C6—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, June 18,1983 PIK awakens critics AIL of the hoopla and media attention directed toward the Agriculture Department's new payment-m-kind program is starting to awaken some of the traditional farm program critics. The old complaint about paying fanners not to grow things, even if the payments are m crops, is once again being voiced. A word of warning to those critics - farmers aren’t in a very good mood to be scolded about government subsidies. For the most part they feel they’ve been betrayed by Uncle Sam, and that’s why there are surpluses, and that’s why the payment-m-kmd program is necessary. Believe me, they’re not looking for a handout. They'd much rather have it the way it used to be when commodities were in short supply CALL US FOR FREE ESTIMATES s on TOP QUALITY BARN SPRAY & BRUSH PAINTING 3, Try Our New Concept In Penetration And Adhesion. In 1983 To earn a dollar - give a dollars worth of service and work Pay only $750 for the best kind of barn painting on an average barn - if you pay more you paid too 3 much % On barn siding painting ■ temperature and timing are factors as well as p, penetrating kind of quality for adhesion are helpful guides for long lasting under average conditions of siding type and age I will share helpful guidelines on roof maintenance of steel roofs by brushing on p at prime time. The farmers in Lancaster Co. are lucky because of the amount of U competition in barn painting, fe Check with us for the best deal! I PHARES S. HURST Years of experience plus self p % Rd 1, Box 420, Narvon, PA 17555 employment gives you quality i 215-445-6186 work for less expense M{«', J V . • / .« •' *\i '»■ sHj v>-. v vv '■■.' Now Serving Farmers and Feed Mills With Custom Built Bins • Most Installations Can Be Made Without Auger • Solid Welded Seams Making it Water and Rodent Proof • Long Taper and Large Opening for Easier Flow • Can be installed inside or outside building For Free Estimates Call: MEL'S WELDING SERVICE Sales and Service - Grain Equipment, Bucket Elevators, Distributors, Pipes and Accessories. Farm Talk Jerry Webb Delaware Extension and prices were booming. During those years, no more than a decade ago, farmers were making money. Surpluses were virtually non existant and the conusmer was worrying about rising food prices. But gradually, through increased productivity and a couple of un timely grain embargoes, govern ment warehouses are overflowing with surplus crops. That’s when the payment-m-kmd program became a viable solution - pay farmers with crops already in storage to hold land out of production so as not to produce more unneeded produce. It solved several problems and it has cer tainly been a shot in the arm to a sagging agricultural economy. But some critics don’t see it that way. They know just enough to jump to the wrong conclusion - that far- Rt. 2 Schuylkill Haven 717-345-6362 Shot in arm %% yy I ' BRUNING mers are being supported at taxpayer expense. It’s fairly easy to substantiate the position that consumers are the ones that benefit most from an agricultural abundance and the resulting low food prices. Examples are everywhere to show that when farm commodities are scarce, food prices skyrocket. And when surpluses build, consumers benefit greatly through stable or even decreasing grocery store prices, l.ook at the recent recession and Uie galloping in flation rate. The one bright spot over the past many months has been a steady, or declining, food price index - the result of agricultural abundance. There are plenty of farmers who would argue long and hard that the government has manipulated them into producing too much food so that consumers can buy it cheaply. This cheap food policy, as some describe it, has been a curse to agriculture and has created many of the nightmare farm bankruptcy situations that seem to be so common these days. PIK in reverse Those who would complain about the payment-in-kmd program and the cost to the government will be interested m a payment-in-kind program under way in the Soviet DR. KEITH M. OLIN is announcing the opening of his large animal veterinary practice: New Holland Veterinary Clinic 117 S. Custer Ave. New Holland, PA 17557 717-354-3130 The Newest Idea In America "IT'S WORKING ON OUR FARM!" Another Installation By; 602 MAIN STREET BALLY, PA. 19503 DIAL (215) 845-2261 “Where The Handshake Is Mightier Than The Pen” Union- instead of paying farmers with commodities not to produce, the Russians are trying to en courage production by rewarding farmers who do a particularly good job. The USSR’s payment-in kind program provides bonuses for exceeding production quotas. On state grain farms, workers can receive up to 15 percent of the extra grain produced in addition to their regular wages. A USDA report says these commodity bonuses are offered with the hope that workers will decide to use the extra gram and fodder to raise additional livestock on their private plots. This would result in more meat animal production, thus helping with another Russma shortage. What an interesting contrast! Here in this country farmers produce more food than we can eat ANNOUNCING For Cooling Milk... IN/EUELLER I I Refrigerated Receiver The Leroy Howard Family of Oley, Pa. has installed this Meuller Refrigerated Receiver on their pipeline milking system to pre-cool the milk before storing in their 1500 Gallon Mueller Bulk Cooler. Ij They figure the receiver should save 700 hours of running time per year on their dual 5-HP units. "The blend stays below 42° ”, Leroy says, in his effort to produce a better quality product at a lower operating cost! and suffer from disastrously low prices. The government is currently helping to alleviate that strain by giving them commodities if they will idle some of that excess productive capacity. Meanwhile, in Russia, where food is always in short supply, Russian workers are being given extra commodites for being expecially productive. Obviously, both of these programs cost those governments a considerable amount. USDA’s “PIK” program will cost millions, and who knows what the Russian program will cost? But what a difference, and what a choice. Those who would criticize the Department of Agriculture for offering the program and the American fanner for participating in it should think carefully about the Russian alternative before they vocalize too much. I
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers