EXPERIENCEORLANDO

65th ANNUAL MEETINGAMERICAN FARM BUREAUFEDERATION

with your Michigan

FaRm~BUreaU

January 8-12, 1984

See Farm Bureau, where people grow on a national level. Attendthe 1984 AFBF Annual Meeting in Orlando. Participate in specialconferences. Meet farmers from all parts of the nation. Observepolicy being set for the world's largest farm organ.ization. 'Hearworld famous speakers. And, have fun at Disney World, EPCOTCenter and many other favorite attractions. An optional post-convention Caribbean cruise is also available.

For more'information, contact Michigan Farm Bureau at517-323-7000, extension 516, orT.M. Travel Associates, Inc.,616-364-6231.

FARM NEWS

A publicationof the

MichiganFarm Bureau

Your County Annual MeetingIt's Happening Because of You!

OCTOBER 1983VOL. 62 NO. 10

THE COVERFarm Bureau policiesdeveloped and discussed byfarmer members are adoptedat county annual meetings.

In this issue:

COLUMNSCounty Newsletter - pages 18-19Farm Bureau Market Place - page 20Agrinomic Update - page 27Discussion Topic - page 29

Rural Route - pagc,4Country Ledger - page 5

Legislative Review - page 6Front and Center - page 16

Letters to Rural Living - page 17

Jtllchlgan farm "ewil RURAL LlVI"O (155" 0026,2161): Michigan Farm News Rural Living Is published monthly. on the first day. by the Michigan Farm Bu-reau In/ormation and Public Relations Division. Publication and editorial ornces at 7373 West Saginaw Highway. Lanslng:Mlch. 48909. Post Ornce Box 30960:telephone. Lansing 517-323-7000. Extension 508. SUBSCRIPTIO" PRICE: $1.50 per year to members. Included In annual dues. $3.00 per year non-membersIn Michigan. $5.00 per year non-members out 0/ state. Publication No. 345040. Established Jan. D. 1923 as Michigan Farm News. name changed to MichiganFarm News Rural Living Dec. I. 1981. Third-class postage paid at Lansing. Michigan and at additional mailing ornces. EDITORIAL: Connie Turbin. Editor: Mar-cia Dltchle. Associate Editor and Business Manager; Donna Wilber. Contributing Editor: Cathy J. Klrvan. Associate Editor. OffiCERS: Michigan Farm Bureau;President. Elton R. Smith. Caledonia; Vice President. Jack Laurie. Cass City; Administrative Director. Robert Braden. Lansing; Treasurer and Chle/ Financial 0/-fleer. Max D. Dean; Secretary. William S. Wilkinson. DIRECTORS: District I. Arthur Bailey. SChoolcraft: District 2. Lowell Eisenmann. Bllssfleld; District 3.James Sayre. Belleville: District 4. Elton R. Smith. Caledonia; District 5. Albert Cook. Mason; District 6. Jack Laurie. Cass City: District 7. Robert Rider. Hart:District 8. Lyle LeCronler. Freeland; District 9. Donald Nugent. Frank/ort: District 10. Margaret Kartes. West Branch; District II. Bernard Doll. Dafter. DlREC.TORS AT LAROE: Dave Conklin. Corunna: Michael Pridgeon. Montgomery: Robert Rottler. Fremont. fARJtI BUREAU WOJtlE": Faye Adam. Snover. fARJtIBUREAU YOU"O fARJtlERS: Mark Smuts. Charlotte. POSTMASTER: In using form 3579. mall to: Nlchlgan Farm News Rural Living. P.O. Box .:50960. 7373 WestSaginaw Highway. Lansing. Mich. 48909.

8

It's Happening Because of YouMember participation is critical to the success

of the county Farm Bureau annual meeting.

Christine Wizner: MFB's 1983Outstanding Young Farm Woman

In 1983, Christine Wizner added organizational spokespersonto her other roles of farm business partner, wife and mother.

11

Good Guys Don't Always WinConfident that the Ag Commission would not bend to gubernatorial

pressure, the farm community was unprepared for the politicalfinale to MDA Director Dean Pridgeon's career.

21

Making Sense of thePrice Support Confusion

\During a visit tocentral Michigan,former ag secretaryEarl Butz praised FBfor its market-oriented policies.

Judging from the number oftelephone calls I've received inthe past few weeks, it's evidentthat dairy farmers are confusedabout price support legislationcurrently under consideration.It's no wonder they are con-fused. As the battle heats up inthe halls of Congress, dairyfarmers have been subjected toa misrepresentation of facts byopponents of the farm Bureauproposal.

Statements such as "Farm Bu-reau is for cutting the pricesupport $1.50" and "underfarm Bureau's proposal, thesupport price would drop to$11.60 immediately and perma-nently" have caused dairyfarmer members to questionthe position of their organiza-tion. I think it's time to set therecord straight because infor-mation that is being distributedis not an accurate reflection offarm Bureau policy.

Very simply, farm Bureau issupporting dairy price supportlegislation known as the Con-able-Moynihan amendment be-cause it repeals the two 50-centper hundredweight assessmentsand brings a return to a systemthat worked effectively for near-ly 30 years.

Opponents of the Conable-Moynihan legislation are tellingdairymen that the legislationfarm Bureau is supportingwould immediately reduce thesupport price by $1.50 per cwt.and establish an $11.60 percwt. permanent price supportlevel. This is not correct. Let'stake a look at the actual word-ing of the legislation:

4

"The price of milk shall besupported, through purchasesof milk and the products ofmilk, at such level not lessthan $11.60 per hundredweightas the secretary determinesnecessary in order to assure anadequate supply of milk tomeet current needs and takinginto consideration the net pricesupport purchases of milk orthe products of milk by theCommodity Credit Corporationduring the preceding fiscalyear. The support price shall beestablished annually by thesecretary at the beginning ofeach fiscal year."

I fail to understand how theConable-Moynihan amendmentcould be interpreted to meanthe price would drop imme-diately or that it would be per-manent. The legislation wouldgive the secretary of agriculturethe authority to adjust the priceannually - not permanently -to a level not less than $11.60per cwt. It gives him the author-ity to move it up or down, butto not less than $11.60.

This legislation is in line withthe policy our farmer membersadopted as the best solution tothe worst milk supply-demandimbalance problem we haveever faced.

I recognize the tough decisionour delegates had to make.They took a look at history andfound that from 1949 to 1977,when the secretary had theauthority to adjust the pricesupport, dairy farmers kept pro-duction in reasonably closebalance with market demand.During that nearly 30 years, theprice support was lowered onlyfive times, it was left the same

six times, and raised in all theother years. It was effectivebecause it sent a signal to theindustry when production wasgetting out of line with demand.

On the other side of the coin,since Congress took the author-ity to adjust the price supportaway from the secretary in1977 and started mandatingprice support levels based onpolitical reasons, the dairy in-dustry has been producing milkfar in excess of market needs.

Let's face it - a decision willbe made soon regarding thedairy program and we need tobe aware of the alternatives:

• Legislation that will bring atremendous amount of govern-ment involvement into our busi-nesses, with no guarantee of asupply / demand balance;

• A return to a system thathistory proves was effective inaddressing the supply-demandimbalance problem;

• A realization by the generalpublic that present farm pricesupports have turned into en-titlement programs and a de-mand for relief from this taxburden. The result - no dairyprogram at all.

Doesn't a return to a systemthat worked well for nearly 30years make the most sense?That is what the farm Bureaubacked Conable-Moynihanamendment would do.

Elton R. Smith, PresidentMichigan Farm Bureau

.RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 1983

COUNTRY LEDGER

Format Change to Improve Communications

By Connie Turbin

Getting ready to write thiscolumn, I used so much paperthat I was beginning to feel likea very serious environmentalthreat. Visions of trees topplingand huge, churning vats ofwood pulp chided me as Ipulled each unsuccessful at-tempt at written communica-tion from the platen of mytypewriter.

Why the agonizing over a fewsimple paragraphs explainingthe reason for discontinuing thecounty newsletters as a part ofRural Living magazine after theNovember issue? Because it wasnot a simple decision and be-cause I believe in the need forcommunication in the countyFarm Bureaus - in any organi-zation. It's not simply because Iam concerned that countyboards and members will readthe wrong signals and interpretthe change in the delivery ofthe county communications asa change in priority - nothingcould be further from the truth!In fact, county communicationsneed to be more timely, moreresponsive than we are able tooffer through the Rural Livingcounty newsletter service.

Happenings in your countyFarm Bureau deserve the bestadvance publicity direct to themembership and the fullest,most detailed reporting to keepmembers informed and up todate. A county newsletter timedand published on your county'sspecific communications sched-ule is the best possible way toaccomplish these communi-cations goals. Publication sched-

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

ules set at the Farm BureauCenter in Lansing keep yournewsletter coming regularly,but without that all importantnews "punch" - timeliness.

County information volun-teers have been trying to "beatthe clock" in each publicationmonth. They have devoted theirbest, hardworking efforts tosurfacing local news (almostbefore it happens), preparingarticles with the sketchiest ofdetails, and taking photographsof the actual county events andactivities whenever possible.They deserve a real vote ofthanks. During the two years ofthis program they didn't losetheir punch, but, to be sure,there were times when they felta little "punchy" with themonthly newsletter deadlineslooming ahead.

Producing the homegrowncounty newsletter may givethese volunteer editors relieffrom the six-week advancedeadline schedule, but they willneed the support and assis-tance of county Farm Bureaumembers to continue this coun-ty communications effort.Deadlines will be more flexible,more easily tailored to yourcounty's needs. There will betime and space for publicity,promotion, recognition and an-nouncements. There will beneed for your input. Whetherit's to publish details of amembership campaign contestor review a "hot" local issue,your county newsletter shouldbe the best, most direct avenueto the county membership.

"Hold the presses" for a coun-tywide information meeting?With your own county newslet-ter publication - you bet!

Our recommendation to dis-continue the newsletter serviceas part of the magazine was atough one for the coordinatorsof the Rural Living countynewsletter service as weweighed our own personal in-terest and investment in thesuccess and continuation of thecounty newsletter serviceagainst the risk of losing thisimportant local member com-munications vehicle. YourMichigan Farm Bureau board ofdirectors recognized the risksinvolved, but because they areyour leaders and your represen-tatives, they saw the positivechallenges and the benefits ofreturning that interest and in-vestment in the program's suc-cess to the county Farm Bureaumembership.

They asked for, and got, ourcommitment to give assistanceand support to the county FarmBureaus in establishing locallyproduced newsletters, to pro-vide training and maintain reg-ular contacts with the informa-tion volunteers so vital to thesuccess of the program.

I was reminded as we grap-pled with this difficult decisionthat the Chinese symbol forchallenge and the symbol foropportunity were the same. Ourmutual challenge and oppor-tunity is to build an active,responsive county-run com-munications program for mem-bers and among the non-farmpublic. Wecan make it happen!

5

_LEGISLATIVE REVIEW

New Protections in PACA -Legislation to amend thePerishable Agricultural Com-modities Act (PACA)by requir-ing buyers of perishable agricul-tural commodities to maintaina statutory trust has been in-troduced in the House of Repre-sentatives.

The bill, H.R. .3867, wouldamend existing legislation byadding a provision that requiresbuyers to maintain enough as-sets to cover their obligationsto produce sellers. In addition,the proposed legislation givespriority position to producesellers in the event of bankrupt-cy or insolvency by the pur-chaser and declares it to be anunfair trade practice to fail tomaintain the statutory trust.

Agricultural Weather Fund-ing - Agricultural weather ser-vices funding for fiscal year1984 is part of the appropria-tions bills for the Departmentsof State, Justice and Com-merce.

H.R. .3222 and S. 1721, whichcontinue funding at the fiscalyear 198.3 level, have been re-ported to the floor by their re-spective House and Senate com-mittees. It appears likely, how-ever, that funding for agricul-tural weather services will bepart of a continuing appropria-tions resolution.

Domestic Content Legisla-tion - Farm Bureau oppositionto domestic content legislation,H.R. 12.34, has been expressedin a letter to the chairperson of

6

the House Waysand Means Sub-committee on Trade. The legis-lation would restrict imports ofautomobiles and trucks by re-quiring that up to 90% of thecomponents in domesticallysold vehicles be produced in theU.S.Such a requirement, FarmBureau warned, could result intrade retaliation againstagricultural exports.

Dairy Program Legislation- In the House, pending legis-lation includes H.R. 1875, thedairy compromise plan. FarmBureau continues to opposeH.R. 1875, favoring instead theConable substitute legislation,H.R. .3292. The Conable amend-ment would give the secretaryof agriculture authority to ad-just the price support for dairyand would eliminate the two 50cent per cwt. assessments.

Text of the Conable amend-ment is as follows:

Section 201 of the Agricul-tural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C.1446), as amended by the Om-nibus Budget Reconciliation Actof 1982, is amended, effectivesixty days after enactment by(1) deleting subsection (d)thereof; and (2) amending sub-section (c) to read as follows:"(c) The price of milk shall besupported, through purchasesof milk and the products ofmilk, at such a level not lessthan $11.60 per hundredweightas the secretary determinesnecessary in order to assure anadequate supply of milk tomeet current needs and takinginto consideration the net pricesupport purchases of milk orthe products of milk by theCommodity Credit Corporationduring the preceding fiscalyear. The support price shall beestablished annually by thesecretary at the beginning ofeach fiscal year:'

Identical language is pro-posed in S. 1712 to be offeredby Sen. Moynihan to amend S.1529, the Dairy and TobaccoAdjustment Act of 198.3.

Amendments to FIFRA -Identical bills have been in-troduced in the House andSenate to amend the Federal In-secticide, Fungicide and Roden-ticide Act (FIFRA).The bills, H.R..3818, introduced by Congress-man Harkin of Iowa, and S.1774, introduced by Sen. Prox-mire of Wisconsin, reflect the"wish list" of environmentalgroups.

Provisions of the amendmentswould substantially revise theproduct registration portion ofthe existing act relative to datacollection, registry supportdata, fees and cancellation orsuspension of product registra-tion. New recordkeeping and re-porting requirements would beestablished for commercial ap-plicators and the amendmentswould eliminate prohibitionsagainst required testing for pri-vate applicators, I.e., farmersand ranchers. A definitionchange would require that allhandlers of restricted usepesticides be certified applica-tors.

The Harkin amendmentswould also expand the "privateright to sue," require vicinityuse and protection regulationsand give authority to OSHAtoprescribe regulations and en-force against occupational ex-posure for farm workers andothers.

Hearings on the Harkin billare expected to get underway inOctober. Farm Bureau will op-pose the Harkin amendmentsand will present testimony athearings before the House Agri-culture Subcommittee on De-partment Operations, Researchand Foreign Agriculture.

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198:3

Food Industry EconomicRecommendations - Earlierthis year Gov. Blanchard ap-pointed an Economic Develop-ment Commission for the pur-pose of recommending ideasand programs to improve Michi-gan's business climate andmaintain and create jobs.Michigan has a reputation ofbeing a "high cost" state withunreasonable regulations. Threesubcommittees were formed.One was on the food industrywhich includes production,processing, marketing, regula-tory reform, etc. The other twowere on auto supply and for-estry.

Farm Bureau has been exten-sively involved in the subcom-mittee on the food industry. Areport has been submitted tothe Economic Commission. Itincludes 15 broad areas. Therecommendations include:

• Encouraging Gov. Blanchardto identify with the food indus-try including agriculture in apositive way and demonstratehis awareness of its existingstrength and diversity as wellas its great potential.

• Locate a Food Industry Insti-tute at Michigan State Univer-sity to coordinate research, on-campus teaching and Extensionprograms. It would serve mar-keting organizations, proces-sors and consumers by provid-ing market analysis, new prod-uct development, consultantsto aid new operations locatingin the state and maintain an in-formation base for the entirefood industry. It would includea Center for Food Engineering

(continued on page .34)

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 1983

Proclamation Praises Cooperatives'Role in Building a Better America

Leaders of Michigan farm cooperatives and associations met in Gov.Blanchard's office Sept. 19 for signing of the Cooperative Month Procla-mation. Since 1964, October has marked the observance of NationalCooperative Month.

From the generation of cooperative pioneers who formed thefirst supply and marketing cooperatives for the economic benefitof their members to the contemporary cooperative enterprises forcredit, utility services, child care, health services and housing,the success of each new generation of cooperators is a tribute tothe resourcefulness and independence of the American people.

Today, over 40 million Americans are members of their owncooperatives, working together to secure for themselves and theirneighbors needed goods and services. The future of suchcooperative enterprise depends upon public understanding ofwhat these member-owned businesses are and the economicstimulus they provide. Since 1964, this goal of cooperativeunderstanding has been furthered by the national observance ofCooperative Month.

The 1983 theme - Cooperatives, Building a Better America- is especially fitting for Michigan which has long been a sourceof cooperative leadership and support, including recent work onthe development of a school curriculum on cooperatives and aproposal for a model consumer cooperative law.

Therefore, I, James J. Blanchard, Governor of the State ofMichigan, do hereby deciare the month of October 198.3 asCOOPERATIVE MONTH in Michigan. I urge all citizens to recog-nize the contributions and potential of cooperation as a way ofdoing business.

7

FaRmBureauTILtS) ~ IID @) [(D[(D@lJQnlJQ@~

Because of You

Don't let your county Farm Bureauannual meeting happen without you!

By Connie Turbin

The Monroe County Farm Bu-reau annual meeting drew 260persons for the dinner and poli-cy session held Sept. 13, re-ports county Farm Bureau Presi-dent Gerald Heck. "That's down20 from last year, but still rep-resents about 10% of our 2,500county membership."

BasicaIly, he says, he is pleas-ed with the quality of the meet-ing arrangements and the par-ticipation of members in policydeliberations. Monroe Countyconsidered 12 local resolutions,12 state resolutions and fournational during its three hourmeeting.

"The discussion was verygood," Heck says. "I was espe-cially pleased to have state Sen.Norm Shinkle, state Rep.

8

Richard Sullivan and a represen-tative from Congressman JohnDingell's staff attend our meet-ing to hear the discussion ofthe state and national resolu-tions.

"When the legislators arethere to hear our local farmersspeak on these issues in thepolicy setting portion of ourmeeting, the grassroots basis ofour Farm Bureau policies isreaffirmed for them. The factthat they attend shows thatFarm Bureau is considered animportant influence. These law-makers recognize that Farm Bu-reau members are informed andready to speak on the issuesthat concern them. It alsobuilds greater appreciation anda closer relationship betweenthe membership and the legisla-tors."

Heck says the Monroe Countyboard will start planning for the1984 annual meeting withintwo weeks of this year's meet-ing date.

"Following the annual meet-ing, our board will critique thisyear's meeting, set a date andlocation for the 1984 meeting,and determine whether to havea speaker and possibly deter-mine who that speaker will be.If we expect there will bescheduling conflicts near ourannual meeting date, we send aletter off to the proposedspeaker inviting him or her toattend and requesting that theyreserve that date."

Heck is very proud of theplanning and of the smoothlyrun county meeting. The lowcost of the dinner and a wellrun, orderly meeting, he says,has contributed to good atten-

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER .198.3

dance and participation overthe years. Long meetings, hesays, discourage people fromcoming.

"Our meeting generally startsabout 7 p.m. and we will havecompleted our agenda by about10p.m. There's plenty of timefor policy discussion. Wetry tokeep other portions of themeeting from dragging out."

To attract members to themeeting, the county offers lotsof door prizes and "thank you"kinds of incentives. For exam-ple, the county board agreed tooffer Farm Bureau stop signs tothose at the annual meeting athalf price. The meal is halfprice, too, with the countyboard picking up part of thecost. Heck recognizes that hiscounty's good financial positiongives them this advantage andhe feels that these expenses aremoney well spent in the countyFarm Bureau.

How does the county pack adinner, guest speaker, awards

and recognition, door prizesand policy discussion into justthree hours? "We cut corners,"says Heck. "Wherever we cansave even a few minutes, we doit. I guess that's the most im-portant responsibility I have aschairman before and during themeeting - to keep things mov-ing along."

In the policy session, there ismore emphasis on local andstat~ resolutions, he says,because county people tend tobe more familiar with theseissues. "Farmers are concernedabout drainage issues, roadsand bridges, taxation and safe-ty, so we find these issues getgood discussion."

Unfortunately, not as much isdone to follow up on these localpolicies as he would like to see.

"That's something our countywill be working on in the yearahead. We have been buildingour policy execution activitieswith a focus on the Lansing andWashington Legislative Semi-nars and, I believe, we are mak-ing good progress there, both

in terms of member participa-tion and in relationshipbuilding with the legislators.

"In the past year, we havecombined our local, state andnational affairs committees intoone legislative committee witheight to nine members. Thisyear, we are planning more per-sonal follow-up on our policieswith the members of that com-mittee taking the lead. Our goalat the local, state and nationallevel is to have more and morecontact with our elected offi-cials and to get to know them.Wewant to have Farm Bureaumembers in Monroe County rec-ognized by our lawmakers asconstituents who keep up withthe issues and who are willingto take a stand."

Willingness to take a standhasn't been a problem for theBranch County Farm Bureaueither, says county PresidentGary Albright.

"We've taken on some prettycontroversial local issues in re-

RURAL LIVING, OCTOB~R 198::>

While there's plenty of time on the Monroe County Farm Bureau annualmeeting agenda for policy discussion, meeting organizers find time fordoor prizes, awards, recognition and a guest speaker. A smoothly runmeeting, says County President Jerry Deck, has contributed to good at.tendance and participation over the years.

9

I'IFBPresident and AFBF Vice President Elton K. Smith emphasized toBranch County FB members the vital importance of involvement in thepolicy development process, especially this year when farm programsare at a crossroads. Broad member involvement, he said, is needed toassure that FB policies are a reflection of grassroots farmer-memberconcerns.

~~{:~....

~tii):'::;::\ .

sideration by the membership,they agree, are undeniably im-portant to the success of thiscounty Farm Bureau happening.But they are critically awarethat without the involvement ofFarm Bureau members - youngand old - the organization and,ultimately, the agriculturalcommunity is adversely af-fected.

They remind members thatthe county Farm Bureau is"happening because of YOU!"

\

F8Rm(,BUrea .~~:;;~

•

Around the state, countyFarm Bureau board membersand county presidents like JerryHeck and Gary Albright areplanning, analyzing and search-ing for ways to draw ever in-creasing participation and sup-port from their total member-ship for this important grass-roots policy meeting.

Well planned meetings withan awareness of the social as-pects of the county annualmeeting and meaningful policyrecommendations for con-

cent years and while we haven'talways been 100% successful,we are playing a role in thecounty by getting another pointof view aired and talked about."

Local policies adopted byBranch County members attheir annual meetings haveranged from opposition to a$60,000 expenditure of localhospital funds for a servicesfeasibility study to fire protec-tion, drains maintenance andcrime prevention.

Follow up is usually done on aone to one basis, Albright says."The policies adopted at ourSept. ] 9 annual meeting will besent to the appropriate countyboard or agency stating ourpolicy position and requestingcomment or questions. But gen-erally, our board members orcommittee chairpersons willmake some personal contactwith county officials. I guess it'spretty informal but effective.Our members are active in thecommunity and the interactionusually happens that way."

