VOL 27 No. 26
Federation fund raiser has “miracle 99 turnout
” The Pa. Poultry Federation’s Distinguished
Industrymen and their wives were honored at
Thursday evening’s annual fund-raising
banouet at the Hershey Convention Center.
Broiler Industryman of the Year is Melvin
Surplus ideas move closer to White House
B V DONNA TOMMELLEO
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S.
Agriculture Secretary John Block
is expected to submit a plan to the
White House next week, designed
to reduce existing dairy surplus
and alter the current price support
program, a USDA spokesman said
Thursday. v
Although spokesman John Oches
was not specific on what the plan
contained, he noted that the USDA
is still considering the variety of •
(proposals submitted during the
decent Kansas City symposium.
Lack of specificity in dairy.
programs seems to be the current
underlying feeling in the nation’s
capitol.
"No one wants to touch dairy
with a 10-foot pole,” commented
US. Representative Robert
Walker (R—Pa.).
‘There’s a lot of posturing but
actions are very limited,” Walker
added. He remarked that various
groups within the dairy industry
seem to be split over the critical
issue of solving the massive sur
plus problem. Part of the split may
stem from proposals which impose
the same conditions for all
producers, nationwide.
According to Walker, nor
theastern dairies produce about 8
percent of the surplus while
dairy producers con
tribute almost 50 percent.
’ Our guys get penalized,” said
the Pennsylvania congressman.
On April 5, Wisconsin
Congressman Steve Gunderson
submitted a base-excess proposal,
dubbed H.B. 6076 to the U.S. House
°t Representatives. Under Gun-
Mitchell and wife Dot from Lancaster Co
right; Egg Industryman is Bill Carlin and wife
Jean, Lancaster Co.; and Turkey Industryman
of the Year is Lowell Koch and wife Betty from
Schuylkill Co., left.
derson’s program each U.S. dairy
farmer would be assigned a base,
dependent on past production,
explained Gunderson aide Jim
Reck.
Reck termed H.B. 6076 as, “a
quite workable piece of
legislation.”
In addition to setting base, the
National Board would be
responsible for assessing those
farmers in excess of base.
Assessments would be determined
four times a year.
The Board will not assess any
producer .marketing at or less than
assigned base. Depending on
estimated surplus, the Board could
call for a percentage reduction and
assess those producers main
taining above cutback levels.
For example, if the surplus was
estimated at 5 percent, the net
hundredweight price on that 5
percent would be about $7 or near
world market price. That would
apply to producers marketing at
100 percent of base during periods
of cutback.
Walebe ETs top Waverly Sale
BY GINGER SECRIST MYERS
Staff Correspondent
CLEARBROOK, Va. A full
brother and sister Jersey ET duo,
born August 1981 and consigned by
Walebe Farms, Inc., Collegeville,
Montgomery Co. commanded a
combined selling price of $30,000 to
top the prestigious Third Waverly
Invitational Sale. The sale was
held April 21 here at the Frederick
County Fairgrounds and - was
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 24,1982
A double assessment exists for
producers marketing at more than
100 percent of their base levels.
Milk soon to be official state drink
HARRISBURG Governor
Dick Thornburgh has until next
Friday, April 30 to make it official
what dairy producers have been
waiting for since last April. With
his signature, Thornburgh will seal
the fate of House Bill 1351 and will
make milk the Keystone state’s
official drink.
It’s hard to believe this 7-lme bill
has met with so many road blocks
on its way to becoming law. But it’s
been almost a year since Rep.
Joseph Gneco (R-84th) introduced
the legislation in response to a
suggestion made to him by visiting
4-H’ers during a Capitol tour.
After making its way through the
House in short order, H.B. 1351 was
stymied in the Senate by one
senator who amended the bill in
order to make alternative
hosted by the Robert Stiles
Family.
Sired by Reghs Deni Hi Power
and out of the uncomparable
Generators Valencia of Ogston,
Ex, 5-5 305 days 25,980 pounds of
milk and 1154 pounds of fat}
Walebe High Value ET topped the
sale for a bid of $19,000. He was
purchased by a syndicate and Tri-
State Breeders Coop, Baraboo,
Wis. He was the first bull ever to be
BY SHEILA MILLER
HERSHEY “I consider it a
miracle,” commented Penn
sylvania Poultry Federation’s
Executive Secretary John Hoff
man in describing Thursday
evening’s 1,600 guest turnout at the
poultry industry’s annual fund
raising banquet.
