VOL. 27 No. 14 Pencil-pushers will rub out gut-decision farmers Gail McPherson, president of Penn’s Agri-Women, told the ag-business seminar that the family farm can only continue to produce if the free enterprise system affords a profit in centive. Production questions find answers BY DEBBIE KOONTZ HEKSHEY Does the future of eastern apples look promising? Du good forecasts really help the farmer and the fruit producer? Is there really such a thing as ef fective’ early blight control? These questions and more were answered at joint meetings of the 123rd Annual State Horticultural Association, the Horticultural Societies of Maryland and IMew Jersey, the 1982 PA Vegetable grower's Association, and the 14th TA Wine Conference, held Tuesday through Thursday at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. Providing the most recent lesearch techniques m the vegetable and horticultural world were authorities from Penn sylvania, Indiana, Canada, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. More than 100 suppliers and manufacturers catering to the horl Chet Hughes joins Lancaster Extension Chester D. Hughes At Veg-Hort conferences and vegetable industry were on hand to demonstrate and discuss production practices. - Highlighting Tuesday’s con ference was a tomato awards luncheon, the crowning of a new state apple princess from Erie County, and the slate apple bake off. Find the tomato producing winners in,the pages of A section and the new queen and winning recipes in B section. Of particular interest to the apple producers was Tuesday’s session which discussed the future of eastern apples and what it will take to sell them. According to George Michalck of Weis Markets in Sunbury, Pa, variety is the strength of the eastern apple, but that, "1 don’t thing we exploit it to is fullest. “We need to do a better job of providing consistent levels of performance and quality,’’ he BY SHEILA MILLER LANCASTER Filling the shoes of former Lancaster County agent Max Smith as the county’s livestock agent will be as many county residents say, “a tough act to follow.” But on April 1, 1982, Chester D. Hughes will be trying the well-worn boots on for size. The Cambria county native says there’ll be “no fooling” when he assumes the awesome respon sibility pf keeping Pennsylvania’s leading livestock county’s farm program running smoothly. And Chet brings to the Extension job all the skills and experience needed to succeed. The son of I. Roland and Lois Hughes of R 1 Portage, Chet grew up learning the in’s and out’s ot the family's general livestock business. After graduating from Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 30,1982 BY JOYCE BUPP Stall Correspondent YORK World demand for America’s foodstuffs will continue to increase, but the ‘ pencil pushers,” not the “gut decision” farmers, will be the ones who’ll weather the current depressed economy to a brighter future. That was the message farmers and businessmen heard at the 19th York Agri-Business Seminar, held last Thursday at Avalong Farms Restaurant. About 150 people braved ice-covered roads to attend the annual session, co-sponsored by the York Area Chamber of Commerce and the Extension Service. Key speaker for the morning session was Gail McPherson, York County fruit and grain producer and President of. Penn’s Agri- Women. “The problem confronting farmers today is the transition from being an understood majority to a misunderstood minority,” she said. “Just being good at what we advised. “Western apples are advertised heavily and we have to compete. 1 think brand advertising is important.” Following Michalck’s speech, a panel of three discussed what it would take to sell the apples. Kenneth Pollard ot Western New York,Apple Growers, Inc., said "We must -increase promotional support. People are interested in nutrition, tlavortul snacks and good meals, and our product tills all these areas.” Discussing weather forecasting and its merits tor the tamer, was Benue Hinish ot Curryville who spoke on a forecasting service Bedford and Blair counties receive trom Accu-weather at Penn State. For a tee, tanners in these counties can dial an unlisted number day or night and hear the lastest forecast. This forecast is (Turn to Page Al 6) high school, he enrolled in the College of Agriculture at Penn State and graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in animal industries. From 1977 to 1979, Chet started his career as an Extension livestock agent in Susquehanna County where he enthusiastically and intensively worked to build the county’s youth program. His ef forts gained the attention of the American Angus Association v and in September 1979, Chet accepted the challenge of becoming the Association’s Northeast Regional manager. During his 2M> -years with the Angus Association, Chet was in strumental in forming the Nor theast Junior Angus Association. Encompassing a 12-state area, the (Turn to Page A 32) do isn’t enough; our object must be to elevate the image of food production to the level that non farmers understand the need for a profit.” Calling for an intense public relations blitz by the agriculture segment, McPherson added that farmers must help erase "public illiteracy” about food production. Her slide presentation, “The Other Energy Crisis,” dealt with the world’s burgeoning population and the earth’s limited ability to feed such increasing numbers. Farmers protest Bradford tax changes By JANE BRESEE Stall Correspondent TOWANDA - The Bradford- Sullivan County Farmers’ Association has issued a protest to the Bradford County Board of Assessment for raising land use values recommended by the Department of Agriculture, on property enrolled under the Clean and Green Law <Act 319). The protest committee was organized Jan. 22 and will meet with the Bradford County Com missioners in the near future. The objection to the increase in assessment they stated, is that it may be discriminatory in that only landowners under the Clean and Green law are being singled out for a change; and that the procedure being followed by the assessor to notify the landowners of their new assessment has not been followed. Columns Editorials, A 10; Now is the time, A 10; Ladies, have you heard? B 4; Ida>Notebook, 85. Home and Youth Homestead Notes, B 2; Home on the Range, B 6; Kid’s Komer, BIO; Farm Women Societies, B 12; 4-H news, B 13; Adams County Ex tension, B 14; Md Ag week, B 16; Apple queen, B 18; Apple bake-off, 818. Dairy Sire summaries, 822; Guernseys earn nat’l record, 832. Inside This Week’s... A Lebanon County dairy family recently made room for more cows and more people. Find out why on page...A26. •If’s’ dominate the Cattle Feeder’s Day at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center, Tuesday. See page...A2B. Huntsdale Count Crystan Madam is the “Queen of the Herd’’ at Huntsdale Stock Farms in Carlisle .A2O. $7.50 per year A study by the President’s Commission on World Hunger has suggested that famine will ravage the world in as few as 20 years. An estimated five million people are already seriously malnourished, while two million more hover on the edge of hunger. While technology has continued to -boost food production to a capacity of 17 percent more than the population, sheer birth num bers are beginning to catch up to yield increases. (Turn to Page A 34) Also, the committee said they felt that the higher forest land assessment, from $4O per acre in 1979 to $73.12 in 1982, was par ticularly unfair. According to Annette Schucker, spokesperson for the protest committee, the law reads that the assessor must notify municipal bodies within five days of any change in assessment, and also must notify the landowners of any change. This has not been done, she reported. The Board of Assessment voted to accept the recommendation of the Depart ment of Agriculture land values on August 19, 1981, and legal notice from the assessor’s office has not been received in the mail by either the municipal tax authorities or landowners, she pointed out. Officials at the Department of Agriculture have been questioned as to whether or not raismg the use values is legal. State Represen tative Roger Madigan has been asked to assist in helping the protest committee to unravel what appears to be an unfair action against Clean and Green enrollees. The Bradford-Sulhvan County Farmers Association with a 1981 membership of 963 farm families, the Bradford County Grange with a membership of 2,200 people, one third of whom are farmers, and the Bradford County Forest Lan downers Association, only a year old with 33 members holding nearly 5,000 acres of forest land, represent nearly all who may be enrolled m Clean and Green in Bradford County.
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