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: