E4-Lancast«r Farming, Saturday. March I, 1956 WASHINGTON - Congress has opened the door to an exploration of the possibility that fanner use of commodity futures and options markets might eventually play a role in national efforts to protect farm income, Chairman Kika de la Garza, D-Tex., of the House Agriculture Committee said. “For many years, economists have been talking in an academic way about finding some way to take advantage of the price Perry Co. Conservation farmers honored Five family farmers received soil and water conservation award at Perry County’s annual Cooperative Extension banquet recently. From left are recipients Dean Loy, Gilbert Adams, Robert Loy, Edward McMillen and Robert Raub. Making the presen tation is David Roth (right) chairman of the Perry Conservation District. COMPARE OUR QUALITY, POWER, WARRANTY and LOW PRICES. 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The farm law directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make a study to find out how producers of grains, soybeans and cotton might use commodity futures and options markets to protect their incomes and to find out how this might affect federal farm program costs. The study will be more than an academic exercise, de la Garza noted, because the law requires the Secretary to conduct a pilot program in which grain, soybean and cotton farmers will be offered a chance to participate in a test of the use of commodity markets to “lock in” price protection for crops. Farmer participants in the pilot program, which must be made available for voluntary use by producers in at least 40 coun ties, will be guaranteed that net returns for their commodities will not be allowed to fall below the price support levels for their crops “I do not know yet how the pilot program will be structured, but the law makes it clear that no farmer can be forced to take part in the experiment, and no producer will lose any of his existing farm program rights if he chooses not to participate in the test,” de la Garza said. “Nobody knows at this point whether the experiment will teach us anything useful about possible methods of strengthening farm income protection in the years ahead. But if there is any chance at all that we can come up with something helpful for farmers, this is worth testing,” de la Garza added. The law requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report the results of his study to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees by Dec. 31,1988. No specific dates for operating the pilot program are spelled out in the law, but the Act specifies that the program is to be conducted “in connection with the study.” Some of the questions Congress wants answered are laid out in specific directives in the new law Among them are: ®SW Full Size Family Washers, Canadian made for many years in electric and gasoline engine drive, electric only for past 25 years. Now Available with specially designed gasoline engine package GSW WASHER Features: • Stainless steel ‘double-wall tub’ • Spiralator agitator, vigorous yet gentle • Drain pump • Safety Wringer • Time proven Transmission stands up to gasoline engine drive KAWASAKI ENGINE Features: • 1.7 H.P. Ample power for washing • Pulse Type carburetor eliminates gas leakage sometimes encountered with float carbs. • Weighs only 16 lbs. - Runs washer quietly with minimum vibration. 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