VOL 26 No. 19 Ralph Dotterer, right, of R 2, Mill Hall, was named Cattleman of the Year during the j Cattlemen’s Banquet. Left to right are Sam I Washburn of Fowler, Ind., president-elect ef National Cattlemen’s Association; Galen E. New U.S. corn pest confirmed locally this week BYCURTHARLER CHESTERTOWN, Md. - A com pest so new to the United States that it doesn’t have an official name, was positively identified for the first tune this week on a Kent County, Md. farm. Lancaster Farming has learned that Heterodera zeae, being called corn cyst nematode” for con venience, was confirmed by researchers at USDA’s Beltsville lab. Previously, the pest was known only in India, Pakistan, and Egypt, although officials say it could have Jjwen present but undetected in the *ls. While officials at USDA say there is little hope for eradication ot the pest, they say there is no need for panic. Early guesses show it may become economically significant in American corn helds, although control may not be difficult. News and features Officials welcome Holstein buyers, A 18; NFU meets in Honda, A 26, Expo champs, A 35; Cattle honors, A 37; Farm bill hearings, A3B; Elizabethtown oung Farmers, C3O; Md. soybean champs, C4l. Women and youth • 4-H leader dog program, A3O; omestead notes, C 2; Home on the range, C 6; Kids’ Korner, CIO; 4-H club news, Cl 4; Agri-women and ag day, C2O, FFA meats judging, C 34; Holstem women meeting, C 45. Dreibelbis, State College, toastmaster and cattle breeder; and J. Paul Espy of Rl, Tyrone, past president of the Cattlemen’s Association. See story Page A-37. The pest was identified in a 200 acre Kent County com field which was sampled as part of the Delmarva Nematode Survey. Kent County is located on Maryland’s Upper Eastern Shore, directly South of Lancaster and Chester Counties in Pennsylvania. A soil assay was done on the farm and an established com cyst nematode population found. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service plans to meet Thursday, March 12 to discuss the situation. At that tune they will review the biology of the pest, the current situation in Maryland, and make recommendations on how to proceed. USDA said first steps will be to notify neighboring states, the Canadian and Mexican govern ments. Corn cyst nematode first was described in India in 1970. Later it Dairy reports Penn Gate breeding program, A 22, 20 cows die, A 43, More Holstein Convention winners, 82, Solanco dairymen cited, C 36, York-Adams Calfarama, C 47; Bradford DHIA, D 2; Adams DHIA, DIO; Blair DHIA, DlB Regular columns Editorials, A 10; Farm calendar, Al 2; Joyce Bupp’s column, CB, Have you heard 9 Cl 2; Ida’s notebook, Cl 3; Farm Talk, Dl4. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 7,1981 was found to be widely diestnbuted in six Indian states. The Indians say it causes economic damage on their maize, or corn. (Turn to Page A 46) DER finds PCBs on Chester farm BY DEBBIE KOONTZ GLENNMORE A hushed investigation is being conducted into the discovery of PCB con tamination on a Chester County farm owned by Cris Esh. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources Thursday said five drums of oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls were discovered on Esh’s Wyebrook Farm m West Nantmeal Township. According to DER there is a Dairymen told to control debt BY DICK ANGLESTEIN I.ANCAiJTEK. - This will be a year to get better not bigger. This message was conveyed and repeated a number ot times on Tuesday belore a tull-house crowd at the Lancaster County Dairy Day program at the Kami and Home Center Glenn Shirk, Lancastei dairy agent, set the tone tor the meeting by explaining that times are changing and things may not be as easy tor the dairj opeiatoi as before He was the tnsl to utlei the better not Digger theme It s a time to pi oiea the protil Miller has Expo’s Best of Breed doe BY SHEILA MILLER HARRISBURG - Ann Miller of Furlong, Bucks County exhibited her grand champion Toggenburg doe in milk to Best In Show during Thursday’s Farm Equipment Exposition Spring Classic Goat Show. GCH Rockspring Pharoh Look At Me, who will be three-years-old on March 27, took grand