Down on the Farm with Farm Bureau's First Lady · Michigan Farm Bureau Buyer's Service ......

Down on the Farm withFarm Bureau's First Lady

Introducing Michigan Farm Bureau'sNewest Service to Member Program

Most major brands available at discounts up to60%!

What isThe Family Saver?The Family Saver "Quik Quote" System is aservice that was designed to help save youhundreds of dollars on major purchases thatyou may make in the com ing years.

We can be your purchasing agency byeliminating much of the middleman's highmark-up and pass these savings on to you. Nopressure to buy, only our help in saving youmoney.

How can wedo this?

AppliancesFreezersDishwashersWashers and dryersRefrigeratorsRangesSmall appliancesMicrowave ovens

Electronic EquipmentStereosScannersTelevisions

MiscellaneousFurnitureCarpetingBox springs and mattresses

Photography equipmentlawn and garden equipmentPower toolslampsFireplacesWood furnacesluggageWatchesMusical equipmentlawn furniture

Sporting GoodsArchery equipmentHunting equipmentPool and game tablesRods and reels

Very simple. We order merchandise directfrom the factory or distributor and ship itdirectly to you or to a warehouse near whereyou live. We do not have the high cost of in-ventory, or large warehouse and showrooms,sales commissions, etc. As your purchasingagent to help you save money, we also havesome retailers who are interested in increasingtheir volume and thus giving them larger buy-ing discounts by brokering their productthrough our great purchasing power.

What does it cost?This NEW member service, costing only $25 forthe first year and $15 thereafter annually, allowsyou to get unlimited pricing information via a tollfree number. This program compares favorablywith ones costing up to $795 annually. For detailson this new member service refer to the Serviceto Member Program brochure included with yourdues notice or contact your county Farm Bureausecretary.

All merchandise is brand new and carries full factorywarranties with nationwide local service.

------- ...----------------------Michigan Farm Bureau Buyer's Service Enrollment Form

Please complete and mail along with your check ormoney order to:

Michigan Farm BureauMember Service DepartmentP.O. Box 30960Lansing, MI 48909

Date

Membership Number

Farm Bureau Membership Name(as shown on membership card)

Address

City

State and Zip

Telephone No.

Amount Enclosed

In this issue:

The Life They Save Could Be YoursRescue teams and farmers respond enthusiastically to ag accident rescue training.

Is School Out on Vocational Agriculture?Reduced funding emphasizes the need for active community support for vo-ag programs.

THE COVERLynde Smith introduces a"Fabulous Food Friend" toChad Wheeler, 4, during avisit by the Kentwood Com-munity Education Preschool.Photo by Cathy J. Kirvan

JUNE 1983VOL. 62 NO.6

County Newsletter - pages 18-19Farm Bureau Market Place - page 20Agrinomic Update - page 26Discussion Topic - page 28

12

COLUMNSRural Route - page 4

Country Ledger - page 5Legislative Review - page 6Front and Center - page 16

Letters to Rural Living - page 17

14County Communications Rate Recognition

AFBF studies Kent County FB information program for national guidelines;NW Michigan FB celebrates 15th anniversary of "Accent Agriculture."

21

Down on the Farm with Farm Bureau's First LadyLynde Smith is a mother, grandmother, surrogate mom to dozens of future farmers,

dairy booster and the lady behind MFB President Elton Smith.

8

A publicat~onof the

MichiganFarm Bureau

FARM NEWS

IIIlcblgllD F8rm l'tew. RURAL LlVIl'tG (ISSl't 0016,1161): Michigan Farm News Rural Living Is published monthly. on the first day, by the Michigan Farm Bu-reau Information and Public Relations Division. Publication and editorial offices at 7373 West Saginaw Highway, lansing, Mich. 48909, Post OHlce Box 30960;telephone. lansing 517-.323- 7000. Extension 508. SUBSCRIPTIOl't PRICE: $1.50 per year to members. Included In annual dues. $.3.00 per year non-membersIn Michigan. $5.00 per year non-members out of state. Publication No . .345040. Established Jan. 13. 192.3 as Michigan Farm News. name changed to MichiganFarm News Rural Living Dec. I. 1981. Third-class postage paid at lansing. Michigan and at additional mailing oHlces. f:DITORIAL: Connie Turbin. Editor; Mar.cia Dltchle. Associate Editor and Business Manager; Donna Wilber, Contributing Editor; Cathy J. Klrvan, Copy Editor. OFFICf:RS: Michigan Farm Bureau; Presi-dent, Elton R. Smith. Caledonia; Vice President, Jack laurie, Cass City; Administrative Director, Robert Braden. lansing; Treasurer and Chief Financial OHlcer,Max D. Dean; Secretary, William S. Wilkinson. DIRECTORS: District I. Arthur Bailey, Schoolcraft; District 2. lowell Eisenmann, Blissfield; District .3. JamesSayre. Belleville; District 4, Elton R. Smith. Caledonia; District 5. Albert Cook. Mason; District 6. Jack laurie. Cass City; District 7. Robert Rider. Hart; District 8.lyle leCronler. Freeland; District 9. Donald Nugent, Frankfort; District 10, Margaret Kartes, West Branch; District II. Bernard Doll. Dafter. DIRf:CTORS ATLARGE: Dave Conklin. Corunna; Michael Pridgeon. Montgomery; Robert Rottler, Fremont. FARJII BUREAU WOJllf:l't: Faye Adam. Snover. FARJII BUREAUYOUl'tG FARJIIERS: Mark Smuts, Charlotte. POSTMASTER: In using form .3579. mall to: Michigan Farm News Rural Living. P.O. Box .30960, 7.37.3 West SaginawHighway, lansing. Mich. 48909.

Reduced Spending - NotMore Taxes - WillRemedy Budget Deficits

- I

While emotional, divisive is-sues within the agricultural in-dustry have made demands onour time and efforts these days,there's one that affects everyfarmer - no matter what his orher major enterprise might be- and one which, I fear, is notreceiving adequate attention.Put into proper perspective, itmakes all other issues minor incomparison.

Certainly, we're all aware ofwhat is going on in Washington,D.C., with much media atten-tion focused on the currentbudget discussions. But, are weconcerned enough about the di-rection in which those discus-sions are heading to temporari-ly put aside other concerns tolaunch an all-out attack on ef-forts by a liberal Congress topreserve its tax and spend hab-its?

If only each of us would "puta pencil" to the proposals thatare being considered and evalu-ate what they would mean toour own families and farms andtheir futures, I'm sure therewould be a grassroots outcry,the likes of which Congress hasnever seen before. But, if every-one takes an apathetic, "letGeorge do it" approach to thisvery real threat, that outcry willnever be heard.

The proposals that should beof such concern to us include

4

elimination of the 10% personaltax break scheduled for July 1,and elimination of the incometax indexing designed to pro-tect us from inflationary taxbracket creep.

It also includes a freeze onestate and gift tax exemptionsand reductions as authorized inthe 1981 tax act. For manyyears, farmers and small busi-ness people fought for estateand gift tax reform to assurethat farms and businessescould stay in the family. Thefreeze would halt the six-yearphase-in of the $600,000 estateexemption as it nears the half-way mark, and the scheduleddecreases in the tax rate itselfwould be frozen at 60% insteadof 50%.

These proposals illustrate thetwisted economic reasoningthat abounds in Washington.Congress seems bent on slam-ming the brakes on the econo-my just as it begins to showsigns of recovery. If Congress issuccessful in its efforts to ad-dress the budget deficit by in-creased taxes, you and I willend up paying the governmentmore and ourselves less, soCongress can keep on feedingits insatiable, undisciplined ap-petite for taxing and spending.

Farm Bureau member involve-ment in getting the EconomicRecovery Tax Act of 1981 pass-ed was intense and effectiveand we must act immediately ifwe are to keep what we worked

so hard to gain. We simply mustnot let Congress renege on itspromises!

I urge each and everyone ofyou to join me in sending thatmessage to Washington, D.C.Tell your representatives andsenators that the remedy for de-creasing the budget deficit isless government spending -not increased taxes. Increasedtaxes will speed up governmentspending, not slow it down.More taxes and more spendingat a time when our fragile econ-omy is trying to kick-start itselfcan only delay or even destroythe recovery.

Tell them how the proposedfreezes on the July 1 tax cutand income tax indexing will af-fect you personally and how vi-tally important the estate taxexemption is to keeping yourfamily farm in the family. Tellthem the freeze you need is afreeze on federal spending.

Right now, the tax action weall need is a freeze on our con-gressmen's ability to put theirhands in our pockets. Get in-volved in influencing that ac-tion. Your future, the future ofyour families, the future of yourfarm businesses, depend on it.

e~~~Elton R. Smith, PresidentMichigan Farm Bureau

RURAL LIVING, JUNE 1983

COUNTRY LEDGER

Becoming Computer Literate After 30

By Connie Turbin

I recently read that learningto use computers was about asthreatening as learning to driveor use a typewriter. Just an-other tool, the article read. I al-lowed as how that was probably

• so.Nevertheless, I didn't find

much solace in that analogysince I have almost total recallof my first years of driving - athreat to the orderly society atbest. And although I recall ex-

(ecuting a perfect demonstrationof parallel parking on my firsttry, it was a feat I was unable toduplicate for many years after.In fact, five years after gradu-ating "cum mediocre" from

, driver's training, I posted a signabove my typewriter (that'sanother story), proclaimingparallel parking as the only trueart form.

Since then I've had a re-fresher course on the subject.Crunched fenders while exiting

• the garage and a variety oflurching starts and stops havepunctuated the first four or fivemonths of driving for my two16-year-old daughters. If that'snot lesson enough, another

, daughter is coming along readyto take the wheel of the Char-lotte High School driver educa-tion car, and ultimately thefamily "bomb."

So I'm not lulled into a falsenotion that one simply sitsdown at a computer terminaland performs expertly any morethan I am ready to view parallelparking as a routine accom-plishment.

That's why, although I de-layed the confrontation for aslong as possible, I felt a realsurge of accomplishment whenI pulled up a chair in front of


our word processor and beganentering my first "document."That was a mere 90 days ago.Since then I have become com-fortable enough with the equip-ment to do some weekend workwithout the watchful assistanceof our staff expert.

If I'm not yet completely fa-miliar with all of the capabili-ties of the "software," I am atleast familiar enough with theequipment to know that it isnot my adversary in a newworld of technology. Thankheaven!

In fact, thanks to the com-munications capabilities of theword processor and our photo-typesetting equipment, articlesfor Rural Living are composedand edited without using asingle sheet of paper. The first"hard" or paper copy we see isthe typeset page of the article.And it's fun! A line of copy sopoorly written that it shoulddisappear off the face of theearth - does!

Perhaps what is the most re-warding for a person who stillcannot type an error free enve-lope, the word processor can"blip" away the x's and .f/.$/&that dotted the "stone age"typewritten Rural Living copy.

I may not have been "rightthere" when the kids werelearning new math, and theypractically never need to call onmy three years of Latin, butthanks to my growing computerliteracy and my vast driving ex-perience, we have whole newworlds in which to relate to oneanother.

That's something to considerif your own youngsters areamong the junior high and highschool students who are work-ing with and learning aboutcomputers in their classrooms.

And while many Michiganfarmers and agribusinesseshave already taken the steptoward the computer age withAgriCom's computerized infor-mation system and microcom-puter systems which allowrecordkeeping, inventory andanalysis functions, students atthe Branch County Career Cen-ter are keeping pace with thenew technology as subscribersin the AgriCom system. Thesevo-ag students in southernMichigan are receiving dailymarket updates, daily reports ofagricultural news, legislationand weather reports.

Learning to use computers astools alongside of farm equip-ment to get tasks accomplishedmore quickly and efficiently isall part of the education fortomorrow's agriculture.

For those of you who are justa little wary of the computerage and your ability to adaptand use the new technology inyour everyday life, the analogyof computers as a tool, not asystem you must understand, isapt. After all, as the article Iread suggested, you need notbe able to understand all of thecomponent parts of your auto-mobile to use it effectively -learning to parallel park is asufficient demonstration ofskill. And I'll be satisfied withthe computer equivalent of thethree point turn for my nextplateau of accomplishment.

Just for now, I'm staying outof computer centers, where 10and II year olds hang out andprogram computer games, in-vent computer riddles and gen-erally make those of us who arenot yet computer literate feelstrangely out of synch and notjust a little anachronistic.

5

LEGISLATIVE REVIEW

FH Campaign Fights Tax Increases

Signaling an all-out fightagainst increased taxes, AFBFPresident Robert Delano toldpresidential advisor EdwinMeesethat Congress will behearing from the American peo-ple in opposition to the tax andspend practices of Congress."Higher taxes are never used toreduce deficits, they simplyunderwrite more spending,"Delano said.

Of particular concern to farm~ers, Delano said, are proposalsto freeze scheduled reforms inestate tax laws, efforts to can-cel the July 1 10% tax cut andthreats to rem~ve tax indexingthat could prevent "bracketcreep."

