your grain is safer - sanweb.lib.msu.edu · michigan farm l'lew5 rural llvil'lg...

Your Grain is Safer with

During 1981 and 1982, ten grain elevators in Michigan declaredbankruptcy, bringing financial hardship to hundreds of Michigan farmerswho lost their grain. The loss to these farmers exceeded $3 million.

Now you can protect yourself against this kind of loss, thanks to thenew, low-cost Grain Protector insurance policy from Farm Bureau MutualInsurance Company of Michigan.

The Grain Protector covers your grai n in the event of bankruptcy orinsolvency of a licensed grain dealer within Michigan or within 25 milesbeyond the Michigan border (Canada excluded).

Five levels of protection are available, ranging from $25,000 ofcoverage for an annual premium of $70, to a maximum of $200,000 ofcoverage for an annual cost of $220. The pol icy wi II pay up to 80% of theloss of grain which is del ivered for storage and for which a warehousereceipt is received. On grain stored under an open-storage, price-later,deferred payment, or delayed payment arrangement, the policy will payfrom 80% to 65% of the grain loss, depending on how long after the time ofdel ivery the loss occu rs.

This policy is available exclusively to Farm Bureau members. Becauseit is a group program with low group rates, an adequate number ofparticipants are needed to make the program feasible. Enrollment forms areavailable at your County Farm Bureau office.

Enrollment Deadline is September 1, 1983. Sign Up Now!

Making your futurea little more predictable

FARM BUREAU ~INSURANCE

GROUP~ Il.fIAIJ WT\Joll • fARM IUlAIJ lfE • fARM Il.fIAIJ GENERAl • fB NftJTY

Michigan farm l'lew5 RURAL LlVIl'lG (ISSl'l 00'16-'1161): Michigan farm News Rural Living Is published monthly, on the first day, by the Michigan Farm Bu-reau Information and Public Relations Division. Publication and editorial offices at 7373 West Saginaw Highway, Lansing. Mich. 48909, Post Office Box 30960;telephone, Lansing 517-323- 7000, Extension 508. SUBSCRIPTIOl'l 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 of state. Publication No. 345040. Established Jan. 13, 1923 as Michigan "arm News, name changed to Michiganfarm News Rural Living Dee. 1. 1981. Third-class postage paid at Lansing, Michigan and at additional mailing offices. EDITORIAL: Connie Turbin. Editor' Mar-cia Dltchie, 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 Chief Financial Of.fleer, Max D. Dean: Secretary, William S. Wilkinson. DIRECTORS: District I. Arthur Bailey, Schoolcrart: District 2, Lowell Eisenmann. Blissfield; 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. Frankfort; District 10, Margaret Kartes. West Branch: District 11 Bernard Doll, Dafter. DIREC'TORS AT LARGE: Dave Conklin, Corunna; Michael Pridgeon, Montgomery: Robert Rottler. Fremont. fARM BUREAU WOMEl'l: Faye Adam, Snover. fARMBUREAU YOUl'lG fARMERS: Mark Smuts. Charlotte. POSTMASTER: In using form 3579, mall to: Michigan farm News Rural Living. P.O. Box 30960. 737~ WestSaginaw Highway. Lansing, Mich. 48909.

Speak Up forYour Industry'sFuture

There isn't anything I'd ratherdo than to sit down and visitpersonally with every Farm Bu-reau family in the state, to talkabout our organization and itsposition on issues and the com-mon challenges we, as farmers,face in the year ahead.

I could have gotten a lot ofthose farm visits accomplishedduring the two days I spent atthe recent Agricultural Summitmeeting called by Secretary ofAgriculture John Block in Wash-ington, D.C. But if I had chosento do what rd rather do thanwhat I knew I should do, thevoice of Farm Bureau mighthave gotten lost in the din ofother voices that would like tospeak for farmers.

As your elected leader, thereare many of those "want to:'versus "ought to" decisions tomake, so I have to rely on thiscolumn to share major con-cerns with you. Granted, coldtype is not as warm as the cof-fee or the conversation we'dshare at your kitchen table, butit's the best alternative wehave, and I welcome your calls,letters and personal visitswhenever possible, as a follow-up to this message.

There's a lot of concerns I'dlike to share with you thismonth, but August heralds thebeginning of our organization'sunique grassroots policy devel-opment process and it's upper-most in my mind and, I hope, inyours. Very seldom, in the past16 years, has there been an

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August issue of our memberpublication that I haven't triedto project to you the vital im-portance of farmer member in-volvement in developing poli-cies which will provide thedirection for our organization'sactivities in Lansing, in Wash-ington, D.C., and in your ownhome communities.

Recent events have empha-sized the importance of that in-volvement, one of whiCh wasthe Agricultural Summit.

John Block called this meet-ing to gain input from not onlyfarmer.s, but agribusinesses, in-dustry, labor and consumer or-ganizations. It was not a policy-setting session, but I am surethe USDAwill look seriously atthe various viewpoints in devel-oping its proposals for the fu-ture farm and food policies ofthis nation.

It became clear to me, duringthose two days at the summitmeeting, that there are thosewho would like very much tospeak for farmers - and theyare not producing farmersl Andthe real concern, to me, is thatthey will unless farmers decideto do it for themselves.

The worn-out excuse of farm-ers being too busy to partici-pate in having input into deci-sions that impact on them willsurely take the future of agri-culture out of our hands andput it into the hands of others.

My involvement in this high-level gathering of opinion-molders and decision-makersmade me very much aware of

Smith responds toquestions fromreporters after the AgSummit meeting.

the challenge we have ahead ofus. Farmers simply have to getbusy now, study the economicfacts involved in the many is-sues that affect them, andcome up with definite policiesand then use those policies tospeak with a strong, unitedvoice in the legislative andpublic opinion arenas. It's theonly way we can maintain con-trol of our own destinies.

Please - get involvedl Partici-pate in your county and districtpolicy development meetings,share your views with thosewho will represent you at thestatewide policy developmentmeeting in Lansing on Aug. 17,and make your voices heard atyour county annual meetings.Share your concerns, yourcreative ideas, your forward-thinking to develop the bestsolutions to the problems weface. You owe it to your in-dustry, your organization -and to yourself(

Remember, there are thosejust waiting for the opportunityto speak for you - and youwon't like what they have tosayl

2~~~Elton R. Smith, PresidentMichigan Farm Bureau

RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 1983

Where People GrowBy Connie Turbin

During the annual Ag Expo onthe campus of Michigan StateUniversity, the Farm Bureaufamily gathered under the domeof a 60'x90' tent to proudly dis-play the products, services andprograms of the Michigan FarmBureau and its affiliate com-panies. Our own MFBexhibittheme, "Farm Bureau - WherePeople Grow," put the spotlighton the organization's greatestresource - farm people.

Perhaps the best chronicle ofFarm Bureau's commitment topeople can be gathered by visit-ing with the countless membersand staff whose recollections ofFarm Bureau's shining starsand "I knew him / her when ... "memories tell the story of chal-lenge and opportunity in our or-ganization.

In this cycle of leadership andtalent, there are fond good-byesand welcoming hellos and sup-.port for new leaders in the FarmBureau family.

MFBstaff and members saidgood-bye to two long-time, loyalemployees in May and June ofthis year. Ken Wiles, formermanager of the Member Rela-tions Department, with 16 yearsof service, and Helen Atwood,18-year manager of the Wom-en's Department, both retired.

Replace these valued em-ployees? Never! Instead, thesearch was for successors whowould build on the accomplish-ments already achieved.

The training ground for thesenew leaders in Farm Bureaucomes from within the ranks ofour own organization. In July,Farm Bureau welcomed fourstaff members whose familyand farm activities have beenclosely tied to Farm Bureau.

Two familiar family nameslead the list of these staff ap-pointments: Kartes and Fleming.

RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 198.3

In Ogemaw County, theKartes name is a familiar oneand one whose reputation forenthusiasm and hard work hasbeen enhanced by the staff con-tributions of Rosemary Kartes.Rosemary, who was raised onthe crop and livestock farm ofRobert & Margaret Kartes, joinedMFB in September 1982 as re-gional representative for theorganization's southeast Michi-gan counties. She now employ::.her talents as manager of thestatewide MFBwomen's pro-gram and as education coor-dinator.

Working with farm people is anatural for Doug Fleming, re-cently appointed regional repre-sentative in Farm Bureau'snortheast region. Doug wasborn and raised on a large dairyfarm in Otsego County. Hisparents, Eugene & Barbara, areactive in Farm Bureau leader-ship and programs.

Scott F. Walter is carrying ona Farm Bureau tradition begunby his father, a regional super-visor for the Ohio Farm Bureau.Scott, who joins MFB as manag-er of the Member Relations De-partment and the CommunityAction Group program, hasbeen active in Ohio FB Youthprograms and 4-H, and was aninterim organization directorfor Ohio FB.

From the west Michigan com-munity of Ravenna comesSusan Garner. Susan has beeninvolved in FFA and agriculturalprojects and is a mem ber of theMuskegon County FB. She as-sumes responsibilities as re-gional representative in MFB'ssoutheast region.

In the busy organizationalschedule ahead you will havethe opportunity to get ac-quainted, offer support andwork with these new Farm Bu-reau family members. Then you,too, will someday say, "I knewthem when .... "

New MFB staff members (fromtop): Rosemary Kartes, DouglasFleming, Susan Garner, ScottWalter.

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LEGISLATIVE REVIEW

AFBF'Capitol Milk Break' PromotesConable Dairy Proposal

Dairy Legislation Update -AFBF used a Washington, D.C.,"milk break" to gain public andcongressional support for theConable substitute to H.R.1875, the Dairy ProductionStabilization Act of 1983, whichFB opposes. The event featured20 dairy farmers explaining whythe organization is backing theConable bill as the best solution

to the worst dairy supply-de-mand imbalance in history. FBposition papers on the issuewere delivered to congressmenalong with a carton of milk.

FB supports the Conableamendment because it repealsthe two 50ft 1cwt. assessmentsand authorizes the secretary ofagriculture to adjust the pricesupport to a level not less than$11.601 cwt.

AFBF is concerned becauseduring the political battle inWashington, D.C., statementssuch as "Farm Bureau is forcutting the price support$1.50" and "under FarmBureau's proposal, the supportprice would drop to $11.60,"are confusing dairymen. FB'sproposal authorizes the agricul-ture secretary to adjust the sup-port price up or down - but tonot less than $11.60.

Giving the secretary the au-thority to adjust the price sup-'port was a system that workedwell to keep production inreasonably close balance withmarket demand from 1949 to

6

1977. Since 1977 when Con-gress took that authority awayfrom the secretary and startedmandating specific price sup-port levels based on politicalreasons, the dairy industry hasbeen producing milk far in ex-cess of market needs. FB be-lieves this experience is clearevidence that the original dairyprice support system of 1949should be reinstated.

Currently under considerationis a compromise bill that wouldinclude:

-Continuation of the single50ft 1cwt. collection from dairyfarmers through Dee. 31, 1984,to fund a paid diversion pro-gram.

Kids, cows and 20 dairy farmerstook part in the July 12 "MilkBreak" in Washington, D.C.

-Cuts in the dairy supportprice totaling $1.50 - 50ft onOct. 1, 1983; 50ft on Jan: 1,1985; 50ft on July 1, 1985 (to$11.60). The second and thirdcuts would be made if esti-mated CCCpurchases on thosedates exceed 6 billion and 5billion pounds, respectively.

- A paid diversion program,ending Dee. 31, 1984, permit-ting producers to get a $101cwt. payment for cutting theirmarketings below their basemarketings.

-A mandatory 15ft/cwt. pro-motion program running fromOct. 1, 1983 through Sept. 30,1985. A national referendumwould be held in July 1985 todetermine whether the federalportion of the promotion wouldbe continued.

F8 Testifies for UealthCare Cost Deductions - Ex-amples of quarterly Blue CrossBlue Shield premiums for FBmembers in Michigan were usedin recent AFBFtestimony beforethe Senate Finance Committeeto illustrate the inequity thatexists in the tax treatment ofhealth insurance costs for self-employed persons.

Employees and self-employedtaxpayers who have to purchasetheir own insurance cannot pur-chase the same amount of cov-erage with after-tax dollars asinexpensively as an employercan furnish it to employees,AFBFtestified. The committeewas urged to consider legisla-tion that would allow a businessdeduction for the cost of a self-employed taxpayer's health in-


Ag Summit Leaders ReviewCurrent Issues in Agriculture

surance, or a personal deduc-tion or credit for any individ-ual's health care insuranceregardless of whether deduc-tions are itemized.

Rep. Del Latta (R-Ohio) has in-troduced legislation that wouldamend the income tax code toprovide that one-half of theamount paid by a self-employedtaxpayer for health insurancewill be allowed as a businessdeduction.

FB members are urged to con-tact their congressmen urgingthem to co-sponsor this legisla-tion.

(continued on page 32)

The Legislature recessed forthe summer on July 5 and willreconvene in September. How-ever, there will be a lot of com-mittee activity during therecess.

Various subcommittees willbe working on specific legisla-tion, some of which affects agri-culture. A summary of legis-lation and other issues follows.

Elimination of Tax Exemp-tions - Just before the sum-mer recess, several bills wereintroduced that put a "sunset"on numerous tax exemptions,including many of the variousagricultural exemptions that FBhas helped to pass and main-tain throughout the years.

The bills include:

-H.B. 4756 - Amends thegeneral property tax act to elim-inate personal property exemp-tions after Dec. .30, 1985. Thisincludes all farm personal prop-erty (machinery, livestock, feed,etc.), farm products, "processedor otherwise" in public ware-



MFB President Elton R. Smith,representing the Americanfarm Bureau Federation, wasamong the farm, business,labor and consumer organiza-tion leaders participating in arecent Agricultural Summitmeeting called by Secretary ofAgriculture John Block. Thepurpose of the meeting was togive these leaders an opportuni-ty to take a comprehensive lookat current issues common tothose involved in the food andfiber system.

At a news conference follow-ing adjournment of the meet-ing, Smith shared his view-points with reporters in Wash-ington, D.C., and via a tele-phone hook-up to news mediarepresentatives gathered atstate FB offices in Michigan, Illi-nois, North Dakota, SouthCarolina and Texas. Smithstressed that while this was nota policy-setting body, he feltthe concensus of views at thesummit meeting was that theU.S. market system, rather thangovernment subsidy programs,is the best way out of the cur-rent farm income problem.

"No matter how welHnten-tioned, no politically-orientedfarm program can effectivelydeal with the current overpro-duction problems in agriculturewithout government taking overmost of the management deci-sions now made by farmers,"Smith told reporters. "Farmersand ranchers throughout thenation agree that must beavoided."

American agriculture is at acrossroads, both in terms ofproduction and in regard tofuture farm programs, he said."The federal government simplycannot continue to buy up to10% of the milk production or

be expected to inject as muchas $20 billion annually intocommodity support programsas has been true this year.

"Agricultural 'entitlement'programs with open-endedguarantees cannot escape thespending restraints that mustultimately be imposed on all en-titlement programs if we are togain control of federal spend-ing," he said.

UNomatter how well-in-tentioned, no politi-cally-oriented farm pro-gram can effectivelydeal with the currentoverproduction prob-lems in agriculturewithout governmenttaking over most of themanagement decisionsnow made by farmers.u

One concern that resultedfrom the summit conference,Smith said, was that there aremany non-farm segments thatwould like the opportunity tospeak for farmers on agricul-tural policy. This presents achallenge to farmers to studythe problems, learn the eco-nomic facts involved and comeup with a definite policy, hewarned.

''I'm firmly convinced that ifthe farmers of this nation don'tdo it, somebody with other in-terests will. That's pretty seri-ous," he said. (SeeRural Route,page 4.)

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Farm Markets Offer Freshnessand Variety to Michigan Consumers

Taste 0' Michigan

By Marcia Dltchie

From Michigan's orchards,vineyards and fields comes anannual parade of fresh fruits,vegetables and syrups. Startingwith the maple syrup "run" inlate March and continuingthrough apple harvest in thefall, thousands of consumersvisit Michigan farm marketsand roadside fruit stands topurchase the highest qualityfruits and vegetables.

Throughout the state, manygrowers offer these productsthrough retail farm markets,"pick-your-own" facilities, orboth, to meet the continuingdemand for fresh products.

To assist farm market ownersin promoting and marketingtheir home grown fruits andvegetables, Michigan CertifiedFarm Markets was formed in1973 as a division of the Michi-gan Agricultural CooperativeMarketing Association (MACMA),an affiliate of Michigan FarmBureau.

Membership in the organiza-tion has more than doubledsince its inception. Some 85%of the cooperative's membersoperate on a seasonal basis and15% are open year round.

In addition to offering con-sumers their own high qualityfruits and vegetables, thesefamily owned and operated mar-kets provide unique taste treatssuch as jams and jellies, pop-corn, spices, teas, nuts, honeyand frozen fruits and vege-tables. To assist the marketowners in purchasing, ware-housing and distributing theseadditional items, Farm Markets

8

Cooperative was organized in1978 as an independent cooper-ative.

Together, these two organiza-tions serve nearly 100 farmmarket owners across the state.

U-Pick Popular WhhNon-Farm Public

Long-time members of Michi-gan Certified Farm Markets areAlan & Wanda Spicer, who oper-ate a retail farm market andpick-your-own orchard nearHartland in Livingston County.Located just off u.S. 23 about40 miles south of Flint, theirU-pick orchards include sweetand sour cherries, raspberries,plums, pears, peaches and ap-ples. Their retail market, whichis open from late July throughMay of the following year, offersconsumers those fruits plus


Spicer loves the farm life and independence of a family run business.Though the hours are-long and investment is high, he says he'd tradeplaces with no one.

many of the items availablethrough Farm Markets Coopera-tive.

Spicer was raised in an or-chard atmosphere. His grand-parents, as well as his wife'sgrandparents, had orchards inthe Novi area near Detroit untilthe area was subdivided forhousing developments. Urbansprawl gradually moved hisfamily northward to operate or-chards in Brighton and Linden.When Spicer finished college in1967, he purchased a tract ofland at his present location.

The family owned and oper-ated orchard has seen dramaticexpansion since that time.

"1 first bought 113 acres andwe planted 6,000 or 7,000 treesthe first few years," said Spicer."After four or five years, as theorchard got older, my familysold the retail market in Noviand we built a retail outlethere."

Within eight years Spicer de-cided that further expansion ofthe market was necessary andin 1980 he built a large central-ized market and storage facil-ity.

"We moved all the facilities toa new 130-foot long by 45-footwide building which houses theretail market, a cider mill, pack-aging and grading machineryand a 10,000 bushel controlledatmosphere storage area," hesaid. "We employ three peoplefull time and hire an additional25 to 30 people in the fall."

In addition to expanding theretail market, Spicer has alsoincreased the size of his or-chard.

"We have about 15,000 treesnow and we plant 1,000 to2,000 new trees every year. Ipurchased some additional landaround me which I'm now grad-ually planting," he said.

Spicer's orchard also providesan entertaining and educationalexperience for his customers.


"We try to provide our cus-tomers with the family enter-tainment aspect of a pick-your-own facility. On weekends dur-ing the fall we have four or fivewagons which take families outto the apple orchard. Westop ateach variety and let them pickfor as long as they want andthen give them a ride back tothe market.

"Also in the fall, my wife con-ducts a lot of tours for childrenfrom preschool age to late ele-mentary. She takes them intothe orchards on wagons and ex-plains how we grow the trees,the purpose of the blossoms inthe spring and how we pick ap-ples."

Spicer's three children alsoassume some responsibilities inthe family business.

"They're just getting to theage where they can start to dosome work in the orchard, pull-ing brush and trimming. Thetwo older boys also occasionallywork in the store bagging pop-corn and stocking shelves. Theywill playa real active role in thenext few years."

Markets Serve Public Well

Although Spicer has a suc-cessful pick-your-own orchard,he is cautious about newcomersentering the field.

"1 think it has grown a lot inthe past and it's at a good

~\

Customer service is important atSpicer's farm market and or-chard. Dere Spicer washes andpits cherries picked by customersin the U-pick orchards.

9

stage right now. I don't knowhow much more expansioncould take place in pick-your-own orchards. We suffer fromover production on a wholesalebasis and I think a lot of otherpick-your-own orchards arestarting to reach that level.

"If someone else decides toenter the business, it might betough for them to get startedand develop a clientele becausethe present markets and or-chards are meeting the de-mand, especially in areas wherethere are a lot of orchards.However, expansion of the num-ber of pick-your-own orchardsmight be successful in an areawhere there aren't any other or-chards within a 20 to .30 mileradius."

Spicer has high praise notonly for the Michigan CertifiedFarm Markets program, but alsofor Farm Markets Cooperative.

"I've watched the certifiedprogram grow and I'm realpleased with the way that it'sassisted growers. Farm MarketsCooperative has been very ben-eficial to our market. We get alot of nice products from thecooperative and it's a good partof our business, especially dur-ing the winter months. I thinkthe program will be expandingin the future as more marketsbegin offering their customersthe products available throughthe cooperative. It's a real sav-ings in products, packaging,delivery and service," he said.

Does Spicer have any regretsabout his decision 16 years agoto purchase the land and starthis own orchard?

"I wouldn't trade places withanybody I It was tough gettingstarted, planting the trees andwaiting a few years for them tobear fruit, but I know I madethe right choice. I enjoy thework, making my own decisionsand watching the crops mature.It's very rewarding being suc-cessful and being able to ex-pand like we have. That's re-warding in itself," he said.

10

lilt was tough getting started, plantingthe trees and waiting for them to bearfruit, but I know I made the rightchoice."


Agriculture, Free Attractions Featured

1983 Michigan state Fair

Where can you go to see a championship rodeo, autothrill show, demolition derby, a circus, performancehorse shows, big name entertainment, prize-winningcrops, a petting farm and the biggest pig you've everseen?

The 1983 Michigan State Fair has all this and moreduring 11 straight days of fun, Aug. 26 throughSept. 5.

This year's fairgoers will notice major improve-ments to the fairgrounds and exhibit buildings sincelast year's event. The coliseum, livestock and exhibit

o~

RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 198.3 11

halls have been completely ren-ovated inside and out, andmany areas are newly land-scaped.

An Agricultural Fair

This year the emphasis of theoldest fair in the nation is beingreturned to its original intent asa statewide agricultural exhibi-tion. Rural and urban residentsalike can see blue-ribbon Michi-gan commodities on displayand witness such events as asheep-shearing contest and alivestock auction.

Everyone can still watch orparticipate in contests galore,be entertained by a whole arrayof special events or enjoy thrill-ing rides on the biggest midwayin Michigan. Five acres of ex-hibits under one roof make avisit to the fair enjoyable evenin inclement weather.

"We Need Farm Animals" willbe the theme of an educationalexhibit sponsored by the Michi-gan Farm Bureau during the1983 Michigan State Fair. TheFarm Bureau display will be oneof over 25 exhibits in the" Agri-culture's Amazing Acre" exhibi-tion, highlighting farm produc-tion and agricultural informa-tion for fairgoers. Visitors to theMFBexhibit will use a simplecomputer program to reviewand answer basic questionsabout agriculture and farmanimal care.

Free Attractions

Featured free events this yearare the Budweiser Champion-ship Pro Rodeo in the all-newBudweiser Coliseum on Thurs-day, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. and Fri-day, Sept. 2 at 2 and 7 p.m.; anElias Brothers International Cir-cus, Monday through Friday,

12

Aug. 29 through Sept. 2; JoieChitwood's Thrill Show fromThursday through Saturday,Sept. 1-3 at 2 and 7 p.m.; andthe Arbor Drug/Coca-Cola Dem-olition Derby on Sunday andMonday, Sept. 4-5.

Also free is the Firemen'sField Day in the grandstand onSunday, Sept. 4 at 2 p.m.; sixdays of performance horseshows in the coliseum; televisedcoverage of Channel 2's "Starsof Tomorrow" talent show fromMonday, Aug. 29 through Mon-day, Sept. 5; and a spectacularfireworks display by KrogerSupermarkets on Kroger Day,Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Top entertainers includingRickie Skaggs, the ThrasherBrothers, Doc Severinsen andThe Look, join O'Bryan, TerriGibbs and the Rev. JamesCleveland Gospel Show for freedaily concerts in the bandshell.

