VOL 26 No. 21
The Charles family, from right, James, Mr. and Mrs. Ray H.
Charles, were honored as Lancaster’s Outstanding Con
servation Cooperators at Thursday's banquet. Presenting the
aerial picture of the Charles farm is Technician Abner
Houseknecht.
Economist addresses
Eastern Co-op farmers
BY DEBBIE KOONTZ
BLUE BALL “You’re going to
make money this year, but you’re
not going to get rich by a long, long
shot,” Joe Mathis, economist for
the Eastern Milk Producer’s
Cooperative Assn, told over 40 area
farmers who gathered Thursday at
the Blue Ball Fire Hal).
“We’re looking at a year similar
to what we had last year The
milkcheck is not going to go up as
the bills come in,” he added “On
the average, your prices are not
going to go up as much as the cost
of production.”
Offering the farmers what he
termed a “run down on where the
cooperative stands at this point,”
he discussed farm news from
Washington as well as production
rates of participating farmers
“As you know, Reagan is in the
process of cutting the budget $4B 6
billion. Of this number, $3 4 billion
will be in agriculture So if things
go as projected, almost nine
percent of the whole budget cut
will come in agriculture,” he said
Two big programs to be cut are
the milk price support program
and the school lunch and nutrition
program according to Mathis
“They (the administration) are
Area Holstein breeders active
at MGM Grand Sale in Nevada
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
LANCASTER - Earl C.
Stauffer, R 1 Ephrata, sold a
Holstein calf to J. Mowery Frey, of
Willow Street.
But before the 10-month-old calf
could make the approximate 20-
mile move from Sunny Craft Farm
in northern Lancaster County to
Fultonway Farm in the southern
section, she traveled more than
5200 miles to and from Reno, Nev.,
and basked in the glamor and
hoping to cut the school lunch
program by as much as $2 6
billion,” he added
Moving from discussion on
Washington to how farmers stand
locally, Mathis offered the farmers
some comparisons of last year’s
farm rates, adding that a big
problem right now may be han
dling excess milk due to over
production.
(Turn to Page A3B)
Bangs indemnity falls short
for local dairyman
BY SHEILA MILLER
COCHRANVILLE - It s like
working 10 years for a dead
horse,” said David King, dairy
farmer from Cochranville, con
cerning his current plight with
brucellosis and government red
tape.
Beginning next week, King said
he will be depleting what’s left of
his original 75 head grade Holstein
milking string, along with 52 bred
heifers.
glitter of the resort town that is
usually reserved for show business
celebrities.
The young heifer was just one of
a number of top Holstein breeding
stock that moved into and out of
Lancaster County herds through
the sale ring of the MGM Grand
Holstein Sale held earlier this
month in Reno.
In all, transactions involving
Lancaster County area breeders at
the sale held before an audience of
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 21,1981
Conservation district honors
outstanding cooperators
BYCURTHARLER
INTERCOURSE - The Lan
caster County Conservation
District presented four awards at
its annual meeting Thursday night
In addition, the 205 guests at the
30th annual banquet were told by
the man who designed the Mason
Dixon Farms methane generator
that farms can become energy
self-sufficient today
Roy H and James Charles
Millersville, were cited as the 198 C
Outstanding Conservation
Cooperators by the District. Award
was presented by District
Technician Abner J Houseknecht
From a farm which admittedly
had some bad washing and gully
problems in the early 19705, the
Charles opereration has grown to a
model of conservation practices
Details of their conservation
program begin on page A2O.
High Properties’ Greenfield
Industrial Part was cited as the
County’s outstanding storm water
management program.
Designed in 1973 by Huth
Engineers Inc , the East Lampeter
Township project essentially was
complete by 1975. Although the
system looked good on paper, it
was not until more recently that it
proved its value after several
buildings were erected and it still
performed according to design
The most obvious feature of the
system is a series of three con
trolled outlet ponds which provide
It the herd depopulation goes
through, it will bring to a sad close
a situation that has been dragging
its heels in the King barn since last
July.
King recalled how the
brucellosis, also called Bang’s
disease, was postively identified in
his herd last summer.
“The milk company we ship to
took a ring sample of our milk and
discovered brucella We had to quit
using the milk,” King said.
some 2000 in the ballroom of the
MGM Grand Hotel, totaled more
than |140,000.