Delano said farmers supportreductions in the federal budgetdeficit, but believe the way todo it is by reducing federalspending, cutting taxes andmoving toward a sound, bal-anced budget.

In a plan of action to opposetax increases, Farm Bureauleaders are urging the organiza-tion's 3.2 million members tosend letters and cards, or tomake telephone calls, to mem-bers of Congress in oppositionto the increases.

Early Start on 1984 WheatProgram - In an effort to getthe jump on any 1984 wheatprogram, USDAis calling forpublic comments on whatshould be included if the de-

6

partment decides on a wheatprogram next year. Deadline forcomment is June 6. While thestatutory deadline for annouc-ing a 1984 wheat program isAug. 15, USDAsays it willrelease details "well inadvance" to give farmers moretime to make planting deci-sions.

Among the issues for publiccomment are whether thereshould be another Payment-in-Kind program in 1984; acreagereduction or set-aside pro-grams; loan, purchase and tar-get prices; farmer-owned re-serves; conservation and landdiversion allowances; cropacreage bases; and other mat-ters relating to a 1984 wheatprogram.

Cargo Preference IncreasesExport Costs - A bill requir-ing all bulk commodity ex-porters to ship a portion oftheir cargoes on domestic shipswould cut farm income by atleast $1.1 billion, and possiblyas much as $6.4 billion, AFBFspokesperson George L. Bergtestified before the House Mer-chant Marine Subcommittee.Berg, who is assistant directorof national affairs, said thatproposed legislation (H.R. 1242)to expand existing cargo prefer-ence rules would hurt U.S. agri-cultural exports at a time whenthe farm economy needs tocompete aggressively for accessto foreign markets.

The measure, called the Com-petitive Shipping and Shipbuild-ing Act of 1983, would require5% of bulk exports to be ship-ped on U.S. flagships with a 1%

annual increase until 20% of allbulk commodities are carriedby U.S.ships.

"Transportation costs arelikely to increase by $40 to $80per ton for grains shipped inAmerican flagships," Berg said."Extending cargo preference re-quirements to agricultural tradewould substantially reduce agri-cultural exports and farm com-modity prices, in direct conflictwith overall U.S.economic poli-cy objectives of expanded agri-cultural exports and higherfarm income,"

With only the 5% cargo pref-erence requirement in effect, hesaid, per bushel prices for cornwould fall 7 to 10 cents; wheatby 10 to 15 cents; and soy-beans by 10 to 13 cents. If the20% requirement was applied,prices could drop by as muchas 42 cents for corn and 61cents for wheat.

Compromise PreservesMarketing Order Concept -Following a cabinet level meet-ing to discuss federal market-ing orders, Agriculture Secre-tary John Block sent a letter toselected members of Congressand Federal Marketing OrderAdministrative Boards statingthat White House review hadresulted in a reaffirmation ofadministration support for themarketing order concept, forpolicy guidelines issued in 1982and for the secretary of agricul-ture to administer the pro-grams.

However, Block outlined pro-gram changes which he saidwould further define the mar-keting order guidelines andwould make the marketing

RURAL LIVING. JUNr; 1983 I

Say "Yes" to Michigan Commerce

$592 million higher than thecurrent budget. This is the por-tion of state spending that iscontrolled by the Legislature.When earmarked programs areconsidered, the expendituresfor 1984 will total nearly $11.9billion. While costs continue torise, the large reduction in infla-tion is an important item.

The MDA received an increasefrom the 1983 budget of about$18 million, to $19.6 million for1984. In reality, this is a "con-tinuation" budget when in-creased costs and added re-sponsibilities are considered.

The budget includes $2.9 mil-lion for a Plant and Soil ScienceBuilding at MSU.This will con-tinue the project approved acouple of years ago. MSU'sAgExperiment Station and the Ex-tension Service received a 9%(continued on page 32)

Paula Blanchard was interviewed at the 1,500.acrelivestock farm of Saginaw County FB members, Dale~ Evelyn Irish, during her Michigan Week tour to callattention to good things happening in Michigan. Thefarm was the second stop on Blanchard's itinerary,which included a supermarket, auto plant, U.P.lumber and copper industries, state park and twoGrand Rapids manufacturers.

State Budget - Gov. Blan-chard's general fund budgettotals $5.3 billion, which is

made to local governmentalagencies (cities, counties, town-ships, school districts, etc.).Funds would be disbursedthrough various state depart-ments including agriculture,natural resources, labor, etc.

Other parts of the plan in-clude 20,000 summer publicservice jobs for unemployedworkers, free job training, hous-ing programs, etc.

Funding will also include$300 million in housing andtransportation bonds and $500million in federal funds forpublic works and construction.It is not yet known where all ofthe state's share will come fromduring this fiscal year.

A Douse Government Oper-ations Committe~ has urgedUSDAto make an early an-nouncement of its intentions re-garding the PIK program for1984, to facilitate advanceplanning for farmers. The USDAhas stopped short of the oneannouncement that would helpfarmers with long-range plan-ning, namely whether there willbe a PIK program next year.

USDASecretary John Blockhas said he is "90% certain"that a PIK program will be of-fered to wheat producers in1984. USDADeputy SecretaryRichard Lyng said details of the1984 wheat program would beannounced well in advance ofthe Aug. 15 deadline.

order concept even stronger.The changes are as follows:

• Phase out entry barriers toproducer allotment programsover the next five years.

• Require that primary mar-kets have available a quantityequal to 110% of recent years'sales in those outlets before ap-proving secondary marketallocation or pooling .

• Analyze prorate programswith the intent of providinggreater flexibility.

State Jobs Program - Gov.Blanchard has announced a $75million Summer Youth Jobs Pro-gram for 60,000 youths be-tween the ages of 16 and 21.Some $16 million of the fund-ing would come from the "Kam-mer recreational land trustfund," the rest would comefrom federal and other funds.Grants for hiring would be

RURAL LIVING, JUNE 198:3 7

Down on the Farmwith Lynde Smith -

Farm Bureau's First Lady

By Donna Wilber

She's been fondly and respect-fully identified as MichiganFarm Bureau's "First Lady" ...she was also once cruelly refer-red to as "Mrs. PBB:' She's com-fortable at a social gathering inthe White House rose garden ...or in a straw-lined pen showinga city youngster how to bottlefeed a calf. She confesses to asinking feeling of loss when herhusband was elected vice presi-dent of the nation's largestfarm organization ... yet glowswith pride in his record of ac-complishments. She shuns thelimelight for a backstage, sup-porting role ... yet takes aspeech class to help her handleleadership responsibilities.

She's Lynde Smith, who sworeshe'd never marry a farmerwhen she grew up. She's thegracious mistress of Med-O-Bloom Farm, and one of the keyreasons why Elton R. Smithgrew through the years to be-come a nationally-known agri-cultural leader. "No one whodecides to climb the leadershipladder can do so without thekind of strong support she hasgiven me," says the presidentof the Michigan Farm Bureau

8

and vice president of the Ameri-can Farm Bureau Federation.

Located outside Caledonia inKent County, Lynde's home re-flects her own personality -warm, charming, stylish yet in-vitingly comfortable. There'shomemade muffins, fruit,cheese and milk or coffee towelcome visitors to her sunnykitchen. And outside the kit-chen window is a view of thewell-manicured lawn that's her"territory," and the maternityfield where she can keep an eyeout for expectant "moms" whomight need help.

Lynde doesn't spend as muchtime as she once did in the ac-tual operation of the farm,which has grown from its origi-nal 125 acres to 800 and boastsa world-renowned Red andWhite registered Holstein herd.She and Jerry Good, the Smiths'partner in Med-O-Bloom Farm,still do the farm accountstogether, but other work ishandled by - not hired hands -but what Lynde calls "membersof the Med-O-Bloom family:'

She speaks affectionately ofJerry who is "just like a son to

Lynde Smith enjoys a rare mo-ment of relaxation with her bulldog under her "hunkered-down"elm tree.

us," of Roy, the farm mechanicwho is in charge of the fieldwork and who "fixes my lawn-mower when it breaks down,"and of Karen, their herdsmanwho also serves as official tourguide for farm visitors and asartist of the original "My Visitto Med-O-Bloom Farm" coloringbook for school children.

She remembers when JerryGood first came to work on theSmith farm while he was still inhigh school.

"He'd practice on the oldJohn Deere tractor, putt-puttingaround the farm. I'd take him to4-H and haul his calf around in

RURAL LIVING, JUNE 198:3

Lynde and Elton, who have been partners in marriage for 45 years, teamup for a square dance at the Michigan Farm Bureau annual meeting jam-boree.

the old truck to the various ac-tivities." After graduation fromhigh school, Jerry went to Mich-igan.State University where hemet his wife-to-be, Judy, whoworked for Dr. Clint Meadows inthe dairy department. Jerry be-came a full partner in Med-O-Bloom in 1969 and he and hisfamily now live in the homedirectly across the road fromthe Smiths, where Lynde wasraised with her six brothers andfour sisters.

It was a mutually-shared Un-cle Roy - Elton's half uncle andLynde's mother's cousin - whohelped the Smiths get started infarming. When Lynde marriedthe boy who "lived down theroad six or seven miles andused to go by our house in ahorse and buggy on his way toschooL" she had only to moveacross the road. It's a housethat's been home to the Smithsthroughout their 45 years ofmarriage.


Lynde has seen a lot ofchanges during those 45 years."1 can remember when my dadused to take the old bull downthe road to the neighbors. Thencame artificial insemination,and now we have the embryotransfer. It boggles your mindand you wonder just how farscientific advances will take usin agriculture."

While these changes in tech-nology and lifestyle have freedLynde for more involvement incounty Farm Bureau, Extension,community and church activi-ties, for learning to play golf,for taking a "Speaking on YourFeet" class at the "Y" and forwalking two miles a day with"the girls," she still missessome things about the earlyyears.

"Elton and I used to registerall the cows, and together we'dthink of names for each. Nowthey're given a number," shesaid.

Another thing she misses arethe many young MSUag stu-dents who lived and worked onthe Smith farm and raidedLynde's always well-stocked re-frigerator. She wishes now thatshe'd kept a written record ofthose years so she could write abook about "all the boys we'vehad." Now and then, she said,the doorbell will ring and therewill stand one of those youngmen asking, "00 you rememberme?"

The Smiths had two daugh-ters of their own, Virginia, whodied in 1965, and Barbara ofAshland, Ohio, who has givenher parents three granddaugh-ters, "of whom we're veryproud," says Lynde. They spendmost holidays together andwhen the Smiths travel to Ohio,Lynde reports, "Barb usuallygets Elton a good book andhopes she can keep him for 24hours.

"He can't sit still; he's justgot to be doing something.That's his make-up. I've tried,but you just cannot slow himup!"

And while she maintains thatthe president "does what hewants to do without asking formy approvaL" it could be thather initial reaction to his steadi-ly increasing commitment toFarm Bureau responsibilitieshad an impact on what Med-O-Bloom is today - a dairy farm.

"When we started out, we hadhorses, pigs, cows and chick-ens," said Lynde. "There was atime when we were makingmore money on hatching eggs(my responsibility because mendon't like working with chick-ens) than we were on milk, andwe were thinking of expandingthat part of the business. Then,when Elton got so involved inFarm Bureau, I said, 'I'm not go-ing to stay home and clean all

9

those eggs while you're travel-ing around the country,' so wegot rid of the chickens."

Lynde has seen her husbandcontinuously respond to leader-ship challenges and oppor-tunities throughout the years -from Community Action Groupoffices to county Farm Bureauboard service to MFBdirector,vice president, then president- and on to the national levelas an AFBF board member, thenthe executive committee andfinally, in 1982, vice presidentof the three-million-memberfamily farm organization.

"Each step has taken a littlemore of his time and I miss himwhen he's gone. But you learn

to just take it as it comes," shesaid. "When he was electedAFBFvice president, my firstthought was 'Oh, no! Now he'llbe gone more than ever: Butthen I thought how proud hisfolks would have been. And, ofcourse, I was .proud of him. Iwas proud of him when I mar-ried him and he wasn't a presi-dent or vice president then:'

What the president loves todo when he's not tending toFarm Bureau business or carry-ing out the responsibilities ofhis many appointments, Lyndesays, is to take a thermos bottleand lunch bucket and "take offon the tractor. He loves to seethat soil turn over:'

The president's fast pace hasprovided some highlights forLynde, among them the annualAFBFconventions which areheld in various parts of the na-tion.

"There's been something niceabout every place we've visitedand, of course, Farm Bureaupeople are special no matterwhere you go. I like to get rightout on the farms and see thedifferent operations - thesheepherder in Montana, theOregon strawberry farmer whodried off his fields with a heli-copter so the workers couldpick, the cotton fields in thesouth and the pineapple planta-tions in Hawaii," she said.

