A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 6, 1999
Ijcmcaster
jMNC Chambe r
<>/ C iiiimii'ii c Industry
Guest Columnist:
Michael Brubaker,
Brubaker Farms,
The Lancaster Chamber
Agriculture Committee
Old MacDonald has more than
a farm now...
Not long ago it was all so
simple, Old MacDonald, or a
farmer m general, typically had
some cows, pigs or chickens and
grew a few acres of crops. He rose
early in the morning to get his
chores done and rarely left the
farm. He made a small income
from his milk, egg or meat sales,
and it was enough to get by. His
operation was small, but it was
the only size his family could
handle comfortably. The bank
barn, tobacco shed and green pas
ture were all that was needed to
raise his animals and house his
equipment.
However, now we're on the
brink of the 21st century, and it's
obvious the stereotypical farmer
has changed quite a bit in the past
several years. The problem,
though, lies with the fact that
those not involved in agriculture
still think the farm they live next
to and the food they consume
comes from a farm like Old
MacDonald's farm.
What challenges can this belief
cause for today's modem fanner?
1 Marketing: The public is
starting to believe that if the
product they're consuming was
produced on a large farm, it must
be dangerous to eat (i.e.; tainted
with pesticides, antibiotics or
other chemicals). This belief
makes it imperative for larger
farmers to convey the truth, which
is that the food produced on larger
farms has a higher quality standard
and is made more economically
than it had been for Old MacDon
ald. The growing organic market
is an example of how concerned
people are about what they are eat
ing, and farmers need to explain to
them that efficiency also means
first-class quality at a reasonable
price.
2. Ability to function: The
modem fanner benefits from tech
nological advances m farming
equipment and machinery, which
is much larger, faster and more
powerful than m the past. How
ever, problems often arise when a
farmer needs to head to the field,
for he may be in for an adventure
while navigating through unfor
giving traffic with his now larger
equipment. Here are a few words
of advice, though, use plenty of
safety signs and lights on your
equipment to alert oncoming driv
ers, and if you have a choice,
move your equipment during low
traffic hours. Also, since farmers
are using fewer, but larger ma
chinery, often they are forced to
run it more hours a day in order to
pay for it. Unfortunately, neigh
bors moving into new develop
ments many times are unaware
that farmers may ran their equip
ment at odd hours during planting
and harvesting times.
3. Ability to expand: Today,
more people are removed from
Phone: (717) 397-3531
farms and are unfamiliar with farm
smells and activities. Conse
quently, farmers often face hurdles
when looking to expand, and
things such as odor and fly con
cerns may turn into town meet
ings m front of planning commis
sions, causing extra permits and
restrictions.
In conclusion, the old saying,
"it's not what you know; it's who
you know" can be applied to farm-
Lower Crop
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Pennsylvania farmers will
benefit from an estimated 30-per
ccnt premium reduction on then
1999 crop insurance policies un
der a recently announced federal
initiative, according to Agricul
ture Secretary Samuel E. Hayes Jr.
“Pennsylvania farmers ate eli
gible for a one-time premium rc-
ing. For farmers to succeed into
the 21st century, they must learn
to know the people who live and
drive around them Take any op
portunity you have to educate oth
ers about modem agriculture. Help
put agriculture advocates into po
litical offices such as local plan
ning, zoning, or township super
visor positions. Or do something
as simple as throwing a backyard
barbecue. Opportunities are wait
ing in the future for modem agri
culture. After all, challenges are
what make life interesting!
Take this"
uou pesky
9 grasses.
;-^r
Insurance Premiums Seen
duction recently announced by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture,"
Hayes said. “However, time is of
the essence. The closing date for
Pennsylvania farmers to apply for
crop insurance sales for spring
and summer-planted crops is
March 15.”
Hayes said the reduction was
made possible from $2,375 billion
appropriated by the Congress to
assist farmers in Pennsylvania and
nationwide who suffered from
crop and economic losses in 1998.
He noted that a total of 14 Penn
sylvania counties was designated
disaster areas because of weather
related damages in 1998, qualify
ing family farmers for emergency
loans through the U.S. Depart
ment of Agriculture (USDA).
Those counties designated dis
aster areas were: Columbia; Cum
berland; Dauphin; Juniata; Lan
caster; Lebanon; Lycoming; Mon
tour; Northumberland; Perry;
r
tm
tV
-r “>sl
''&¥§
hfHf' ' 31 ’
•M f
' R /l -^1
SjV M Xt% *1
fe% V r "ifcJ
Schuylkill; Snyder; Union; and
York.
USDA's Risk Management
Agency (RMA) is responsible for
administering and overseeing the
premium-reduction initiative and
all programs authorized under the
Federal Crop Insurance Corpora
tion.
The final percentage of crop in
surance premium discount will de
pend on how many farmers
choose to insure or increase their
protection and will be announced
following sales closing dates.
Additional information is
available from the RMA Raleigh
Regional Service Office in
Raleigh, North Carolina, at (919)
87S-4880; by contacting a crop in
surance agent; or by visiting a
USDA Farm Service Agency Of
fice.
The nearest office can be found
in the blue pages of the telephone
directory under U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
te*^*
6^Bs
ft
mI
‘fe'r- '** , lf V^