Farmers Discuss Saving Land at Carolina Picnic

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — About 1,500 farmers, including former baseball pitcher Jim (Catfish) Hunter, got together over barbecue Saturday to talk about how to save their land from the auctioneer’s gavel.

About 2 1/2 tons of food--all donated by farmers and their supporters--was served, but the turnout was much smaller than the 25,000 people that the organizers had predicted.

Thayme Cozart, of Parsons, Kan., attributed the smaller-than-expected crowd to the fact that “most farmers couldn’t afford a plane ticket.”

Calls for Fair Trade

Hunter, a North Carolina farmer, was applauded when he called for fair policies on international trade. He said that America’s trading partners must be made to understand that “they’ve got to take some of our products, or we don’t take theirs.”

Eugene Meads, chief organizer of the meeting, said it was intended as an interstate forum for farmers. “Perhaps a farmer in Maine has a bit of knowledge that will help a farmer in Nebraska,” he said.

Gary Terry, a farmer from Bertie County, N.C., said that federal loan policies had cut off his credit. Any help for him, he said, must come quickly because “planting time is about here, and if I don’t get help in a few days, I’m out.”

Thomas Stamps, a lawyer and foreclosures expert from Atlanta, said that there are “a few” programs offering help to farmers, and urged that they look into them.