Top Name Entertainment

Major paid entertainment inthe grandstand includes coun-try star Barbara Mandrell on Fri-day, Aug. 26 (tickets - $14,$12, $10). For rock fans, TheGreg Kihn Band performs on

Saturday, Aug. 27 (tickets -$11, $10, $9) and singer/com-poser Luther Vandross enter-tains on Monday, Aug. 29. Amajor country superstar, yet tobe announced, will perform onTuesday, Aug. 30. Advancetickets with reserved seating inthe grandstand may be pur-chased by calling 313-368-9347.Paid entertainment tickets in-clude discount admission to thefair and are available with certi-fied check, Visa or MasterCard.

Sponsors Offer Discounts

The Michigan State Fair islocated at Woodward and EightMile Roads. Hours are 10 a.m.to 11 p.m., Aug. 26 throughSept. 5.

Admission is $4 (children 11and under free). Watch for dis-count admission and/or freeride promotions from sponsorssuch as the Michigan Lottery,Burger King, Kroger Supermar-kets, Arbor Drug/ Coca-Cola,Elias Brothers Restaurants andBorden Dairy.


Member Co-ops Back Reorganization PlanBy Donna Wilber

At a special meeting July 18 in Lansing, Farm Bureau Services' member co-ops,by a majority vote, agreed to support a self-help "bootstrap" plan for reorganization.The plan calls for financial investments and business commitments from the mem-bers. When confirmed by the bankruptcy court, the result will be a new regionalcooperative owned and controlled by local member co-ops.

RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 198:3 1:3

Member Co-ops Pulling Togetherto Form. New Regional Cooperative

America's birth and growth isfilled with heroes who have"pulled themselves up by theirown bootstraps." Even intoday's world, when "let George(or Uncle Sam) do it" attitudesseem prevalent, individuals whohave the drive and courage totackle overwhelming obstaclesand overcome tough odds areadmired.

But is it possible that thesame characteristics that those"bootstrap" kinds of human be-ings have that allow them tobecome winners in life can beapplied to something as inani-mate as a corporation?

Newton Allen, chief executiveofficer and executive vice presi-dent of Farm Bureau Services,Inc., thinks so - it's simply amatter of getting a lot of in-dividuals pulling on the samebootstrap toward a commongoal. And, after all, FarmBureau Services IS people - co-op managers, board members,farmers, employees ....

Tough odds are somethingwith which FBShas had to dealsince 1973 when a fire re-tardant chemical - PBB - wasmistakenly delivered to one ofits plants and accidently mixedinto feed. The result became in-ternationally known as theworst tragedy in the history ofagriculture. Lawsuits and earlysettlements evolving from theincident, even though FBSdidnot lose any of the casesbrought to trial, took a stagger-ing toll on the financial andhuman resources of the farmer-cooperative.

14

For years i~ was plagued withlosses of consumer confidenceand erosion of member and em-ployee morale. Add to thoseburdensome problems inflation,the grain embargo, an ailing ag-ricultural economy and a PIKprogram that, while designed asa temporary prescription forsick farm incomes, also de-manded sacrifices from agri-businesses. Total that up and itspells ODDSwith capital letters!

When this critical situationled to the filing for reorganiza~tion under Chapter 11 of thebankruptcy laws in October1982, there was a groundswellof member support for this ac-tion. But it takes more thanbroad verbal support to make asuccessful reorganization. Aplan had to be submitted thatwould satisfy not only the bank-ruptcy court, but also be thebest solution for all the peopleinvolved - the major motivat-ing concern by FBSmanage-ment and leadership in theirsearch for the right plan.

It was this concern for thepeople involved that putliquidation at the very bottomof the list of alternatives, eventhough it would have been theeasiest way out.

Since Newton Allen came onboard in 1980, a key alternativehas been a merger with anotherstrong co-op with the sameservice-to-farmer philosophiesas Farm Bureau Services. Forawhile, it appeared that OhioFarmers Grain & Supply Associ-ation of Fostoria, Ohio, mightbe the answer. The co-op didmeet the criteria and it had ex-

NEWTON ALLEN, FBSEXECUTIVE VICE YRESIDENT

pressed an interest. And FBShad removed four major ob-stacles to such a merger: elimi-nation of PBBassociatedclaims, and the claims of Michi-gan Chemical Co., the state ofMichigan and the New Hamp-shire Insurance Co.

But, to date, the orily officialoffer from Ohio Farmers was foran asset purchase and fell ap-proximately $14 million shortof what FBSfeels the assets areworth.

Over the past several months,FBSmanagement has been de-veloping the "bootstrap" planconcept. When the plan wasfirst submitted to the managersand executive committees ofthe member co-ops, a majorityagreed to the idea. However,


two major member co-ops,whose dollar volume of busi-ness made their support crucialto the plan, voted against it.

following that "defeat," was aperiod Newton Allen describesas a real test of his faith. Buteven as he questioned the "GuyUpstairs" about this develop-

In return for this in-vestment and busi-ness commitment,member co-ops willcontrol election ofthe board of direc-tors.

ment, he received a phone callthat quickly restored that faith.The call came from Land 0'Lakes of Minneapolis, Minne-sota, one of the nation's lead-ing, most highly-respected re-gional co-ops, expressing an in-terest in the survival of a re-gional cooperative in Michigan,under the bootstrap plan con-cept.

With this support and interestfrom Land 0' Lakes, and fromfarm Bureau Insurance Group,the next step was to gain com-mitment, via dollar investmentand business pledges, from thefBS member co-ops. The posi-tlve member response at theJuly 18 meeting means a newregional cooperative, ownedand controlled by the localmember co-ops, will be formed.

for those member co-ops whoneed to borrow funds to maketheir investment, the St. Paul


Bank of Cooperatives will con-sider, on an individual memberbasis, making loans as neces-sary to finance the bootstrapplan.

for those member co-ops thatwere financially unable to maketheir required investment, fBSprovided an agreement wherebythe co-ops would do a greatershare of their supply and mar-keting business with the re-gional cooperative, and futurecash patronage received wouldbe applied against their re-quired investment until the re-quirement was funded.

In return for this investmentand business commitment,member co-ops will controlelection of the board of direc-tors of the new regional cooper-ative. Land 0' Lakes and farmBureau Insurance Group haveeach requested one seat on theboard.

"We are very pleased with thesupport we received from ourlocal member cooperatives forthe plan," Allen said. "The for-ward direction we are now pur-suing will reap many benefitsfor all members and will be inthe best interest of the con-cerned parties."

"Weare very pleasedwith the support wereceived from ourlocal member co-opsfor the plan. The for-ward direction weare now pursuingwill reap many bene-fits for all membersand will be in thebest interest of theconcerned parties."

Allen stressed that the boot-strap plan is not intended to bea long-range strategic plan be-cause long-range goal settingwill come from the new regionalco-op's board of directors.

At the July 18 meeting, asteering committee was electedto develop recommendations tothe membership regarding suchareas as articles of incorpora-tion and by-laws.

Members of that committeeare Joe O'Henley, manager,Lapeer County Co-op; HarryStanton, manager, Eaton Coun-ty fB Co-op; Dick Labadie, man-ager, Hudsonville farmers Co-op Elevator; Hein Meyering,manager, falmouth Co-op; GregArmstrong, manager, BattleCreek fB Association; KenWadsworth, board member,Ruth farmers Elevator; andElton R. Smith, president Michi-gan farm Bureau and affiliatecompanies.

Alternates are Red Gilbert,manager, West Branch farmersCo-op; Ed Powell, vice presidentand general manager, MichiganElevator Exchange Division,fBS; Ed Wicke, manager, Ches-aning farmers Co-op; and DaveMcClain, manager, Elkton Co-opfarm Produce.

A task force is currently con-ducting a study of the Michiganagricultural market and will re-port their findings to farm Bu-reau Services, Land 0' Lakesand the St. Paul Bank for Coop-eratives in early August.

15

FRONT &. CENTER

Michigan Farm Bureau is seeking nominations for the 1983 Distinguished Serviceto Agriculture award from county fBs, farmer cooperatives and Michigan state University.Persons chosen for the award will be honored at the 64th MfB annual meeting to held in GrandRapids Nov. 29-Dec. 2. The award was established to give recognition to men and women whohave provided exceptional service to agriculture in Michigan.

Your local health department is encouraging eligible families to utilize benefitsof the Women, Infants and Children (WIC)program. The federally funded program pro-vides supplemental foodstuffs, nutrition and health screening, food and nutrition educationand health and social services referrals for participants. Some 80% of WICdollars are used forthe actual purchase of food for pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, and infantsand children up to five years of age. Income eligibility limits for a family of four is $18,315. Torefer eligible Michigan rural families for this program, contact your local health department orthe r1ichigan Department of Public Health, phone (toll free) 1-800-WIC-3333.

Members of the Michigan clergy and laity will get a close-up look at a LivingstonCounty dairy farm and a grain farm during the "Experience Real farms" day, Aug. 11, 10a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is being sponsored by the family farm Concerns Coalition of theMichigan Council of Churches to increase the general understanding of clergy and laity regard-ing the concerns of family farms. Cost is $5.00 for registration and lunch. Send reservations toGrace Love, 2876 Cedar Lake Road, Howell, Mich. 48843. Make checks payable to the MichiganCouncil of Churches.

"Law and Resource Management" will be the theme of the 1983 annual conference ofthe Michigan Society of Planning Officials to be held Oct. 13-15 at the Hilton Shanty Creek, .Bellaire. Conference information and registration forms may be obtained by contacting RonGaskill at Michigan farm Bureau, P.O. Box 30960, Lansing, Mich. 48909.

Enrollment for Farm Bureau Mutual's new Grain Protector policy, exclusively forFB members, will be open until Sept. 1. The policy covers a member's grain in the event ofbankruptcy or insolvency of a licensed elevator or dealer within Michigan or within 25 miles ofthe Michigan border (Canada excluded). Because this is a group program with low group rates,an adequate number of participants are needed to make the program feasible. If fewer than thenecessary number of fB members sign up for the program, the Grain Protector policy will notbe issued and the premiums will be returned to the purchasers. The policy will be sold throughdirect mail marketing and not ~hrough fBIG agents.

It's a small world when you are with FB friends from throughout the nation. Jointhe nearly 5,000 fB members who will attend the 65th AfBf annual meeting, Jan. 8-12 inOrlando, florida. The busy schedule will include exhibits, Young farmer competition, the farmBureau Women's conference, commodity conferences, and health and economic sessions focus-ing on the agricultural industry. The Orlando area features such famous attractions as DisneyWorld, Sea World and the Epcot Center. for detailed information, contact the MfB Information& Public Relations Division, 517-323-7000, ext. 516, or TM Travel Associates, Inc.,616-364-6231.

A new animal care display is available for use by county FBs. Called "We Need farmAnimals," the display presents a factual and positive response to the areas of animal care mostoften challenged by the animal rightists movement. The display also includes nutrition infor-mation, deals directly with confinement and why farmers need it, and depicts the reasons whyanimal production is important. As a companion piece, a brochure is available for $12.50 perhundred.

The display may be booked through the MfB Commodity Activities & Research Department,P.O.Box 30960, Lansing, Mich. 48909, phone 517-323-7000, ext. 547. A minimum of threeweeks advance notice should be given for booking the display and ordering the brochures,which are also called "We Need farm Animals." Counties are responsible for returning thedisplay to the MfB office.

16 RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 198.3

LET T E R S TO R UR ALL I V I N G

Cry for Uelpl

This letter is an urgent cry forhelp. If ever Michigan Farm Bu-reau could help us, we are ask-ing you now!

The 50ct / cwt.. tax on our milkis in limbo at present, but ourcooperative has decided to startcollecting it and $613.32 waswithheld from our June 15check. With seed, fertilizer, allthe spray and necessities ofplanting and harvesting crops,we stand to lose a great deal inthe days to come! If they con-tinue to withhold money fromus, what incentive do we haveto. farm?

Recently I was able to obtaina list of all the American busi-nesses who have a license toimport dairy products from for-eign c"ountries. It may interestyou to know that this list isreally a 53-page booklet ofnames and addresses of whoimports butter, cheese andplease note: We should be usingAmerican milk first. We don'thave a surplus of milk; we havea surplus of legislators and con-gressmen who should be doinganother type of job.

The 50ct tax has given us NO

incentive to cut back. Paymentshave to be made or we'll be onthe street.

Please know that we are upsetand concerned, and every Amer-ican should be, for the beeffarmer, poultry, fish, etc., couldbe next.

The dairy industry is havingmajor surgery and we needprayers for recovery!

