(0L.25N0.»-?^ Soil Stewardship Week, May 11-18 “Tenant time is giveaUkeafiece el bad... entrastedb Urn hr bfthbl tißbg; AifaK»iß«Wciito9triveiMeansi|y,acUevesdNcaifntiw, neve canard sad upward. Two dairy issues fly through Senate BY CURT HARLER HARRISBURG - It was a busy week for dairy business on Capitol Hill as Hie Senate passed unanimously its Milk Security Fund legislation. Dairy month’s coming LITITZ This year Lancaster Fanning again is planning to celebrate June Dairy Month with the broadest and most complete dairy coverage in the East. We are extending a special invitation to dairy groups, DHIAs, and other producer organizations, to submit articles and news on dairying for our dairy issue. In addition, we’ll be featuring a month-long senes of dairy recipes m our Home on the Range pages in Section C. It’s certain to be the state’s largest and most fantastic collection of tasty dairy ideas, from milkshakes to cheese dishes. Legislative roundup And senators waited until the final possible day to confirm the latest nomination to the Penn sylvania Milk Marketing Board. We’ll have a special dairy month gift as a token of our appreciation to all those who submit recipes used on our dairy pages. To be sure your favonte group, firm, or club ac tivities can be included in our June 7 Dairy Month special, please submit all news by Junes. Paid advertising matenal is due by Friday, May 30. Callous at 717/394-3047 or 717/626-1164. Or, write Lancaster Farming, Box 366, Lititz PA 17543 and jom in a milk toast to the state’s largest and most dynamic industry: dairying. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 10,1980 In addition, work con tinued in both the Senate and House on other important farm legislation. The Senate. voted Wed nesday afternoon 49 to 0 to approve SB 1287, the Milk Security Fund. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Patrick Stapleton had said he would entertain no'am mendments to SB 1287. There were none. Stapleton’s reaction came not as a statement, just a big smile. Leonard Zemaitis, wat ching the Hill for Penn sylvania Farmers Union said his group is giving the milk security fund its greatest priority. “We back SB 1287 as it is written,” Zemaitis said. “We fear any attempt to ammend it later will scuttle the bill. “It would confuse non- (TurntoPage Al 6) Welfare dumps farms in PDA’s lap BY SHEILA MILLER HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture became the proud new owner of ten Welfare farms on Wed nesday. Governor Dick Thorn burgh signed the executive order transferring the farms lock-stock-and-barrel to PDA through an inter department agreement. Before PDA realizes.-the over 10,000 acres of land, buildings, livestock and equipment, the transfer will go through the state’s General Services Depart ment for a paperwork review. Jim Wiggins, the press -secretary for the Depart ment of Public Welfare said the department is commited to seeing the land leased to private farmers, and that they wanted out of the far ming business. This fact was made known by Welfare Secretary Helen O’Bannon on March 3, 1980, when die announced her department was going ahead with-a plan to phase out its institutional farming programs. On March 14, furlough notices were sent to 120 full time state employees who operated the farms associated with the 10 state hospitals or mental retar dation centers. According to Kirk Wilson, the assistant press secretary at the Governor’s office, these 120 employees are now either placed in positions in either Welfare or PDA, or they are attempting to place them somewhere within the state government. He said that 57 employees have stayed with Welfare, and 46 have accepted PDA positions, leaving only 17 to be placed. FFA contests held through area MANHEIM Jay Garber, R 3 Elizabethtown, walked away with top place honors in the county FFA agronomy judging competition held Wednesday at Manheim Central School. From hay samples, weed samples, photos and various other displays, the students classified and placed the categories. The agronomy com petition was only one of many 'area FFA com petitions taking place recently. In addition, there were; dairy products judging competition, see page C2B; ag mechanics competition, see page Dl4; land judging competitions in both Lancaster and Lebanon counties, see pages A 26 and A 32, respectively Approximately 32 students from- area schools par In the Governor’s order, it , was announced that the state is planning to phase out of farming altogether. The ten farms that are now under the wing of PDA will be gradually and continually turned over to the private sector, but a deadline for completing this transition has been set for June 30, 1981. The order goes one step further and says the leasing of the land and buildings will be done giving preference to people who are just getting started in farming. This should help them over the financial hurdle of buying a farm. What will happen with the farms from now until next June? Wilson stated PDA will be in charge of main taining the farms and get- Tobacco seedbed sprayings begin BY DICK ANGLESTEBV LANDISVILLE . Spraying of tobacco seed beds to protect against blue mold moved into high gear in Lancaster County this week. The seedbed spraying program should begin when the plants reach the size of a dime and continue through , the completion of tran splanting, according to John 0. Yocum, agronomist and tobacco researcher at Penn State’s Southeast Field Research Lab, Landisville. “The fungicide spray should be applied every five days to a week,” Yocum said. “In the event of rainy weather in which the protectant is washed off, the ticipated in the afternoon agronomy' judging. Also placing in the competition were: 2.Barry Geib, Manheim Central; 3. Glenn Hartz, Grassland Chapter; 4. Mark Weber, Grassland; 5. Les Kreider, Elizabethtown. Final rap up on all the competitions will be held at In This Issue SECTION A: Editorial, 10; Soil stewardship, 26; Draft horse, 36. SECTION B; Estate planning, 2; Dairy expo, 10; Mothers day, 14; Classifieds, 15, SECTION C: Homestead notes, 2; Ida’s notebook, 5; Home on range, 6; Joyce Bupp, 8; Ladies have you heard, 9; Jr. cooking, 12; Hidden view farm, 18; Custom rates, 27; Sheila’s shorts, 33. SECTION D: Amer. farm project, 7; Milk check, 10; Farm talk, 15; Apple blossoms, 16. / $7.00 Per Year ting them ready to lease next year. “They’ll look at the present farming operations and put on the touches needed for leasing,” he said. This time period, he ad ded, will give PDA the chance to make an efficient transition from government operations on the in stitutional farms to private farmers running them This leasing plan is giving some people butterflies in their stomachs. The Pennsylvania State Grange has been the foremost supporter of keeping the instutional farms in PDA, but said Dave Weinstock, the farms are more valuable as working farms than in leasable land. The PDA plan for leasing involves only the land and (Turn to Page A 35) application may need to be increased to every three "days.” The recommended spray for seedbeds is a fungicide containing ferbam. Blue mold fungus disease already has been found in seedbeds in Tennessee, Kentucky and the Carolinas. Also, it has been found in fields in Florida and Georgia. “If a bed problem moves into Virginia or Maryland, Lancaster County growers should make a particular effort to protect their seedbeds,” Yocum said. “If the blue mold gets that far north, it could easily blow into here.” (Turn to Page A 25) -Penn State Wednesday, June 11.* While not all of the county schools participate in each competition, the county-wide forum gives the students a chance to pit their minds against those from other schools. A healthy spirit of (Turn to Page f J 4)