U.S. Senate As Committee . . , _ —-—„ ,
„ . Z . Ritchey’s Dairy Is For Ice Cream Lovers
Solicits Testimony
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Livestock producers will finally
get their day before the U.S.
Senate Agriculture Committee.
Urged by farm groups and
Midwestern senators to hold a
hearing, Senate Committee
Chairman Richard Luger, R-
Ind., has scheduled June 10 for
his committee to hear testimony
on low livestock prices and mar
ket concentration in the live
stock processing sector.
“Two weeks ago, National
Farmers Union (NFU) joined
the American Farm Bureau
Federation and the National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association in
requesting that a hearing be
held on livestock market oppor
tunities for U.S. producers,” said
NFU President Leland
Swenson.
“We are glad that Chairman
Lugar has responded to the dire
straits of many of the nation’s
producers of livestock.”
The request made April 17,
by NFU and the other two orga
nizations, asked that the Senate
Agriculture Committee explore
a wide spectrum of issues
impacting livestock prices. A let-
Where's your mustache? “
James & Clark, llp
“Serving the Needs of Lancaster County Farmers”
Conveniently located between Ephrata, New Holland
and Blue Ball, the law office of James & Clark, LLP is
devoted to addressing the unique needs of farm families.
Our mission is to provide excellent legal counsel in the
following areas of law:
Estate
Estate
Real Estate
Business Planning
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JClark@PaEstatePlanning.com
ter sent to Lugar asked that the
hearings address the need for
better price reporting, country
of-origin meat labeling, export
sales information, market con
centration, expansion of trade
opportunities and the impact of
the Asian financial crisis on live
stock prices.
“Concentration in the live
stock industry is one of the
biggest concerns of Farmers
Union members nationwide. We
need markets that are fair, open
and competitive,” Swenson said.
According to Swenson, many
cattle producers have gone out
of business and over the last
several years because raising
cattle is no longer profitable.
National Farmers Union is a
general farm organization rep
resenting nearly 300,000 family
farmers and ranchers nation
wide. NFU serves its member
ship by assisting with education,
by providing stimulus and
know-how for farmer-owned
cooperatives, and by presenting
the organization’s policies to
lawmakers at the local, state
and national levels.
MILK
Planning
Settlement
(Continued from Pago El 4)
dairy demands.
“It’s difficult to find someone
willing to drive a truck during a
snowstorm at 2:30 in the morn
ing ” he said. ‘Too many kids
have been raised watching televi
sion. We always look for good
farm boys.”
Ritchey’s has 25 full-time and
seven part-time employees.
“And,” Oliver continued in regard
Oliver Ritchey checks the meters on computerized milk and ice cream production
machinery.
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
1907 Division Hwy. (Route 322)
Ephrata, PA 17522
717-355-2800
to problems, “I’m convinced we
have too much government today.
We pay a decent wage, but when
we make out the checks they
shrink so drastically with the with
holdings that I feel sorry for the
employees. I wonder what the
government expects them to live
on.
“The government inspections
have also gotten more stringent
We never thought of looking for
antibiotics 20 years ago. Now, all
milk is checked and dumped if
Raised on his family’s
dairy farm, Jay is keenly
aware of the unique legal
issues faced by
agricultural, family
businesses. Jay’s practice
focuses on the planning
that is required to reduce
tax burdens and to allow a
smooth transition from one
generation to the next. A
strong accounting
background provides Jay a
solid basis for tax issues.
Jay currently serves as chair of both the Agricultural
Law Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and
the Estate Planning Section of the Lancaster Bar
Association. He is a ; frequent speaker on estate planning
and agricultural issues to the public and to lawyers.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 6, 1998-El5
there is a slight detection of any
antibiotic.
“Government even gets in our
hair over labeling. We have to be
certain every label reveals the
fatd, caloric, and protein content
of every carton of milk. Those la
bels can run in the thousands of
dollars.
“Then, of course, we always
have a machine breaking down
and the whole process slows down
or stops until it is fixed. I guess it s
what keeps life interesting,” Oliv
er smiled.
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