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VOL. 26 No. 13
The Lancaster Farm and Home Center is a popular gathering site for many
agricultural groups, meetings and activities.
Farm & Home Center
to burn its mortgage
BY SALLY BAIR
Staff Correspondent
LANCASTER Attending
meetings at the Farm and
Home Center is a fact of Me
for anyone involved in
Lancaster’s agricultural
community. But the reality
of having a centralized
location for agricultural and
home economics is only 12
years old.
The mortgage-burning to
be held Thursday at the
Farm and Horae Center at
6-30 p.m. represents how the
culmination of long hours of
dedicated work by many
agricultural leaders which
began nearly two decades
ago. The result is a modern
office facility and meeting
space which was the first of
its kind, and a Farm and
Home Foundation which
administers extensive
Inter-State local honors
50-year members
BY SUSAN KAUFFMAN
Staff Correspondent
QUARRYVILLE -
Christiana and Quarryville
locals of District 12 of Inter-
State Milk Producers
Cooperative gathered at the
Quarryville United
Methodist Church Thursday
to honor several of its
members for 25 and 50 year
memberships
Catching up on handing
out awards which were
technically earned in the
seventies, District Director
Curt Akers announced four
50 year membership
recipients. Joel Dubble
accepted the award due 1973
Lewis and Lois Aliment and
Ervin and David DeLong
talked fifty years in 1974
Clayton Kreider, his son,
James, and grandson,
Thomas, accepted the
honors earned in 1977
Akers also introduced two
25 year award recipients to
the 157 members and guests
attending the noon luncheon
scholarships and other
educational programs m
addition to managing the
building.
The Farm and Home
Center was a dream in the
mmds of some agricultural
leadersns early as 1953, and
minutes of a Senior Ex
tension meeting in 1954
established the need for
office and meeting facilities
and recommended the
establishment of an
organization which could
help carry out this goal.
But the dream did not
become a reality until the
plan received impetus from
the gift of 10 acres of land
from Elmer Esbenshade m
1960. At that point, it seemed
possible to move ahead with
the project, but even then it
took years before the dream
meeting Calvin Keen and
Albert Melknger received
plaques, pins and cer
tificates commemorating
two and one-half decades m
the cooperative
Prior to announcing the
membership awards, Akers
presented checks to five
area youths who completed
the highest scoring record
books in 4-H last year. Diane
Hershberger, Doug Her
shberger, Steve Hershey,
Lela Rohrer and Lonna
Rohrer had the top three
scores with a three-way tie
in third place bringing the
number to five winners.
During his comments
outlining the status of the
cooperative at present,
Akers noted the economic
pressures affecting the in
dustry including production
exceeding the demand,
increased costs in produc
tion and increases m prices
paid for milk less than m-
(Turnto Page A2fe)
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 24,1981
of a separate building
materialized.
Willis Esbenshade was the
first president of the Board
of Directors of the Farm and
Home Foundation and at the
tune he was also serving as
president of the Farm
Bureau and the Extension
Board.
(Turn to Page A 22)
What’s the beef about Farm Show’s Jr. steers?
BY SHEILA MILLER
FARM SHOW - What’s,
wrong with the grand
champion Farm Show steer,
and who’s been saying the
champ doesn’t measure up
anymore’
Anyone wandering
through the beef barn at
Farm Show might have
found 4-H exhibitors,
leaders, parents and other
cattlemen voicing their
opinions about a recent
article published in Penn
sylvania Farmer magazine
concerning the quality of the
crossbred steers tagged
grand champ at the past
several Farm Shows
The story, authored by
Kendace Allen, covered the
opinions of buyers of the
champion baby beef and the
feelings of professional
cattlemen on why these
steel's, in recent years, did
not measure up quality-wise
Packers, like Danny George,
of Bethlehem, claimed the
steers the judges have been
selecting as grand champion
at Farm Show just didn’t
finish out choice a quality
standard for the amount of
marbling in the meat.
The story created quite a
hum among the cattlemen at
Farm Show, and the topic
was brought up at various
breed meetings and the Pa
Cattlemen’s session.
The controversy stems
from the fact that rarm
Show rules limit the weights
4-H steers to 1350 pounds
maximum. With the recent
trend to crossbreed steers
Farmers Union votes
on charter, referendum
BY CURT HAULER
GRANTVILLE - The
Pennsylvania Farmers
Union ninth annual con
vention concluded here
Tuesday with adoption ot
many farm resolutions,
presentation of several
speaches, and the group’s
taking one more step
towards a national charter.
PFU now has over 5000
members statewide and is
eligible for a charter from
National Farmers Union.