TUANKS FOR TUE MEMORIESFollowing their field trip to

Med-O-Bloom Farm, KentwoodCommunity Education pre-schoolers expressed their ap-preciation to Lynde Smith withpictures of the day's highlights,along with special thank youmessages:

oI /',ke~M,l<e .

10

"Thank you for letting us seeyour bull."

"Thank you for the ice creambars made of miJk."

"/ liked the baby cows in theircribs. "

"/ liked the big cows andfeeding the baby cows."

It's simple, sincere responseslike these that make the invest-ment of time and effort worth-while to the Kent County FarmBureau Women's Committee,chaired by Kathy Kosters andBeth Finkbeiner, to KarenEaton, Med-O-Bloom's herdsmanand official tour guide, and toLynde.

In addition to the farm tour,the children viewed the slide-tape presentation, "FabulousFood Friends," ate ice creambars and received "Our FieldTrip to Med-O-Bloom Farm" col-oring books developed by KarenEaton, and "I Like Milk" buttonsto take home.

To illustrate that they knewwho their "Fabulous FoodFriends" were, the children, ledby teachers Connie Frances andLynda Fife, had a special songfor their hostesses:

/ eat green grass,/ chew and chew,Then / say Moo Moo.And when it is milking time/ give white milk to you.


Other fond memories includea visit to the White House rosegarden when Elton served onthe Farm Credit Board underSecretary of Agriculture EarlButz and the Smiths' old friendand former congressman, Presi-dent Gerald R. Ford; the timethe Michigan Farm BureauWomen presented Betty Fordwith an Easter bonnet decor-ated with cherries; and thepride of having her husbandserve on President Reagan's ag-ricultural transition team ... thelist goes on and on.

A low point in the lives ofboth the president and Lyndewas the PBB-era,when MFB's af-filiate, Farm Bureau Services, of

which he also serves as presi-dent became involved in whathas been described as the worstagricultural disaster in history.It was a time when not onlystatewide, but national andeven international, media atten-tion was focused on the acci-dental mixing of the chemicalinto cattle feed and the reveredname of Farm Bureau sufferedfrom negative public opinion."It got so bad that one timesomeone called me 'Mrs. PBB:It was a sad time - very sad,"Lynde remembers.

The dark memory which tem-porarily extinguishes the usualtwinkle in her eyes fades awaywith thoughts of tomorrow and

the preparations for it. Tomor-row and the next day wouldbring busloads of preschoolersto learn about their "FabulousFood Friends," the dairy cows ofMed-O-Bloom Farm, and thereare many -things for her to do.

That's Lynde Smith: mother,grandmother, surrogate momto dozens of future farmers,church and community stal-wart dairy booster, and wife ofa farm leader who admits, "Icouldn't have done it withouther:'

cowsI

Usf-he

thqnK YOq

leff;~pet

fo"

RURAL LIVING, JUNE 1983 11

Agricultural AccidentRescue Seminars

The Life They SaveCould Be Yours

By Marcia Ditchie

When emergency personnelare summoned to the scene ofan agricultural accident, theysoon find that many rescuetechniques applied to commonaccidents, such as automobile,do not apply to agriculturalsituations.

In some tragic cases, rescuersjeopardize their own, as well asthe victim's, safety because oftheir lack of knowledge regard-ing the unique and complicatedsituations involved in agricul-tural accidents.

In an effort to fill this trainingvoid, county Farm Bureausthroughout the state, in cooper-ation with the MSUExtensionService and other concernedagencies, have been sponsoringagricultural rescue seminars.

The tremendous response tothe seminars by fire, police,emergency medical technicians(EMTs),paramedics and farmersindicates the crucial need forthis type of training. Over 460people have attended the semi-nars conducted so far this yearand predictions are that hun-dreds more will attend an addi-tional nine scheduled throughSeptember.

The original program wasdeveloped by George M. Brown,formerly with Michigan State

12

University's Department of Agri-cultural Engineering, accordingto Ron Gaskill, Michigan FarmBureau local affairs specialistand coordinator of MFB's in-volvement in the seminars.

The day-long seminars in-clude lectures and agriculturalequipment demonstrations.Topics covered include rescueprocedures, farm machinery ex-trication, personal protection

for both the rescuer and the vic-tim, toxic atmospheres, struc-tural hazards, first aid andtransportation of the victim,and cave-ins in grain bins andtrench silos. The demonstra-tions include the principles ofoperating farm equipment (trac-tors, corn pickers, grain augers,balers, combines, etc.) andrescue techniques.


"We identify the differenttypes of agricultural equipmentand some of the various com-mon accident situations thatmay arise," Gaskill said. "In ad-dition, we inform the rescuepersonnel about some differenttechniques that can be used toextricate a victim from certainfarm machinery and demon-strate how some of the equip-ment they use for the averagerescue, such as an automobileaccident, won't work in the caseof an agricultural accident.

"We also demonstrate varioustypes of machinery so they arefamiliar with the operation andfunction, and the processthrough which material flows,"Gaskill said.

"We cover the special com-plicating factors involved inrural accident rescues such assilos and building collapses,"said Birge Anderson, a seminarinstructor who is a volunteerfirefighter for the Mason FireDepartment. Anderson alsoserves as an instructor for EMTsand the state approved Fire-fighter Training Course at Lans-ing Community College.

"We discuss a whole series oftools and equipment that canbe used for a rural rescue andspecial agencies that can help,as well as the internationalsafety symbols on farm equip-ment. In addition, we empha-size personal safety for therescuer as well as the victim. Ifthey don't really know whatthey're doing, it's easy for arescuer to become a victimthemselves," Anderson said.

Feedback from emergencypersonnel who have been par-ticipants in the seminars hasbeen very positive.

"I would definitely recom-mend this type of seminar forall emergency personnel whohave to respond to an agricul-tural accident," said John F.

RURAL LIVING, JUNE 198.3

(continued on page :30)films, lectures and demonstra-tions round out information andtraining seminars for rescueteams and farmers.

1.3

In a string of budget cuts atthe federal, state and locallevels, school administratorsand teachers have had to makesome hard decisions affectingnot only the basic academicprograms of Michigan schools,but vocational education pro-grams, including vocational ag-riculture.

According to Richard Karlese,vocational-technical educationspecialist for the Michigan De-partment of Education, annualfunding for all vocational edu-cation programs has dropped$11 million since 1979.

"Our funding from the statehas been at about $19.3 millionfor vocational education since1979. Prior to that, however,

14

budget for vocational technicaleducation had been at $30 mil-lion. Federal funding during thesame period has been steady atabout $24 million a year," hesays.

While state funding and per-sonnel to support vocationaleducation programs in Michi-gan have been reduced, Karlesesays that vocational agriculturehas been "holding fairly well."

Vocational agriculture educa-tion is allotted approximately$1 million each year for theeducation of the nearly 12,000students enrolled in high schoolvocational agriculture training.However, he points out that agood vocational agriculture pro-gram in high school requiresapproximately $45,000 annual-ly in financial support from allsources.

"There are schools that get byon a whole lot less than that,but those are the same schoolsthat have not spent enough onequipment, texts and teachingaids to qualify for matchingfunds at the end of the year,"says Karlese. In such cases, hesays, the state is in the positionof requiring the return of"match" funds.

"I don't want that moneyback. It doesn't do us (theDepartment of Education) anygood. It gets thrown into thegeneral fund and doesn't evengo to another schooL" he adds.

The danger, he says, is that avo-ag program operating on alimited, 38-week school yearwith emphasis on lecture andclassroom study can quicklyget the reputation of an easy,no work course. In these cases,good students are soon lost toa more challenging curriculumin science and math.

Such academic studies areundeniably a necessary comple-ment for the vo-ag program,but do not provide the oppor-tunities for career-specific in-struction or practical applica-tion of learned skills.

The standard nine-monthteacher contract simply will notallow time for important hands-on and community based workexperiences for the students su-pervised by the vo-ag teacher,says Karlese, and, he contends,to do a really good job of train-ing h!gh school students, ayear-round program is prere-quisite.

He admits that the squeezeon local school budgets hastaken its toll in the number ofyear-round programs operatingin Michigan, but some schooldistricts continue to maintain askeleton summer vo-ag pro-gram.

"Some look at the programand determine how much teach-er time and what level of mone-tary resources they can allocateto a summer program of activi-ties such as the county fair,stock show and sale and workwith the kids. The school canlook at the 38-week school yearand break out the cost and de-term ine from that how manyadditional weeks they want topay the vo-ag teacher to beworking with students in thesummer," he says.

The Community isReally a ~aboratory

An agricultural advisory coun-cil, made up of farmers, farmbusiness people and county 4-Hand Extension personnel, work-ing in cooperation with the vo-ag teacher, can make a signifi-cant difference in both thequality of the classroom experi-ence and in the community bas-ed work experience for the stu-dent.

"One of the cornerstones ofour vo-ag program is that thecommunity is really a labora-tory. Even where there areschools with a large schoolfarm, we find that the teacherneeds to go out and work withstudents in a supervised occu-pational experience program onthe family far~, another farm


Vo-ag teachers reviewed new curriculum guides and developed samplelesson plans at a series of workshops held In May.

or agribusiness to build on theprogram.

"Basically, we're saying we'vedone this (in the school setting),now here's some things you cando to help give this kid somepractical experience," saysKarlese.

It is this facet of the programthat has suffered from inatten-tion and lack of support, bothfrom the farming community(including agribusiness andfarm groups) and by some vo-agteachers.

"There has been some reluc-tance in the farming communi-ty to assist in providing theseexperiences in a planned situa-tion, coordinated with the vo-agdepartment in the high school,"says Karlese, "and we've hadteachers who were hesitant togo out and seek that kind ofhelp."

That's where the support andadvisory role of the communitybased council can be instru-mental. Karlese recommendsthat the minutes of every ag ad-visory council meeting go tothe principal and the schoolsuperintendent. He also recom-mends that a member of theboard of education sit on theadvisory council as an ex-officiomember to gain an understand-ing of the goals of the vo-agprogram in the high school, theextent of community supportand to stay abreast of concernsand recommendations made bymembers of the council.

Similarly, he says, an activeag advisory council will main-tain communication with theschool board and be alert forchanges in budget or curricu-lum that will impact the vo-agprogram.

''I'm not talking about hold-ing the school budget hostage,but I am saying that farmerscan decide they will have agood ag program and will helpto support it through volunteer-ing to sit on an advisory counciland assisting in identifying pro-gram needs and priorities," hesays.

When parents and the farmcommunity, in general, get in-terested and involved there isthe possibility that some hardquestions may be asked onboth sides.

The school district and thevo-ag teacher may readily agreethat the high school programneeds updating and revitalizing


FRONT &. CENTER

The administration has reaffirmed its support for the marketing order conceptand for USDA administration of the programs. FB had urged the president to reject the Of-fice of Management and Budget's proposal to eliminate or significantly modify marketingorders and to continue support for the current system of administration with the secretary ofagriculture. Congressman Don Albosta (D-Mich.) introduced a resolution expressing the intentof Congress that the orders should be administered by USDA.

Some 50 demonstrators, carrying FLOC(Farm Labor Organizing Committee) flags,"Boycott Campbell Soup" and "Long Live Farm Workers" signs, gathered at an East Lansingchurch on May 14 and marched to the state capitol. The group stopped at each intersectionalong the journey to chant their message to passersby in the heavy Saturday traffic. Farmersconcerned about such activity in their areas may be interested in a new pamphlet, "FactsAbout Farm Labor," developed by AFBF, which addresses the information gap about farm laboramong the general public. The pamphlet is available by writing Jack Angell, AFBF News Ser-vice, 225 Touhy Ave., Park Ridge, III. 60068. Cost is $25 per hundred or $15 for 50 copies.Another pamphlet, by Sister Thomas More Bertels, examines the issue of FLOCactivities and itsuse of consumer boycotts. It is available free of charge by writing: FYI, Michigan Farm Bureau,P.O. Box .30960, Lansing, Mich. 48909.

Members of the boards of directors of Michigan Farm Bureau and the MichiganMilk Producers Association met together in Howell on May 5 to discuss issues of commonconcern. Topics included the dairy program, P.A. 116 and federal budget proposals. Themeeting of the two boards is an annual affair.

Ag Expo '83 Is scheduled for July 26-28 on the MSU campus. FB will again have itsown special tent, this year with the theme, "You Make It Happen." Last year, nearly .30,000people visited the MFB and affiliate company exhibits at the continually-growing" farm show.

Clba-Geigy Corporation, one of the nation's major agrlbuslnesses and an advertis-ing supporter of Rural Living magazine, has contributed $500 to Project AIM (Agricul-ture Involved in Michigan), the industry-wide effort to help feed the hungry of Michigan. AIMcontributions from county FBs have continued through the spring months and many coor-dinators are urging members to commit their orchards and fields for gleaning this fall.

