VOL 29 No. 15 PFU hears Minnesota educator BY KIMBERLY HERR HERJSHEY The changes, both positive and negative, that are taking place in agriculture, and how they are affecting the family (arm were the topic of two speeches heard Wednesday during the second day of the Pennsylvania (•aimers Union 12lh Annual Convention. Agriculture is still number one in Pennsylvania, said Jon Wefald, chandellor, Minnesota Stale University System. Agriculture is still important in Pennsylvania But what has happened bet ween 1953 and 1984 v " Wefald asked lus audience. American agriculture has gone down hill, my triends.” Wefald went on to explain that horn 1942 to 1952, American tanners received a fair price based on a very simple' 90 percent loan program. Did America go bankrupt .'’ Was this a burden on (he working people? Did it contribute to world inflation '" Wefald asked. On the contrary, he said, America paid toi World War 11, had full production, lull employment and a balanced budget. After a rousing round of ap plause at the mention of former president Harry Truman s name, Wefald said, ' Farmers from 1946 to 1953 paid cash Why v Because they were making a decent and lair living. In conclusion Wefald recom mended a long-term farm Young Farmers gather to honor their top members Outstanding YF under 30 John and Gwen Hartman, of Somerset County. Five Sections The speaker for the evening banquet Wednesday at the Pennsylvania Farmers Union Convention was Jon Wefald, Chandellor, Minnesota State University System, at left. With him is James Brown, president of PFU. program, one with a fair and equitable loan policy. 1 personally believe that America will be better off if you do well," Wefald told his audience. following the evening banquet. Prior to that the ItklMWPWihad participated in a Visit the Keystone Pork Congress HARRISBURG - All Com monwealth roads on Thursday for Pa. Pork Producers will lead to the Penn Harris Motor Inn for the Sixth Annual Keystone Pork Congress. Once again, the day-long session will combine a program of marketing and production topics with the opportunity to visit the many interesting commercial exhibits of major suppliers to the pork industry. A complete program of the day’s Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, February 11,1984 policy-making discussion, which involved everything from a long term farm policy to weed control to fines for property damage resulting from littering and driving through fields. The PFU members and guests (Turn to Pag* A3B) activities, along with many of the program participants, can be found on Page Dl2 of today’s Lancaster Farming. A separate program of activities will also be conducted for the Porkettes. The day-long program will conclude with the annual Congress Banquet at 6 p.m. Featured speaker is Walt Buescher, of Pigeon Forge, Tn. Watch next week’s Lancaster Farming for highlights of the Congress BY DICK ANGLESTEIN HARRISBURG - The Berlin Brnthersvalley Chapter was in the limelight of the Pennsylvania oung Parmer Convention this week providing both the Out standing Young Farmers in the Under 110 and Over 30 categories rtie Pa Outstanding Young haimeis who were selected from legional contestants fiom tin oughout the stale include lindei 30 - John and Gwen Hartman, who operate a dairy tann in Somoiset count) that includes an 00-Holstcci t- >hlk' nt; at! ins Ovei 30 - [jeon and Dm olhy Jane haul, who operate a 37/-aero dairy farm, also in Somerset County The two dairy farming couples fi om Somerset i ounty were among the top award winners honored by the Fa Young Far mers Thursday at their convention at the Host Inn, Harrisburg Among other winners Community Service - Co winners in this category were Donald and Carol Sanders and Russell and Phyllis Hummel, of the Miffhnburg and Sehnsgrove (Turn to Page A 22) Pa. fiscal news cites Avian, PRY BY DICK ANGLESTEIN HAKKISBUKG Pennsylvania agriculture received some good fiscal news this week out of the State Capital Governoi Thornburgh in troduced his proposed state budget tor the coming year, which featured a couple of new ag items, including $500,000 foi poultry research and promotion in con tinuing response to Avian flu and $lOO,OOO to gel a new Ag Development Commission started to promote Commonwealth agriculture in a number of dif ferent ways. And in separate fiscal action, the Governor signed the Sup plementary Appropriation Bill, previously passed by the State House and Senate, which includes $2 million to help poultry farmers hit with Avian and $213,250 in matching funds for a cooperative state-federal pilot project on pseudorabies. The $500,000 set aside in th* budget for the poultry research and promotion is designed to help the stale s poultry industry in its recovery from the Avian disaster, particularly in the area of promotion to recapture lost markets and to expand existing markets for Commonwealth poultry products. The $lOO,OOO for the new Ag Development Commission is designed to be seed money to get the proposed group started in its promotion of Commonwealth agriculture The proposed com mission is eyed as a combination public-private sectoi group, in cluding farm and agribusiness Outstanding YF over 30 Leon and Dorothy Jane Paul, of Somerset County. 17.50 per Year members who would oversee special agricultural promotion programs. Such ag promotion programs might fail in three separate areas. -Promotion to attract new ag business to the slate and help existing agribusiness to expand. (Turn to Page A3B) Diversion signups outlined BY TRISH WILLIAMS LANCASTER Statistics leleased this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the sign-up for the Milk Diversion Program were well below previous estimates by the department According to a federal ASCS official in Washington, D.C, 12 4 percent of the dairyman in the United Stales have contracted to reduce their milk production. Only six percent of the dairymen in Pennsylvania signed up for the program. The sign-up period tor the Milk Diversion Program ended Jan. list. Con due leu by the Agneullural Stabilization and Conservation Service, Hie program will pay contracted producers $lO pei hundredweight for reducing milk production by five to JO percent After all the figures were tallied, J7,5J0 out of the counti y s 303,580 (Turn to Page A 22)
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