Delegates amended a
proposed set of bylaws and
resubmitted them to county
chapters for approval during
the coming year. If the local
members accept the bylaws
and all orgainzational
guidelines are met, PFU
could be fully chartered at
its next annual meeting.
In the meantime, PFU
delegates kept track of
current affairs in state
agriculture by passing
several resolutions.
Reacting to the proposed
dairy checkoff program for
the state, they said they
from exotic bloodlines, this
upper limit doesn't allow
some crosses to finish out to
the desired choice grade, the
cattlemen claimed.
Selecting the grand
champion steer is a matter
of the judge’s preference,
some said, with most judges
now-a-days basing their
decision on conformation,
with a .3 to .4 backfat.
Although the previous
Farm Show grand champion
steer buyers stressed the
quality grade as their reason
for no longer wanting the
champion in the magazine
article, cattlemen at the
Farm Show said they felt
most packers in the beef
industry are looking for
FEMA group supports Mann
for Farm Show director
HARRISBURG - One
statewide agricultural
organization went on record
this week in support of
Horace L. Mann as per
manent Farm Show
director
A letter of support for
Mann, who served as acting
director of the recently
concluded show, was mailed
this week to Penrose
Hallowell, secretary of
agriculture, by the Penn
sylvania Farm Equipment
Manufacturers Association.
would oppose any man
datory commodity
promotion program unless
the promotion order com
plies with PFU policy
Delegates then approved a
lengthy report from the
commodity committee
establishing checkoff
standards.
PFU wants approval by
two-thirds of the producers
in any commodity
referendum, all promotion
funds to be controlled
In this issue
SECTION A: Editorials, 10; Milk Check, 15; Berkshire
Queen, 16; Ask the VMD, 21; Fertilizer impregnation,
28; Block confirmed for USD A, 30; Farm Show champs
sale, 31; Peach convention, 32; Letters to editor, 34.
SECTION B: Repeat breeders, 2; Dairy price solution,
4; Order 2 prices, 6.
SECTION C; Homestead notes, 2; Joyce Bupp, 4,
Home on the Range, 6; Apple awards, 14; Sheep to
shawl, 19; Angus Queen, 22; Talk with NFU president,
27. _
SECTION D: No-tdl, 2; Md. no-till farmer, 8; Mon
tgomery DHIA, 13; Adams Farmers Assn., 14; Farm
Talk, 18.
leaner beef now than in
years before.
Penn State’s Lowell
Wilson, secretary of the Pa.
Cattlemen’s Association
stated, “There’s not much
difference between good and
choice grades when it comes
to eating quality.”
Another Penn State beef
specialist, Lester Burdette,
claimed the Farm Show
steers are fed wrong, with 4-
H’ers trying to hold their
animals from Roundup to
'FarmShow
“Some of these project
steers are picked too heavy
when they’re bought,”
Burdette said. “I won’t
concede that the 1350 pound
limit is too light, though A
steer’s ideal weight ranges
in the letter oated January
21, James F. Watrus,
secretary-treasurer of the
manufacturers’ group, cited
the positive attitude and past
experience of Mann con
cerning the show.
Expressing support for the
naming of Mann as per
manent director, the letter
stated that members of the
Farm Equipment
Manufacturers Association,
who are major exhibitors at
the show, were favorably
impressed with Mann’s work
$7.50 Per Year
directly by a board of
producers, review of the
referendum at government
expense every three years or
any time 10 percent of the
producers request a review,
and criminal penalties for
any political or lobbying use
of the money
While the policy was
written to be general and
cover both federal and state
checkoffs, the PFU stan
(Turnto Page A2O)
from 1050 to 1200 pounds,
maybe 1250 pounds.”
At the exhibitors banquet
of the Polled Hereford
Association, Tony Dobrosky,
York County Extension
Agent informed the mem
bers there is “pressure to
remove the top weights of
lambs, hogs, and steers.” He
noted there will be a meeting
with the Farm Show Com
mission on March 5,1981 to
discuss the situation and
present resolutions.
the
group to consider what
removing the upper weight
limitation will do for the
youth program and the beef
industry
“It is serious it’s not the
(Turn to Page A 35)
during the past week’s show.
Mann previously served as
Farm Show director from
1964 to 1972. He was named
acting director a few weeks
before the 1981 show upon
the resignation of Hugh
Coffman.
E. Chester Heim, deputy
ag secretary, reports that no
definite schedule has been
set for the naming of a
permanent director.
“We’ll be taking a lex* at
ail possible candidates with
no definite date in mind,” he
said.