VOL 32 No. 5
Faith And Farming HI ,
LAURELVILLE Farmers’ eyes turned to the future at the third Faith and Farming
Conference at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center here this week. "During one of the
darkest periods of North American agriculture-like the Hebrew exile in Babylon-we
again looked to God and to tfjflflflDCl-»bid Levi Miller of the LaurclvMle Center.
Howard Brenneman, Hessian. Corporation, Hesston, Kansas, gave a major address
about the future of North America and Mennonite farming.
Lancaster Farming will have a full report on this address next week. In the photo
participants at the farm conference included (from left) Elaine and Leon Good and son
Daren, Lltitz; John and Ada Graybill, New Providence and Mim and Glen Thomas, Lititz.
Dairymen Face $5,2 Million Decision
HARRISBURG - Richard E.
Grubb, Pennsylvania secretary of
Igriculture, reminds Penn
lylvania dairymen in Federal
This We Must See!
On Tuesday morning these two loan officers at the Annville
Office of Farm Credit were still in excellent health at their
Office Products Awareness Day. But along with some other
door prizes like cheese, bologna and fruit baskets, Greg
Snyder, left, and Keith Silfee were up for a loan to a full-time
farmer (or his wife) in a drawing.
According to the rules, very visibly displayed by .the entry
blank box, Greg and Keith will be available to work on the
farm of the winner one day approximately 10 hours Monday
through Friday according to the winning farmer’s schedule.
The sign said, "We are at your mercy tor the day."
But both loan officers were a little hesitant to take credit for
the quote since the nature of the work they may be asked to
perform was not clear. Cleaning out box stalls, feeding pigs or
calves, changing the baby's diaper, stripping tobacco or
making dinner. Any one of these jobs plus numerous other
jobs might be in store for them.
For now it's still uncertain. But some time before January
31, we'll know. And then we'll let you know how two loan
officers from Annville feel after a "real" day's work on the
(arm.
Order 4 that they have until Dec. 15
(one week) to choose a dairy
promotion program to support in
1987 with their milk production
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 6,1986
assessments.
They must decide between the
Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion
Program’s statewide campaign
and the Mid-Atlantic Milk
Marketing Area’s regional
promotional efforts.
“This is an opportunity for our
dairymen to be active in the
decision making process, and to
control how their money is spent,”
Grubb said.
Dairymen must issue written
notice to Joseph Shine, federal
milk market administrator, by
Dec. 15 if they choose to contribute
assessments to the Pennsylvania
Dairy Promotion Program, Grubb
advised. Shine’s address is: P.O.
Box 25825, Alexandria, Va. 22313.
In the absence of such notice,
assessments are automatically
credited by Shine to the MAMMA
program.
Under federal law, a 15-cent
assessment is collected for each
100 pounds of milk produced. Five
cents is earmarked to the National
Dairy Promotion Board for
nationwide advertising, promotion
and research. Producers decide
which state and regional
promotion efforts receive the
remaining 10 cents.
A phone survey conducted by
Bob Williams Associates of Camp
Hill revealed that 57 percent of
Pennsylvania dairymen in Federal
Order 4 did not realize they had a
choice of directing where the
remaining 10 cents would go. Of
those surveyed, 95 percent were
uncertain were their 10 cents was
going.
The majority of the dairymen
polled were aware of the 15 cent
per hundredweight deduction and
that 5 cents of the 15 went to the
(Turn to Page A3l)
Worldwide View
Given At National
Ag Conference
BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
WASHINGTON D.C. - When
you think agriculture, you need to
consider more than conditions at
the local level. At least that’s the
message that evolved from the
63rd Annual Agricultural Outlook
Conference here in the USDA
building this week. Speaker after
speaker gave reasons for farm
problems and made predictions of
things to come. Politics, supply,
demand, world markets and
economics. Not just in the U.S., but
also in Australia, Brazil, Europe,
Russia and Japan.
“World agricultural markets are
in their worst state since the Great
Depression,” said Geoff Miller,
Department of Primary Industry,
Australia.
Wheat stocks have risen by 69
Wengers Buy
Wolgemuth
Wengers Food Mills Inc. in
Rheems has agreed to purchase
Wolgemuth Bros. Inc., a Mount
Joy manufacturer of livestock and
poultry feed. The purchase price
was not disclosed.
Wolgemuth at 230 S. Market
Ave., Mount Joy, has 70 employees
and two milling operations at the
Mount Joy plant. Wolgemuth
manufactures Florin livestock and
poultry feed.
Wengers, founded in the early
1940 s by Melvin M. Wenger, is in
Rheems.
Dairy Policy On Hold
BYJOYCEBUPP
York County Correspondent
LAS VEGAS Improving prices
and a smaller surplus have
resulted in a wait and see attitude
hovering over much of America’s
dairy leadership meeting here this
week for a National Dairy Summit.
As a result, the controversial
issue of milk supply management
for the nation’s dairy industry
seems likely to simmer on the back
burner behind the more heated
political issues of glaring budget
deficits, grain gluts, trade im
balance and economic instability
on the farm.
All-Maryland
Holsteins
Don’t miss the win
ners of the All-Maryland
Holstein contest in the
open and junior
divisions. To see the
remaining pictures of
the class winners turn to
pages A 26 and A 27.
Four Sections
per cent and prices have plunged
by 45 per cent. Grain stocks in the
U.S. have risen and are now alone
equivalent to around two years’
total world trade. Sugar prices
have fallen dramatically and are
still 86 per cent below 1980 levels;
stocks have risen 45 per cent.
World butter stocks have soared to
a massive 1.7 Mt. and prices have
fallen by 50 per cent. Stocks of beef
in the E.C. have risen to over 700
kt.—about 30 per cent of world
trade.
The costs of farm programs have
escalated dramatically.
U.S. taxpayers paid U.S. $3-5
billion in the early 1980 s. This year
they will pay around U.S. $3O
billion, almost 15 per cent of the
national budget deficit. This is a
contribution of nearly U.S. $7OO by
each nonfarm family in the
country.
Taxpayers, as consumers, are
paying an additional estimated
U.S. $6 billion a year because
prices for products such as sugar
and dairy products are ad
ministered at levels above in
ternational prices.
The Common Agricultural
Policy is also faced with a run
away budget. Despite the increase
in the proportion of value added
tax spent on agriculture from 1.0
per cent to 1.4 per cent this year,
costs are running well above in
come
At U.S. $23 billion in 1986-87,
direct subsidy costs of the CAP
have doubled in five years. This
(Turn to Page A 24)
In fact, delegates to the annual
National Milk Producers
Federation meeting rejected a
policy amendment to intensify
groundwork on framework of
supply management options for
the milk industry. More than 1,500
dairy industry leaders, delegates
and guests gathered at Caesar’s
Palace Monday through Thursday
for tb£ Federation’s annual
meeting and dairy summit.
Featured on the program
headlined by Washington notables
were Secretary of Agriculture
Richard Lyng, Senators Jesse
(Turn to PageA24)
100,000 Pound Cow
Coldspnng Elevation Insert owned by
Marlin Hoff.
$8.50 Per Year