and Southeastern Pennsylvania Areas - Also Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware
VOL 23 No. 18
aocjsecurity measures are being advised for ail Lancaster
ounty poultrymen due to continued outbreaks of an infectious viral disease
nownas faryngotracheitis. More than 400,000 birds have been affected by the
isease since last October, with the disease now appearing in some of the larger
ocks,No segment ol the industry is beingspared. Breeding, broiler, egg-laying
Area poultry industry threatened
- By DIETER KRIEG
LANCASTER - The Lancaster County Poultry Associa
on formed a Laryngotracheitis Task Force this week to
elp prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease
’hich has been discovered in the county no fewer than 25
mes since late October.
The Task Force is using a practical approach backed by
Use of nitrate in cured meats defended
By KENDACE BORRY
ELIZABETHTOWN - “If
e process of using nitrite in
ring meat is banned by the
•DA, not only will meat
ocessors be hurt. Farmers
11 lose money tied up m
g operations and the
nog profits predicted for all of 1978
By DIETER KRIEG
LANCASTER Abundant
ipplies of cheap feed will
Kly encourage livestock
imere to utilize grains in
eir j rations, says Penn
ate’s Extension economist
ouis Moore. The Penn
Answers sought for surplus milk
By DIETER KRIEG
Lancaster - Greater
dvertising revenues, supply
ut-back programs, and
carper cow culling prac
lces are all being con
idered to bring America’s
>ngest consecutive upward
agricultural community will
be hurt in general,” stated
Stephen Krut, assistant
executive director of the
American Association of
Meat Processors. The
organization, located in
Elizabethtown, in northern
Stater was in town Tuesday
to address a crowd of nearly
250 hog farmers who were
gathered here at the Lan
caster County Farm and
Home Center for the annual
Swine Producers’ Day.
The comparatively cheap
trend in milk production to a
halt.
Ever since August of 1975,
milk production in the
United States has climbed
steadily. Never before in the
history of the dairy industry
has such a lengthy, con-
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 4,1978
inputs from other parts of the country to try and halt the
spread of the disease. Poultry specialists at Penn State
and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture are
cooperating in the effort.
The primary thrust of the disease control program is to
urge poultrymen to take precautionary measures. “We
want to alert the poultry industry that we have a pro-
Lancaster County, is con
cerned about the situation
and what is going to happen
to the use of the con
traversial substance.
Nitrite, which is converted
from sodium nitrate, a
natural occurring substance,
i
feeding program will keep
swine production profitable
despite declining hog prices,
predicts Moore. He expects
hog prices to dip to the 38-40
cents per pound range by
April, and into the mid to
upper 30’s by June.
tinuous increase been
recorded. The result has
been surplus production and
worrisome marketing
situations.
Eastern Milk Producers
Cooperative. Inc., v.h”se
(Turn to Page 32)
pullet, antLback-yard operations have all been hit by the diseased the Lancaster'
County Poultry Association formed a Task Force this week to help bring the
disease under control. They urge poultrymen to take heed of the security and
safety measures listed-in the.article accompanying thispicture. First onthe list
is a padlock and sign asking everyone to keep out of the building.
is used to cure meats. At the
present time, both nitrate
and nitrite is allowed to be
used under the Federal Meat
Inspection Regulations.
In the present system of
curing meats, Krut con
tinued, the use of nitrite is
In a sampling of audience
opinion, Moore determined
that the swine producers
themselves were a bit more
optimistic about prices than
either Moore, or the
quotations of the Chicago
Futures Market for the day.
Although some members m
the crowd disagreed, the
Extension economist
believes there’ll be money in
the hog business for the
remainder of the year. A
number of factors go into
that bit of crystalballing, but
the cheap feed situation
ranks uppermost in that
estuuation.
(Turn to Page 34)
blem,” said Ed Moshier emphatically. He and others,
such as Dr. E.T. Mallinson, chief of the avian health divi
sion at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, both
stress security factors.
Jay Irwin, Lancaster County Extension agent who
specializes in poultry, adds: “We hope people take it
seriously and not think that
the disease can’t happen to
them.” .
essential. It is used to
protect against botulism, a
bacterial toxin that can
causeparalysis and death.
It gives cured meats their
special flavor and ap
pearance. It is needed to
make bacon, most sausages,
hams, and some other meat
(Turn to Page 37)
In this issue
Cumberland County DHIA data will be published
monthly in Lancaster Farming, beginning with this issue.
Cumberland County becomes the seventh county to have
its DHIA statistics printed regularly in this newspaper. It
begins on page 122.
Farm Calendar 10
Editorials 10
Medicine Mgmt. 16
FFA features 20,113,119,132
Swine breeding 21
Dairy Day schedule 28
Lehigh 4-H banquet 28
Holstein convention
44,106,115
E-town Young Farmers 49
Classifieds 51
Homestead Notes 82
Ida’s Notebook 84
Farm Women Calendar 84
$6.00 Per Y(
Laryngotracheitis, known
as LT for short, is a
respiratory ailment which
has a five to 17 per cent mor
tality rate. Symptoms of the
disease include watery eyes,
coughing, sneezing, general
breathing difficulty ac
companied by a wheezing
noise, and a shaking of the
(Turn to Page 31)
Joyce Bupp 85
Home on the Range 86
Sheep and wool banquet 93
Flying Fanners 96
Hog production 109
Cecil DHIA banquet 110
Polish ag student 111
No-till farming 112
Cumberland DHIA 122
Washington adventure 126
Dairy feature 131
Kendy’sKollumn 137
Life on the farm 138
Chester DHIA 139