Moyers Named Outstanding Young Farmers of 1989
(Continued from Pag* A 1)
eight years, have three children,
Alicia, 6; Jessica, 4; and Kile, 2.
They farm 450 acres with Ralph’s
father, George. They raise all
registered Holsteins and presently
have 240 head on the farm with
110 in the milking herd. George
has been on this Berks Coun»y for
22 years and has a closed herd for
all those years.
Ralph is in charge of the milking
herd and George docs all the crop
ping. Crystal does all the financial
records for her and Ralph’s portion
of the farm. He and Crystal own
nearly half of the herd. They have
been feeding a total mixed ration
for 12 years. Herd average is
19,400 pounds of milk and butter
fat at 708 pounds.
Presently the milking herd is 48
percent first-calf heifers after a dis
persal sale more than a year ago
sold off 50 head. All AI work is
done by Sire Power.
Ralph appreciates his wife’s
help and support and knows how
importance it is to the success of
the farm. Crystal had no farm
background when Ralph proposed
to her and before popping the ques
tion, he asked his hopefully wife
to-be if she wanted him to find
another occupation. Both are very
happy now that her answer was no.
“I told him no. If he wanted to go
into farming I told him I would
stand beside him 100 percent,”
said Crystal. “I’ve never regretted
that”
“Farming is different than any
other job. There’s the uncertainty,”
said Ralph thoughtfully and he
paused, “and the uncertainty. It’s
the hours, too, I hate to say that, but
most of all it is the uncertainty
more than anything else. In other
jobs you know basically how much
money you’ll be making each year
and what your costs will be be.
You can’t be sure of that in
farming.”
“I try to bring home what I’m
doing on the farm,” Ralph
explained, “Of course Crystal
always asks me what I did today
when I come in. Farming is a lifes
tyle. It’s not just a job. And I
always discuss with her what I’m
doing and ask her opinion. It’s my
name on the cows’ registration
papers, ut she owns them,too.”
Crystal’s advice to those inter
ested in winning this award, “Try
and try again”. “We didn’t win it
the first time we tried.”
Entries for the Outstanding
Young Farmer Award were sub
mitted from across the state. These
couples were selected to compete
in the finalists round;
Robert and Beverly Stanton of
Clearvillc, Bedford County, oper
ate a 500-acre dairy farm in part
nership with Robert’s father. They
milk 85 head of Holstein cows and
have been successful in lowering
their costs of milk production.
Improvements on the farm include
a new silo, heifer bam, workshop,
free-stall bam and milking parlor.
They have also constructed a liq
uid manure pit and converted a
used truck and dairy tank into a liq
uid manure tank-truck. They have
two children, ages four and one.
Martin and Christine Yahner of
Patton, Cambria County, farm
with Martin’s father, Gerald, and
brother, Rick, on a 1,200-acre beef
cattle and hog finishing operation.
They market 400 head of cattle and
1,000 hogs each year and sell hay
as a cash crop. Martin is active in
PFA and was recently elected pres
ident of the Cambria County Far
mers’ Association. He and his wife
have also co-chaired PFA’s Young
Farmers and Ranchers Committee.
The Yahner’s are the parents of a
one-year-old daughter.
Daniel and Sherri Mains of
Newvillc, Cumberland County,
farm in partnership with Daniel’s
father on a 800-acre dairy and hog
farm. They milk 70 Holstein cows,
have a 20 sow farrow-to-finish hog
operation, and market mulch hay
to mushroom growers. Milk output
and crop production have both
improved on the farm and the
mulch hay business has been
steadily growing since it was
started five years ago. Both Daniel
and Sherri are active in a PFA
advisory council.
PFA members hosted a variety
of informative speakers during
their 3-day session and members
were offered several seminars on
improving management, market
ing and communication skills.
David Boldt, Editor, The Phi
ladelphia Inquirer, addressed
members at Tuesday’s luncheon
on the “The Two States Of Pen
nsylvania” and urged members to
join with their urban counterparts
for a stronger Pennsylvania.
