D2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 29,1984
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Fritz Frey sold his Solanco Fair grand champion FFA steer to Ferguson and Hassier,
Inc., of Quarryville. Pictured with Frey at halter are (from left) Tim, Jim and Chip
Hassier.
Solanco Fair sells 12 tons
QUARRYVILLE The Solanco
Fair capped its livestock events
with a sale of show beef and swine
on Friday, Sept. 21.
Once again this year, Ferguson
and Hassler, Inc. of Quarryville
was on hand to top the bidding for
the fair’s champion FFA market
steer. When the final bid was en
tered, auctioneer Glenn Kreider
accepted $2.01 per pound for Fritz
Frey’s 1,365-pound champion.
Jeff Craig’s 1,165-pound reserve
champion was next on the block,
NY Beef Cattlemen to sponsor calf sales
Fall is traditionally the time for
commercial cattlemen to market
their calves and again this year the
New York Beef Cattlemen’s
Association is sponsoring a series
of Feeder Calf Sales across the
state.
The first two sales are Nov. 3 at
opposite ends of the state.
The Southwestern Division Sale
will be conducted at the Angelica
Feeder Sales Inc. bam in Angelica
at 1 p.m. Nov. 3. Consignors are
expected not only from western
and southwestern New York but
from neighboring counties in
Pennsylvania. Information about
consigning or buying may be ob
tained from James Ford, RDI,
Angelica, N.Y. 14709.
The Eastern Division Sale which
serves cattle producers on both
sides of the Hudson River and
those in neighboring Vermont will
be at 1 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Chatham
Area Auction, Chatham, N.Y.
Information may be obtained from
Claire Barra, Catskill, N.Y. 12414.
The Southern Tier Division Sale
will be at 1 p.m. Nov. 10 at the
of show pork, plus
bringing the top bid of $1.15 from
K&S Inc. of Quarryville.
When the herd of 20 steers was
sold, buyers had paid an average
price of $.89 per pound, not in
cluding champions. Other active
buyers included Willie the Butcher
of Lancaster, and Dutchway Farm
Market from Christiana.
In swine sale action, Abe Dif
fenbach of New Holland Sales
Stables took home Jeff Byers’ 229-
pound grand champion hog for
$1.73 per pound. Doug Clemens of
Empire Livestock Market at Bath.
This sale will serve cattlemen in
central New York as well as those
in the Southern Tier and their
neighbors in Pennsylvania. In
formation may be obtained from
Michael Hargrave, RDI, Wayland,
N.Y. 14572.
The final sale will be that of the
Western Division at 1 p.m. Nov. 17
at the Empire Livestock Market at
Caledonia. Information may be
obtained from William Frost, 3709
Briggs Rd. Holcomb, N.Y. 14469.
All of the calves marketed at
New York Beef Cattlemen’s
Association Feeder Calf Sales are
sired by beef type bulls. All are
either polled or dehorned and all
beef
Hatfield Packing was on hand to
spend $1.47 per pound for Scott
Trimble’s reserve champion.
' Prices were steady for the sale’s
106 pigs, averaging $.73 per pound
without champions, and only one
cent higher with the top animals
included in the tally.
Swine buyers of note included
Willie the Butcher, Bob Kauffman
of Peachbottom, Hatfield Packing
and Fowl’s Feed Service of
Peachbottom.
male calves will have been
castrated in order to sell in the
official sale.
Calves meeting New York Beef
Cattlemen’s Association
preconditioning guidelines are
accepted and given special
identification* at all four Feeder
Calf Sales.
These guidelines include
weaning at least 30 days prior to
the sale date; feeding roughage
from a bunk-like feeder and
watering from a mechanical
source at least 30 days prior to the
sale date; and vaccinating not less
than 21 days nor more than 30 days
prior to the sale date for IBR, Pl 3
and Pasturella.
HAD
LANCASTER
FARMING
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REPORTS
Pa. team dominajes
'Big E' competition
BY JACK HUBLfeY
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -
Pennsylvania’s blue ribbon junior
livestock judging team was vic
torious once again on Sept. 15,
placing first in both overall team
and individual competition at the
Eastern States Exposition in West
Springfield, Mass.
The team earned the privilege to
compete in the “Big E” event by
placing first at 4-H State
Achievement Days during August.