The Don Cordes FamilyMontmorency County

(Editor's Note: Farm Bureaustrongly opposed passage of the50ct tax assessment, and was aparty to the court suit filed toplace an injunction against itscollection. See the WashingtonLegislative Review on page 6 foran update on dairy legislation.)

A Farmer's AnswerAs a small farmer in the Cali-

fornia mountains, I read with in-terest your article on "FairTreatment of Farm Laborers" byDonna Wilber in the May issue.So often each side trying to getmore from the other producesand promotes yet another prob-lem - the labor organizer.

I like Vernon Howard's al?-

proach in his booklet, 50 Waysto Escape Cruel People: "Youneed never think about answersto problems in human relations.It is useless to seek solutionsamong your present thoughtsbecause those thoughts causedthe problem in the first place.The solution arrives by studyingthe problem itself, just as youobserve a faulty tree to see whyit does not produce fruit. Solveyourself and you solve everyproblem."

Doesn't that sound like afarmer's answer? It suggests wefirst understand ourselves, thenwe can do what we truly need todo to produce the most fruit: inour workers and in our lives.

Pat MillerMariposa, California

Preparing CitizensFrom within the sanctity of a

world whose basic perimetersare home and high school, theconcept of "citizenship" oftenappears distant. But that magiceighteenth birthday turns a boyor girl into a man or woman,with some new rights, many(continued on page .3.3)

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. Four farm-ers were honored in June 198.3:

June 6 - Roy Rasner, 64, a cashcrop farmer from Marlon, farms severalhundred acres and, until two years ago,also milked 50 cows as part of his farmoperation. He.is a 25-year member ofthe township volunteer fire department;township supervisor and tax assessor;past president and member of theMenominee County FB board; pastmember of his church council; past 4-Hleader; and served on the townshipschool board, the county MMPA board,the Upper Michigan Milk board and thelocal ASCS board.


June 13 - Denry VUek, 29, oper-ates a 1,000-acre cash crop and vealfarm near Scotts. Vliek serves as a 4-Hleader and member of the county fairlivestock sale committee; Is a memberand past officer of the Kalamazoo Coun-ty FB; serves on a state FB commoditycommittee; Is a delegate of the Michi-gan Veal Growers Association; and serv-ed as volunteer lobbyist for the Michi-gan Vealers Association. He alsoteaches a veal production course aspart of the continuing education pro-gram at Western Michigan University.

June 20 - Dave Elftman, 25, is acash crop farmer from Pigeon where hefarms 200 acres. He is active In hischurch; is a Huron County FB memberand active In the Young Farmer group,helping with the FB membership drive

and agriculture promotion programs;works closely with the Laker HighSchool FFA and helps with educationalprojects; and earned the HonoraryChapter Farmer Degree from the localFFA In 1981.

June 27 - Paul Edwards, 49, oper-ates a .320-acre dairy farm near GrandLedge. He Is current treasurer and pastpresident of the Eaton County 4-H fairboard; spent 17 years as a 4-H leader;serves as township supervisor; Is anEaton County FB member; Is past presi-dent of the local DHIA and the EatonCounty Holstein Association; served onthe St. Michael's School Board; earnedthe FFA State Farmer Degree; and wasnamed state runner-up In 196.3 In theMichigan Jaycees Outstanding YoungFarmer program.

17

•([ount!!j}twslttttt News and Informationfrom Michigan's CountyFarm Bureaus

Satisfied Customers at Mecosta FB Food Booth

Two-and-il-half-year-old Zachary Hatfield enjoys his dinner at the Mecosta County Younghrmer's Food Booth at the Mecosta County Area Fair, July 16-16 in Big Rapids. YoungZachary's dinner compilnion didn't say much, but did attract some customers. Zachary'sparents, Larry & Brenda Hatfield, are co-chairpersons of the county Young Farmer group.

Frozen Fruit SaleSeveral delicious products are be-

ing offered in MACMA's Member-to-Member September Frozen Fruit Sale.Order blanks were mailed to mem-bers in participating counties in lateJuly. If you haven't received yoursyet, contact your county secretary.

The order deadline is Aug. 24,with delivery the week of Sept. 12.Be sure to order a good supply forthe long autumn evenings ahead.The next sale will be the DecemberCitrus Sale.

• mICHIGan'SFaRm BeST

Sharpen Personal/BusinessSkills at Leader Conference

Make your reservations by Aug.16 for the State leader Conferencesponsored by the Michigan Farm Bu:reau Women's Committee. The con-ference will be held Sept. 20-21 atthe Marriott Inn, Crand Rapids.

Highlights include a presentationon self-development by KarenStophel of Women Alive, Chatta-nooga, Tennessee. She will instructthe group on how to develop theirpotential in the spiritual, mental andphysical areas of their Iives. Dr.Keith long, an instructor of agricul-tural medicine at the University ofIowa, will offer insight into ruralhealth situations and problems.

Participants will be able tochoose from the following work-shops: Sept. 20 - understandingpersonality types, interpersonal rela-tionships and highlighting actionprojects; Sept. 21 - conflict man-agement awareness, leadership de-vel9pment and communicating ef-fectively.

Cost for registration, materials,lodging and meals for the two-dayconference ranges from $72 to $82,depending on room occupancy.Cost for Sept. 20 is $38 and cost forSept. 21 is $22.50. For more informa-tion contact your county secretaryor the MFB Women's Department,P.O. Box 30960, lansing, Mich.48909.

During 1981-82, ten Michigangrain elevators declared bankrupt-cy, bringing financial hardship tohundreds of Michigan farmers wholost their grain. The total loss tothese farmers exceeded $3 million.

Farm Bureau members throughoutthe state can now protect them-selves against this kind of loss,thanks to the new low-cost CrainProtector Policy from Farm BureauMutual Insurance Company ofMichigan. The new policy is avail-able exclusively to MFB members.

The pol icy covers your grain inthe event of bankruptcy or insolven-cy of a Iicensed elevator or dealer

Grain Protector Policy- Newest Member Benefiteither within Michigan or within 25miles of the Michigan border (Canadaexcluded).

The policy will pay a maximum of80% of the ultimate loss you may in-cur on grain stored in one of theseelevators. Crain delivered for sale iscovered for 80% of loss for the first90 days after delivery to the ele-vator; after that, the coveragereduces 1% each week, down to aminimum payment of 65%.

The costs for the five levels ofcoverage are:

Insurance Annual Premium$ 25,000 $ 70$ 50,000 $100$100,000 $145$150,000 $185$200,000 $220

Because this is a group programwith low group rates, an adequatenumber of participants are neededto make the program feasible. Iffewer than the necessary number ofFB members sign up for the pro-gram, the Crain Protector policy willnot be issued and the premium willbe.returned to the purchasers.

The enrollment deadline is Sept. 1.Crain Protector policy brochuresand enrollment forms are availablefrom your county FB secretary.

Newaygo Member Dares to Ask:'What Can I Dol' - And Does It

By Laura Grabill, EditorNewaygo County FB NewsletterThe Newaygo County agricultural

community will benefit from the AgAccident Rescue Seminar scheduledfor Aug. 6 at the county fairgrounds,thanks to one young Farm Bureauwoman who asked, "What can Ido?" - and then did it.

Jean Sherman, health and safetychairperson of Newaygo County FBWomen, became interested in farm

.safety when her husband, Larry, wasYoung Farmer chairperson. Thiswinter, she responded to an article inthe December Rural Living and wrotefor more information. She was en-couraged by Regional Representa-tive Pat Lause and then presented theidea of the seminar to the countyhome Extension agent, Lana Ford,who offered to help. She and Jean,along with FB Women and YoungFarmers, are sponsoring the event.

Jean has visited community ac-tion groups to promote the rescueseminar, answer questions and askfor help with operating funds. Theresponse has been very positive.

May there always be individualsin our Farm Bureau organization,such as Jean Sherman, who are will-ing to get involved for the better-ment of their community.

What Are VolunteerslVolunteers are like Ford

- they have better ideas.Volunteers are like Coke

- they are the real thing.Volunteers are like Pan Am

- they make the going great.Volunteers are like Pepsi

- they've got a lot to give.Volunteers are like Dial soap

- they care more, don't youwish everyone did?

Volunteers are like V05 Hairspray- their goodness holds in allkinds of weather.

Volunteers are like Hallmark cards- they care enough to givetheir very best.

Volunteers are like Standard Oil- you expect more and you get it

Volunteers are like Frosted Flakes- they're gr-r-reat!!!

AUGUST 1983

In Participating Counties

FB Member/STOP SignsAvailable Once Again

Remember those metal signs andposts you used to get from the coun-ty Farm Bureau? They served a dualpurpose, telling people heading on-to the road from your driveway toSTOP first, and on the other side an-nouncing to all that motored pastthat you belonged to agriculture'smost important organization.

They also rusted.Times change, and for a while the

signs disappeared from circulation... and from the yar9s of FB m~m-bers.

But now they're back, and are- literally - better than ev~r. Thesigns are still done in al) appeal ingcrimson-black-white combination.

As mentioned earlier, times dochange. The signs no longer comewith stakes, but, on the other hand,they will last this time around. Con-structed of tough, rigid plastic, theywon't rust, and should last a longtime.

Want one? You can purchase onethrough secretaries in participatingcounties.

Northwest Michigan Counties Seek Agricultural Economic RevivalBy Deni Hooper, Editor

NW Michigan FB NewsletterIn an effort to effect an agricul-

tural economic revival in NorthwestMichigan while preserving the re-source base, the Resource Conserva-tion and Development Committeewas establ ished by the ASCS earlythis year, according to its firstchairperson, Ken Engle.

Membership, says Engle, is a15-county area from Ludington onthe south to the Straits on the north,with 1-75 as the east boundary andLake Michigan on the west.

Committee members are JudeeLarson of Mason County, Nick Jones

'of Kalkaska, Harry Taylor of Mani-stee County and Stella Otto of An-trim. Ex-officio members are Ag Ex-tension Agent Rod Cartright of Char-levoix, FB ReRional Representative

Dennis Gibbs, Kim Heisler of Fed-eral Land Bank, Buz Long of theASCS in Leelanau County, ResourceDirector Dean Rhoads and areacoordinator Jim Haviland.

The committee's first priority issupport of the U.S. 131 highway ex-tension to northern Michigan as avital economic link essential for thefarming community in effectiveproduct distribution through con-sumer areas.

Another important area is eco-nomic encouragement of processingfacilities badly needed for the north-west. For example, the whole greenbean industry faltered this spring un-til processing facility problems wereresolved.

Other target areas identified dur-ing the first meeting include supportof the Michigan Live Stock Exchange

at Gaylord, assistance in the es-tablishment of a hard cheese plant inthis area and encouragement of fresh

. fruit and vegetable markets.

Farmette

"You give milk, have big brown eyes, getup at 5 a.m. and never overdraw the check-ing account. Good thing hubby proposedto me before he met you!"

FARM BUREAU MARKET PLACE -

FARM EQUIPMENT FARM EQUIPMENT LIVESTOCK MISCELLANEOUS

Name

Address _

Run the following ad in the issue(s):

CLASSIFIED AD POLICYREAL ESTATE

Three bedroom modular manufac'tured In 1969 by Active Homes. Usedas summer residence. Excellent condi-tion. Must be sold and moved to settleestate. Price $21 ..300. Includes set up onyour foundation. For particulars: Penta.2.395 WIlliams Road. Petoskey. Mich.49770. (7-.3t-.39pl

Smoky Mountain riverside home forrent. Townsend. Tennessee. near Gatlin-burg and Cades Cove. Pictures sent onrequest. $50.00 night. Carl Morgan. 409Lambert Lane. Maryville. Tenn . .3780 I.

(6-4t-27p-ts)

Blueberry farm - Excellent produc"Ing stage. 10 acres of blueberriesand 10 acres of other. Home. barn. largetool pole bldg .. packing shed. Tractor.drag. sprayer. rotilltor and all neededequipment to run the farming business!Blueberry Harvestor avallablel Irrigationequipment pond and pipe. 4 Inch well.Fantastic U-Plck operation and cliental!Members of Michigan Blueberry GrowersMarketl Must be seen to appreclatelCome and look us over. 616-924-0229.Fremont - Newaygo County. Mike /!J(

Barb Maxson. (7-2t-77p)

St. Joseph County - 111 acre farm.Picturesque setting with rancher andbank barn. Look out your window - seegently roiling fields. woods and ponds .Corral and riding ring. House Includesall appliances. Call and ask for MarieKizer. realtor. 616-244-5956. TitusHomes. 616-27.3-8478. (8-4.3p)

rlew condominium project on beauti-ful Duncan Bay off Lake Huron In Che-boygan. Mich. Pre-construction pricesnow available. For more Information:Lofgren Construction Company. P.O. Box.35. Cheboygan. Mich. 49721. Phone 616-627-9506, (8-.30p)

Gulf Shores. Alabamal "The Cove"condominium. One bedroom units.$.39.900. Two bedroom. $57,800. Lagoonaccess. boat ramp. pier. pool. 90% nnan-clngl Baldwin Real Estate. 205-968-7582.