"We accomplish more as a state
when we work together,” said
Boldt. “We’ve lost shared values
and goals. We need a greater sense
of community, a sense of shared
purpose.”
Philadelphia is the fourth largest
metropolitan area in the country,
but accounts for only 20 percent of
the state’s population. Pennsylva
nia has the largest rural population
of any state in the country. Boldt
pointed out the disparate balance
of power and asked for rural resi
dents to understand and help Phi
ladelphia with its problems.
“Why are they (homeless) Phi
ladelphia’s homeless?,” asked
Boldt. “The city spends $45 mil
lion on shelter and food for the
homeless living in Philadelphia. I
know of some communities which
give vagrants a bus ticket to
Philadelphia.”
Crack addiction and AIDS over
whelm the city. These are the prob
lems of the nation and not only
Philadelphia. However, Boldt
noted that it has become politically
unpopular to do anything that hints
of helping Philadelphia. It is not as
if the city is not paying its way.
Philadelphia is heavily taxed, but it
is also a careful spendor.
Philadelphia spends three times
more on combating AIDS than the
state government. It’s the same
with the drug program.
Boldt urged the PFA members
to help Philadelphia, not with dol
lars, but with their support for the
campaign for the merit selection of
judges in the state instead of elect
ing judges. Merit selection would
hopefully rid the city of ineffective
judges.
Eckel supported Boldt request
CAMP HILL (Cumberland
Co.) Voting delegates at the
39th Annual Meeting of the Penn
sylvania Farmers’ Association
(PFA) adopted comprehensive
policy positions on the 1990 farm
bill, nutrient management and
auto insurance during their three
day convention in Hershey.
A total of 168 voting delegates
representing PFA’s 22,678 family
members, set policies after
deliberating on over 100 grass
roots policy suggestions from the
organization’s 54 county units.
Delegates adopted a policy state
ment for the upcoming 1990 farm
bill debate which calls for less
reliance on government and more
on the market by allowing farmers
Ralph and Crystal Moyer, Robert and Beverly Stanton, Christine and Martin Yahner
and Daniel and Sherri Mains were selected from competitors across the state as the
four finalists couples In the Outstanding Young Farmer contest. The annual recogni
tion Is given to the farm couple, under the age of 30, who has demonstrated outstand
ing farm management.
for support from rural Pennsylva
nians for urban concerns. “Urban
concerns needs to be on the mind’s
of every Pennsylvania citizen to
achieve a greater understanding
between the two areas and to make
Pennsylvania a better place for us
all to live.”
INCREASE PROFIT
WITH MARKET MASTER®
“Farmers used to believe that
the only way to succeed was to
break your back working in the
fields from daylight to dark and
then some. I’m here to tell you
that’s not the way to do it anymore.
You can make a heck of a lot more
money working at your desk. I
know. I’ve done it,” said Phil
Simpson, Illinois Farm Bureau
Market Master® Instructor during
one of the informational sessions.
Simpson credits marketing for
allowing him to survive the
depression of the the early 1980 s in
Illinois.
By adhering to strict accounting
procdures and doing a lot of mark
eting work behind a desk, Simp
son, not only survived but thrived
when 35 percent of his neighbors
lost the farm.
“I’ve never made so much
money in my life,” said Simpson.
“And I do it on rainy days, days
when its 110 degrees outside or
when 60 mph winds make it 30
degrees below. I’d much rather be
sitting behind my desk on those
days. And I’ve make more profit
that way, too.
Market Master® is an in-depth
marketing plan, but once the far
mer works through the plan the
first year, it’s easy, said Simpson.
Too many fanners stop in at
PFA Delegates
to take maximum advantage of
market opportunities at home and
abroad without government
interference.
Delegates also adopted policy
calling for a statewide nutrient
management plan for all farms to
control disposal of excess animal
waste. Policies calling for reforms
to reduce auto insurance rates
were also adopted.
