appreciate Finn Labor
Farmers should not neglect
opportunities to reduce production
costs by carefully using family and
non-family labor to maintain
productivity at a high level.
There is more to using labor
other than just wages paid or
family trade-offs to run the farm.
The returns received from your
help should always be based on
their productivity, reminds Arnold
G. Lueck, Extension Agricultural
Agent.
Attention to keeping the farm
“labor force” happy and contented
will really return more in
production than *an increase in
wages (which you likely cannot
afford now). Put more emphasis
on: kindness, praise, respect,
concern for the employee’s family,
some free time, recognition, fair
treatment and other non-cash
approaches. These will increase
production more than any added
wages alone.
To Keep a Positive Attitude
This time of the year many of us
are wondemg what lies ahead for
agriculture and the farmer. The
press is full of articles about the
future and how the American
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