The Agricultural View
August 2009 Issue 4
http://theagriculturalview.blogspot.com
(All issues and farm poems) ------------------------------------------------------------- Doug Mercer (FBPA) Retires The instructor of the top Farm Business Planning & Analysis program in Ohio recently retired leaving a legacy of assistance to farmers and agriculture in Washington County that will likely never be equaled. The program has served well over 200 farms countywide during Doug’s 37 years of instruction. See the insert page for a history of the program. From the View’s Desk I continue to provide some food for thought. I would also like to thank those who have given financial support and encouragement. The View goes to 250 homes. After the 6th issue, I plan re-evaluate in January. Mistakes are all mine. Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board Vote YES on November 3! Nearly all agricultural organizations are on record in support of this initiative which is to try to help offset the HSUS’s attack on animal agriculture in Ohio. For information visit: www.ohiolivestockcare.com 1
Animal Rights Update PETA has a budget of more than 30 million dollars. According to *public records from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service last year PETA killed 2,124 pets and placed only seven in adoptive homes. HSUS - The Humane Society of the United States (not local humane societies) is the largest and richest animal rights lobbying organization on earth with a net worth of about 300 million dollars and an executive staff and board of about 50 professionals at their disposal. This equals power and enormous political clout! At times these groups do some good, however the problem is where the mass majority of their millions are spent. See daily Animal Rights updates at: *www.consumerfreedom.com Land Resources Worldwide In 1997 retired Professor of Animal Science at OSU Dr. Jack Cline said there were 33 Billion acres of land resources worldwide including: 9.7 Billion acres of agricultural land of which only 3.5 Billion Acres are fit for cropland. This leaves 6.2 Billion acres that can only be utilized by animals to produce food for a world with millions of starving people! 2
Concerning Fruit Sales Incentives (See Issue 3) It has been brought to my attention that it is generally individual auditors and school clerks who invoke their opinions against student incentives that create some problems for FFA chapters. Incentives, however, are ultimately at the discretion of each school. Thoughts for Teenagers: 1. Think for and believe in yourself, set goals and decide what kind of person you want to be known as (see Proverbs 22:1). 2. Remember, when you text message in the presence of others you are actually sending two messages; the written text and the message you send to those in your presence that you ignore. Washington County Agricultural Education/FFA Instructors Lisa Miller – Fort Frye, Erwin Berry – Frontier, Brian Welch – Marietta, Allen Clark – Warren, Kevin Wagner and Jason Lipot - Washington County Career Center, Matt Hartline – Waterford (Chair) A Glance Back – Washington County *At the 1826 Agricultural Fair, Henry Fearing was recognized for raising 105 bushels of corn per acre. *Farmers built flatboats to float their 3 surplus farm produce down the Ohio River to Cincinnati or even New Orleans. *The excess cattle were taken to Eastern markets and wool was sold by the ton to Eastern Manufactures. Hugh Coffman An Ideal Medium for Plant Growth is composed of: 25% Air, 25% Water (Combined = 50% Pore Space), 5% Organic Matter and 45% Mineral Matter. Say What? Approximately fifteen years ago a couple of my students told me of the following fight they had witnessed in the cafeteria. They witnessed a boy sitting at their table innocently eating his lunch when unbeknown to him a young man approached him from behind and hit him full force with his fist in the side of his head (temple area) knocking the seated student to the floor. As he was flailing on the floor trying to regain some stability the attacking student came after him again with fists flying. While knocked on his back, and still stunned, the student instinctively put up his foot to try to hold off the attacking student. Eventually the attacking student was stopped by others. Note: In some schools if you defend yourself when attacked you are 4 suspended along with the attacker. Even if you swing in self defense and make no contact – the retaliatory attempt earns you an automatic suspension too. Later I learned that the principal had conducted a lengthy discussion about if the young man’s foot came forward, while he was down on the floor, the action might constitute an aggressive action on his part that would then result in a suspension for him as well. This is unreal – what increased liability threats will do! Cattle Trivia The 4 (ruminant) cattle stomach compartments are called: Rumen, Reticulum, Omasum and Abomasum. Health Care/Family Doctors One day at lunch more than 30 years ago, I had the following discussion with my family doctor concerning his health care/patient frustrations. He explained his dilemma over the growing number of welfare patients that were attending his clinic. He had no problem with them personally, however, he had noted two trends. First, the steadily increasing number of welfare patients and secondly the frequency with which they would come in with the most insignificant cases 5 as compared to the regular paying patients. He also told me that it would generally take at least 6 months to get his payment from the government and then he would only get about two thirds of his actual costs reimbursed. Also, the required documentation was mounting. His concern was that he could only see so many patients per day, and therefore he had no choice but to increase the charge per visit. This indirectly caused the paying customers to absorb the added costs of the welfare patients. Imagine if we multiply this alarming trend by more than thirty years of expansion and increasing bureaucracy. He was also frustrated that his time spent with paying patients was more limited because he was also trying to see more patients per day to help with the loss of income. Another doctor, who retired just a few years ago, told me that he actually made more profit when he began practicing by charging $5.00 per visit (which included any prescriptions) than he did in his later years of practice. Note: Health care costs force most farmers to have at least one spouse work off of the farm to secure health insurance for their family. 6