VOL 28 No. 23 Everyone knew that something was wrong Pictured with top-selling calf are L to R, Mike Weimer, PHA representative; Christine and Ross Hershberger; buyer, Charles Hershberger arid Wife Dolores, and consignor, Doug Seipt. Fop Holstein calf brings $14,000 HARRISBURG Prices seemed a little depressed Thur sday at the Pennsylvania Holstein Association State Calf Sale, promoted as Pennsylvania on Parade. The sale was held in-the PDA eyes voluntary lO-cent milk deduction BY TRISH WILLIAMS HARRISBURG - The dairy industry is abuzz with talk over the 50-cent assessment that will go into effect next Saturday. Whether it is causal or only coincidental, much of the talk about milk promotion is finally evolving into positive ac tion. Last week, the Pennsylvania Holstein Association outlined its plans lor milk promotion. There is no doubt that aQ five breed - associations share the popular belief that they have done a great deal to improve milk production and should take some responsibility to promote its marketing. The problem con fronting the color breed associations is that when you combine all four groups, they still only account for less than ten percent of total production. Throughout Pennsylvania, there is a patch work of organizations involved in mHk production and now marketing that feel their efforts toward milk promotion are limited, by their size; monetary limitations or leadership ability. Recognizing the' need for'.'a statewide milk promotion program to fill the left by .after Four Sections small arena of the Farm Show Building. Depressed prices rained on the parade as dairymen feeling the economic uncertainty of an industry in flux made conservative -bids. sylvania' Department of Agriculture is working to create such a program. Director -of the Bureau of Markets, James Sumner, told (Turn to Page A 36) Crop associations spreading out BY SYLVIA COOPER BELLEFONTE During the past 12 months, crop associations have opened up in seven counties due to the groundwork set by the Centre County Crop Improvement Association .in 1978-1979. (See map.) The organization came about when several concerned farmers approached Melßrown, Extension County Agent, .with the idea.of hiring a professional employee to help them plan a cropping program that would improve productivity and the soils. Brown said that since the dairymen felt, they wore doing a better Job with their , dairy 'herds than with their cropping programs, they felt that improvement would occur if an organized cropping; plan wore imnteoaentddL V .. TTSCSfcrf'to sensed of iai. .v u -■ - - ■?. ■ \ i , 11 > - Lancaster Faming, Saturday, April 9,1983 R. Charles Backus, Mexico, N.Y. and A. Doty Remsburg, Jefferson, Md, auctioned off the 231 calves as they paraded through the ring. The sale total was $281,950 for the 231 head sold, with a sale average of |1423, according to Peter Deßlock, Jr., sale clerk. -Top-selling calf was number one. Keystone Pete Dorothy-ET, bom December 1, 1981. A Pete daughter,, her dam. Keystone Monarch Dinah is Classified VG at 87 as a six-year-old, with an index of -H553 M. Her second, third and fourth maternal dams are all excellents. (Turn to Page A 36) County crop improvement associations, which began in Centre County (solid) three years ago, have since branched iOtrt into trine of the Commonwealth’s counties. Other associations in operation include (diagonafy Bedferd, CoiunHMa, Bfatr and Huntingdon, Bradford and Sufhvan ln additwn.-Crawford (cross-hatch) isorganizing an ' , assorjattoo., which wili.beian.QDer.afion lniuh*-,-.-r ..... Investigation continues into phony ag loan scheme BY DICK ANGLESTEIN NEW TRIPOLI - “Everyone knew that something was wrong. “They couldn’t figure out how anyone could operate that way.” That’s the assessment of two Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, of near New Tripoli, concerning the fanning operation that has been implicated in the muiti-miliion dollar phony loan scheme at the American Bank and Trust Co., of Reading. The farmers making the assessment come from old-time Pennsylvania Dutch stock, who have inhabited and farmed upper Lehigh County for generations. They are farmers who know all too well how grudgingly the area’s thin, shaley soil gives up a crop and how that affects return on investment. They are farmers who gather on Saturday night to talk forming - mostly in the dialect. And they are formers, 'who in such talk, would mostly just shake their heads when the Schlamb forming operation came up for discussion. It’s the hay, straw and manure operation of Mrs. Essie E. Schlamb, Rt. 1, Bos' 37, New Tripoli, to which FBI agents say they have traced at least a half* million dollars (and maybe more) in phony loans' from Eugene B. Richard, fired vice president And bead of the ag loan departnii&t at American Bank. . And what were these Dutch farmers shaking their beads at concerning the' Schlamb operation: -Well, things like the family almost dropping out of the blue six or seven years ago and going into farming in a big, big way. -Mr. Schlamb, who has since died two or three years ago, saying. $7.5(1 per year Star shows approximate location of the Schlamb Farm at Rl, New Tripoli, Lehigh County. he was bom in nearby Fogelsville. But name in. that town ever hearing of him. -And the big potato operation he bad up in the Cunningham Valley. But noone there ever heard of him.' -Buying big, new green equipment - always the beat -Also new GMC -trailer tigs - half-dozen or more - to haul manure from race tracks to mushroom growers. ' -Brand, new pickup trucks for employees. (Turn to Page A 23) PIK contacts planned in Lancaster LANCASTER The Lancaster Conservation District will make a special effort to Interest Payment- In-Kind participants in con servation this summer and also plans 'a no-till com planting comparison study. Aaron Stauffer, board chairman, said that the District will be contacting the 41 landowners, who have signed up tbe approximate 4,000 acres in tbe PIK program in Lancaster County. u We will enconrange them to install terraces, tile or whatever is adaptable to their operation,” be said. “This will help us stretch out our workload. Before, we had to stop any conservation efforts at com planting time. Now, we will be able to work with PJK fanners right through the summer the best time to do these things.” Stauffer indfcatecUhat withPlK idledland there would lie teas ( chance ofcaueing any damage to ' crope as vms the danger - when full cropping efforts were ■ , ‘ A
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers