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VOL 37 NO. 51
Ringler Gives Farewell Address At Grange Convention
Ruth Osborne, winner of the 1992 Granger of the Year
Award.
Madison Calls President ‘Farmer Friendly’
EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
MANHEIM (Lancaster
Co.) —U.S. Secretary of Agricul
ture Edward Madigan, on the road
in 42 stales for the Bush/Quayle
reelection campaign, made a stop
at Hershvale Farm Monday at
noon.
With about. 7S fanners, partisan
politicians, and agribusiness lead
ers sitting on hay bales and feed
bags in the upper floor of the bank
dairy bam, Madigan called Presi
dent Bush “Farmer Friendly” and
said, “We are not in a recession.
“What everyone is calling a
recession is not a recession
because we have positive econom
ic growth in the U. 5.,” Madigan
said. “A recession is when you
have negative economic growth,
and our growth is positive. But we
have a terrible time getting out that
message.”
Madigan blamed the national
media for the negative economic
stories, quoting inaccuracies in the
media organization report of the
2,793 economic reports on net
work news, they all have been
negative. “I even saw a lead story
on CNN about how hard the reces
sion has been on dogs and cats,” he
said.
He said many people think the
economic slowdown is only in the
U.S. But there has been inflation
and high interest rates all over the
world in the last 10 years.
“We have brought our inflation
of more than 14 percent to less than
three percent, and we have brought
interest rates down from 21' per
cent to 6 percent,” Madigan said.
“In the ’Bos farmers were leaving
the farm at the rate of 12 percent
per year. Now this is down to less
than one percent. In 1987 we had
$l5O billion of farm debt Today
we have less than $lOO billion.
(Turn to Pago A 23)
PERIODICALS DIVISION
FT-NNSYL VANIA OTA It UNIVt-.RSI i Y
WDOV PAT IEE LIBRARY
UMTVERbI 1Y PARK PA iASOR-IBOD
Four Sections
U.S. Ag Secretary, Edward Madigan, center, visits with the Hershey family, from left,
Larry, Krista, Bonnie, Gerry and Donald.
Lancaster Poultry Association Recaps Accomplishments
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
WILLOW VALLEY (Lancaster
Co.) Outgoing president of the
Lancaster County Poultry Associa
tion Tom Pantano set the stage for
banter when he broadcast live from
“Chicken Talk, Pennsylvania,”
Lancaster Farming
Celebrates 37!
It was 37 years ago on
Monday, November 4,1955
that the first issue of this
farm newspaper began to
appear In rural mailboxes.
Since that time, on a weekly
basis, Lancaster Farming has
supplied news, advertising,
and markets to a growing
readership. Nearly 50,000
copies of the newspaper are
distributed each wiek.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 31, 1992
WILLIAMSPORT (Lycoming
Co.) After four years in office,
William H. Ringler stepped down
as master (president) of the Pen
nsylvania State Grange in a
farewell address at the Scottish
Rite Consistory to more than 600
Grangers this week during the
state session.
“Among my goals when I
assumed die mastership of Pen
nsylvania State Grange was to
help save the family farm,” Rin
gler said. “While the general publ
ic is more aware of the problem of
surpluses, the fact remains some
important changes and some
important steps have to be taken if
our food supply is to remain
abundant
‘The truth is our young people
who are of farm background are
not remaining in production agri
culture. I believe the next several
decades will be decisive ones rela
tive to production agriculture.
Simply stated, the farmer is not
being jusdy compensated for his
investment and for his hours of
during the industry’s annual ban
quet on October 27. An on-the-spot
survey conducted by Pantano reve
Lancaster County Poultry Association board member
Guy Martin, talks with Lancaster County Poultry Queen
Mary Sauder, left, and Pennsylvania Poultry Queen Melissa
Dawn Yoder, who received scholarships from the associa
tion at the annual banquet.
labor,” said Ringler, a potato far
mer in Somerset County for 47
years.
In order to help save the family
farm, Ringler said the Grange has
worked closely with other agricul
tural organizations, promoted
proper legislation, spoke at civic
organizations to inform urban
people of the difficulties of farm
ing, impressed upon young people
the importance of agriculture, as
well as supported the Foundation
for Better Living which sponsors
Ag in the Classroom.
Hiller Elected Master
A Williamsport resident has
been elected to the highest office
in the Pennsylvania State Grange
by the delegate body during the
120th annual State Grange
Session.
Gordon Hiller has been named
Pennsylvania State Grange Master
(president) for the next two years.
In this position, Hiller will be
responsible for supervising the
state office in Harrisburg and
overseeing all state grange prog-
aled that most of the 500 persons
attending the banquet support
reelection of President Bush.
609 Per Copy
rams, as well as visiting Granges,
hearing concerns of rural Pennsyl ■
vania, and helping members solve
problems.
Hiller is a retired farmer, retired
conservation program specialist
for the Department of Environ
mental Resources, and retired
Pennsylvania Department of Agri
(Turn to Pago A2B)
FFA’ers Compete
At Manheim
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.)
In any contest, chance favors a pre
pared mind and no minds had a
better chance to get prepared than
those at the five-county Agricul
tural Field Day held at the Man
heim Fairgrounds on Tuesday.
About 500 FFA’ers represent
ing schools from Berks, Lebanon,
York, Schuylkill, and Lancaster
counties competed in a wide array
(Turn to Pag* A2S)
Dairylea Reports
“ Good Year
SYRACUSE. N.Y. “The
1992 fiscal year was one of sub
stantial growth for our coopera
tive,” announced Dairylea Chief
Executive Officer Rick Smith at
the cooperative’s 1992 annual
meeting held mid-October in
Liverpool, N.Y.
Dairylea is a Syracuse-based
dairy cooperative with 2,500 far
mer members and affiliate mem
bers throughout the Northeast and
it participates in a milk marketing
network stretching from Maine to
Maryland to Ohio.
More than 800 member farmers
and industry guests attended the
two-day event, which included a
management presentation by
(Turn to Pag* A 22)
On the serious side, members of
the association chose Mike Har
rold of Intervet to be president of
the association for a three year
term. Other members newly
elected to the 12-member board
include Guy Martin of Sauder
Eggs, Mark Price of Pennfield, and
Robert Armstrong of Garber
Farms.
The annual banquet, held at Wil
low Valley Palm Court, is primari
ly a social event and a time to recap
the poultry industry’s activities
during the past year.
Pantano reminded members that
the association sponsors Poultry
Progress Day, the largest poultry
seminar held in the Northeast: pre
sents Poultry Family Spirit awards
to poultry farms that have
remained in the family for two or
more generations; holds a teach
er’s institute to educate 100 home
economists about safe food hand
ling; provide scholarships to poul
(Turn to Paga A 24)
$19.00 Par Year