WASHINGTON, DC As
Members of Congress continue to
debate the 1990 Farm Bill, they
should “learn from history” and
avoid the temptation to increase
loan rates, emphasized Secretary
of Agriculture Clayton Yeutter.
Speaking at the annual Farm
Women’s Leadership Forum,
Yeutter said we’re hearing the
same arguments now that we
heard in the early 1980 s. “Con
gress approved higher loan rates
to provide an additional safety net
and make us feel better,”
explained Yeutter. “As a result,
we priced ourselves out of the
world market.”
Yeutter urged the 140 farm
women attending this Forum from
June 7-9 to help “sustain the
momentum” from the 1985 Farm
bill and build new market oppor
tunities. “Too many people
believe farm subsidies are syn
onymous with farm income. But I
think many farmers prefer to get
most of their income from the
marketplace.”
The Forum is held each year in
Washington D.C. to help farm
women become better informed
on key agricultural issues ranging
from the 1990 Farm Bill to animal
welfare issues to food safety con
cerns. It’s the only national meet-
Yeutter Outlines Farm Bill To Farm Women
ing that encourages farm women
from different states and farm
organizations to learn and work
together on common concerns.
Other speakers at this year’s
Forum included Rep. Vin Weber
(R-MN), Rep. Jim Jontz (D-IN),
Deputy Under Secretary for Inter
national Affairs and Commodity
Programs Ann Veneman, and
Australian Wheat Board Vice
President Dennis Wise. In addi
tion, several workshops focused
on how to deal with upcoming
agricultural challenges such as
“How to deal with food safely
scares” and a panel discussion on
“Emerging Issues in the 19905.” A
special computerized seminar
allowed teams of farm women to
be a Congressmen for a two-year
term and make all of the necessary
decisions —from voting on con
troversial issues to generating
campaign funds for re-election.
The 1990 Forum attracted an
impressive group of farm women
from 28 states during the three
day session. Participants repre
sented a diverse set of interest
groups such as American- Agri-
Women, American Farm Bureau
Federation, Associated Milk Pro
ducers, Inc., American National
Cattle Women, National Pork
Council Women, National Wool
Growers Auxiliary, useable infor- The Forum is sponsored by sev
mation on legislative and regulat- eral companies who contribute
ory issues which affect agricul- time > money, and other valuable
turc, to educate farm women about resources to make this unique
the political process with an training program possible. Spon
emphasis on effective lobbying sors include: American Cyana
skills, to develop and “fine-tune” muL Monsanto. Chicago Board of
communication and media skills, ( !% D A uPont ’ S?’
and to encourage cooperation ,? r
between all sectors of agriculture. Co., Cargill, Nauonal Ag i-
Bacon Still American
CHICAGO, 111. Bacon usage
is locked into a perpetual tug-of
war. Its good taste pulls consum
ers toward it, while health con
cerns push them away. But,
according to a study partially
funded by the pork checkoff,
bacon remains a favorite in the
American diet.
The study was co-sponsored by
the National Livestock and Meat
Board’s Pork Industry Group,
through a National Pork Board
grant, and by the American Meat
Institute. Directions Research,
Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, inter
viewed 800 primary grocery shop
pers and 500 randomly selected
bacon users. In addition, purchas
ers were asked to identify the
bacon consumption habits of all
household members.
“The primary message I find in
the study is that consumers still
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 4 1990-819
have problems understanding the
concept of variety and moderate
for a healthy diet,” said Bruce
Paterson, Ph.D., director of prog
rams for the Pork and Deli/
Prepared Meats Division of the
Meat Board. “There is still work
to be done to educate consumers.”
The findings suggest that most
consumers would be surprised at
the difference between their nutri
tional perceptions and reality. For
example, a three-slice cooked
serving of bacon contains no more
fat or cholesterol than an ounce of
cheese.
Consumers pointed out that
bacon’s packaging could be
improved. More than 80 percent
of the interviewed consumers said
they repackage bacon. Further
more, twice as many people are
likely to eat bacon away from
home than to prepare it them-
cultural Chemicals Association,
Ford New Holland, Geo. A. Hor
mel & Co., Dow Chemical, North
rup King, The Upjohn Company,
Rhone Poulenc Ag Company,
Elanco, Pioneer, Sandoz Crop
Protection Corporation, American
Feed Industry Association, Kent
Feeds, and Agri-Pulse
CommunicaUons.
Favorite
selves. “Clearly, bacon is a more
appealing product away from
home than it is at home,” accord
ing to Directions Research.
“It appears that packaging and
convenience of bacon affects pur
chasing habits as much as health
concerns. It would definitely be
worth the industry’s time and
effort to develop more user
friendly packaging,” said Patricia
L. Pines, American Meat Institute
vice president.
Among the other conclusions
generated from the consumer
interviews are:
• Consumer usage of bacon is
extremely broad. Nearly 90 per
cent of households purchase
bacon for home use at least annu
ally, 60 percent make monthly
purchases, and 30 percent of all
meals away from home include
some bacon.