The claim for $5 million by New Uampshire Insurance Company against FarmBureau Services, Inc. was settled May 13 for $500,000 to be paid upon confirmation of theplan for reorganization. The case was being tried in the U.S.Bankruptcy Court before JudgeHarvey D. Walker when the agreement was reached between the two companies. Judge Walkeragreed to the settlement and it must now be approved by the four committees. In addition tothe claim by the New Hampshire Insurance Company, the claims brought by the individual PBBclaimants and the claim of Velsicol (Michigan Chemical Company) have been settled. The set-tlements will be incorporated into FBS' plan and resolved on confirmation of the plan. The suitby the state of Michigan was settled earlier in the reorganization without any requirement ofpayment by the debtor.

U.S. News and World Report Magazine - in its tenth annual compilation of people con-sidered national movers and shakers - has again listed AFBF President Robert Delano "mostinfluential" among non-government agricultural leaders. It is the third year in a row for thisdesignation for the American Farm Bureau president.

Start planning now to attend the 65th AFBF annual meeting in Orlando, Florida,Jan. 8-12, 1984. Accommodations have been reserved at the beautiful Sheraton Twin Towershotel and air transportation will again be available from Lansing, Detroit and Grand Rapids.The annual Michigan breakfast will be held Monday, Jan. 9 at the Orange County ConventionCenter. Optional tours to Walt Disney World, Epcott Center, Sea World, Stars Hall of Fame,Church Street Station, Circus World, Cypress Gardens, Kennedy Space Center and more will bereadily available. Space has also been reserved at the Sheraton Twin Towers for pre- and post-convention stays at the special convention price. In addition, a seven-day Caribbean cruise,commencing Saturday, Jan. 1.3,aboard the luxurious TSSCarnivale, has been arranged. Detail-ed convention information and prices are being prepared and will be available in the nearfuture. Arrange your schedule now to attend this best yet AFBFannual meeting.

16RURAL LIVING, JUNE 1983

LET T E R S TO R UR ALL I V I N G

A Privilege to Speakat Citiz~nsbip Seminar

Thank you for the invitationto speak to the young people inAlbion again this year. That is

~ always the highlight of the yearfor me.

I don't know how the farmBureau is able to select suchfine kids every year, but theyare just the greatest group ofyoung people I have ever had

~ the privilege to speak to.I am keeping June 17, 198.3

open for you.Maria SchultzSt. Joseph

Citizensbip SeminarInfluence Felt

I would like to express howmuch last year's Young People'sCitizenship Seminar has influ-

~ enced my life in ways that Icouldn't have imagined before. Ireally feel that that experiencehas opened many more doorsfor me, and I certainly feel moreconfident of my public speakingand my beliefs.

Last summer I was one of the~ few juniors attending. Most of

your junior counselors are re-cent high school graduates, as Iwill be in June 1984. I would

appreciate being considered forthe junior counselor positionfor the next year.Lynne Renee StrandConstantine

Members Protest'Pay Cut' Policy

Weare writing to express ourviewpoint on the column en-titled "Supply-Demand BalanceBasis for a Recovery Plan" thatappeared in Rural Living. Wead-dress this issue as Farm Bureaumembers, dairy farmers andtaxpayers.

Supply and demand is theway it ought to be, but with allthe government "assistance"we've been getting, it's a littlelate to change the game and ex-pect the farmers to take a cutsupposedly to solve the prob-lem. Why shouldn't we expectgovernment to provide us withnew markets in the world? Theywere sure willing to eliminatethe markets with the embar-goes.

By cutting the price of milk to$11 ..32, it would reduce our in-come per day by $50. With thecost of machinery, seed, fertil-izer, feed, utilities and high in-terest rates, farmers have a dif-

ficult time making ends meetnow. Haven't you been watchingthe news? Are you willing totake a $50 per day cut in pay?

Wewould like to suggest thatFarm Bureau do some lobbyingthat will give new markets, pro-tection against imitation prod-ucts flooding the market andbalance of trade that will bene-fit the farmers in the U.S. - nohandouts - but some good as-sistance.

Wehave been dairy farmersfor .37 years and are very proudof our profession. Wewant to beable to continue doing businessfor ourselves and son, and prof-itably, too.Mr. & Mrs. J. Lionel FooteSt. Johns

President Explains DairyPolicy Development

Judging from the letters, callsand conversations I've had withFarm Bureau members recentlyregarding our position on thedairy program, it's evident thatwhile there is broad recognitionof the serious problem the in-dustry faces, there Is very littleagreement on how it should besolved.(continued on page 33)

FAR MER S 0 F 'T HEW E E K -The Farmer of the Week program, co-

sponsored by Farm Bureau InsuranceGroup and the Michigan Farm RadioNetwork, honors Michigan farmers fortheir contributions to the communityand the agriculture industry. Four farm-ers were honored in April 1983:

April "..- Jack Anderson, 37, adairy farmer from St. Johns, farms 900acres in partnership with his brother.They have a 300-cow herd. Anderson istreasurer of Lowe Methodist Church; amember and past vice president of Clin-ton County Farm Bureau; an MMPA dele-gate; a DHIA member; served threeyears on the local Soil Conservationboard; and Is Clinton County Farm


Bureau Local Affairs Committee chair.person.

April II - Norman Korn, 41, ofAthens, is a grain and hog farmer whofarms 720 acres. He serves on the town,ship board of review; Is an AthensMethodist Church member; and hebelongs to the Calhoun County FarmBureau.

April 18 - Frank Grinsteiner, 54,operates a large dairy farm near Ste-phenson. He serves on the AgriculturalAdvisory Board of Stephenson HighSchool; Is a member of the MenomineeCounty Farm Bureau and served eightyears on the board; served eight years

as Stephenson Township treasurer andone year as township clerk; is a pastDHIA board member; is an MMPA mem-ber; and is a past member of the ParishCouncil of Precious Blood Church.

April 25 - James Ramthun, 52, ofMontague, operates a 4OD-acre dairyfarm and milks more than 100 cows.Ramthun serves as an elder in FaithLutheran Church; is on the Soil Conser-vation District board; Is a member ofthe board of the Federal Land Bank inGrand Rapids; Is a DHIA board member;serves as area delegate to the MMPA;received the Dairyman of the YearAward; and is a member of the OceanaCounty Farm Bureau.

17

ctCount!! j}ttu~lttttr News and Informationfrom Michigan's CountyFarm Bureaus ..

Project AIM Asks Farmers to Participate in Gleaning Program

Success... Something Measured in Inches

Farmers across the state are urgedto comm it their fields and orchardsto Project A 1M (Agricu Iture Involv-ed in Michigan) for gleaning afterharvest this summer and fall.

"I n the past, there has been someconcern on the part of farmers toallow gleaning," said Larry Ewing,MFB's coordinator of the industry-wide effort to help feed Michigan'shungry. "However, last December alaw was passed which provides im-munity from possible damages if thefood is donated to non-profitorgarrizations. Farmers who permitgleaning by qualified charitableorganizations may also receive aspecial income tax credit."

Those interested in the gleaningprogram should contact Ruth Trow-bridge at 517-371-5860 or statewideProject AIM coordinator Jim Byrumat 517-373-0090. These people have

By Jim Gribbell, PresidentMac-Luce County Farm BureauBeing successful in this business

of farming is measured by the de-gree that the farm family has reach-ed the goals that it has set for itself.

Success never comes easy. Suc-cess is attained by intensive struggletoward the set goals. It is usuallymeasured in inches rather than feetor yards. Any gain is often off-set bya loss in some other area of the busi-ness. In other words, "there is nofree lunch."

Farm Bureau is a business relatedto farming. Success in Farm Bureauprograms is won in inches also.Often gains are practically eaten upby losses elsewhere. Success is wonby unwavering struggle toward thegoals set by the membership.

I am very disturbed by the mem-bers who have decided they cannotafford the dues this year. Oftenthese are long-time Farm Bureaumembers who are well aware of thebenefits that have been won.

I know that times are not easy andthat cash is short; our farm is no ex-ception. But not paying your Farm

contacts with groups that will per-form the gleaning service.

"We are also considering otherprojects to help the needy," Ewingsaid, "and we would like input fromthe membership."

Other possible projects include:providing local people in need withground for gardens and teachingthem how to garden, possibly in co-operation with the Extension Ser-vice, 4-H or FFA; encouraging mem-bers to plant an extra row of carrotsor potatoes, or a couple extra hillsof squash, and then contribute theproducts to a food bank or other ser-vice agency; contacting local green-houses and nurseries to see if theywill donate damaged flats of vegeta-ble plants to be distributed to fami-lies in need.

If you are interested in any ofthese projects, please contact Ewing

Bureau dues because of a cashshortage is Iike throwing "the babyout with the bath water." We can'twin that way.

Two recently won programs cansave actively farming members manytimes the membership dues eachyear. P.A. 116 can return a share, ifnot all of your property taxes - nosmall item in these times of depress-ed farm income. And the new feder-al highway use tax will save opera-tors of low mileage heavy truckssignificant amounts of money. EventhQugh you don't operate a heavytruck, you get produce and businesssupplies hauled. Some of the truckshauling for you will be able tocharge cheaper rates because of themileage exemption on these trucks.

The two items Iisted above cansave you many times your yearlydues. These are part of the successesachieved by Farm Bureau and farmfamilies working together. They canalso be lost very easily. Let's doeverything possible to maintain thegains already won and to achievenew goals ... by working steadilytogether.

at Michigan Farm Bureau, P.O. Box'30960, Lansing, Mich. 48909, phone517-323-7000, extension 507.

Project AIM was initiated in re-sponse to the crucial hunger crisiscaused by the high unemploymentin Michigan. Since late December,farmers, agribusinesses, commodityorganizations, labor unions and ....other concerned citizens have con-tributed over two million pounds ofMichigan commodities for distribu-tion to the state's destitute families.Over $18,000 in financial donationshave been made to AIM, all of'which have been used to purchase'\-state-grown or processed foods, withall transportation, adm inistration,warehousing, distribution, labor and ~promotion contributed by variousbusinesses, organizations and agen- ~cies.

Discount Tickets Offered"f

If your summer entertainmentplans include a trip to Cedar Point,"The Amazement Park," locatednear Sandusky, Ohio, then you'll beinterested in discount tickets avail-able from Michigan Farm Bureau.

Tickets, which are good any day, ~are $10.50 each; this is a savings of$1.45 per person age 5 and older.Children 4 and under are admittedfree. Senior citizens (65 and over)may want to purchase tickets at thegate as they receive a special dis-

4count with proof of age.

To purchase tickets, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope and acheck or money order (payable toMichigan Farm Bureau) to MFB In-formation Division, P.O. Box 30960,Lansing, Mich. 48909.

JUNE 1983

See your local SAFEMARK dealer todayfor all your spring tire and battery needs

50;0 discount on SBR II highway passenger tires

Washington LegislativeSeminar Observationsand Impressions

By Clare MonroeHillsdale Legislative Leader

Attending the legislative seminarin Washington, D.C., April 5-8, re-emphasized the importance of yourmembership dollars. The clout thatour organization has in legislativecircles is significant. It makes oneaware that our membership dollarsare at work.

We were impressed by the factthat this year the news media, bothtelevision and the press, were re-questing interviews far more than inthe past. This demonstrates thatthey hold our policy positions inhigh regard. Our -congressmen alsoIistened with interest.

No other organization spends asmuch time in developing policy.Development of Farm Bureau policystarts in the local community actiongroups and then is voted on in eachcounty. The pol icies of all the coun-ties are then presented again at eachstate's annual meeting. The statepol icies that are accepted are againacted upon at the annual conven-tion of the American Farm BureauFederation.

At the seminar we represented na-tional Farm Bureau policy. Ourpolicy had already been made bythe above process. Therefore wepresented a united front. Membersare not always in agreement. How-ever, it points out to us that if wedisagree, we should express ourviews back at the county annual andthe state annual meetings.

We had breakfast with our U.S.representatives on Wednesday andwith our senators on Thursday. Wealso went directly to the office ofrepresentatives and talked with himand/or their agricultural assistants.We attended a sem inar with the De-partment of State and also one withthe Department of Agriculture.

If one is in doubt about the impor-tance of writing your congressmen,the doubt is removed when youreal ize that each letter for andagainst an issue is tabulated.

By Chris WittClinton County Farm Bureau

Just as there are many traditionscarried on at a wedding, there is alsoa tradition in the dairy industry -June is Dairy Month.

June Dairy Month has been an an-nual celebration by the dairy in-dustry for its products and the cowthat makes them possible. This an-nual event began in 1937 when Junewas selected as the most productivemonth in the dairy calendar. Sincethat time, May has become themonth with the highest milk produc-tion figures, but June is stillcelebrated because of tradition.

June is the month when naturebestows upon us her most nearlyperfect weather, and milk is nature'smost nearly perfect food.

Americans have come to expectfood stores, food page ads andrestaurants to feature June DairyMonth specials on milk, cheese andice cream.

