812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 3,2001 (Continued from Page B 2) vents farm couples from sharing stress and personal feelings. “Knowing that you do not face these problems alone can begin the healing process of a stressful situation. Everyone needs to know that someone else cares about them.” Worry is like a rocking horse, because it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere. It is im portant to identify the source of worry and than take into consid eration a research study that re vealed the following: • 44 percent of the things that people worried about had al ready happened and nothing could be done to change what had happened in the past. • 26 percent of the things peo ple worried about would never happen to begin with. • 22 percent of the things that people worried about cannot be changed. If it happens, it hap pens and nothing can be done to change it. • 8 percent of the things that people worried about could actu ally be changed by some control the person has to do something about the situation. Sense of Humor Keep a sense of humor in a stressful situation. Hanson said Kohl Outlines Ways To Navigate In Changing Global Marketplace LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) World trade ushers in both hope and fear for farmers. Hope that they can export sur pluses and command higher prices for products for which they labor so intensely, but fear of other countries producing food cheaper and forcing the U.S. out of world trade markets. Dr. David Kohl, economist and professor of agriculture fi nance at Virginia Tech, allayed some of these fears during last week’s First Union agri-educa tional seminar at the Farm and Home Center. “North America is a strong, dominant player in the world ag ricultural marketplace, and should continue to be so in the future,” Kohl said. Although South America Trade Embargoes, Sanctions Hurt Farmers, Children LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) “Whether we like it or not, we are a global marketplace,” said Orion Samuelson. In his 50 years as broadcaster for the U.S. Farm Report, Samu elson said globalization is the biggest change in agriculture. No longer are farmers only con cerned about local weather, but they realize that “world weather” will affect grain industry prices. Samuelson believes that em bargoes and sanctions placed on other countries hurts U.S. farm ers and the children in that coun try more than the government that is being disciplined. Cuba, he said, is an example. It’s been 50 years since the U.S. cut off diplomatic relationships with Cuba in hopes of deterring Castro’s control. “It didn’t work. Castro is still there. He isn’t going away,” Samuelson said. Instead, Cuba is buying grain and other commodities else where, .although they .would pre- Like ‘Fence Posts Talking To Bach Other * y 'muj'jMl „> +s o *» *' *L/~*iU' > *'' *'~* *** s -- •• .«**.,* j^ : - -* • • • ■•- •-. v ■-••<■ ~ N ~~ ! - • - -.-•- - ~ -- - . Unfortunately, many family members interact similar to fence posts when it comes to communication they neither talk nor listen. Understanding each other is often as confusing as this statement: “I know you think that you heard what 1 said, but what you heard is not what I said.” that his wife has three television programs that she likes to watch and does not want to be inter rupted while watching them. Whenever Hanson attempts to ask a question during these epi sodes, she waves him aside or nods yes. Her response is often incon venient for Hanson, and he jokes that sometime he is going to tell his wife he is leaving her to marry the neighbor woman, and his wife will nod OK. Making a joke of the situation shows enormous potential for food imports and has the benefit of fertile soil, a long growing sea son, low labor costs, and close proximity to many markets, the country is at potential risk. “Both political and financial stability threatens South Ameri ca,” Kohl said. “The jury is still out,” Kohl said on South Ameri ca’s impact on world trade. Ag terrorism is rampant and will continue to be so. In a recent visit to South Afri ca, Kohl noticed machine guns mounted on tractors as standard equipment. “If a neighbor decides he wants to take over the farm, he does,” Kohl said of the daily peril farm owners face from po litical instability that enables rampant crime. South Africa and many other third world countries face an ad fer to buy from the U.S. to save transport costs. Cuban children are suffering medically because embargoes prevent shipment of medicine. “People get hurt. American producers lose,” Samuelson said of trade embargoes. “We need to open and expand markets,” Samuelson of his belief in a global marketplace. Samuelson also addressed bio technology concerns. “Science must be the benchmark, not emotion,” he said of dissidents to biotechnology advances. “It’s impossible to put on any one’s dinner plate without dis turbing someone’s environment,” he said. “With all the technology, we lose sight of common sense.” In his address at First Union’s 20th annual agri-educational seminar Feb. 22 at the Farm and Home Center, Samuelson also predicted that change will con tinue to impact agriculture. “One half of our young people will end up in jobs not even in ■* w,< <*•** relieves the frustration Hanson feels. While couples often believe that settling an argument solves the problem Hanson advises more steps to take. • Achieve a personal balance between farm work and a time to relax with family members. • Express appreciation for your spouse and other family members. Too often, individuals involved in a farming operation have a definite feeling of being ditional crisis. They have low labor costs, but the labor force is not trained and doesn’t want to be, according to Kohl. The slowing economy in the U.S., Kohl believes, cannot be salvaged by lowering interest rates. He attributes the sluggish economy to gearing up for a Y2K that never came and U.S. tech nology leveling out. With no rev olutionary technical advances in the last two years, technical mar kets have caused NASDAQ, Dow, and the S&P to fall. Kohl also believes that a slid ing economy is a result of con sumers already utilizing home equity loans and credit cards and no longer having any options to continue buying. A slowing economy has a bright side for farmers, according to Kohl. “People will eat before they buy gadgets,” he said of the reason that farmers will experi Orion Samuelson is the voice behind the U.S. Farm Report heard on 370 radio and 190 television stations. **V; Follow Through taken for granted. It is not al ways the words spoken, but the words left unspoken that can cause a rift in relationships. Learn to say, “I love you. I ap preciate you. I need you.” Hanson said, “Those words are often left unsaid until it is too late to salvage a relationship.” A farm wife once told Hanson, “If my husband just told me that he loved me and cared about me as much as his new tractor, I would have stayed on the farm, and found a way to save my ence a softer landing during a re cession. A slowing economy may result in declining land values because urban dwellers will be less likely to buy land for recreational and investment purposes. Kohl challenged farmers to focus on things they can manage and develop labor management skills. “Think global, but act local,” Kohl said of the increas ing need for farmers to wrestle with local zoning laws to protect their right to farm. Kohl foresees future wars over water. “No magic silver bullet exists,” Kohl said of guaranteeing finan cial success in farming. “It’s doing thousands of little things,” he said, of the need for farmers to be good marketers and adopt technology selectively in order to adapt to a changing market place. Also at the seminar, Barry Flinchbaugh, left, Kansas State University professor, and H. Louis Moore, Penn State economist, conducted a spirited debate on the state of the economy for 2001. Both economists do not foresee a recession but a low growth rate, "if we keep talking recession, we will talk ourselves into it,” Flinch baugh said of the media’s doom and gloom reporting. A New Global Agricultural Economy marriage.” Another wife told Hanson, “The only thing that my husband and I share together is our mail ing address, and now I am going to change that.” It is extremely easy to get so wrapped up in the working de mands of the farming operation itself that we often forget or even ignore the needs and personal feelings of those we love the most in our lives. Hanson jokes that the best way to test the strength of a farm marriage is to let a husband and wife sort livestock together on a hot summer day. Or watch the reaction of a spouse when his wife brings home the wrong com bine repair part. Too many family members as sume that they’ll have more time to spend and share together next year. Or they intend to share their personal feelings for their spouse later, but never find the time. Determine to take positive steps now to share your feelings and build closer family ties. “Family strengths are impor tant to everyMfe,” Hanson said. “The family is a personal refuge and caretaker of its members. Families sustain us in difficult times, share our dreams, and be come a part of our pleasures and memories throughout life.” “People will eat before they buy gadgets,” said Dr. David Kohl, Virginia Tech.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers