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)