NFO-237 (AV10737): US Farm Report: Insight on Agriculture

[music] hi everybody and welcome to us farm report the subject of today's show the national farmers organizations National Convention in Louisville Kentucky I'm delighted to welcome to our show once again the newly reelected president of NFO mr. Oren Lee Staley Thank you Bill Oren Lee I want to congratulate you on your election it was a fine victory and I know that there was some opposition but that's all in the democratic process and I think it worked out very well well I think it's important that we're only elected for one year in the NFO and this gives the members and the delegates an opportunity to change leaders if they want to at the end of one year that way we have to keep on our toes and do the best job possible of course we look up in on the officers that we hold as a part of a cause and anytime that they can find someone else I can do a better job we want them to elect him we tell them that frankly it takes a lot of teamwork and leadership to get a job done such as we're doing what year is this for you how many really really bill there are about three eras of the NFO it was a protest era and then and then we went through a transition period and really we've been in collective bargaining about 10 years and that's what we're really talking about now and the organization is the 10 years of collective bargaining because that's when it moved into really a fundamentally sound organization Oren Lee as you know our us farm report camera crews covered the convention in all of its various facets and among many of the interviews that that we made there we talked with some Future Farmers of America a group of young fellows who had come to convention have been sent to convention and I think their expenses have been paid actually by their organizations hadn't they I'm not familiar but I think they were a Bill and they came there to see rural America in democratic action and that's exactly what the the NFO convention was at this time let's take a minute and watch these young fellows and listen to what they have to say ok be fine ladies and gentlemen we are speaking to you from the corridor just outside of the main convention hall here at Freedom Hall at the National Convention of NFO in Louisville Kentucky as you can see there are in attendance at this year's convention a number of young members of the Future Farmers of America a very familiar sight the now traditional purple jacket worn by these young men these young men some of them were sent here to this convention at the invitation of NFO their trips were sponsored by the county NFO chapters others came on their own of their own volition it is only right and proper that the NFO convention should be attended by these young people because indeed the future of agriculture in America lies in the hands and minds of young fellows like these how are you pretty good the back of your jacket says Wisconsin what what's the town of Wisconsin Shell Lake there Shell Lake what part of the state is this in the northwestern part Washburn County I see and your name Kirk [unclear] how big a farm do you come from oh we got a pretty small farm no we watching off and yeah head up all 200-acre farm northern awesome and we raised about everything little of just about anything see how big a family do you come from i7 and a family 7 have you been in the dairy business we always think of dairy and we think of Wisconsin we're still are are you enjoying the NFO convention it's real good what do you feel is the word the real future in farming where does the future lie I think its got the line corporation maybe not but at least larger farmers as they talk the smaller farms are gonna keep going but the smaller farms owned by older people and you don't see many young farmers anymore do you think that in your case for example that your generation and perhaps your children might keep your family farm going or do you foresee a change in that I think I see a change already I can't actually say I'll be farming myself I'll be in agriculture but there's different fields it's not only farming at least you can help in agriculture somewhat why do you feel you won't farm well we don't have a big enough farm to start and if you don't have a farm there now that you can go on with it's awful hard it's what investment you'll never see the end of it if you don't okay thank you very much excuse me I want to get over and say hi to Jim Buck Jim how are you fine now let's see state president this year the vice president in Illinois right and what's the part of Illinois do you come from Jim the east central part from the Armstrong chapter now I've had a little advance on you your father is a member of NFO is he not and what kind of farming do you do in Illinois well we are [unclear] farm primarily but the dad and I are in partnership with his dad and two brothers and in the four families there's two swineherds to beef herds and then 1200 acres greatly well yours is indeed an excellent example of the American family farm you actually have three generations going on that farm right now right you heard this young man say that he wondered about the future in agriculture of the family farm how do you feel about well I wonder about it too and I am going to look very very hard at the situation before I say that I'm gonna farm and I do know this I do know it's definitely the situation hasn't changed by the time I am in a farm well now this situation and I'm not trying to put words in your mouth but I'm interpreting that what you mean by the situation is the lack of ability to make a living I'm talking about well this is just one way of saying but I'm talking about and the farmer buys anything there's a price tag on it when he sells it he has very