A2O-Lancast«r Farming, Saturday, May 25,1985
Over-order pricing campaign continues in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG - Charles
Wismer, Master of the Penn
sylvania State Grange and Chester
L. Reed, State Executive Director
of the Pennsylvania Farmers
Union have announced that they
are going to resume their efforts in
signing independent dairv farmers
First U.S. Dairy Forum stimulates discussion
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Lively
and spirited debates and for
thright discussions were charac
teristic of the two-and-a-half-day
U.S. Dairy Forum - a first-of-its
kind conclave for 275 leaders from
all facets of the dairy industry -
held outside of Tampa, Florida,
early this month.
In response to requests for a 1986
forum for discussion, deliberation
and debate, Dairy Forum chair
man John F. Speer, President of
the Forum’s sponsoring
organizations, the Milk Industry
Foundation and the International
Association of Ice Cream
Manufacturers, reiterated the
need for a platform upon which to
express differing viewpoints and
further clarify positions.
“We are anxiously planning to
continue looking at these ‘issues of
the day’ from, at the minimum,
two sides,” noted Speer. “The
overwhelming success of this
year’s Forum, as expressed by
participants, strongly supports the
necessity of and the good which
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into the Regional Cooperative
Marketing Agency (RCMA).
During the month of March, the
two general farm organizations
sponsored over 20 informational
meetings for dairv farmers across
Pennsylvania
stems from this type of dialogue.”
The Forum addressed such
diverse areas as dairy specific vs.
flexible price supports, Class I
differentials, impacts of supply
controls on production, probable
future regions of greatest and least
milk supply, marketing barriers
imposed by regulations, bovine
hormones and embryo transplants
and their effects on current
national dairy policy, National
Dairy Board promotional
programs, casein imports and SNF
levels in milks.
A Saturday morning breakfast
session with Secretary of
Agriculture Block headlined the
closing day, followed by an m-
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THfir z' 1 r Lancaster
Farming's
CLASSIFIEDS
Fanex Tedder
The meetings centered around a
full explanation of RCMA in
cluding the desirability of the
bargaining agency to establish
over-order prices on Class 1 milk in
the eastern part of the United
States.
sightful discussion of world and
domestic agricultural priorities
moderated by ABC News
correspondent Sander Vanocur.
Panelists Congressman E. “Kika”
de la Garza (D-TX), Chairman of
the House Committee on
Agriculture, Congressman Arland
Stangeland (R-MN), member of
the Committee on Agriculture and
Secretary Block offered critical
comments on world trade and
export policies, domestic support
levels, and the future of our
national dairy industry.
Dates and locations of the spring
1986 U.S. Dairy Forum will be
released shortly. Several hundred
independent producers,
cooperative leaders and
processing and manufacturing
CEO’s are expected to attend.
I
Reed stated, “Our efforts to sign
the independent dairy farmers
were placed on hold the last month
because of Eastern Milk
Producers’ failure to join RCMA.
However, during the past week,
Eastern has made formal ap
plication for membership, which
now means that all the major milk
cooperatives in Federal Orders #1
and #2 will be members of RCMA.”
Wismer stated, “As a result of
the previous informational
meetings, we have nearly 20
counties organized with dairy
farmers ready to aid us in signing
the independent dairy farmers.”
Wismer further explained that
the by-laws of RCMA regarding
finances been modified, “ to
make the bargaining agency even
more acceptable to all dairy
farmers.”
Both Wismer and Reed are
strong supporters of RCMA’s
attempt to negotiate over-order
prices in Class 1 milk. They point
out that prices paid to dairy far
mers in Federal Order #2 (New
York/New Jersey market) have
already dropped $1.15 per hundred
weight since January and will drop
considerably more before the end
of 1985.
Arden Tewksbury, a leader in
the RCMA movement said, “We
really had the momentum going
during March and early April. We
had support from many farm
groups, county agents, news
media, and most importantly,
many dairy farmers. Now with
Eastern involved, it should in
crease our ability to sign up the
independent dairy farmers.”
RCMA was established in the
early 1970’5, and in 18 months
collected over $2O million for dairy
farmers in New England and the
western part of New York state.
Now with declining prices paid to
area dairy farmers during 1985 and
with near disastrous prices
estimated for the near future, it is
all the more important for RCMA
to become successful in
negotiating for dairy farmers.
Meetings are already planned
for several counties according to
Wismer and Reed, and they intend
to intensify their efforts during the
up-coming weeks.
Any dairy farmer or farm
organization willing to help with
the project, should contact the
Pennsylvania Farmers Union at
1/800/932-4629 or the Pennsylvania
State Grange at 1/800/242-9661.