Al2—Lancaster Fannins, Saturday, May 1,1982
Now is
the Time
(Continued from Page A 10)
because they only survive on com
roots.
Check Moistures Before Ensiling
Before we know it, it will soon be
time to ensile rye and first cutting
alfalfa. Both crops have the
potential of providing a lot of good
quality forage for you, says Glenn
Shirk our Extension Dairy Agent.
However, you have to ensile the
crop at proper moisture levels. The
best way to determine that is by
using a moisture tester - a VERY
VALUABLE tool when properly
used. If you don’t have one, your
wife’s microwave oven and an
accurate scales can be a very good
substitute. (Don’t tell you wife I
suggested this). Contact us for
directions on ow to use a
microwave oven for this purpose;
call 394-6851. Moisture can be your
friend or foe, depending on
whether you measure it and then
on how you regulate it. Make it
work for you - not against you!
For Spring Worming
Spring is the best time to start a
year round program to control
internal parasites in cattle, claims
Chester D. Hughes, Extension
Livestock Agent. Not only will
worming help calves achieve
heavier weights, but the cattle
may also have better feed ef
ficiency.
Since producers will probably be
handling cattle before turning
them out on summer pastures, it’s
a good time to worm cattle to nd
them of existing parasite burdens.
Internal parasites damage the
stomachs and intestines and
compete with the animal for feed.
A parasite infection increases the
nutrient requirement for good
health maintenance in all cattle. In
nursing mother cows, more feed is
required to keep up milk
production. Younger cattle suffer a
reduction in feed efficiency and
weight gain. Severe infections can
also result in lowered resistance to
secondary infections and anemia.
Along with repeat wormmgs,
ORGANIC PLANT FOOD CO. IS A VERSATILE
FARM SUPPLIER OF FERTILIZERS & FARM CHEMICALS
CUSTOM SPRAYING:
• Liquid Nitrogen
• Corn Herbicides
• Alfalfa Herbicides &
Insecticide Application
• Tobacco Spraying
ORGANIC PLANT FOOD CO.
OUR READERS WRITE,
AND OTHER OPINIONS
(Continued from Page AlO)
have pushed for company “brand
advertising” instead of a general
or generic approach where all
products are stressed, and they
have asked why dealers don’t do
the advertising.
It is unfair to call it a tax. While
the money would go to the Penn
sylvania Department of
Agriculture it will not be used to
support government but to help
sell more of the products to yield a
higher return to those who produce
it. Speaking of taxes, it is our
opinion this is a legitimate
business expense and can be
deducted from farmer income
taxes. Thus, this reduced the so
called “cost”.
There is a tremendous need to
get nd of the dairy surplus beyond
giving away free cheese or even
good pasture management can
prevent massive parasite buildup.
Leave pastures idle for several
months if possible. This allows
most of the infective larvae to die
off without being replenished by
eggs from infected hosts. If sup
plemental forage is supplied, feed
troughs should be used to avoid the
ingestion of infective parasites on
the ground.
To Manage Poultry House
Equipment
General management of poultry
house equipment is important in
maintaining a comfortable en
vironment for chickens and
turkeys. Defective equipment
sould be repaired or replaced
promptly, especially if it is in
volved with the distribution of feed
or water to the birds.
Rusty cages will allow some
birds to escape and may trap or
injure other birds and can cause an
increase in crax in eggshells. All
sharp edges in the poultry house
must be removed to avoid injuries.
Also, rusty and decaying feed bins
allow moisture to get to the feed,
resulting in mold growths and sick
birds.
buying and storing it in the first
place which costs every citizen a
fair amount of money. No one
wants to cull herds these days.
We all recognize milk sales have
dropped while soft drinks, beer,
wine and other beverages have
increased. Some is due to ad
vertising and promotion, some due
to questionable attacks on milk
(cholesterol and the rest), some
due to the cutback in school milk
money from Uncle Sam.
We think this school milk
reduction is a horrendous mistake.
It would be better to tram youth of
our country to enjoy milk rather
than storing it in warehouses
where it may go bad. This is
another problem on which the
industry should be working.
Let’s look at the so-called push
for “Brand Advertising” where
the money would go to promote a
certain company or cooperative
brand of milk, cheese or whatever,
rather than telling the total milk
and dairy products story.
There is merit to brand ad
vertising and it should be con
tinued in addition to the effort put
in when the referendum passes.
And I think it will be. But to permit
brand advertising would not be fair
to all people.
