Food, Ag WASHINGTON. D.C. In a letter to the full House and Senate Budget Committees, nearly 100 food and agriculture groups urged that agriculture not be singled out for a disproportionate' share of spending cuts as part of any bud Mary ANNAPOLIS, Md. Mary land Secretary of Agriculture Lewis R. Riley has announced that the U.S. Department of Agricul ture’s Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) has awarded the Maryland Depart ment of Agriculture a grant to determine the feasibility of estab lishing a cooperative to market organically grown local produce. “Our organic farming program is growing in Maryland. We now have some 45 officially certified organic growers in the state and More Mi More fo Groups Ask Congress Not To Single Out Agriculture get proposal. Over the past 10 years, form program spending has been reduc ed from $25.8 billion to $8.5 bil lion a two-thirds reduction and now accounts for only one percent of total federal spending, land Earns Grant Organic Farming For the number keeps growing. This grant will help us improve our efficiency in getting the organical ly grown'local produce from the farmer to the consumer,” Riley said. The Maryland Department of Agriculture will match the grant, which is for $49,812. The money will be used to sustain the growth of this new agriculture program, which the Maryland Department of Agriculture started in 1991 as the Maryland Organic Certifica tion Program. ‘The growth in the retail busi- More milk. meat production. Shortened calving intervals. Increased heifer weights, earlier, for freshening. Increased dry matter intake. Better body condition. Tastier silage and haylage. Convenient availability in a lick tank. These are just a few of the benefits you can reap if you use Mol-Mix,,, Liquid Supplements for your cattle. And they’re available right in your area, just a phone call away: Judson’s Inc. Columbia Cross Road, PA 717/297-2153 Martin's Ag Service New Holland, PA 717/354-4996 Mason Dixon Farm Service Waynesburg, PA 412/852-1147 Maynard Wilkins, Inc. Crystal Spring, PA 814/735-4727 Northampton Farm Bureau Tatamy, PA 610/258-2871 the group pointed out By contrast total federal spending rose by SO percent If all other federal pro grams had taken the same level of cuts during that time, the U.S. would now be basking in a sub stantial budget surplus. ness for organic producers in the last several years, shows that more and more people are interested in purchasing organically grown fresh fruits and vegetables. This grant will help to improve the marketing of these commodities,” said Riley. For more information on the Maryland Organic Certification Program and the FSMIP grant, contact (he Maryland Department of Agriculture, Marketing Ser vices, 50 Harry S. Truman Park way, Annapolis, MD 21401, (410) 841-5770. Ik. More Meat. r Your Money. The groups told legislators how agriculture has played a major role in shaping America’s economy. They noted that U.S. agriculture and food industries account for nearly 16 percent of the gross do mestic product In addition, U.S. consumers pay just eight percent of their disposable income on food the lowest level in the world. Overseas, U.S. agricultural ex ports will account for more than $48.5 billion this year. That trans lates into $8 billion in federal tax revenues, an $lB billion positive trade balance, and $lOO billion in economic activity. The group also pointed out that unfairly targeting agriculture for disproportionate spending cuts could jeopardize its ability to compete in the global market place. Early hopes were that the most recent round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade would relolve trade disputes among the world’s nations, they said. GATT made progress, but it did not eliminate all of the prob lems. They explained that the Euro- Ross’ Feed & Grain Quarryvillc, PA 717/786-7361 Union Mill Belleville, PA 717/935-2185 Woodstown Ice & Coal Woodstown, NJ 609/769-0069 MOL MIX* Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Juna 3,1W5-Cll pean Union still maintains a three to one advantage over the U.S. in terms of its domestic support for agriculture and a six to one ad vantage in export subsidies. With nearly one out of six American jobs - a total of 21 million - attri butable to agriculture, it is keenly important that the U.S. maintain a healthy agricultural industry, they indicated. As required by the GATT agreement, the U.S. has already reduced its support for domestic farm programs by more than 20 percent Further cuts would result in theU.S. unilaterally eliminating farm program protections, the groups told the budget commit tees. It would place our farmers at a gross disadvantage to their over seas counterparts. In concluding the letter, the groups panted out that fanners are not the only people who bene fit from federal farm programs. Those who buy food, work in re lated industries, and wear clothes from home-grown materials all depend on a sound, healthy agri cultural sector, the letter indicated. Orchard Tour June 20 KUTZTOWN (Berks Co.) —A twilight tour for small orchardists will be held on June 20 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. here at the Rodale Insti tute, according to Mena Hautau, extension agent, Berks County. The tour is sponsored by Berks County Coopera tive Extension, Penn State, and the Rodale Institute (RI). Topics to be pre sented include scab resistant cultivars, rot ary hoe cultivation, and an update on mating dis ruption management. Speakers include Dr. Carl Felland, Biglerville Fruit Research and Extension Center, Penn State: Sarah Wolfgang Heffner, orchard project manager, RI; Don Jant zi,. research support staff, RI; Ike Kerschner, grower; Jeff Moyer, farm manager, RI; and Dr. Terry Schettini, associate director, RI. For more informa tion, contact Berks County Cooperative Extension, PO Box 520, Leesport, PA 19533-0520, (610) 378-1327, or the Rodale Institute, 611 Siegfrie dale Rd., Kutztown, PA 19530, (610) 683-1454. A LESSON WELL LEARNED... LANCASTER FARMING'S CLASSIFIED ADS IGET RESULTSI
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