very little voice in it and I'm not a lazy person but I'm not gonna work in a situation where I have all the risks of weather insect disease and then when it finally comes to where I do raise a quality product and then get shot down at the market price well as we often say an agriculture the price is the name of the game I the FFA Creed has something to say about that would you repeat it for me oh there's many parts of the Creed that you could be talking about but I think the part that you're talking about it's a very beginning of the fourth paragraph it goes I believe in less dependence on begging and more power in bargaining there you are well I think that this certainly fits hand in glove with the NFO philosophy wouldn't you agree to that from what I have learned about the National Farmers Organization it certainly does Jim it's a pleasure to see you today you enjoying the convention I sure am this is really democracy in action here isn't it it's a little bit different kind of convention I think you'll ever find anything so - lots of good luck to you okay thank you how are you okay what is your name Joe Beaver Joe where are you from Northwestern Wisconsin you are or were president last daughter my brother won oh this is your brother yes I see okay Joe how big a farm do you live on a 320 Acre dairy farm and what about your family how how many children there's seven children what what about the what about the dairy business how do you feel about it economically well I think it's an awful tight business because the investment is so large and you have so little income so the only way that most keep going is to use up their capital and their investment and the trouble with the dairy business - but you have to be there every day of the year morning and night and work from about 5:30 in the morning till 10:00 at night and this is why there's average ages like 60 up in the dairy country of Wisconsin Joe where you've come from is this problem prevalent that of having farmers who are getting pretty old and young people the younger generation not staying on the farm I think this is a very great problem because we have many farmers that are as much as 20 years over retirement age still farming and I can only think of maybe three or four under 30 that have gone in in the last few years what's it gonna take Joe to keep you on the family farm and to keep you in agriculture well I think that the profit is going to have to be increased and that there won't be such a wide gap in what you pay and what you get in other words you're talking about the farmer getting a fair price for his product yes okay Joe thank you very much hi how are you fine this is Joe Brodmann were you from Joe Ohio Ohio and what about your farm what kind of a farm do you come from how we come from a 125-acre own farm and we've read some yes plus that equals about 350 now how big a family we have nine children you're from a big family right well now this is a family farm the family farms of course as you know across the country are threatened and there is quite an exodus from the farm these days in fact national figures tell us that 2500 farmers every week are going out of business on the farm do you feel like you're going to stay on the farm Joe prices on farm I don't increase that I don't know whether I will but they start increasing I probably will as I like to farming well it's going to take then a good price or at least a fair price or the effort expended and the investment that you have I'm sure that on 125 acres people don't realize this but you have along with your father and your family quite a dollar investment don't you right and yet the return is somewhat questionable always what do you think of an fo you're given any thought to it yeah I think it's pretty good- pretty good organization it's helping the farmer gain higher price it's going out except you might get higher prices nothing drastic happens alright thank you Joe it's very nice to see are you enjoying the convention I sure am good hope to see you again soon lots of good luck to you Oren Lee I think we have just seen right there indeed the future of Agriculture and for that matter the future of NFO when you look into your crystal ball looking into the future as president of NFO what do you foresee for these young people although I think that it's very obvious than any thinking man or lady either because they make up agriculture too it's a family operation is up now the first thing I think that we all can agree on is that the average age of farmers at 57 years of age means that our type of Agriculture is deteriorating and it's going to be worse and deteriorating it's going to leave the scene as a family type farming setup unless there's enough profit in agriculture so that young farmers like these can stay in agriculture and have the desire to stay in agriculture now this is really what the NFO is all about and the reason that it's all about this subject and harder but I have a son my own that now in college that wants to return to the farm he gives a typical statement I want to return to the farm if it's profitable I say it isn't I'll use my education in some other field and this is too bad really we're losing this good talent right and what is NFO doing about well of course there's only one key to this bill and that is to get a fair price now I think that what we have to realize is that progressive business thinking farmers know that they're living in a different economy today than they live in even one year ago certainly much different than five years ago or and it's so much different almost unbelievable in comparison with twenty years ago so really what we're talking about is this that today when I buy some repairs for my tractor the prices are up tremendously up