Average sale price for the ap
proximate 100 head that went
through the ring topped $B5OO.
The MGM Sale is a bit different
from the customary county sale
you expect to see at New Holland,
Vintage or even the Guernsey
Sales Pavilion Held for only the
second time on March 6, it is
(Turn to Page A 36)
storage capacity for excess runoff
which otherwise would spill into
Stauffer Run.
Raymond G Herr presented the
award to the owners of the in
dustrial park, the design
engineers, and the township
Outstanding service awards
were presented to Soma Shaner
and Nancy Burkhart by County
Commissioner James E. Huber.
Shaner, a Warwick vo-ag
Favorable operation
reported by Lehigh
BY VIVIAN PAUL
Staff Correspondent
LANCASTER - Lehigh Valley
Farmers, holding its first annual
meeting since its formation last
summer, reported favorable
results for its first eight months of
operation.
General Manager William Stout
told more than 400 producers the
Co-op had an operating margin of
$74,000. In addition, Stout said
Lehigh Valley Fanners also holds
$675,000 worth of equity in Atlantic
Processing, Inc., to which Lehigh
sells its milk.
A detailed financial statement is
expected within a few weeks when
the annual report is released. It
was explained that farmers
• We could still ship the milk
because it’s allright as long as it’s
pasteurized. But we weren’t
allowed to drink it raw
• My youngest boy, Gerald, like
the rest of us, had the habit of
dipping some milk when he got
thirsty during milking. Un
fortunately, it was discovered he
got brucellosis he started get
ting tired so we took him to the
hospital for blood tests last
December The doctors put him on
medication, and he’s getting
better None of the rest of us got
it ”
What is brucellosis ;
According to Paul Becton,
director of the national brucellosis
eradication program for USDA’s
Animal and Plant Health In
spection Service, brucellosis "is an
easily spread bacterial disease of
cattle, swme and other animals
that may be transmitted from
animals to human beings ... The
disease costs U.S. cattle
owners about $45 million annually
m reduced calf crops and lower
milk yields brought on by abor
tions, weak calves and slow
breeding '
According to King, last summer
was the tirst lime he ever ex
(Turn io f age
$7.50 Per Year
teacher, was cited for her help with
education programs at the
county’s summer conservation
sessions.
< Burkhart, the SCS office’s
friendly phone voice and
secretary-treasurer of the District,
was honored for her 15 years
service to SCS.
Featured speaker John R
Sheaffer, is a native of Lancaster
(Turn to Page A3O)
shipped 333 million pounds of milk
during the eight months for which
they were paid $45.5 million.
Both Stout and Board President
Alpheus Ruth expressed optimism
about the Co-op’s early per
formance and about its future.
They said they hope to acquire 300
new shippers before the end of
1981.
The new member drive will
coincide with several important
improvements to the incentive
(Turn to Page AIS)
Remoter damns
Editorials, A 10; Calendar, Al 2;
Have you heard, CIO; Joyce
Bupp’s column, Cll; Ida’s
notebook, Cl 2; Sheila’s Shorts,
D2O; Ask the VMD, D2B; Farm
Talk, D 33; Milk Check, EB.
Daity reports
Dairy awards, A 32; Bradford
Jerseys, C3B; Dairylea slams cuts,
C 39; Huntingdon DHIA, DI2;
Cumberland DHIA, Dl4; Potter
DHIA, Dl5; Mifflin DMA, E 5;
Franklin DHIA, E 7; Dairy
recycles waste, E 10; Evaluate
vacuum system, El 4
Nms fahms
Conservation farmer, A2O; Com
cyst nematode, A2B; Friends in
need, A 34; Pennfield-Cargill, A 35;
Farm co-op meeting, B 2; Soybean
convention, B 4; Special garden
section, Cl 5-30; Lebimoji extension
meets, D 2; Adams beef ball, D 9;
By-gone days bams, E 2.
Hint itui VmHi
Weiser FFA, Al 6; Homestead
notes, C 2; Home on the range, C 6;
Kids Komer, C 8; Penn Manor
FFA, C 34; Twin VaUey FFA, D 5;
New Holland FFA, D 8; LrS FFA,
D 24; Manheim FFA, D 25.