(8-2t-25p-ts)

Save $400: Cookware. extra heavy19piece stainless steel sold through In-home demonstration at $595. Now avail-able direct only $189.95. Only 100 setsfrom bankruptcy. Order now to avoiddisappointment. 100% refund If return-ed within 10 days unused In original condltlon. Send check. money order. Visa orMastercard number and expiration date.Yankee Trader. 4600 Stein Road. Ann Ar-bor. Mich. 48105, $1 for brochure.

(7-6t-65p-ts)

CEDARfence posts. any size. Rusticround rail sections. Log homes. RapidRiver Rustic Cedar Log Homes and Fenc-Ing. Rt . .3. Ensign. Rapid River. Mich.49878.1-906-474-6427. (2-11t-27p-m)

Wanted: Old Indian Artifacts. Axes.celts. arrowheads. drilled slate. Informa-tion to: Relics. Box 152A. Eau Claire.Mich. 4911 1. (5-6t-I8p)

Learn to play Bluegrass banjo. Writefor free details: Ebro-MI. Star Route.Dunlap. Tennessee .37.327. (7-2t-15p-ts)

$100 - $400 weekly working athome. No experience. National com-pany supplies all materials and pay-checks. Fully guaranteed. For detalls-and application. send self-addressed.stamped envelope to: Tobec. Route 1.Box 514. Carpenter. Miss . .39050.

(7-.3t-.35p-ts)

MISCELLANEOUSProbate Assistance. Probate by Mall.The attorneys at Michigan Probate Ser-vices. P.C.. specialize In handling Inde-pendent probate estates of all sIzesthrough the mall. Computer assistancehelps us help personal representatives.Probate Court supervision can be avoId-ed and you. as personal representative.can remain In control. Call tolHree forrates If you have an estate to be pro-bated. 800-521-8724. (7-6t-48p-ts)

LEE Jeans. factory outlet workclothes. shoes. Bargains on new shirts(low as $5.95). jackets. boots. gloves.coveralls. Send $1 for catalog, SARAGLOVE CO.• 16 Cherry Ave .• Dept. C-95.Waterbury. CT 06704. (8-5t-.3.3b-ts)

for Sale: Royal International. 35 ft.travel trailer with attached lO'x24'cabana. two utility buildings. Locatednorth of Palametto. Fla. Hwy. 41. Call.31.3-66.3-2777. Ann Arbor. Michigan.

(8-2t-25p)

for Rentz Modern cabins. canoes(river trIps. boat rental). HiawathaForest 15 miles south of Wetmore onH-l.3. Lois Murdock. owner. Star Route.Wetmore. Mich. 49895. 906-57.3-2.301.

(8-2t-25p-ts)

Do It Yourselfl Buy furnaces. boilers.air conditioners. water softeners andother Items at near wholesale. Check ourprices, 616-784-1941. (8-22p)

Why Ole 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)

FOR UOMEMAKERSSAVEl Make Your Ownl Frozen hash-browns. tater tots. french frlesl Com-plete. easy. Instructions. $1.00. Hamll-tons. Box 652-1.31. New Ulm. Minn.56073. (8-20p-ts)

rlowl frozen Tomato Slicesl Enjoygarden fresh flavor year roundl Com-plete. easy Instructions. $1.00. Hamil-tons. Box 652-1.31. New Ulm. Minn.5607.3. (8-20p-ts)

Reclpesl Couponsl Cooking DelightMagazine. Cookeville. TN .38502-2727.$.3/year. (4-lOt-lOp-ts)

Coldwater 011I Plcklesl Can In mln-utesl No hot brine. Delicious. Crisp. Fac-tory secretsl Recipe. $1.00. Hamlltons.Box 652-1.31. New Ulm. Minn. 5607.3.

(8-20p-ts)

Pecansl Quart each halves. pieces.meal . .3 qt. sampler. $12.95. Postpaid.Canecreek Farm. Dept.-MF. Cookeville.TN .38502. (7-12t-16p-ts)

fREEIl 7 Jewelry samples. Seeing Isbelieving. Special Introductory offer. On-ly $2.00 shlpplngl handling. Ace Enter-prises • .32.3 Franklin '8041 A207 1D.Chicago. IL 60606-709.3. (8-20p-ts)

Morgan horses. mares and colts.Phone 31.3-727-7679. (8-6t-7p)

Suffolk sheep. 60 registered ewes.All or will divide. Allegan. 616-67.3-257.3or 616-673-687.3. (8-2t-l.3p)

for Sale: One team Welch mares. wellbroke. One team Hartinger. green broke.John E. Maynard. Hesperia. Mich. 49421.Phone 616-924-47.39. (8-30p)

o Non-member

LIVESTOCKMilking Shorthorns: Young bulls.yearlings and calves for sale. Write orvisit Stanley M. Powell and Family. In-gleside Farm. Route 2. 3248 Powell Hwy ..Ionia. Mich. 48846. (4-6t-12p)

Corrledale sheep breeding stock . .31.3-429-7874. (1-12t-5p)

Sheep. C I!lr S Curtis. Reg. Suffolks andReg. Southdowns. Helping small flockowners and 4-H'ers our special Interest.204 N. WIlliams. Stockbridge. MIch. 517-851-704.3 - 517-851-8017. (7-12t-22p)

for Sale - Half SlmmetClI bulls. 19months; 1.450 Ibs. Holstein Angusmother. 517-676-298.3, Mason. Mich.

(7-2t-l4p)

farrowing Stalls - All steel $180.00.Includes feeder-waterer. top rail. rumprail. Weighs 196 Ibs, Free literature. StarrNational. 219 Main. Colchester. IL 62.326,

(8-24p-ts)

Wanted to Buy: Milk cans for shIppingmilk. International No.9 silo filler. cornbinders and grain binders. John Spezla.Leonard. Mich. 48038. 31.3-628-4147.

(7-2t-24p)

____ Total Due_____ InsertionsWords

Members pay lO~ per word for non-commerical 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 themonth 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, Mich.48909. No ads will be taken over the phone.

DFarm Bureau member

Interested In Antique Gasoline En'glnes? Here are eight excellent bookson and about these fine old engines.These are collections of advertisementsfor engines ranging from 1881 to 1949.Eight volumes. totalling 4.32 pages ofadvertising. for just $.31.00 postpaid.Order from Alan C. King. 4790 RIverRoad. Radnor. Ohio 4.3066 (sorry noC.O.D'-s). (7-2t-5.3p-ts)

for Sale: Bale Thrower for New HollandBaler No. 268. Good condition. Price $150.Floyd Langs. Augusta. Mich. 49012.Phone 616-7.31-4589. (8-20p)

Spring Spedall - rlew Alumax hardhose Irrigation traveler. 1.200 ft. of.33/." ID hose - $14.500. Allis Chalmersdiesel pumping unit complete. 500 GPM@ 140' - $8.000. Manure pumps. agl.tators. pipe and Irrigation travelersto pump manure directly from lagoon orpIt to field. We also custom pump. Plum-mer Supply. Bradley. MI. 1-800-6.32-77.31.

(8-51 pots)

Process your own milk and sell fromfarm to consumer. Instead of $12/cwt ..you can get $20. We have a completefarm processing plant. Delivery and set-up could be arranged. $50.000 or bestoHer. For details. call .31.3-648-.3458.

(8-.39b)

RURAL LlVINO, AUOUST 19831

AgriCom/Corlee Computer ExhibitlIon the Road" Through October 1

By Connie Turbin

If you're even thinking aboutcomputers on your farm, youowe it to yourself to visit theMFBAgriCom/Corlee ComputerSystems mobile exhibit at oneof the remaining nine countyfairs where MFB's computerizedinformation system will bedemonstrated.

AgriCom coordinators havealready presented week-longdemonstrations at the MecostaCounty Area Fair in Big Rapidsand at the Berlin Fair in Marne,reports AgriCom team leaderRobert Craig. In addition, athree-day showing of the Agri-Com system capabilities atMSU'sAg Expo attracted hun-dreds of interested persons.

"Most of them have heardabout AgriCom and they wantto see how it works," saysCraig. "They have a serious in-terest in computer applicationsfor home and farm. Through thedemonstrations, we can intro-duce them to AgriCom as ameans of improving their mar-keting program and increasingtheir net income."

The remaining schedule ofmobile demonstrations at coun-ty fairs is running back to backfrom Aug. 1 to Oct. 1. In addi-tion, Craig says, AgriCom dem-onstrations are being con-ducted, by request, for inter-ested farm groups and at ag-re-lated conferences and seminars.

AgriCom demonstrations at.tracted many interested farmfamily members at the MecostaCounty Area Fair.


AgriCom-Corlee ComputerSummer Fair Schedule

Stop by the AgriCom / CorleeComputer Systems mobile ex-hibit at a fair in your area:

Ionia Free FairJuly 29-Aug. 7, Ionia

Huron Community FairAug. 7-13, Bad Axe

Berrien County FairAug. 12-20, Berrien Springs

Western Michigan FairAug. 22-27, Ludington

Eastern Michigan FairAug. 29-Sept. 5, Imlay City

Saline Community FairSept. 6-10, Saline

Saginaw County FairSept. 10-17, Saginaw

St. Joseph County Grange FairSept. 18-24, Centreville

Hillsdale County FairSept. 25-0ct. 1, Hillsdale

,

July was perhaps the mostheavily scheduled month for theAgriCom "road show." The sys-tem was demonstrated at twocounty fairs, Cattle Forage Dayat MSU'sLake City ExperimentStation, the State Farm Manage-ment Tour in Sanilac County,and at two workshop sessionsfor the Vo-ag Teachers of Michi-


21

MFB Policy Development ProcessYour opportunityfor positive involve-ment to address farmand rural concerns.

22

By Connie Turbin

Are you a coffeeshop critic orwill you be among the hundredsof Farm Bureau members state-wide who take an active and in-volved role in the 1983 FarmBureau policy developmentprocess?

In 1982, from the recommen-dations of community actiongroups, individuals, countypolicy development committeesand actions of Farm Bureaumembers at county annualmeetings, more than 1,100policy recommendations werefo'rwarded to the 1982 MFBPolicy Development Committeefor their study and considera-tion. This year's state PolicyDevelopment Committee chair-person, Jack Laurie, expects thecommittee will receive an equiv-alent number of policy recom-mendations in 1983.

Sharing your ideas and con-cerns, whether for local FarmBureau policy or for the mega-issues affecting our nation's ag-riculture, begins at the countyFarm Bureau level, Laurie says."That's the place to get yourpolicy suggestions heard andconsidered by other farmerslike yourself. If you are not amember of a Community ActionGroup, where many policy rec-ommendations are generated,you can introduce your con-cerns by contacting a memberof your county policy develop-ment committee directly."

Laurie emphasizes that thetime you take to attend yourcounty Farm Bureau annualmeeting to support and discusspolicy recommendations is animportant contribution to FarmBureau's grassroots policy de-velopment process.

Like Jack Laurie, a dairy andcash crop farmer in TuscolaCounty, members of county andstate policy development com-mittees are full-time farmerswho take their responsibilitiesseriously. Their months of studyand debate, which culminate atcounty Farm Bureau annual

{'

/,,

STATE POLICY DEVELOPMENTCUAIRPERSON JACK LAURIE

meetings in the fall, at theMichigan Farm Bureau annualmeeting in December and at theAmerican Farm Bureau Federa-tion annual meeting in January,get underway in August of eachyear when the schedule of dis-trict and state policy develop-ment meetings is set.

