PtRIOOICAbS DIVISION *209 PAITEE LIBRARY Pennsylvania «»te uHivtKsm UNIVERSITY park Pft i VOL. 31 No. 4 State Secretary of Agriculture Richard E. Grubb talked about his plans to market Pennsylvania products in the comingyear. r Grubb unveils plans to boost ag products BY JAMES H. EVERHART STRASBURG State Secretary of Agriculture Richard E. Grubb has unveiled two new initiatives the Thornburgh Administration is planning for agriculture in its last year. New efforts to expand the markets for Pennsylvania farm products, will take a variety of forms, Grubb said in his address to the Ninth Annual Agriculture Industry Banquet sponsored by the Agriculture Committee of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “We’ll be increasing our efforts in promoting the welfare and in terests of Pennsylvania farmers,” Grubb said. In addition to previously an nounced plans to increase exports of Pennsylvania products over seas, he said, the Thornburgh Administration will be looking for imports. Imports of food processing industries, that is. The PADA staff will take an active role in encouraging new food processing industries to locate in Pennsylvania, working with October milk production jumps IO percent BY JAMES H. EVERHART WASHINGTON - Milk production in the United States increased for the eighth con secutive month in October, although the surge in production seemed to slow somewhat. USDA officials said the nation’s milk output was 12.05 billion Pounds, an increase of 10.3 percent over year-earlier levels, and reportedly the highest October production on record. Cow numbers climbed about Three Sections corporate planners to establish that both raw materials and markets are available. The department, he added, will also work to find financing to help those firms locate in Penn sylvania, and will use a variety of resources to help. “We need to sell Pennsylvania agriculture,” he said. And finding new companies to process farm products in the state, he said, will be an important part of that strategy In addition to commenting on the state scene, Grubb talked about the nationwide crisis in agriculture. And though many farmers are impatient with the lack of progress in Washington on the Farm Bill, he said the battle over the federal deficit could be even more important. “A balanced federal budget is just about the best Farm Bill we could have,” he concluded. The state’s new ag secretary presented four families with Century Farm Awards as part of (Turn to Page Al 9) three percent over 1984 levels, co 11.16 million, while production per cow was up about seven percent to 1,079 pounds. In Pennsylvania, production was up 11 percent to 858 million pounds. Cow numbers averaged 746,000, 1.000 more than in September and 8.000 more than year-earlier totals. Production per cow was up 100 pounds, to 1,150. Meanwhile, in New York, production was up six percent, and abound the country, Wisconsin and California were up 12 percent and Uncaster Farming, Saturday, November 30,1985 Farm Bill passes Senate, heads for conferences BY JAMES H. EVERHART WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate has passed its version of the 1985 Farm Bill, setting the stage for a series of conferences with House officials next week to shape agricultural policy for the next four years. Working in an unusual Saturday night session last week, the Senate approved the package by a 61-28 vote. Even the most ardent supporters of the proposal admit that the Senate’s Farm Bill package ex ceeds the Congressional budget resolution. Senate Agricultural Committee Chairman Jesse Helms voted against the final package because of those budgetary con siderations. The Senate considered more than 140 amendments to the legislation before approving the final package. Because of the compPSStity of the matter and the holid|y thls week, staffers were not in a position to release a detailed analysis of the package. However, in the key dairy provisions, the Senate essentially approved the Senate Agriculture Committee’s proposals, with two exceptions; • A requirement disallowing any legislative changes in Class 1 One staffer termed the measure, “a real loss for everyone except the Midwest,” and noted that differentials had not been adjusted in 10 years. • A “sense of the Senate’’ resolution that there would be “no milk tax,” an apparent reference to the assessments that have been proposed to fund a diversion program as advanced by the House. The Senate’s opposition to a diversion program, staffers in dicated, may leave the door open to a “whole-herd buyout plan,” like the one included in the House version. The Reagan Administration is opposed to both diversion and herd buyout plans, but reportedly would be much more receptive to a herd buyout plan than to a diversion proposal. According to one plan currently being circulated, the herd buyout plan would be funded with savings Minnesota was up 10 percent among the leading dairy states. Whereas the monthly trend riMR February has shown contimMi growth in monthly production, when compared to year-earlier figures, the October figures for the first time moderate that progression. Specifically, since October’s output is actually less than the 11-percent increase recorded in September, it is the first month in which the increase has slowed down. in CCC purchases resulting from a 50-cent cut in support prices. The Senate dairy title also would; • Set the support price at $11.60 a hundredweight when the bill goes into effect. • Authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to reduce support prices 50 cents a year, beginning Jan. 1, 1987, if purchases are ex Delaware Valley hosts Annual Forage Conference BY JACK HURLEY DOYLESTOWN - No-till systems were in the spotlight at this year’s Annual Forage Con ference sponsored by the Penn sylvania Forage and Grassland I^vQDCuL . *Md m 4he Delaware Valley College campus on Tuesday, the conference attracted more than 150 growers, who listened to presentations on forage establishment on marginal soils, weed management, no-till, fluid seeding, forage species selection and hay preservation. Leading off the morning session was Dr. Harlin White, a forage specialist . from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, who noted that VPl’s experience with no-till forage establishment has been gratifying. “We’re really enthused about no till.and we feel it’s the way to go,” said White, who tempered his statement by pointing out that not all fields are well suited to no tillage systems. Using slides of university test plots to illustrate his points, White showed that, in most cases, no-till alfalfa germinated much faster than conventionally planted alfalfa. This additional growth is Dr Richard Hill. Jr., (left) was this year’s recipient of the Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council’s Special Award. Making the presentation is John Baylor of Beachley-Hardy. $7.50 per Year pected to exceed five billion pounds of milk a year. • Require a $l.OO a hun dredweight price reduction, if purchases are expected to exceed 10 billion pounds. • Give the Secretary authority to increase support payments 50 cents a hundredweight, if surplus purchases drop to two billion pounds or less. especially important for new fields going into the winter months, he said. White emphasized that the moisture conserved when using no till systems was “tremendously importtht” in establishing forage .craps. Other advantages he un derscored were soil conservation and the ability to plant steep, marginal land unsuited to con ventional tillage. The agronomist included the following guidelines in what he referred to as VPl’s “no-till recipe.” 1. and fertilizer application 2. control utilizing 2,4-D or Banvel 3. Two applications of Paraquat 14 days apart, or one application of Roundup. The second Paraquat application is crucial, and should be done about two weeks after the first, or whenever green-up begins to appear. 4.Seed is applied at the rate of 15 pounds per acre with 7.5 pounds per acre of Granular Furadan. Although Furadan isn’t needed when forages are planted after grains or summer annuals, the additional insect control is (Turn to PageA27)
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