DB-Uncaster Farming Saturday, September 6,1986 f 'l Brockett’s Ag Advice « By John E. Brocket! V Farm Management Agent ™ Lewistown Extension Office When Will Prices Stop Falling? Does that sound like a familiar refrain? It is not only farm com modities that have falling prices. The prices of many other com modities such as oil, metals, and even money are also falling. Agriculture benefits from the reduction in price for some of these items such as oil and some chemicals. Initially the politicians were happy to see these prices fall, because it looked good in their reports to the people back home when they said “cost of living goes down.” Now some of them are having second thoughts about this “commodity deflation.” The problem was too rapid of a decline in such a short period of time. Thus, some of Agriculture’s prime customers, with falling prices of their own, were no longer able to buy our farm commodities. Thus, their falling commodity prices helped to cause our commodity prices to fall. It is interesting to read about this world-wide problem because it mirrors the problem faced by American farms today. Almost everyone believed that commodity price increases were almost a given. As a result, lenders en couraged producers to borrow more and more money. The U.S. government did its part by making, underwriting or guaranteeing additional loans. Almost no one was turning com modity loans down. As loans in creased, the need to make more money to service those debts resulted in more and more production. Oversupply began to develop. World demand began to weaken in relation to available supplies, yet producers had to continue to produce to their fullest extent and of course borrow more money to increase production even further. Does this sound familiar, as if I was talking about farmers and farm commodities? Well farm commodities are one of the problems, but the item could just as easily be any other commodity such as silver, oil, aluminum, iron, zinc, rayon, or paper. Farmers, just like the producer countries with an oversupply of com modities, are continuing to overproduce in order to pay their debts. What Can Be Done? This is a question without an answer. Some of the things an individual farmer can do to overcome his or her own problem may be repugnant to that in dividual. One of the solutions that an individual has is to change jobs. This is not as simple as it appears in writing. First, the individual must become convinced that the change will benefit the family members. Second, the individual must become convinced that there could be satisfaction in doing as well as possible in an area other than farming. Then the individual must be sure that working in this other area would be financially ad vantageous to him or her. Finally, the individual must realize that there is no stigma attached to Sigrist Appointed Conservationist COLLEGE PARK, MD - position,” Sigrist said. “I am Michael P. Sigrist has been ap- looking forward to working in all pointed assistant state con- counties in the state.” servationist for field office Sigrist, 36, will supervise the production for the U.S. Soil Con- employees in the state’s 23 field servation Service in Maryland, offices and area field specialists. The promotion was announced According to Reed, Sigrist will be recently by Pearlie S. Reed, state responsible for coordinating conservationist. programs and lending special “I’m excited to be in this new assistance to field offices leaving farming. In some ways this last item is the most difficult to accept. The degree of education {ias little, if any, bearing on ac ceptance of the fact that operating a farm may not be possible. I have worked with people with advanced college degrees who were as adamant about their right to farm as those with no educational degrees. Many farmers who are actually failing in the farm business have skills and/or knowledge that could result in substantial increases of income, yet refuse to use these resources so they can farm. Circumstances may be blamed, but not really accepted as a reason for discon tinuing farming. Sometimes it appears as though farming is an addiction. Farmers in states like Penn sylvania have several alternatives outside of farming if they wish to pursue them. In the past, as well as now, many Pennsylvania farmers have become part-time farmers with a regular full time job along with their farm. For those who feel they might be interested in this direction, there is a correspon dence course written to assist people in deciding which part time enterprise to pursue. Being a part time farmer can be an end in itself or could be a way to