Annual meeting coverage bythe local radio station andnewspapers also plays an im-portant role in getting thepolicy stands of Branch Countymembers out to the communi-ty. "For the past several years,the station's reporters have at-tended our annual meeting anddone taping and interviews forbroadcast the following day."

Albright praises the involve-ment of members in the annualmeeting, but he also expressedconcern for the declining par-ticipation of the older genera-tion of Farm Bureau membersin the county.

"There are so many instancesthroughout the year when theexperience and judgment ofthese seasoned farmer mem-bers would be a valuable assetto the total organization."

10 RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

Good Guys

Don't Always Win

Confident that the Agriculture Commission would not bend togubernatorial pressure, the farm community was unpreparedfor the political finale to Pridgeon's career as director ofthe Michigan Department of Agriculture.

By Donna Wilber

On Aug. 31, the Michigan Ag-riculture Commission, by aunanimous vote, accepted theresignation of Dean Pridgeon asdirector of the Department ofAgriculture, effective Nov. 1,1983.

"The only off-the-farm job Iever had and I get fired!"

Dean Pridgeon's summationof the stormy finale to hiscareer as director of theMichigan Department of Agri-culture reflects the persistentsense of humor that's beendampened, but not completelyextinguished, by recent events.He knows, as he says it, that"fired" is an overstatement of

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 1983

what happened to him, but thehurt and disappointment arestill there, too new yet to betucked beneath a cheerfulfacade.

Who would fire a man cred-ited with taking a staggering,demoralized department out ofthe PBBdebris and molding itinto a responsive agency withan earned high degree of publicconfidence and credibility?

The acceptance of his resig-nation (requested by Gov. Blan-chard) by his "bosses," the five-member Michigan AgricultureCommission, is a more palat-able description to everyoneconcerned - the Democrat ad-ministration that is the targetof public criticism for its inter-ference, the commission thatappeared to have succumbed to

political pressures, and the agcommunity that wonders if itshould have shouted louder toprotect the commission systemit strongly supports.

Commissions Frequent Target

Even as he clears the deskdrawers in his office in the newOttawa Building in downtownLansing and packs the Pridgeonfamily photos that were proudlydisplayed on the walls andcredenza, observers wonder whythis is happening.

Why would a man, whose per-sonal integrity is beyondreproach, whose dedication tohis industry transcended himbeyond the games politicians

11

play, be the victim in this non-fiction scenario? What hap-pened to the old-fashioned"good guys always win" Act III?

Pridgeon has known, sinceNovember 1982, that his timeas MDA director was limited. It'sa political fact of life that a newgovernor will want his own peo-ple in positions of power, evenif it .means replacing competentpeople. When he accepted theposition of MDA director,Pridgeon, an active Republican,left partisan politics behind andhe had, so he thought, onegood thing going for him, nomatter who was elected gover-nor - a commission to whichhe was accountable that was,by its structure, insulated frompartisan politics.

He had been the first farmerin history to be appointed tothe Natural Resources Commis-sion, later serving as its chair-person, and was familiar withsuch a system. Both the MDAand DNR have had battles keep-ing their commission systemsintact. Governors of bothpolitical parties have tried, bylegislative action, to make theappointment of those agencydirectors their authority ratherthan the commissions'. So far,those efforts have failedbecause of the outcry, eachtime the issue has surfaced,from the people served by thoseagencies.

}'his record of success, plusconfidence in the commissionmembers, left the agriculturalcommunity unprepared for whatmight happen if a new governordidn't follow the script.

Governor Writes Own Script

Gov. Blanchard chose not tofollow the script. If he had, hewould have patiently waited un-til his gubernatorial appoint-ments to the commission wouldhave assured that "his man"

12

would be appointed as MDAdirector. Instead, he wentdirectly to Pridgeon and askedfor his resignation. Pridgeonobliged, to a point. He submit-ted his resignation, not to thegovernor, but to the commis-sion which alone, by law, hadthe power to accept or reject it.

It seemed at first that thecommission, made up of threeRepublicans and two Demo-crats, would hold fast to itsauthority. With Pridgeon's im-peccable record of achieve-ment, recognized even by thegovernor who sought his resig-nation, and a Republican ma-jority on the commission, thefuture of the system - if notPridgeon - seemed secure.

What happened between thegovernor and the commissionmembers just prior to the Aug.31 meeting where they an-nounced their 5-0 decision toaccept Pridgeon's resignation?Why did a Republican-domi-nated commission bend to thewill of a Democrat governor?

Reporters from every majormetro media in the state, onhand to hear the decision of thecommissioners, failed in theirefforts to unveil this politicalmystery. A letter circulatedamong the news people fromBlanchard to commission mem-ber Robert Chaffin, extolling thevirtues of the governor's choice,former state senator JohnHertel, and requesting the im-mediate resignation of commis-sion chairperson John Krone-meyer for withholdingPridgeon's resignation letter,was more revealing than re-sponses to reporters' questions.

Other questions remained un-answered. Why, in view of thewell-known, broad support forthe commission system, did thegovernor risk the ire of the ag

community by prematurely re-questing the resignation of adirector who was so obviouslypopular? What was the hurry toget his man in that positionwhen, in a few short months, hecould have had him there with-out public condemnation?

Future of the System

It's no secret that the gover-nor is not a fan of the commis-sion system. Even though billsintroduced to make the MDAdirector a gubernatorial ratherthan commission appointmenthave failed to make it throughthe legislative hopper, Pridgeonfeels Gov. Blanchard has takena giant step toward cripplingthe system.

Reporters from every majormetro media, on hand Aug. 31 tohear the decision of the commis-sioners, surrounded DirectorPridgeon following the an-nouncement that the commissionhad voted to accept his resigna-tion by a unanimous vote.

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 1.983

"I think the system is sadly.. hurt. From now on, the director

of agriculture will be on the listevery time we change gover-nors. When one commissionsuccumbs, then the next gover-nor comes in and decides, we'lltry the same thing," he said.

While Pridgeon is clearly dis-appointed by the commission'sacceptance of his resignation"because the whole commissionsystem depended upon thembeing independent," he stillshows compassion for their ac-tion.

"There's a certain awe of thegovernor's office and he doeshave some power over the com-mission when appointments arepending. He doesn't have topromise anything; it's just therein the air. He's a very per-sonable and persuasive indi-vidual and he did not run medown. He said 'Dean's done agreat job, but I want my ownguy in there; I have a right tothat.' I think it had gotten tothe point where they didn'thave much choice," Pridgeonsaid.

Advice for "is Successor

What about Pridgeon's suc-cessor? Will the anger of theagricultural community overwhat's happened make for somespecial challenges for the newdirector?

"I think it's going to make ittough. It's a lot easier to haveeveryone on your side and nothave any group out there shoot-ing at you. It's important thatthe people you serve trust youbecause you have to makesome really tough decisions inthis position. If you don't havetheir trust when you come in,you really have to earn it thehard way," Pridgeon said.

If he had the opportunity toshare some advice with his suc-

RURAL LIVING, OCTOB~R 198.3

cessor, the outgoing directorwould tell him to rememberthat a department is only as ef-fective as its people.

"Don't form the nucleus ofyour organization around agroup of people whose primarygoal is political and ignore allthose who have dedicated them-selves to service. It's dangerousto bring all new people in for allthe key spots. Sure, it makes acenter of power, but it doesn'tmake a good department," hewarned.

Characteristically, the direc-tor is concerned about themorale of the current MDA staff.

"They feel hurt; they feelbetrayed right now. Personally,I'll be okay. I'm lucky I don'thave to go out and find anotherposition. I can go back to thefarm. It will probably be goodfor me and for the farm," hesaid.

The farm is a 2,200-acre hogoperation in Branch County. It'sa family operation involving histwo sons, who are the sixth gen-eration of Pridgeons to farmthat land, and his father. "It's agood life and Mary and J, eventhough it's been a great experi-ence serving with the MichiganDepartment of Agriculture, lookforward to going back to thefarm," Pridgeon said.

Challenges andAccomplishments

As he reviews his nearly fiveyears of service as MDA direc-tor, Pridgeon remembers twomajor goals he tackled when hetook over the helm.

"The first was to make surethe department survived. WhenI came in, the department hadwithdrawn within itself and kindof pulled their wagons in a cir-cle. Nobody wanted to be asso-ciated with the MDA because ofPBBand there were relationshipproblems with other agencies,with the university and the

governor's office. My challengewas to re-establish those rela-tionships and make the depart-ment credible and put it on anequal basis with other stateagencies.

"My other goal was to elevateagriculture so it was consideredequal in importance to other in-dustries.

"I think I accomplished bothof them."

The Commission'sSide of the Story

"Leaving the responsibility ofhiring a new director to a newcommission would have beenthe easy way out," according toJohn Kronemeyer, U.P. dairyfarmer who chairs the MichiganAgriculture Commission. "Wemade the tough decision to ac-cept that responsibility our-selves. Most of us have a num-ber of years experience on thecommission and we're stilllearning. I just think this com-mission can make a betterchoice."

Refusing to accept Pridgeon'sresignation would have left thatjob to a new commission, cre-ated by gubernatorial appoint-ments in January 1984. At thispoint in time, none of the cur-rent commissioners who are upfor reappointment - with theexception of Kronemeyer whowas requested by the governorto resign - know whether,come January, they'll still bemembers of the commission.

Kronemeyer admits that theNov. 1 resignation date was acompromise because the Dee. 1date the Republicans werepushing for was not acceptableto the Democrats on the com-mission.

"Moving that acceptance dateup a month seemed the rightdecision to make even thoughwe knew it wouldn't be a popu-

1.3

Ag Commission Chairperson John Kronemeyer and other commissionmembers accept responsibility for what they termed a tough decision Ina stormy political climate. "Leavlng the responsibility of hiring a newdirector to a new commission would have been the easy way out,"Kronemeyer says. "1 just think this commission can make a betterchoice."

lar one with the agriculturalcommunity," Kronemeyer said."Now that we've invited their in-put, I hope they respond."

In action at the Sept. 12-13commission meeting, a screen-ing committee was appointed tosurface candidates for the joband an invitation was issued toagricultural groups to makerecommendations. MichiganFarm Bureau declined to recom-mend a specific individual butoutlined the qualifications itbelieves a new director shouldhave.

The commission recognizesthat their action may result inthe surfacing of a candidatewho might be acceptable tothem and to the agriculturalcommunity, but not to thegovernor and the new commis-sion, which will have theauthority to fire and hire thedirector of agriculture. Thismeans an unacceptable choicecould have a very short career.But Kronemeyer is hopeful.

"There just has to be goodpeople out there who arequalified and will work for thebetterment of agriculture andwho will be acceptable to thegovernor, the new commissionand the farming community,"he said.

The governor's choice, JohnHertel, may end up being thecommission's choice. Krone-meyer says he's already re-ceived several letters from aggroups recommending Hertel,who is actively seeking the job.But because of the governor'saggressiveness, that choice,even though it might also bethe commission's choice,creates some problems.

"It could make the commis-sion look terrible, as if it reallyhad been manipulated. It willmake the governor unpopularwith the agricultural communi-ty because it will look as

though he got his way thewrong way. That will be twostrikes against a man who justmight be the best person forthe job," Kronemeyer said. "ButI really think we (the commis-sion) are strong enough to dowhat is best for Michigan agri-culture."

And, what about the gover-nor's request for Kronemeyer's .immediate resignation? It gotturned down - flat! The gentlebut strong-principled farmer in-formed Gov. Blanchard that hewould finish his term which ex-pires Dee. 31, 1983.