from a year ago and unbelievably more than five years ago and when we tracked back the reason and I'm just using one example that's typical of all examples that I could use but we'll buy repairs on a tractor what happens with these prices up it simply means that if you trace the reason for these prices being up you'll find there was an economic power block somewhere will say first organized labor they negotiated a better contract with the benefits that not had before fringe benefits so what does this mean it means that there is a farmer a pay for those increased wages but let's look at it from the business standpoint the steel industry raised the prices also to raise their profit level because if they don't raise their profit level and means that those that do not buy or those that do buy stock and companies are only gonna buy in companies that are making a profit that's comparable for the other companies in other segments of the economy or the new use buying the stock of this company there to be unprofitable so it means that it's not by accident that Bethlehem Steel for example raises the price of steel and everybody else follows suit it's a really an industry decision that they have to raise the profits to be comparable other segments the economy so what happens the farmer that buys this repair or his tractor pays the the increased wages for them he pays for the increased profits and industry and then we're getting down to what we're talking about and that is an individual's cannot compete in today's economy because these powerbox are the reason that he's having to pay a higher price for everything he buys so it means that what we're talking about is that the farmers build an economic block so that they can compete with that economic block and so that they can pass their prices on to the marketplace that will justify them a fair price for their products and so then it becomes in consequent of whether or not their labor cost the labor goes up or the cost of interest goes up or the cost of a tractor goes up because then they can pass their increased cost on at the marketplace and that's what NFO is all about and by these actions we can keep this young talent on the farm bill the youth that is in agriculture and those that want to be a part of agriculture as farmers I believe are progressive thinking people they realize what's happening in the rest of the economy and so they should and we hope they do and we encourage them to do so immediately to join the NFO because there's no great secret in bargaining there's no great secret and how you meet the agricultural problems of today you have to get a price that's fair in relationship to the rest of the commodity prices in this nation for farmers this means they have to be able to compete in today's economy and so in order to do this they have to join the NFO this makes it possible for them to build their economic strength to build their economic strength for their fellow farmers so that the block of production can be built to the point that only the buyers can find their needs by buying from this block there's no great secret to it and then farmers can put their price tag on their products in the same manner that the steel industry is I spoke of or the working people do on their work and so this is what we're really talking about two steps join the NFO and block their production together so they do where they move their production in a block so that not a pound of milk or a head of livestock or a bushel grain moves unless it moves through the block of production and this way they can put a price tag on their products so we need the young farmers for their leadership for their progressive thinking and for the use of their production together as farmers so that we can put a price tag on our products and this is a way that the youth can stay in agriculture because it will be profitable but it will be profitable only if they take these steps Oren Lee as you know at National Convention in Louisville us farm report had the pleasure of interview to Canadian visitors to the convention now these two young fellows were very enthusiastic members of the National Farmers Union of Canada right now let's take a look at this interview and then I'd like for you to comment on on this naturally fellas I want to discuss with both of you your Canadian National Farmers Union in some detail but before we get into it perhaps we should qualify you Peter by saying that you are Junior president of an NFU and I'd like for you to tell me that's exactly what Junior president is actually bill the role of Junior president is to try and get more juniors involved into the organization and such as well I'm in charge of other programs such as Queen competition within the organization such as talent contests but I would have to stress that the overall role is to try and get our young real people and young farmers interested in the National Farmers Union and as a result to have them participate and thereby you know build an organization whereby the future yeah well we can we can keep the future people and have them interested into the organization well it seems very obvious Jerry that Canada is sharing some of the same problems in agriculture that we have in this country one of them being keeping the young people on the farms yes though I believe that's a very accurate statement I'd like to first of all tell you that I had the privilege of attending this convention and one prior to this and hearing the the speakers and talking to the farmers here the situation isn't such that the young people don't like the working conditions on the farm it's purely an economic one and this is exactly the same one that we have in Canada it's purely economics Peter and Jerry let's talk a little bit about