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Show May 1975 Utah Farm Bureau News Page 2 POSTMASTER: Please City, Utah 84102. send Form 3579 to Utah Farm Bureau, 629 East Fourth South, Salt Lake Published each month by the Utah Farm Bureau Federation at Salt Lake City, Utah. Editorial and Business Office, 629 East Fourth South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84102. 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 Jerold N. nations lack incentives Food-hung- UTAH FARM BUREAU FEDERATION OFFICIALS Elmo W. Hamilton, Riverton President Vice President Executive Vice President Johnson C. Booth Wallentine Elwood Shaffer Editor Frank Nishlguchi, Garland; William Holmes, Ogden; Jack Brown, Grants-villEdward Boyer, Springville; John Lewis, Monticello; Stuart Johnson, Aurora; Kenneth R. Ashby, Delta; Mrs. Paul Turner, Morgan; Robert Johnson, Randolph. DIRECTORS: e; The profit incentive is still the best way to increase food production, but many of the food hungry nations of the world are pursuing policies that go in the opposite direction. U.S. church leaders and opportunist politicians who have endeavored to promote national guilt feelings about eating meat should be apprised of a recent study of food policies of 50 countries. The f oreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has jiiNt reported on a stirvev which shows that 46 of 50 countries studied have policies that di recti v or indirectly discourage domestic production. The disincentives revealed by the survey include controls on retail food prices and farm prices, export controls, export taxes, subsidized imports, exchange rate controls, restrictions on credit, land tenure and farm size. noncompetitive buying in procurement policies, and restrictions on domestic movements of farm products from one district to another. The studv. incidentally, was not confined to the less developed countries, but the disincentive policies obviously are much more critical to the levels of food supplies in the LDC countries than in dev eloped countries. Many of the disincentive policies cov ered in the surv ey may sound familiar to U.S. farmers. Not too long ago, Greeces price ceilings on beef resulted in shortages and black markets, the survey indicated. With the lack of foreign exchange, developing countries can meet the increasing demand for food only by stimulating domestic production. One way to accomplish this objective is to free production from the artificial constraints, such as price controls, that discourage farmers from making additional investments to increase production. The pursuit of profit helps assure adequate supply levels. Land restrictions in the less developed countries also have had their impact. Restrictions on land tenure that limit farm size discourage farmers from investing in highly productive inputs and cause a loss of size economies, says the survey. In the Dominican Republic, the land tenure law that limits ricelands to 80 acres has been one reason that the country has needed to import rice over the past several years. The effect of this policy has been further amplified' by price controls where the farmer receives a low price for his rice, the survey reports. Restrictions on the movement of farm products from surplus districts to deficit districts also discourage farmers in the surplus areas from increasing production. Such restrictions in India may have increased the impact of food shortages following the last summers drouth and floods where some states such as West Bengal were hit harder than others. Another example is Indonesia, where interisland shipments of rice are prohibited except under government auspices. The survey should be required reading for all members of Congress w ho arc quick to advocate a cheap food policy for this country with accompanying export controls, price controls and other trappings of a government- - managed agriculture. By Creston J. Foster, Director of Information American Farm Bureau Federation Well-intention- Farm labor meeting draws crowd A near capacity group of farmers. Department of Labor officials, and others interested in farm labor filled the Farm Bureau Center board room recently for the annual meeting of the Utah Farm Labor Association. Program topics included new state legislation on workmien's compensation, farm labor rates, and other business. farms must curb livestock pollution, U.S. court decides All Livestock and poultry operations of all sizes must conform to federal pollution control regulations regarding waste runoff, not just larger operations, a federal district court has ruled. The ruling came in a decision on a lawsuit filed by a number of environmental organizations. They charged that the Environmental Protection Agency' (EPA) does not have legal authority to exempt the smaller opera- state as in the Midwest, where precipitation is much heavier, it will cast a needless burden on our small farm and ranch operations, Wallentine said. Schedule for future public hearings on pollution enforcement plans for various river basins in Utah is-a- follows: ruling, according to Booth Wallentine. executive vice president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. If EPA enforces the same standards and control device requirements in this May 14 - Colorado River Basin, Price, 1:30 p.m., City Hall. June 10 - Sevier River Basin, Richfield, 1:00 p.m.. High School Little Theater. June 11 - Virgin River Basin. St. George, 10:00 a.m.. Sun Room, Dixie College. June 17 - Bear River Basin, Logan, 10:00 a.m.. Room 225, Student Union Building, U.S.U. Midwestern farmers have found controlling runoff adds greatly to their operating costs. More information about EPA requirements for Utah will be published in the June Utah Farm Bureau News. USU plans vocational course in livestock tions. Utah apparently will be one of the first states to feel the effect of the court Utah State University is drawing up vocational training plans for a one-yecourse in animal science, with a minimum period of classroom instruction, plus actual work experience on Utah farms and ranches. Dr. John E. Butcher and Carl Jorgensen of the Animal Science department are in charge of the program. Course work would include instruction in animal husbandry; farm equipment operation, maintenance and repair; and plant and soil sciences, including irrigation. ar Students would of about 20 work state for practical stock production. students would be and ranches both e cruited to provide training and work facilities in the program. Interested persons can complete and mail in the coupon below to get further TO: Carl Jorgensen, co Dr. John E. Butcher USU Animal Science Department Logan, Utah 84321 Please give me further information about your work-stud- y ed Parks, parks everywhere and not a space to camp Utahns and visitors to our great state are finding more free time to spent enjoying the unequaled beauty of Utah. Many families enjoy camping out ir their activities. About 75 percent of Utahs land area is held in public ownership. This shouk certainly give natives and visitors great access to the mountain canyons and othei beauty spots. Yet when the budget for the Division of Parks and Recreation is reviewed it reveals a startling fact. Of the $6, 077, 090 spent by the Division last year, $4,366,860 or 71.8 percen was spent for acquiring new land. Only 17.7 percent of the budget $1,075,949 was spent for operation anc maintenance, including development of present public lands. Farm Bureau policy opposes further acquisition of private land in these words When government acquires additional lands, land of equal value should bt available for transfer to private ownership. The need in Utah is not for more land but for better development and utilizatior of existing public lands. We suggest that the four million dollars spent buying new land last year could have been used to make better facilities accessable tc the public. By Thomas Bingham UFBF Public Policy Directm back-to-natu- then report to one stations around the experience in liveDuring the year, placed on the farms for training and for work. Livestock producers are being re- full-tim- s course in animal ry re science. (Check one or both.) would be interested in having one or two students on mv farm or ranch for one to three months on a training program. I would be interested in hiring a person trained in this course. I . Name Phone Street Address or Box City .Stale Zip Extension offers telephone tips on lawn, garden, food Lawn, garden and food storage Tips on Tape are available to Utahns a new service of the Salt Lake through county Cooperative Extension Service, according to Wayne Rose, area coordinator in Salt Lake City. Available from 8:00 a.m. through 4:30 pm. Monday through Friday, the service necessitates the caller having a list of titles and numbers of the tapes. This list is available from the Extension Service at 444 South 300 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101. Subjects include about 50 topics ranging from Lawn Management and How to Take a Soil Test to When Your Home Freezer Stops." The number to dial in Salt Lake City is 533-041- 6. |