faL2 3L Ylt. 7. }C
John Barley doesn't want a.refuse barn next to
his 380*cow dairy. More than, 14,000 pounds of
milk are produced here daily. maKing itthe largest
operations in the County.
Farm anti-trust act
introduced in Congress
WASHINGTON, D.E. - In an effort to reverse the trend
toward corporate domination of U.S. food production and
insure the future of the family farmer, South Dakota
Senator Jim Abourezk has re-introduced the Family
Farm Anti-trust Act. The anti-trust measure would
require corporations holding more than $3 million in non
farm assets to divest themselves from agricultural
production within five years.
“Corporations are increasing their economic control
over agriculture through contract fanning,” said
Abourezk. “This centralizes the production and
marketing of the nation’s food into fewer and fewer hands
and gives them more power to determine prices on the
market”
“In addition, family farmers find themselves in
creasingly powerless against these corporations and are
being forced to abandon their farms,” he added. “Since
World War n, 2,000 farms and 300 rural businesses* have
been driven out of business each week. Meanwhile, food
(Continued on Page 45|
Industrymen gather
for poultry seminar
By JOANNE SPAHR
LANCASTER, Pa. - The
second of three educational
seminars sponsored by the
Lancaster County Poultry
Association and the Penn
State Extension Service was
held last Thursday evening
at the Farm and Home
Center, here. Speaking on
the subject of solving egg
shell damage problems, at
that meeting were John
Bezpa, poultry specialist of
Rutgers University, and
Kermit Birth, Extension
poultry marketing specialist
of Penn State University. A
second topic of “Layer
Management,” was
discussed by Dr. Stan Smith,
poultry nutritionist of
Agway, New York.
Serving The Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania Areas - Also Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware
Prior to the speeches by
the three featured lecturers.
Jay Irwin, Extension agent
for Lancaster County, of
fered a few words of in
troduction. He explained
that in Lancaster County, the
poultry industry is now
exceeding the $73 million
dollar mark, and that it
employs from 10 - 12,000
individuals in all phases of
production.
“We’ve got the markets,
the industry people, and the
know-how, so it’s important
we keep up with the current
developments in the in
dustry,” he explained.
Egg Shell
Damage Problems
Birth and Bezpa’s topic
[Confirmed on rags 33]
'VtAOAjdu .'S~j_J_ .f 7.7
Rally planned Wednesday
Farmers challenge
eminent domain
♦, >"V •* __ V >.
By DIETER KRIEG
WASHINGTON BORO, Pa. - Two busloads of Pennsylvania
legislators are due to arrive on the Abram and John Barley
farm near here on Wednesday to see for themselves what
impact a threatening landfill may have on one of the largest
dairy operations in Lancaster County. Pennsylvania
Secretary of Agriculture, Kent Shelhamer, may also join the
group. Meanwhile, the Lancaster County Farmers
Association is mounting a campaign of its-own to have “as
many farmers as possible” show up at the Barley farm for a
show of support and strengths
At stake is a 58 acre tract of land which the Lancaster Area
Refuse Authority (LARA) is threatening to take through the
power of eminent domain. When news of that landfill plan
became widely known late last week, both rural and urban
residents of Lancaster County became 'aroused over the
issue. Wednesday’s gathering at the farm will bring together
this swell of public opinion while most major news services
and local media representatives stand by to report. “We’ve
received tremendous support,” says John Barley.
According to Abram and John Barley, the case doesn’t just
involve their farm. They, like many others, are wondering
where it may an stop if LARA is allowed to take a portion of
their prime farmland. They’re fighting, they say, not just to
protect their own business, but to set a precedent whereby
others may be spared similar agonies in the future.
The Lancaster County Fanners Association, as well as
numerous other organizations back the Barleys 100 per cent
That’s why they want a good turnout on Wednesday morning
to show officials and newspaper reporters where they stand.
