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VOL 29 N*. 35
Ofit - Otis - Otit - OHi - OKt - OH* - Otis
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Last chance to get an Otis Original
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Part V -
Production
(Editor’s note: Laura England,
Dairy Editor of Lancaster Far
ming, winds up her five-part series
on Dairy’s future with a visit
today with Don and Angie Koontz,
Fredonia, Mercer County. Today’s
concluding article stresses
“Production.” After all, that’s
essentially what dairying is
basically about - making milk and
now helping to sell it Also, turn to
Laura’s editorial on Page A 10).
BY LAURA ENGLAND
FREDONIA When the milk
diversion program was passed last
December, dairy farmers
A young dairy couple, Don and Angie Koontz, Fredonia, began their own dairy farm -
raising Jerseys - in the fall of 1979.
Sections
See Page A-10
throughout the state were forced to
reevaluate their farm operations.
Lancaster Faming, Saturday, June 30,1984
Reaction
to Scheps
is mixed
HARRISBURG - The
Pennsylvania Milk Marketing
Board’s decision last week to
deny a license-renewal
request from Scheps Cheese
Company, Bradford County,
was met with mixed reaction
among state agriculture
organizations and leaders.
The Board cited Scheps
inability to pay producers and
creditors, maintain records
and comply with terms of its
provisional license in denying
the cheese company’s request.
Scheps Cheese, which owes
approximately $6 million to
250 dairy farmers, closed its
Bradford County plant last
July while still owing money
to producers.
the Board’s action met with
the approval of Keith Eckel,
president of the Pa. Farmers’
Association. The decision,
Eckel said in a release,
“demonstrated beyond a
reasonable doubt that
government is interested in
protecting the economic in
tegrity of the dairy industry.”
(Turn to Page A3O)
See related editorial on Page AlO
Dairymen pulled out pad and
pencil and began figuring out
NEW HOLLAND - Phillip
Ogline, pioneering environmental
ag instructor in .the Eastern
Lancaster County School District,
has been named to develop and
coordinate a unique, first-of-its
kind agricultural education
program featuring concentrated
hands-on experience for students
at Michigan State University.
Ogline leaves his vocational ag
post after 17 years at Garden Spot
High School this week to launch the
program at the new Kellogg
Biological Station of Michigan
State.
Ogline will develop a curriculm
and coordinate instruction at the
new Biological Station, at which
Michigan State ag students will
live and work during a 10-week
instructional program to gain
practical experience in farming
and particularly as it is related to
protection of the environment.
The Biological Station is located
near Kalamazoo, Mich., amidst
some 3,000 acres of cropland,
forests and marshland donated by
the Kellogg Corporation to
Michigan State over the past three
decades.
SMlrt
Whatever it holds,
it’s in your hands
where their dairy operations stood
financially.
The question hovering over all
farmers was, “Can I afford to sign
up for the program and cut cow
numbers?” This question was
often followed by the uncertainty
dairymen had about the future of
the dairy industry and, “Will I be a
part of that future? ’ ’
Don and Angie Koontz of
Fredoma, Mercer County, were
among the state’s 15,500 forced to
make a decision conerning the
milk diversion program. By mid-
January, the young couple had to
determine their future financial
stability and decide if the 15-month
program would work for them.
Ogline gets unique
ag ed post in Mich.
BY DICK ANGLESTEBV
“Everybody’s goal seems to be to get
back where they were before diversion.”
Pennsylvania State 7
JULO9 1984
University t'brancs
Phil Ogline
K>Qogg has now followed up the
land contributions with a $lO
million grant to establish physical
facilities for the Biological Station.
Dormitory facilities for 60
students have just been completed
at the site.
(Turn to Page A2B)
They decided it wouldn’t.
Don and Angie didn’t sign up for
the milk diversion program. They
didn’t sign up because, like many
relatively new dairy couples, they
couldn’t afford to. Signing up
would have spelled financial
trouble.
“We knew we had to get so much
milk and that we couldn’t have
waited for the first quarter
payment even,” Don said. “We
needed the money right along.”
Don also had questions con
cerning the program’s structure,
which left him with a negative
reaction.
“One of the biggest problems I
(Turn to Page A 24)
17.50 per Year