VERNON ACHENBACH, JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
WILLIAMSPORT (Lycoming
Co.) William Ringler- said
serving as master of the Pennsyl
vania State Grange for the past
four years has been one of the most
rewarding experiences of his life
and has helped reafirm his belief in
the goals of the organization
that family is the foundation of
civilization, and that it is better to
be right than win.
Ringler stepped down Monday
during a farewell address at the
Scottish Rite Consistory in Wil
liamsport before more than 600
Grange members who attended the
group’s annual convention, its
120th.
On Thursday, Ringler had time
to reflect a little more during a tele
phone conversation.
“Our travels over the past four
years have taken us about 120,000
miles, so we pretty much crossed
the state north, south east and west.
That was one of the nicest things
about being the head of State
Grange, getting to meet many peo
ple,” he said.
“I have found it almost impossi
ble to properly thank the people
who haved served the organization
both at my direction and both at the
direction of the delegation that was
set in. How do you thank people
who have given time, money and
themselves, not for their immedi
ate personal benefit, but for the
benefit of others, so that cumula
tively, each of us will have the kind
of lifestyle that will be of benefit to
each one of us.”
According to Ringler, the
strength and longevity of the
Grange comes from its precepts
that all members are equally
important and from an ethic based
strongly on the Judeo-Christian
admonition to love and treat others
as one would wish to be loved and
treated.
“One of the founding pillars of
our organization was the belief that
the family was the cornerstone of
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Ringler Steps Down, Thanks Grange
civilization as the family goes,
that is the way the nation will go.
“As a consequence, there has
always been a very personal rela
tionship among Grange members.
Not that we partition ourselves
from others, but we love our neigh
bors as ourselves.”
Ringler said he joined the
Grange and supports it not neces
sarily because of its age, but
because it was the original group
working to sustain family values m
rural Pennsylvania. He said it was
and continues to be one of the most
influential organizations for agri
culture and rural communities.
“My life and experience of 47
years as a farmer so we had a lot of
practical experience in production
agriculture. As master of state
Grange, we had a complete turnar
ound in views no longer just
production ag, but we got to see
and participate in the marketing
aspects, the political aspects and
most importantly in the aspect that
the Grange is particularly inter
ested in the moral aspect of, not
only business, but the political
world.”
However, Ringler, a Somerset
County potato and dairy farmer of
47 years, said he felt he didn’t
accomplish his goals while in
office.
“Our farming experience was a
relatively satisfactory one, not
one without pitfalls, but overall a
very rewarding experience.
“My experience as Grange mas
ter has been very satisfactory as far
as relationships with people. How
ever, I was not able to do the Job
that I should have done for the
organization.
“I entered without ego and per
sonal gain. Thai’s the way I should
leave it, but I should have been
spreading the Ag gospel more
that we have agriculture that is
second to none. But I have not
done a good enough job of sell
ing,” he said.
Ringler said he plans to return to
his home, located on a subplot of
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the family farm which his son
James Ringler bought and
expanded.
He will not rest, he said, but
intends to help his son with run
ning the farm.
Ringler said he will remain
active, because, “If I don’t have a
reason to put my boots on in the
morning, I’m done.”
However, he said he would like
people to keep certain things in
perspective.
He said that despite some of the
disappointing things in life, his has
been one of miracles and he has no
reason to believe that there will be
no more.
“Of course we’ve lived over
three score and ten and I would like
to tell you that this was the golden
age of America.
“Not to negate the things to
come, but (in his life) we came
from (using) animal power, to
mechanical power, to chemical
power and now we’re going to
genetic restructuring. How many
people have seen that happen, not
only in their life, but in three score
and ten?”
Ringler said he believes the
luture holds many more changes
and hope for heller living (though
not necessarily materially).
And over all this time of change.
agriculture in Pennsylvania con
tinues to lead all other industries in
importance to the economy, he
said.
“Pennsylvania was the number
one industry when it first became
established as a commonwealth.
Between 80 to 90 percent of the
people were involved. It was num
ber one then because of the number
of people involved.
“Now it is number one because
of efficiency. But now the number
of people involved is only a little
more than one percent.”
Ringler said that this is a con
cern of the Grange whose member
ship fairly well represents the age
demographics of the agricultural
community as a whole a lack of
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young people involved.
But he quickly added that the
Grange was attempting to do
something about it, seeking ways
to attract younger members in
order to keep the organization
strong.
‘There was a time, of course,
when the church set the social life.
Then the schools became more
intense, and no longer were social
activities centered on the church.
The emphasis no longer lent itself
to family activities,” he said, paus
ing to let it sink in.
“I think as an organization, the
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expenses resulted in a net loss of
$58.8 million for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 1992.”
“We have made provisions for
utilizing our assets more produc
tively to meet the needs of the new
structure we have developed. This
charge also makes provision for
discontinued product lines, selling
off excess inventories, buildings,
and other assets not needed as we
look to the future,” Saul said.
A significant portion of the
restructuring charge relates to
Agway’s work-force. Saul
reported that 439 employees, out
of a possible 828 who were eligible
for early retirement, accepted an
enhanced voluntary early retire
ment program.
“A restructuring charge helps
identify what needs to be changed
and puts a dollar value on it so we
can concentrate on the future
rather than the past. Agway is in a
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Lancaster Firming, Saturday, October 31, 1992-A2l
thing that needs to be stressed is
that people have to realize where
the true value of life lies and what
actually is the worth of those
things we are working for.
“If the aim is for those things
high and lofty as spelled out in
the holy writ then that will be
to our satisfaction. “I think the
future hope of a nation rests upon
the recognition of one’s obligation
to one’s maker and obligations to
neighbors. If a person will have
respect for those entities first, then
he will have respect for himself.”
Attend Agway
position to absorb the impact while
maintaining an equity of $l9O mil
lion at year-end,” Saul said.
Saul reported that Agway inves
tors collected over $35 million in
interest and dividends during the
year, up $3 million from the previ
ous year.
Saul state that, while it was a
disappointing year for some
Agway businesses, it was a good
year in terms of positioning the
farmer-owned cooperative for the
I ulure. He believes the new Agway
mission describes what the
cooperative will become in the
current year and beyond. It reads
“to be a customer driven and finan
cially successful cooperative that
is highly effective in meeting the
needs and interests of commercial
farms and other agriculturally
related markets.”
“We are well on ouj way toward
implementing the changes that will
achieve our goals,” Saul said.
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