i36-Lancaster Family, Saturday September 1987
a:
(Continued from Page A 33)
rising isn’t likely to expand total
domestic purchases of onions. It
may though, expand purchases of
some onions while reducing
purchases of others.
With all the emphasis on fiber in
the diet,.per capital levels of fruit
and vegetable consumption have
been rising while per capita beef
consumption has been falling. Is
this cause and effect? Cpuld the
beef industry reverse its trend with
a big promotional campaign?
Would the fruit and vegetable
industries retaliate with campaigns
of their own? Would consumers
then consume more fruits and veg
etables or more beef or more of
each and less poultry and milk for
example.
Who knows who would gain
and who would lose? If such a situ
ation were to occur, as it has
between poultry and pork, North
western apples and those from
other regions and regionally pro
duced onions to mention but a few,
we can be reasonably sure of the
following:
• Consumers will be better
informed about the merits of vari
ous food products as well as their
shortcomings which will likely be
pointed out by those promoting
products that compete for space in
the consumer’s stomach. Informed
consumers make better choices
and a more efficient marketing
system might result. Furthermore
much of the promotional effort
subsidizes other consumer items
such as radio and television enter
tainment and magazines and news
papers. Consumers probably
benefit.
• The producers of the com
modity may gam also, particularly
if their products poscss quahtiics
that are now of greater importance
to some people due to newly dis
covered needs of those consumers.
Of if on balance they convince
consumers to eat a little more of
their product even though they
might eat a little less of someone
elscs.
■ The industries that do the
advertising and promotion gain.
Indeed that is the reason they arc m
business and such activities arc the
source of their incomes.
What’s that you say? You
bchcvc advertising is more of a
defensive strategy than an offen
sive one. Perhaps you are right but
I caution, defense may be impor
lant 100. The entire purpose of this
column is not to evaluate the value
of commodity advertising. That
you’ll each have to do, taking into
account costs incurred and any
perceived short- and long-run ben
efits. I am simply tr>ing to encour
age you to give the general topic
some thought
Perhaps you’ll come to the same
conclusion I have There is no way
that advertising and promotion can
increase domestic consumption of
food to levels that will result in
substantial increases in all farm
prices. Some may gain but others
will lose and it is conceivable that
with many, costs jnay exceed’
With Thaw Pirticipatinc
gams,
In addition to promotion and
advertising there is another possi
bility for the improvement of the
agricultural marketing system.
The system can look for ways of
becoming more efficient. The pro
fit motive pushes all marketers in
that direction.
Chore-Time's new Model2ooofeeder: it
gives you features of the future—NOW
■V»
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LANCASTER The Chesa
peake Bay Program cost-sharing
funding agreements are ready for
signups.
It is designed to improve water
quality and reduce nutrient loading
of streams and waterways that
flow into the Susquehanna River.
Cost-sharing is being offered to
Initially, improvements in effi
ciency might lead to higher prices
for agricultural products. However
the profits gained as a result of
increased efficiency may not be
reflected in either lower consumer
prices or higher farm prices both of
which would benefit farmers pro
ducing the product.
Farmers, if they want their share
of efficiency gains, will generally
have to rely on competition among
marketers to provide it. If it
doesn’t, they can pool their indivi
dual supplies and bargain collec
Imagine a feeder: (1) that’s rustproof and gives you all the advantages of Chore-Time’s famous Model C-plus
even more features...(2) that automatically opens when it’s lowered to the floor, so it fills the pan with feed
-to attract chicks from day one... (3) that, when raised off the floor, adjusts itself to low feed level, saving feed as
you finish out the birds.
Chore-Time imagined it...then designed it...and tested it extensively. And now poultrymen are flocking to it
because of all the advantages it offers them. The 2000 feeder-we have it now. And you can get it-for new
installations or for remodeling-and start reaping its benefits.
Sfy
With the new Chore-Time 2000 feeder you no longer need to fill the
by hand It can reduce or eliminate the need for starter trays
NOW—A CHOICE OF PANS Model C the most popular feeder
WITH THE FAMOUS MODEL C in thfc entire broiler industry is now
available with either galvanized
or rustproof polypropylene pan
COMPLETE SYSTEMS & EQUIPMENT SALES FOR CATTLE, HOGS & POULTRY
Authorized Chore-Time Distributor
E NT^inc^J
RD 4, East Farmersville Rd., Ephrata, PA 17522
(717) 354-6520
Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Lancaster Ready For Bay Funding
landowners in the Chickies
Watershed, but applications will
be classified from low to high
priority scored on established
guidelines in the District Office.
Robert Gregory, Administrator
for the Lancaster County Conser
vation District is asking all inter-
tively with users of their farm pro
duct to obtain their shares of effi
ciency gains or they could
vertically integrate into the market
and provide competition for exist
ing buyers. The latter alternative
requires a great deal of resolve on
the part of farmers, a unanimity of
approval among affected farmers
and lots of capital. Many farm
groups have done it and some,
though not all, have been very
successful.
The domestic marketing system
works well. Consumers are pro
vided with a wide variety of high
AUTOMATICALLY PILES FEED HIGH SO CHICKS SEE IT
AND START EATING RIGHT FROM THE PAN
... * • * '
\ *- -
* \ • V^*Jfc
X
. yi -' 1
I^*l
ested farmers or landowners in the
Chickies Creek Watershed area to
visit his office during the month of
September, in Room 6 of the Farm
and Home Center at 1383 Arcadia
Road, Lancaster or call
717-299-5361 or 717-299-1563
for more information.
quality foods requiring only a
small percentage of their incomes.
The system can be improved. It
can and will attempt to reach out to
overseas markets. Whether or not
the system will be successful in
that effort will be determined more
by international politics than by
the strength or quality of the mark
eting system’s efforts.
The system can and will become
more efficient. It can and will con
tinue to better meet our consumers
perceived needs. It cannot guaran
tee a “satisfactory price” for all
that farmers want to produce.
„ J I
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