Fb i*riii rici VOL. 29 No. 48 All-American rosette - Pa’s top dairy prize Crop Association goes statewide BY DICK ANGLESTEIN BELLEFONTE Melvin A. Brown, who helped pioneer the .Uea of county crop associations five years ago in Centre County, begins his duties on Monday as coordinator of a statewide Crop Management Association. Brown begins his duties in Penn State’s Agronomy Extension section with seven associations covering 10 counties including some 235 farmers and about 35,000 acres already in place. It will be his task to not only coordinate and improve services for the existing associations but to aid in establishing units in other counties in the state. “One of the first areas of im proving services will be finishing up development of a computer program summarizing crop production cash costs,” Brown said. Lampeter, Ephrata fairs name champs After winning top honors in the FFA Baby Beef Show, Michelle Dean’s Angus calf went on to be named grand champion of the Lampeter Fair. This was Dean's third beef grand championship in 10 years of Lampeter competition. PfcRIOOICALS DIVISION PATTFE library PENNSYLVANIA STATE i.MIVFRSITY PARK PA lt>Bo2 '*^ Four Sections “We started three years ago doing this by hand on farms here in Centre County and last year went comptenzed program. It will siirtupaj'ize crop production cash costs on each participating farm and also summarize costs for each particular crop on all of the farms.” Cash costs include such things as seed, fertilizer, lime, herbicides, insecticides and even plugs m some yield data. Brown will also be working closely with the field technicians in the various county associations. He will help to find technicians for new associations, coordinate their training, as well as the continued updating of existing personnel. The hired eyes and expertise of the technicians during their regular field scouting has been found to be one of the chief im mediate agronomic and economic Ephrata on A2O; Lampeter on A 26 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 29.1984 advantages discovered by fanners participating in the crop associations. “The onct a-week field scouting surveys by the technicians help operators keep abreast of insects and disease and help them become better farmers,” explains Alton Homan, Bradford County agent, where a crop association has been in operation with Sullivan County for the past two years. He cites these examples of savings experienced by farmers in his area: -Sid Lewis, of Standing Stone, reports a savings of 10 tons of fertilizer from the technician’s advice. -Tom McCarty, of Sugar Run, reported a savings of $l,OOO in herbicides. --Archie Williams, of (Turn to Page A4O) BY JACK HUBLEY LAMPETER Most young beef and swine showmen driving for the championship at the Lampeter Fair on Wednesday found them selves stonewalled by Michelle Dean, who took grand champion honors in the Baby Beef com petition after showing the reserve champion market hog earlier in the day. With the steer competition divided into FFA and 4-H shows. Miss Dean’s 1,320-pound Angus- Chianina entry was named the champion FFA steer before going on to take the grand champion overall title Sired by a Lombard son, the top steer was purchased from P.T. Mclntyre and Sons of Virginia. This was the second consecutive Lampeter steer grand cham pionship for Miss Dean, now in her 10th year of showing steers. Elated (Turn to Page A 26) Dairy Princess crown stays in Western Pa. He 11 0... Goodbye... Western Pennsylvania seems to have a handle on the Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Crown. This week, the crown moved only a few counties north in the western extremes of the Commonwealth from the head of Tamara Lynn Cree, of Washington and Green counties, to that of Lynette Loper, of Erie County. Above, Lynette begins her reign and Tammy waves a fond goodbye at the coronation ceremonies on Tuesday night. For a first-hand report on the coronation read Sue Keene’s report on Page 814. $7.50 per year
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