Team members include Jan Waltz
of Manheim, Michelle Dean of
Strasburg, Brian Hess of
Conestoga and Quarryville’s Fritz
Frey.
Competing against seven other
eastern state teams, the four
Lancaster Countians placed first in
beef and sheep judging, and second
in swine judging, with Jan Waltz
being named high individual in
overall scoring.
In addition to the actual judging
events, participants were required
to give oral reasons defending
their decisions in each of the beef,
sheep and swine categories. Team
member Michelle Dean took top
honors, with the highest individual
score of all contestants.
Following Pa. in team placings
were Md.,second; Conn.,third;
Mass.,fourth; andN.Y.,fifth.
Traveling to the Atlantic Royal
Exposition in Richmond, Va.,last
weekend, the team found top
honors to be much more elusive.
Competing against 10 teams on
Sept. 22, the foursome placed
Grange
on pou
HARRISBURG - A U.S. Senate
Agriculture Subcommittee is
considering changes that will
weaken the Packers and
Stockyards Act of 1921 in its
regulation of poultry, however, the
Pennsylvania State Grange is
urging that the act instead be
strengthened.
In a hearing conducted in.
Washington, D.C., by the Sub
committee on Agricultural
Production, Marketing and
Stabilization of Prices of the
Senate, three poultrymen spoke on
behalf of the State Grange.
Ron Shaffer, poultry consultant
for the State Grange and former
poultryman from Lancaster, told
committee members that the
proposed amendment to the 1921
Act would “preclude a contract
poultry grower from access to a
processor’s records.” “This would
prohibit any regulation by the
Packers and Stockyard Ad
ministration over the relationship
between growers and processors,”
he said. “As a result, the grower
can only turn to the courst for help
if he believes his payment is in
error.”
Currently, the Act requires
prompt payment to farmers for
meat grown for slaughter, bon
ding, and statutory trusts, and
guarantees secured creditor status
in the event of bankruptcy. The
Act’s coverage of processed
poultry and eggs, however, is more
limited. The federal government
has authority to investigate late
payments, but the Act gives them
no teeth to penalize poultry
processors, Shaffer said. As a
result, poultrymen in Penn
sylvania have been paid as much
as 16 weeks late for live poultry.
The amendment (S. 2781)
proposed by Senator Howell Heflin
(D-Alabama) would remove the
authority of the Packers and
Stockyard Administration to in
vestigate slaughter records. Since
Jan Waltz
fourth overall with Jan Waltz
placing fourth in individual scoring
behind a trio of Indiana youths.
The Pa. team placed third in oral
reasons and beef judging, and
fourth in swine judging.
Next on the judging calendar will
be the Eastern National Livestock
Show in Timomum, Md., on Oct. 6,
followed by the Keystone In
ternational Livestock Exposition
on Nov. 6. One week later the team
will be participating in the national
competition at the North American
International Livestock Expo in
Louisville, Ky.
testifies
Itry act
contract growers are paid ac
cording to the yield of poultry meat
from each bird, rather than by the
bird, growers would be unable to
prove the amount of money owed
them by the processor, Shaffer
said.
The Grange is supporting
another amendment to the Act to
be introduced by Sen. .Arlen
Specter requiring payment to
growers for live poultry within
seven days after delivery to the
processor.
Shaffer pointed out that the
financial exposure of contract
growers and egg producers is high.
“For example, a 100,000-layer
complex producing at 80 percent
production ships 6,666.6 dozen eggs
a day at 50 cents a dozen, worth
$3,333. Compare that to the cost of
one steer ($700) or one hog ($110),
both protected and regulated
under the Packers and Stockyard
Act. In many instances, the con
sumer has purchased and con
sumed the birds of eggs before the
grower or egg producer has been
paid.”
Some poultry growers also have
been victimized by processing
companies who have contracted
with the grower or egg producer
and also own the feed mill that
supplies the producer, Shaffer
said. The processor does not pay
the poultry farmer on time, and
therefore, the farmer cannot pay
his feed bill. As a result, the famer
loses feed discounts for early
payment, and may even be
charged interest on the unpaid
balance.
The Grange will push for ad
ditional protection for poultry
farmers to ensure prompt
payment through both federal and
state legislation, Shaffer said. The
Grange is currently supporting a
state bill requiring payment ot
contract growers within 14 days
and allowing farmers a lien on the
poultry in their possession. The bill
is expected to pass the Legislature
yet this session.