Every farmer pays the same
amount of money, currently 10
cents per hundredweight, whether
he ships to a large or small dealer.
The large operators could take full
page newspaper ads because of the
amount of money available. The
small dealers couldn’t match this
and it could hurt them and their
shippers. Generic advertising
would work for the good of
everyone.
Another complaint, heard
recently, is that it is the }ob of the
dealer to do the advertising and not
the farmer. This is only partially
true.
Look at the advertising done by
"farmers”. Much of the orange
and grapefruit commercials one
sees are paid by the producers, so
is much of the generic cotton ad
AMMONIA SERVICE:
• Custom Plowing With
Application Of Ammonia
•Tool Bar Custom Application
On Plowed Ground Or
for No-Til
2313 Norman Road,
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone: 717-397-5152
Mon.-Fri. 7 to 4
Sat. 7 to 12
vertismg, along with avocados and
eggs, through the Egg Board. In
Pennsylvania', apples, red cherries
and potato promotion is sponsored
by the producers. What is wrong
with milk?
Now, about dealer advertising.
Dealers do advertise. Of course,
they cannot afford the big splashes
one sees for the colas, and uncolas,
beer and other beverages. Dealers
are not that large and there is'a big
difference in profits. Hie car
bonated beverages sell for more
than milk, in most cases—and look
at the difference in the ingredient
costs. Sugar and flavorings, plus
bubbles, is the story for one which
doesn’t cost at least 50 percent of
the selling price paid by milk
dealers.
Dealers do advertise. It is im
possible m short notice to get a
total picture but a preliminary
check on fluid milk dealers—not
counting cheese, ice cream, milk
chocolate and other products—
indicates between |2 and $3 million
a year. That is good considering
there are less than 100 fluid milk
dealers left in the state, and some
still small.
When the referendum passes
these dealers will continue to add
this to the producer money to help
build the program.
It might be added that dealers
spend money m other ways which
is mostly for the good of farmers.
One is for license fees and
government assessments, the
other is for bonding and the
Security Fund.
Between license fees paid to the
Milk Marketing Board the
Dairymen in Lancaster County
will lose over $1,175,000 annually k
the proposed statewide milk
referendum is approved.
The figure is based on data from
the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture’s Crop Reporting
Service.
Accordmg to figures from the
1980 Annual Summary, Lancaster
County’s milk production was
1,174,750,000 pounds. Based on the
3/4 of one percent rate of
assessment proposed in the check
off, the would be $.lO per
hundredweight of milk.
WE OFFER FOUR
SOURCES OF NITROGEN:
• Anhydrous • urea
Ammonia
• Ammonium
• Liquid Nitrogen Sulfate
Dairymen
TRUCK SPREADING
• Limestone - Mg or Ca
• Broadcast Fertilizers
• Experienced Operators
Plus
2 & 4 Ton Trailer Spreaders
assessments which go to the
federal order administrators more
than $1 million a yearis paid by the
handful 'of' dealers: And most of
this Js 'for farmer protection-for
audits'and the rest. Fanners don’t
pay one cent. 'Jk
Currently, the Milk Marketing
Board holds bonds amounting to
over $56 million dollars for farmer
protection. This is paid.by milk
dealers and bonding isn’t cheap.
The Security Fund today is ap
proaching the $500,000 mark,
which is in addition to the bonds.
This is all dealer money for so
called “business insurance” for
our great dairy farmers.
So, it can be seen that it is easy to
attack the referendum by calling it
a tax, by blaming the dealers and
making other accusations. But,
these arenot honest statements.
When the money comes in to the
Department of Agriculture
collected by the dealers which also
costs money—the farmers and the
Secretary of Agriculture will
decide how it is to be spent. There
are no dealers on the Advisory
Committee. And it should be this
way.
The major organizations such as
the Grange and the Farmers’
Association, along with most
cooperatives, favor the referen
dum. They wouldn’t take such 4
position unless they had reason to
believe it is a fan* proposition.
It is hoped this clears some of the
air as we look to bigger sales of
milk in Pennsylvania m the future.
Henry R. Geisinger
Executive Vice President
Pa. Assn, of Milk Dealers
will lose
These are 1980 figures, and
production all across the state has
been on the increase so the total
amount is likely to be higher.
Not only will $1,175,000 year
come out of the pockets of dairy
farmers, it will leave the local
economy. That’s $1,175,000 that
won’t be used for mortgage
payments, food, clothing on
general use to stimulate the 1
communities of Lancaster
County.”
The Pennsylvania Farmers
Umon is opposed to the proposed
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