J t am iNBCmrTr:i H "tawltr-l (f \RB II ilft It II
’"-11 118 l>
VOL 25 No. 49
Doug Hershberger, 17, took the senior division
showmanship honors at the Holstein competition'
Thursday at Soianco with junior division award
going to Lorri Rutt, 11, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. /
Kenneth Rutt
Farmers protest waste irrigation
BY SHEILA MILLER
ARENEfTSVILLE -
Fanners and land owners in
Franklin Township, Adams
County are protesting plans
of a large fruit processor to
irrigate plant waste water on
120 acres of orchard land
located here.
“We’re concerned about
the potential pollution to our
creeks and wells,” said
Roger Sprague, a dairy
fanner who rents land
directly downstream from
the proposed irrigation site.
Sprague explained how
about 70 local people
Will there be breeding
swine at Farm Show?
HARRISBURG - With
four new cases of
pseudorabies having been
identified within the past two
weeks in Lebanon County,
the question of whether there
will be breeding swine at the
1981 Pennsylvania Farm
Show remains unanswered.
The final recommendation
on whether or not to lift the
moratorium rests with Dr.
Max A. Van Buskirk Jr.,
director of the Bureau of
Animal Industry in Penn
sylvania. He announced he
will be finalizing his advice
to the Farm Show Com
mission on September 29.
At the present time, tests
are being run to trace the
.point of origin of the most
11recent outbreaks in Lebanon
County. . ,
Dr. John Cable, also with
BIA, reported that the
animals with pseudorabies
were detected through
Mus&jmon plans to imitate processing water
recently met to protest the
plans of Musselman’s fruit
processing plant, now a
division of Pet Milk and
Illinois Central Industries.
“I suppose you could say
we want to stop the
possibility of pollution. If we
have to, we’ll stop the
system until we gain some
assurances that there won’t
be any problems,” Sprague
remarked.
The dairy fanners and
other area land owners are
concerned that a problem
that is currently affecting
the Conewago Creek in
packer slaughter checks.
While the trace back
procedures are being
completed, the herds in
question have been
quarantined, he said.
Farm Show Director Hugh
Coffman said the final
decision on whether to have
a bred gilt show and sale will
be announced on October 1.
“We’re wanting to let the
decision nde until the last
possible moment because we
don’t feel we can honestly
make a decision until then,”
Coffman said. He noted the
Commission will be working
closely with BIA and the
Secretary of Agriculture,
Penrose Hallowell.
“I understand that this is
an inconvenience for swine
breeders," he added “We
want to have the show but we
are concerned about the
health of the animals
exhibited.”—SM
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, September 20,1900
Solanco Fair opens in sunshine
BY PAT KAUFFMAN
QUARRYVILLE - The
Solanco Pair opened Wed
nesday under sunshine and
colored breed dairy and
sheep competition kicked off
the livestock judging. J
The traditional opening
parade was held Wednesday
evening in warm weather,
with swarms of people
packing this small town to
watch business and youth
groups vie for prizes.
Donald Eckman, R 1 Peach
Bottom, exhibited the Grand
Champion Holstein Thur
sday at the Solanco Fair.
The cow, a 5 year old pur
chased last fall at the
Maurice Welk dispersal, was
according to the judge not in
the bloom of milk, but
exhibited body and strength.
This show Eckman said
will be the last for the animal
until after she freshens,
perhaps the Firm Show will
be her next outing.
An interesting sidelight is_
.nearby Biglerville will be
transfered to Mummasburg
Run near Arendtsville, said
Sprague.
He explained that
Mussebnan’s received word
from the state’s Department
of Environmental Resources
that the pollutioa of
Conewago Creek, which runs
past their Biglerville plant in
Butler Township, must be
stopped by Auguk 1,1981.
To do this, die industry is
planning to pump their
waste water water used to
wash the raw fruit before it
is processed to their or
chard land near Arendt
sville. The water will then be
spray irrigated on the land.
Local dairy farmers,
who’s cows and heifers drink
from Mummasburg Run, are
concerned that once the
irrigation begins the water
will no longer be fit to drink
a situation that occured
elsewhere in the county.
However, before
Musselman can begin this
process of disposing of their
waste water, they must
secure a permit from DER.
Their application, which was
submitted in August, has not
yet been approved.
According to DER’s Jim
Donato, facilities chief for
the Harrisburg Regional
Office, the application
lacked some needed in
formation.
One vital piece of in
formation that was not
submitted by Mussleman, he
said, was an analysis of the
waste water. “It’s their
responsibility to provide that
information the burden of
proof rests with them.”
Donato explained his
the cow Lo Pine Astro
Midge, an Astronaut
Gmtz Fair, A-24
daughter classified exceUent
brings to 7 the number of
Wejk bred or owned animals
winning the championship at
this fair in the last 8 years,
according to Maurice Welk.
