On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other
hazards)
Joyce Bupp
After a recent CBS news broad
cast, which infuriated dairy form
ers across the country, some of us
have felt the need to respond. I'd
lilke to share with you die follow
ing letter I wrote to anchorman
Dan Rather, who aired the piece
on proposed dairy legislation.
(I revised this several times,
cleaning up my initial, gut-level
emotion response!)
Have you ever been hungry?
Few Americans in positions of
leadership and public-opinion set
ting have likely experienced the
pangs of a really empty stomach.
Americans are the best and
most inexpensively-fed people on
earth. That’s because American
fanners have consistendy grown
more efficient Less than one mil
The electronic governor on our AGCO Allis 8600 Series just
might change your mind about traditional methods of farming. Set it
and you’ve got precision ground speed for more productive
operations, no matter how the terrain varies. Plus there’s less down
shifting and improved fuel efficiency, too. At 103 and 120 PTO hp,
these tractors are designed with advances for today’s profit-oriented
farmer. Like dependable two-wheel or all-wheel drive, and a
synchronized reverser transmission to easily change direction. Plus,
a state-of-the-art climate controlled cab, an advanced air-cooled
diesel engine for less maintenance, longer life and greater productiv
ity. And, they’re backed by a strong AGCO warranty - four years
or 4,000 hours as standard. Check out these high rjni
powered tractors at your local AGCO Allis dealer. j=||=j allS
And ask about flexible Agricredit financing. For the way you farm today
SEE YOUR DEALER TODAY!
MANOR MOTORS
On Rte. SS3
Penn Run, P». 15765
412-254-4753
HERNLEY’S FARM
EQUIP., INC.
Elizabethtown, Pa.
717-367-6867
lion farmers those who sell
$lO,OOO or more worth of agricul
ture goods per year not only
feed our nadon of billions, but
feed billions more around the
world.
What a disappointment that a
recent CBS news report by you
has done the American dairy
farmer a serious disservice. That
report, aired February 2, charged
that dairy farmers had secretly
conspired to develop legislation
that would cost American con
sumers some $2.5 billion dollars
and put “additives” in milk.
During the past year, agricul
ture and food industry representa
tives tesdfied at Congressional
hearings held around the country
toward developing new farm
SANDY LAKE IMPLEMENT
Sandy Lake, Pa.
412-376-2469
NICHOLS FARM EQUIP.
Bloomsburg, Pa.
717-784-7731
B. EQUIP., INC.
Wayneaboro, Pa.
717-762-3183
legislation. These were public
hearings, widely covered by the
press. Working from the basis of
those hearings, legislators devel
oped the dairy proposals recently
voted out of the House Agricultur
al Committee. This is hardly a
secretive process.
Yes, the goal of that legislation
is to modestly increase the price of
raw milk. Dairy producers today
are receiving comparatively less
for raw milk shipped from their
farms than they did a decade ago.
Such depressed income levels,
compared to the inflation which
has steadily increased prices of
every input, are creating a severe
financial crunch to our nation’s
dairy farm families.
Your report projected an in
crease per gallon of milk to con
sumer of 40 cents. Industry esti
mates the per gallon increase un
der the proposed dairy legislation
to be about 9 cents. Adjusted for
inflation, consumers are already
paying less for a gallon of milk to
day than they were in the 19505.
Raw milk price has traditionally
had little effect on the retail price,
since the farm price is only about
one-third of checkout cost of a
gallon of milk.
Meanwhile, the cost of the dairy
program to America’s taxpayers
B.H.M. FARM EQUIP.,
INC.
Annvllle, Pa.
717-867-2211
GRUMELU
FARM SERVICE
OuarryvlNe, Pa.
717-786-7318
HOLTRY'S EQUIPMENT
Roxbury, Pa.
717-532-7261
C.J. WONSIDLER BROS.
Quaktilown, Pi.
215-536-7523
N»w Tripoli, Pi.
215-767-7611
OI»y, Pi.
215-967-6257
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 24, 1996*83
has dropped from $2.5 billion in
1983 to $4 million in 1995; dairy
farmers actually pick up most of
the tab through assessments on
every pound of milk they sell. But,
farm support programs are a form
of hunger insurance for the con
suming public. Today, there are
virtually no stocks of dairy com
modities on hand in government
storage, should some disaster
strike.
Now, about those “additives.”
The proposed legislation would
simply increase the minimum
standards of solids-not-fat in milk
the nutritious but NOT FAT
things like protein, calcium and
minerals to standards that Cali
fornia consumers have enjoyed for
many years. California milk is
consistently rated superior in taste
tests. And, milk fortified with
Agricultural Wetlands Loss Is Down
'Wetland losses caused by agricultural
activity have slowed considerably
between 1954 and 1992
31
'S4-74 ’74*’B3 *#2-’92
Source: USDA Nature! Resources Conservator
(NAPS) —Wetland loss due to agriculture has
slowed down dramatically during the last forty years.
Although wetland losses due to agriculture continued
during the 1980 s, they did so at a much slower pace
than in previous years. Losses caused by agriculture
during the 1982-92 period were about 31,000 acres a
year—around one-fifth the annual wetland losses
estimated by the Department of the Interior’s Fish
and Wildlife Service for 1974-83, and less than ten
percent of the annual losses estimated for 1954-1974.
Between 1982-92, wetland losses due to nonagricul
tural activities outpaced those caused by agriculture.
pn OPEN HOUSE
days
MARCH 6. 7, 8
BIG SAVINGS
Details In March 2nd Lancaster Farming
YOU WON T BEAT OUR PRICES & SERVICE
BARNE
higher solids-not-fat is not only
better lasting, it’s more nutritious.
Milk is not manufactured in the
back of supermarket dairy
shelves. It can only be produced
by the minor miracle that is the
dairy cow. If you and all consum
ers are to have ready supplies of
milk in your refrigerators, dairy
producers must be able to earn a
financial return that enables us to
maintain our herds and our farms.
Mr. Rather, your dependability,
your believability, your credibility
has always seemed above re
proach. We challenge you to re
store our confidence in your re
porting with an airing not just the
retailers* side, but also the produc
ers’ side of this important public
issue. Sincerely yours .. .etc.
And sincerely irritated about ir
responsible, distorted reporting.
of acres
lually
National Resources Inventory
LAPP’S
5935 OLD PHILADELPHIA PIKE, GAP, PA 17527
PHONE: 717-442-8134
- Radio Dispatched Trucks -
UIPMENT