VOL 28 No. 43
Record 85,000 attend Ag Progress Days
Field demonstrations are always popular at Ag Progress. As primary tillage teams of
men and machines go thropgh their paces, targe crowd lines f ield adjacent to “midway."
Poultry hit by extra 1-2-3 punch
LANCASTER r- As if marketing
conditions and higher feed costs
haven’t been enough, area poultry
fanners have been hit with an
additional one-two-three punch. ■
First, there's been the Avian
influenza outbreak in Lancaster
County, which earlier showed
signs of abating, but Just doesn’t
seem to want to go. away. Some 250
attended an Avian meeting last
Friday at the Lancaster Farm and
Home Center and were urged to
practice the strictest of security
measures to prevent the spread
from farm to farm.
Second, the hot summer, which
has cut severely into production,
culminated in last Saturday’s 100-
degree steam bath and caused
appreciable death losses.
And third, the EPA has tem
porarily revoked Pennsylvania’s
emergency exemption to use
Larvadex, the feed-through lar
vacide which is being widely used
for fly control.
The Avian flu outbreak has been
around in Lancaster County since
April and is still concentrated in
the Manheim area.
At the Aug. 19 meeting,
veterinary specialists again
stressed the need for maximum
security measures to prevent its
spread. Strict security will contain
the flu, permitting it to run its
course and be eliminated through
its own self-limiting nature. If not
spread, the flu - which is not
transmitted through either eggs or
meat - will run its course in a flock
in two to three weeks.
Poultry farmers were urged to
keep ALL UNAUTHORIZED
PERSONNEL out of their houses,
including service personnel. The
Hu also can be transmitted in other
ways, such as on egg flats or even
by wild birds through droppings.
Concerning the heat, losses,
estimates are placed at about
100,000 in the Lancaster-Lebanon
area - primarily among older
broilers, the most susceptible.
And; of course, a return to hotter
Four Sections
weather in the mid-OO’s was
forecast for this weekend. Last
Saturday’s 100-degree tem
U.S. signs long-term Soviet grain deal
MOSCOW - Ag Sec. John Block signed a 310 billion
Block commented; “This puts an emphatic end to embargoes.”
Do you believe this?
Penn Packing to re-enter hog buying arena
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
PHILADELPHIA Area hog
producers may get an economic
shot in the arm just when they need
it.
In the face of a glut of hogs and
recent uncertainty about buyers,
producers will be welcoming the
re-entry of Penn Packing Co., of
Philadelphia, into the sales arena
beginning next month.
Penn Packing, which closed its
doors in June, 1981, will resume
operations on September 12 under
the name of Butler Foods, Inc.,
according to Ed Hall Jr,, hog
buyer.
Butler will be coming into New
Holland, Lancaster and Vintage to
buy through the regular auction
channels. Hall said.
Initially, Butler plans to process
about 3,000 hogs a day, with as
many as possible being bought
locally in Pennsylvania, Jersey,
North Jersey and Maryland, Hall
explained.
The planned kill figures of about
15,000 hogs a week would put
Butler at about half of the weekly
number being slaughtered and cut
in early 1981 prior to the closing.
Future plans may call for the
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 27,1983
Photo by Trish Williams
peratures were just too much for
some ventilation systems.
(Turn to Page A 33)
grain deal with the Soviet Union this week.
establishment of buying stations in
places like Northern Penn
sylvania, Hall added.
Previously, Penn Packing had
operated a buying station at the
Green Dragon Market, processing
some 2,000 hogs a week. But there
are no plans to resume the station
there. Hall said.
The re-entry of Butler Foods into
hog buying is expected to shake up
area marketing - just as its closing
two years ago had its effects.
But this time, the effect should
be positive.
Back in 1981, the closing caused
about a $l.OO per hundredweight
drop in prices.
The re-opening of operations
may cause a similar positive effect
on the market this time.
And, any positive effect on the
market couldn’t have come at a
better time for hog producers.
Stronger market trends have
been in evidence lately and the
impetus of another major buyer
may help prolong and even
strengthen this trend.
Any positive market signs are
particularly welcomed now as
producers face twin problems of
See editorial on AlO,
(Turn to Page A 33)
330 exhibitors display their wares
BY LAURA ENGLAND
ROCK SPRINGS - Considered
one of the largest events of its kind
east of the Mississippi River, Penn
State's Ag Progress Days drew a
record crowd of 85,000, topping last
year’s record by 8,000.
■ With the theme, “Agriculture
Growing for You,” Ag Progress
Days opened Aug. 23 with a first
day attendance of 25,000. Despite
this year’s lower crop production,
the crowds poured in to hear the
latest news from the 330 exhibitors
and to watch machinery demon
strations in action.
According to Samuel Smith,
dean of Penn State’s College of
Agriculture, two of the more
popular events were the equipment
demonstrations and the “Ask the
Specialist” tents where quests
could get answers to their
managemanet and production
questions.
Smith said he was pleased with
the attendance qpd,compared it to
that of a Penn State football game,
one of the University’s more
popular events.
Hatfield Packing, represented by Ezra Good, left, bought
the Grand Champion pig from Floyd Huber at the Lancaster
County 4-H Pig Round-Up and Sale. See story on A 35.
$7.50 per Year
Improved parking had a direct
effect on the crowd attendance,
Smith explained. “It was more
efficient,” he said, “and there was
less delay. Fewer people had to
wait.”
Smith said Ag Progress Days is a
great way to inform others about
Pennsylvania agriculture. “It’s
the best thing we can do to let
people in the state know what
agriculture is doing,” he said.
Ag Progress Days, which ran
from Aug. 23 to 25, featured
demonstrations ranging from
energy conservation in the home,
to preventing rural crime, the use
of computuers on the farm, family
health, knitting and needlework,
and a variety of commercial
exhibits showing the latest in
production and management
needs.
Demonstrations were also
geared to the youth as a 4-H tent
sponsored model rocket laun
chings, and featured games and
crafts. A computer was also on
display to give youth an idea of the
importance of computers in the
future.
Pennsylvania produce could also
be sampled at several of the
refreshment booths. Also on hand
were the state commodity queens
and princesses, distributing in
formation and recipe ideas dealing
specifically with Pennsylvania
grown foods.
In addition to the exhibits at the
Rock Springs site, tours of the
Penn State research plots and
conservation projects were given.
Those touring the research plots
were able to view the Clark Kerr
(Turn to Page A 26)