VOL 251*0.#^^
Preferred stockholder group
opposes Lehigh reorganization
BY VIVIAN PAUL
Staff Correspondent
ALLENTOWN A group
of preferred stockholders of
the Lehigh Valley
Cooperative Farmers has
formed in opposition to the
reorganization plan approv
ed by coop members last
month.
The group, called
Stockholders Protective
Committee, says it plans to
file suit against officers and
directors of the dairy to stop
the plan which would leave
them with 15% of the face
value of the stock they own.
The committee was
organized by Harold Snyder,
of Perkasie, and Willard
Roth, of Coopersburg, both
of whom, are preferred
stockholders.
The two men placed an
advertisement in the
business section of the Allen
town Morning Call last week
seeking to locate other
preferred stockholders.
Snyder said dairy officials
declined to provide the com
mittee with a list of
stockholders.
They have retained Irving
Coleman, a corporate at-
Is time killing new ag fair?
BY PAT KAUFFMAN
UTITZ - With only 4-5
months remaining before the
proposed date, Secretary of
Agriculture, Penrose
Hallowell said the Penn--
sylvania Department of
Agriculture is still consider
ing the possibility of an ag
fair to be held at the
Keystone Race Track, but’
time is running short, and
hopes of a decent showing
this fall are growing slim
mer with the hour.
The PDA has proposed a
state-wide ag fair to be held
at the Keystone Race Track
facility near Bensalem, a
suburb of Philadelphia. The
fair, according to Hallowell,
Pseudorabies in 9 herds
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
LANCASTER -
Pseudorabies is now con
firmed in nine swine herds
across a four-county area in
southeastern Pennsylvania
as the state’s investigation
continues to fan out to at
tempt to find the original
source of the disease.
The nine infected herds, in
which lab tests have con
firmed existence of the
disease, include six in
Lancaster County and one
each in Dauphin, Lebanon
and Berks counties.
tomey in Allentown, and the
Philadelphia law firm of
Blank, Rome, Comisky, Mc-
Cauley, well-known
securities specialists.
The reorganization plan
was approved by a vote of
455 to 82 at Lehigh’s annual
meeting April 25 in Lan
caster. Only holders of com
mon stock were eligible to
vote.
The proposal involves the
dissolution of Lehigh Valley
Cooperative Farmers and
the sale of its assets to a new
organization, Atlantic Pro
cessing, Inc., and the
establishment of a second
business, Lehigh Valley
In This Issue
SECTION A: Editorial, 10; Leb. Co. dairy farmer,
14; Deutsch visitors, 17; PMMB.Dairylea, 17; Farm
accidents, 24.
.SECTION B: Estate planning, 2; Classifieds, 6.
*jf39i&nON C: Homestead notes, 2; Jr. cooking, 4;
Homs.en range, 6; Joyce Bupp, 8; Ida’s notebook, 9,
Ladies have you heard, 12; Farm talk, 14; Dauphin
dairy princess, 15; Rodeo, 26; Montgomery DHIA, 31;
Sheila’s shorts, 39.
SECTION D: York DHLA, 2; Berks DHIA, 5; Cum
berland DHLA, 6; Milk check, 11; Schuykill DHIA, 12;
Dauphin DHIA, 16; Juniata DHIA, 17; Sale reports, 22.
would be held in the Fall,
possibly late September or
early October. Hallowell
said the main thrust of the
fair would be a farm/city ap
proach with agricultural ex
hibitions; of livestock and
produce to familarize ur
banites with Pennsylvania
commodities and help pro
vide a market for state pro
duce.
Hallowell stated that the
department is interested in
the Keystone site because it
would be offered free of
charge, and the fair would
probably be scheduled to run
24 days, some of which
races would also be run.
James Sumner, Bureau of
The six Lancaster County
herds are concentrated in
the northern part of the
county, primarily the
Ephrata area, according to
Dr. John W. Cable, Chief of
the Swine Health Division of
the Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture.
Presently, a total of 11
herds are under quarantine,
including the nine infected
herds. Seven other herds
have been released from
quarantine, after negative
test results were reported
from animals that had been
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 17,1980
Fanners, which would be
strictly a bargaining coop.
Atlantic Processing will
take over the 47-year old
dairy by assuming its $2O
million debt and paying $l.B
million in cash. That amount
would be distributed to
preferred stockholders.
Common stockholders would
receive nothing.
