AIQ-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, February 3,2001
OPINION
Food Policy As
Political *Weapon’
Last week we reported in the paper about several forecasts made
by Bob Utterback, Utterback Marketing Services, New Richmond,
Ind., ag marketing adviser for Farm Journal Magazine.
For com and soybean growers who believe ag exports are key to
profitability, the good news is that China is a big player now, want
ing more grain to feed their expanding livestock industry. Demand
for meat protein in China climbs as the country becomes even more
“westernized.” They need grain, so they’ll certainly want to import
more because of the recent World Trade Organization agreements
and favored trade status.
But there’s one caveat: our government’s old ways of doing
things.
Problem is, U.S. grain producers can become too dependent on
those markets, much like we did with pork exports before the Asian
financial crisis and before we decided to cut back on loans to an
ever-floundering Russia (which used to import a lot of chicken from
us).
In the past, when Russia did something to upset our government,
we simply cut back grain exports, according to Utterback. Would
we do the same with China, as soon as they did something our gov
ernment disagreed with?
Where, then, would that leave U.S. producers who need to mar
ket that grain?
Brings up some interesting questions.
If the U.S. continues to use food policy as an international diplo
matic “weapon,” as Utterback contends, our own producers are not
being served very well, are they?
ciation Convention, Lebanon
Expo Center, Lebanon, thru
Feb. 4.
Ephrata Area Young Farmers
Banquet, Mt. Airy Fire Hall,
6:30 p.m.
Annual Horse Social, Dauphin
County extension office, 2:30
p.m.
Vermont Grazing Conference,
Randolph Center, Vermont.
Lawrence County Wool
Growers’ meeting, Liberty
posium, Host Conference
Center, Lancaster, thru Feb.
6.
Accounting
Workshop, Adams County
extension office, Feb. 7,9, and
12.
Building A Farmers’ Market
Business Workshop, Owego
Treadway Inn, Owego, N.Y.,
also Feb. 6.
Association Conference, Four
Points Sheraton, Greensburg,
thru Feb. 8.
Pennsylvania Landscape and
Nursery Conference, Penn
Stater Conference Center,
University Park, thru Feb. 8.
Ephrata Area Young Farmers
pesticide meeting, Lincoln
Farm Smorgasbord, 6:45 p.m.
Keystone Pork Congress, Leba
non Valley Convention
Center, Lebanon Fairgrounds,
8 a.m.
Calf Feeder School, Walker
Township Building, Zion, 10
a.m.-3 p.m.
Northeast Vegetable Growers’
Meeting, Thompson’s Dairy
Bar, Clarks Summit, 8:30
a.m.-4 p.m.
♦ Farm Calendar ♦
*
Crop Records Seminar, Stoll
Center, Wysox, 11 a.m.-noon.
Feeder School for Clinton,
Centre counties, Walker
Township Building, 10 a.m.-3
p.m.
Estate Planning For Farmers,
Mercer County extension
office, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Commercial Greenhouse Opera
tors’ Meeting, Comfort Inn,
Altoona, Duncansville.
Well-Plugging Program, Sugar
Grove Free Library, Sugar
Grove, 7 p.m.
Forest Landowner Workshop,
Dauphin County Agricultural
and Natural Resources
Center, Dauphin, 6:30 p.m.
Pa. DHIA Awards Banquet,
Days Inn Penn State, 5:30
p.m.
NCC Computer Training,
Townsend Hall, University of
Delaware, Newark, 7 p.m.-9
p.m.
F f -At C< Club r nd Sr
ive-Acre „orn iub anc soy
bean Club Luncheon, Leba
non Valley Expo Center,
noon.
2001 Southwest Beet Manage
ment Workshop 2, Cedar
brook Golf Course, Belle
Vernon.
Ohio Fruit and Vegetable
Growers Congress and Ohio
Roadside Marketing Confer
ence, Toledo, Ohio, thru Feb.
9.
