A3Mancaster Farming, Saturday, February 1, 1992 First Woman President (Continued from Peg* A 1) 13 districts with 1,042 members in the county. According to Balmer it’s an organization farmers cannot afford to be without. “If we didn’t have this Associa tion. we wouldn’t have any total farm package,” she said. “Every agricultural problem and concern should come through the Farmers Association, which is part of the larger Pennsylvania Farmers’ Association (PFA). Politicians aren’t influenced much by one far mer’s viewpoint, but when farmers have group representation, we get things done. It always carries mote weight with politicians when they know that PFA has 23,000 members.” Additionally, you can get the $75 annual dues back in one shot by using any one of the many bene fits,” Balmer said. Annual dues on VISA cards obtained through the Association are waived. Insurance rates are cheaper and eyeglasses and other prescriptions may be purchased at 60 percent reductions. Purchase of tires and batteries result in kick back money for the Association. But more important than finan cial benefits is the influence the Association wields by lobbying for farmers’ causes. "Anyone interested in farming should have someone represent them in government We (farmers) don’t have time to go to the gov ernment Our dues go to a lobbyist and he represents us the way we (fanners) tell him to.” Balmer said, "For example, the other year we lost the 9'A cent gas refund PFA lobbied to get it back and did Just two weeks ago, PFA LARGEST SAWMILL HARDWOOD BOARDS (AD* DRIED at KHJV DRIED) 1 JS oO °' / PAX# (717) 807-2271 (Jgtf (Pgaf-W called a meeting with the Pa. Milk Marketing Board to get additional money for drought expenses so farmers can take that extra money to buy feed to keep herds going. They got the money. They’ve lob bied to have lower-priced licenses for farm trucks instead of paying commercial rates.” Balmer desires to see more unity among farmers. She said, “Far mers’ biggest problem is that we don’t work together. We are too independent. We should have the world eating out of our hand. We shouldn’t have financially depressed farmers.” Farmers, she believes, should get more for their products by organizing, figuring the cost with a decent profit added on top.-and refuse to sell it at a lower price. “The agri-business world won’t make it happen, we must,” she said “We can’t keep getting rid of farmers; otherwise, we’ll see here (in the U.S.) the same thing that is happening in Russia with empty store shelves.” She said, “I’ve been farming for 29 years, and we have less pay margin now than 25 years ago. In 1978 a farmer’s pay for one dozen eggs was 12 cents below the wholesale cost. In today’s market. farmers get 29 cents below the wholesale cost of eggs. We got squeezed out of the profit margin.” She does not see an easy solu tion to this problem. “I can’t see it changing unless we farmers change. If we farmers don’t stand up for ourselves, the younger gen eration won’t be able to farm.” With the farm economy as it is, she sees that the big guy isn’t forced out of business but the little buy M>n«E>crr FROM PENNSYLVANIA'S 2000 ' Minimum quantity of random width and length. All orders must be picked up with a side loading truck. Cash or Pa check only. fanners arc. “But it’s the little far mers that made America great,” she said. “Largeness deteriorates quality on everything.” When does a farm become “too’ big?” Jane admits it is a bit difficult to draw the line as she believes it depends on circumstances. ‘Tve thought about it often. It depends on the size of the family, and the farm operation needed to support that family.” “Farm prices were low for Granddad, but the profit margin was high. Insurance takes its toll on fanners. Today we struggle to get $3 per bushel of com. In 1982, fanners got $4, Yet seed com and fertilizer prices have risen since then.” According to Balmer, these costs have resulted in less than $2OO profit per acre of corn com pared with $2,000 plus per acre of tobacco. “Tobacco pays the best in farming but it is labor intensive.” Although most farmers call tobacco raising hard work, Balmer does not. “I call it fun. Pun because we have a good time doing the work. It's a family affair to plant, cut, and strip. We can communi cate while we work because we don't have the loud hum of machinery. And, of course, if it pays, it makes it so much more fun.” Balmer would like to see a credit union established for fanners. She said, “Years ago people didn’t put their money in the bank. They would lend it to someone. It was a tremendous help to farmers start ing out Now, people don’t trust each other. They tnist the bank, but the bank doesn’t trust us. We should have a credit union for far mers or some lending force that would woric with fanners, that would be understanding of drought WEARER SONS INC. wont be able to farm," said Balmer who is shown with her three-year-old granddaughter, Vanessa. effects.” If Baimer had her way, politi cians would spend at least six weeks working on a farm to learn first hand the problems farmers face. “You can’t learn fanning from a book. It takes firsthand experience," she said. Several years ago, a college stu dent who was pursuing an agricul tural degree, begged Balmer to let her weak on the farm for the summer. "She learned really fast about the frustrations of machinery breakdowns and price cutbacks,” Balmer said. Balmer was quick to inform the student of the costs involved in every aspect of farm ing. When eggs dropped two cents a dozen. Balmer explained how Beef. Real Food For Real People. that seemingly small cut drastical ly affected the overall profit “Why do you people do this?” the giri asked. “Why do you farm?” Balmer’s reply was simple: “I love it I had two loves, (me (hus band) was taken away now I love hunting even more than before.” Balmer has these words of advice for other farmers: “If far mers want to keep farmers farm ing, they should belong to the Far mers’ Association. The Lancaster County Farmers Association’s goal is to have 1,094 members by the end of this year. For those who would like to know more about the Lancaster County Fanners’ Association, call (717) 653-5916 or the county Extension office at (717) 394-6851. • LEBANON N I x W - I "C * 322 W