the National Farmers Union of Canada tell me something of its philosophies and beliefs and concepts and what this organization is trying to accomplish for the Canadian farmer bill I'll try and do this in as few words as possible up until this summer we had no real national farmers organization in Canada we had provincially autonomous unions and we have come to the conclusion over the last few years that even though we have tried to do a job we couldn't keep up with the times we just weren't moving fast enough and having had considerable contact with the NFO we discovered that our only solution was to form a strong national organizations organization quite comparable with the NFO and we had a study done by a company specializing in this line and they presented to us a proposal you might say of a new organization which we are working on at the present time and this proposal is based again along the lines of the NFO with collective bargaining or the farmer actually putting a price on his own product being the main goal in the main motto now we had a founding convention at Winnipeg which is a central Canada June or sorry July 30th and 31st this past summer at that time most of our provinces relinquished their provincial economies and joined up with the National Farmers Union the new National Farmers Union since then several more have come in in this week there's another province having their what you might say their annual convention on a provincial basis and my hopes are that they as well will come into the National Farmers Union out our way we have a real problem which I believe you have in the US as well and this is a condition of autonomous groups and I don't have to say anything about wrong or bad about any autonomous groups but we all feel or they all feel that their best and they hate to give up anything therefore we're having some problems to make other people other farmers other organizations believe that a national organization will be their answer but I can say that they're with the our experiences in the past I'm quite confident and hopeful that we will have a strong National Farmers Union where actually every province or farmers within every province will participate even before this year is up that's marvelous that's just outstanding Peter so many people who really don't know about the farm economy seemed to feel that the farmers plight is the farmers place that it affects only him and nobody else now in this country that is far from the truth and I presume in Canada you could say the same thing oh I would say bill this is completely untrue it affects the economy as a whole and especially initially the rural economy just recently I made a speaking tour throughout Canada and it is so obvious in the rural areas that if where the farmers are the hardest off that's where the rural towns are decayed the worse as well and it is certainly my hope that we are able to up our own income because if we were able to do this I think we can do a not only a service to the rural community but to the country as a whole yes gentlemen it's been a real pleasure having both of you Jerry Peter always a pleasure to say hello to our friends north of the border and in closing may I extend the hand of NFO in America to the hands of NFU in Canada hopefully that one day as you have suggested Jerry these hands will be joined into perhaps what will be called an international organization under NFO or NFU Oren Lee I think that NFO should be flattered by the fact that our Canadian neighbors have patterned their organization after your organization in this country this is right well yes now these fellows talked about a parallel of agricultural problems between the United States and Canada I think I've heard you mention that really the agricultural problems that exist here exist the world over this is correct they owe and we foresee the time in fact we've had many visits from agricultural representatives of all the common market countries of Europe and we foresee the time that there will be an agricultural unity type program and probably cooperation were illegally possible worldwide that there has to be a period of time that we go through an adjustment but nevertheless eventually we're going to have to have worldwide agreements were that floor prices are determined there's a pool set up to take care of excess production from all the countries that go into the underdeveloped countries but that these products that we produces farmers and all countries throughout the world that they're not used as a dumping price situation type market worldwide and that's what the world market price is now and so the countries that do produce are going to have to put a price tag on their products in order to keep agriculture in the hands of the farmers that own the agricultural production that have the individual initiative and the desire to reproduce food that's the only type of agriculture that ever worked anywhere in the world Oren lee i want to thank you for being a guest on US farm report in giving us this excellent look into the future of Agriculture and NFO well it's in relative terms it just means that farmers have the opportunity to use the NFO as their tool to get a fair price for their products at the marketplace they cannot do it as individuals but by joining the NFO blocking their production together they can and will put a price tag on their products and the reason we have already raised that farm prices with unexpected farm price increases on many commodities is because of the success and the use of a strength of the NFO at this point our guest today on US farm report has been mr. Oren Lee Staley national president of the n fo US farm report has seen each week on this station until we meet again so long everybody [music]