VOL. 34 No. 2
Young Farmers
Outstanding
In Their Field
BY USA RISSER
HERSHEY (Dauphin) “This
makes all our hard work worth
while,” stated Calvin Beekman as
he and his wife, Michele, were pre
sented with the Outstanding
Young Fanner Award by the Pen
nsylvania Farmers’ Association.
The Beckmans, who have an
orchard in Boyertown, received
the award at the 38th annual meet
ing of the statewide farm organiza
tion this week. They were selected
from five finalists who exhibited
farm management and leadership
skills before reaching age 30.
Cal represents the third genera
tion on the 334-acre family
orchard and grain farm, which is
operated by a corporation formed
by himself, father Wayne, and
grandmother.
The Beckmans earn more
money from the apples and peach
es grown in their orchards, but find
the diversification into grain
essential. Besides offsetting risks,
the diversity is necessary in terms
of man power and time.
(Turn to Pago A 24)
Producers Want Fair Price For Eggs
BY LOU ANN GOOD
LANCASTER—Last year egg
fanners suffered losses totaling
$26 million. That’s enough to send
them scrambling to gain control of
a declining market and spiraling
prices.
Said Jay Irwin, county exten
sion agent, “Producers should cer
tainly have some say on price.
They know what it costs to pro
duce egg.”
He asks, “Why should consum
ers control the prices? The public
doesn’t go to a car dealer and say,
‘This is what I’m paying for your
car.’ Other industries set pnees,
why shouldn’t egg producers?”
Irwin emphasized, “They
should not be providing eggs
below cost and they can’t continue
to do so. They do an excellent job
in production and management,
now its time they command a fair
price for their eggs.”
Many producers believe the way
to get a fair price for eggs is to have
a supply management plan, which
is some type of production control
that would allow only the amount
of eggs on the market to meet con
sumers’ demand. In recent months,
a handful of county producers have
been getting together and with the
help of Penn State’s agriculture
economic department have drawn
up a questionaire that has been sent
to 2,100 producers nationwide.
The questionaire is to be com
pleted by November 20 and
returned to the county extension
office. The committee hopes the
responses will show which direc-
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Five Sections
I, M'flUW and Calv,n Beekman of Boyertown UHBeffcs
County were chosen as the state’sOutstandtng Yount} Far*
mflfUy the Pennsylvania Farmers’ Association. The Beek
mans were given a toy tractor In anticipation that they will
win the national competition In San Antonio, the prize tor
which Is the use of a full-size tractor lor a year.
tion the industry should take to sta
bilize the egg market
Within five days of mailing the
questionaires, 630 were completed
and returned. Irwin said, “That tre
mendous reponse indicates the
urgency of the situation. Producers
need some way to get a handle on
what they’re getting for their
product.”
The survey offers a good over
all view of the industry nation
wide. It’s not a survey put out by
the government. It’s a producer
driven survey. Paul Wolgemuth
Jr., an Elizabethtown independent
egg producer in partnership with
his father, chaired the committee
made up of other producers. Irwin
believes this has brought forth a
positive response since Lancaster
The Lancaster Farming
office will be closed Thursday,
November 24, in observance of
Thanksgiving. Deadlines for
the November 26 issue are as
follows:
•Mailbox Market Ads—
Noon, Monday
•Public Sale Ads—s:oo
p.m., Monday
•General News—Noon,
Wednesday
•Classified Section B
Ads—s:oo p.m., Tuesday
•All Other Classified
Ads—9:oo a.m„ Wednesday
Holiday
Deadlines
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 19,1988
Poultry Association is in charge of
the survey and proposal rather than
government.
(Turn to Pago A 26)
Lamar and Mary Howe and their family, Including 6-year-old Sarah, will be providing
fresh turkeys for about 4,000 families.
Farm-Fresh Gobblers To Go
BY LISA RISSER
DOWNINGTOWN (Chester)
In less than two weeks, Ameri
cans will sit down to their tradi
tional turkey dinner complete with
all the trimmings. About 4,000
families will be feasting happily on
birds fresh from Lamar and Mary
Howe’s Little Washington Farm.
50* Per Copy
Delinquent Farmers
Face 45-Day Deadline
FmHA Borrowers Alert
BY PAT PURCELL
HARRISBURG (Dauphin)
By Thanksgiving, 560 of Pennsyl
vania’s farmers will have less than
45 days to save their farms. Across
the nation 90,000 troubled farmers
will face the same threat.
Delinquent borrowers of Far
mer’s Home Administration,
which is 10 percent of the state’s
fanners, will receive by certified
mail a packet from FmHA entitled
“Notice of Availability of Loan
Gov. Casey Urges Building Bridges
For A Stronger Pennsylvania
BY BONNIE BRECHBILL
Franklin Co. Correspondent
KAUFFMAN STATION
(Franklin) ‘The people in this
room mate up the heartland of the
stafe. This is Pennsylvania at her
finest,” Governor Robert P. Casey
told the 450 people attending the
State Farm-City Week Kick-Off
Banquet November 15. “I’m
proud to be your governor.”
Governor Casey reminded the
audience that the first bill he
signed as governor took commod
ity activities away from the gov
ernment in Harrisburg and gave
them back to the farmer.
The governor also stated that
the Farm-City Council, of which
But not before the Howes, their
many children, and some hired
helpers butcher, pluck, dress, and
package the birds, which will
weigh 18 pounds and up.
The Howes hope to sell about
6,000 turkeys between now and
the year’s end. They purchased the
gobblers as day-old poults in three
$lO.OO Pw Year
Service'Programs for Delinquent
Farm Borrowers”. This packet
contains nine complex forms that
must be completed if the borrower
wants to restructure his debt load
or appeal any FmHA decision.
The Agricultural Credit Act of
1987 requires FmHA to notify
delinquent borrowers of their new
rights, which includes the right to
restructure farm debt. The packet
will go to 36 percent of all FmHA
(Turn to P«g• A 33)
he is honorary chairman, is build
ing bridges between farm and city
families.
‘Two centuries ago, nine out of
ten people were farmers,” he said.
“Now, mog people live around
citicsrtfillihas tightened the inter
dependence of farm and city
areas.”
In his fifteen minute speech at
the Kauffman Community Center,
he often referred to Pennsylvania
as a family.
“The family of Pennsylvania
means we must stick together,
reach out and help each other,” he
said. “We’re a family state. I’ve
raised eight children in this state. I
(Turn to Page A2O)
batches that were staggered to
have market-ready birds at both
Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“A market-ready bird is about
14 weeks old,” said Lamar. “But
we grow ours a little longer—2o
weeks. This means a heavier bird,
but that’s what our market calls
(Turn to Pag* A 32)