VOL.24N*:
are coming into bloom again, even in the close proximity of Three
Mile Island. Along with the bloosoms comes the good news from officials that
Pennsylvania agricultureand its people remained unharmed by the radiation
Milk handlers report steady sales
By DIETER KRIEG
HARRISBURG - Milk
coining from dairy farms in
southcentral Pennsylvania
has been declared safe and
according to numerous milk
handlers in the region, sales
have been normal.
In the wake of what is
being considered the
nation’s worst nuclear ac
cident, Henry R. Geisinger,
executive vice president of
the Pennsylvania
Fewer feeder cattle seen at Va. auctions
By KENDACEBORRY
RICHMOND, Va. -
“There are as many
feeder steer sales as normal,
there are just less cattle
being sold.” That’s the way
Mike Carpenter, market
development, Virginia
Department of Agriculture,
Division of Markets, ex
plained it. “The special sales
started March 28 and will
continue to run through April
24, with there being 24 of
them in all-especially for
feeder steers and heifers. A
couple of sales have had
pretty good numbers, but the
numbers are down at the
smaller sales.
Association of Milk Dealers
speculates that some dairies
may have been hurt by
negative publicity, but all in
all sales were not down.
Instead, sales just shifted, he
said. The reason for the shift
is that an estimated 80,000
people had left the
Harrisburg area and gone to
hve elsewhere for a few
days. As a result sales of all
commodities were down.
“But the demand for milk
But, he further explained,
it’s part of that by-now
familiar story of eattle
numbers being down
everywhere. “There just
aren’t as many cattle
around,” he commented.
“There aren’t as many
Editorial 10
Farm Calendar 18
Feeder pig show 19
Seed availability 24
Dairy Day 30
Letters 31
Life on the farm 32
Atomic scare 42
Serving The Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania Areas
Lancaster Famhfc Srtrday, April 14,1979
in the State College, and
Williamsport area was
tremendous,” Geisinger
continued, explaining that
these towns evidently
harbored thousands of
evacuees.
In assessing the situation,
Geisinger had high praise
for Pennsylvania Governor
Richard Thornburgh,
Agriculture Secretary
Penrose Hallowell, and
Department of En-
breeding cows or feeder
cattle.!’
He related that prices for
500 to 700 pound choice and
fancy steers are ranging
from 85 cents to a dollar a
pound! The same grade
heifer, at the same weight,
[ In this issue
Cloister FFA 51
Homestead Notes 90
leaks from the nuclear facility. The farm dwarfed by the cooling towers is owned
by Robert Gruber. Lancaster Farming photo by Dieter Krieg
vironmental Resources chief
Cliff Jones. “They did a
great job coordinating
monitoring procedures and
handling news releases,”
Geisinger said. “I ap
preciate the sensible ap
proach taken by the
Governor’s office. The
people trusted him and that
is reflected in the dairy
industry upholding its
sales.”
Geisinger is not alone in
is bringing 75 to 85 cents per
pound.
This, be added, is the
highest price that cattle
have ever brought.
Feeder cattle suppliers
are generally happy about
the prices, stating that
Kendy’s Komer 93
Home on the Range 94
praising officials in the state
capital. Other dairy industry
leaders made similar
remarks.
Jim Sumner, speaking on
behalf of Inter-State Milk
Producers Cooperative, put
it this way: “I think that the
positive action taken by
Hallowell averted a major
economic crisis to
dairymen."
Only one of the dairy
companies contacted in
profits are up, despite the
smaller number of cattle
being sold. Part of the
reason cattle supplies have
been dwindling has been
because of the herd
reductions made due to the
- Jr. Cooking Edition 103
Herbicide incorporation 107
Farm Women calendar 111
Joyce Bupp 114
Brucellosis 119
Lebanon FFA 134
Lehigh FFA 143
Church outreach 152
$6.00 Per Year
recent days by Lancaster
Farming indicated that they
had lost a significant
number of sales as a result of
the nuclear accident on
Three Mile Island.
Paul Meddey, spokesman
for Harrisburg DeiSS£3ias
the exception to the rule. He
reported some resistance on
the part of consumers and
guessed it may have been
(Turn to Page 16)
poor economics of raising
cattle in the past few years.
Carpenter Stated that as of
this past week, prices at the
sales were going higher
every day, and these prices
being received cattle
now, may be the highest for
the year.
Reggie Reynolds,
Baleville, Va., executive
secretary of the Virginia
Beef Cattle Association, sees
a 15 per cent reduction in the
number of feeder cattle
being sold this And this
shorter supply of cattle will
continue for the next two
years, he reasoned.
(Turn to Page 24)