VOL. 28 (I*. 12
BY SHEILA MILLER
LANCASTER What are the
['l possibilities that agriculture’s
9 independent truckers will join the
ranks of their eighteen-wheeling
counterparts and strike? The fact
that the Independent Truckers
Association has called for a strike
on Jan. 31 to protest the taxes
packaged within the recently
passed Federal Tax Act has not
rallied the ag independent truckers
to the picket line—at least not yet.
According to PennAg Industries
Association’s David R. Brubaker,
the independent truckers are not
“protesting the ‘nickel a gallon’
aspects of the tax package” but
are “protesting what they consider
to be ‘outlandish’ taxes of many
varieties included in the Act
“They also are using the op
portunity to once again raise
tangential issues, such as the 55
miles per hour speed limit, pay for
waiting time, etc.,” Brubaker said.
Geese gander across icy pond
Farm Show weather showed up a week late in Pennsylvania this.year. As entries and
| exhibitors snuggled into familiar surroundings last Saturday after leaving Harrisburg
* and crowds behind just a day before, a blanket of snow ranging from scarsely a scuff to
several inches deep gave Pennsylvania a more typical winter snowscape. Last week’s
cold froze overthe old swimming hole, allowing these geese to walk on water.
it - kv f 'L V *- 4 k. ~ *■ w •—r,t
SOUTHAMPTON It’s that
time of year again. Farm
organizations across the state are
gathering at annual meetings to
take a look back at 1982 and a look
ahead into what 1983 might hold in
store for agriculture in Penn
sylvania.
Joining the ranks of
organizations meeting in crowded
banquet halls this week were
several Inter-State Milk
Producers’ Cooperative District
locals. District 11 Cochranville and
Oxford locals held their annual
meeting on Thursday at the
Cochranville Fire Hall, and
District 12 met Friday in the
Hoffman Building aK the
Quarryville Fairgrounds.
James Honan, secretary of
Inter-State, was scheduled to be
guest speaker at the District 11 and
Four Sections
Will threatened truckers 9 strike hit ag?
But it looks like the independent
trackers will be carrying their
picket signs without the assistance
of their American Trucking
Association “good buddies.”
“While voicing sympathy for
many of the goals of the in
dependents, (the American
Truckers Association) has vowed
to not participate in the strike and
to ‘continue service as required by
law,’ ” noted Brubaker.
“Our members are sympathetic
to the independent truckers’
needs,” said Brubaker, referring
to PennAg Industries. “That act
was sold to the public as simply
tacking on anickel gas tax, but the
actual bill, several hundred
pages long. ”
Presently Brubaker said Pen
nAg is . maintaining a neutral
position on the issues being raised
by the independent truckers. But,
he said, the Association (which
represents agriculture and its
12 dinner meetings, however he
suffered a broken leg while
trimming Christmas trees and was
unable to attend. In his stead,
Robert Dever, treasurer and
assistant manager of Inter-State
spoke to the dairy co-op members
about the 50-cent assessment and
the fact that Inter-State did not
deduct the tax from producers’
January milk checks. And Carol
Zepp, assistant communications
division manager, presented a
slide show on the Cooperative’s
history since its inception in 1917.
District ll’s Howard C. and
Robert S. Mason, Oxford were
presented with a five-year award
for continuous participation in
Inter-State’s Cost of Production
study. District 12’s recipients of
the five-year award were James
W. Bowman of Ronks and
>>',/> V 1
Lancaster Faming, Saturday, January 22,1983
allied industries) is “concerned.”
“Some of our fertilizer company
members have been building their
inventories early in the event of a
truckers' strike,” observed
Brubaker. “But if the strike should
last too long, and use up a short
term reserve, there would
definitely be a negative impact on
the ag industries feed, seed and
fertilizer.”
What concerns PennAg the most,
said Brubaker, is the threat of
violence or intimidation which
BY DONNA TOMMELLEO
LANCASTER At the request
of the state of South Carolina and
others, a U.S. District Judge
recently granted a preliminary
injunction halting USDA’s action
to collect SO cents per hun-
Lenewood Farm of Oxford.
