VOL. 30 No. 48
On opposing sides-Keith Eckel, president of the Pennsylvania Farmer's Association,
offers testimony in opposition to the confirmation of Dr. Richard E. Grubb as state
Secretary of Agriculture. Dr. Grubb, right, was confirmed by the Senate in a 47-1 vote
Tuesday.
Grubb confirmed overwhelmingly
as State Agriculture Secretary
BY JAMES H. EVERHART
HARRISBURG - Despite the
opposition of the powerful Penn
sylvania Farmers Association, Dr.
Richard E. Grubb has been con
firmed by the State Senate as the
new Secretary of Agriculture.
The legislators ratified Gov.
Dick Thornburgh’s nominee in a
17-1 vote Tuesday.
Grubb said Wednesday that he
was encouraged by the size of the
rote, and considered it proof that
he administration and the
egislature take agriculture
ieriously.
Tlfe Pennsylvania Farmer’s
Association had opposed the ap
rointment in confirmation
leanngs Monday before the
Senate’s Committee on
Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Keith Eckel, president of the
S FA, said the group was opposed
to the nomination of the Penn State
administrator, because of his
■dative inexperience in production
agriculture and state government.
The Secretary of Agriculture,
£ckel said, must have “firsthand
ixpenence and a working
dationship with agriculture and
ign-business,” in order to be an
‘advocate and spokesman” for the
ndustry in administration
councils.
“Dr. Grubb has pursued a career
•utside the realm of agriculture for
he past 25 years,” Eckel con
cluded. “He has chosen to become
i university administrator, not an
ntncate part of the agriculture
ndustry ”
The Senate Ag Committee,
vhich endorsed the nomination by
| 7-3 vote, heard nothing but
avorable comments from the four
>ther witnesses who testified at the
'earing. Groups supporting the
'ommation included the Grange
'nd the Pennsylvania Farmers
union.
Charles Wismer, State Grange
I
Four Sections
Master, said his group is “con
fident that Grubb is the leader
agriculture needs in Penn
sylvania.”
“Dr. Grubb has already proven
at Penn State University that he is
an excellent administrator,”
Wismer noted. “His successful
career at the University is
exemplified by his service under
three university presidents.”
Grubb has been serving as
Acting Secretary of Agriculture
since he was nominated in June
He replaces Penrose Hallowell,
In recognition of National 4-H Week,
Oct. 7 to 13, Lancaster Farming devotes
several pages of this week's issue to
Pennsylvania 4-H’ers. Look for stories on
outstanding 4-H members and leaders on
pages 820 and 21 and in E section.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 5,1985
who resigned in April after serving
six years in the Thornburgh
Cabinet.
Despite the opposition, Grubb
said in the confirmation hearings
that he believed he could work with
his opponents for the betterment of
Pennsylvania agriculture.
He also defended his
qualifications, noting that he had
been born and raised on the Centre
County Farm where he now lives,
and received his undergraduate
and master’s degree training in
agriculture.
INSIDE this week’s Lancaster Farming
(Turn to Page A 37)
Milk price set at
$11.60 for 45 days
BY JAMES H. EVERHART
WASHINGTON - The U.S
Congress has given itself another
45 days to adopt a Farm Bill, by
passing emergency legislation
extending existing dairy price
supports until Nov. 15.
The measure, adopted by the
House and Senate earlier this
week, effectively removed the
pressure to enact a Farm Bill by
the time existing provisions ex
pired Sept. 30.
The act freezes the support price
at $11.60 per hundredweight, ef
fectively preventing prices from
climbing to over $l6 a hun
dredweight, as they would have if
the old legislation had been
allowed to expire.
It was signed into law by the
President, despite threats from the
administration that no extensions
would be accepted.
The House was expected to
complete its consideration of the
Farm Bill early next week. The
Senate, meanwhile, was scheduled
to begin consideration of its own
Farm Bill legislation on Oct. 15.
The Farm Bill package moving
toward approval in the House
contained a dairy title quite
similar to the measure recom
mended by the House Agriculture
Committee last month.
The dairy title would establish
standby authority for a diversion
program, and include a cost-of
production formula in its support
pricing mechanism.
USDA Secretary John Block has
threatened to recommend a
presidential veto if the Congress
Junior exhibitors turned out in force to compete at the
Eastern National Livestock Show this week. Look for
coverage of junior beef events, as well as Wednesday's
market hog show and the open Polled Hereford show on
pages A 26 and 27.
$7.50 per Year *
passps a bill containing diversion
authority. He said a diversion
program would impose a “cruel,
compulsory assessment on
dairymen."
The dairy title approved by the
committee imposed no limit on the
size of the assessment. However,
an amendment adopted this week
on the House floor established a 50-
cent-per-hundredweight cap on
assessments.
The legislators also added an
amendment empowering USDA to
make one million pounds of nonfat
dry milk available for casein
production. An open bid among
manufacturers would be used to
distribute the products.
Other amendments to the dairy
title prevent the USDA from
considering whey in their estimate
of milk price supports, and raise
the government’s red meat pur
chase during any diversion
program to 250 million pounds.
The Senate bill differs markedly
from the House version, especially
on dairy price provisions. The bill
drafted by the Senate Agriculture
Committee would lower prices
until the government’s dairy
purchases dropped below five
million pounds annually.
Currently, they are running about
12 million pounds.
The wide differences between
the two bills, officials said, in
dicate a need for extensive
negotiations between the two
houses. The two sides are expected
to hold conferences on the Farm
Bill by the first week in November,
observers noted.