Members of the 1983 Michi-gan Farm Bureau Policy Devel-opment Committee are WilliamWhite, Cass County, District 1;Keith Preston, Branch County,District 2; Curt Eubank, OttawaCounty, District 4; RobertHarms, Eaton County, District5; John Tanton, Sanilac County,District 6; Herman DeRuiter,


Oceana County, District 7; EricBailey, Gratiot County, District8; James Maitland, NorthwestMichigan, District 9; RichardNelson, Ogemaw County, Dis-trict 10; and Robert Wahmhoff,Copper Country, District 11.

Also seated on the committeeare three Young Farmer repre-sentatives: David Lott, InghamCounty; Tom Bodtke, Van BurenCounty; and Jim Licht, HuronCounty.

The Farm Bureau Women'sCommittee also has three repre-sentatives: Nancy Rottier, New-aygo County; Catherine Knoerr,Sanilac County; and CharleenThompson, Ionia County.

At large members of the statePolicy Development Committeeare Jack Laurie, Tuscola Coun-ty; Michael Pridgeon, BranchCounty; and David Conklin, Shi-awassee County.

District 3's representative onthe committee has not yet beenannounced.

At this year's state policydevelopment meeting, slatedfor Aug. 17 at Long's Conven-tion Center in Lansing, keystate and national resource per-sons will be on hand to reviewand discuss education spend-

ing, water rights, dairy pricesupports, local affairs issues,Economic Development Corpor-ation.funding, and other na-tional and international issuesaffecting agriculture and ruralcitizens.

"At the state policy develop-ment meeting, county leadershave the opportunity to hearand question top notch stateand national resource people onthe issues," Laurie says.

In setting the agenda and re-cruiting resource persons, thecommittee identifies probableissues of importance to FarmBureau and agriculture. "For ex-ample," Laurie says, "a sessionon Economic Development Cor-poration funding was scheduledand a business consultant in-vited to address our leaders be-cause of the very real concernexpressed by some of ourfarmer members that largescale agricultural enterpriseswhich obtain start up fundingfrom the EDCwill exert negativeeconomic pressure on alreadyexisting family farm enter-prises."

Experience has shown thatpolicy developed through the(continued on page .3.3)

District Policy DevelopmentMeeting Schedule

District 1 - Aug. 29, 8 p.m.Van Buren County FB Office38880 Red Arrow HighwayPaw Paw

District 2 - Aug. 24, 8 p.m.Hillsdale County FB Office335 Beck Road, Hillsdale

District 3 - Aug. 15,7:30 p.m.Washtenaw County FB Office5095 Saline, Ann Arbor

District 4.- Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m.Kent County FB Office6525 Alpine AvenueComstock Park

District 5 - Aug. 22, 8 p.m.Ingham County FB Office134 W. Maple Street, Mason

District 6 - Aug. 1, 8 p.m.Teal's Cafe, 3101 Main StreetMarlette

District 7 - Aug. 30, 8 p.m.Fremont Fairgrounds, Fremont

District 8 - Aug. 1, 7:30 p.m.Midland Community CenterPioneer Room, Midland


District 9 - Aug. 24, 8 p.m.McGuire's Restaurant, Cadillac

District 10 - Aug. 30, 8 p.m.Chalet Restaurant, Gaylord

District 11 East - Aug. 238 p.m., Garfield Township HallEngadine

District 11 West - Aug. 227 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. EasternNorth Crystal Falls TownshipHall, near Amasa

Grassroots policy reaches the na-tional level at the AfBf annualpolicy making session held eachJanuary.

2.3

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24

By Robert Delano, PresidentAmerican Farm Bureau

For some time it has been ap-parent that this country hasreached a crossroads in agricul-tural policy. Further, by relyingon politically appealing targetprices and rigid, high-level pricesupports, we have worked ourway into an overproduction boxthat severely limits our options.

One farm policy path - theeasy one - leads us downhill tofull scale government supply-management. The other, harder,but equally obvious, path takesus uphill and back to the mar-ketplace.

The final option is to continueon the path followed since 1977- talking about market orienta-tion and increased participationin world trade (as we do in FarmBureau) - while segments ofagricultural leadership join poli-ticians in demanding price andincome support programs total-ly inconsistent with marketrealities.

Cost vs. Budget

It is politically tempting tokeep on with the present sys-tem of rigid, high-level pricesupports and to try to handlethe overproduction they encour-age through voluntary acreagereduction, storage in thefarmer-held reserve, the new PIKschemes and giveaway pro-grams.

To do so would be to ignoreagricultural expenditures grow-ing faster than any other pro-gram - even defense - andsigns of a dangerous politicalbacklash from both Congressand the general public con-cerned about a projectedbudget deficit of $200 billionand a trillion dollar nationaldebt.

Economists project that thecost of U.S. farm programs forthe year ending this Sept. 30will exceed $2] billion - with-out including the total costs ofthe payment-in-kind program.Basic program costs are up75% from last year, 250% morethan two years ago and abouteight times higher than wasprojected when the 1981 farmbill was passed. Inventories ofprice supported commoditiescontinue to be excessivedespite an attempt to use ex-port subsidies and a return tothe payment-in-kind and othergiveaway programs associatedwith the policy failures ofdecades ago.

ROBERT DELANOAFBF PRESIDENT

Legacy of 1981 Farm Bill

Weneed to review again theconditions that have led us to a$2 billion dairy surplus pro-gram, twice as much wheat onhand as we normally use do- .mestically and three times ournormal corn carryover. Thesesurpluses have accumulated inresponse to false marketsignals generated by unwise

RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 198:3

provisions of the Agricultureand Food Act of 1981.

The politically appealing FarmAct of 1981 was based on anumber of false assumptions -the assumption that both infla-tion and world food demandwould continue upward; the as-sumption that the dollar wouldremain weak against other cur-rencies; and the assumptionthat U.S. farm exports wouldcontinue to rise in the midst ofa world recession. As a result,loan rates, target prices anddairy price supports were set atlevels completely out of touchwith domestic and worldmarkets.

Where From lIere?

Without basic reforms, U.S.agriculture is headed in thesame direction as that ofWestern Europe - wholeheart-edly accepting politically deter-mined farm prices "stabilized"by government at levels mostacceptable to consumers withexcess production siphoned in-to world markets through ex-port subsidies.

The other alternative is forfarmers to work together to endincentives to overproduce and,by discontinuing the farmer-held reserve, remove the artifi-cial cap placed on farm incomeby government interferencewith markets. Once this is done,the profit and loss system willbe free to work - allowingfarmers to take advantage ofevery market opportunity athome or abroad.

U.S. Department of Agricul-ture economist William Leshersaid as much recently: "Do wewant a government dominatedagriculture or do we want to becompetitive in world markets?Once we direct our productionto the marketplace and not toan artificial price system, thenour competition will be forcedinto an honest battle which ourexperience has shown we canwin."


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It'sthe kind of guidance they'llappreciate, and its a nice way to letthem know you care.

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Have them ask for it where they nowdeposit their Government checks. It'sfree. And after all, they've got it coming.

_ I) 11'1 f9~EPOSI'AnER ALL,THEY'VE GOT ITCOMING.

25

AGRINOMIC UPDATE

Agricultural Weather ForecastingMust lIave a National Priority

Weather has more impact onyear-to-year changes in foodproduction and energy usagethan any other single factor.The importance of weather, es-pecially for agriculture and forthe entire food production sys-tem, has again been demon-strated during the summer of1983, where concerns over hotand dry weather caused grainand soybean prices to move uprapidly, only to see a suddenchange the other way whenwelcome rain was forecast oractually developed.

Commodity markets are al-ways sensitive to weather and itmay cause the national AMScorn price to hit $3.15 perbushel, which would trigger$200 to $500 million bushels ofcorn to be released from the1983 reserve program.

The concern on the nationallevel is that consistent and ac-curate weather information isan essential tool for food pro-duction and marketing. FarmBureau is very concerned aboutthe Reagan administration'srecommendation for the1983-84 fiscal year to eliminatethe nearly $4 million budget forthe National Oceanic and At-mospheric Administration inthe U.S.Department of Com-merce, which provides agricul-tural weather services includingfruit frost alerts.

A national priority needs tobe established for an agricul-tural weather policy and bothMichigan Farm Bureau andAmerican Farm Bureau are

working with other groups na-tionwide in developing a long-term plan for congressionalreview and consideration thatwould provide agriculturalweather on a continuing andstable basis.

Weather forecasting must bea federal responsibility. Thescale of weather systems isbeyond local and regionalboundaries and, therefore, mustbe national and global in scope.Satellite data, large scale nu-merical models, a coordinatednational and internationalweather observation networkand a nationwide informationdistribution system are allneeded components.

Because of the importance ofweather to agriculture, it isclear that an effective weatherand climate system with federalinput at the .top is essential toassure the productivity of ourfood and fiber industries.

Forecast Needsfor Agriculture

Users of agricultural weatherforecasts fall into two generalgroups. The first is the agri-cultural producer - the farmer,rancher or grower who usesforecasts for daily farm opera-tions and planning. The secondgroup includes the interpreters,who combine weather and agri-cultural information to formu-late advisories for use by agri-cultural producers and agricul-tural industries which areweather sensitive.

For several decades, the mainthrust of agricultural advance-ment has concentrated on in-creasing production by techno-logical advances, rather thanintensive management. Thesetechnological advances broughtan increased reliance on mech-anization, energy, high qualityseed, fertilizer, etc. Costs in-creased, but so did production,more than offsetting the in-creases in capital outlay. Inmany commodities, there arenow reliable indicationsthrough yield plateaus that thetechnology input has leveled offand the relatively weak finan-cial condition of many of thenation's farmers is a sure in-dication that technological in-puts are not being recovered bythe value of the crop produced.Reduction of overhead costs of-fers an attractive means of off-setting some of the increasedcost of production.

26 RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 198.3

Since weather is a dominantfactor in the efficiency and theeffectiveness of many farm op-erations, such as planting,chemical applications and har-vesting, it is reasonable toassume that improved weatherinformation leading to bettermanagement will increasefarmers' potential for reducingproduction overhead costs.

Agricultural weather forecaststhen must necessarily form thefirst steps in the staircase ofessential weather informationto be provided to producers foruse in making sound farm man-agement decisions.

The basis of all non-militaryweather forecasting activitywithin the United States,whether private, state or fed-eral, originates from the basicnational and international ob-servational data set compiled atthe NOAANational Weather Ser-vice's National MeteorologicalCenter at Suitland, Maryland.From this observational dataset, the National MeteorologicalCenter, using numerical predic-tion models, produces a uniqueset of forecast maps and guid-ance procedures, which are dis-seminated to National WeatherService forecast offices, whereweather forecasts are for-mulated and packaged to meetspecific purposes, such aspublic, marine, aviation or agri-cultural weather forecasts.

These forecasts are thenmade available to the generalpublic or other users for what-ever use they desire. Somegroups, such as private weatherconsultants, obtain the basic

forecast maps and guidanceprocedures directly from thedistribution circuits and pro-duce their own forecasts to suitthe particular needs of theirclients or customers. Allweather forecasters base theirinterpretations on the same setof basic and processed informa-tion provided by the NationalMeteorological Center at Suit-land, Maryland.

The farmers' need for weatherforecasts is highly dependenton the type of farm operationand the commodities being pro-duced. It also varies from dayto day and from season toseason.

Consider, for example, a poul-try producer and a row cropfarmer. Both have urgent needsfor agriculturally orientedweather forecasts, but the ele-ments of interest in the weatherforecasts are markedly dif-ferent.

The poultry producer is vitallyinterested in the maximum andminimum air temperature andthe rate of change of air tem-perature as he attempts to reg-ulate temperatures in thebrooder, broiler or laying houseto obtain optimum tempera-tures for production. This pro-ducer doesn't care about otherelements such as rainfall orwind or soil temperature.

The row crop farmer, however,is especially interested in allaspects of precipitation (if,when and how much rain willfall), soil temperatures duringthe planting season, wind speedand direction for timing andsuitability of spraying opera-tions, dew formation and dryoff, and in crop drying condi-tions.

The point is that no singleforecast is going to suit theneeds of all farmers.

Conclusion

Agricultural weather forecastsmust be carefully packaged toprovide the weather forecastelements that suit the needs ofmost of the producers in thearea being served. It would benearly logistically impossible towrite a specific forecast for aparticular producer groupwhich contains all the elementsof interest to that group.

Because weather is a such avital factor in production agri-culture, farmers must be con-cerned with national proposalsto eliminate all agricultural'weather services through thefederal government.

Agrinomic Update is preparedmonthly by MFB's CommodityActivities & Research Department.

RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 198.3 27

Workers' Compensationin Michigan

The Discussion Topic Isused by Community Ac-tion Groups for monthlypolley discussions.

During the 18th and 19thcenturies, moves were made toprotect employers from injuredworker claims. The common lawcourts developed three em-ployer defenses against em-ployer liability:

-Assumption of risk rule -an employee freely assumes therisks involved in a job when heaccepts the work and thereforehas no standing to complainwhen injury does occur.

-Contributory negligence -an injured worker who was atfault when the injury occurredhas no standing to recover dam-ages from the employer.

28

- Fellow servant rule - if a fel-low worker was at fault, the in-jured worker has no standing torecover damages from the em-ployer.

Costs of injuries, as a result,were shifted to other membersof an injured worker's familyand to communities. Welfaresystems at the time were main-ly limited to poor farms andchurch charity.

While employers "commonlaw" defenses continued intothe 20th century, soon an en-tirely new system of law beganto emerge to compensate forworker injury. This resulted inlarge part because court opin-ions became more favorable tothe employee on disputed

claims. Actually, Germany de-veloped the first system of com-pulsory workers' compensationinsurance in 1884.

Michigan Among the First

Between 1910 and 1915, themajority of states adoptedworkers' compensation laws.Michigan was one of the first toadopt a law in 1912. It waspassed by a Republican Legisla-ture and governor. The organ-ized labor movement and man-agement supported the law:labor to secure assured protec-tion for workers; managementto bring an end to the ever in-creasing number of liabilitysuits over work related injuries.Agricultural employers werespecifically exempted from the1912 law.

The Legislature also repealedthe three common law defensesof employers affected by thenew system. At the same time,the employee and his familygave up their common law rightto sue the employer for dam-ages for an injury covered bythe law in exchange for assuredbenefits.

The workers' compensationsystem was not based on fault,but instead on the relationshipof the illness or injury to theemployment. Originally, claimswere limited to wage loss andmedical costs, but over theyears the courts began to rec-ognize employer liability for in-juries resulting in an "impair-ment" which may not necessari-ly result in wage loss. Benefitsincluded cash payments basedon 662/.:5% of the employee's av-erage weekly wage for the dura-tion of a total disability. Partialcompensation could also be


awarded, and a schedule of pay-ments for specific losses wasprovided for loss of eyesight,appendages, hospital and medi-cal expenses. In case of death,benefits were provided for thedependents.

The employer was required tocover his liability by purchasinga workers' compensation insur-ance policy. The premiums be-came part of the cost of produc-tion and added to the price ofthe product. The theory of thelaw was that the cost would bepassed on to all of society.

Exemptions for Agriculture

For 55 years (1912-1967),farm employers maintainedtheir common law defenses.Most purchased liability insur-ance. However, during theperiod of 1962 through 1964,demands emerged that agricul-tural employers should be sub-ject to the Workers' Compensa-tion Act also.

The three common law de-fenses which still applied tofarm employers were repealedin 1965, and amendments weremade bringing agriculture un-der the full workers' compensa-tion law. However, when theLegislature considered the ex-emptions proposed by MichiganFarm Bureau, they decided topostpone the effective date twoyears, to May 1967.

Between 1967 and 1969, addi-tional revisions were made.After 1969, the workers' com-pensation law provided threeemployer classifications: privateemployers, public employers.and agricultural employers ofthree or more employees work-ing 35 or more hours per weekfor 13 or more "consecutive"weeks during the preceding 52weeks. Piece rate workers wereexcluded as were other em-ployees. However, the law re-quired farm employers of one ormore workers for five or more


consecu tive weeks to providemedical and hospital coveragefor work related injuries. Theworker retained his right to sueand the farmer retained his de-fenses. All other farm employerswere exempt from the law.

Gallegos Sets Precedent

However, on Dee. 21, 1972,all farm employers werebrought under the full workers'compensation law by a 6-1 deci-sion of the Michigan SupremeCourt in the Gallegos case. Inthat case, two workers were in-jured when they fell down astairway of the living quarterson a farm at 2 a.m. The Work-ers' Compensation Boarddenied their claim because thelaw exempted piece rate work-ers. A lawsuit was filed. TheCourt of Appeals upheld theboard's determination, but theSupreme Court ruled the exclu-sion unconstitutional and man-dated that agricultural em-ployees must come under thefull impact of the law.

The fact that the people werenot at work at the time of theirinjury made no difference sincethe injury would not have oc-curred if they had not beenhired. This is known as the "butfor" theory.

These kinds of decisions bythe courts and administrativeagencies have been the mainreason that workers' compensa-tion costs in Michigan havesoared far above other states.Conversely, Michigan's benefitswere not as high as many otherstates.

There is, however, an impor-tant benefit from being underthe workers' compensation law.Section 131 states in part: "Theright of recovery of benefits asprovided in this act shall be theemployee's exclusive remedyagainst the employer."

Those required to provideworkers' compensation insur-ance are:

."AII private employers whoregularly employ three or moreemployees at one time." Inter-pretation: The Appeal Board hasruled that if there is a patternof employment where three ormore are hired for a special job,time after time, they must becovered. This could apply wherethree or more workers are hiredfor annual planting, harvesting,pruning, cultivating, ete. Theboard has also ruled that "parttime" labor constitutes regularemployment.

." All private employers whoregularly employ less than threeemployees if at least one ofthem has been regularly em-ployed by that same employerfor 35 or more ryours per weekfor 13 weeks or longer duringthe preceding 52 weeks." Inter-pretation: It is possible thatworkers' compensation wouldbe required even though theemployee may not work 13weeks. Past decisions indicatethe 13 weeks refer to the jobnot the employee. Examples ofthis include:

-An employee is hired as amilker, works 10 weeks and isreplaced by another milker whois hurt after four weeks. Thesecond milker may come underthe act.

-A full-time regular employeewho has an accident before the13 weeks is up would probablyqualify for workers' compensa-tion because it was the em-ployer's intent to hire him formore than 13 weeks.

- The 13 weeks need not beconsecutive and are countedback 52 weeks from the time ofthe accident. A farmer mightemploy a person for eightweeks during June and July of

29

one year and again for fiveweeks or more in March of thefollowing year. This employ-ment would be covered by theworkers' compensation law.

An illegally employed minorunder 18 years of age who is in-jured receives compensationdouble that provided in the act.In this case, workers' compen-sation only pays the regularcompensation; the employermust pay the rest because ofthe illegal employment.

Under normal circumstances,a workers' compensation policylimits your liability to the costof the policy.

Costs Skyrocket:Reform Demanded

Since the 1970s, when farm-ers were brought under the fullworkers' compensation law bythe court, benefit costs havesoared and, in turn, the in-surance rates have risen by185%. The overall averagepremium rate in Michigan wasnearly five times that of In-diana, nearly two-and-a-halftimes that of Wisconsin andone-and-a-half times that ofIllinois.

Reform proposals were intro-duced in the Michigan Legis-lature with no results. Businessdemanded lower workers' com-pensation costs, but labor de-manded more benefits. Finally,businesses started to move outof Michigan and with them wentthe jobs. Farms, of course, can'tbe moved. Unfortunately, manyfarm employers went withoutworkers' compensation insur-ance protection, taking achance that they would nothave an accident.

In late 1980, enough legisla-tors realized what was hap-pening and passed some work-ers' compensation reforms,which took effect Jan. 1, 1982.Farm Bureau was part of this ef-fort and worked with a coalitionof other employer groups.

.30

The changes included in-creased maximum benefits, asMichigan was low compared toother states; and elimination ofminimum benefits regardless ofwages. Benefits often exceededworking wages thus discourag-ing a return to employment.Other changes helped the log-ging industry and also placedsome limits on benefits to re-tirees, requiring that mentaldisabilities and those resultingfrom the normal aging processmust be related to their employ-ment in a "significant manner."The statute of limitation waschanged and injuries resultingfrom social and recreational ac-tivities'were no longer com-pensable.

Even with these and otherchanges, it was found that be-cause of the increased benefitlevels, some businesses wouldstill have an increase in costs.

In December 1981, another15-bill reform package waspassed by the Michigan Legisla-ture. Some changes include:

- Anyone refusing a "reason-able" job that they are capableof performing loses benefits.

- Fringe benefits are limitedwhen calculating benefits.

-Coordination of variousbenefits to prevent total bene-fits from being more than theperson made while working.

-Clearer definitions of disabil-ities.

-Changes in rate setting tomake workers' compensationpremiums more competitivewith neighboring states.

- Limitation of lawyer andmedical fees.

What's the bottom line? It'sreally too early to tell, but thecombination of the two reformpackages should result inpremiums being cut about 20%overall, even with increasedbenefits for the injured anddisabled. The big question iswhether the courts and admin-istrative agencies will be morerealistic in their decisions.

Some of the data that FarmBureau provided in testimonysupporting the workers' com-pensation reform battle in 1981included a comparison of agri-cultural workers' compensationpremium costs with otherstates. For example: orchards -Michigan $15.81 compared toWisconsin $5.90, California$7.44 and New York $6.91; treetrimming and spraying - Michi-gan $16.22 compared to Wis-consin $5.90 and New York$6.91; dairy and livestock -Michigan $15.54 compared toWisconsin $7.25, .lIIinois $9.30,New York $7.11 and California$7.97; cash crops - Michigan$13.69 compared to Wisconsin$7.25, Illinois $9.30, California$8.91 and New York $7.11.

Some 1983 Michigan rates forthese categories are: orchards$11.50, cherry $9.45, tree prun-ing $8.63, dairy or livestock$4.55, farms (cash crop, etc.)$5.00 and farm markets $2.15.

Michigan is one of 15 statesrequiring workers' compensationfor farm workers; 21 otherstates require coverage, but withexemptions and limitations.

further Reform Needed

There are many areas of theMichigan workers' compensa-tion law that need reform. FarmBureau is working on legislationto clarify definitions of con-tractors and subcontractors.Pitfalls of imprecise definitionsaffect agricultural and forestryinterests throughout the state.

Fear of liability in a woodlotinjury has caused many mills torefuse to purchase logs from afarmer's woodlot. Yet the farm-er is unable to purchase work-ers' compensation coverage forhimself.

A further test of these defini-tions regarding contractual


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NEXT SUMMER! 25The last time you picked strawbe'- forries-or bought them-how many $2.25did it take to make a quart?Eighty? One Hundred? More? (SCHor 54.25)Reaular strawberries are so small (lOOtOf' 57.95)~most.people lost! count! But 2OOtOf'514.95)with thiS hardy variety, you canellj)ect quarts FROM JUST 30STRAWBERRIES! And these extra-sweet berries, GiantRobinson, are highly disease.resistant, they ripen veryfast, plus they produce lots of new runners to gIve you abi"er patch every year! How wonderful-big strawberries ACTUAL SIZE!for Jams, freezer, fresh desserts for monthsf GET A HEADSTART ... by pIanti,. now. Yes. fall plants can gain a fullgrowing season. You receive strong, healthy plants with Biaest strawberries most folkswe!l.developed crowns and roots. Send no mC!ney: On have ever seen: dark red verydellVe1'Y paycost shown, plus coo charges. On prepaid orders, .'add 95C to help postage and handling charges. If not 100"" sweet ... yet firm. All-purposel sa~isfied. just return Shipping label for refund of purchase -freeze jam eat 'em fresh!r_.e~~~~e.f:~s ~ " CAUTION!

•HOUSE OF WESLEY,NURSERYDIVISION FREEGIFT ~~co~l:fn\7.Dept. 2609.52 Bloomi~on. IL 61701 on these marvelous

•Send me N6609 Strawberry Plants.• For your immediate berries i~ that ~

. c. order, 5 Flowering people Just dldn tI Prepaid I ICOOI I Pleaseadd 95 on prepaid orders. Shamrock Bulbs. think to order en.NAME Ready-ta-grow and ouih. Honestly, you

• WIllbloom six weeks win wlnt at least• ADDRESS after you plant ~!~~n~I~~t~ta~

•CITY them. you can take ad.

vantage of gain-a-• STATE ZIP seasonFall p1antina. .I-------------------------------

work is currently in litigation.In this instance, liability for aninjury suffered during a con-tracted custom harvest hasbeen charged against the farm-er, despite the fact that thework was contracted and theequipment was owned and oper-ated by the custom harvesteL

Similar liability pitfalls mayexist for farmers who contractfor services such as bulldozing,excavating, etc.

