BY DONNA TOMMELLEO
HARRISBURG Pennsylvania
dairy farmers may be able to vote
on the proposed dairy referendum
as early as March 1, Pa. Secretary
of Agriculture Penrose HalloweU
said Tufesday.
Hallowell’s announcement -
followed a meeting that included
several dairy farmers and co-op
representatives, who met with
HalloweU to review the referen
dum draft and establish a time
table, in addition, said HaUowell,
the committee adopted a few
Christmas tree harvest
(Continued from Page A 32)
Waiting on v a constant stream of
buyers keeps Gary busy most of
fsehe time as he explains the various
' species of trees, makes recom
mendations for selections, and
keeps the wall of the small sales
booth filled with a supply of fresh
evergreen wreaths.
Trees sold are in two size
breakdowns, the 6-7% size and the
-7M>-9 foot size. Prices .this year
range from about $2.25 per foot to
$2.75 per foot depending on the
species of tree selected.
Douglas fir is the- undisputed
favorite of Strathmeyer customers
and a giant 13-foot-tall Douglas
from the Dover growers is
currently gracing the Governor’s
mansion in Harrisburg. Gary tells
customers that Douglas firs are
soft, and of dense and shapely
branches.
Scotch pine, with its stiff,
medium-length needle, is another
traditional favorite.
Showing great promise to win
over new converts is the Concolor
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HalloweU, dairy committee
iron out milk referendum
minor proposal changes.
The proposed referendum will
provide more than $9 million a
year to increase sales of milk and
dairy products by deducting about
10 cents per hundredweight of milk
from every Pa. producer.
HalloweU said the proposal is
expected to-be printed and mailed
to dairy farmers in January. The
committee decided on four
regional meetings beginning in
February. However, • HalloweU
said that a fifth meeting in western
Pa. is still under consideration.
fir, also called the white fir. Its
branches are layered, very full,
and the strong fragrance of the
Concolor is rich with a fruity, spicy
scent, and a hint of orange.
Fraser fir is another up-and
coming variety, although the
Strathmeyer plantings of this tree
are still too young for retailing.
The few that are on the market are
more likely to have been shipped
from growers in northwest Penn
sylvania, or have been brought up
from North Carolina.
Since all four of the Strathmeyer
sons ’ are joining the family
business, plantings of both
Christmas trees and other nursery
stock have tripled in the last few
years.
“We’ve been planting 50,000 to
70,000 new seedlings each year,”
notes Tim, a ‘and expect to. just
about double our sales of Christ
mas trees over the next 1 few
years.”
And that’s good news for all the
live Christmas tree lovers of the
area.
. ✓'
’
The four meeting sites and dates
are as follows; Feb. 5 Hazelton;
Feb. 8 Penn State; Feb. 9
Lancaster; Feb. 10 Warrendale.
Kallowell explained the public
meetings, which will all begin at 1
p.m., were set in certain areas so
that most farmers could attend
with no more than a two-hour
drive.
Following the March vote, a
teller committee will be appointed
to tabulate the votes,, said
Hallowell. The Secretary said he
hopes to have the tabulation ac
complished by April 1. If approved,
the referendum is expected to be
law by Jiily 1, 1982, the beginning
of 1983 fiscal year.
The committee also approved a 3
percent administrative cost, in
stead of the proposed 4 percent.,
The referendum, if approved,
will be regulated by an advisory
committee. Following Tuesday’s
meeting, Hallowell said, the
committee will consist of those
persons actively engaged in milk
production. An all-dairy farmer
committee should, “strengthen the
decision-making hbility of farmers
making contributions,” Hallowell
explained.
The committee will consist of 20
people with three-year terms. The
responsibility of the committee
will be to develop and administer
the program. Hallnwell said such
duties include advertising and
promotion (except brand name),
research and new product
development and nutnonal
education programs.
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1# 40?
Scenes of the season
At Christmas time, beauty fills not only everyone’s heart,
but also the world around us. What moments before was just
a plain broken fence, now is a haven for glittering icy crystals -
dropped on a spot which, no doubt, has been adorned thus
for centuries.
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Lancaster Farming, Thursday, December 24,1981—A33
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