champion in her breed before gomg on to top the other five champions of the show. As her name implies, the doe commanded a long look from Judge Dana Holder of Fairfield, Adams County, who praised the champ’s mammary system and overall conformation. This is not the first Best In Show honor for Look At Me, according to Miller. The doe has achieved this distinction three times in the past two years on the show road in Pennsylvania. Miller, who’s been raising goats for the past 30 years and now has 30 head on her 5 acre farmette, ex plained Look At Me was her first artificially inseminated offspring. She recalled how she serviced her home-bred doe, Rock Sprmg Turk Laurel, to Sunshine Photopia Pharoh U, a buck she has high hope for in her breeding program. Look At Me has been recognized as a Six-Star milker and has been given her permanent grand championship, signified by the GCH m front of her name, said “substantial possibility” other farmers in this area may have received the contaminated oil and may be unknowingly jeopardizing their livestock and crops. Concentrations of PCBs in the oil ranged from 2500 parts per million in one of the drums to almost pure PCB material in another Concentrations of PCBs also have been detected in the sod and sand in an area about 75 by 120 feet on Esh’s property and in a chicken egg produced on the farm. margin with better production, ’ he said And conti ol that debt load. If you borrow, make sure you’re doing it to get better production." He reminded the attending dairymen that to get good producing cows you must care tor the heifers Mistreating a heiter is putting a cap on her production, Shirk said She may have inherited the potential to be a 17,000-lb pi oducei, but only milk 15,000 lbs because ot what we have done to hei Also, ne ui geu pi electing the dry (turn to PageA47) $7.50 Per Year Miller. The outstanding doe has recently completed a 305-day DHI test with a record of 2950 pounds. At Thursday’s show, she was 340 days into lactation and will be kidding May 25. Taking the reserve grand championship m the Toggenburg show was ML Farm Coco’s Tourmalma, exhibited by Gail LeCompt. The doe in milk was the reserve senior champion. LeCompt also exhibited the Toggenburg reserve junior champion, ML Farm Candy N Caeser Wmny. The Toggenburg junior cham pion, Bn-Ra-Bar Angies, was shown by Brian Blouch, R 2 Bethel. In the recorded grade show, Karen Pensack of Lebanon, N.J. exhibited the grand champion. Larch Lane’s Black Satin, the senior champion in milk. Gail LeCompt took both the reserve senior championship and the reserve grand championship with Ebarb Bridgets Marvel. Joanne Dominick, R 1 Fogelsville, showed die junior champion in the registered grade show, Lyon-Dale Nanessa. Judge Holder followed with the second place doe in class for reserve junior champion. The purple ribbon went to Gail LeCompt’s ML Farm Echo-Bo Palma. Thomas Hope and James Farlee, Hopewell, N.J., swept the (Turn to PageA3s) Investigation began due to earlier rumors of possible PCB contamination from the same oil source, which Esh, officials of DER, and the Ag Department refused to identify pending com pletion of the investigation by DER Bruce Beitler, DER’s Solid Waste Operations Supervisor, said attorneys in the State Justice Department have ordered all parties to remain silent umtl the investigation is concluded. On Friday, meat and tissue samples from Esh’s livestock were analyzed at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Summerdale Lab for possible contamination Results are not yet available. Esh said he was unaware that the oil, used to lubricate his equipment, contained PCBs. "I thought something was wrong, though, because of the smell,” he said. Marilyn Hewitt of DEK’s Solid Waste Operations admitted the oil source has been under question before due to PCB contamination. Other Chester County farmers who received waste oil from local industries are asked to contact Bruce Beitler or Marilyn Hewitt at Solid Waste Operations at 1875 New Hope St, Norristown, 215/631- 2413, so their soil can be examined for possible contamination.
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