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Show kx rwisu&ftp I mertyiN'i .. Farm Bureau triumphs iA vote against federal land use bill With the defeat of a federal land use planning bill in the U.S. House of Representatives interior committee recently. Farm Bureau gained a significant victory, according to Utah Farm Bureau Federation offi- UFBF president Elmo Hamilton addresses a general session during a highly successful Midyear Conference at Sweetwater in mid-July. Midyear meet pulls top crowd of 360 The Utah Farm Bureaus Midyear Conference drew record numbers of leaders and members to a two-da- y program at Sweetwater, convention center on Bear Lake July 10 and 11. The best attended event, a Thursday evening steak fry and entertainment program, attracted 360 persons. Large numbers of Farm Bureau workers also turned out for various discussion groups and several major addresses. The final two program segments, a motion picture and discussion on self improvement and a talk on Americanism, were among the most popular. Eldon Schnoor, Western area field services director for the American Farm Bureau Federation, led a discussion on overcoming unrealistic fears and altering behavior based on the film You Pack Your Own Chute. Concluding speaker Arch L. C. II. DeVaney gave Washing- ton report on AFBF action. (See pages 2 Arch Madsen praised Americanism efforts of FarmBureau. Madsen of KSL-TSalt Lake City, told his listeners that Farm Bureau is one of the few institutions in existence today defending the cause of free enterprise ana Americanism. C. II. DeVaney of the Washington, D.C., AFBF staff, reviewed progress on several key policy issues. Estate taxes, federal (and use planning and water pollution regulations were some of the issues he covered. In parallel sessions, Farm Bureau women heard discussions on coming areas of emphasis-me- dia relations, essay contest, farm tours and consumer relations while men at the conferV, ence received tips on county FB and ments. Family members participated in a wide variety of recreational activities available at Sweetwater. -- This Rich county singing group entertained 360 people at steak fry as they have heads of state. and 6 for more Mid year Conference photos.) discussion, such as this one led by Robert Ure of Summit county, brainstormed on policy issue and possible new services to members during the two-dameeting. cials. In a telegram to Utah Representative Allen T. Howe, a committee member, congratulating him for his vote against the federal measure, the UFBF said: Utah Farm Bureaus 12,132 member families. . .express our appreciation for your courage in voting against H.R. 3510, the federal land use planning bill. We appreciate the fact that you completely stood by your commitment to vote (against the bill) against substantial pressures. Earlier, while the interior landowners. UTAH VOL XXI, NO. 8 Salt Lake City, Utah August 1975 Grain sales pose no threat to consumer prices: Hamilton Neither the promise of bumper crops of grain in the United States nor this nations grain sales to Russia and other foreign nations should affect consumer food prices much, according to Elmo W. Hamilton, president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. Hamilton stressed that the chief value of food sales overseas is to help balance our purchases of oil and other foreign products. Its absolutely essential for this nation to avoid a deficit balance of trade, he proclaimed. The U.S. is buying over $26 billion worth of oil this year from other countries. How would we be able to balance that money going out of the country witn incoming dollars if it werent for Americas tremendous food and feed producing ability? Last year this nation exported 1V& times as much wheat as we used at home and still built up our carryover stock, he explained. And U.S. wheat production is estimated to be 22 percent higher this year. Even if we Small-grou- p y committee was considering the bill, the Utah Farm Bureau had pointed out to Howe that great significance must be placed upon the vote of Utahs citizens in the November 1974 referendum against the Utah land Use Act, which contained provisions for utilizing federal fluids. Major opposition to that provision was manifest in the citizen voting. Farm Bureau at that time urged Howe to vote the will of the Utah citizenry by opposing the federal bill. Farm Bureau policy states: Those who own or operate land have the major responsibility for its development. We believe that land use planning can lest be accomplished at the county or comparable level of government and by private i i i v ? sell the expected 36 million metric tons of wheat overseas 60 percent or more of our total production well still double our carryover stock next fall. The picture is even better for corn. As head of Utahs largest general fann organization, Hamilton spoke for UFBFs 12,132 member families in calming fears of big price increases to consumers as a result of present grain sales to Russia. He pointed out that even the food price increases following large Russian grain purchases in 1972 were more an adjustment to years of farm cost increases than a reaction to foreign grain sales. In the last nine years, per capita income has increased by 72 percent while food prices have only risen 50 percent, Hamilton said. At the same time, fuel, fertilizer, equipment and other farm input costs nave multiplied. Food price boosts in 1973 and 74 still avent allowed farmers to catch up to the rest of the economy in income versus costs. |