Congressional Inaction Leaves Dairy Farms’ Fate To Market Forces (Continued from Page Al 7) crs Federation. The federation, which represents many of the nation’s cooperatives in Washing ton, was at die forefront of lobby ing efforts for new legislation. Those efforts ended when the Senate, in a close vote in late November, declined to approve a proposal that would have raised the federal government’s milk sup port price a dollar and established a voluntary supply management program. A similar bill already had been shot down in the House of Representatives. The inaction leaves the support price at its current $lO.lO a hun dredweight level (for milk contain ing 3.67-percent butterfat) and plenty of leeway for the M-W price to decline. It was the unprecedented M-W declines of last fall and winter that drove area milk prices to their low est levels in more than a decade and prompted calls for action from Washington. The federation came out in support of a package of changes that included the support price boost, an increase in the amount of non-fat solids the gov ernment requires in fluid milk and Flexible Payment Schedules Fixed Competitive Payments Get If you’re a Telmark customer who acts now, you can put the “breaks” on this year’s tax bill. Order your equipment with a signed lease by December 31, and get 100% tax-deductible payments this year. Plus, with an annual payment schedule, you can benefit from a large tax write-off this year and not make a second payment for as many as 12 full months. . You’ll have several more good reasons to look forward to a happy new year. You can lock in your order now and take delivery in 1992. You’ll enjoy fixed, competitive payments and can choose a payment schedule that allows you to skip payments in the months or season of lowest income. You also can get whatever you want right now without jeopardizing your ability to fully depreciate other assets bought earlier in the year* Find out how lease financing can help you get all the year-end breaks you deserve. Contact your local Telmark representative today, or call 315-449-7964. •Leuini docs not iriner the mid-<ju»net convention that can (eoptnlte the depndiUon on uels purchued earlier in your tix ynr Note Ifeunark* leases are available throughout the Northeast, MI, OH, VA, KY, WV and IN Minimum tease 15,000 ©1991 Tttmark Inc. provision for a voluntary diversion program in which a producer assessment would provide funds to pay those dairymen who elected to cut back their milk production. By contrast, current dairy poli cy, approved as part of the 1991 farm bHI, essentially freezes the support price at the $lO.lO level. It also has set up a producer assess ment to cap the government’s cost of buying surplus dairy products. Keller said the federation’s proposals drew strong opposition from various groups, including the National Cattlemen’s Association and the Milk Industry Foundation, a trade organization for proces sors. It also was opposed by offi cials of the Bush administration, who favor a continuation of cur rent policy. Despite the defeat, federation officials remain hopeful that some thing can be done in 1992, Keller said. If. as feared, seasonal price declines prove worse than usual, then, as was the case last year, “there could be a real crisis for dairy farmers by spring,” she said. That would once again stir calls for new legislation by sympathetic congressmen. 100% Year-End Tax Planning Some Guys All The Breaks Deductibility Fraher’s numbers, which reflect the over-order premium paid to most Mid-Atlantic area farmers, are somewhat more optimistic. Overall, he said, the average Order 4 producer can expect to realize about 25 cents more per hundred weight in 1992 than he did in 1991, when the average price was about $12.95 for 3.5-percent-fat milk. “ A lot is going to depend on how low we go in the spring in terms of outlook for the industry,” he said. Currently, economists are assuming no major change in fed eral dairy policy in 1992 and a con tinuation of the over-order pricing structure that has been created in the area, although neither situation is totally locked in concrete. The $1.05 premium imposed on Class I milk sales by the Pennsyl vania Milk Marketing Board which is the foundation for the same premium charged by the Middle Atlantic Cooperative Milk Marketing Agency remains in place through June, according to PMMB spokesman Tom Kugel. The board has considered talk of extending or raising the premium because of the impact of the past Telmarklnc. Agri-Lease. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 14, 1991-A23 summer’s drought, but has yet to take any action, Kugel said. The same $1 .OS premium is also solidly in place in New Jersey as a result of action by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. Although still under legal chal lenge from several milk dealers in that state, the department is col lecting the premium and distribut ing payments of about 80 cents a Lean Budget Adopted The operating and capital bud gets for fiscal year 1992, which began on October 1, 1991, were adopted by the Pennsylvania DHIA Board at the July 1991 Board meeting. Both budgets are conservative and reflect a strong concern by both the Board and management for the welfare of members, many of whom are ex periencing cash problems caused by low mil prices in 1991. The operating budget calls for no increases in staffing in 1992 and assumes, an average enroll ment of 335,000 cows each month. Current enrollment stands at about 339,000 cows, up from a DISTRICI7TERRITORY MANAGERS DELAWARE David Lytle Northern DE (215) 255-0569 Andrew McLean Southern DE (301) 827-5052 MARYLAND David Lytle Northeastern MD (215) 255-0569 Andrew McLean Eastern MD (301) 827-5052 Scott Weissmann Western MD (301)696-1646 NEW JERSEY David Lytle Southern NJ (215) 255-0569 Lisa Francisco (201) 948-3956 James Grove Eastern WV PENNSYLVANIA (703) 828 ' 2272 Ken Darlington Wayne Morgan South Central PA Southern WV (717) 541 -0558 (304) 645-7062 Larry Douthit Scott Weissmann North Central PA Northeastern WV (716) 925-8262 (301) 696-1646 OUR SALES DISTRICTS ARE SET UP TO GIVE YOU PROMPT SERVICE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE REPRESENTATIVE SERVING YOUR AREA, CONTACT TELMARK INC. CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPT. P.O. BOX 4943 SYRACUSE. NY 13221 315-449-7964 Telmarklnc. hundredweight to New Jersey dairymen, said Carol Shipp, a spokesman for the department. The only gap in this pricing structure exists in New York, where the failure to uphold a state imposed premium under the Rogers-AUen Act has left indivi dual dairymen and cooperatives to bargain directly with handlers for more money. low of 334,000 cows in August Overall income is projected to be $4,659 million and expenses are expected to total $4,855 million yielding a negative margin of -$196,000. Cash reserves will be used to cover the shortfall. Previously planned capital ex penditures for ’92 were eliminated in all possible areas resulting in a budget of $168,000 allocated as follows: $134,000 for installment payments for the new data pro cessing system, $16,000 for a re placement sample pickup truck, $B,OOO for new milk meters and a contingency of $lO,OOO for emer gency needs. Lisa Francisco Eastern PA (201) 948-3956 Mike Fullam Central PA (717) 966-9202 Wayne Holley North Central PA (716) 728-3323 Judy Llgo Northwestern PA (814) 786-7429 David Lytle Southeastern PA (215) 255-0569 Paul Shipper Southwestern PA (412) 349-5371 Charlotte Zebley Northeastern PA (717) 836-1366 WEST VIRGINIA Prepare For 1992 Art Show YORK (York Co.) It’s not too ear ly for amatuer and pro fessional artists, photo graphers, woodcarvers and sculpterers to start thinking about the fifth annual “Nature and Wildlife Art Festival” set for June 21, at Indian Steps Museum, Airville. The festival is designed to proved artists with (he oppor tunity to exhibit and sell work. Only items per sonally created may be displayed and offered for sale and all work should pertain to the program’s theme of nature and wildlife. The event is co sponsored by the Con servation Society of York County and the Pennsylvania Power & Light Co., at Holtwood. For more information, or applications for space, call (717)764-4318, or write to June Moyer, 2366 Maple Road, York, 17404.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers