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Show Roosevelt rancher elected farmer union director j At the annual convention of the Utah- ! Idaho Farmer Union in Twin Falls, Idaho, John Zupko of Roosevelt, ' District No. 4, was elected to the ' organizations board of directors. Other delegates representing local members were Gary Shields, Bridgeland ; Arthur McKee La point and Lloyd Nelson, Roosevelt. Zupko, a Roosevelt rancher, was also elected as a delegate to the National Farmers Union convention in March at Orlando, Fla. During the two-day convention, delegates debated farm issues and passed policy recommendations to guide the two state farm organizations during the coming year. Annual policy will be taken to the National Farmer Union Convention. Delegates passed recommendations on commodity programs to be included in the 1981 Farm Act. The Utah-Idaho Farmers Union urged continuation of the present dairy programs at 80 of parity. They asked for inheritance tax relief by increasing the exemption to $500,000 with an annual $10,000 gift tax exclusion. Other issues affecting farmers and ranchers were passed including a provision pro-vision calling for repeal of the Windfall Profits Tax because of its impact on farmers receiving royalties. National Farmers Union President George Stone keynoted the first days activities. He said that government interference in-terference in farming needs to be pared down but steps need to be taken to stabilize commodity prices. "A program needs to be encouraged to get farmers to build up food reserves to insure an adequate supply of food," Stone said. Jon Wefald, president of Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn., told the Farmer Union members that agriculture is the "missing link" economists ignore when they talk about getting the economy going again. "Agriculture is our nation's number one industry, but we keep giving away what it produces to other countries while paying more for what we buy," Wefald said. |