While there is agreement thatthis area of the law must beclarified, support for a legisla-tive solution has been difficultto garneL Legislation was intro-duced in the last legislative ses-sion, but none has been intro-duced in this new session.

While this discussion topic isintended to be a general sum-mary of the workers' compensa-tion law and how it has evolvedthrough the years, it is also in-tended to point out some of theliability pitfalls under the law.

Discussion Questions

• Do you hire anyone, eitherfull time or part time, on yourfarm?

• Do you have workers' com-pensation insurance?

• Do you contract with anyoneto do particular jobs (building,roofing, field work, etc.)?

• Do you require them to pro-vide you with a certificate prov-ing they have workers' compen-sation insurance on their em-ployees?

This article was prepared byRobert E. Smith, senior legisla-tive counsel for Michigan FarmBureau.

Stock Your FreezerYour Count~ Farm Bureauis hauinB a MACMA Frozen

Fruit and UeBetable Sale

Order Deadline: AUBust 24Deliuery Date: Week of Sept. 12

Contact your county Farm Bureaufor further information

RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 198:3 :31

AgriCom 1983Summer Schedule(continued from page 21)gan summer conference in Lan-sing.

"The demonstrations offermore than the opportunity tosee AgriCom in operation,"Craig says. "We talk with farm-ers and agribusiness peopleabout possible applications ofcomputers on their farm orbusiness and we also offersome general information aboutselecting computer hardware.We want to be available to talkwith farmers and answer theirindividual questions."

Craig encourages both hus-band and wife to visit the ex-hibit at county fairs. "The pur-chase of a farm computer anddetermining its potential usesis a partnership decision," hesays. "In fact, we have seen atrend of farm women being themost frequent user of the sys-tem to access AgriCom or toperform other functions such asfarm recordkeeping."

The idea of a "road show" tolocal fairs was generated by JimCork, co-owner of Corlee Com-puter Systems, Ine., of Lapeer,which has been offering on-farm computer systems forthree years. Corlee is demon-strating several types of com-puter hardware and softwareprograms during the fairs.

Legislative Review:Washington(continued from page 7)

AFBF President Sets Na-tional Priorities - In an ad-dress before the state FB Coun-cil of Presidents, AFBF PresidentRobert Delano called for con-tinued opposition to tax andspending increases, support fora strong national defense and arestructuring of federal farmprograms to bring supply inline with demand.

.32

"There is evidence that we arewinning in our anti-tax cam-paign. Our ability to get thou-sands of letters opposing anytax increase to all members ofCongress has been one of themost significant and successfulFarm Bureau campaigns inmany years," he said, referringto recent congressional votesrejecting both withholding oninterest and a limit on the thirdyear of the Reagan tax cut.

"Only through evidence ofcitizen support between nowand the next election can wethwart attempts to increasetaxes rather than to cut spend-ing," Delano said.

Delano called for producers towork aggressively to bring sup-plies in line with demand, toreduce costs and to becomemore price competitive. FB pol-icy calls for reducing incentivesto overproduce by moving allcommodity price support loanprograms to market-clearinglevels. By achieving that, hesaid, u.S. agriculture will be in aposition to beat foreign com-petitors and avoid periods inwhich mounting surplusesdepress prices.

Legislative Review:Lansing(continued from page 7)house, dock or port, and sugarmade from sugarbeets in pro-cessor storage, household fur-nishings, appliances, fuel, wear-ing apparel, jewelry, ete. Itwould also eliminate the exemp-tion on growing farm crops(trees, shrubs, plants, bushes,vines, annual or perennial) andthe assessments on publicrights of way exemption.

eH.B. 4757 - Amends the in-come tax act to eliminate, afterDee. 31, 1983, the $1,500 per-sonal exemption and variousdeductions including retirementbenefits, contributions, energy

credits and the homestead taxcredit program known as the"circuit breaker." It would alsoeliminate the credit a farmercan take when he allows chari-table organizations to "glean"his fields or orchards for usablefood.

eH.B. 4758 and H.B. 5760 -Amend the general sales taxand use tax laws to eliminateall exemptions after Dee. 31,1984, including the sales taxexemption for agriculture ma-chinery, livestock, feed seed,fertilizer, all supplies, ete.

eH.B. 4761 - Amends theSingle Business Tax Act toeliminate exemptions after Dee.31, 1987. This would bringfarmers back under the act.

eH.B. 4759 - Amends theSeverance Tax Act in a similarmanner.

This series of bills, if passed,would eliminate all tax exemp-tions and tax credits, includingP.A. 116! A special tax subcom-mittee will soon begin to criti-cally study each exem ption andmake recommendations., Each bill contains about the

same wording. The exemptionsare eliminated by a certain dateunless the House and Senatetaxation committees decide toallow the credits or exemptionsto be extended.

Water Rights - This simplebill (H.B. 4198, Rep. Dodak) hasbecome very controversial. Itprovides that "a farm or farmoperation shall have the rightto use an amount of water suffi-cient to meet the needs of theproduction of farm productsand crops grown." However,such use "shall conform withgenerally accepted agriculturaland management practices." Asubcommittee is consideringthe legislation.

FB has helped to developalternative language. The bill

(continued on page .34)


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GROW GINSENG FOR US. Selling now$120.00 a pound. We sell 100 tested quali-ty (Stratified) seeds only $18.00 a thou-sand. Planting time now. One-year-oldplanting roots (this month's special 500roots, $50.00). LARGE - 7-year-old seedbearing goldenseal planting roots (specialthis month, $30.00 a hundred). BIG -385-page book tells everything you everwanted to know about growing ginseng,$5.95 each. Over 100 pictures. 100% pureorganic grown ginseng powder, $10.00 anounce. Goldenseal book, $3.95. Grow ownvitamins (COMFREY). 25 live plantingroots, $10.00. We buy dried wild ginseng.Everything prepaid. Mail cash or moneyorder to -

school juniors or seniors whowere chosen by farm Bureaumembers of their home coun-ties. As Henry Schriver said tothe group at a banquet Wednes-day evening, "You are here be-cause they see in you the prom-ise of things to come."

The young people have ac-quired a new sense of citizen-ship to live with and pass on totheir peers. They deserve to becommended, along with thefarm Bureau organization. It's ashame all young people beforethat subtle transition into the"real world," can't experiencesuch a week.

In the end, the experiencewilt as Schriver put it, helpthem" grow to be golden wheatand not noxious weeds."

Marshall Evening ChronicleEditorial, June 17, 198.3

Policy Development(continued from page 2.3)

meetings and discussions ofFarm Bureau members through-out the state are pretty muchon target in identifying issuesthat need the focus of farmBureau's policy execution ac-tivities.

"Larger ideologial issues,such as farm program policy,federal spending and interna-tional trade may take monthsand years of effort and supportby farm Bureau, Laurie says,"but many practical, day to daypolicy issues such as supportfor the Michigan AgriculturalMarketing and Bargaining Act(P.A. 344), water rights legisla-tion and agricultural researchfunding are successfully carriedout through the year."

Letters toKural Living(continued from page 17)new responsibilities and a pro.fusion of new choices to make.

How does a brand new citizenmake choices in a foreign worldof politicians, promises, statis-tics, ballot proposals, politicalparties, more statistics andfinally the polls? far too oftenthey simply avoid them, plead-ing ignorance or innocence.Elections only represent thechoice of those who do vote.

farm Bureau ... sponsors aYoung People's Citizenship Semi-nar each year to help preparesome of America's future citi-zens - leaders as well as voters.

The weeklong, eventful semi-nar is a well-organized and veryeducational experience for16-and 17-year.olds from allover the state. The highlight ofthe seminar, which ties themany lectures and discussionstogether, is a mock election."federalists," "Populists" andindependents campaign, regis'ter, vote and are forced to makedecisions.

As an example of these deci-sions, this year's ballot pro-posals at the seminar were"Should capital punishment bereinstated?", "Should there be aban on the sale of hand guns?"and "Should there be a mora-torium on further building ofnuclear power plants?" Notmake-believe choices, but veryrea) questions that are of mora)and political significance.

High school education, withits own student council elec-tions and government classes,also stresses the importance ofconscious choices. It is easy,however, to become apatheticand aloof - to develop feelingsof insignificance.

The 231 students who attend-ed the seminar are bright,young leaders, mostly high

RURAL LIVING, AUGUST 198.3 .3.3

Legislative Review:Lansing(continued from page .32)only recognizes in law thatagriculture should have certainrights.

In the future, a more detailedlaw will be needed.

Education - The 1983-84budget for local schools was in-creased about 17% overall. Thestate aid per pupil formula forK-12 schools provides $328 foreach student plus a guaranteed$59 per mill of tax levied. Forexample, a school district levy-ing 30 mills of tax would beguaranteed $2,098 per pupil($328 + (30 x $59)). This is up$150 or 7.7% per pupil.

S.B. 113 and S.B. 114 (seeJuly Rural Living) would bypassthe 1978 Constitutional TaxLimitation Amendment (Head-lee) by making the school em-ployee retirement and SocialSecurity a part of the 41.6% ofthe state budget that must goto local units of government.This payment shift would mean$125 million for the currentyear and $300 million for 1984for other state spending. Thebills are being considered dur-ing the recess.

Grain Dealers' Act Amend-ments - S.B. 55 and S.B. 56would create a "statutory lien"on grain assets of a dealer infavor of the farmer if he haswritten evidence of storage orsale. In case of bankruptcy,farmers with stored grain wouldhave first priority and thosewith evidence of sale, secondpriority.

However, problems could oc-cur with federal bankruptcylaws which can override statelaws. Substitute H.B. 4319creates a $4 million state gov-

.34

ernmental insurance fund.Grain would be insured at 80%of value. It would be funded bya per bushel fee of one-half centon dry edible beans, one-eigthcent on corn and oats, and one-fourth cent on all other insuredproduce.

In addition to legislation, in-surance companies are consid-ering low cost policies wherebyfarmers can protect themselvesfrom bankruptcy losses. Somestates have such programs.Federal bankruptcy laws alsoneed to be changed. Thevarious approaches and amend-ments are under study duringthe recess. In the meantime,the new Grain Dealers' Act,passed last year, has been ef-fective.

PCB Contaminated Silos -FB is supporting legislation toassure that farmers with suchsilos receive payment for theirlosses.

Two bills for com pensation orloans have been introduced.S.B. 365 (Sen. Nick Smith) pro-vides that the regular condem-nation procedures should beused the same as when anyother property is taken by agovernmental body. The otherbill, H.B. 4771 (Rep. Nash), pro-vides for 20-year loans up to$75,000 with no interest thefirst five years, 3% the next fiveyears, and 2% less than theregular rate thereafter.

The present emergency rulehas prohibited farmers fromadding material to contami-nated silos since May 1983, andprohibits any use of those silosafter September 1983.

Farm Truck Licensing -H.B. 4581 (Rep. Allen) passedthe House and will be consid-ered in the Senate during thefall session. It contains the $15special permit that was availablefor vehicles used only to "gratui-tously transport crops between

the field where produced andthe place of storage."

The bill removes the word"designed" from the old law.Defining "designed" hadcreated problems.

A new section allows the pur-chase of farm/truck licenses forthree months or more at 1/ 10the regular annual fee for eachmonth. It applies where theregular fee is more than $50. FBhelped write this legislation.

Beef Commission - H.B.4421 passed and is now law. Itcloses loopholes in the collec-tion procedures for researchand promotion. Veal producerswill be exempt from the act pro-vided their own self-help promo-tion program passes a producerreferendum under P.A. 232.

Sales Tax Prepayment onGasoline - H.B. 4585 (see JulyRural Living) is also being con-sidered further during therecess.

Beginning Farm Loans -The first loan applications havebeen approved by the FamilyFarm Development Authority.They range between $35,000and $175,000 with interestrates ranging between 6% and10%. Loan applications must bemade through local participat-ing banks or lenders locatedthroughout the state.

Solid Waste Amendmentsto P.A. 641 - H.B. 4365 con-tains several updating amend-ments. Farm Bureau has pro-posed one to require an agricul-tural impact statement "when asolid waste site is being con-sidered." It will be anotherissue this fall.

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


Michigan Farm BureauRural Living MagazineP.O. Box 309607373 W. Saginaw Hwy.Lansing, Michigan 48909

Non-Profit OrganizationU. S. POSTAGE

PA I DLansing, Michigan

Permit No. 37

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