Milk goes with so many foods.Would you eat a muffin or cookiewithout milk? You might, but ittastes better with milk.

It's easy to drink a toast to JuneDairy Month with an ice cold glassof milk.

Little Known Facts About Dairy Products-Yogurt was discovered in Bibli-

cal times, when people in the Mid-dle East discovered that milkthickened and developed a tartflavor when left in a warm place.Most important of all, it had betterkeeping qualities than fresh milk.

-Historians cannot tell us for surewhen milk was "discovered" but,there are more than 50 references to

(cows and milk in the Old Testament.-I n many parts of the world, but-

ter has long been prized as a flavor-ful food. More than a thousandyears ago Monogolians and Tibetanssavored steaming cups of tea lacedwith golden melting butter. Thiscustom is still popular in China.

-Buttermilk dates back many cen-turies. It evolved from the processof making butter, and butter hasbeen consumed for 5,000 years. An-cient Hindus based the market valueof their cows on the amount of but-ter churned from their milk.

-According to legend, cheese wasdiscovered thousands of years be-fore Christ by a traveler who placedmilk in a pouch made of a sheep'sstomach to carry with him. Duringthe journey, the sun's heat and theenzymes in the lining of the pouch

, changed the milk into curds ofcheese and whey. Cheese making isnow a highly controlled scientificmethod to provide the best tastingproduct available.

-Cottage cheese has been popu-lar for centuries. In the UnitedStates, it's been known as Dutchcheese, pot cheese, Frisco, popcornand many other names.

-Although sour cream has alwaysbeen considered rich, it contains on-ly 25 calories per tablespoon.

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Strawberry plants (Maryland virusfree) - Earllglow. Sparkle, Midway25-$5, 100-$14. Everbearlng 25-$6.~100-$20. Grape Vines $2.50 each. Ad~15% for shipping. Send for free letter.I llt J Wolverton Nursery, 6197 LakeRoad. Millington. Mich. 48746. 517-871-2.325. (5-2t-.3.3p)

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Recipes. Couponsl Cooking DelightMagazine, Cookeville, TN .38502-2727.$.3/year. (4-IOt-lOp-ts)

Coldwater Dill Pickles. Can In mln-utesl No hot brine. Delicious. Crisp. fac-tory secretsl Recipe, $1.00. Hamlltons,Box 652-1.31. New Ulm, Minn. 5607.3.

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Sell your grocery receipts to a na-tional company. Earn five level cash ongrocery receipts. Easy, fantastic oppor-tunity. full details. James E. Burkhart.IJ785 Solon Road. Traverse City. Mich.49684. Phone 616-946-5292. (6-.32p-ts)

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Smoky 1II0untain rlver.lde home forrent. Townsend, Tennessee. near Gatlin-burg and Cades Cove. Pictures sent onrequest. $50.00 night. Carl Morgan, 409Lambert Lane, Maryville. Tenn. J7801.

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farms. homes. businesses - free cat-alog No. 204 lists acreage and propertyIn 15 states. American farm Digest.3546 Watson, St. louis, MO 6~IJ9. 800-.325-994J. (4-4t-2.3b-ts)

80'acre tiled day loom. 150 sowfeeder pig operation, modern farrowingbarn, nursery, home. central Michigan.David Richardson, 6775 Hoover. Beaver-ton, Mich. 48612. 517-.386-27.37.

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CEDAR fence posts. any size. Rusticround rail sections. Log homes. RapidRiver Rustic Cedar Log Homes and fenc-Ing. Rt. .3. Ensign, Rapid River, Mich.49878.1-906-474-6427. (2-11t-27p-m)

Cherry growers - will market. harvestor rent your crop. 616-429-4260 or 616-944-5248. (4-Jt-11 p)

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Patterns for making stuffed animalsand dolls. 15" baby boy, Individualfingers and toes, dressed In coverallsand shirt. $.3.00. 12" horse. $2.00.Lifelike cat. standing position. $.3.00.Brochure of all available original pat-terns. $1.00 and LSASE. Dlxle's Love lltStuff. 2.328 Vernor Road, Lapeer, Mich.48446. (5-.3t-47p-ts)

Corrledale sheep breeding stock . .31J-429-7874. (I-12t-5p)

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Bantams - 1. breeds. Black SlIkles,White Silkles, Golden Sebrlghts. SliverSebrlghts. Cochlns. Cornish, Araucanasand others. Also standard and rare breedchickens. free catalog. Grain BeltHatchery. Box 125-6, Windsor, Missouri65.360. (1-6t-.32p-ts)

Bred angus cows. Phone Portland.517-647-6859. (6-5p)

For Salel Dairy Goats. french AlpineNubian and Saanen. Registered andgrade. Clo Barker. Route 1. Box 168,Manton. 616-824-J972. (6-2t-20p)

for Sale: Suffolk, Suffolk-flnn cross-bred ewe and wether lambs. Born Janu-ary and february, also a few ewes withtwins. South Haven. 616-6J7-2929.

(6-20p)

SAVEl lIIall.e Your OwnI frozen hash-browns. tater tots. french frlesl Com-plete, easy. Instructions, $1.00. Hamll-tons, Box 652-IJ 1. New Ulm, Minn.5607.3. (6-20p-ts)

"owl frozen Tomato Slicesl Enjoygarden fresh (Javor year roundl Com-plete, easy Instructions. $1.00. Hamil-tons, Box 652-1JI, New Ulm, Minn.5607.3. (6-20p-ts)

ONon-member

Hay Loader. IIIcCormacli. Deerlng. al-ways housed. excellent. M.S.T.A. $45,517-669-9920. (6-lOp)

Wantedl International horsedrawnmanure spreader and PTO corn binder.John Spezla. 120 Gerst Road, Leonard.Mich. 480J6. J 1.3-626-4147. (6-19p)

lIIelroe 8.bottom plow. 8x 16s, good.Dempster fertilizer spreader. Corunna,Mich. 517-74J-J847. (6-lOp)

For Salel 1979 Model 820 4-wheel driveBelarus diesel tractor. J-polnt hitch, Joohours. Phone J IJ-651-6JJ2. (6-10p)

1II1111.IngShorthornsl Young bulls,yearlings and calves for sale. Write orvisit Stanley M. Powell and family. In-gleside Farm. Route 2 . .3248 Powell Hwy ..Ionia, Mich. 48846. (4-6t-12p)

Top quality poultry at reasonableprices. Chicks for eggs. meat or novelty.Also Guineas, Goslings, Ducks, Turkeys.Picture brochure 50(. Country Hatchery.Wewoka, Oklahoma 74884. (1-6t- 24p-ts)

LIVESTOCK

____ Total DueInsertions

OFarm Bureau member

Words

Wantedl New Idea single or narrow rowcorn picker. Will pay cash. Phone 517-52J-280J, evenings. (7-1Jt-22p-ts)

Farrowing Stalls - All steel $167.40.Includes feeder-waterer, top rail, rumprail. Weighs 196 Ibs. free literature. StarrNational. 219 Main, Colchester. IL 62J26.

(6-24p-ts)

For Salel Baker Separator. 28 Inchbelts. John Deere grain binder. 7 ft. JohnDeere 2 horse cultivator all housed, goodcondition. Reuben Lindemann, Dexter,Mich., phone J IJ-426-J541. (5-2t-JOp)

Sprlng Special - "ew Alumax hardhose Irrigation traveler. 1200 ft. ofJ3!." ID hose - $14,500. Allis Chalmersdiesel pumping unit. complete. 500 GPM@ 140- - $8.000. lIIanure pumps. agi-tators, pipe and Irrigation travelersto pump manure directly from lagoon orpit to field. We also custom pump. Plum-mer Supply, Bradley, MI. 1-800-6.32-77J1.

(6-51p-ts)

.J.D•• -15 plow. $775.00. Phone Port-land, 517-647-6859. (6-8p)

Double Incline Fruit Hanestor withshockwave shaker head. Heavy duty con-veyors. Excellent condition. Phone616-256-9644. (6-15)

CLASSIFIED AD POLICYMembers pay lO~ per word for non-commerlcal ads and 15~ per

word for ads which promote a commercial business other than ag-riculture. All other advertisers pay 20~ per word for one insertionand 15~ per word for two or more consecutive insertions.

The deadline for advertisements is the first Monday of tbemontb preceding publication and the publisher has the rightto reject any advertising copy submitted. All ads must be pre-paid and may be pre-paid up to one year in advance. Please in-dicate if you are a Farm Bureau member. It is the responsibility ofthe advertiser to re-insert the ad on a month-by-month or year-by-'year basis.

Send ads to Rural Living, P.O. Box 30960, Lansing, Mlcb.48909. No ads will be taken over tbe pbone.

RURAL LlVINO, JUNE 198:3 I

County CommunicationsRate Recognition

.John Lewis, AFBFdirector of media relations. and Sharon Steffens. KentCounty Farm Bureau information director. discuss the county's "team"approach to county communications.

By Cathy J. J\irvan

With over 50 of the 69 countyFarm Bureau units in the statepublishing monthly newslettersor regional newspapers, Michi-nan is recognized as a leaderamong the state Farm Bureausin grassroots communications.Michigan is also one of the fewstates to have county informa-tion committees that deal withthe news media on a regular'basis.

So when John Lewis, AFBFdirector of media relations,wanted to know how a success-ful county information programworks, Michigan was one of twostates he visited to get a firsthand look.

Lewis spent April 26 and 27in Kent County visiting with In-

formation Committee Chairper-son Sharon Steffens and thecounty Farm Bureau board ofdirectors. Kent County was se-lected because of the diversityof the media in the area. Thecounty includes both urban andrural areas served by a dailynewspaper, five weekly news-papers, three television stationsand 11 radio stations.

"I was very impressed withthe Kent County situation,"Lewis said. "I was particularlyimpressed with the way the en-tire county board seemed topull together as a team with re-spect to information."

Lewis also visited three coun-ties in Iowa to gather informa-tion on county communicationnetworks. "What I have found isthat wherever members go out

and really try to work with themedia, Farm Bureau gets a lotmore attention than it doesby spending a lot of time onformalities.

"The key to success with thenews media seems to be access-ibility," he said. "If the mediaknow who in the county to callfor information, that's more im-portant than all the news re-leases and all the formalitiesput together."

Lewis will use the informationhe has gathered to write an ar-ticle for AFBF's Farm BureauNews and eventually to publishguidelines for use by state FarmBureaus in establishing effec-tive county information net-works.

Board RecognizesImportance ofGood Communications

When the Kent County FarmBureau board decided a fewyears ago to make improvingmember relations a priority, theboard also recognized the needfor a strong member and publicinformation program. It estab-lished the position of informa-tion director as a voting mem-ber of the board and appointedSharon Steffens to the position.

"Being a motivator is my pri-mary role as information di-rector," Steffens said, "and if Ican motivate people to get in-volved and do things, thenthere is something to report onfor the news media.

"Our first step in improvingmember relations was to makemembers aware of their mem-ber benefits," she said. Shedeveloped a directory of ser-


Board member Craig Schweitzer proudly describes the cooperation be-tween county committees to achieve member and media support forKent County Farm Bureau activities.

vices that was mailed to allmembers. It is also used as amembership tool.

"We have also activated ourcommittees so that they areviable, and we want to strength-en them even further," Steffenssaid. "We have involved thosecommittees, board membersand community action groupsin policy development so thatwe now have a very strong PDprocess. And in the course ofdoing that, we have activatedthe membership and have dou-

bled attendance at the countyannual.

"We're constantly trying tofind more ways to make contactwith the membership, and oneof those ways is through thenews media. If members readthat Kent County is doing thisor will be doing that, or that theboard has taken a position on aparticular issue, then the mem-bership knows what's happen-ing. Wedo this through the gen-eral media, but the primarymeans is the county news-letter. "

Steffens' Information Commit-tee consists of all board mem-bers and a few other key lead-ers in the county. She also uti-lizes members who serve onstatewide advisory committees,members who are involved inother agricultural organizations

22

and former board members asresource people.

"I am trying to build a groupof people who are not afraid tospeak out on issues, or to speakup on their commodity," shesaid. "When an issue arises, Itry to provide them with back-ground information and askthem to make their own mediaarrangements. It gives them avaluable experience, helps themorganize their thoughts andmakes them much more confi-dent.

"One of the things that hashappened now is that we have-become a team," Steffens said."It takes more member involve-ment to develop stronger lead-ership and new leadership. KentCounty has lots of room for im-provement; we haven't reachedthe pinnacle yet."

With the recognition of agri-culture as Michigan's moststable industry, Steffens hasseen an increased interest inagriculture by urban media."We now have an excellent farmpage in the Orand Rapids Press,and they have discovered awhole new source of advertisingrevenue that they had not beentapping," she said. Area televi-sion stations have also becomemore interested in covering ag-ricultural issues.