Book value of the prefer
red stock is listed at $l2
million. Additionally the
dairy is $3.5 million in ar
rears in dividend payments
to preferred stockholders.
“Why should shareholders
accept $l.B million for $l2
(Turn to Page A 29)
Markets, stated that in order
to draw the urban crowd,
competitions would probably
be scheduled, possibly a
tractor or horse pulling con
test. Initially, Sumner said
the effort would include
representative samples of
livestock exhibitions. And
with time, he stated, the
show would aim to be all
inclusive.
Funding options announc
ed include funds from the
Farm Show, state fair fun
ding, an alternative that
would require a three year
delay, or money from the
state legislature.
Hallowell noted that in the
first year of the fair, limited
exposed to the infected
herds. .
Additional precautionary
quarantines are expected to
be issued, according to Dr.
Cable, pending the results of
laboratory testing.
“Our investigation still
hasn’t turned up any definite
information concerning the
original source of the
disease,” Dr. Cable said.
“We don’t have any
common link related to all of
the infected herds.”
(Turn to Page A 18)
A tornado blew an entire roof section from the Chambersburg Livestock Barn
(shown in foreground) on Monday evening. In the background is the American
Can Company which also received heavy roof damage.
Tornado rips roof off
livestock sales barn
'CHAMBERSBIifeG -
Strong gusts of wind and a
brief yet intense rainfall,
considered by many area
residents and officials as a
tornado, struck the com
munities of Chambersburg
and Fayetteville here in
space would be available
under tent. A large exhibit of
cattle would run into dif
ficulties of tent space and
water supply. The fair is,
Hallowed noted however,
still only in the preplanning
stage. The fund should be
self-supporting, Hallowed
noted and the time element
is to be watched closely.
Whde there is stid time to
plan something for this fad,
he said that further plans
wid depend on whether or
not there is time to do a
respectable job. Hadowed
said the department has
talked to farm groups in
cluding Bucks County
Farmers’ Association and
has consulted .with Bucks
County Commissioners.
The fair would basically
have use of the lawn, he said,
and would share parking
f acidties with the race track.
He noted that the issue of
manpower to plan and
operate a fair has not been
resolved. He said the depart
ment has a modest amount
of staff.
Les Houck, New Holland,
executive director of the PA
tractor pullers said that to
attract participants m the
modified stock and super
stock competitions there
would have to be sizeable
premiums available. He
(Turn to PageA26)
Franklin County leaving
behind severely damaged
businesses, homes, cars,
trees and a church.
The storm that hit at
approximately 6:00 p.m. on
Monday evening, May 12,
tore an entire portion of roof
off the Chambersburg
Livestock Sales, Inc.
budding on Wayne Avenue,
on the southern side of
Chambersburg. The winds
also ripped sections of stairs
and power lines away from
the budding.
Tin from the dvestock
barn, and rafters and tin
from the lumber yard next
door, wrapped around power
lines and tore them com
pletely down along a
Berks fanners confront
Congressman on
FmHA troubles
BY LAUREL SCHAEFFER
Staff Correspondent
READING Seeking
solutions to problems many
local farmers are having in
getting financial aid from
the Farmer’s Home Ad
ministration, and the ap
parent lack of concern of the
local and state ad
minstrators within FmHa,
sent the president of the
Berks County Farmers’
Association, Jack Kooker,
along with two represen
tative farm couples, to the
office of Congressman 6us
Yatron.
The group met on May 10th
with Rod Fisher,
Congressman Yatron’s aide
in the Reading office. The
$7.00 Per Year
business section of Wayne
Avenue.
Several motorists were
trapped in cars and many
people were trapped inside a
restaurant as the live
electric wires came crashing
down around them.
Large portions of debris
from the dvestock barn, the
lumber yard and the
American Can Company
(also located on Wayne
Ave.) were found scattered
around in a large corn field
across from these buddings.
Portions of roof and rafters
were also found in the K-
Mart Plaza parking lots,
some 350 yds. away.
According to William
(Turn to Page Al 9)
scene was set for the farm
representatives to explain
their dilemna. They cited
their own experiences in
seeking funds from the
Leesport office of FmHa in
their plea to the
Congressman for im
provement
Kooker, along with being
an officer for the county’s
PFA, also sits on the three
member board of farmers
that review FmHA ap
plications at the local office.
He said he was em
barassed when some ap
plicants for loans called him
and reported they had never
heard from the FmHA office
(Turn to Page A 23)