In addition, delegates set poli
cies calling for:
~ state incentives to encourage
greater use of crop insurance.
- recognition of aquaculture as
an agricultural enterprise.
-- basing the determination of
wetlands on the historical use of
the land.
their local coffee shop every morn
ing to get the latest marketing
news. This is a big mistake. Most
farmers hold on to their crop wait
ing for the best price. That best
price comes and goes and the far
mer is left with his com and most
likely will sell when he has to sell
to meet his bills and getting the
lowest price f the season.
“First rule,” said Simpson,
"Don’t tell your marketing plan to
anyone. Someone will talk you out
of it. You make your own market
ing decisions.”
Market Master helps the farmer
make his own marketing decisions
based on production costs and,
market history.
“You want to sell your crop in
the top third of the market and you
want to buy in the bottom third of
the market. Anything more than
that and you are just being too
greedy.
“Unfortunately, for most far
mers it is the other way around.
Most farmers sell at tax time in
January and April. Chicago (Board
of Trade) knows you need to sell at
that lime and they are not going to
pay you top dollar,” said Simpson.
Simpson urges farmers to get
into a marketing class to learn the
ABC’s of marketing. Is the first
class difficult, yes, but it’s worth it.
“I took the ‘ABC’s of Market
ing’ class three times before I
understood it. Three times!
You’ve got to get the basics down
before you go on to anything else,”
said Simpson. “Quit breaking your
back out in the field and get into a
marketing meeting.”
The market plan tells the farmer
what price he needs and when he
Adopt Policies
consumer education concern
ing the bovine somatotropin
(BST) bovine growth hormone, if
approved for use in dairy cows by
the Food and Drug Adminis
tration.
On this issue, delegates over
whelmingly rejected a recommen
dation to oppose use of BST to
increase milk production, if
proven safe.
In other action, delegates
returned PFA Vice President Guy
Donaldson of Gettysburg, Adams
County, to his second two-year
term as PFA Vice President. Three
new members were elected to
PFA’s 16-member State Board of
Directors. They are: Curtis Kratz
of Souderton, Montgomery Coun-
needs to sell to get that price.
These are the alternatives for sell
ing commodities;
Sale at time harvest
Store for later sale
delayed price agreement
forward cash sale
government program
basis- contract
hedge using combination of
cash and futures markets
options.
“You must figure all thosfc alter- ?
natives and select which one will
give you the price you need,” said
Simpson. “Then do it. You SELL.
This is the toughest part because
you’ll want to hold out for the
higher price and you’ll never get it.
You’ve got to stay out of the coffee
shop..” ,
“Plaster that marketing plan all
over the house, all over the bam, in
your car, in your pickup truck.
Because when that commodity hits
that price your mind will be on
something else and you don’t want
to forget. You don’t want to miss
your price.
“Who cares if com goes to
$3.25, because you sold at $3.00
and made major bucks. And you
know the good part. Next year,
you’ll only need $2.90 because
you’ll have paid off all your bills
this year and you won’t have near
the costs to cover.”
“Farming is big time business
and you’ve got to start looking at it
that way,” said Simpson.
Market Master® is offered
through the American Farm
Bureau Federation. Contact your
local representative for class
’ offerings.
ty, representing members in
Berks, Chester, Delaware and
Montgomery counties; Marvin
Snyder of Domsife, Northumber
land County, representing mem
bers in Montour, Northumberland,
Snyder and Union counties; and
Dale Corbin of Brookville, Jeffer
son County, representing mem
bers in Armstrong, Clarion, Jeffer
son and Elk counties.
Members re-elected to the PFA
State Board are Richard Pallman
of Clarks Summit, Karl Kroeck of
Knoxville. C. Eugene Wingert of
St. Thomas, Harold Shaulis, Jr. of
Somerset, and Helen Jackson of
New Galilee. All were elected to
serve two-year terms.