VOL.24No.a*^/ Despite financial losses, bad and a class action suit • • . Eastern claims to be on the rebound By DIETER KKIEG BIRD-IN-HAND Two top officers of Eastern Milk Producers Cooperative told a group of district officers Wednesday night that their dairy organization is making definite progress in licking its financial woes. It was noted that marketing costs for March of this year were less than a sixth of what they were for March of 1978 and that the cooperative is now at the point where a dedicated membership can work for continued solidarity and financial stability. Arden Tewksbury, president of Eastern, commented that the turmoil experienced by Eastern in the past year is causing the membership to “tighten” and work more coherently. Also addressing the assembly of some 50 people was Franklin Wagner, secretary of the Syracuse, N.Y.-based milk marketing organization. Wagner is a dairy farmer from near Hershey, Dauphin County. Wagner and Tewksbury both gave encouraging and spirited reports, while at the same time acknowledging Hog outlook mixed, farmers hopeful ByKENDACEBORRY LITITZ In -February of 1979, slaughter hog prices hit a record high price of 58.50 in the Lancaster County markets, but since th&n, area hog producers relate, the price has been steadily dropping, to the point where this week at the Wednesday market sale at the Lancaster Stockyards slaughter hogs were reported slow, opening 50 cents lower, and U.S. No. 1 to 2, weighing 200 to 240 pounds, sold for $43.00 to $43.50 per hun dredweight. According to H. Louis Moore, livestock marketing specialist for Penn State, hog producers were favored with good returns m recent years because of the relatively tight supplies of pork. He noted that hog prices at Hallowell gives clean bill of health HARRISBURG - Penn sylvania Agriculture Secretary Penrose Hallowed last week announced that tests conducted on feed, grass and water samples, as well as additional blood and milk sample tests on the Lancaster County farm of Clair Hoover have found no evidence that radioactivity caused the sickness and deaths of cattle on the farm. Hallowed also said that a survey of most farms within The farm equipment sates outlook has Improved, according to dealers from all over thelinited Stateswho met last week lo Hershey. Page 107 has details. Five girls are competing lor the tide . of Lancaster County Hairy Princess. I You can meet them hy way of an article appearing on page 116. The production of alcohol for fuel will not take away food and feed, says lowasCoogressman Berkley Bedett, Serving The Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania Areas - Also Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware a five-mile radius and other large dairy farms outside the five-mde radius of the Three Mde Island nuclear facdity had shown no other patterns of unexpected deaths or illnesses of livestock. “Our tests show that the health problems among the cattle on Clair Hoover’s farm seem to be unrelated to radioactive emissions from the Three Mile Island facility,” said Hadowed. “In Franklin Wagner leading markets averaged $41.30 in 1977, and $48.46 in 1978. Mainly due to these high, prices, Moore reasoned in a recent livestock marketing information newsletter, farmers have been doing major expansion in the hog industry. He notes that farrowmgs in the December 1978 to February 1979 were up 16 per cent and farrowmgs in the March to May period are expected to be up about 24 per cent. This, he reasons, could easily result m an 18 per cent mcrease in pork production in the last half of 1979. It is possible, he states, that hog marketings in the fourth quarter of this year will be the largest since the fourth quarter of 1970. Area producers are watching the prices of addition, other farmers' in the area have not reported any similar unusual death rates in their herds.” Hadowed said that results ot analysis of raw milk, water and grasses sampled at the Hoover farm ad showed no detectable levels of radiation. Blood tests on approximately 25 samples from cows and heifers on the Hoover farm were checked and showed no evidence of anemia. The blood samples In this issue the prime sponsor of a bill which would get the country moving with gasohol Page 126 has details. One of the young agricuituraiteaders in any part of the country is the county FFA president. Sorry Alien introduces one of them 4 onpageSO. ♦ Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 2,1979 Arden Tewksbury hogs, but they do not seem to be too con cerned yet. Abe-Fisher, Kinzer Rl, noted that the expansion that was started last Summer and Fall is still continuing. “It takes a year to really get going,” he explained. “Now those houses which were planned last year are getting started. And it’s going to be tough to get going at market prices of 42 and 43 cents. The breakeven selling price for hogs is between 38 and 43 cents per pound.” “But we look forward to prices edging up during the Summer,” he continued. “Tradionally prices rise in June and July as there are less pigs around.” “Now if they don’t rise, and we start the from cows on the farm were negative for leptspirosis, a disease sometimes responsible for jaundice. In addition, a blood study showed no abnormal cell types or any depression in the numbers of throm bocytes. Blood tests on two other cows have been checked for leukemia and are negative. Hadowed said that last week’s, survey results had been compded for 92 farms The ta* oft farm machinery in Maryland wifi be removed, Details areonpageSO, Cesar Chavez has some clout with -the farm workers in California, but one of them Isn’t holdingstlll tor what Chavez to trying to get out of him. Find out what’s happening on page isi. that Eastern has had, and continues to have financial and publicity problems. “We were in a weak marketing position, and we"haven’t always been successful, but overall, Eastern has a record of success,” said Wagner. Commenting on the membership, he declared “it is ex tremely important that we maintain our membership level and get more members.” Tewksbury’s and Wagner’s comments were primarily directed at three problems, all of them related. They were: Eastern’s association with the Leprino Cheese Company, and its new milk handling plants at Horse Heads and Waverly; negative publicity that has appeared about Eastern’s management and financial dealings; and a pending class action suit against present and former directors. Wagner and Tewksbury assured the group that the charges placed against Eastern are unfounded and the (Turn to Page 27) - Fall slide, and prices will drop in the Fall, that means that prices will drop that much more. If the present hog situation continues throughout the Summer asit 'is, the price may even go lower than 38 cents.” “This means that the guys in the bog finishing business are finally losing money,” he stated. “Those who purchased feeder pigs at $1.20 to 1.30 per pound are losing money.” “But there still is a great demand for feeder pigs. The increased number of finishing units that were put up allows a greater demand than the market calls for. This has been the situation for the last month.” with 7,900 dairy cattle, 1,100 beef cattle, 475 swine, 100 sheep, 70 horses and 18 goats. Hadowed said a survey of veterinarians who practice large animal medicine in the 10-mile zone is almost complete. Initial reports from five of the seven veterinarians indicate that their farmers have not had any mexpdcable medical problems in their herds. Hadowed said the autopsy Fam Calendar W Editorials 181 Ltte oti the farm 3? Homestead Notes 98 Joyceßuppr 99 Jr. Cookin« Edition \ 100 Ida's Notebook 101 Kendy’sKofejmn 103 Hofneontheßanee 104 Series Co. DHIA 113 Lebanon DHIA 117 4-Hhorse feature s 110' The Dairy Business 120 Dairy feature 124 $6.00 Per Year (Turn to Page 43) on one cow brought into the agricultural department’s laboratory at Summerdale from Clair Hoover’s Bain bridge dairy farm showed that the animal died as a result of an infection of the uterine tract and com plications related to the strain of calling. Hallowed said if any other cattle die, their carcasses would be subjected to a similar (Turn to Page 20)
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