In Summation

As he reviews his four yearsof service on the commission,Kronemeyer sees the experienceas an enjoyable time of learn-ing, learning by the experiencesand opportunities the position

has offered and even by themistakes he's made, which hehopes he's learned by but whichhaven't made him paranoid.

As he told one young reporterat the Aug. 31 commissionmeeting in response to herquestion, "How will the gover-nor's request for your resigna-tion affect your career?"

"It won't hurt it a bit, ma'm;I'm a dairy farmer."

And so Dean Pridgeon willreturn to his hog farm insouthern Michigan and JohnKronemeyer to his dairy farm inthe U.P., their "careers" un-marred by decisions made inthe ivory towers of Lansing. Butalong the hallways of thoseivory towers, there are imprintsleft behind by those whoserved, not for political glory,but for the betterment of theirindustry.

14 RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 1983

Position Statement of theMichigan Farm Bureau Board of DirectorsRegarding Michigan Department of Agriculture

September 7, 1983

The ability of the Michigan Department of Agriculture to administer pro-grams benefiting farmers and consumers has been seriously diminished follow-ing recent political interference by Gov. Blanchard with the independentAgriculture Commission.

Past political appointment of the director of the Department of Agriculturefailed to provide the continuity necessary to build a great department. for ex-ample, from 1921 to 1944, when the governor had authority to appoint thedirector of agriculture, a total of nine persons served as director during the23-year period. Their average tenure of 2.6 years provides clear evidence thatthe director and the administration of department programs were susceptibleto constant political interference under direct gubernatorial appointment sys-tem. A return to such political interference must not be allowed to happen.

In 1945 the authority to appoint the director was transferred from the gover-nor to the Agriculture Commission. During the 37-year period since the trans-fer, only four persons have served as director, with an average tenure of 9.3years. This proven record of stability, continuity of programs, and lack ofpolitical interference has been compromised by Gov. Blanchard in his urgingthe Agriculture Commission to appoint a director of his liking. This is especial-ly true in view of the fact that the terms of two of the five commissionmembers expired in December 1982 and a third will expire in December 1983.

The request from Gov. Blanchard that Agriculture Commission ChairpersonJohn Kronemeyer resign before his current four-year term expires in Decemberis unfortunate. Mr. Kronemeyer should not resign from the commission. for Mr.Kronemeyer to bow to the request would further compromise the independenceof the com mission.

The present Agriculture Commission should take prompt action to identifycapable individuals for the position of director, conduct appropriate interviewswith the top candidates and hire the best individual by Jan. I, 1984. The per-son hired should have recognized experience in the agricultural industry, be astrong communicator, possess the ability to work with all segments ofMichigan's diverse agricultural industry and have demonstrated organiza-tional/ administrative skills.

Michigan farm Bureau will continue to vigorously support an independentAgriculture Commission system and vigorously oppose efforts to weaken orrepeal the system.

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 1983 15

FRONT 8/. CENTER

Dr. John Bannah, former l'ISUpresident, and L A Cheney, former secretary ofl'IAFC,were honored for their "meritorious service to agriculture" by the Production CreditAssociations of Michigan and St. Paul Bank for Cooperatives during a 50th anniversary celebra-tion at Long's Convention Center, Lansing, in early September. Each was presented with a com-memorative eagle sculpture entitled, "Between Sky and Soil."

Bill Byrum, Ingham County grain and pork producer, is the lone farmer on Gov.Blanchard's recently-appointed 27-member Governor's Commission on the Future of HigherEducation. The commission is charged to explore, assess and offer recommendations on themission of higher education toward meeting Michigan's future needs.

FB's opposition to cancellation of the U.S. I Soviet grain agreement does not, Inany way, diminish the anger of farmers, along with all Americans, regarding Russia's inex-cusable action of shooting down the Korean airliner, MfB President Elton R. Smith toldreporters at recent agricultural news backgrounders in Lansing and Grand Rapids. Rather, it isa realization that grain embargoes do not work and only result in the labeling of u.S. farmersas unreliable suppliers in world markets, he said.

Markets took a nosedive in immediate reaction to news that a congressional resolution hadbeen introduced to suspend grain shipments under the new agreement until the incident isresolved. To date, President Reagan has taken a strong stance against the use of a grain em-bargo as a retaliatory measure. In a telegram to Reagan, Smith urged the president to rejectany actions against the Soviet Union that would ask farmers to assume an unfair burden. Ifeconomic sanctions are taken, they should be total, involving all segments of the economy andbe joined by all free world allies, he said.

The USDA's SO-cent per cwt. assessment on milk has been upheld by the U.S. Cir-cuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia. The ruling said Ag Secretary John Block's com-pliance with federal regulations and imposition of the tax are constitutional. The court rulingcame as a result of an attempt by the state of South Carolina and several dairy groups to havethe assessment overturned.

AFBFhas gone on record in opposition to a proposed cabinet level Department ofInternational Trade and Industry. In testimony before the Senate Committee on Govern-mental Affairs, an AfBf spokesperson said that the interests of farmers - as major exporters- are sufficiently protected and safeguarded by the existing services of the foreign AgricultureService of USDAand the u.s. Trade Representative's office. John Datt, AfBf secretary anddirector of the Washington office, told the committee that fB fears that the new trade depart-ment would be built around the nucleus of the Department of Commerce which has an in-dustrial constituency often with interests that don't coincide with those of farmers.

Autumnfest '83_, l'ISU's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources reunion foralumni and friends, has been scheduled for Oct. 29 preceding the MSUvs Minnesota home-coming football game. A pre-game "Superbrunch" of Michigan foods will be served from 9:30a.m. to ] p.m. at Jenison Fieldhouse. for ticket information, see the ad in this issue.

l'Iichigan Commission of Agriculture members Robert Chaffin, Ithaca. and DavidDiehl, Dansville. have been appointed to a special screening committee to seek qualified can-didates for MDA director. The committee will accept applications through Oct. 7. Ag industryleaders are encouraged to make recommendations to the committee. Applications may be sub-mitted to the Screening Committee, Commission of Agriculture, Attention Betty Daley,Michigan Department of Agriculture, P.O.Box 300] 7, Ottawa Bldg. North, Lansing, Mich. 48909.

16 RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198:3

LET T E R 5 TO R U R ALL I V I N G

No Crystal Ball

As pointed out in the Septem-ber Rural Living article, "A LookBack ... ," getting local FarmBureau members involved inthe policy setting activity is achallenge that continues forcounty Farm Bureau boards ofdirectors.

We feel that we have madegood progress in Gratiot Countythis year with the increased at-tendance at our 1983 countyannual meeting, Aug. 27. Anew, earlier date and a newdinner-dance format doubled at-tendance from the previousyear. We are hoping for evenbetter participation in 1984.

We're also staying active in anumber of projects throughoutthe year that invite memberparticipation and support.These county and inter-countyactivities include: the FashionSquare Mall "Farm Days" show,the annual Bean Smorgasbord,and the new Channel 5 televi-sion program, "Farm and Gar-den," produced and hosted byFarm Bureau members in the

Saginaw Valley and ThumbRegions.

I don't have a crystal ball forthe Gratiot County Farm Bu-reau, but I'm counting on in-creased involvement from ourmembership to build a strongFarm Bureau in Gratiot County.

Doug KostalIthaca

A Feather in Our Cap

I just read in the (September)Rural Living about your fan-tastic success at the AFBF Infor-mation Conference. Congratula-tions on your awardsl And don'tforget to put more feathers inFarm Bureau's capl

It's always been my feelingthat Farm Bureau should tootits horn more often. It makesall the long hours and sleeplessnights somehow a little easier.

Just wanted to say congratu-lations and keep up the goodwork.

Marcia SpinkWest Branch

Old Friends

Here's an interesting sidenoteto your September Rural Livingcross stitch cover of the Apple-ton School in Clinton County.My father was one of the stu-dents at the school and since.we were youngsters, our familyhas been taking part in the an-nual reunion of the" Appletonschool kids:'

The fam ilies gather for thereunion at the home of one ofthe former classmates or afamily member. There are about12 families now that take partin this nostalgic get together.

While the school was destroy-ed by fire many years ago, thefriendships made during thoseyears in the one-room school-house have endured.

If there are any other Apple-ton alumni or their families whowould like to be a part of thisannual tradition, they can writeto me for information: JudyFick, 7034 Lennon Road, SwartzCreek, Mich. 48473.

Judy FlckSwartz Creek

FARMERS OF THE WEEK

The Farmer of the Week program, co-sponsored by Farm Bureau InsuranceGroup and the Michigan Farm RadioNetwork, honors Michigan farmers fortheir contributions to the communityand the agriculture industry. Five farm-ers were honored in August 198.3:

Aug. 1 - Tom Guthrie, 42, operatesa 420-acre dairy farm near Delton. He Isarea 4-H Council vice president; BarryCounty FB president; Barry County DHIApresident; chairperson of the townshipboard of review and serves on the town-ship pianning and zoning committee;Michigan Farmers Hall of Fame vicepresident; a member of the MFB PolicyDevelopment Committee; and was namedFarm Manager of the Year In 1977 bythe MSU Telfarm program.

Aug. 8 - William Dalton, 55, afruit farmer from Fennville, grows ap-

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

pIes, peaches, cherries and pears.Dalton serves as Manlius Townshipcierk; is a member of the Allegan Coun-ty FB and the local Rod and Gun Club;is past Lakeland Fruit Growers vicepresident; and he served on variouscommittees for the Fennville PublicSchools.

Aug. 15 - William Wagner, 45, Is adairy farmer from Kingsley. He Is on theNorthwest Michigan Fair advisory coun-cil; Is a .member and past president ofthe Northwest Michigan FB; serves as a4-H leader; Is past Northwest MichiganLivestock Commission president; Is apast member of the Regional PlanningCommission and the township zoningboard; and was recipient of the Distin-guished Service to Agriculture Awardfrom Northwest Michigan FB.

Aug. 22 - Douglas Kostal, .36,operates a 750-acre farm near Ithacawith his father. They grow a iargepercentage of their crops as certifiedgrain. Kostal is treasurer of NewardTownship; member of the Ithaca FirstUnited Methodist Church; Gratiot Coun-ty Selective Service Board chairperson;and Gratiot County Farm Bureau presi-dent.

Aug. 29 - Wayne DeForest, 44,runs a 200-acre dairy farm near Ann Ar-bor. He Is membership chairperson ofthe Ann Arbor local of the HolsteinAssociation; serves on the WashtenawCounty FB board; Is a member of thecounty FB policy development commit-tee and chairperson of the membershipcommittee; Is a former DHIA boardmember; served 20 years In the Na-tional Guard and was named Soldier ofthe Year in 1968.

17

-([ount~ j}e1t1sltttet News and Informationfrom Michigan's CountyFarm Bureaus

Time for ChangeJ

Editorial by Gwen NashClinton County Farm Bureau

Newsletter Editor

During the past several years,farmers have seen changes takeplace in their profession that theynever would have imagined 100years ago. Men of the early 1900swere true men of the soil. Theycould tell by the feel and smell ofthe soil what crop would be bestsuited for the year and tell youwithin one-half bushel what theyield would be.

In today's world, the man of thesoil has become a man of technolo-gy. We have become obsessed withchange and "progress" and increas-ed yields and more land and 0 0 0 havewe over done it?

Some have said that we did allright until the government steppedin and messed us up. They're prob-ably right, to a degree. Government

programs have inspired farmers totake on tremendous debt loads andto "over produce." The payment ofinterest (as opposed to principle) isrewarded by tax breaks. There aregovernment regulations which addto the cost of the product but do notnecessarily increase the quality ofthe product. Subsidies are paid forproducts that are of low use oOrarp"hazardous to your health."

They tell me you can't go back.And simple solutions are for simplepeople. Maybe you can't go back 0 • 0 •

Perhaps we should examine our in-centive programs. Maybe we shouldsmell the soil .... Are we afraid of"going back" because of the loss ofthe progress that we have made, orbecause of what we might find whenwe get there?

Chamber of Commerce Takes Farm Tour

Montcalm County Farm Bureau Fights DrugsCooperative Recipe ServesOver 60 Million People

Take a good idea, add a group ofpeople, mix with a sound businessphilosophy and practical know-howand you've got 40,000 cooperativesowned and operated by the peoplethey serve.

Cooperatives meet "just about anyneed you can think of serving peo-ple and their communities. They getjobs done efficiently and econom i-cally th ~t individuals simply can'tdo alone There are cooperatives forelectric arid telephone service, hous-ing, food, insurance, farm credit,farm marketing and farm supply,health and day care, and creditunions.

Look around you. Count the coop-eratives. See what's cooking withthese thriving businesses that areworking hard to provide goods andservices and jobs that benefit notonly their communities, but all ofAmerica.

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~1*~PIi{October Is Co-op Month.

Sheriff Tom Hebert accepts FB's contribu-tions to the Drug Information Fund fromsecretaries Audrey Quisenberry and RubyJeppesen.

The Kalkaska Chamber of Com-merce recently had the chance toget a first hand view of the businessof farming. Members of the grouptook their community breakfast onthe road for a tou r of some localfarming operations at the Ralph lott

'potato farm and then to the JakelDiana Uitvlugt hog and dairy farm.

A dairy punch was served at theUitvlugt farm and fun iJems provid-ed for the children.

Audrey Qu isenberry and RubyJeppesen, secretaries of MontcalmCounty Farm Bureau, each present-ed Sheriff Tom Hebert a check for$300 recently. Montcalm CountyFarm Bureau Women and the FarmBureau board each voted to donate$300 to the Montcalm CountySheriff Department's Drug Informa-tion Fund. The drug investigationunit was formed six months ago on avery limited budget of $16,500 tocover all costs of operation. In thefirst four months that program wasin force the Sheriff's Departmentdrug unit has arrested 34 drugdealers.

The visits were part of the Kalkas-ka Cooperative Extension Serviceand Farm Bureau Agricultural Tour.It allowed Chamber members to geta hands-on experience with differenttypes of farm operations. Those at-tending indicated the tour was veryinteresting and informative.

Let's hope more community break-fasts with similar tours may be ar-ranged and the general public in-vited.

OCTOBER 1983

You Have Influence

Today's Ideas Could be Tomorrow's FB Policiesed policies to state annual meetingdelegates to vote on. These are real-ly all your ideas. We are one of the"refiners" and "gleaners" groupsthat you can use to make your ideasbecome legislation.

You and I are the common factorin legislation, so put on your think-ing cap and help out your county POCommittee with some ideas of yourown. That idea of yours may be-come Michigan law in 1984-85.

Some topics now being consider-ed are: computers in education, revi-sions to the farm program, land con-servation (marginal), water rights forfarms, Social Security reform, hospi-tal cost containment, transportation- train and water, organized laborand society, and elimination of un-necessary food contamination.

This does not affect some prettyexciting programs offered by the in-surance company, including theadaptable Universal Life or the fan-tastic IRAs or the essential estateplanning service. No, I am not seil-ing insurance, but I know someonewho is, do you?

We do all feel the after effects ofthe PBB explosion. I feel that is anexcellent term for the massive emo-tional excesses of our news-starvedmedia. Maybe someday things willsettle down and the facts will. beunderstood.

Today our lonesome new memberwill be swamped in literature, at-tended by an FBIC agent, and cer-tainly receive a copy(s) of ourwonderful Rural Living magazine.Most important, he will receive aninvitation to attend the next Com-munity Action Croup meeting in hisarea to gain a better understandingof how we feel. How about all theothers who don't call?

~FaRmL1BUreaU

rr119~ [}{I~[P)[P)@lIDnlID~2

Because of You

You all have ideas on what you'ddo if you had power and influence ingovernment. You do have power andinfluence! Just exercise your rightsand give the Farm Bureau PolicyDevelopment Comm ittee some ideasto work on.

have been. Maybe how remiss we allare in welcoming new Farm Bureaumembers.

Do I explain what it is that theyare joining? That it is the most activefarm group going? That the FB fami-ly exists as multiple members of onebody? That our Farmers Petroleum,Farm Bureau Services, Farm BureauInsurance Croup and the communi-ty organization operate under sepa-rate corporate boards headquar-tered together in one big Lansingcomplex?

Today FBS is in the process ofreorganization. The plan, accordingto Executive Vice President NewtonAllen, would also bring to the organ-ization the expertise and to themarketing area the products of oneof the nation's most reputable sup-pliers of top quality farm input prod-ucts, Land O'Lakes, Inc. In addition,it will bring to the membership newefficiencies that will be beneficialboth long and short term.

The pol icies we (1) work on; (2)present at county annual meetings;(3) send those proposals which areapproved at the annuals to the stateFarm Bureau Policy DevelopmentCommittee. The state Policy Devel-opment Comm ittee presents propos-

By Elva BoylesEaton County Farm Bureau

There is a common factor in alllegislation from the beginning to theend. This factor is people. You and Iare the people. If we don't suggest,study, redefine, consider and givefinal approval to proposals/ideas,then the needed legislation neverhappens. We have lots of influencein the legislative process if we willonly use it. More important, we havetotal responsibility for communicat-ing our ideas to other people whocan help us with the refining andgleaning of ideas.

It's important for all of us toremember that no one has the abili-.ty to read our minds. Included in the"non-mind readers" are family,legislators and Farm Bureau PolicyDevelopment Committee members.

'Y1''1

By Deni HooperNorthwest Michigan FB

Newsletter EditorA brand-new Farm Bureau mem-

ber just called me to ask what wasgoing on. Since he joined theorganization three months ago hehad neither seen nor heard fromanyone in Farm Bureau. Is theorganization really bankrupt?

After an apology - harvest timeis really no excuse, but I use itanyway - I cons4der how remiss I

t'".1 'Too Busy' Excuses Make for Lonesome New FB Members;/. \,1. ,.l...Do All You Can to Make Them Welcome in Our Organization

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farm Computer Systems, Does cash-now. depreciation. grain. livestock andequipment management and more.$ I .995. Complete Computer Center.Blanchard. 5 I 7-561-2689. (1Q-.3t-19p)

Quilt Show - Pllnl Bazaan FirstPresbyterian Church. Howell. Oct. 22.9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. $1.00 admission.Lunch $3.00. (1O-16p)

Are you concerned about the quality ofyour drinking water? You should be. Forfree Information send a self addressedstamped envelope to: Water Information.P.O. Box 75. Clio. Mich. 48420. We arenot promoting a water softener unit.

(9-2t-.37p)

Why Die Without a Will? Two legal"will forms" and easy Instructions. Only$4 ... Order Todayl Guaranteedl TY-Company. Box 752-MF. Pryor. OK 74.362.

(8-6t-22p-ts)

Wholesale Panty lIose. all sizes andcolors. Fantastic savings - send self ad-dressed stamped envelope and $1.00 forcatalog to: P. H. Wholesale. P.O. Box 75.Clio. Mich. 48420. (9-2t-26p)

Earn extra Income. Addressing labels.easier than addressing envelopes. Forfree details. send two stamps to: LISTS.P.O. Box I 7597-RR. Atlanta. GA :50:5I 6.

( 1O-2t-25p-ts)

"See Through People 50 Ways" Stopdecelversl 50 protectlonsl $1. Newllfe.Box 684-SQ, Boulder City. Nevada 89005.

(9-6t-16p-ts)

One Plyers IrrlgaUon pump. 6x6. goodcondition. 20 pc. 30' - 4" pipe. :50 pc . .30'- .3" pipe. One New Idea corn picker No.10. phone 3 13-327-63 I 6. (9-2t-24p)

"ew Steel Special Salel I 5~ per lb ..new air compressor. 3f4 hp oil-less withtank. plastic l!t steel 55 gallon barrels.Ida. Mich. 3 I 3-269-2868. Closed Satur-day. (9-.3t-23p)

for Sale - 400 gal. mixer. 100 - :5 gal.palls. 40 pall rack. pump with extramotor. 100 leather neck belts withchain. Call John Bouman. 6044 Pt.Sheldon. Route 3. Hudsonville. Mich.49426. (I 0-32p)

Scales and parts. new. used. rebuilt alltypes. scale service. (10- lip)

Wanted to BUYIPapec Model L or ModelK silo nller. Rosenthal 40 corn husker.International No. 9 or No. 7 silo nller.John Spezla. Leonard. Mich. 480:58. :51:5-628-4147. (10-29p)

Plachlnery for Salel All housed and Inexcellent condition. J.D. 4020 Dieselwith Turbo. cab and duals. J.D. F145.5-bottom plow. J.D . .3-polnt Rotary hoe.International .3-polnt 4-row cultivator.International 4-row planter. Oliver H.G.Cletrac 1948. also Hondo II. lead guitarwith Mica 75 watt amp. Used very little.David Yallup. St. Johns. Mich. 5 I 7-224-2514. (10-50p)

Antique tradors. some restored. JDs.McDeerlng. Fordson. A. Magslg. 88.3.3U.S. 27. DeWitt. Mich. 48820. (l 0- I 2p)

farrowing Stalls - All steel $180.00.Includes feeder-waterer. top rail. rumprail. Weighs 196 Ibs. Free literature. StarrNational. 2 19 Main. Colchester. IL. 62.326.

(10- 24p-ts)

SbelUe (Pllnature Collie) pups. AKC,shots and wormed. all colors. BeautleslArdyth Schroeder. 7080 Blllmyer Hwy ..Tecumseh. Mich. 49286. 517-42.3-3069.

(I 0-2t- I 8p)

DOGSAKC English Setter puppies. Show.obedience and neld potential. 6 I 6-66:5-8:554. ( 10- lOp)

Registered Ramsl I Surrolk - :5Colum-bia. Delbert Myers. North Branch. Mich.Phone :5I :5-688-:5206. (l0-1.'5p)

Corrledale sbeep breeding stock. :51:5-429-7874. (1- I 2t-5p)

Sheep. CatS Curtis. Reg. Surrolks andReg. Southdowns. Helping small nockowners and 4-H'ers our special Interest.204 N. Williams. Stockbridge. Mich. 5 I 7-851-704:5 - 517-851-8017. (7-12t-22p)

ralnt lIorses - Weanllngs. yearlings.bred mares. Lawerance Baumunk. BigRapids. Mich. 1-616-796-2:546.

(9- IOt-12p)

Plorgan horses. mares and colts.Phone:5I:5-727-7679. (8-6t-7p)

3 Plontadale 3," yr. old ewes. $75each. Ram lambs. Romney ram lambs.yearling. aged ram. :51:5-4:59-I 425 even-Ings. (10-18p)

Lambs for freezer. $65.00 plus pro-cessing. :513-4:59- I 465 evenings. (10-8p)

Registered Suffolk rams - 2-year-oldby Mainliner and Queen's daughter. 2sons from 1:5 Carat and Queen's Dia-mond daughters. 5 I 7-655-:5:588.

(9-2t-21p)

Members pay lO~ per word for non-commerlcal ads and 15~ perword for ads which promote a commercial business other than ag-riculture. All other advertisers pay 20~ per word for one Insertionand 15~ per word for two or more consecutive Insertions.

The deadline for advertisements Is the first Monday of tbemontb preceding publication and the publisher has the rightto reject any advertising copy submitted. All ads must be pre-paid and may be pre-paid up to one year In advance. Please In-dicate If you are a Farm Bureau member. It Is the responsibility ofthe advertiser to re-insert the ad on a month-by-month or year-by-year basis.

