NFO-270 (AV10772): US Farm Report: Convention - State Level

the city of Salina Kansas post city to the eighth annual state convention of the National Farmers Organization of Kansas morning and afternoon sessions held in Salinas Memorial Auditorium hello everybody and welcome to us farm report this week u.s. farm report covers convention state level as our cameras register the highlights of the sunflower state gathering later in our show you'll hear from Kansas Governor Robert backing and nfo national president or on lease daily but now let's move inside Memorial Auditorium to hear the call to order by state president Chris Walker we welcome all of you back to the convention there are several new faces we hope that before the morning is over they will have all of our seats filled as co-chairman and Rules Committee I would like to read the rules as submitted by the rules committee of the 1970 Kansas State an apple convention number one the revised Robert's Rules of Order shall be the guide on all matters growing out of this convention chairman may appoint parliamentarian number two night sessions of a convention may be held upon authorization by majority vote of the delegates present at any regular session among the preliminary committee reports was the report of the Rules Committee by Walt Farrar and Frank Raleigh they were followed by the Arrangements committee and the legislative report once again President Chris Walker takes the podium to make a special introduction the introduction to the convention of nfo national administrative assistant Lloyd Fairbanks Lloyd is the native Kansan he was born and raised around the native Kansas and he's a pretty shrewd boss I worked for him for about eight years in the field staff department and then have been closely associated with him we've gotten I've worked around him for the last two years very closely and it's my pleasure and I'm real proud you have come down here to discuss some of the legislative matters with you probably if time permits when Lloyd has made a presentation about the farm program whatever else he wants to talk about you might have some questions pertaining to legislation this time I'd like to presume Lloyd Fairbanks Lloyd is the exec I'm sorry Lloyd is the executive assistant to the president and I'm sorry I would be looking thank you Chris officers fellow nfo members and I should be able to say candy because I spent the most of my life here in Kansas and I've been spending quite a bit of its my time in tents the last couple of weeks and I'm going to be around with your little while longer I don't know how many of you have kept up with the farm bill this year many of you bridge of papers I'm sure but if you're like me and reading the papers you cannot tell exactly what's going on as far as farm legislation now knowing that this is going to be a difficult legislative year for agriculture the different farm organizations got together in a coalition which nfo was a part of all the farm organizations commodity groups and many others got together a total of 32 of them not to farm the earth they do not join with us in this respect they have never been for favorable legislation for agriculture they want to do away with legislation for agriculture turn farmers out to compete in the trade at the mercy of a green trade and to compete with these other segments of the economy which have been protected by our government in various ways the collation group got together basically five organizations got together and wrote a bill this bill was written on the basis of a 1965 which is a good bill providing that it had been a ministered right by past secretary or even the president secretary but there was provisions in there that let the secretary by administration keep us at only a survival level or maybe even slightly below a survival level so the collation got together made it stronger language in a lot of cases improved it in others so that there was this would be a survival basis for farmers over the coming years that the bill would be voted in we thought as nfo as well as the other farm groups that it should be a permanent bill and by having a permanent bill then you can amend it better but by this time a bill that comes up every year two three or four then the legislature does not want to under men a bill like that particularly for the betterment of agriculture in most cases but there's time went on these Agriculture Department met with the House AG committee every Monday night for months on end nobody wanting to take credit for any type of a bill that was being offered for any versions of it particularly at that time the administration but as things went on they got time closer to the time that the House AG committee was going to have to come out was some type of a version of a bill to be offered to the house and then considered by the Senate now then as just got closer to this that began more and more evidence that the administration every time that anything was offered that be an improvement to the farm legislation that they would draw back knowing that the administration is dedicated not only this administration but the past administration is dedicated to getting rid of farmers instead of helping them and this is something that your vice president Erhard Kingston Chuck Walters who has a master's degree in economics and also one of our Jack simmer out in California who visited dr. ho Texas who is the AG economist there on the adviser AG adviser for the president he pointed out very definite that this has been the plan that they had been following the ced plan that they he said we had too many human resources in agriculture we had to get rid of him he said it was going to be very painful for many but this is something had to be done for the good of the nation you have to be replaced and I was not replaced but shifted from agriculture into industry in the next two years to the tune of every sixth one of you in this room you can start charlie north and count up to six and that person or somebody is going to have to take his place in leading agriculture in the next two years so they could not let a decent farm program get through the house AG committee or the Senate or the atotal Congress if they were going to make this plan effective in that period of time but in my opinion is any improvement that you can make today through the Senate will do nothing more than the simple statement I've made before that this is a rotten bill it's all I got made and basically all Senate can do is take some of the smell out of it because it's always going to maintain below the survival level for you and I so actions got to be taken this year action is been taken many of these congressmen that have voted against good farm legislation have to be taught a lesson and even though there's only basically forums that have to be challenged to the extra real extreme if you can shake these four you'll shake the boots of the other 431 in Congress and the hundred senators because they know that Interpol has the power to do this any place across the nation they want to so action must be taken you must be thinking not as a man none of the fun out of the party an inter a cheaper before as I told you it wouldn't make any difference which administration's in there they're all following the CED program but the thing about it is we've got to have congressmen and Senators in there with bits enough that they don't have to worry about campaign money from the party and some other and gets enough to stand up what is decent or right on here for people in United States and go against the ministration of it needs that in order to do so I think there followed adjournment for lunch then the afternoon session was called to order to hear reports from the resolutions committee and the credentials committee to hear a guest speaker and to elect board members as the afternoon session continued inside Salinas Memorial Auditorium we moved our us farm report cameras to the front lawn of the building in a pleasant and warm outdoor setting we have the pleasure of interviewing some of the Kansas State leaders of nfo Jack Koontz of Crawford County Kansas is here in attendance at the Kansas State Convention of nfo Jack Crawford counties down in the southeast corner you border a couple or three states don't you well the border one state in the one County from the other which is Oklahoma we go to Missouri our a bigger farm do you have down there well I'm controlling about 1,800 acres now what are you doing with this acreage jack live stop running cow her then also by stairs and pasture you have these cows on or the beef cattle on pasture yes and no usually a few of them yeah what about crops you growing some crops I've got about 65 acres of soybeans and 26 acres of corn well then how long have you been a member of NF Oh since 1960 in February is that the year that Crawford County was chartered right and you're a charter member that yes sir well the Europe diversified farmer you've been at it I'm sure for many years but what do you feel nfo has accomplished for you and the other farmers of your area well I guess we can't put a finger on it maybe but we could put it thisaway if it run for the nfo in my opinion we would be getting about and a half for our soybeans and I imagine we'd be getting 10 or $12 for hogs and I'm almost sure of my own mind that we took $20 for our feeder cattle list which has held up pretty good I got from 3231 53:9 over the grass I showed him we're talking now realistically about three dollars soybeans are about track bank rally is a farmer he farms a thousand acres north of Valley Center Kansas he works for n fo as assistant grain director in the Wichita marketing area Frank one of the things that's becoming apparent I'm sure in the selling of grain is that wheat is wheat is a falsehood there's a great difference isn't there right we have to get our members and producers more oriented into feeling that they are producing a product instead of a commodity actually when you take the elevator price or the old marketing system that our producers have been using for years that is a blend price because we have quite a variance in proteins and in grades and the man at the elevator buying this weed has to take all these factors into consideration when he prices his puts his buying price to the farmer plus the fact that he has a inherit profit that he wants to obtain for himself looks to me like the present system is the great leveler it pulls up the poor we producer buy as bootstraps to a level with the good wheat producer foodways pull down in terms of price because of this blend well to an extent that's right bill but actually it's kind of like as you've heard only state many times a low priced area pulls down a higher priced area and it's the same way in the various commodities a low quality product pulls down a higher quality product in relation to that price what is the wheat outlook in the state of Kansas this year well basically across the state we had a real good crop last year and total number of bushels and in terms of your ability to sell and in terms of price how's it going we do have 25 to 30 cent better price advantage over a year ago along with this added production which is a good indication that bargaining efforts and the very fact that we are each handling this production has had an effect on the industry Frank what about membership and the attitude in general well as you know there it's a little hard to evaluate our overall membership increase due the fact that we are losing farmers so fast we are basically if we can maintain the same membership and develop these people into further cooperating with the nfo effort we're making a tremendous gain in my own County I'm the county chairman and I know in the past year we've lost some members due to the fact that they are no longer farming so I feel we are we are gaining overall in our membership in nfo Frank I want to thank you very much it's been a pleasure talking with you today and I hope you enjoy the Kansas State convention of nfo celina Thank You Bell Willis Kiessling is Reno County chairmen and fourth District vice president of nfo Willis has worked with the field staff Department of nfo he's been on an oppose own supervisor Willis at the present time is farming a thousand acres 27 miles west Hutchinson Kansas in Reno County Willis it's pleasure to see you thank you pleasure to be here what are you growing on your acreage I'm highly diversified I am a wheat farmer a Milo farmer alfalfa feed out hogs I run beef cows registered Angus cows and feed stairs or win Riemann summary program on Peter Steele I would presume really that what happens to a farm of your type is dependent almost entirely upon the kind of prices the farmers receive for their commodities it is definitely so without a price we have nothing to continue with the commodities that I mentioned everyone cares a pretty good operating capital to operate them wheat but in 20 dollars an acre Milo approximately that and then hogs and cattle and varying degrees to the prices of your grain and your supplements and your labor we've got that down mechanized to where two people with wife and I are some help with my elderly father we run this operation without hiring only maybe a few days labor during the year well I have to believe that the independent farmer like you personifies farming efficiency I think this is where the real efficiency in farming is don't you I feel that the efficiency the ideas that has gone into the machinery has come from the progressive individual farmer it's not the corporate structure that has made the advancement in technology of Agriculture it's the necessity of the individual to try to stay on the farm himself his own ingenuity to do this job the business of the convention over delegates and their wives made the short trip from Memorial Auditorium to Salinas 4-h building to attend a banquet where they could relax and unwind after an arduous day dinner was served to a hungry and appreciative group who were anticipating the double-barrel climax to the eighth anniversary convention addresses by the Honorable Robert backing governor of the state of Kansas and Renly Staley national president of nfo thank you very much for us it's a great pleasure we have the opportunity to lead and to share part of this evening with you it's also a great pleasure to a little later once again welcome warmly state way back to Kansas he honors our state every year with his presence and you'll be so delighted to see him back in Kansas again as Chris mentioned this is the thick the consecutive Interpol convention that I've had the opportunity to attend in her the appreciate your invitation and I know that you share with me the concern for the future of agriculture in our state of Kansas two important issues in my opinion for farmers and collective bargaining power I am totally named have been totally approach to corporate farming in Kansas I made this very clear more than three years ago when I threatened to veto or a corporate filing bill sponsored by leaders in the legislature the threat worked the barrel died in the legislature my opponent who was a member of the state Senate that year 1967 voted in favor of the bill and I might add I know where I have been and I think where I'm going on this issue and I will continue as this administration will continue to support the precept of free and unfettered collective bargaining between employers and employees and between farmers and processors I strongly support both the principle and the practice of collecting collective bargaining merit performers there this is 100 farmers can deal effectively in the marketplace under current marketing conditions it's been a real great honor to be invited to attend your convention once again I am looking forward to mr. Stephens visit and I'm issuing wisdom and enjoyment in this convention quickly it's a little better weather this year than the last two years I believe two years ago and I had to drive a week last year I believe is right woman Hargrave and I believe the year before the city would not clearly I appreciate the opportunity to visit with you for a while because I think that we certainly are meaning as time as we're critical decisions have to be made by people in rural America critical decisions that not only affects farmers with the rural business people and in turn our nation and I think the responsibility that we have on these so many farmers are so much greater today than they ever were before because the stakes now are so hard and these issues that seem to me to be paramount in what happens in rural America are not much different than what we used to talk about that we could see the trend was going to be but the difference here is that now that the NFL is the nation organization that we have tremendous responsibilities as an organization responsibilities far greater than many of us ever anticipated responsibilities that carry with it the leadership ability of every one of our County leaders district state and national leaders not long ago there was a new member to join the NFL that I think probably coined the phrase or a thought but probably sometimes we forget about it and he said you know what's wrong with the NFL he said you know you don't act like a winner and I was thinking about this is reported if you have something reported to you I don't even know who and I got some thinking about it and there's a lot of truth to in fact I think it's a whole tour of some of the things that we have to think about and what progress we have made but with progress goes the responsibility now what really could he be saved first for the first time in the history of this nation we have a nationwide coordinated bargaining structure that's either operating or capable of operating in all 48 states of a continental United States the first time that there's been coordinated economic power that has been brought together to compete with the economic power of nationwide buyers and whether we like it or not we're living in a period of history when thousands that organize and those that develop economic strength has the ability to compete but those every main unorganized get weaker and weaker in today's economy and it's fairly immaterial whether we like it or whether we don't we just happen to be living in the year of 1970 we're not living in the year of nineteen fifty years 1960 or 1930 while we are living in the year of 1970 and we have to live with the problems that are in that year you have the ability so all I can say is if I've done anything at all I tried to age you for actions in your own behalf and for your own this has been convention state level us farm report is seen each week at the same time on this station until we meet again so long everybody