rOL 31 No. 17
PPPC president Steve Burkholder presents Pork All-
American plaque to Schuylkill Countian Lyndon Hepler.
Hepler named PPPC
Pork All-American
BY JACK RUBLE Y
HARRISBURG - Back in the
18th century, when Robert Burns
penned the passage about “The
best laid schemes o’ mice an’
men...”, it’s a safe bet that he had
college freshmen in mind. While
many aspiring collegians enter a
four-year program with eyes
riveted on the career of their
dreams, they often find themselves
choosing a different fork in the
road along the way.
Take Lyndon Hepler, for in
stance. When this Schuylkill
County fanner’s son entered the
Lancaster Farming wins
AD ADC ‘Service 9 award
The American Dairy Association And Dairy Council, Inc. has
Presented its ninth annual ‘‘Service to Dairying Award" to
Lancaster Farming. Convened for its 26th annual meeting at
the Hotel Syracuse in Syracuse, the ADA/DC recognized this
Publication “for outstanding coverage of dairy promotion
Programs.” ADA/DC President Raymond Johnson, left,
Presented the award to Lancaster Farming editor James H.
Everhart at the organization's annual meeting banquet
Wednesday night.
Five Sections
Ag Mechanization program at
Penn State in the mid-1970’5, he
had no intaatfeop af returning to the
family farm in Pitman.
But when an_ adjoining farm
came up for sale m his senior year,
Hepler had to do some fast
thinking. In the end, he chose the
path that would lead to ownership
of a 106-acre farm and a part
nership with his father Raymond
in the swine business.
This career move would also
lead to his being named the Pork
All-American for 1986. The 29-year
(Turn to Page A3B)
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 22,1986
PFA members interrogate
gubernatorial candidates
BY SUZANNE KEENE
HARRISBURG - Three of the
candidates for Pennsylvania
governor fielded farmers’
questions about the positions they
would take on agricultural issues if
elected during a “Meet the Can
didates” meeting in Harrisburg
Thursday night.
About 140 farmers attended the
Pennsylvania Farmers
Association-sponsored event,
where the candidates each gave
opening statements and answered
written questions submitted by
members of the audience.
In their brief opening statements
the candidates Bob Casey, a
former auditor general from
Lackawanna County; Buck Scott,
a businessman from Montgomery
County; and Lt. Gov. Bill Scran
ton, also from Lackawanna County
each voiced their support of
Dairymen doubt buyout Will work
BY MARTHA GEHRBVGER
AND JAMES H. EVERHART
LANCASTER - By about a five
to one margin, dairymen par
ticipating in a Lancaster Fanning
survey say they don’t think the
federal government’s new herd
buyout plan will work.
As one participant put it,
“Farmers will continue to produce
more and more milk as always.”
The unscientific poll of readers
also yielded surprising support for
production" controls, including a
quota system similar to those in
use in other countries.
And only about 20 percent of
those responding indicated that
they intend to enter a bid on the
program and most of those
admitted their bids will be quite
high.
For the most part, respondents
indicated that they thought the
buyout program would not succeed
because the production it diverts
would be offset by increased output
in remaining herds. Dairymen who
want to remain in business, they
said, will increase production to
compensate for declining prices.
Many thought there will be too
few participants in the program
because of its cotnplex rides and
regulations, which were an
nounced too close to the signup
deadline to allow adequate con
sideration by serious operators.
And some said they thought the
program was misguided, in that it
will attract only marginal
producers, or those who were
planning to retire anyway.
Of those planning to submit a
bid, many said they thought the
dairy outlook is too uncertain to
continue. Most mentioned the low
profitability and the continuing
burden of debt as an important
Pennsylvania agriculture.
“I believe in the family farm,”
Casey said, noting that the answer
to its survival lies in the land. If
elected, Casey said he would sign a
strong farmland preservation bill,
support legislation returning
control of marketing boards to
farmers and, “put rural interests
at the top of the list.”
Scranton pledged to keep
agriculture Pennsylvania’s top
industry. “Our farmers and our
farmlands represent the very best
resources we have. They must be
protected and nurtured so they
become an even greater factor in
the state’s economy, and through
increased exports, in other
economies.”
Scranton listed among his
priorities, farmland preservation,
market development, and a
reduced tax burden on farmers.
LF herd buyout survey:
reason to leave the industry; some
noted that they were planning to
quit anyway.
Of those who said they would not
participate, most indicated they
would not receive payment
comparable to the value of their
herds. They mentioned that they
had worked years to build up a
herd of top-quality cattle and hated
to see those gains lost.
“I have been building a dairy
herd since I was in high school,”
one respondent wrote, “and would
not financially and mentally
destroy them.”
If chosen to participate in the
program, dairymen who
* responded said they would get into
beef production or hay and cash
crops. Other options mentioned
INSIDE this week’s issue
The Pennsylvania Holstein Convention brings dairy
features from around the state to this week's issue.
In the above photo, Cold Springs Tony Delight accepts a
hay handout from Chad and Amy Trimmer. Read their story
on page A-18. Additional Holstein features can be found on
pages A 20 and A-24.
17.50 per Year
Scott said he would endorse
legislation which would permit
farmers to stay on the land and
would guarantee that land values
would remain secure for farmers
forced out of the business.
He also strongly supported in
creased advertising of farm
products. “I urge you not to lose
sight of the importance of ad
vertising and promotional ef
forts,” he said.
In answering questions from the
audience, the candidates each had
two minutes to respond. Can
didates were asked what measures
they would take to curb the rate of
farmland loss and to preserve the
agricultural land base.
Both Casey and Scranton voiced
support of Act 43, the Agricultural
Area Security Law, which allows
for development of “ag areas.”
(Turn to Page A 27)
included hogs, poultry, berries,
vegetables, horses, wood, syrup
and Christmas trees. A few said
they would rent or sell the farm,
and others said they might plan to
re-enter dairying in 1990.
Almost three-fourths of the
respondents favored a quota
system, resembling the one in
place in Canada, to cut surpluses.
Others indicated increased
promotion and greater reliance on
market to set supply and demand.
By a five to one margin,
respondents expected that there
would be a lot of cheating in the
program, mostly in the area of
trading cows around prior to the
slaughter deadline.
‘.As one participant put it,
(Turn to Page A 27)