OCR Text |
Show May 1974 Utah Farm Bureau News Page 2 UTAH FARM BUREAU IH1 NEWS POSTMASTER: Please send FormJ579to Utah Farm Bureau, East Fourth South, Salt Lake City, Utah M102 429 Published each month by the Utah Farm Bureau Federation at Salt Lake City, Utah. Editorial and Business Office, 429 East Fourth South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 14012. Subscription price of fifty cents per year to members is included in membership fee. subscription price: One dollar per year. Non-memb- er Second Class postage paid at Salt Lake City, Utah Americas food paradise may dim More and more knowledgeable people are recognizing the reality- - of higher food prices resulting from world competition. Donald E. Nordlund, president of A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company, a soybean and corn processor concern with headquarters in Decatur, Illinois, revealed in a press interview that he is one of these people. Until a year or Nordlund said, Americans had been living in a food paradise. The head of the countrys second largest corn refinery said, Were shifting from an era in which food prices were unrealistically low to one in which prices are more comparable to those in Europe.' He believes that the percentage of disposable income the American wage earner spends for food eventually will rise to 20 per cent as compared to less than 16 percent in 1973 and the 25 per cent spent by Europeans. Nordlund points out that world demand for food has created a major shift in the supply- demand balance. The demand for more food was always there, but it wasnt met because, until recently. , so-ago- v many nations didnt have the financial ability to serve it. He also believes that the new food benchmarks. are yet to be defined, and added, we dont know where the price resistance level it will stabilize. Nordlund predicts that the pressure for better nutrition is going to continue in the face of a growing wrorld population which is expected to increase from the present 3.7 billion to about 6 billion by the year 2000. Worldwide protein production, now 70 million tons a day, must double to 140 million tons a day Another individual who believes American consumers must wake up to the realities of higher food prices is George Koch, president of the Grocery Manufacturers of America. Just as the Arabs woke us up to the energy crisis, so the Soviet wheat deal should teach us a lesson ofl world food economics, says Koch. We've been spoiled by low food prices, even at the expense of the farmer. The rest of the world is eating better, and backs its demand by paying more for food. is-w- here UTAH FARM BUREAU FEDERATION OFFICIALS Elmo W. Hamilton, Riverton Jay Child, Clearfield C. Booth Wallentine Elwood Shaffer S. President Vice President Executive Vice President Editor DIRECTORS: Frank Nishiguchi, Garland; William Holmes, Ogden; Jack Brown, Grantsville; Edward Boyer, Springville; John Lewis, Monticello; Jerold Johnson, Aurora; Kenneth R. Ashby, Delta; Mrs. Paul Turner, Morgan; Robert Johnson, Randolph. Food prices are not going to get lower in the U.S. They will increase with inflation. Weve got the same pricing problems as last year, plus' the fact that agriculture uses 12 per cent of the nations total energy consumption, and energy is costing more. He could have added increased fertilizer, pesticide, machinery and other costs to the rising production bill for farmers. Its good that more people are recognizing the bargain they have enjoyed in food. The second lesson in food economics is that retail prices lag far behind price decreases at the farm. Retail meat prices have a long way to drop to reflect the $100 to $200 per head losses suffered recently by cattle feeders. Western ag conference draws hundreds Hundreds of state and federal employees and other agricultural leaders attended a Western Governors Conference on Agriculture in l. Salt Lake City in several Pondering challenges to Western food and feed production, the delegates formulated a series of recommendations to the mid-Apri- Senate Committee on agriculture and forestry. Members of that, group, headed by Senator George heard from McGovern, reports states and organizations on the conferences closing day. Highlight speaker of the four-da- y meeting was J. Phil Campbell, under secretary of the U.S. U.S. funds offer waste disposal help REAP By Thomas Bingham tration units' are required to prevent pollutant discharge into waterways. With the temporary return of Director of Natural Resources Utah Farm Bureau More than a quarter of a lion dollars Assistance impounded nowr been bil- in Rural Environmental Program (REAP) funds in December 1972 have released for use during 1974. The federal government recently announced that the $140 million originally announced for use has now been increased to the full authorized total of $225,500,000. Utahs share of REAP funds is $1,612,000. County ASCS committees have been directed to approve assistance up to the maximum legal amount of $2500 to farmers and ranchers for pollution prevention activities. REAP funds may be helpful to farmers in complying with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for controlling run-of- f. Although permit requirements under the Clean Water Act apply only to concentrations of 1,000 animal animal units or larger, all smaller units are subject to broad provisions of the Act. These regulations are now involved in court action, with the plainenvironmental groups tiffs that all feedlots be requesting brought under permit requirements. No matter how the case turns out, owners of all animal concen cost-shari- ng 4 help, now would be a good time to develop preventive measures to insure compliance. ASCS is also administering the new Rural Environmental Conservation Program (RECP). It carries forward some of the features of. REAP, but was designed to strengthen conservation and environmental protection measures. The newer program also has provisions for development, management and protection of private forest lands. Long-rang- e programs can be funded under RECP, with contracts extending many years into the fufunds. ture to guarantee Three USDA agencies are involved in the operation of REAP and RECP besides ASCS. The Soil Conservation Service provides technical help, advice and recommendations on policies for soil and water conservation practices; the Forest Service does the same on forestry; and the Extension Service provides educational support for increasing the effectiveness of the program. Interested farmers and ranchers should check immediately with their county ASCS office. REAP funds are being committed quickly on a cost-shari- ng cost-shari- first-com- e, Department duced of Agriculture. Intro- by Elmo Hamilton, president of the Utah Farm Bureau, he spoke on American Agriculture Opportunities for the West. We are working to bring world, lasting peace to a war-tor- n And agricultural Campbell said. trade is one of the strongest inducements for nations to work toward peace.. 1974 shapes up as a good year for American agriculture. World and domestic demand is strong and supplies are likely to remain fairly tight. The first three days of the conference featured speakers and workshop sessions on four areas: Intensification of Western agriculture, international trade, land use, and agricultures impact on the environment. In a good mixture of philosophies, the audience heard such speakers as author Rita Gray Beatcritic of pesticide ty, outspoken and Mike bans, McCloskey, executive director of the Sierra Club and ardent environmentalist. . One of the panels making recommendations to the Senate agricultural committee included six Farm Bureau officers. President Elmo Hamilton of Utah was among them. Instead of trying to manage agriculture through such devices as higher support prices, larger government payments, government reserves and various types of controls, we should recognize that the market system is working very well and is a more effective mechanism for the solution of economic Farm Bureau reported. problems, Under Secretary of Agriculture J. Campbell told Western farm leaders 1974 looks like a good year at recent Salt Lake City Phil ng first-serv- ed UFBF president Elmo Hamilton (second from right) was one of six- Western Fann Bureau leaden on a panel which presented recommendations to the - U.S. Senate agricultural committee recently. |