Serving The Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania Areas
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Scenes from last year’s Farm Show
depict the anticipation, pageantry, and
joy of winning.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Jan. 3,1976
$3.00 Per Yea
•84,000 prize money waiting
HARRISBURG—The 1978
Bicentennial Farm Show
open its doon to the public
at 8 ajn. January 5, as
livestock: and dairy shows
get underway in the two
arenas, and four days of
vocational demonstration
contests start in the main
show building auditorium.
See complete schedules of
meetings and events
elsewhere in this issue.
By the dose of the show
January 9 at 4 p.m.,
thousands of head of
livestock and poultry will be
judged and winners honored.
A perennial highlight of the
judging is selection of the
grand champion junior steer
in the large arena Jan. 8 at
1:45 pjn.
This year something
commemorative will be
added. Not only is this the
60th annual Farm Show, but
it is the 50th anniversary of
the 4-H steer show.
In 1926, Frands Murren of
Hanover R 4, exhibited the
grand champion steer at the
first 4-H show. Mnrren has
since spent a lifetime in
promoting livestock and
youth livestock activities.
His dedication will be
recognized when he will
present the h*ni>w to the
exhibitor of the 1978 junior
steer champion. Joining
| Continued on PateTOJ
FFA degree to be awarded
' By MELISSA PIPER
LANCASTER Young
men and women from all
over Pennsylvania will be
gathering in Harrisburg this
week for the annual FFA
Mid-Winter Convention
which will be held in con
junction with the State Farm
Show.
A number of the youths
will be honored for out
standing FFA work when
they receive the Keystone
Fanning Degree which will
be presented at an awards
assembly on Wednesday,
Jan. 7.
The highest state award,
the Keystone Farming
Degree is presented an
nually to 2 % percent of the
youths enrolled in the FFA
program in Pennsylvania.
To be considered for the
award, an FFA’er must have
invested $5OO into his
projects. He must also have
been an active member of
his local FFA chapter and
served as an officer or in a
leadership capacity.
The Keystone Degree
represents the finest in
project work coupled with
leadership abilities and an
interest in the FFA work and
service programs.
Numerous youths from the
Lancaster Farming’s prime
coverage area will be
receiving the Keystone
Degree this Wednesday.
Once again Lancaster
Fanning has featured short
biographies on these youths
in the Farm Show Edition
beginning on page 49.
Tobacco lacking quality
ByPIETERKRIEG
LANCASTER Lan
caster County’s tobacco crop
does not appear to be as good
this year as it bad been in
previous years. That’s the
conclusion that was drawn
Wednesday afternoon
following the Comity’s
tobacco show, held here in
the Farm and Home Center.
One of file more significant
revelations was that *be
show drew only 111 entries—
that’s down from 169 entries
the past two years, and 200
before that. Although judges
and organizers of the event
were somewhat reluctant to
comment on this fact, they
did express some concern
over it and are assuming
that the lack of top quality
tobacco tins year has caused
a number of growers to skip
the show.
The judging in the 4-H and
FFA divisions was done by
John Yocum of Pom State
Agronomy Research Farm
at LandisviHe. Jay Neff of
Millersville captured top
honors in both categories.
Maurice Hostetler,
general manager for the A.
K. Mann Company, and Les
Whitmore, assistant
manager from American
Cigar, served as judges in
the open classes.
Arnold Lueck of the
Lancaster County Extension
staff supervised the show.
Commenting on it af
terwards, Lueck described
the event as having bad a
[Continued on Page 19]
Pesticides okay for com
Corn farmers may con
tinue to use dihrdane and
heptachlor up until Ang. 1 of
fids year, according to an
announcement made earlier
tins week fay Russell E.
Tram, administrator of the
Environmental Protection
Agency. Most other uses,
however, have been banned
because of alleged ties with
cancer. Corn farmers will be
allowed to continue use this
year so that they might have
time to find alternative
management programs, an
EPA spokesman said.
The EPA’s ruling came
after more than a year of
research, debates, and
controversy. Velsicol
Chemical Corporation, sole
manufacturer of both of the
banned pesticides, sent the
following notice to editors,
reporters and newscasters
last summer when it learned
EPA was intending to
suspend the manufacture of
heptachlor and chlordane:
. “Half-truths, un
substantiated allegations,
omissions and double-talk
arc not the kind of news
information you would ex
pect from a federal
regulatory agency. But that
is what you got in die EPA
news release, and we think
you’ve beat had.”
Velsicol presented its case
to the media by sending out
packets of information. The
allegation was that the EPA
had slanted its research and
news releases, and bad, in
(Continued on Page 2t]
Exhibitor honored by hog men
By MELISSA PIPER
YORK - For the post 45
years, J. E. Tanias, a bog
producer and farmer from
tins comity has traveled to
Harrisburg to exhibit bis
animals at the State Farm
Show. At this year’s 60th
edition of the event, Lanins
will be honored by ids fellow
- swine exhibitors as having
the longest history of
exhibits. The honor will be in
conjunction with a display
to be staged in the hog
confinement area and is
entitled “Do You Remember
When?”
Lanins first traveled to the
Farm Show in 1925 with
several Poland China hogs to
show in the then “one and
only swine class.” The
producer explained that at
that period in time there was
no main building and classes
were judged in various
buildings throughout the city
of Harrisburg.
“That first year and for
many after we showed in a
garage,” Lanius explained
“it wasn’t until 1931 that the
Farm Show Building was
opened for the exhibits.”
During the early years of
the Farm Show, swine
exhibits were verj
prominent in the
agricultural scene with great
numbers of exhibitor:
flocking to the show. The
breeds then common wen
[Continued on Page 24]
In This Issue
Markets _ 2
. Farm Commentary 10
Veteran Showman 14
UfeontheFann 18
Classifieds 28
Homestead Notes 42
Country Comer 44
Home on the Range 46
Jr. Cooking Ed. 47
Ida’s Notebook 47
Keystone Fanners 49
Bicentennial farm 70
Lancaster DHIA 71
Steer-Hog Show 74
Farm Show feature 75
800 ribbons won 77
Sales Register 80
York DHIA 86
Farm Show Schedule 87
Master Farmer 92