VOL. 27 No. 19 c
Axe falls on PA potato budget
BY DONNA TOMMELLEO
STATE COLLEGE Faced
with federal budget cuts of at least
(75,000 a year, more than' 300
Pennsylvania potato growers will
rote this spring on doubling their
penny per hundredweight
assessment to save the 5-year-old
Research Program,
i The referendum was announced
Wednesday, during the 31st Annual
Pennsylvania Potato Growers
Institute in State College. If
passed, the program would
Columns
Editorials, A 10; Now is the tune,
A 10; On being a farm wife, B 20;
Ida’s Notebook, B 31; Garden
Center, 823; Brackett's Ag Advice,
B 40; Dairy Pipeline, DO,
Voir/
PA bulls enter select sire, B 28;
Sire summary- breakdown, D2l;
Lancaster OHIA, D 7; York OHIA,
Dl3.
Inside
This
Week’s...
Meet our local Outstanding Young Farmer couple. They are
Jim and Shirley Hershey of Elizabethtown and they related the
secret of their success to u5...A22.
Dairy co-op representatives presented marketing policies at a
recent meeting of Adams County dairymen...Al7.
Jeff Martin, Cloister FFA Chapter, and a team from the
Grassland Chapter are the top scorers in Poultry Judging
Competition in one of the largest competitions in recent
years...Bl6.
“Ag secretaries agree
to lead “Agriculture Day 99
LANCASTER - Secretary of
Agriculture John K. Block and PA
Ag Secretary Penrose Haiiowell,
both agreed this week to serve,
respectively, as national and state
honorary chairmen for Agriculture
Lay 1982, scheduled to take place
March 18.
initiated originally in W 73 as
national "Agriculture Day,” the
program is dedicated to
celebrating the "successess ot U.S.
agriculture in providing the
world’s most abundant and highest
quality tood supply,” according to
the state Department ot
Agriculture.
Senators Jesse Helms and
Walter Huddleston, with the
support ot 36 senators, introduced
a resolution proclaiming the day a
national ag day recently. The
resolution requests the President
to issue a proclamation en
couraging Americans to par
ticipate in ceremonies and ac
tivities honoring one ot the nation's
most imppitant industries-
generate $60,000 annually as
compared with a previous $30,000.
“We are flat broke,’’ remarked
research director and plant
pathologist David MacKenzie.
MacKenzie heads the Potato
’ Seed Farm at Black Moshannon ;
which is funded by growers’
assessments, potato chip com
panies, agrichemical companies
and federal and state grants. The
farm was built to produced elite
potato seed and varieties that
would help state growers compete
in a highly competitive "national
industry.
The plant pathologist explained
that national competition con
tributed to the current financial
Homo and Youth
Homestead Notes, B 2; Home on
the Range, BIS; Kid’s Komer, B 10;.
4-H news, 810 and B 12; FFAnews,
BIO;- Farm Women' Society
calendar, BIO; FWS reports, B 30;
New local Grange, 842. _.
In introducing the resolution.
Helms said, “The United States
Congress can pay a fitting mbute
to American farmers and ranchers
by adopting this resolution. In view
of the tremendous ac
complishments and contributions
that American farmers make to
the national and world economies,
it is appropriate to recognize
American agriculture in this
manner.”
On the state level, Hallowell.
said, "Agriculture is truly Penn
sylvania’s heartbeat, -providing an
abundance ot tood at reasonable
prices, a stable source ot jobs and
a standard ot living ot which we
can all be proud. Agriculture Day
is a nationwide eftoit to tell the
public just how important'
agriculture is in their daily lives. ’ ’
Lancaster Farming will be
recognizing this eminent day,
designated this year as
“Agriculture: It’s Your Heartbeat
America,” in a tuture issue.—DK
Lancaster Farming Saturday, March 6,1982
woes of the Commonwealth's in-
dustry.
The Pacific Northwest, (Idaho,
Washington, Oregon, etc.) has
more “political clout,” said
MacKenzie, who has lobbied for
funds for Pennsylvania, only to
walk away empty-handed.
“Washington, D.C. has dried up
as a source of funds,” he noted.
MacKenzie said he also had
requested state funds, generated
from harness racing, but was
turned down.
“Agriculture research has the
Is more feed-vet cooperation needed?
BY DICK ANGLESTKIN
LANCASTER Is more co
operation- needed between feed
' company - ■ representatives and -
veterinarians on' today's dairy
-c
It wfQUW"aeeatr*ir, according to.
a panel ofthree .
vets that were jm- the -lancaster :
County Dairy Days program this'
weeib'
A concensus of opinion among
the vet panel. whieh mcluded Drs.
Christopher Barton;. Saiunga; .
David Baver, Quarryvilie; and -
Harley Kooker, Gap, was that vets
and feedmen at tunes give dif
ferent recommendations and there
should be more cooperation among
the two and the dairy operators
they serve,
in other matters covered during
Past leader receives praise as
New PHA president
takes the reins
Marion Alsdorf, right, became new president
of the Pennsylvania Holstein Association last
Friday at the annual convention and banquet.
Here he Diaces a ointor two years of hard work
- lowest priority. I was told there
would be no fair funds for new ag
grants,” MacKenzie reported.
As a result,' MacKenzie ex
plained that stripping the research
farm to the bare operating
minimum was necessary.
“Well make it through planting
and we’ll make it through June,”
he said. “The question is, at what
level will we operate?
“We perform magic, but we’re
not up to miracles.” However,
MacKenzie assured growers that
the farm would not be shut down.
Lancaster County Dairy Days
the varied two-day program, these
additional observations came to
light:
-Johne’s disease is becoming an
increasing problem in dairy herds
and a concentrated statewide
effort mayHe needed to eradicate 1
tbedisease. ■ ,
-With the apparent continuing
trend to larger dairy operations.
■ these big operators still may have
to Team from successful
smaller, farmers.
—The differing sides urthe milk
referendum debate are pretty well
polarized and lhere are tio new
changes m posiUons.
-Easy credlt policies and lower
interest rates of the past may be
part of the financial problems that
agriculture now faces.
The vet panel led off the Tuesday
Research advisory board
supervisor Ray Reiter reported
that State Agriculture Secretary
Penrose Hallowed has reviewed
the growers request for a a two
cent assessment and has agreed to
conduct a special referendum.
'Hallowed recently informed
growers by mail of the upcoming
referendum and has set a public
hearing for Tuesday, March 23,
1:30 pan. at the Pennsylvania
Department ”of ' Agriculture in
Harrisburg.
portionof the program, following
the Farm Bureau film' on animal
' Welfare.
"Feedmen and vets don’t seem
to talk, much together,” Or. Baver
said. -
. vDr.Bartongave the opinion that
the conflict between. Jbe .feed in
dustry and ve&rhnftans may be
due Y to each party working on a
different -
- -
- the dairyman and we may see
ways to more, economically
produce milk-that is m conflict
with the feedman,” Dr. Barton
said.
Dr. Kooker echoed the feelings of
his colleagues that more
cooperation is needed and perhaps
{Turn to Page Al 9)
and devoted service on outgoing president,
John Cope. See additional pictures and
highlights of the convention on page D 2.
$7.50 p«r year
(Turn to Page A 39)