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VOL. 32 No. 8
Pennsylvania RCMA Steering Committee at the informational meeting in Harrisburg
this week are (L to R): Robert Pardoe, Grange; Harold Wolfe, PFU; Arden Tewksbury,
PFU; Harold Ely, chairman; Karl Kroeck, PFA; Carl Brown, P£/t and Donald Duncan,
Grange.
Butz Is Bullish On Ag At Mid-Atlantic No-Till Conference
BY JACK HUBLEY
YORK - Former USDA
Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz
came to York on Dec. 17 and took
the press to task for blowing the
agricultural community’s
problems out of proportion.
Butz, who served as secretary
from 1971 to 1976, was the keynote
speaker at the Mid-Atlantic No-Till
Conference held at the York
Fairgrounds.
“This is not a dying industry,”
Butz said, pointing out that
nationwide, agriculture’s debt-to
asset ratio is 23 percent. Almost
one-half of all American farmers
have no debt, he said. And of the
remaining half, about 50 percent
have debts amounting to less than
20 percent of their assets.
Butz described the current
restructuring of the agricultural
economy as more of a natural
economic evolution than a tragedy.
Attempts by some politicians to
"save the family farm” are based
on emotionalism rather than sound
economics. Staying competitive
means that farmers need to em
brace new technologies that cut
their cost of production. And to do
PVATA Past President
Receives State Award
WILLOW STREET - James
Kerr, immediate past president of
the Pennsylvania Vocational
Agricultural Technical Teachers
Association, was honored earlier
this month with the state
vocational agricultural teachers’
association award.
The award, presented to Kerr
during the National Vocational
Agricultural Teachers’
Association convention, honors
unmediate past presidents of state
associations for outstanding
professional activities in con
ducting state association
programs. The convention was
held in Dallas, Texas Dec. 5
through 9.
To qualify for the award, state
associations must meet a list of
stringent requirements designed to
encourage professional activities
among state associations.
Kerr, a vocational horticulture
teacher at Lancaster County
that, each operation must be
spread over more acres, Butz said.
On a lighter note, the former ag
secretary pointed out that there
are actually two definitions of the
family farm. The “economic
famtiiUwna” large enough to
allow its owat* to make a livihg,
while the “political family farm”
Pipestone Experts Address
First Shepherds Symposium
BYBETHNESBIT
Indiana Co. Correspondent
SOMERSET Presentations by
a team of sheep husbandrymen
from Minnesota’s Pipestone Sheep
Project highlighted the first an
nual Keystone Shepherds Sym
posium held here on Dec. 19 and 20.
One of the event’s featured
speakers was lan Cunningham of
Pipestone who, along with his wife
Tammy, manages a commercial
flock of ’ 450 Finn Cross and
Rambouillet ewes. lan’s topic
concentrated on how he and his
Vocational! Technical Schools,
reviewed a i' extensive list of ac
complishments achieved during
his term as PVATA president
(1985-86). '
Among tl)ose accomplishments
he listed wetre: a state newsletter
distributed to all state association
members, 4a state Program of
Work developed and distributed to
all members and committees;
delegates attending the national
convention in Atlanta; 10 percent
of the members qualified for the
NVATA “Thirty-Minute Club;”
and two studies that improved the
instructional program, teacher
welfare or the professional
organization
Kerr also worked with
to achieve legislation
allowing students to substitute up
to one academic credit per year for
a vocational program. This allows
vocational students to obtain
(Turn to Page A 23)
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 27,1986
is small enough to enable its owner
to “starve to death slowly.”
Not all farmers will survive the
current crisis, Butz said. “Perhaps
they shouldn’t make it, but that is
not unique to American
agriculture,” he said, pointing out
that the economic climate is
weeding out the poorer managers
wife developed a successful sheep
operation in Minnesota. Their
annual lambing percentage is
currently over 200 percent. Due to
their many innovative husbandry
practices, such as successfully
raising triplets on the ewe, special
ewe feeding programs and use of
low-cost facilities, they have been
widely recognized for their
working knowledge of sheep
production.