Lehigh Valley Co-op asks
end to PMMB price fixing
BY VIVIAN PAUL
Staff Correspondent
ALLENTOWN - Lehigh
Valley Farms has called for
an end to milk price
regulations by the Penn
sylvania Milk Marketing
Board.
department has not been
testing Mussulman’s plant
1 water $p date. However, they
are running their standard
tests on a neighboring plant
that has been irrigating their
waste water for the past 15
years.
“We look at the water’s
pH, its five-day BOD
(oxygen content), and its
suspended solids, ammonia
and nitrogen levels,” Donato
said. However, he noted, bis
agency does not test for
(Turn to Page A 18)
In This Issue-
SECTION A: Editorials, 10; Eastern-Leprino, 16;
Grata fair, 24; Grata Holsteins, 28; Suffolk show, 30; E
town fair, 32; Dairymen warned about com, 36.
SECTION B: York Junior Angus, 2; York DHIA, 4;
NEMA meeting, 8; Apple harvest festival, 10.
SECTION C: Rug braiding, 2; Home on range, 6;
Joyce Bupp, 12; Ephrata Fair, 24; Lampeter Fair, 24;
Dairy pipeline, 30; Lancaster DHIA, 31; Upper
Susquehanna DHIA, 3b; Chianina field day, 36.
SECTION D: South Mtn. Dairy Show, 5; Del. boar
sale, 9; Farm talk, 14; Furrows of time, 16; Dauphin
DHIA, 19; Sheila’s Shorts, 22; Milk Check, 23; Ask the
VMD. 25.
Mushroom growers fight
fines, criminal charges
BY CURT HARDER
PHILADELPHIA - Legal
briefs are due next month in
a Chester County mushroom
firm’s fight to be recognized
as a part of agriculture.
Guido and Jim Frezzo and
their corporation, Frezzo
Brothers, Inc., are faced
with fines totalling $lOO,OOO.
Each of the brothers also
faces a 30-day prison sen
tence m a federal case
Eckman said she’ll finish
her current lactation at over
E-town Fair, A-32
28,000 pounds of milk.
Reserve grand champion
honors in the open com
petition went to Bob Wenger,
who exhibited his senior
reserve champion cow.
Dairy officials last week
suggested that legislation be
enacted to eliminate the
board’s ability to set
minimum prices that
dealers charge super
markets and stores charge
consumers.
The proposed changes
would have no effect on
prices paid farmers, Lehigh
said.
The statement was part of
testimony by Robert P.
Barry, president of Atlantic
Processing, Inc., which
trades under the name,
“Lehigh Valley Farms.” It
was presented at a hearing
to set new milk prices for the
Philadelphia suburbs.
Lehigh Valley Farm’s
testimony was made by
Harold Masteller, vice
president of its dairy
division.
Barry called price fixing
an “archaic example of
accepted govenrment
control”
“It gets in the way of free
charging them with violation
of the U.S. Water Pollution
Control Act.
Even deeper than the fines
and jail term is the un
derlying question of whether'
the government has the right
to require growers to make
large financial investments
to correct pre-existing
conditions when new laws
are passed.
The Frezzos’ attorney,
Wenger’s cow was also
named second place in the
best udder competition.
In showmanship and fit
ting competition, Doug
Hershberger, 17, took the 13
year and older division blue,
with Lord Butt, 11, daughter
of Kenneth Rutt,
Quarryville, taking the 12
and under blue.
Other placings during the
<TurntoPaceAl2>
enterprise, the foundation of
the American economic
system,” be said.
“It’s supposed to control
the market place, but it
doesn’t Let prices seek their,
own level, with die Milk.
Marketing Board just
making sure that dealers
don’t sell below their costs.”
The primary impact of the
proposed change would be
among milk dealers
themselves.
“Unfortunately,” Barry
said, “the board now sets
minimum prices based on
costs of average dealers.
This often means inefficient
dealers are subsidized by the
consumer, while efficient
dealers are restricted from
being competitive. ”
One area cited by Barry
which deregulation * would
involve is that of school milk.
“School milk pricing is an
outrage,” Barry said.
“There is no competitive
bidding and prices are much
higher than they should be.
Some dealers are
profiteering and school kids
in Pennsylvania are being
gouged to the tune of
millions of dollars an
nually.”
Earl Fink, executive
secretary of the PMMB,
disagreed with Barry’s
assessment of the situation.
“School milk carries a
lower price than out-of
school packages,” he said.
He added that the dairy
(Turn to Page A 37)
Thomas Carroll of the
Philadelphia law firm of
Carroll and Carroll, is
handling the Frezzos’ at
tempt to overturn their
earlier conviction and fines.
The Frezzo case dates
back to the 19705. At that
time the brothers were found
guilty of violations of the
federal water pollution
standards. Their mushroom
(Turn to Page A 23)