Send ads to Rural Living. P.O. Box 30960, Lansing, Mlcb.48909. No ads will be taken over tbe pbone.

Words Insertions Total Due _

RURAL LlVINQ, OCTOB~R 198.31

CHRISTINE WIZNER

Michigan Farm Bureau's 1983Outstanding Young Farm Woman

By Marcia Dltchle

For a young Clinton Countyfarm woman and her husband,life has been on the fast tracksince graduation from MichiganState University in themid-1970s, and especially dur-ing the past year.

At the 1982 Michigan FarmBureau annual meeting,Christine Wizner, who with herhusband, George, farms 185acres of fruits and vegetablesnear Laingsburg, was namedMFB's Outstanding Young FarmWoman. This has meant adding

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBeR 1983

the responsibilities of being anorganizational spokesperson toan already busy schedule.

After graduation from college,the couple worked for otherfruit farmers for a few yearswith George as farm managerand Chris handling the market-ing.

"After we had worked forother people for a couple years,we had to make a decisionabout our future," Chris said."That's when we made thebreak, purchased a former cashcrop and beef farm in 1976 andstarted a pick-your-own fruitoperation in partnership withmy parents."

The Wizners' main fruit is ap-ples, but they also havepeaches and raspberries andthis year they had their firstsweet and tart cherry crop.They have also purchased anadditional 80 acres which theyare in the process of planting.

As the variety and quantity oftheir fruit has increased eachyear since they planted their or-chard in 1977, so has theirbusiness.

"We started with pick-your-own, but our crop last year wasso large that we needed to finda new market. You have to growand make changes as your busi-ness grows and it was a bigswitch for us to go from retailto wholesale," she said. "Wenow sell our apples and cider tofive different Shop Rite grocerystores in the Lansing area, aswell as two food cooperatives inEast Lansing."

Wizners DivideFarm Responsibilities

With an estimated crop of10,000 to 15,000 bushels of ap-ples this year and switchingfrom retail to wholesale, theWizners also had to make somechanges in their responsibilitieson the farm so that they couldmeet the demands of their newcustomers and still have timefor their young family.

"George and I do most of thework, though we have one localfamily, a woman and her threesons, who work part-time,"Chris said. "1 pack the apples,both bulk and in three-poundbags, and make the deliveriesto the stores, which includesunloading the truck and putting

(continued on page 31)

21

On the Track toLeadership Development

The key to leadership Is under-standing yourself and others,conferees learned from speakersMary Lord (left) and KarenStophel (above). The women In-structed respective sessions onunderstanding personality typesand self-development.

nected to every tie in the rail-road track. She also discussedthe need for keeping a balancein life by prioritizing objectives.

"You must identify those ob-jectives in your life, guard themand be very careful not to letother people tell you what theobjectives in your life shouldbe," Stophel said.

nalism means the end, or whatwe are trying to accomplish.Once we set our objective andpurpose, whether in our lives orFarm Bureau, that then be-comes our 30. In order toachieve these, we then need aplan, aI-3D."

Stophel related her 30, 1-30concept to a railroad track,where the 30 is as far as youcan see down the track and the1-30 are the ties that you lay toget to the 30.

Participants at the conferencewere then taken through a pro-cedure by Stophel to help themlearn to better utilize their timesimply by making sure that thetime they use is somehow con-

By Marcia Dltchie

Life basically has no meaningif you don't have an objectiveand purpose, according to thefounder and president ofWoman Alive, Incorporated.

Speaking to the 165 men andwomen attending the annualState Leader Conference spon-sored by the MFBWomen'sCommittee in Grand Rapids inlate September, Karen C.Stophel, president of the Chat-tanooga, Tennessee, firm, saidthat once personal objectivesand purposes are determined, aplan has to be established inorder to accomplish them.

"I refer to this as 30, 1-30,"Stophel said. "Thirty in jour-

22 RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

., \

Spirited participants found ample opportunity for fun, fellowship andthoughtful questions during the two-day State Leader Conference.

"Community education pro-grams then need to be devel-oped to encourage insurers,organizations and individuals todevelop incentive programs toreduce the cost of insurance."

Long also reviewed, "To YourGood Health," a suggestedhealth care program developedby the AFBFnational health ad-visory committee and its con-sultants. It suggests ways thatlocal health advisory groupscan govern themselves and thesteps that should be taken indeveloping programs.

Workshops Assist inPersonal I Leader Development

Accepting Responsibility

With increased concern in thecountry about quality ruralhealth care and its spiralingcosts, a session at the con-ference was devoted to ruralhealth care, conducted by Dr.Keith Long, director of the In-stitute of Agricultural Medicineat the University of Iowa.

Long discusse9 the factors in-volved in the high cost ofmedical services, the role ofphysicians and technology,

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 1983

what government is doing tosponsor cost containment andthe responsibilities of organiza-tions such as Farm Bureau indeveloping rural health careprograms.

"There has to be some formof health advisory committeeestablished within organiza-tions like Farm Bureau," Longsaid. "This committee shouldhave certain responsibilities infinding out the utilization ofhealth care services, the utiliza-tion of insurance programs andthe utilization of the privatesector for health care.

Six workshop sessions con-ducted during the two-day con-ference provided participantswith the opportunity to furtherdevelop their leadership skillsand to better understand them-selves and others.

The wor.kshops included un-derstanding personality types,interpersonal relationships infarm partnerships, handlingconflict constructively, makingthings happen through effectiveleadership, patterns for suc-cessful communication andhighlighting action programs atthe county level.

"Farm Bureau has long beenin the business of buildingleaders and Farm Bureau Wom-en have been leaders in provid-ing opportunities for personalgrowth and leadership develop-ment," said Faye Adam, chair-person of the MFBWomen'sCommittee. "We believe in thisrole. We believe it is one of themost important contributionswe can make to our organiza-tion, to the agricultural indus-try and to the members whotake advantage of the oppor-tunities that are offered tothem to reach their potential asleaders."

23

Butz' straightTalk StillDraws a Crowd

'1

In an interview with Bob Driscoll of the MichiganFarm Radio Network, Butz praised the productivity ofAmerican agriculture and took verbal Jabs at govern-ment farm programs.

By Cathy J. IHrvan

Earl Butz, former secretary ofthe U.S. Department of Agri-culture under Presidents Nixonand Ford, was in the mid-Michi-gan area recently espousing his"plow fencerow to fencerow"philosophy.

Speaking at Funk Seeds Inter-national's Michigan Ag-Reviewon Sept. ] 4 near Charlotte,Butz, 74, praised the productivi-ty of the American farmer whichhas allowed the U.S. farm popu-lation to shrink from 40% whenhe was born to 2.5% today, andpermitted the average Americanfamily to spend only 17% of itstake home pay for food.

Speaking before over 1,600farmers, he said they should beproud of the $35 to $40 billionof agricultural exports last yearand should continue to producefor that market.

Discussing the possibility of agrain embargo against theSoviet Union in retaliation forthe downing of a civilian Koreanjet, Butz said, "1 think any em-bargo of an internationally trad-ed commodity is a mistake. Itinjures the one imposing theembargo far more than theother country.

"That applies to some thingsbesides grain," he said. "Whenwe embargoed high technologyfor the Russian pipeline lastyear, all we did was raise unem-ployment in Peoria, Illinois,where Caterpillar is located.Embargoes simply don't work."

Butz believes we should sellthe Russians every ton of grainthey pay for. "1 said pay for - Iwouldn't give them credit oranything like that. I think it isgreat to soak up their preciousforeign exchange for a consum-able like food so that they can't

spend it for high technology orfor hardware they might oneday throw back at us.

"1 think we've got them whereit hurts when we sell them grainand make them pay for it," hesaid.

Government embargoes andother government programshave made a mess of the freeenterprise market system as itrelates to agriculture, Butz said .

"If we've learned anything inthis mess, it's that a govern-ment bin is not a market.

~I

...

24

Farmers attending funk Seeds' Michigan Ag-Revlew in Charlotte Sept.14 gathered around the Michigan Farm Radio Network broadcast boothto eavesdrop on Butz' live radio Interview.

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3 .

Exhibits by more than 20 agrlbuslnesses and equipment dealers werepart of the attractions at the Michigan Ag-Revlew In Charlotte. The eventwas co-sponsored by funk Seeds International and Its parent company.Clba-Gelgy.

• t

, .

.,

, t

"We've sent false signals outin recent years. Our govern-ment has sent a price signal todairy farmers - we want moremilk - and farmers not beingstupid produced more milk.And at the same time they senta price signal to consumers -eat less cheese - and con-sumers not being stupid haveeaten less cheese.

"As a consequence," Butzsaid, "we've got enough cheeseand butter and dry skim milk inwarehouses around this country- owned by the government -to supply us for eight months ifwe didn't milk another cow.

"And what do you do with it?". he asked. "If you start givingthe cheese away all you do isdisplace a sale in the store andyou meet yourself comingback."

Butz believes the answer liesin setting target prices at mar-ket clearing levels .

"We're in a very untenable sit-uation right now because wewere not market oriented. Incrops, we've accumulated allthis surplus - we carry theworld's reserves," he said. "Asthe Farm Bureau has said, asSecretary Block has said - we

need protection under our farm-ers but at a market clearinglevel so that the governmentdoes not become the market.

Butz and MfB President EltonSmith take advantage of theMichigan visit to exchange Ideas.The former ag secretary praisedfB's market-oriented policies.

"It takes a lot of courage fora farm leader - like EltonSmith in the state of Michiganand Bob Delano who is presi-dent of the American Farm Bu-reau - to come out and recom-mend a freezing in targetprices. It takes a lot of courageto come out and recommendlowering the loan rates. Andthey don't do that becausethey're not interested in thefarmers. They're doing it be-cause they want to maintain along range market opportunityfor farmers in the corn belt."

Funk Seeds' Michigan Ag-Review was held on the farm ofKen Forell, an Eaton CountyFarm Bureau member and aFunk Seeds cooperator.

Activities at the BO-acresiteincluded corn, soybean and for-age plot tours, corn harvestdemonstrations by InternationalHarvester, and exhibits by morethan 20 agribusinesses. Ciba-Geigy, Funk's parent company,co-sponsored the event.

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3 25

V.P. State FairBoasts Country Character

This cow ain't got much kick, grins a participant In the HlawathalandYoung Farmers milking competition. The exhibit was a popular one atthis year's Farm Bureau booth and will be repeated next year.

By Cathy J. IHrvan

Upper Peninsula farmers arevery proud of "their" State Fair,held annually in Escanaba. "It'san old type country fair - notlike that carnival in Detroit,"said fair board chairpersonHugo Kivi.

"It's commercialized to a cer-tain degree, but that's part ofthe fair. Basically, it's still anagricultural fair and we hope tokeep it that way," he said.

Kivi should know. He's workedat the fair for over 30 years,many of those as superinten-dent of the dairy exhibit. Threeyears ago he was named to theU.P.State Fair board and nowserves as its chairperson. Kivi iswell qualified for the position.He spent 17 years with the

Dairy Herd Improvement As-sociation before joining Michi-gan Farm Bureau in 1957 asregional representative for theentire U.P. He retired 23 yearslater and now "this fair is myonly responsibility."

The U.P. State Fair is still con-trolled by the Michigan AgricUl-ture Commission and the Michi-gan Department of Agriculture,unlike the State Fair in Detroit,which is supervised by the De-partment of Natural Resources.

Thousands of tourists visitedthe U.P.State Fair, held Aug.16-21 this year. "A lot of themwere surprised at the diversityof agriculture in the U.P.," Kivisaid. "You just don't see agri-culture driving on U.S.2 - youhave to get on the byways andside roads."

Besides dairy and beef, U.P.farmers raise potatoes, sheep,poultry, milking goats, Angoragoats, horses, corn for silage,small grains for feed, fish andmink. "We have quite a bit ofsoybeans, which most peopledon't realize," Kivi said.

U.P. Counties Cooperatein FB Promotion at Fair

Bernard Doll of Dafter in Chip-pewa County, a retir~d dairyfarmer who now grows cashcrops, has only visited the U.P.State Fair in recent years. "1always wanted to but with dairycattle I was tied down," he said.

This year Doll was working atthe Farm Bureau booth, coor-dinated by the HiawathalandFarm Bureau,

"This was the first time inquite a few years that the coun-ties in the U.P. cooperated on abooth at the U.P. State Fair,"said Joanne Stefl, HiawathalandFarm Bureau president. "Everycounty was very responsive."

She said the goal of increas-ing visibility was met.

"People had many questions- a lot of people think of insur-ance and nothing else whenthey hear the name Farm Bu-reau," she said. "We tried tostress the legislative aspectwhich was very easy to do withCongressman Bob Davis' boothjust across from us and thecounty Democratic Party boothnearby."

Doll, who serves as District 11director on the Michigan Farm

(continued on page 31)

26 RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198:3

AGRINOMIC UPDATE

,r Woodlot Management OffersEnvironmental and Economic Benefits

I 1

Just over one-half of Michi-gan, some 19 million acres ofland in total, is forested. Over54% is owned by 180,000 non-industrial private owners. Thisforest resource constitutes atremendous growing resource,which can benefit both indi-vidual owners and the state'soverall economy.

Unfortunately, many privateowners realize little economicreturn because their woodlotsare poorly managed or poorlystocked with desirable trees. Inmany cases, woodlot owners donot realize the need to managetheir resource nor do they knowhow to go about managing awoodlot. They are also unawareof the benefits that a managedprogram can have on theirwoodlot.

Simply put, woodlot manage-ment involves controlling thekind, size and number of treesto achieve certain goals. Theymay be to provide firewood,

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

recreation, wildlife, lumberproducts or maple syrup. Clear-ing or cutting is the usualmeans by which the goals arereached. However, sometimesnot cutting is equally impor-tant. The skill is in knowingwhat method is needed andwhen to use it.

Why Should You Botherto Manage Your Woodlot?

Why does a farmer cultivatehis field or a gardener tend hisgarden? Because proper carereturns higher yields to thefarmer and more vegetables tothe gardener. The same is truefor a woodlot. The amount ofgrowth in a woodlot is generallyconsistent. In an unmanagedwoodlot, the growth is spreadout over all trees regardless oftheir value or size. Using theproper methods and timing,this growth is directed to max-imize the number of the most

valuable trees. The result is ahealthier, higher quality, morevaluable woodlot.

One nice aspect of woodlotmanagement is that usuallymore than one goal can be at-tained at the same time. Inhardwoods, for example, thin-ning a woods can also providefirewood. It also improves con-ditions for many species ofwildlife, and upgrades the quali-ty and future value of the re-maining trees.

Another important aspect ofwoodlot management is thetiming of certain practices.Whether a particular method isapplied at one month oranother is not usually as criticalas it is in the case of growingcorn. But, some forms of man-agement do need to be appliedwithin reasonable time limits.

What Methods. are Usedto Manage a Woodlot?

Many different methods areused. Often they can be modi-fied to meet the exact situationof the woodlot and the desiresof the owner. They are:

Uarvesting

Harvesting is needed to re-move mature trees, to reducethe number of large trees andto provide for the developmentof new and young trees. Differ-ent types of harvesting are useddepending on the species oftree involved and the objectivesof the landowner.

-Clear Cutting - Removingall trees. Clear cutting is usedon woodlots containing treespecies such as jack pine andaspen, which require full sun-light to develop.

27

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management needed for theirwoodlot.

For more information, contactyour local Department of Natu-ral Resources forester, Soil Con-servation Department foresteror consulting forester. A list ofconsulting foresters is usuallyavailable from county Coopera-tive Extension offices, Agricul-tural Stabilization and Conser-vation Service offices, or theSoil Conservation Service officein your county.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This articleis based on Forest ManagementNotes prepared by the staff ofRegion .3 of the Department ofNatural Resources.)

Where Do I go From "ere?

- Nut Trees - Certain treespecies such as beech, oak,hickory and walnut providenuts for wildlife. Leaving someof these trees at strategic loca-tions encourages and attractswildlife.

- Dead Snags - Cavity-nest-ing birds need dead snags fornesting and/ or as a source offood. Leave a few dead snags toattract these birds.

Once an owner has commit-ted himself to woodlot manage-ment, he will generally need toget professional assistance,since few landowners know the

-Thinning - Reducing thenumber of trees in a crowded,young woodlot. Care is used toremove damaged, diseased, rot-ten and undesirable trees.Sometimes good trees are re-moved if too many are crowdedtogether.

- Pruning - Removing theside branches on the most valu-able trees to improve their qual-ity and value. This must bedone when the branches areless than two inches in di-ameter and when the tree isless than 10 inches in diameter.

-Grape Vine Cqntrol - Cut-ting grape vines which kill anddeform trees.

Timber Stand Improvement

-Selection - Removing se-lected trees. Applies to mosthardwoods, red pine and whitepine woodlots.

-Shelter Wood - Removingabout 60% of the trees. The re-maining 40% are large treesand are removed after theyoung trees are well estab-lished.

- Den Trees - Trees withholes, especially in the upperbranches, are of value to manyspecies of wildlife. Leaving oneden tree per acre, and particu-larly those trees along the edgeof the woodlot, encourages andattracts wildlife.

Wildlife

Protection

- Fencing - Grazing animalsshould be kept out of woodlots;they are very destructive.

- Fire Lanes - To provide ac-cess and, in some instances, toreduce the chance of wild firesand their spread.

- Edges - Leaving thick. woodlot edges reduces drying

winds within the woodlot andprovides important habitat forwildlife.

28 RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

The Discussion Topic Isused by Community Ac-tion Groups for monthlyAgricultural Credits polley discussions.

and Exemptions FaceChallenge in Legislature

This month's discussion topicwas prepared by Robert E.Smith, senior legislative counselwith Michigan Farm Bureau.

Just before the Legislaturerecessed for the summer in ear-ly July, six bills were introducedin the House by Rep. Saunders(D-Detroit). The bills, if passedby the Legislature in originalform, would put a "sunset" orexpiration date on every tax ex-emption and tax credit in thestate and local tax structure.

To begin the discussion, itshould be pointed out that ex-emptions and credits are beingcalled "tax expenditures,"defined as "revenue foregoneby the government" due tosuch credits, exemptions, etc.,in over .30state and local taxstatutes. It is claimed that such"tax expenditures" are similarto "direct expenditures" or ap-propriations because "they pro-vide government aid and subsi-dy through reduced taxes."However, it is claimed, "a directgovernment expenditure is sub-ject to an annual budget reviewwhereas a tax expenditure isnot."

A subcommittee of the HouseTaxation Committee wasformed to study all exemptions.It is chaired by Rep. Padden(D-Wyandotte). Other membersare Rep. Weeks (D-Warren), Rep.Bullard (D-Ann Arbor), Rep. Jon-dahl (D-East Lansing), Rep. HiI-

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

legonds (R-Holland) and Rep.Engler (R-Mt. Pleasant)..

The subcommittee has metduring the summer recess. Onesession was to review a 52-pagereport prepared by the Depart-ment of Management and Bud-get listing most of the "tax ex-penditures."

The report is in three sectionsand contains numerous tablesand lists. All exemptions andcredits (tax expenditures)studied add up to a total of$6.9 billion ($4.4 billion stateand $2.5 billion local).

State taxes are listed in cate-gories. They are:

- Business privilege taxes (sin-gle business tax, corporationfees, foreign insurance com-panies, oil and gas severence,boxing and wrestling and horseracing)

-Consumption taxes (alcohol,cigarette, sales and use taxes)

-Individual income taxes- Property taxes (commercial

forest, inheritance, intangibles,stumpage, utilities)

-Transportation taxes (air-craft and aviation, marine ves-sels, motor carrier fees, motorfuels, motor vehicle weighttaxes, watercraft fees)

Local tax expenditures in-clude:

- Property taxes (general prop-erty tax, iron ore, mobile home,real estate transfer, swamp tax)

-Other local taxes (accommo-dations tax, city income tax,city utility users tax)

All of the state and localtaxes listed have numerous ex-

emptions and credits withinthem, including those of partic-ular importance to farmers andagribusiness.

The bills introduced by Rep.Saunders are:

H.B. 4. 756 - Amends theGeneral Property Tax Act toeliminate personal property ex-emptions after Dec. .30, 1985.This includes all farm personalproperty (machinery, livestock,feed, etc.); farm products,"processed or otherwise" inpublic warehouse, dock or port,and sugar made from sugar-beets in processor storage;mechanics' tools; householdfurnishings; appliances; fuel;wearing apparel; jewelry; etc.

It would also eliminate the ex-emption of growing farm crops(trees, shrubs, plants, bushes,vines, annual or perennial) andthe assessments on publicrights of way exemption.

It also applies to senior citi-zen deferments, farmland inher-itance and P.A. 116, the farm-land and Open Space Preserva-tion Act.

This is not a complete list.However, every farmer canquickly estimate his or her in-creased property tax if all live-stock, machinery, feed, allcrops growing iri the field (fruittrees, bushes, wheat, hay, etc.),household goods and other per-sonal property is assessed andtaxed.

H.B. 4757 - Amends the In-come Tax Act to eliminate, after

29

Dee. 31, 1983, the $1,500 per-sonal exemption and variousdeductions including retirementbenefits, contributions, energycredits, and the homestead taxcredit program known as the"circuit breaker." It would alsoeliminate the credit a farmercan take when he or she allowscharitable organizations to"glean" fields or orchards forusable food. Again this is not acomplete list.

D.B. 4758 and D.B. 4760 -Amends the general sales taxand use tax laws to eliminateall exemptions after Dee. 31,1984, including the sales taxexemption for agricultural ma-chinery, livestock, feed, seed,fertilizer, all supplies, ete. Italso applies to churches andother exempt groups.

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The sales tax exemption iscrucial to farmers. Farm Bureaufirst achieved this many yearsago and has had to fight tokeep it throughout the years.The Michigan exemption is thebest in the nation; however,other states are slowly gettingsimilar exemptions.

II.B. 4761 - Amends theSingle Business Tax Act andamong other things wouldagain impose the tax on farm-ers. Agriculture was under thetax when it first passed, butFarm Bureau successfully sup-ported legislation to exemptfarmers.

II.B. 4759 - Amends theSeverence Tax Act in a similarmanner.

This tax could affect somefarmers who have oil or gas orother minerals being extractedfrom their land.

Tremendous Impact onAgricultural Industry

What does it all mean to agri-culture as a whole? It's not pos-sible to know the total effect.For exam pie, no one can guesshow much the total farm per-sonal property would amountto.

This is also true with someother exemptions. For example,the Department of Managementand Budget's report estimatesthat the agricultural sales taxexemptions amount to $28.9million compared to a total lostof $477.6 million. The exemp-tion on food and drugs whichwas put in by a vote of the peo-ple totals $330 million.

The report indicates that thesingle business tax exemptionfor farms totals $5.8 million,compared to total exemptionsof over $310 million. Similarly,farm inheritance exemptionstotal $800,000 compared to$52.6 million total exemptions.P.A. 116 credits now total $36.4million, but compare that to anexemption for industrial facil-

ities of $90 million. The home-stead tax credit program, whichalso includes farms, now totalsabout $540 million in exemp-tions.