Pennsylvania Landscape and
Nursery Conference, Penn
State Conference Center,
University Park, thru Feb. 8.
Venango County Crops Night,
Venango extension office,
Franklin, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Blue Ball National Bank Farm
Seminar, Blue Ball Fire Hall,
9:45 a.m.-3 p.m.
NCC Farmer Breakfast Meet
ing, Ches Del Diner, 7:30 a.m.-
Jhfo a.m.
(Turn to Page A 39)
For most of the past 50 years,
agriculture has been separated
from the consumer and the mar
ketplace.
It has been focused more on
production than on profitability
and thus supported by govern
ment. New farm policy is being
directed at farmers being more
responsive to consumers and
markets. Agriculture is being de
regulated. It is being separated
from government management
and support.
According to Dr. Joyce Cacho,
Rabobank International, agricul
ture is no longer about a cheap
food policy but a commercial
food industry that has to stand
on its own. Farmers must man
age their farms as businesses for
which there will be fewer rescues
during periods of excess produc
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GRASPING WHAT
HE SAYS
What an advantage we have
over “the twelve,” the first disci
ples of Jesus! We have more
than two thousand years and bil
lions of written and spoken
words to help us understand
what Jesus is teaching us with
what he said and did. Yet, for all
of that, do we really grasp the
teachings of Jesus?
In Luke 18:31-34, Jesus assem
bles “the twelve” and tells them
that he and they are going to Je
rusalem where death and resur
rection await him. “But they un
derstood none of these things;
this saying was hid from them,
and they did not grasp what was
said.” The reason they did not
“grasp what was said” is that it
was so diametrically different
from what they expected of the
niessiah.
In time, they learned what all
of us must learn: anyone who
takes Jesus seriously must be
constantly prepared to be con
founded by him.
They experienced this, not
only in Jerusalem, but on the
way, too. Luke 18 and 19 are full
of surprises. In 18:9-14, the para
ble of the Pharisee and the tax
collector, he totally redefines the
meaning of real piety (the Phari
see wasn’t, but the tax collector
was!).
In 18:15-17, as people were
bringing “infants to him that he
might touch them,” Iw Surprised
them again: “Let jtfie children
come to me... fof to such be-
To Look At
Changes In Agriculture
Background Scripture:
Luke 18:15 through 19:10.
Devotional Reading:
Matthew 10:34-39.
tion and/or low prices. This is
causing consolidated, large pro
duction systems to be developed
so fanners will have the needed
control and scale that consumers,
markets, and capital expect.
Agriculture is moving from a
food supply driven to a demand
and market driven economy.
Accordingly, food must be the
high quality and value consum
ers expect. This means food pro
duction must be controlled from
farm gate to table.
According to experts at Rao
bank, this does not suggest a few
large firms owning production
from farm to table, but it does
mean production has to be more
coordinated and monitored
throughout the production cycle.
This means production of food
must be organized into strategic
alliances, partnerships, or sys
tems.
To Adjust To
Changes In Agriculture
There is a lot of interest in pre
serving the farmer. The next
farm bill will have a big impact
on the future structure of Ameri
can agriculture.
Based on consolidations that
are taking place in agriculture,
many experts believe farmers ei
ther will become larger or small
er and creative. As the book
“Who Moved My Cheese” states:
our cheese is being moved and
we must find new cheese if our
farm business is to survive. The
book is about change and how to
respond to change.
Dr. David Kohl, Virginia
Tech, stated this week in Lancas
ter, if we eliminate government
payments, we will eliminate mid
size farms (farms with $50,000 to
$250,000 in gross receipts) in the
U.S. Farmers, through their or
ganizations, will need to commu-
longs the kingdom of God.”
In 18:18-30, his encounter
with the “rich ruler” to whom he
issues the challenge to “Come,
follow me,” presents a revolu
tionary interpretation of disci
pleship.
Who Is Important?
