C2-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 1, 2000 FSA Accepts Crop Reports YORK (York Co.) The York County Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting 2000 crop acreage reports. The 1996 Farm Bill removed the acreage report requirement in most cases for country farm ers to remain eligible for USD A benefits. However, the commod ity loan program and loan defi ciency payment program still requires timely filed acreage re ports by those who wish to pledge stored commodities as collateral for these nine-month loans. Producers interested in re- Noninsurable Crops May Be Eligible For Disaster Assistance LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program is available for those crops that cannot be insured under the cat astrophic coverage offered through the Federal Crop Insur ance Corporation. Following a major crop loss, it provides benefits similar to those provided for insurable crops by the catastrophic level of crop insurance protection. The program operates at no cost to producers. Payments can be made only when an area-wide disaster occurs. This area crite rion may change sometime in the future. Payments can be made after crop loss in an approved area is greater than 35 percent of the expected area yield, and an indi vidual producer has more than a 50 percent loss of his approved yield. Producers must file an acreage report before the dead line, or they will not be eligible for payments, no matter how severe the disaster. July 15,2000 is the deadline to report these crops. Producers also must report losses within 15 days of the occurrence of the natural disaster or when damage to the crop becomes apparent. There is no cost for signing up for NAP. Eligible crops are those for which crop insurance is not available and are commercially grown for food and fiber. Also included are floriculture, Christ mas trees, turfgrass sod, and in dustrial crops. It does not include trees grown for wood, paper, or pulp products. Payments are limited to $lOO,OOO to eligible producers. A producer is eligible when it is determined that a conservation plan designed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service is in place. Also, qualifying gross income cannot exceed $2 mil lion. If a notice of loss is filed beyond the applicable period, it is considered late filed and shall only be determined acceptable if the crop acreage can be in spected to verify the damage or extent of damage caused by the disaster condition. Production evidence should accompany the Notice of Loss/Application for payment. An appraisal by an FSA repre sentative may be required to determine production loss. Report your crops to the Farm Service Agency. Notify the Farm Service Agency of losses incurred as soon as the condi porting must visit the eounty office, review aerial photo graphs, and indicate the location of their crops. The York County office is located at 120 Pleasant Acres Road in York and is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Appointments are en couraged. Call ahead to have the aerial photos mailed to you to mark at home. This will significantly reduce time spent in the office. Final certification date is July 17 for corn, soybeans, fruit and vegetables. tion is known. The Lancaster County Farm Service Agency is located at the Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Rd., Lan caster PA 17601. AURORA, Col. “Farmers and the Food Chain” was the topic of National Farmers Union (NFU) President Lelaud Swenson’s address to farm or ganization leaders from SO or ganizations at the 34th International Federation of Ag ricultural Producers (IFAP) World Farmers’ Congress re cently in Hannover, Germany. Swenson told the group he feels there is a misconception that the world’s farmers and ranchers will see economic pros perity through trade liberaliza tion and the elimination of domestic supports. “The income crisis in agricul ture is not caused by subsidies,” he said. “The market is failing farmers! It is failing all around the world. It is failing to return a fair and adequate share of the consumer dollar to farmers; fail ing to allocate to farmers a rea sonable return on labor, management, and equity from the agrifood system’s huge reve nue system.” The NFU leader explained that market failure is predicta ble. He said it is a direct result of dramatic market power imbal ances between agrifood industry multinational corporations and "I need q tractor that's as efficient os 1 am." All I Is A WHITE. Engine. The White 125 PTO hp 8310 boasts a turbo charged, 6-cylinder Cummins B 5 9 diesel that delivers clean-burning power and outstanding reliability So you get a hard-driving tractor that's easy on fuel J & M MACHINERY CO. LEBANON VALLEY STANLEYS Route 22 & 819 IMPLEMENT CO., INC. FARM SERVICE A 7OO E L ' nden S ‘ RD 1 - Off Rte 125 Qi4.~000-44.f0 Richland, PA Khngerstown PA 717-866-7518 570-648-2088 MILLER EQUIPMENT CO. WITMER’S INC. RD 1 Box 368 CUUIrIvICIN I, lIMU. Bechtelsville, PA Columbiana OH 44408 2095 S Market St 610-845-2911 330-427-2147 717-367-8867 NFU President Speaks To World Farmers Congress Transmission. A standard Quadrashift transmission combines powershitt convenience with synchromesh economy And a wet multi-disc clutch increases durability The optional 18-speed Powersoft adds versatility the family farmers that must do business with these firms. “Industrial concentration is an issue for farmers and ranch ers throughout the world. It is also an issue for consumers,” Swenson said. “A major concern about concentration in the food system focuses on the control ex ercised by a handful of firms over decision-making through out the food system.” He explained that the system is becoming more complex with the involvement in biotechnol ogy, extending through produc tion and ending with a highly processed food. Acquisition is still a common method of com bining two or more firms, but mergers, joint ventures, partner ships, contracts, and less formal ized relationships are also used. “These ‘clusters of firms’ con trol the food system from ‘gene to supermarket shelf,” said Swenson. In a food chain cluster, the food product is passed along from stage-to-stage, but owner ship never changes and neither does the decision-making. The farmer becomes a grower, prov ing the labor and often some of the capital, but never owns the product and never makes major Comfort. The large cab's sleek, low-profile styling and ergonomic design ensure high visibility and optimum comfort, right down to the armrest control console Long days in the field feel a little shorter management decisions. Using information from “Consolidation in the Food and Agriculture System” by Dr. Wil liam Heffernan of the University of Missouri and “The Farm Crisis, EU Subsidies and Agri business Power” by the National Fanners Union of Canada, Swenson told the group, “The loss of family farmers and ranchers because of the eco nomic crisis, a result of low com modity prices and higher production costs does not affect the volume of production. It does affect the economic viabil ity of businesses in rural com munities, results in the depopulation of rural communi ties, forces consolidation of edu cation systems and the loss of access to local health care ser vices.” Swenson concluded his re marks saying, “In the USA, the top five food retailers control over 45 percent of the retail food on a national basis even more on a regional basis as not all of the top five operate nationally. What do farmers expect from the food chain? 1) A fair and just price for the commodities they produce; 2) A fair, open and competitive market; 3) Leader ship by farm organizations that are concerned about their mem bers’ economic future.” The World Farmers’ Con gress is a unique event which brings together the leaders of national farmers’ organizations from throughout the world every two years. fuming Radius. The White FieIdMASTER" 8310 lets you spend less time at the end of the row and more time work ing it, thanks to a tight 55° AWD steering angle The result 7 Greater efficiency and less operator fatigue LBwhite lAaebl
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