Northwest FBGives AgricultureFifteen-YearMedia Boost

By Donna Wilber

When Deni Hooper walksthrough the doors of WPBN-TV,high on a hill overlookingTraverse City, everyone fromthe receptionist to the camera-man greets her with a smile.She's been a familiar figurethere since 1968 as commenta-tor and interviewer for the15-minute "Accent Agriculture"show.

During those 15 years, Denihas had some character-build-ing experiences. She's seen gre-garious guests enthusiasticallyshare their knowledge and ex-periences on a particular topicduring the pre-show warmup,then become rigid and nearlymute when the countdown toair time concludes and the omi-nous eye of the camera focuseson them. There's nothing likethe challenge of filling 15 min-utes of air time with a one-sidedinterview to build character, shereports.

She's also had some momentsof on-camera panic, such aswhen a 4-H youth temporarilylost control of his blue-ribbonwinner and the animal, "lookinga lot like a bull," chargedtoward her and a nervous cam-eraman in a bolt for freedom.

But it's been these kinds ofexperiences that have made a"pro" out of Deni, a farmer andInformation Committee chair-person for the Northwest Michi-gan Farm Bureau, and she's al-most as comfortable before theChannel 7-4 cameras as she ispruning trees on the Hoopers'217-acre fruit farm.


Dur4ng the 15 years "Accent Agriculture" has been on the air. the set.tlng where Denl Interviews guests has changed from a country kitchentable to a news anchor desk to today's "Good Morning, America" style.

With over 750 shows on rec-ord, the original motivating fac-tor for launching" Accent Agri-culture" - sharing agriculturalinformation with the generalpublic to establish better rural-urban relations - has remainedthe same throughout the years.The public service pro"gram hasfocused on every type of farm-ing e-nterprise in the area, fami-ly life, legislative issues, currentconcerns affecting the entirecommul)ity and, most impor-tant, the people involved.

"The only time we've beenknocked off the air is when thetransmitter iced up or we'vebeen bumped by assassinationsor election results," Deni said.

While it's difficult to singleout a highlight of her 15 yearsin this role, Deni believes aspecial half-hour show on thecherry industry ranks as oneshe enjoyed most.

"We went right through theentire industry from when itstarted and why. Wedid a lot ofstudy and playacting. The sta-tion's personnel were veryhelpful and supportive. Wetookthe cherry from the treethrough all the production prac-tices to the processing plant,through marketing and distri-


bution," Deni remembers. "Itwas a fascinating show."

Deni gives major credit forthe origination of "Accent Agri-culture" to former MichiganFarm Bureau regional represen-tative John Willsie, who feltthere was an information voidthat the talents of Farm Bureauvolunteers in the area could fill.It was Willsie who made the in-itial arrangements with the sta-tion management, encouragedthe appointment of a regionalcommittee and shared hostingresponsibilities on the show.

The regional committee, whichwas composed of a woman fromeach of the Northwest Regioncounties and met once a monthto brainstorm on show contentideas, no longer exists and Denimisses this interaction.

"The people involved were sointerested and excited aboutfarming and about life in gen-eral. They were just fine peopleand as we talked together, theybrought out things they feltwere of vital importance tothem, both then and in thefuture," she said. Today, "Ac-cent Agriculture" programideas are drawn from regionalboards with the help of MFBregional representative DennisGibbs.

"When we first started, weworried about running out ofideas, but so far we haven't rundry. It seems we always havemore ideas of what we'd like onthe show than we have roomfor," Deni said. The guests she'shad on the shows throughoutthe years provide her with on-going resources. "It's like youhave to keep in touch withthem and find out what they'redoing that's new and differentand why they're doing it."

It appears that" Accent Agri-culture" is far from running itscourse. The show has recentlybeen moved to a better viewingtime, Saturdays at 7:15 a.m.,and plans are to do an on-siteprogram once each month.

Certainly, one of the reasonsfor the longevity and brightfuture of the show is DeniHooper, who also serves as edi-tor of the Northwest MichiganFarm Bureau newsletter. AsMichigan Farm Bureau Presi-dent Elton Smith stated in hiscongratulatory message to Denion "Accent Agriculture's" 15thanniversary, "you serve as aninspiration to information vol-unteers throughout the stateand the nation:'

Deni and cameraman Mike Streetcheck signals before filming ofthe show begins.

2:3

Ford Tractor EmployeesDost Open Douse

Nearly 1,200 farmers and dealers toured Ford Tractor's manufacturingand assembly plant in Romeo, Michigan, on May 5.

In a unique program to pro-mote their products, hourly andsalaried employees at Ford Trac-tor's manufacturing and assem-bly plant hosted more than} ,200 farmers, other tractorbuyers and tractor dealers at anopen house in Romeo on May 5.

Conceived by employeesthrough the Romeo plant's em-ployee involvement process, theopen house was planned andcoordinated by them with thesupport of plant management,local UAWleaders and FordTractor's North American SalesOperations' marketing staff.

In a joint statement, Jack vande Kerckhof, plant manager,Romeo Tractor and EquipmentPlant, and Henry Marshall, plantUAWchairperson, said that theopen house dramatizes the

24

commitment to quality by Fordand its employees.

"To our knowledge, this is thefirst time that hourly and sal-aried employees in Michiganhave taken such an active rolein promoting the products theybuild," the group said. "Romeoplant employees believe in thequality of our work."

Several months in the plan-ning, the open house includedplant tours, product displaysand field demonstrations ofFord's farm and industrial trac-tors.

An informative video tapepresentation highlighting theplant's manufacturing andassembly areas, prepared bythe employee groups, was

shown to guests prior to theplant tour.

Invitations to the event weresent to Ford Tractor dealers,who in turn invited their cus-tomers. In addition to manydealers and farmers from Mich-igan, Ohio and Indiana, somegroups arrived by charteredplane from as far away as NewYork, NewJersey, Minnesota,Wisconsin and Illinois.

"The employee involvementprogram began at the Romeoplant in 1980 and since thattime has contributed many so-lutions to improve the productand quality of work life," Mar-shall said. "The open house andother events sponsored by pro-gram participants are examplesof employee pride in doing agood job and typify their crea-tivity and resourcefulness."

Ford Motor Company producesthree separate product lines atits Romeo Tractor plant -30-to-90 horsepower Series 10farm tractors; three- and four-cylinder industrial tractors,tractor loaders and tractorloader backhoes; and over-} 00-horsepower six-cylinder TWSeries farm tractors.


Fair Location Fair Date Harness Race 1983 MichiganAlcona County Lincoln Aug. 1-6Alger County Chatham Aug. 25-28 Fair ScheduleAllegan County Allegan Sept. 9-17 Sept. 12-17Alpena County Alpena Aug. 21-27 Aug. 22Arenac County Standish July 24-30 July 24-25Armada Armarda Aug. 16-21Baraga County Pelkie Aug. 6-7Barry County Hastings July 17-23 July 20-22Bay County Bay City Aug. 1-6 Aug. 1-3Berlin Marne July 17-23Berrien County Berrien Springs Aug. 12-20Branch County Coldwater Aug. 7-13Calhoun County Marshall Aug. 14-20 Aug. 15-19Cass County Cassopolis Aug. 8-13 Aug. 8.

10-12Chelsea Community Chelsea Aug. 30-

Sept. 3Chippewa County Kinross Aug. 31- Sept. 2, 3-5

Sept. 5Chippewa County Stalwart Sept. 8-10Clare County Harrison July 30- Aug. 1-6

Aug. 6Clinton County St. Johns Aug. 15-18Croswell Croswell July 17-23 July 18-21 Fair Location Fair Date Harness Race

Dickinson County Norway Sept. 2-5 Sept. 4-5 Michigan State Fair Detroit Aug.2&-Eastern Michigan Imlay City Aug. 29- Sept. 5

Sept. 5 Midland County Midland Aug. 14-20 Aug. 15-18Eaton County Charlotte July 24-30 July 24-25 Milan Milan June 21-25Emmet County Petoskey Aug. 22-27 Aug. 22-23 Missaukee-Fowlerville Fowlerville July 18-23 July 20-22 Falmouth Falmouth Aug. 8-12Genesee County Genesee Aug. 15-21 Monroe County Monroe Aug. 1-6Gladwin County Gladwin July 25-30 July 26-28 Montcalm County Greenville July 10-16Gogebic County Ironwood Aug. 11-14 Aug. 12-14 Montmorency Atlanta Aug. 10-13Gratiot County Ithaca July 17-23 July 18-20 Muskegon County Ravenna July 26-30Gratiot Co. Youth Alma Aug. 1-6 Newaygo County Fremont Aug. 15-20Hillsdale County Hillsdale Sept. 25- Sept. 26 Northern District Cadillac Aug. 15-20 Aug. 17-19

Oct. 1 Oct. 1 Northern Michigan Cheboygan Aug. 13-20 Aug. 15Houghton 4-H Hancock Aug. 26-28 N.W. Michigan Traverse City Aug. 29- Aug. 30-31Hudson Grange Hudson July 7-9 Sept. 3Hudsonville Hudsonville Aug. 22-27 Oakland County Davisburg Aug. 2-6Huron County Bad Axe Aug. 7-13 Aug. 9-12 Oceana County Hart Sept. 1-5 Sept. 1-3Ingham County Mason Aug. 1-6 Aug. 5-6 Ogemaw West Branch Aug. 17-20Ionia Free Fair Ionia July 29-Aug. 7 Aug. 2-4 Ontonagon Greenland July 28-31losco County Hale July 27-30 July 28-30 Osceola County Evart July 26-30Iron County Iron River Aug. 18-21 Oscoda County Mio Aug. 10-13Isabella County Mt. Pleasant Aug. 7-13 Aug. 7-9 Otsego County Gaylord Aug. 8-14 Aug. 9-12Jackson County Jackson Aug. 7-13 Ottawa County Holland July 25-30 July 25-30Kalamazoo County Kalamazoo Aug. 22-27 Aug. 22-25 Presque Isle County Posen Sept. 9-11Kalkaska County Kalkaska Aug. 24-27 Roscommon Roscommon Aug. 9-13Kent County Lowell Aug. 1-6 Saginaw County Saginaw Sept. 10-17Lake Odessa Lake Odessa June 30- July1-4 Saline Community Saline Sept. 6-10

July 4 Sanilac County Sandusky July 24-30Lapeer County Imlay City Aug. 29- Aug. 29-31 Schoolcraft County Manistique Aug. 26-28

Sept. 5 Shiawassee Corunna Aug. 7-13Lenawee County Adrian Aug. 14-20 Aug. 17-19. 28 Sparta Area Sparta July 27-30Luce County Newberry Aug. 26-29 St. Clair County Goodells Aug. 9-13Mackinac County Allenville Aug. 26-28 St. Joseph County Centreville Sept. 18-24 Sept. 19-24Manchester Manchester Aug. 9-13 Tuscola County Caro July 31-Aug. 6 Aug. 1-4Community U.P. State Fair Escanaba Aug. '1&-21

Manistee County Onekama Aug. 31- Aug. 31- Van Buren Youth Hartford July 23-30Sept. 5 Sept. 1 Vassar Vassar July 5-10 July 5-7

Marion Marion July 6-9 July 6-9 Washtenaw County Ann Arbor July 26-29Marquette County Marquette Sept. 15-17 Wayland Community Wayland Aug. 18-20Mecosta County Big Rapids July 10-16 July 10-13 Wayne County Belleville Aug. 8-13Menominee County Stephenson July 28-31 Western Michigan Ludington Aug. 22-27 Aug. 23-26

RURAL LIVING, JUNE 198.3 25

AGRINOMIC UPDATE

Dairy Assessment Update andAnalysis of Program Alternatives

The future of the Dairy PriceSupport Program, under closescrutiny for almost two years, isstill very uncertain, followingthe granting of a temporary in-junction by a federal judge inSouth Carolina.

For the second time in fivemonths, Judge Matthew Perryblocked the U.S. Department ofAgriculture from collecting a50-cent assessment for eachhundred pounds of milk sold bythe nation's dairymen.

On May 13, the 4th CircuitU.S.Court of Appeals in Virginiaissued a stay against the tem-porary injunction which meansthe USDAcan again collect theassessment. However, on May25 Judge Perry was slated to re-examine the issue and eitheragree to leave the assessmentin place, or impose a perma-nent injunction which wouldsend Congress and the USDAback to the drawing board look-ing for a solution to the dairyindustry's largest milk supply Idemand imbalance on record.

At the same time, Congress islooking at another overhaul ofthe dairy program. On April 27,the House Agriculture Subcom-mittee on Livestock, Dairy, andPoultry reported two dairy bills.Both are opposed by Farm Bu-reau. The first bill, H.R. 2264,repeals the authorization forthe two 50-cent per hundred-weight assessments and freezesthe dairy price support at$13.10 per hundredweightthrough fiscal year 1985. Thesecond bill will create a systemof historical basis, producerpayment incentives and pricesupport penalties in an attemptto resolve the current dairyprice support problem.

As of this writing, the latestnews from Washington indi-

26

cates that an attempt is beingmade in the House AgricultureCommittee to work out a com-promise. This compromisecould well combine parts ofeach of these proposals as wellas other proposals being devel-oped by the Reagan administra-tion and offered by industrygroups.

With all of this uncertaintyand the wide variety of pro-posals offered as a solution tothe imbalance of overproducingby nearly 14 billion pounds or10%, it seems prudent to per-form an economic analysis asto how each of the major pro-posals would impact the dairyfarmer and make an effort toanswer the question "Will thisplan reduce milk production?"

Table 1

Table 1 depicts a typicalMichigan dairy farm with 70milking cows and a herd aver-age of 13,900 pounds per cow.A milk market price of $13.00per hundredweight and a costof production of $11.90 perh~ndredweight reflect currentmarket conditions according toour estimates and those of theMSUAgricultural Economics De-partment. The current annualmilk production for this hypo-thetical farm is 973,000 poundswhich is a 7% increase overtheir 1981-82 base.

Situation A of Table 1 is thebasis for com parison of thevarious proposals listed underalternatives B through K. Situa-tion A reflects the basic $13.10per hundredweight price sup-port program which has been ineffect since October 1980: WithProgram B in effect a 50-centassessment is charged to thedairy farmer for each 100pounds of milk produced. This

results in an annual gross in-come of $121,625.00 or a de-cline of $4,865.00 from Situa-tion A.

The economic analysis underSituation D of Table 1, whencompared to Band C, suggeststhat a dairyman seeking tomaximize income would not re-duce milk production to his1981-82 base in order to gain arefund of the second 50-centassessment. This is because hisannual income under SituationD ($115,163) is lower than withthe $1.00 assessment scenariounder Item C where the annualgross inc~me is $116,760. Also,D takes into account a 20%cost savings due to reducedmilk production.

The above analysis clearlyshows that the assessmentswith Band C in Table 1 wouldencourage an operator to be-come more efficient and furtherreduce costs. However, thequestion remains "Will this pro-gram cut production or encour-age increased milk produc-tion?"

Items E through I reflect ananalysis of the National MilkProducers Federation proposal.Situation F, when compared toE, indicates that a dairymanwould cut back to his 1981-82base. Situat!ons G and Hassume a further reduction of10% and 30% respectively.Even with a diversion paymentof $10.00 per hundredweight onreductions below his 81-82base, and the addition of $2.38per hundredweight in reducedmilk production costs for eachhundredweight of milk not pro-duced, the result is still lowerreturns (a decline of $7,345 and$8,472 with Situations G and Hrespectively a~ compared to a$6,781 reduced yearly income


with Situation F). This suggeststhat while a dairyman will re-duce production to his 1981-82base, he probably will not re-rfuce production enough to takeadvantage of the diversion pay-'ments.

Item I of Table 1 reflects thissame Michigan dairyman whoadds seven cows or otherwiseincreases his production percow such that his total produc-tion is 10% higher than pres-ent. This increases his annualincome by $2,759 over what heis currently receiving and whencompared to "no productionchange" in Item E, the netchange in annual returns is wellover $10,000. It appears that

there is some economic incen-tive to increase production forthis dairy producer under theNMPFproposal.

Next, Situations J and K ofTable 1 detail the impact of acut in the support price of$1.50 per hundredweight. Thisapproximates the current Amer-ican Farm Bureau Federationpolicy position on the dairy is-sue.

Historically speaking, this ap-proach of "lowering the supportprice" has been used five timessince 1949. Each of thesetimes, milk supply exceeded de-mand and each time the indus-try responded and cut produc-tion. The analysis under Item K

TABLE 1

suggests that even a 10% in-crease in production will notreturn the producer to the levelof income currently received,thus encouraging the dairyfarmer to become more efficientby reducing production costs.This would tend to underscorethe effectiveness of this ap-proach to deal with the currentmilk surplus.

Table 2

Table 2 reflects the returnsfor this same Michigan dairy-man who now decides to addfive cows to his existing herd.

(continued on page 34)

FARM DATA - Number of Cows - 70 Pounds/Cow - 13,900 Market Price - B.OO/cwt.Current Production - 973,000 81-82 Base - 909,150 Cost of Production - 11.90/cwt.

Percent Current Production is Over 81-82 Base - 7.02Percent of Production Subject to Second Tier Price - 7

12.22 Blend Price Under NMPF Proposal

A C D G H kAFBF 511.60

-50 cents NMPF No NMPF NMPF NMPF NMPF Support Price513.10 5«k:ent 51.00 Produce at Production Cut to 10% Below 30% Below 10% Above AFBF 511.60 +10% Above

Support Assessment Assessment 81-82 Base Change 81-82 Base 81-82 Bine 81-82 Base Current Prod. Support Price Current Prod.Monthly lbs. 81,083 81,083 81.083 75,762 81,083 75.762 68,185 53,033 89.191 81,083 89.191Monthly S 10,540.79 10,135.38 9,729.96 9,59689 9,909.69 9,975.70 9,928.72 9,834.78 10,770.76 9.32455 10,064.00Annual S 126,49000 121,62500 116,76000 115,16268 118,916.78 119,70840 119,14467 118,017.36 129,249.15 111,89500 120,768.00Monthly SChange FromSituationA -40542 -810.83 -943.90 -631.10 -56509 -612.07 -70601 229.97 -1,21625 -476.79Yearly SChange FromSituation A -4,865.00 -9,73000 -11,326.80 -7,573.22 -6,781.60 -7,34533 -8,472.64 2,759.15 -14,59500 -5,72200

TABLE 2

FARM DATA - Number of Cows - 75 PoundsfCow - 13,900 Market Price - 13.00/cwt.Current Production - 1,042,500 81-82 Base - 909,150 Cost of Production - 11.90/cwt.

Percent Current Production is Over 81-82 Base - 14.67Percent of Production Subject to Second Tier Price - 7

12.27 Blend Price Under NMPF ProposalA B C D G H k

AFBF 511.60-50 cents NMPF No NMPF NMPF NMPF NMPF Support Price

513.10 5lk:ent 51.00 Produce at Production Cut to 10% Below 30% Below 10% Above AFBF 511.60 +10% AboveSupport Assessment Assessment 81-82 Base Change 81-82 Base 81-82 Base 81-82 Base Current Prod. Support Price Current Prod.

Annual Income 135,525.00 130,312.50 125.10000 116,81687 127,951.78 121,362.59 120,79886 119.671.56 139.022.54 119.88750 129.39456Annual IncomeChange FromSituation A -5,212.50 -10,425.00 -18.708.13 -7,573.22 -14,162.41 -14.72014 -15,85344 3.49754 -15.03750 -6.13044

NOTES FOR TABLES 1 AND 2:If new production exceeds the Bl-B2 base by 7% or more, then 7% is used as the surplus amount. If the new production is less than a 7% increase above the Bl-82 base, then the exactincrease is used.

Columns D,F, G and H calculate lower production costs based on given reduced milk production and assume 20% of total cost of production as variable costs which can be saved.

Columns E and I assume a second tierprice of $1.10/cwt.

Columns G and H assume a diversion payment of $10.00/cwl.Columns I and K calculate higher production costs for the 10% increase in production and assumes 20% of the total cost of production as variable costs.Columns J and K assume a cut in the support price of Sl.50, and a direct relationship between the price received br the dairyman and the support price.


State and Local Taxes

The Discussion Topic Isused by Community Ac-tion Groups for monthlypolley discussions.

The topic of taxation, with orwithout representation, is thecenter of many discussions atthe local coffee shop or wher-ever people are gathered. Weoften talk about taxes, but real-ly, how well do we understandour system of taxation at thestate and local level?

There is a somewhat complexmix o{ 39 Michigan taxes, con-sisting of 29 state and 10 localtaxes, which are mandated forcollection either by the Michi-gan Constitution or by law.There are six categories ortypes of taxes. These include:

-Individual income tax -which includes both state andlocal, based on a person's in-come.

- Business taxes - such asthe Single Business Tax and theCorporate Income Tax.

- Payroll taxes '- consisting ofworkers' compensation and un-employment compensation.

-Consumption type taxes -consisting of sales and use

taxes. Specific examples includethe excise tax on gas and theMotor Vehicle Weight Tax.Sumptuary taxes, or what maybe referred to as "sin taxes,"are levied on liquor and cigar-ettes.

- Property t~xes - consistingof both real and personal prop-erty.

-Transfer of wealth taxes -including gift tax and inheri-tance tax.

The theory of having a largenumber of taxes is that every-one should contribute to one ormore of the various revenuegenerating mechanisms. For in-stance, if a person's householdincome is low and he or shedoes not pay an income tax, theperson may pay a direct sales-use tax when goods are pur-chased, or indirectly, if the per-son buys a product and a busi-ness generates an income.

The pie chart in figure 1 in-dicates the major sources ofrevenue anticipated for 1984.

The total anticipated revenuefor the 1984 state budget forrevenue is over $11 billion.

The state budget for 1984 ex-penditures is also over $11 bil-lion. The pie chart in figure 2indicates the major areas of ex-penditure proposed in the bud-get for fiscal year 1984.

We often discuss the size ofthe state budget relative toneed for, or quality of, the ser-vices provided. The 'historicalfunction of government hasbeen to provide those serviceswhich could not be or were notprovided by private enterprise.These have included educationon an equal basis, fire andpolice protection, prisons, etc.

There's been substantialgrowth in the Michigan budgetin the last 20 years. In 1960,the state budget was approxi-mately $2 billion. In 1980, thetotal was approximately $10 bil-lion. However, much of this in-crease is due directly to the in-flationary spiral during that per-

Revenue

Figure 128

Expenditures: $11,887.7(Millions of Dollars)

Figure 2RURAL LIVING, JUNE 1983

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they live in the state. Currently,the state guarantees $328 perstudent plus $54 per milllevied. Subtract from that theamount generated locally andthe remaining is the amount ofdollars due from state aid. How-ever, as the budget becametight, payments to schools havebeen delayed. This has causedserious cash flow problems formany school districts.(continued on page 30)

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at the same rate because of theneed to continue operating ex-penses and, oftentimes, staff atthe same level as before.

The state average per pupilexpenditure of $2,408 placesMichigan 27th among thestates. The national average ex-penditure is $2,510.

The Michigan school aid for-mula attempts to provide anequal amount of dollars foreach student no matter where

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iod of time. The inflated dollarsdo not necessarily buy anymore goods and servAces.Thus,the total is somewhat exagger-ated.

A specific section of the bud-get which has suffered becauseof the inflationary spiral is thetransportation revenue gener-ated by gas and weight taxes.In 1970, approximately $400million was generated throughthese sources. In 1980, thatfigure had leaped to $700 mil-lion. However, if that figure isadjusted for inflation, we findthat in 1980 dollars, the reve-nue generated was actually lessthan the dollars available in1970. The 1980 revenue, ad-justed for inflation, was only$200 million, $200 million lessthan in 1970.

As we consider the state bud-get, we often overlook the factthat each one of us is impactedalmost daily by the state bud-get at the local level. Localrevenue for 1980 totalled ap-proximately $11.4 billion. Ofthat total sum, approximatelyone-third came from propertytax, one-third from state reve-nue sharing and one-tenth fromfederal revenue sharing. Ap-proximately one-half of thelocal revenue is generated bystate and federal sources. Thus,a cutback in the state budgethas a direct and significant im-pact on local government.

School finance is another areaof major concern. In the budgetsqueeze, schools have becomemore reliant on property taxmuch to the concern of voters.However, most schools receivea significant, although reduced,amount of dollars from thestate and federal government.Items, such as "categoricals"for transportation and othersources, are often overlooked.Thus, as state revenue andstate budgets are trimmed,schools too have suffered.

In addition, declining enroll-ment has further complicatedthe problem. As enrollment de-clines, the total cost of educa-tion per student is not reduced

RURAL LlVINQ, JUNE 198:3 29

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Special Note toDiscussion Leaders

To help your group membersbetter understand how the statebudget affects them, severalquestions have been prepared.You are encouraged to contactyour county treasurer, townshiptreasurer or school to assistyour group in evaluating localgovernment and the impactthat the state budget has inyour area.

Discussion Questions

- What is the cost in yourschool district to educate onestudent for one year, kindergar-ten through 12th grade? Howdoes this compare with thestate average? Higher or lower?

- What percent of your town-ship, county and school bud-gets are derived from state orfederal revenue sharing andwhat percent comes from localsources?

- How many of the 39 stateand local taxes do you con-tribute to?

-If you were in control, whatareas of the state budget wouldyou reduce that directly affectyou and your family? Indicateone of the following: MichiganDepartment of Agriculture, edu-cation, corrections/ prisons,state revenue sharing to town-ship and counties, law enforce-ment/ state police.

Discussion Topic(continued from page 29)

The state budget does, infact, affect more than just stategovernment. We are often re-moved from the issue and feelthat the state expenditures areexcessive and unreasonable,forgetting that they do impactlocal services such as counties,townships and schools. Localbudgets are controlled byvoters and often, voters turndown millage issues in an at-tempt to send a message tothose who insist on spending.

Agricultural AccidentRescue Seminars(continued from page 13)

shut off points and how themachinery actually works. We'llknow what we're dealing withwhen we get to the accidentscene," she said. "I wouldrecommend this type of semi-nar for all emergency person-neL especially in any part ofMichigan that has a great dealof farms."

Farmer attitudes about safetyare also covered at the semi-nars in an attempt to helpavoid agricultural accidents.

"It was stressed that we usecommon sense," said LarryLeach, a Kalamazoo Countybeef and grain farmer who at-tended the seminar in his coun-ty. "We were reminded to keepall guards and shields in placeand to use proper operatingprocedures."

Leach said that from a farm-er's standpoint, these are goodseminars for emergency person-nel. "The life they save, as aresult of attending, could bemine!"

The seminars also providefive continuing education creditunits for basic, limited advanc-ed and advanced EMTs.Co-sponsoring the seminarsthroughout the state besidescounty Farm Bureaus and theCooperative Extension Serviceare EMT associations, hospitals,community colleges and theDepartment of Civil Defense.

Upcoming seminar dates andsponsoring counties include:June 18 - Lenawee; June 25 -Menominee; July 23 - Mecostaand Osceola; July 16 - Ingham(tentative); July 30 - Huron;Aug. 6 - Newaygo and Muske-gon; Aug. 20 - NorthwestMichigan; Aug. 26 - Ogemaw;and Sept. 10 - Saginaw andTuscola.

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Ag Education(continued from page 15)

and they may ask for the finan-cial and volunteer support fromthe community to do the kindof vocational education trainingthat is identified as necessary.

"When you take a look at theprogram and decide to make itmore than textbook and lec-ture, the next step is determin-ing how you will get more up-to-date materials and funding.That means support from FFAalumni in the community, fund-raising efforts or simply volun-teering help in training," saysKarlese.

"I think agriculture shouldcome and knock on the school'sdoor once in a while rather thanwait for the school vo-agteacher to come to theirs." Get-ting active support from thecommunity. for strengtheningthe vo-ag program is an idealgoal and one that Karlese holdsout as achievable.

Drawing on community re-sources, local agriculturalgroups and agribusiness areamong the suggested supportactivities in the newly devel-oped curriculum guides for ag-riculture. Four curriculumguides have been developed bythe Michigan Department of Ed-ucation's Vocational TechnicalEducation Service, along withthe Curriculum Resource Teamat Michigan State University, forfarm management, crops andsoils, farm machinery andequipment, and livestock.

Fh'st Step on Career Ladder

"The vo-ag program is thefirst step in the youngster'scareer ladder by providing basicskills and understanding of ag-riculture. In vo-ag we will havegiven the student enough train-ing so that he or she can go outand work in agriculture at anentry level.

RURAL LlVINO. JUNE 198.3

"The youngster can decide tobegin farming immediately af-ter high school, take a two-yearag short course, work for a fouryear degree or even go on foradvanced degrees. Those are allparts of the career ladder. Weare providing the basics," saysKarlese.

Using the curriculum guide,teachers work with the studentsto develop a plan or analyze abusiness venture.

For example, in the curricu-lum guide for farm manage-ment the student may be askedto develop and analyze a planfor farm business expansion.This exercise will require thestudent to look at capital in-vestment, prospects, potentialrisks and decisions; to obtaininput from records and docu-ments; and to contact resourcepersons in the community suchas farm credit institutions, realestate brokers, insuranceagents and county or townshipofficials.

"It means a lot of work has tobe put into the exercise by theteacher and the student, butthe student learns to look atthe whys and hows behind thedecision-making process," em-phasizes Karlese.

For each of the four curricu-lum guides, writers analyzedthe occupational titles and thetasks for entry level jobs, thenset up learning exercises.

At workshops for teachers ofvocational agriculture held dur-ing May, the curriculum guideswere introduced and teacherswere given the opportunity towork on developing lessonplans based on the job trainingexercises presented.

"The workshops were an op-portunity for teachers to workwith the curriculum guide anddetermine some activities to getthe students involved in achiev-ing the skill levels and deter-mining their personal and ca-reer goals," says Karlese.

"Again, we're saying that thevo-ag teacher will probablyneed to review the guide withthe advisory council and workwith those volunteers to deter-mine some priorities and coor-dinate community involvementin the program."

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.32

Legislative Review(continued from page 7)

increase to $14.2 million and$12.6 million, respectively.

Total state funds for K-12 ed-ucation will increase $207.4million to a total of $1.9 billion.Retirement costs for teachersand employees account for al-most $508 million of that total.The increase in per studentallowance would be about 7.7%•

Increased school aid should les-son the pressure on increasedproperty taxes.

P.A. 116 Transfer Update -The proposed transfer of theP.A. 116 program to the Depart-ment of Agriculture from theDepartment of Natural Re-sources has proven more com-plicated than many thought itwould be. This is because veryfew understand the actual P.A.116 law and other laws and pro-visions that are tied to it. It is avery com plex piece of legisla-tion and requires a highly com-petent and expert staff to ad-minister.

H.B. 4232, as it passed theHouse, failed to recognize theseproblems and the bill requiredconsiderable change in the Sen-ate.

FB has supported the transferbut has consistently pointedout that it must be done prop-erly to assure continued compe-tent service to farmers and alsoto assure that the existing33,000 contracts with farmerswill not be jeopardized.

Before H.B. 4232 was intro-duced, the MFBboard took of-ficial action to support thetransfer of the program to theMDA.Several things happenedafter that.

The DNRcommission, whichhas policy control over the de-partment, met and expressedsupport for P.A. 116. At a latermeeting, the DNRcommissionwent much further and passed

an official policy which goesthrough the Administration Pro-cedures Act, giving P.A. 116"one of the highest prioritieswithin the department's budget-ing and administrative struc-tures:' This made any recom-mendations by DNRDirectorTanner ineffective and also setsthe policy for the new director,as Dr. Tanner leaves June 1.

On April 20, the MFB boardconsidered these new develop-ments and voted to continue"to support H.B. 4232 and atthe same time express our con-cern about maintaining serviceto farmers:' The board furtherstated that it "understands thatP.A. 116 can be administered bythe Department of Agriculture.However, if the personnel whohave been handling P.A. 116 inDNRdo not transfer with theprogram, a heavy burden will beplaced on the new department.

"It is projected that 8,500 to9,000 applications for P.A. 116will be received in 1983. If newpersonnel without prior experi-ence in handling the writing ofthese contracts and uniqueproblems that arise are sudden-ly faced with this workload,there will surely be a noticeablechange in the service theselandowners can expect:'

When H.B. 4232 was consid-ered by the Senate AgricultureCommittee, it was reported thatan attorney in the attorney gen-eral's office had expressed con-cern that H.B. 4232 was notadequate to assure service tofarmers. His concerns were es-sentially in three areas. Onewas the wording of the presentcontracts in two areas, anotherwas that the inheritance tax lawthat works in conjunction withP.A. 116 must also be amendedand the third concern had to dowith a 1973 governor's execu-tive order creating a "land useagency" within the DNR.

(continued on page 34)


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policy decisions. It was pro-ducers who said the supportprice should be established inrelationship to government pur-chases of dairy products.

Every year is a new year forFarm Bureau policy. We will bestarting a new round of policydiscussions for 1984 in Julyand August of this year. Everypolicy is analyzed by thosemembers who are interestedand policies can be changed,thrown out entirely or kept foranother year. I urge you to takethe many opportunities that areoffered to be involved and makeyour voice heard.

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The producers who were in-volved in developing this policyhad two major objectives: tomaintain a viable dairy supportprogram, one that provides afloor under milk prices but notat a level that encourages over-production, and to reduce thesupply-demand imbalance to alevel which can be absorbed bymarket forces in a reasonabletime period. They believed thepolicy they adopted could bestmeet those objectives.

Keep in mind that only pro-ducers of agricultural commodi-ties who are Farm Bureau mem-bers participate in setting FarmBureau policy. In some of ournational cooperatives, manage-ment has the opportunity tomake very definite inputs into

Letters toKural Living(continued from page 17)

What concerns me as muchas the fragmentation of the in-dustry in its efforts to solve theproblem, is the apparent lack ofunderstanding by Farm Bureaumembers regarding their organ-ization's policy developmentprocess.

Very simply, our policy posi-tion on the dairy program is:amend the Agricultural Act of1949 to authorize the secretaryof agriculture to annually setthe support price for milk, tak-ing into consideration CCC netdairy product purchases for theimmediately preceding 12months; and repeal of existingauthority for the 50 cent! cwt.assessments on all milk mar-keted.

There is no organization thatinvests as much time, effortand resources as Farm Bureaudoes to gain farmer-input so itspolicies reflect the grassrootsthinking of its members. Let'sreview, for example, how thisparticular policy was developed.

This subject received morestudy and discussion last sum-mer and fall than any othersingle issue. Two statewide in-formation meetings were heldto which all dairy farmers wereinvited to participate. At countyannual meetings last fall, everycounty Farm Bureau had the op-portunity to recommend policy.Counties that did take actionon this issue, along with ourstatewide dairy advisory com-mittee, submitted their recom-mendations to the state PolicyDevelopment Committee which,

"in turn, presented a proposedpolicy to the voting deJegatesat the MFB annual meeting inGrand Rapids last December.

The policy adopted by thatbody was submitted to theAFBF. Farmers again had theopportunity to make their viewsand concerns known - whichthey did.


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The Acre-Maker

Legislative Review(continued from page .32)

H.B. 4232 as passed by theHouse is not adequate to prop-erly transfer P.A. 116. Sen. Bar-cia, chairperson of the SenateAgriculture Committee, metwith another attorney from theattorney general's office and heagreed that there were legalproblems that must be ironedout. The Senate Committee hasamended H.B. 4232 and report-ed it to the floor with the under-standing that any other legalissues will be worked out beforefinal passage.

Right to Water - H.B. 4198is under consideration in theHouse Agriculture Committee.FB has strongly supported thelegislation as a good step in theright direction toward a com-prehensive water rights law.

H.B. 4198 would place into

law legislative intent thatagriculture should ,have the"right to use an amount ofwater sufficient to meet theneeds of the production of farm'products and crops grown." Itwould provide that "waterusage should conform withgenerally accepted agriculturaland management practices."

This bill is controversial asenvironmental groups arestrongly opposed. However,work is progressing on the bill.

Beef Commission - H.B.4421, introduced by Rep. 00-dak, would amend the Beef In-dustry Commission Act to as-sure that all "cattle" (meaningbovine animals) sold for slaugh-ter would be liable for the pro-motion check off. Presently theassessment rate cannot bemore than 1/10 of 1% of thegross receipts from sale of suchcattle. The present II-member

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commission would be increasedby one to provide a producermember, "engaged in commer-cial production of veal."

This may be a controversialbill because a group of veal pro-ducers have indicated theywant to form their own commis-sion to promote the use of veal.

Lansing legislative topics arereviewed by Robert E. Smith,senior legislative counsel.

Agrinomic Update(continued from page 27)The analysis and results aresimilar to Table 1 in that adairyman has no incentive toreduce to his 1981-82 baseunder the assessment program.However, the analysis of the Na-tional Milk Producers Federationproposal has changed from be-fore.

In this case, it suggests thatthere is no economic incentiveto cut production at all. In fact,the dairyman would gain over$11,000 annually by increasingmilk production an additional10% as shown in Item I of Table2 when com pared to a loss ofover $7,500 with "no produc-tion change" in Item E underthe NMPFprogram. The resultsunder Situations J and K withthe AFBF proposal again em-phasize the need to becomemore efficient by reducing pro-duction costs as lower annualincome will otherwise occur.

A brief update on recent hap-penings of the National DairyPrice Support Program havebeen presented in this article,along with an economic anal-ysis on several major proposalsdesigned to correct the presentsupply and demand imbalancewith U.S. milk production.

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.34

Agrinomic Update is preparedmonthly by MFB's CommodityActivities & Research Department.


-- "'---....

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THE WINNER'S CHOICE OF OPTIONS! And to top it off, theaward presentations will be made in Orlando, Florida at the AFBF annual

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a Big Orange tractor!For more information, contact your county Farm Bureau Federation office.

Michigan Farm BureauRural Living MagazineP.O. Box 309607373 W. Saginaw Hwy.Lansing, Michigan 48909

Non-Profit OrganizationU. S. POSTAGE

PAl DLansing, Michigan

Permit No. 37

Down on the Farm with Farm Bureau's First Lady · Michigan Farm Bureau Buyer's Service ......

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Transcript of Down on the Farm with Farm Bureau's First Lady · Michigan Farm Bureau Buyer's Service ......