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<ease out of
farming or could be a good sup
plement to the off farm job income.
As with full-time farmers, plan
ning and records are important if
profits are a goal.
Most farmers in Pennsylvania
can get a job outside of the farm if
they truly desire to do so. Farmers
have a reputation of knowing how
to work. This reputation gives a
farmer seeking off farm em
ployment an edge over other
equally qualified candidates for a
particular job. Also consider the
many and varied job experiences a
farmer has had. Some farmers in
the past have obtained part time
farm jobs in addition to the non
farm job. These part-time farm
jobs range from doing occasional
weekend chores for a neighboring
farmer to harvest time em
ployment. Some former farmers
say they enjoy the farm work more
now than they did before when debt
payments were such a worry. Both
part-time farming and part-time
farm jobs can help a former far
mer to adapt to a new way of life.
Some former farmers with a
college education have been able to
use that college degree and their
farm experience to become farm
advisors with banks and other
lending institutions, extension
service, feed companies, or other
ag related businesses or services.
Others have started up their own
ag related businesses. I know that
once a person has worked in the
field of agriculture, it is very
difficult to leave that area of work.
I have only to look at myself as an
example. I was never interested in
moving away from agriculture
despite the lure of more money and
less hours elsewhere. I also have
been a part-time farmer for most
of my life.
Call Atlantic For Top Genetics
hi Semen Fee; Product Value Ratio
For each $1 of semen fee you invest,
here is your PD svaiue return:
8H1205 Scott
21H681 Sentry
8J240 Pal
218421 Rocket
8H96 Country Boy
BHII4 Spike
8H1122 Walworth
21H554CarVal
8J234 Royal
21J337 Yankee
8H416 Pepper
8H922 Troy
8H1039 Graydawn
BHIOB2 Warsaw
8H1276 Sundancer
8 J2lO Fascinator
BJ232Nova
BHI2BO Behavior
BHI3OI Berlin
8H1350 National
21G247 Fayette
8H421 Nate
8H1034 Bachelor
BHIO6B Truxton
BHI3BI Poppie
218438 Regal
(based on July/86 USDA sire data)
The odds are in your favor
and these sires are all available!
Call Atlantic for
Top Genetics At Reasonable Prices
PA; 800-732-0381
PA RTN E R IN Q FEDERATED CENLIKS
DE, MD & Nl; 800-233-0216
+sl6 PD
+sl4 PD
+sl3 PD
+sl2 PD
+sll PD
LOCAL: 569-0411