Health Problems
Addressing the area of sheep
(Turn to PageA2s)
James Kerr
RCMA Sets Team In
Place To Sign Up
Independent Shippers
BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
HARRISBURG - Wanted!
Three thousand Pennsylvania milk
producers who ship to independent
milk plants. According to Harold
Ely, chairman of the Regional
Cooperative Marketing Agency
(RCMA), these independent dairy
shippers are wanted to join the
growing number of dairymen
across the state who have joined
in many areas of business and
industry as well.
Butz was critical of government
programs that don’t allow those
poorer managers to sift through
the grates. “If you attempt to
guarantee everybody against
failure, then you remove the
possibility of success beyond
mediocrity,” he said. “We need a
safety net, but not at such a level
that the government becomes the
primary market.”
Butz singled out the dairy in
dustry as a prime example of how
the “safety net” has caused
problems; Forages feed the dairy
industry, makingmilk, in essence,
liquified grass, he said. Grass
grows best in the northern states,
so it follows that milk-production
should be centered theret but pfrice
supports have bgerr high enough to
put the southern states in the dairy
business, he said.' ’
Lancaster Co . Ag Agent
Arnofyl Lueck Retires
By SAfitV BAfct
Lancaster Co. Correspondent
LANCASTER - Lancaster
Countians paid tribute Sunday,'ito
Arnold G. Lueck, jwbo is retiring
from'tfife' Penn State Cooperative
Extension Service after 25 years as
the county’s agronomy and hor
ticulture specialist.
At a reception held at the Farm
and Home Center, County Com
missioner James Huber summed
up the feelings of many when he
said, “Because of Arme, Lancaster
County is a better place to live.”
Huber acknowledged the large
part Luec!’ played in helping to
maintain Lai 'aster County as the
Garden Spot o' the nation, and
thanked him for his “active help to
preserve our great agricultural
heritage.”
State Senator Noah Wenger, in
presenting him with a resolution
passed by the state Senate
recognizing his work, said, “We
honor him for his career of service
to the community and to the
county, and for a career which has
touched many lives ” He, too,
praised Lueck for helping to keep
Lancaster Count' “among the
Three Sections
together in their cooperatives to
set milk prices above the federal
order base prices. “Fanners have
the legal right to bargain for a
higher price for their milk,” Ely
told the group gathered in the
Farm Show building this week.
And RCMA is in place from the
1970 s to do the job.
(Turn to PageA3B)
See Editorial Page A-10 en
titled Join RCMA Now.
Butz sees light at the end of the
tunnel in the form of increased
exports spurred by lower loan
rates that will make American
commodities more competitive on
the world market. “It’s begun to
work,” he said, pointing out that
the physical volume, if not the
dollar volume, of U.S. exports has
increased in 1986 over the previous
year.
Turning to the no-till conference,
Butz said he was glad to hear the
event’s speakers emphasizing
Editor’s Note
Due to the holiday, many
markets were closed this week and
others were not reported. All
markets available to Lancaster
Farming are included in our usual
A Section market pages.
most progressive in the nation and
in the world.” He added, “You’ve
done a good job. We’re proud of
you.”
John Weidman, who served as
master of ceremonies, said,
“Arnie received modestly but gave
generously ” He thanked Lueck on
(Turn to Page A3l)
The office of Lancaster Farming
will be closed in observance of New
Year’s Day holiday.
Advertisers and news sources
are asked to meet the following
deadlines for the Jan. 3 issue.
Mailbox Market and public sale
ads, Monday at 5 p.m.; General
news, Classified Section B and
display ads, Tuesday noon; all
other classified, 9 a.m. Thursday;
and late-breaking news, noon
Thursday.
Materials for I Lancaster Farm
ing’s special Farm Show issue,
to be published Jan. 10, should also
be received at the I-ancaster
Fanning office as soon as possible
News deadline is Monday, Jan 6
$8.50 Per Year
(Turn to Page A 26)
Holiday
Deadlines