Pa. Grange backs proposed feed
HARRISBURG The Penn
sylvania State Grange has crane
out in support of a $l.OO per ton
feed tax proposal to support
animal health and the State Milk
promotion and Marketing
Program financed through the
federal dairy promotion check-off.
The proposed $l.OO per ton feed
tax on all livestock feed and pet
food manufactured in Penn
sylvania would be collected at the
manufacturing level. Users who
grow and process their own feed
would be exempt.
The proposal calls for the state to
match each each dollar with 50
cents from General Fund
revenues. Fund? would be used for
animal disease research,
diagnostic work and indemnity for
mandatory depopulation.
The Grange also seeks additional
state fundhig for creation of a
“Commonwealth Diagnostic
Services” network, a coordinated
effort of the State Summerdale
Laboratory, Penn State Univer
sity’s Department of Veterinary
Science, and the Universtiy of
Pennsylvania’s School of
Veterinary Medicine. The Sum
merdale Laboratory would serve
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as the core unit with primary
responsiblity for reportable
diseases such as avina influenza
and rabies, and exporting. The two
universities would serve as
satellite units, each providing
different areas of expertise to
prevent duplication of services.
The universities also would
provide field staff to assist
producers and veterinarians in the
field. The three laboratories would
be updated and expanded, and a
computer network linking them
would allow data to be stored and
shared.
The Grange seeks amendments
to the State budget to provide
money to renovate the three
facilities, add additional personnel
and to purchase laboratory
equipment. The organization
supports state budgets of $6.8
million for Penn State’s College of
Agriculture, an increase of $750,000
over the Governor’s budget
request; $8.7 million for the
University of Pennsylvania School
of Veterinary Medicine, an in
crease of $1.3 million; and $4.4
million for Summerdale, an in
crease of $2.4 million.
Included in that request is
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funding to build isolation con
tainment facilities for research on
highly pathogenic diseases such as
avian flu. The State currently has
no facility of this kind, and avian
flu virus samples have been sent to
Ames, lowa all along for testing.
Pennsylvania also has lost
significant research funding due to
the lack of isolation laboratories.
The federal program was
authorized by legislation passed in
late 1983 and is financed by a
mandatory check-off of 15 cents
per hundred pounds on all milk
produced in the country. The
program allows states with their
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grains research and management
will be among the topics featured
at Penn State’s annual Crops Day
to be held June 19 at the Rock
Springs Agronomy Research
Farm, nine miles southwest of
here on Route 45 west.
Several steps lead to successful
small grain production and these
will be discussed during Crops
ir^
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tax, milk promotion
own programs to retain 10 cents
per hundredweight for
promotional efforts within the
state. The remaining 5 cents will
go to the national program.
The State Department of
Agriculture recently hnnounced
that the Pennsylvania program
was approved by U.S. Agriculture
Secretary John Block, and that
letters will go out to 2,700 dairymen
who are not currently part of any
federal order marketing program.
In order to participate, dairymen
must indicate in writing to the
Department that they wish 10 cents
at Penn State
Day, says Elwood Hatley of Penn
State's Department of Agronomy,
College of Agriculture.
Featured on the small grain
portion of the program will be
topics on variety performance,
fertilization, seeding techniques,
growth regulators for controlling
stalk breakage, and the use of
cultural practices and chemicals
to control pests.
LEASING
Up To 60 Months
of their money to go to the state
program. Participation is purely
voluntary, and dairy farmers can
opt out at any time.
The State Grange’s policy
supports “an aggressive ad
vertising campaign by the dairy
industry to promote the sale of
fluid milk and all other dairy
products in order to increase their
per capita consumption.” Wismer
said the Grange is urging its
members to contribute to the
program, “and let the money go
where it can be of the greatest
benefit.”
on June 19
Crops Day will start at 9:30 a.m.
on June 10 wiui a lunch break at
noon. Lunch will be available at
the farm. The day’s program will
stress forage management and
research as well as small grains.
Tours will end at 4 p.m.
“Variety selection is the first
stop to successful small grain
production,” Hatley commented.
“Performance of small grain
varieties including spring oats,
winter wheat, and winter barley
will be discussed,” he added.
Proper nitrogen management is
required for high yields and
control of lodging (stalk breakage)
in small grains, it was noted.
Recent on-farm research shows
that the rate of nitrogen applied to
small grains depends on the
frequency and rate of manure
application as well as the rate of
nitrogen application to previous
crops. These factors will be
discussed June 19, as well as time
of nitrogen application and the use
of growth regulators to control
lodging.
Diseases continue to reduce
small grain yields in Penn
sylvania, Hatley observed. While
disease losses vary from year to
year, they can be reduced by using
proper cultural techniques and by
applying fungicides when needed.
Plant pathologists will be on hand
June 19, he said, to discuss yield
losses. Comments will cover
proper management practices and
fungicide applications to reduce
yield losses.
Small grains such as wheat,
oats, and barley play an important
role in Pennsylvania agriculture,
Hatley said. They provide bedding
and feed for livestock or straw and
grain for the cash market.
Crawford
Ag Forum
(Continued from Page Al 9)
changed to a question and answer
period.
Problems with the Milk diver
sion program now in effect were
discussed, such as; “What hap
pens after the 15-month period,
who’s to stop farmers from
flooding the market then?” The
pros and cons of a base quota
system on milk production were
considered although this would
have to be mandatory and that is
not necessarily desired.
The concensus of thinking was
that in order to alleviate surpluses
there is a need to advertise and
research ag products. Also,
educating the press, those in
politics, as well as the public,
about agriculture needs more
emphasis. Farmers do not need
adverse publicity about
chloresterol in eggs, calories in
milk, and so forth. The press and
the public need to learn more about
protein and calcium.