Even though this year’s at
tendance fell 50 short of meeting
last year’s record crowd, Hoffman
said he was pleased with the
response for the ninth banquet
since the economy of the industry
and the entire economy of the
country has been depressed.
Part of the drawing card for this
year’s crowd is the fact that the
annual event had singer Frankie
Lame providing the featured en
tertainment, along with comedian
impressionist Jim Teter.
Another factor that may have
encouraged more folks to try to
steal an evening away from the
daily drudgery in the chicken and
turkey world is that this year’s
gala festivities were held here at
the Hershey Motor Lodge and
Convention Center rather than at
the Lancaster Host Farm where it
was held the previous five years.
Whatever the reason, the fund
raiser certainly overshadowed the
Federation’s first attempt which
was held at the Penn Harris Hotel
For example, if the Board calls
for a 5 percent reduction and a
(Turn to Page A3B)
suggestions on what beverage
should be dubbed the state drink
beer, wine, soft drink, etc.
Just this month, the bill
“escaped” from the Senate Ag
Committee when the imaginative
senator withdrew his amendments
and allowed the bill to pass
favorably to the Senate floor. It
was there, last Wednesday, that
H.B. 1351 was voted on and passed
with a vote of 49-1.
The sum and substance of the bill
can be found on two short lines:
•'Milk is hereby selected,
designated and adopted as the
official beverage of the Com
monwealth of Pennsylvania.”
The Senate members performed
more work involving dairy
legislation this week when they
unanimously passed Senate Bill
sold in the Waverly Sales senes.
His full sister, Walebe Hi-Power
Valerie ET, sold for 111,000 to the
Valerie Syndicate, Collegeville
with Walebe Farms retaining a
quarter interest. Their dam,
Valencia, has two VG-88 percent
daughters with CPIs of plus 327
and plus 280. She is also the dam of
A -Nine Call Me Great, USDA 1-82
+2026M- +SSF +2365, and
(Turn to Page A 28)
$7.50 per year
in Harrisburg and drew all of 300
people.
The income the Federation
receives this year will continue to
be used to provide an organized
voice for the poultry industry and
to protect producers’ interests.
Money will go towards research,
disease control, scholarships, and
youth activities.
Co-chainng this year’s
“miracle” were Jay Greider of
Greider Farms, Inc. and Melvin
Mitchell of Victor F. Weaver, Inc.
The evening would not have been
complete without the presence of
the distinguished mdustrymen and
their wives who enjoyed sharing
the evening with Pennsylvania
Secretary of Agriculture Penrose
Hallowell.
The Broiler Industryman of the
Year is Melvin Mitchell. He and
wife Dorothy, who prefers to be
called “Dot”, are Lancaster
County natives. Mitchell is
currently vice president of
marketing with Victor F. Weaver,
Inc. of New Holland where he has
.been employed for the past 36
years.
The Egg Industryman of the
Year is William “Bill” Carlin, egg
stock sales manager for Hubbard
Farms, Inc. of Walpole, New
Hampshire. Carlin has been with
(Turn to Page A 34)
Index,
Page 3
1349, the Milk Identification bill.
This piece of legislation introduced
by Senators Frank O’Connell (R
-20th), Edward Helfnck (R-27th),
and Patrick Stapleton (EMlst) on
March 17, 1982 amends the 1961 law
and adds a definition for
manufactured dairy products.
S.B. 1349 is now in the House
Agricultural and Rural Affairs
Committee. Its side-kick bill, S.B.
1350, also introduced by O’Connell,
remains in the senate on second
consideration. This legislation
amends the milk sanitation law
and establishes minimum
sanitation standards for handling
and processing manufactured
dairy products.
The House Ag Committee was
not idle this week. Members
unanimously voted Senate Bill 1283
out of committee to be put on the
House calendar for consideration.
Sponsored by Senate Ag Com
mittee Chairman Edward
Helfnck, this bill provides the
language for state-owned farms to
be preserved as agricultural land
through deed restrictions if sold,
and calls for leasing fees to be used
towards improvements on the land
or buildings.
Lancaster County’s Rep. Noah
Wenger watched his Scenic River
bill take another step towards
amending the present law as the
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