Membership awards also were
presented to District 11 and 12
members: Robert Mills,
Cochranville, Dist. 11, received a
50-year membership award;
Donald Shomaker, Cochranville,
Dist. 11, received a 25-year award;
James Bowman and Ivan
Bowman, Jr., R 2 Ronks, Dist. 12,
received a 25-year membership
award; and Robert Hr and G.
Ralph Kreider, R 1 Quarryville,
Dist. 12, received a 50-year
membership award.
At press time, the election
results for District 11 were posted:
Cochranville Local - Duane
Hershey, president; Richard L.
Buckwalter, vice president; Harry
L. Troop, secretary-treasurer;
Elvin Rohrer, Jr., delegate; Harry
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could be experienced by
agriculture’s independent and
union truck drivers.
“It’s hard to control a strike by
independents,” added Brubaker.
“It seems that whether the strike
begins or ends is up to the
discretion of a handful of in
dividuals.”
Penn Ag’s spokesman’s concerns
are echoed by Donald Duncan,
president of the Keystone Milk
Marketing Council. He said that
although he’s confident the in*
Injunction halts milk tax
dredweight on all milk shipped in
the country.
Judge Matthew Perry explained
the injunction has no time limit,
unlike the temporary restraining
order he issued, last month.
“A temporary restraining order
may last for ten days,” said Perry.
“A preliminary injunction has no
time limit. Some last for many
years.”
The injunction ruling remains,
said Perry, “until further order of
the court.”
Presently, there has been no
trial date set for the law suit
against USDA, U.S. Agriculture
Secretary John Block and the
Commodity Credit Corportation,
which spawned Perry’s decision.
Attorney for the state of South
Carolina Clifford Koon said his
client as well as the South Carolina
Farm Bureau, the State Consumer
Advocate and three dairy farmers
are charging that Block, the USDA
and the CCC failed to follow
guidelines of the Administration
Procedure Act.
Koon explained the Act calls for
a public hearing and a public
comment period on the effects as
well as the regulations of the
assessment.
Koon and others brought
testimony before Judge Perry
during a hearing on Jan. 3. after
which Perry granted the in
junction.
“I found the plaintiffs presented
a show showing that the secretary
HARRISBURG - As the final
day of Pennsylvania’s 67th Farm
Show was bringing to a close
another chapter in the history of
Keystone State agriculture,
another chapter was just turning
its first page the start of a sequel
to the Thomburg-Hallowell “We’re
Growing Better" story.
Last Friday, Governor Dick
Thornburgh announced to the
public that he was reappointing his
current cabinet member,
Agriculture Secretary Penrose
Hallowell, to another four-year
term in office.
According to the Agriculture
Press Office, Hallowell has ac
cepted the reappointment.
He will assume office pending
Senate confirmation. As we go to
press, no date has been scheduled
for the confirmation hearing
$7.50 per year
dependent milk haulers will
continue to pick up and deliver
their perishable commodity since
“they know the milk must go
through, he is worried about the
drivers’ safety.
Duncan added some
reassurance, however. He said
that he has received a com
mitment from Pennsylvania
Agriculture Secretary Penrose
Hallowell that state police
protection will be available for
(Turn to Page A2B)
of agriculture failed to abide by the
provisions in the Adminstration
Procedure Act,” Perry explained.
Meanwhile, the USDA has an
nounced it has halted efforts to
collect the Congressionally
authorized 50-cent per hun
dredweight assessment.
In a letter, recently sent to milk
handlers, the USDA said any
assessments received while the
order is in effect would be held in
escrow, pending further
developments in the litigation.
The letter urged those respon
sible for the collection to maintain
accurate records of all marketing
while the order is in effect. They
also were asked to consider
establishing voluntary escrow
accounts in which funds could be
held for later payments to the
Commodity Credit Corporation,
should those payments become
necessary.
Presidents of eight northeastern
milk co-ops, representing more
than 12,000 producers, recently
joined in the legal battle against
theUSDA.
According to Dairylea
spokesman Bruce Snow,
presidents from Dairylea,
NEDCO, Eastern, Upstate, Niagra
Co-op, Allied Federated
Cooperatives, Lehigh Valley
Farmers and Conesus Co-op, met
earlier this month to unify a
position regarding the half-dollar
deduction.
(Turn to PageA2B)
Penrose Hallowed