A22-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 28, 1998
(Continued from Page A 1)
that agriculture was going to
become less or totally less depen
dent on government and more or
totally dependent on free world
markets.
“But the reason I was reluctant
to adopt this bill is not because we
don’t want less government inter
ference on farmers,” Stenholm
said. “We already have too much
unproductive paperwork. But the
thing that bothered me, and still
does, is that there really is not free
world market
“If we are going to make prog
ress in our ability to compete with
our farm programs according to the
world’s definition of free markets,
we must have our negotiators at the
tables. We arc losing markets
every day because Europe has
negotiators at the table in South
America negotiating bilateral trade
agreements. We says we don’t
want to have our representatives at
the table, but we reserve the right to
complain about what they do. It is
important that we determine what
we need our government to do with
us to level the world market play
ing field as much as we can.”
On environmental issues, Sten
holm said it is important to stop the
train that is bent to impose solu
tions without good scientific rea
son and logic. “We need to be
proactive on environmental issues
that you do regularly and do any
way,” he said. “We need to ack
nowledge we have problems that
need to be solved. But we need to
change the solutions that are pre
sented, regardless of how many
dairy farmers they put out of busi
ness, or the cost without share
assistance. Part of my vision when
we put team USDA together in
1994 was to have a department that
had the confidence of a large num
ber of people.
‘Today you need to ask and
answer a simple question. What is
it you want team USDA to do for
you, with you, and to you? How do
we become price makers rather
than price takers?
“We are blessed with a nation
that has the most abundant food
supply, the safest food supply at
the lowest cost in any country in
the world,” Stenholm said. “No
one can challenge us on this, but it
is not automatic. I am pledged to
see that the minority voice of agri
culture can be heard as much as
possible. I see government as a
partner, not a crutch. We will con
trol our destiny by cooperation, or
it will be controled by others.”
The cooperative named three
dairymen to the hall of honors. The
Mid-Am Hall of Honors was
created to recognize persons, liv
ing and deceased, who have been
instrumental in die development
and growth of the cooperative.
President Carl Baumann presented
recognition to one living recipient,
Harry C.M. Burger of Seneca,
Kansas, and relatives of two
deceased recipients, Albert Bos of
Billings. Missouri, and John Moser
of Louisville, Kentucky.
Berger was a highly motivated
professional dairyman recognized
by many organizations for his lead
ership and dedication to the dairy
industry. He took over the manage
ment of the 960-acre family farm
and 250-cow Holstein herd at age
16. following the death of his
father. In 1989, he was recognized
for SO years of service on the Mid-
Am and predecessor cooperative
board of directors.
A generous suDDortcr of Kansas
Mid-Am Finishes Business, Celebrates
Merger Into Dairy Farmers Of America
A bird’s eye view from the hotel window of Kansas City, the home of the new Dairy Farmers of America headquarters.
Guest speaker was The
Honorable Charles Stenholm,
U.S. House of Represents*
tlves and ranking member of
the house ag committee.
State University, Burger estab
lished a scholarship for the dairy
judging team and served as a mem
ber of the President Club. In 1984,
Mr. Burger was awarded the Kan
sas Distinguished Dairyman
Award.
Bos was bom in Holland and
came to the United States in 1948.
Even before becoming a U.S. Citi
zen in 1958, he was active in prom
oting dairy. In addition to operat
ing a successful dairy. Bos served
on the Mid-Am board of directors
from 1975-1993 and was chairman
of the southern division from
1980-1988.
He served on the DHIA board
for several years and also served on
the Christian County Farm Bureau
board and dairy committee. Bos
received the “Award of Merit"
from the Southwest Conservation
Department in 1986.
Moser was a longtime distin
guished dairy farmer. He saved as
a director of Falls Cities Coopera
tive Milk Producers, later serving
M Armni'vafi/wi’a M»
Herman Brubaker is the new chairman of Gary Hanman is the president and CEO of
Dairy Farmers of America. Dairy Farmers of America.
also served as chairman of the
National Dairy Council and was
president of the American Dairy
Association. “Mr. John” was
inducted into Hoard’s Dairyman
Hall of Fame in 1972. The John
Moser Endowed Scholarship at the
University of Kentucky was estab
lished by friends and associates in
his name.
Two agricultural communica
tors were presented with the Salute
Award to recognize outstanding
service to dairy fanners. Reci
pients were Rich Hawkins, farm
director at KHB/KMZU Radio,
Kansas City, Missouri, and Everett
Newswanger, managing editor of
Lancaster Farming.
Hawkins is a 35-year veteran
farm broadcaster who got his start
as a college student on an intern
ship program. Having grown up on
a farm and remembering the long
hours of hard work, Hawkins
admits he had reservations about
imlnff SniA •*»•* t*...-i
r-rr-
associated with farming. But the
offer of a scholarship by the
National Association of Broadcas
ters when he was a junior at Fort
Hays State University in Central
Kansas was enough to entice
Hawkins to give farm broadcasting
a try.
At KRVN, a SO,OOO-watt clear
channel station with coverage in
Nebraska, Kansas, lowa, South
Dakota, and Northeast Colorado,
Hawkins served a diverse farm
audience. Now at WHB/KMZU in
Kansas City as farm director, he is
best know for his daily half-hour
programs that focus on in-depth
coverage of current agricultural
topics.
Newswanger is managing editor
of Lancaster Farming# highly
regarded weekly agricultural
newspaper that enjoys a circulation
of 50,000 in Pennsylvania and six
bordering states. He first joined the
paper in the late 60’s, working as a
before going into public relations,
advertising, and marketing. He
returned in April 1986 to be man
aging editor. Over the years the
paper had grown from a county
weekly to an important national
agri-paper.
Newswanger has credits in jour
nalism and marketing Cram the
University of Oklahoma and Penn
State Extension. He studied as an
associate of Grant Heilman,
national master ag photographer,
and later was an associate under
study of the late Joseph Hull
national master of public relations.
He holds professional member
ships in the National Association
of Agricultural Journalists and the
Pennsylvania Newspaper Publish
ing Association. He has been rec
ognized by numerous organiza
tions for both his journalistic excel
lence and his dedicated service to
agriculture.
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