I Brief answers to short questions € Sheila's Shorts We recently have been publishing market reports of tel-o-auctions run by the Virginia Department of Agriculture, Division of Markets. A number of Lancaster Fanning readers have asked, “Where can I call to take part in one of these auctions?” To find out, I contacted Bill Williams, of Va.DA’s market news. In his cordial Southern drawl, Williams proceeded to fill me m on how these auctions work. He said anyone who wishes to participate needs to get m By Sheila filter touch with a man named Mike Carpenter. Carpenter heads the hvestock tel-o auction at Va.DA. He is the person who will be able to get the interested buyer on the telephone. The telephone hook-up is limited to nine buyers; but if more buyers are interested in a particular sale, another nine-party line will be connected. Once a buyer has con tacted Carpenter and has cleared his credit reference and check information, he is ready for the sale. One hour before the sale begins. Carpenter will call the in terested buyer and will give him a rundown on the pens. According to Williams, the buyer will be able to com pare the Virginia livestock to what is seen at Pennsylvania auctions because U.S. Department of Agriculture grading standards are used. The buyer will be told the average weight of the pens which were sorted by grade. When the sale begins, it’s just as if the buyer is in the sale ring, except he is ac tually calling long distance. The buyer will be given a number and the auctioneer will be able to hear him bid. Likewise, the buyer on the telephone will be able to hear everything that’s going on at the sale. The buyer can stay on the line as long as he likes, and can hang up after the first lot is sold, if he chooses. If two tel-o-auctions are being held on the same day, the buyer can make arrangements to be on the line for both of them. Once a lot is sold to a buyer using the telephone, trucking arrangements can be made to get the animals to Penn sylvania through Mike Carpenter’s office. Car penter will even arrange to have the truck stop at two sale locations if the buyer bought tel-o-livestock at each auction. Williams pointed out that most of the tel-o-auctions for slaughter steers are held along with a regular weekly auction. However, the feeder pig tel-o-auctions are held by themselves. Tel-o-auctions are usually held once and sometimes twice a month. Anyone wishing to par ticipate should contact Mike Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 22,1980—C23 Carpenter at the Va.DA by telephoning 804/786-3951. Tel-o-auctions scheduled for January are listed below: FEEDER PIG Harrisonburg Jimmy Chambers, sales manager. Telephone: 703/434-6765. Next sale: January 22,7 p.m. Cortland Ben Howell, sales manager. Telephone: 804/562-2143. Next sale; January 24,4 p.m. Farmville Ben Howell, sales manager. Telephone: 804/392-5376. Next sale: January 17,4 p.m. Madison Mills Doug Tucker, sales manager. Telephone: 703/672-2811. Next sale; January 22,4 p.m. Petersburg D.W. Bodson, sales manager Telephone Odd vegetables at Farm Show HARRISBURG - Some unusual Pennsylvania grown vegetables are on display at the 64th Farm Show. Black winter radish is about the size of a baseball and is charcoal in color. It peels to white like the small red radish we know so well, but according to Penn State Extension horticulturist Pete Ferretti, it’s drier and denser. It can withstand very cold temperatures and can be held m the soil most of the winter, hence the name. Ferretti recommends it raw with dips as well as in salads. Celenac, an ancestor of the familiar pale green stalk celery, is a brownish, bulbous looking vegetable. Once peeled, it’s smooth. • BARN PAINTING • ROOF PAINTING • BIN PAINTING • We sandblast barns before painting them so that paint will stick to them and last longer. • Also, RESTORATION ON BRICK AND STONE HOMES - sandblasting, repomtmg and water proofing All work is guaranteed satisfactory. “Call the Country Boys with the Country Prices” GEBHfIRTS„ f*ssmm Box 199, R.D.4 Hanover, PA 17331 Ph: 717-637-8183 or 637-0222 804/733-7671. Next January 17,4 p.m. Tappahannock Bob Hutchinson, sales manager. Telephone: 804/443-3276. Next sale; January 21,4 p.m. SLAUGHTER CATTLE Cortland Ben Howell, sales manager. Telephone: 804/562-2143. Next sale: January 8. Fredericksburg Richard Hardesty, sales manager. Telephone: 703/373-8207. Next sale: January 10. Madison Mills Doug Tucker, sales manager. Telephone: 703/672-2811. Next sale: January 12. Orange Haywood Darnell, sales manager. Telephone: 703/672-4688. Next sale: January 30. flavorful, and more aromatic than celery - and it has no strings. It’s easier to grow too, notes Ferretti. The little diced “potatoes” you notice in some canned soups are actually celenac. It gives a nice celery flavor and retains its texture. Celenac is also good raw, with a dip or sliced into salads. Leeks, which look like giant scallions, are oc casionlly available in supermarkets. Those shown at the Farm Show are huge and beautiful, and are dner and milder than the yellow omon. Leeks give a superb flavor to soups and are basic to the famous cold soup, vichyssoise. sale:
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