If exemptions were removedfrom the state income tax, in-creased revenue would totalwell over one-half billiondollars.

The report does not indicatewhat the exemption on fueltaxes for agriculture wouldamount to. It does, however,list the tax credit on gasohol atabout $5.7 million.

Total agricultural exemptionsthat are listed add up to $77.4million which is small whencompared to the total. However,because farmers are such asmall portion of the total statepopulation, it is of tremendousimportance to the individualfarmer. Also, keep in mind thatthe report does not list many ofthe smaller exemptions andcredits.

Necessary for Equity I

Future Development

Exemptions and credits (taxexpenditures) serve an impor-tant purpose in a total taxstructure. They are used to pro-vide equity in the structure.There is no tax that is notseriously unfair to some people.

Exemptions and credits arealso used to encourage new de-velopment and investment andother purposes thought to befor the public good. Some areintended to expire after theyhave served the purpose.

It should be understood thatthe chairperson of the tax sub-committee has made it veryclear that every tax exemptionand credit will be studied andwill have to be justified if it isto survive.

Farm Bureau has promotedand supported all the tax pro-

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

grams for farmers through theyears and now, as in previousyears, will continue to justifythose tax programs as equityfor agriculture. This will be amajor challenge in the comingmonths and the cooperation ofFarm Bureau members will beneeded.

It is not known when particu-lar "tax expenditures" will beconsidered. The bills, as intro-duced, will only serve as "vehi-cle bills" which provide thereason for the tax review.

Discussion Questions

- Do you think that the Legis-lature should review all exemp-tions and credits (tax expendi-tures) to determine whichshould be terminated and whichshould be continued?

-If all exemptions and creditswere repealed (which amountsto at least $6.9 billion), do youthink it would result in the taxrate being cut?

U.P. State Fair(continued from page 26)

Bureau board, commended Hia-wathaland for taking the initia-tive for the booth.

"It was a wonderful idea forHiawathaland to invite theother county Farm Bureaus toparticipate in the booth," hesaid. "At least the Farm Bureaumembers themselves had theopportunity to get together toshare their ideas. If you're apartso geographically as we are inthe U.P., it's pretty difficult todo that."

'Milking' Contest Popular

The Hiawathaland Farm Bu-reau Young Farmers sponsoreda "milking" contest on Satur-

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

day, Aug. 21 at the fair to raisemoney and educate non-farm-ers.

Young Farmer Neil VanDresebuilt two cows (a Holstein and aJersey) from old barrels and of-fered youngsters and adultsalike the opportunity to "milk"a cow. The exhibit proved verypopular.

"The kids paid 25 cents eachto race against each other,"Stefl said. "They had a line ofover 200 kids waiting for a turn .The parents said it was themost fantastic thing they'd everseen - very educational.

"We didn't raise a lot ofmoney - about $60 - but nextyear we'll go with it again andhave longer hours and give itmore publicity," she said.

Christine Wizner(continued from page 21)

the apples and cider in thecoolers at the stores."

The Wizners have two daugh-ters, Kelly, 5, and Tracy, 4. It re-quires a concerted effort tobalance their time between thebusiness and their children.

"Many times the girls go withme to deliver fruit, but after awhile that gets to be old stuff,"Chris said. "We try to get thingscaught up during the week sothat we can have one day dur-ing the weekend that we arefree to spend with them, as wellas a couple hours eachevening."

What qualities does Chrisbelieve an Outstanding YoungFarm Woman should have?

"You can't be afraid of hardwork, and most farm womenaren't. You have to have con-fidence in yourself and under-stand the field that you're in,whether it's fruit, dairy, etc.,and you have to be the kind ofperson who is willing to workwith your husband in order forthe business to really work."

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31

Trade Agreements Exact Political Price

By Robert Delano, PresidentAmerican Farm Bureau Federation

The U.S.lSoviet grain agree-ment was signed Aug. 25 inMoscow. One week later onSept. 1, trigger happy Sovietground officials ordered a ruth-less ambush of commercialKorean airlines flight 007. Inwhat President Reagan called "acrime against humanity," theSoviet gunners blasted it out ofthe sky, killing all 269 personsaboard, including 61 Americans- among them a member ofCongress.

Farmers joined Americanseverywhere in expressing horrorat this barbaric act. Speakingfor Farm Bureau, I urged Presi-dent Reagan to take an interna-tional approach to the atrocity- calling for a full Soviet ac-counting and appropriate con-certed action by the world com-munity - including denial ofSoviet air rights and landingprivileges.

In my opinion, the presidentreacted well to this crisis. U.S.offices of Aeroflot were closedand Soviet wings were furtherclipped by a Civil AeronauticsBoard order instructing U.S.airlines to refuse traffic to,from, or within, the UnitedStates when an Aeroflot flight islisted on the ticket.

Trade-Limiting Agreements

Would there have been agrains agreement with theSoviets if, by chance, the airlinemassacre had occurred a weekbefore the scheduled signing ofthe U.S.I USSRgrains agree-ment? I think not.

Therein lies the inherent con-tradiction tied to the enthusi-asm some people have for longterm international trade agree-

.32

ments. They act as if therewould be no market withoutthem. They ignore obviousagreement limitations and thedistinct possibility that, be-cause of unforeseen politicalhappenings, there may be nomarket with them. Where gov-ernments are involved in thesale of anything from grain toairline tickets, international"politics" always rides alongwith the price.

Why then do we persist inthinking of these government-to-government sales arrange-ments, involving farm commod-ities we produce and own, asnecessary, normal businessdeals in the face of a wealth ofdisastrous experience to thecontrary?

Recent Uistory ...

In 1976, during PresidentFord's administration, the long-term grain agreement was de-liberately written to control andlimit sales to the Soviet Unionafter public outcry over Mos-cow's supposed "Great GrainRobbery."

Can we not see that with apurchase "cap" of 12 milliontons, this year's version of theagreement with the Soviets isalso limiting? Besides, how firmis any commitment with unprin-cipled people? Is it not reason-able to expect a governmentwhich kills without conscienceto be just as quick to renege onan agreement of any kind wereit advantageous to do so?

It is easy to get excited overthe possibilities of expandedtrade with the Chinese, involv-ing over one billion people, onefourth of the world's popula-tion. But, the defection to this

country of a youthful Chinesetennis star along with a break-down in U.S./Chinese textilenegotiations, caused Peking toretaliate with a complete buy-ing freeze on American cottonand soybeans and curtailmentof grain purchases. The signingof a new textile agreementbrought a recent lifting of thesetrade restrictions.

ROBERT B. DELANO

Bilateral Disadvantages

Farmers and ranchers havelearned to place very little faithin bilateral trade agreementswhich, at best, interfere undulywith the workings of a market-oriented agriculture. Such pactsinvite embargo actions or otherintervention by governments.They can involve union-promoted maritime agreementsrequiring a large portion of allcommodities to move in U.S.ships at higher costs.

American farmers have beenbombarded by propaganda urg-

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198.3

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Farm Bureau policy flatly op-poses any agreement to controlprice, or supply, or otherwiserig world commodity markets.Wesee many disadvantages andno advantages for u.s. pro-ducers in proposals for an inter-national wheat agreement.Without exception, internationalcommodity agreements greatlyrestrict u.s. farmers' marketingopportunities and substantiallyreduce net farm income. It issignificant that, without excep-tion, all of the dozens of inter-national commodity agree-ments attempted over the past100 years have failed.

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Legislative Review(continued from page 7)

Research to stimulate develop-ment of new methods, proc-esses and equipment for use inproduction manufacturing,processing, packaging anddistributing of food products.

- Eliminate all unnecessaryfees and inspections consistentwith maintaining a high level ofhealth and safety. Presentlyconcerns fall into two cate-gories: inspections never donefor which a fee is charged andinspections and fees that areduplicated among state agen-cies. The report commends theDepartment of Agriculture forits system of adjusting inspec-tions according to the perfor-mance record of those inspect-ed.

- Recommendations on envi-ronmental regulations receivedconsiderable attention in thatthey are often enforced in aharassing rather than a cooper-ative manner. Those complyingwith one set of regulationsoften find themselves violatinganother. Some problems in-clude odor, water and air pollu-tion, spray irrigation, wastetreatment, etc.

-Transportation is essentialto the health of agriculture andthe food industry. This includesmaintenance of rail service,highways, air freight. Port de-velopment could also provide asubstantial boost.

- Research and Extension ex-pansion at Michigan State Uni-versity is also a major recom-mendation. Reductions in thebudget must be restored at theland-grant university to meetthe production problems of ag-riculture and the food industry.

-The Department of Agricul-ture is recognized by growers,processors and commoditygroups as a traditional friend

J4

and source of assistance. It hasbeen a leader in realistic and"performance-based" inspec-tions for those laws for which itis responsible.

- New product developmentresearch to include such itemsas packaged ethnic foods, highprotein dry bean flour, fruitspreserved and packaged, ultra-high-temperature milk, turkeyproducts, etc.

-Good statistics are essentialto agriculture and the market-ing of its products. The USDAhas eliminated many reportingservices for crops and livestock,including many specialty cropsthat are important to Michigan.It is expected that the statesshould support those programs.

-The efforts of Paula Blan-chard, the Michigan Departmentof Agriculture and various re-tailers and restaurants werecommended on their programsto promote Michigan food prod-ucts. Further efforts are neededto promote new out-of-statemarkets.• -Increased coordination

among agriculture, tourism andrecreation industries. Agricul-ture is already attracting largenumbers of tourists for pick-your-own fruit and vegetablecrops.

-One stop problem solvingassistance would help thoseneeding permits, approval,licenses, etc., who are oftendelayed by bureaucratic delaysand the need to go from oneagency to another.

-Small cities bloc-grant fundshave already been used to helpcommunities to assist in en-couraging new processingplants.

-The Michigan Strategic FundLegislation (now in bill form)sets priorities for the types ofbusiness and industry that canbe helped. It is recommendedthat the food industry be one ofthose priorities.

-General business climateissues include workers' compen-sation, unemployment compen-sation, business taxation, etc.

In addition to the above 15recommendations, the reportalso contains several areas forstudy or other action. These in-clude feasibility studies onbroiler production and process-ing; soybean crushing plant;soyfood production; expandedhog production; hard cheeseprocessing; potato processing;and the economic value of fuelethanol by-products.

The Department of Commercehas already provided a SmallCities Economic DevelopmentGrant of $267,500 to the Michi-gan Milk Producers Associationfor purchase and conversion ofthe Remus butter plant for theproduction of hard cheese.

The report also mentions fruitand vegetable processor com-plaints on the Marketing andBargaining Act (P.A. 344). How-ever, any further considerationis left up to the special HouseAgriculture subcommitteechaired by Rep. Stabenow. Proc-essors have appeared before thesubcommittee and fruit andvegetable producers werescheduled to meet with the sub-committee on Sept. 20.

The report further urges apartnership with business forfunding endowed chairs atMichigan State University andconsideration of Michigan's"seal of quality" law passedsome years ago to promoteMichigan farm products such asthe new "yellow potato."

As the legislative session pro-gresses, many bills will nodoubt be introduced to carryout the recommendations.

Lansing legislative topics arereviewed by Robert E. Smith,senior legislative counsel.

RURAL LIVING, OCTOBER 198J

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~Oct.29

AUTUMNFEST '83Featuring: MSUvs Minnesota homecoming game. Pregame feastof fine Michigan foods served from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at JenisonFieldhouse. Same low ticket price as last year.

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No. Price TotalFootball/ Brunch Package $19.50 Name

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Make checks payable to Michigan State University. Mailyour reservations to: Bob LaPrad. 121 Agriculture Hall. MSU.East Lansing. Mich. 48824. Your tickets will be mailed.

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