A2B-Lancast*r Farming, Saturday, March 15,1986
Com Conference speakers offer
BY SUZANNE KEENE
UNIVERSITY PARK - Like all
farmers, Pennsylvania corn
growers face an uncertain future
clouded by Gramm-Rudman
budget' cuts. But some farmers will
be survivors of these troubled
economic times.
“There are men and women out
there who are on a sound financial
base, and they are going to sur
vive,” said Ken Rice, chairman of
the first Pennsylvania Corn
Conference held at Penn State
University Tuesday.
To help Pennsylvania corn
growers be among agriculture’s
survivors, the corn conference
planners scheduled a day full of
speakers who offered advice on
topics ranging from improved
production techniques to
marketing alternatives.
A 1 Tank, assistant vice president
of the National Corn Growers
Association, provided an update on
the Farm Bill for the 200 farmers
attending the conference.
“I can’t even tell you what the
Farm Bill is going to be today,”
Tank said, but noted that grain
farmers can expect further cuts in
government programs.
Tank pointed out that 77 percent
of all federal funding is exempt
from the Gramm-Rudman cuts,
while agriculture is 100 percent
liable. Of the $65 billion Gramm-
Rudman cuts designated for 1987,
18 percent will be from agriculture
programs, he said.
“It doesn’t bode very well for
implementing programs,” he
continued.
“Agriculture is just a heartbeat
away from mandatory controls,”
Tank warned. But if the Farm Bill
can be implemented successfully,
these supply controls can be
avoided, he predicted. “There is no
medium ground here. ’ ’
Extension ag economist Lou
Moore brought the corn growers up
to date on the general economy,
noting that agriculture has not
shared in the prosperity enjoyed in
most other areas of the economy.
Moore offered the fanners the
following suggestions for planning
for 1986 recognize that the
squeeze isn’t over and dig in to be
survivors; don’t take on debt, and
assume a role in developing farm
programs. Survivors will also keep
better records, improve efficiency
and marketing knowledge, develop
a business plan, and use govern
ment programs, he said.
William Waters, area farm
management agent, urged
growers to increase efficiency by
using proper production
techniques.
“We are approaching the point
where those who don’t use some of
these production techniques will be
left behind,” he suggested.
A grower may survive for
several years producing corn at a
cost that exceeds the market price,
but “in the long run, the producer
must produce at or less than
market price,” Waters said.
For the most part, Waters
continued, studies have shown that
the more corn a farmer produces,
the less his production cost per unit
is. “We seem to be locked into a
low market price,” he said, noting
that one way to survive is “to use
the production techniques that
allow us to get into those high yield
rates.”
In order to increase production,
though, the grower must follow
closely the recommendations of
those who monitor the effects of
different production variables. If
even one variable such as fer
tilizer or insect control is off,
production can be seriously
reduced.
Among the efficiency techniques
Waters suggested were: hybrid
seed, plant establishment, weed
and insect control, fertility,
timeliness, and method.
A change to a reduced tillage
system may also increase a far
mer’s efficiency by saving time
and labor costs, Waters said. When
selecting a tillage method, farmers
should choose one that permits
them to finish their work in the
limited time allotted.
Studies have shown, Waters
said, that a change from con
ventional to reduced tillage will
decrease labor by one hour per
acre, while a move to no-till'
cropping usually saves a farmer
about an hour and a half per acre.
But, he cautioned, “Unless you
pay strict attention, moving over
to a minimum tillage program is
no guarantee that you are going to
reduce the cost of production.”
However, he added, a no-till
program usually reduces
production costs.
When setting a reasonable yield
goal, farmers should plan to fer
tilize only up to the level where
they set the goal. Any more fer
tilizer would be a waste of
resources and increase production
costs.
But producer is only one of the
farmer’s many roles; he must be
an effective marketer as well. One
marketing alternative for corn is
to feed it to dairy beef cattle. “The
time is at hand to do something
different,” noted Darwin Braund,
director of dairy and livestock
research for Agway, Inc. “Dairy
cattle deserve a serious look as a
viable alternative.”
“Dairy beef, wrapped up in
black and white hide, represents
the answer to the consumer’s
desire for low-calorie beef,”
Braundnoted.
Chain store tests have shown
that consumers prefer the taste of
dairy beef. But, he continued,
chain stores refuse to handle two
lines of beef. They look for con
sistent product quantity and
quality. If a producer can offer
these, he should be able to market
his product, Braund said.
“Without some effort and suc
cess in marketing, the profit
capability is small,” he warned,
but quickly added that given a
market, “It’s a very, very
profitable enterprise.”
“Maybe it is lime to set aside our
conventional mentality and think
about doing some things dif-
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growers survival tips
ferently,” he concluded.
In addition to the educational
program the Conference offered
the Pennsylvania Master Com
Grower’s Association an op
portunity to honor their charter 10-
year members. Those honored
were:
Joe Stump, Ben Wineka, Harold
Bock, John McGill, Herman Espy,
Marlin G. Hege, Harold Lockhoff,
Joseph S. Beard, Galen Dreibelbis,
Doeblers Hybrids, Clarence
Godfrey, Charles M. Andlar,
Lester A. Colhoun, Geroge
Rumbaugh, Bob Nearhoff, Jr.,
Stanford Seed Co., Walter C.
Johnson, John W. Schwartz,
Joseph Hartle Jr., Ernest
Hollenbaugh, and Thomas H.
Mikesell.
Farm management agent William Waters was one of
several speakers at the first Pennsylvania Corn Conference
who offered corn growers ideas for surviving in tough
economic times.
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Other 10 year members are;
Mark Kieffer and Son, Harry H.
Stambaugh, Dr. Joseph McGahen,
Lester E. Luckenbaugh, John W.
Greene and Son, Harold and
Steven Gross, Richard E.
Luckenbaugh, Chris and Willard
Kimmel, Codorus Fertilizer
Service, Richard Burd, Todd
Hybrids, Pioneer Hybrids, Hoff
man Seeds, William C. Gerhart,
Frank White, Druck Farms,
Kenneth Rice, Ray A. Layser,
John T. Smith, William Hoover,
Wayne Harpster, Charles A. Hess,
Donald E. Crouse and George E.
Steele.
Conference sponsors were The
Pennsylvania Master Corn
Growers’ Association, Allied In
dustries, and Penn State
University.
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