Page 4—Com Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 10, 1996
(Continued from Pago 1)
3217. Second place went to
Floyd Kurtz, Fleetwood, for
199 bushels per acre using
Pioneer 3335. Third place went
to Lloyd George, Catawissa,
for a 198.6 bushel per acre yield
using Pioneer 3394.
In the shelled grain class,
three-acre-plus harvest size,
first place wen to Jack Cole
man, Ronks, for a 228.7 bushel
per acre yield using Pioneer
3335. Second place went to
Ernest Mast, Morgantown, for
a 205.1 bustyel per acre yield
using Pioneer 3394. Third place
went to Clarence Keener, Man
heim, for a 202.4 bushel per
acre yield using Pioneer 3394.
In the ear com class, hand
harvest, first place went to
David Schantz, Alburtis, for a
195.1 bushel per acre yield
using Pioneer 3394. Second
place went to Bill Keeney,
Wyalusing, for a 174.1 bushel
per acre yield using Pioneer
3527. Third place went to D.
Mark Crist, Jersey Shore, for a
174 bushel per acre yield using
Doebler’s 66XP.
In the ear com class, machine
harvest, first place was awarded
to John T. Crist, Jersey Shore,
for a 169.6 bushel per acre yield
using Doebler’s 75X. Second
(D@lM MJK NWS
PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC.
Farmers Restless
Over Budget Impasse
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Fanners want President Clin
ton and congressional leaders
to resolve the ongoing budget
impasse as soon as possible.
A new farm commodity title
remains tied up in the con
troversy, and the National Com
Growers Association (NCGA)
favors action to enact new fed
eral faim policy if the dispute
cannot be resolved quickly.
“Farmers need a new farm
program.” said NCGA Presi
dent Bill Northey. “The easier
legislative vehicle to accom
plish this now is through the
budget reconcilation process.
If the two sides cannot come to
an agreement very soon. new.
farm policy must be enacted.”
The lowa fanner sent a letter
to the White House and Capitol
Hill that stressed the need to
complete a seven-year federal
budget with market transition
payments for fanners coupled
with a loan program to perma
nently replace the Agricultural
Act of 1949.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture Dan Glickman
threatened to revert to the old
law if the oppommity to enact
new farm legislation continues
to slip away. Glickman called
the 1949 Act “...dysfunctional
for the modem world.”
The NCGA letter described
the old law as expensive, dis
ruptive, and would prompt
farmers to grow crops based on
Five-Acre Awards Presented At Conference
At the crops conference, the Pennsylvania Five-Acre
Corn Club awards were presented. First place awards went
to, from left, Jack Coleman, Ronks, In the shelled grain
class three-acre-plus harvest size; John CHst, Jersey
Shore, for the shelled grain class machine harvest size;
place went to Myron Bonzo,
Rochester, for a 159.5 bushel
per acre yield using Pioneer
3525. Third place went to Gary
Fehnel, Easton, for a 147.6
bushel per acre yield using
Pioneer 3394.
government payments rather
than on the market and benefi
cial farming practices. North
ey, the lowa farmer who leads
die NCGA, called the market
.ransition program already
approved by Congress “the
oest alternative” to provide
farmers with necessary plant
ing flexibility while reducing
federal budget exposure.
“This approach allows farm
ers to make production deci
sions that will offer the best
opportunity for profitability.”
he said. “The president and
congressional Democrats and
Republicans can improve it by
eliminating caps on loan rates.
This action would provide the
necessary farm income safety
net when commodity prices are
unusually low.”
Early last month, the NCGA
became the first farm group to
oppose an extension of current
farm law. “A repeat of last
year’s com program is not
acceptable.” Northey said. “It
limits the pro
ducers to decide what crop they
can actually grow. Federal
farm programs must provide
the flexibility to allow farmers
to respond to market signals
and rotate crops for rcnviron
mental benefits.”
Twenty-four stati corn
grower organizations affiliate
with the NCGA. Its more than
29,500 members farm in 47
different states.
||
Second and third place winners of the Five-Acre Com Club contest, from left, D.
Mark Crist, Jersey Shore, third place, ear corn class, hand harvest size; Bill Keeney,
Wyaluslng, second place, ear com class, hand harvest; Daryl Alger, Palmyra, second
place, three-year-average award, shelled grain class, three-acre-plus harvest size;
Clarence Keener, Manhelm, third place, shelled grain class, three-acre-plus harvest
size; and Lloyd George, Catawlssa, third place, shelled grain class, regular harvest
size.
The. 1995 crop year was a
warm and dry one for many of
the farmers in the Mid-Atlantic
region.
Unfortunately, 1996 hasn’t
started out much better. In a
mere three weeks, we have
seen a record blizzard and
severe flooding. Let’s hope
spring is just around the
comer!
Last year was also a poor
growing season for many areas
of the Midwest. Large areas of
the Com Belt saw a cold, wet
spring, followed by a dry sum
mer and topped oft by an early
freeze as far south as Missouri.
With all the bad weather the
com crop experienced, the
national average com yield
was still a respectable 113.7
bushels per acre.
Granted that this 113.7-
T> '
Richard Krelder, Lebanon, for the shelled grain, three-year
average, throe acre-plus harvest size; Herman Manbeck,
shelled grain class, three-year average, regular harvest
size; and Ed Snook, shelled grain class, regular harvest
size.
YLVANIA MASTER
RN GROWERS
ASSOCIATION
President’s Message
Curt Rakestraw
President, PMCGA
bushel crop was approximately
IS percent below trend line
yields, but it was still well
above the 1980, 1983, and
1988 yields (each of which
were approximately 30 percent
below trend line).
If the 1995 com crop was
considerably better than a
number of previous short
crops, why is die price pushing
$4 a bushel? This is because
the maiket is driven by supply
and demand, unlike the previ
ous years where it was only
driven by supply.
According to the USDA
January com supply and
demand balance sheet, com
used for domestic feed is the
only area that com use drops
appicciably, from 5.S billion
bushels to 4.6 billion bushels.
Exports only drop from 2.178
billion bushels to 2.1 billion
bushels, and com used for
industrial purposes drop only 3
million bushel from 1.693 to
1.69 billion bushels.
Ending stocks drop to 530
million bushels, the lowest
ever in precent of usage. 1995
may well be the first time since
1974 that both supply and
demand drove up the price of
com. With demand strong and
carryover low, 1996 should be
a good year for com farmers.
On behalf of the Pennsyvla
nia Master Com Growers
Association. I would like to
wish all of you a happy and
prosperous 1996.
~ Curt Rakestraw
l3v
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