Then, on the way to Jerusa
lem, Luke 18:35-43, Jesus dem
onstrates to his disciples just
whom they ought to regard as
“important.” A blind beggar
cries out, “Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me!” Told to shut
up, the man only cried the loud
er and to everyone’s astonish
ment, Jesus stopped and re
stored the man’s sight.
A nice thing to do, we might
say, but wouldn’t it have been
better if Jesus had waited to heal
someone more important? By his
action, Jesus challenged them to
see this man in a radically new
light.
Then, just in case they didn’t
grasp his teaching, he did it
again as he entered Jericho.
Here, it was someone at the very
bottom of the social ladder: a
rich chief tax collector. Because
they worked for their Roman
oppressors and became rich
while doing so, they were the ul
timate swine of society. We can
hardly appreciate their sense of
shock and outrage when Jesus
went with him to his house.
What could have been more
galling than to hear him say to
the hated tax collector: “Today
salvation has come to this house,
since he also is a son of Abra
ham. For the son of man came to
seek and save the lost.”
Well, of course, Jesus came to
“seek and save the lost,” but
shouldn’t he be more judicious
in terms of whom he includes in
“the lost?” Surely the kingdom
of heaven or even our church
is no place for people of bad rep
utation. If we deem someone
despicable, surely Jesus cannot
want that person in his domain?
Sinners Transformed
In this incident with Zac
chaeus, Jesus radically redefines
nicate to the public the impact
farm policy will have on farm
size.
Farmers will need to decide
what type of farm they will oper
ate in the future. To be small and
creative will require different at
titudes than becoming larger.
Regardless of the size, farmers
will be facing more paperwork as
consumers demand more inform
ation on how their food is being
produced and what it contains.
We need to be creative in how we
add value to products.
Now is the time to learn about
strategic planning and start
doing it for your farm business.
To Understand
Trends In Agriculture
Dr. David Kohl, Virginia
Tech, presented several seminars
in Lancaster this week.
He made many interesting ob
servations and how they will af
fect farmers.
In order to have a strong agri
cultural industry, you need the
following: good soils, adequate
water, and competent people; in
frastructure and technology ad
aptation; political stability; finan
cial stability; and market
accessibility.
One point he made under po
litical stability is you need favor
able local regulations that allow
farmers to grow their businesses.
Also you need to grow your busi
ness annually by 10 to 15 percent
in gross receipts or S to 7 percent
in net receipts. The important
thing to remember is the world is
changing and farmers must
change also.
Feather Profs Footnote:
“The difference between a suc
cessful person and others is not
a lack of strength, not a lack of
knowledge, but rather a lack of
will. ”
the meaning of discipleship. *We i
do not become his disciples liy
saying, “Yes, Lord, I believe,”
but by letting Jesus transfortn ~
our livef as he d|d the life ofJSftc- f*
chaeus.
He stood up and told Jesus: /
“Behold. Lord, the, half of w**
goodsMWetSu le poor;
have defrauded anyone of any
thing, I restore it fourfold.”
Zacchaeus did not deny his
sins and he was not looking for
cheap grace. Yes, he had become
weathy on his share of the taxes
he gathered, so now he would
give half of his wealth to the
poor. Nor did he deny that he
had cheated some, but he prom
ised to repay them fourfold what
he had taken from them.
The tax collector of Jericho
truly grasped what following
Jesus meant. It was not enough
to say, “I’m sorry,” but “This is
what I’m going to do because I’m
sorry.” Grasping the meaning of
Jesus’ teachings means saying
“yes” to his challenge in the most
active, positive way.
When Jesus told Zacchaeus
that “I must stay at your house
today...when they saw it, all
murmured, “He has gone in to be
the guest of a man who is a sin
ner.’”
But Jesus also had a radically
different concept of who are the
sinners. As the comic strip char
acter “Pogo” once observed, “We
have met the enemy, and he is
us!”, so Jesus teaches us, if we
will grasp it, that he came to
“seek and save the lost” and
that is us. All of us!
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stelnman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Editor
Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming