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Show May 1972 Salt Lake City, Utah Volume XVIII No. 5 Chavez Threatens Farm Bureau PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS, May 1 Cesar Chavezs United Farm Workers National Union, an AFL-CI- O affiliate, has threatened a nationwide campaign to attack and . . . discredit the American Farm Bureau Federation and its 2,057,665 member families. The threat reported by William J. Kuhfuss, president of the Bureau American Farm of an in the form came Federation, to Farm ultimatum presented Bureau leadership at its national headquarters in Park Ridge, 111., on April 26. The UFW delegation told Farm Bureau that unless it withdrew its efforts by Monday, May 8, to get federal and state legislation farm labor UFWs .enacted, national boycott apparatus would be mobilized in a massive in- - formational campaign against Farm Bureau in 40 cities. Currently, Farm Bureau is pressing for enactment of bills in Congress and in several states to guarantee secret ballot elections for farm workers, and to prohibit the secondary boycott for agriculture as it is presently prohibited in industry under the National Labor Relations Act Federation President Kuhfuss responded to the ultimatum with a reassurance to agriculture and the nation that Farm Bureau would intensify its efforts to get fair and farm constructive labor legislation that would protect the consitutional rights of workers to organize freely, and farmers to be protected against the ravages of coercive boycotts that force them to sign over their work force-- or go out of business. Kuhfuss said that under Farm Bureau policy we uphold the right of employees to bargain collectively, but condemn the use by either labor or management of force, coercion, intimidation, secondary boycotts, or other unfair means applied by one side to force its will upon the other. Farm Bureau is currently active in farm labor supporting in legislation Congress and in several state legislatures, in- cluding Arizona, Colorado, New York, Oregon, and Wyoming. Farm labor bills have been passed in Kansas and Idaho. A fair labor practices initiative has been proposed for voters of California, and is supported by Farm Bureau. Chavezs delegation consisted of the Rev. Wayne C. Hartmire, Los Angeles, of the California Migrant Ministry and longtime Chavez aide; LeRoy Chatfield, Delano, Calif., and a member of the UFW board of directors, and Eliseo Medina, Delano, Imperial Valley boycott coordinator, and former head of Chavez operations in Chicago. Vernon Law Law Addresses FFA Students Vernon Law, formerly professional baseball star, addressed FFA students and leaders Saturday at evening the conclusion of BYU Agriculture Week. From a wealth of experience he advised the young people to develop a will to win, not a wish to win. A winning pitcher has to do more than throw hard and over the plate. Control is all important. He indicated that some pitchers with great potential have what is known as a $1 million arm but a 10c head. Training and self discipline will help turn a dream into reality. Mr. Law told the young people to envision themselves, not as they are, but as they can become. This practice could provide the inspiration for winning in lifes game. Analyze your weaknesses and strengthen them, he advocated. And finally he said it is important to pray for success because people dont listen to losers. The game of life is to win. During the evening Farm Broadcaster Lynn Adair of Radio Station KSL conducted a live broadcast from the ballroom in the , Wilkinson Center announcing the winners of the various contests held during the week of activity. The activities were a tremendous success according to Reed Balls, Chairman of the Agricultural Council. Student Don't Ban DDT! According to a UPI story in the Tribune considerable research has been done that demonstrates that DDT is not the hazard previously suggested by some people. Examiner Edmund M. Sweeney said seven months of failed to prove allegations that DDT causes testimony AFBF President William J. Kuhfuss was received very well at BYU April 20. The length of the applause would indicate the students, and faculty understood his message aid ap-i- s predated the address. Later in a question and answer session students were ablefe hearK responses to matters of personal interest. & iy Mr. Kuhfuss, Elmo Hamilton and Allen Olsen along with a few top leaders of BYU e&foyed delightful, informative luncheon. After the luncheon the group toured the BYU farm near Spanish Fork prior tojgrivingioj Logan for an evening engagement scheduled by the Cache County Farm Bureau. .S? , OEO Grant Subsidized Competition have your Picn Pac announced grant was -- - : How would you like to federal tax money used to compete with you in the crops you grow in your own lpcal area? The answer to this is obvious and thats why some California strawberry growers successfully protested a grant of $450,000 from the Office of Economic Opportunity to a group of workers to set up a cooperative to produce and market strawberries. Ironically, the land on which the cooperative was to be established was once operated by Picn Pac Foods, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the S.S. Pierce Co., of Boston. bankruptcy after a disastrous 1971 season when it was the only major strawberry shipper in the West to operate under a contract with the Cesar Chavezs United Farm Workers National Union, AFL-CIaffiliate. The firm, restructured as the Dave Walsh company, cut its strawberry acreage in half to 558 acres in 1972 and planted a crop in anticipation of the OEO subsidized cooperative harvesting the crop. The firm has been forced into harvesting the crop to salvage something from its investment. O The OEO stalled as the result of protests from local strawberry producing and shipping firms, local state growers associations and local legislators. Objective ii the OEO grant was to ease unemployment in Salinas Valley and the backers of the proposed cooperative reported that it would save taxpayers some welfare costs. California officials had approved the grant as a means of reducing unemployment. There was the displacement of hundreds of workers in the Picn Pac's acreage reduction this year in Salinas $250,000 in Valley. Utah Farm Bureau Hosts Information Conference Utah Farm Bureau hosts Info Conference in Salt Lake. Information personnel from Idaho, California. Nevada, New Mexico along with AFBF Information leaders Don Donnelly and Woodrow Lutrrell attended. Other staff personnel gave assistance as pertained to the discussions and issues. Leonard Johnson, Natural Resources department reviewed current environmental issues and Eldon Schnoor and Spec Costello helped give direction to the program. It was a very helpful and informative conference. For the few who could, in the time allowed between flights, a tour of the Temple grounds and an organ recital was scheduled. A visit to these historical sights and the Tabernacle and the organ music usually is a highlight for visitors to Salt Lake. severe environmental damage, the article said. The article went on to say that there is a present need for the essential uses of DDT. This is encouraging information for farmers and ranchers. During the last two years the lack of DDT in the control of gypsy moth in defoliating trees has cost eastern areas over 1,000,000 acres of tree damage. Two or more years of defoliation could cause permanent damage and loss of valuable trees for recreation and commercial Similarly there was considerable loss of jobs in the Delano area of California when some growers ripped up acres of mature, high producing grape vines following the signing of their workers into the UFW union. These growers have since shifted to wine grapes or tree crops adapted to mechanized cultivation harvesting. It is apparent that compulsory unionism is hurting the workers who have lost their jobs and are forced onto welfare rolls, but the answer does not seem to lie in OEO grants to subsidize competition against strawberry growers already hit by Mexican Coi C3 CO t 3 h- - o M co La H- - C Ct o Q & &o GOCJct cf CD M tf 00 HO to tr purposes. Other areas are being investigated to ascertain whether or not some of the on bans chemicals improves the environment and the quality of life or increases the cost of production and decreases the availability of foods and other goods. S 47 4 c e:j o ss 3 Conference at Holiday Inn, Salt Lake. Directors from Western States attending. Info |