A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 16,2002
(Continued from Page A 10)
tion of a state order and to in
stead improve dairy farm profita
bility by increasing per-cow
production and by lowering so
matic ceil counts. He used
skewed statistics to support these
recommendations, and his final
piece of imparted wisdom to
Minnesota was to amend local
statutes and zoning regulations to
promote dairy herd expansion.
Fortunately, several of those in
attendance called him on his in
accuracies and withholdings of
fact. His standard reply was
“Good point. I’m glad you
brought that up.” Really, and
what if they hadn’t? Am I to be
lieve that Bailey was not aware of
these crucial points?
For Bailey, Feb. 9’s meeting
followed the conclusion of a
week-long tour sponsored by
Monsanto for the purpose of
promotion of futures and forward
contracts. I find it amazing that
Bailey can support a program
that encourages lower, flatter raw
milk prices while on the other
hand he attempts to discourage a
state effort that would lead to a
more accurate means of deter
mining market prices for manu
factured dairy products and at
the same time encourage inter
state commerce cooperation
among leading dairy states.
As a dairy farmer, I follow
dairy issues closely, and as a re
sult have attended numerous
meetings hosted by Bailey. I have
found that he consistently sup
ports a philosophy promoting
global trade and elimination of
any local, state, or federal price
enhancement provisions.
The time has come for Penn
State to rein in Dr. Ken Bailey.
Until this happens, he will con
tinue to give the commonwealth
a bad image as he promotes his
aggressive views for a deregu
lated, global dairy industry.
❖ Farm Forum ❖
Is it too much to ask to start
hearing the truth from Penn
State’s Department of Agricul
tural Economics and Rural So
ciology?
Cyrus S. Cochran
Dairy Farmer
Westfield
Editor.
Adolph Hitler once said, “It is
great luck for rulers that men do
not think.” Looking back, it’s
safe to say that Germany would
have been a much different and
better place in the 1930 s and ’4os
if Germans had thought for
themselves and acted on what
was right.
Today it might be said that it is
great luck for multinational agri
business that many people do not
think for themselves. One way to
stimulate the thought process is
through asking questions.
For example; Is the rapid pace
of agribusiness mergers a good
thing? Do fewer competitors in
MORE MILK PER ACRE
crease competition? Why are cor
porations and cooperative exten
sion holding joint meetings with
farmers? Why is the dairy indus
try pushing forward contracting
so hard when farmers are not
likely to gain? Is it because they
are seeking a captive supply of
milk?
Do they envision a day when
dairy farmers will own facilities
and shoulder the risks while cor
poration X will own the cows and
dictate management procedures?
Why is there a continual push for
larger dairies when there is grow
ing concern about the environ
mental impact of CAFOs? Why
do ag economists encourage ex
pansion when both Cornell Uni
versity and University of Wiscon
sin studies found that the lowest
cost of production among top
herds was in herds of less than
150 cows?
Why is a higher milk price for
large dairy farms justified by
dairy industry strategists while
they ignore the Capper-Volstead
Act, which envisioned small
farms jointly marketing milk to
obtain a fair price? Who will be
able to buy the large megadairies
in the future? Are land-grant ag
economists on corporate retain
ers? If so, why?
Since farm Class I price for
milk in Boston was $1.46 per gal
lon in January 1998, while retail
SEEDWAY SILAGE HYBRIDS
The "IN SITU" Results Are Conclusive...
MILK PER ACRE PRODUCED IN TESTING
( Seedway tests conducted in 2000-2001 )
VARIETY
SEEDWAY E39OL
SEEDWAYE4O9L 96 day (early-med)
Mycog©n TMF94 97 day (eariy-med)
Pioneer Brand 37M81 98 day (ean y -med)
SEEDWAY E 538
SEEDWAY E 695
SEEDWAY E 705
Pioneer Brand 33K81
Pioneer Brand 33Y18
*UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN CORN SILAGE EVALUATION EQUATIONS USED
COMPLETE YOUR FORAGE SEED PROGRAM WITH
SEEDWAY ALFALFA AND SPRINT !
MIFFLINBURG, PA 800 - 338-2137 YORK, PA 800
MECHANICSBURG, PA 802 - 897 - 2281 EMMAUS, PA 800
was $2.60 and farm Class 1 price
was $1.31 per gallon in January
2002, while retail was $2.99, how
does Ken Bailey’s “Standard
Mark-Up Model” work? Why
does Penn State and the milk
processing industry strongly de
fend Ken Bailey while farmers
are critical of his work?
Why does officialdom continue
to push biotech when many na
tions keep our ag exports out as a
result? These are only a few of
the many questions that need an
swers. The most important ques
tion is, why do so few people
speak out?
Gerald Carlin, Dairy Fanner
Meshoppen
Editor.
I am compelled to write this
letter after what 1 had witnessed
this weekend.
My husband and I attended a
benefit auction for a fire compa
ny. Just like any other benefit
auction for any other fire compa
ny or school, they were selling ev
erything from soup to nuts,
horses to equipment, etc.
As usual, I like to watch the
horses being harnessed and
worked around the track. Now, I
have seen my share of accidents
with horses, I know the dangers
of being around things like that.
But what I am about to tell you is
something that should not have
happened.
MATURITY
94 day (early-med)
100 day (early-med)
108 day (late)
111 day (late)
111 day (late)
112 day (late)
One of the sellers was harnes
sing up his horses. As he brought
out this standardbred, I noticed
the horse was a little quick. Not
afraid, just quick. There were two
men holding the front of the
horse and the other man hooked
him up to the sulky. No sooner
did the man in the sulky ask the
horse to walk, the horse bolted.
In the process of running away,
the horse ran over an elderly gen
tleman. This was definitely an ac
cident that could have been pre
vented.
I feel that the responsibility for
this accident lies with the fire
company and the seller of the
horse. Isn’t the seller aware of
what he is selling? Doesn’t the
fire company want to conduct a
safe sale, so folks come back?
The auctions advertise these
sales and bring in all types of
people. There are horse people
and city folk attending. There
were children and elderly, babies
in carriages anyone who has
attended one of these sales know
what I am talking about.
I am just appalled over the
whole episode. It seems to me
that their only concern is for how
much money they can bring in
and it doesn’t matter how they
do it or who gets hurt. What is it
going to take for these people to
see the light? Someone to get
killed?
A concerned reader
S MILK / Ai
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