State representatives Gibson Armstrong and Noah
Wenger, wen instrumental in organizing the tour from the
Harrisburg Capitol. Both expressed considerable concern
over the possibility of losing prime farmland. Secretary
Shelhamer has voiced concern as well, telling one newspaper
reporter that “Decisions on the use of farmland are too often
made by people who don’t understand farming.”
Shelhamer is a farmer himself who s combines experiences
asa farmer and legislator in his new post at the Department
of Agriculture. While still in the House of Representatives he
sponsored a bill which would have layed the groundwork for
insulating farmland against indiscriminate use for landfill*
(Continued on Page 2g]
In this issue
Farm Calendar 10
Editorials 10
Medicine and
Management 16
Life on the farm 21
Good neighbors 30
4-H feature 36
Letter to the editor 38
Young Fanners 40,42,43
Homestead Notes 50
Ida’s Notebook 52
Womens’ Calendar 54
Joyce Bupp 58
Doris Thomas 60
Veterinary column added
Beginning this week,
Lancaster Fanning will
feature a bi-weekly
veterinary column, written
by Lancaster County
veterinarian and dairy
fanner, Dr. Carl G. Troop.
Focusing his attention on
problems and potential
problems which may be
encountered with large farm
animals. Dr. Troop says he
will look at situations first as
a farmer, and second as a
veterinarian. IBs writings
Recipe Swap 61
Jr. Cooking Edition 62
Youth feature 65
Classifieds 67
Lancaster DHIA 108
Facts for dairymen 103
Berks DHIA 111
Estate planning 117
Low-cost trees for
sale 118,121
Praise for Garden Spot 119
Sale Reports 141
Public Sale Register 123
will be based on knowledge
gained from his studies and
text books, as well as ex
periences within his
veterinary practice and
farming situation. It won’t
be just a lot of theory; it’ll be
written with the farmer in
mind, says Troop, a 1969
graduate of the University of
Pennsylvania’s School of
Veterinary Medicine.
Troop established his
I Continued on fact 29|
Abram Barley's main responsibilities in the
partnership are crops and soils. He may have 58
acres less'fo farm if a refuse dump takes a portion
of the home farm.
Fertilizer adequate,
prices are up slightly
. By DIETER KRIEG
NEW DANVILLE, Pa. - The fertilizer situation for 1977
isn’t much different from what it was a year ago, according
to some of those closest to the industry. At a banquet spon
sored here last Monday by P.L. Rohrer and Brother, dealers
in seeds, chemicals and fertilizers, an Ortho Company
representative said supplies are good, prices haven’t
changed much, but distribution could be a bottleneck.
Most of the worries expressed so far this year have been
with regard to the natural gas shortage, said John Burton,
who attended the P.L. Rohrer meeting. The shortage has
affected nitrogen fertilizer production somewhat, but not to
the point where shortages can be expected, Burton said. The
government has given fertilizer production a priority which
is outranked only by home heating, thus the supplies have
not been seriously curtailed.
But getting raw materials from foreign countries or
shipping bulk fertilizer for thousands of miles across the
[Continued on Pafe 29]
Elwood Houser named
Pork All American
Bv JOANNE SPAHR
DES MOINES, lowa -
When the American Pork
Congress convened at
Veterans Auditorium here,
last Wednesday, 34 pork
producers from across the
United States were gathered
to receive national
recognition as Pork All
Americans. Among those 34
was Elwood Houser,
Lebanon R 5, an active
purebred Yorkshire breeder
who last Saturday earned the
award of Pennsylvania Pork
All American at the Penn
sylvania Pork Producers
Council annual banquet. He
then represented Penn
sylvania at the congress
where he received his
national honor on March 3
$4.00 Per Year
Designed to recognize pork
producers from the age of 25
to 39 who have made out
standing contributions to the
pork industry and who have
been active in community
and agricultural functions,
the award goes to one person
per state per year. Not all
states have delegates, so this
year only 34 out of a
maxiumum 50 were honored.
Houser, who attributes his
receiving the recognition to
bis work in community and
swine industry
organizations, is a member
of 17 farm groups, and has
held leadership roles in
seven. He is currently ser
ving as the president of the
(Continued on Pace IS)