Vol. 20 No. 24 U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz parried questions from farm writers on Monday in Washington Youths Exhibit Projects At Conservation Contest by: Melissa Piper Karen Martin, a freshman at Garden Spot High School And member of the Grassland' Environmental FFA Chapter, captured first place in the FFA Con servation Speaking contest held on Monday evening April 21, at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center. Miss Martin, who lives on a dairy farm with her parents Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Martin, East Earl El topped a field of four public speaking candidates with her talk, “Where is our Land Going?” Red - White Cattle Becoming Popular by: Melissa Piper Throughout recent years, several new breeds of cattle have been introduced into the United States; many of these animals popular for their genetic capabilities, production performances or phenotypic variances. One such breed which has become increasingly popular over the past ten years is the Red and White Dairy animal. Actually, the red and white dairy cattle had their beginnings many years ago in the lower countries of Europe. These red and white Dutch of Friesland dairy cattle existed even before the development of the black and white breed known in this country as Holsteins. Many of the animals of the European countries were transported to England where they were eventually crossed with the popular during the yearly spring meeting there of the Newspaper Farm Editors of America. Speaking with emotion, Miss Martin described how important farm land can be wasted by erosion and rain when not properly taken care of by conservation methods. She also explained the workings of zoning and land use planning as means to save Lancaster County’s land from destruction. The Lancaster County youth expressed concern that unless conservation methods were employed currently, our grandchildren might starve from lack of rich agricultural land on which to grown crops. Also representing the dairy animals of that country giving rise to various breeds known today, including the Ayrshire and the Milking Shorthorn. The Red and White dairy cattle were somewhat slower in becoming popular in this country as the .dominate color factor of the Holsteins became the prominent combination. Although the Black and White Holsteins retained much of the dominate color characteristic, genetic recessive capabilities at times made it possible for two black and white animals to produce a red and white calf. Often when this mating offspring occurred, the calf was instantly killed as it was thought of as a freak of nature and genetics. What many producers did not understand was that the animal was perfect except [Continued on Page 12| Serving The Central and Areas Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 26. 1975 Grassland Environmental FFA Chapter was Melody Huber, whose talk on the extinction of wildlife helped her attain second place in the contest. Miss Huber, who is also a freshman at Garden Spot High School resides at Bowmansville with her parents Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Huber. Other contestants vying for honors in the con servation speaking contest were Gordon Lewis from Elizabethtown and Marty Hoover from Ephrata. Judges for the event were Sally Bealy, representing LEAF, Stanley Mussleman, area banker and Melissa (Continued on Page 14] Dwight Houser, Lampeter, poses with some of the many trophies he has won as an active FFA member at the Lampeter-Strasburg High School. Dwight is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Wilbur Houser. Farm BiD Hits Ford’s Desk - Veto Expected Agricultural observers in Washington this week were generally skeptical of the chances for enactment of the Emergency Farm Bill. Although the bill did pass both the House and the Senate this week, there seemed to be general agreement that President Ford would veto it when it finally readied his desk. On Monday morning, in fact, Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz told a group of farm reporters that the president had told him he would definitely veto the farm bUI. Butz made the statement before a meeting of the annual Washington conference of the Newspaper Farm Editors of America. If the bill is vetoed, there appear to be too few votes in either house to override. The bill went to President Ford’s desk on Wednesday afternoon at 3 o’clock, and he has ten days to either sign or veto it. Butz said that there is a possibility that if the bill is vetoed. President Ford would follow that action with an immediate hike in the loan rates for feed grains. In This Issue FARM CALENDAR 10 Markets 2-6 Sale Register 58 Fanners Almanac 8 Classified Ads 26 Editorials 10 Homestead Notes 38 Home on the Range 41 Organic Living 49 Junior Cooking Edition 42 Sale Reports 63 Country Comer 38 Farm Women Calendar 42 Chester DHIA 50 The present loan rate on com, for example, is $l,lO. The most often mentioned increase would put the new rate at $1.87. Butz said he’s personally opposed to the bill because it would be inflationary and because it would get the government back into the grain business. The bill is also opposed by the American Farm Bureau - because the target prices are too high - and by the National Farmers Union - because the target prices are too low. “Consumer groups are half for and half against the Lancaster Legislator Speaks To Farmers Representative Kenneth Brandt spoke before a concerned audience on Thursday evening at a meeting of the Eliza bethtown Young Fanners. Brandt,. a Lancaster* County legislator and member of the State Agriculture Committee, commented on three agricultural laws which are currently pending in the House. Commenting on Clean Stream Law and the need for farmers to have approved conservation and sedimentation plans by July 1, 1977, Brandt explained that the Ag Committee had spoken with DER on three occasions trying to pinpoint exactly what would need to Lancaster Youth Raises. Award Winning Crops Dwight Houser is a young man who is known to many throughout Lancaster County for his outstanding work in FFA and 4-H. Dwight, who is a senior at Lampeter-Strasburg High School, resides on a farm with his parents Mr. and Mrs. J. Wilbur Houser, in Lampeter and has been active in 4-H for nine years and in FFA throughout his four years in high school. As an FFA member, Dwight has served his chapter as chaplain, news reporter and president. He has also served on the supervised farming project committee, field trip organization and on the Lampeter Hog and Steer Sale committee. As projects, Dwight has taken swine fattening and breeding, beef finishing and corn production. Com production has been one of Dwight’s favorite $3.00 Per Year bill.” Butz added. “I do know that George Meany, president of the AFL-dO is m favor of the bill. And I’m suspicious of any farm bill that he likes." The main reason be op poses the bill, Butz said, is that it would increase in flation. “In the Department of Agriculture, we want to do everything we can to stand behind the President as he tries to bring fiscal sanity to the budget. I’m concerned about inflation. Farmers should be too, because one of the most serious problems [Continued on Page 13| be included in the farmer’s conservation plans to meet the approval of the DER. Brandt went on to explain that many members of the Ag Committee were still not sure exactly what would be required of the fanners and expressed his belief that DEB was looking at the law from a different viewpoint. “Farmers have been more conscious of conservation for a longer period of time,” Brandt commented. “We feel they probably know more about sedimentation problems from a farming standpoint than does DER.” Brandt explained that DER has been looking at the stream sedimentation [Continued on Pate 24] projects as can be seen by his many awards in that field. The youth placed second in the State for his com yield which registered at 212 bushels per acre in the Muncy Chief corn com petition. He was also selected to receive the proficiency award for crop production this spring. Since Dwight lives on a small farm he must acquire land elsewhere to plant his com crop. “I do plant some on our farm and other plots on rented land.” “This year my production was good with 212 bushels per acre.” Along with his project work, Dwight has been in volved in many FFA ac tivities including being a member of the livestock judging teams. Last year, Dwight won a bronze medal and fourth place m the I Continued on Page 9]