ling v
VOL. 31 No. 28
Chernobyl Disaster Affects Commodities Prices
BY MIRIAM GREENFIELD
Lebanon Co. Staff Correspondent
When the nuclear disaster oc
curred at the Soviet power plant in
Chernobyl two weeks ago, the
effects were not immediately
known. Even now, the large
damaged reactor is reportedly still
burning. Experts can only guess
the short and long-range effects of
the unknown quantities of
radioactive particles released by
the meltdown and fire. Scientists
haven’t been able to measure the
radioactive fallout, but many
people think there was enough
fallout to have ruined agricultural
Court Orders New Regulations For Buyout Program
WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S.
Department of Agriculture filed a
n otion this week asking the
federal judge to reconsider and
clarify his directive to issue new
regulations for the Dairy Ter
Dairy Month Is Coming!
June is dairy month, but this dairyman doesn't wait for
June to promote milk. He tells everyone who drives past
his Scattered Acres Farm on Rt. 183 near Bernville in
Berks County to "Drink Milk.” Dairy Editor Martha
Gehringer took the photo of the calf hutches as a reminder
that the June 7 issue of Lancaster Farming is especially
designed for dairy news, special dairy features, interviews
and the annual dairy recipe feature.
To have your favorite recipe that contains at least one
dairy product included in this year's feature, send it to this
newspaper right away. Your recipe will be published in one
of the June issues of Lancaster Farming. A lot of milk
products will get used when everybody makes the recipes
at home and Lancaster Farming will send you a gift in
appreciation sharing your favorite recipe.
PRY Outbreak Affects
Hogs, Cattle, Sheep
byjackhubley
EPHRATA Concern in the
ivestock community mounts as a
larticularly virulent strain of
iseudorabies virus takes its toll
lmon g hogs, beef cattle and other
ivestock.
Centered in northeastern Lan
-aster County, the current out
break began showing up in
anuary, Ephrata-area livestock
armers assembled at Ephrata
■ugh School Tuesday night for an
ipdate on the disease by Pork
-ouncil and Extension personnel,
the current
iseudorabies (PRV) outbreak as a
Four Sections
products in the Ukraine for this
year and probably decades or
centuries to come.
On Wednesday, April 30,
Futures Stay Strong
LANCASTER - Wheat futures
continued the strong upward trend
which began last week following
the nuclear accident at Chernobyl.
Dry weather which has been
plaguing the wheatbelt and
southeastern portion of the country
for the last four months is
responsible for maintaining a high
futures market this week, said H.
mination Program.
The judge, ruling on a suit filed
by the National Cattlemen’s
Association, determined that
USDA did not follow an orderly
marketing of the animals in the
“hot strain,” Penn State Extension
swine veterinarian Dr. Larry
Hutchinson said that clinical signs
have been noted in all 10 of the
Ephrata-area farms infected.
Located in the Ephrata-
Hinkletown area, the outbreak
involves nine commercial breeder
herds and one feedlot, bringing the
total number of PRV-quarantined
swine herds in the state to 27.
“It can be a fooler,” said Hut
chinson, noting that clinical signs
of the disease can range from
nothing at all to deaths among
baby pigs. Other symptoms in
(TurntoPage A 36)
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May 10,1986
following news of the disaster, the
July futures price of wheat peaked
at $2.93% and farmers were able to
“forward price” their quality
Louis Moore, Extension ag
economist.
Present futures are higher than
last week, when the nuclear ac
cident in Chernobyl sparked the
market last Tuesday to near the
limit. The market responded to
news of a second problem reactor
in the area by reaching the limit.
(Turn to Page A3B)
buyout program.
The judge directed USDA to
issue new regulations to solve this
problem no later than June 1. The
court order also specified that no
more than 7 percent of the national
dairy herd can be slaughtered in
each calendar year, with a
proportionate number for the
period from April through Sep
tember.
Until the June deadline, the
program will continue under the
original guides and be ad
ministered by the present
regulations.
Cattlemen complain that the
marketing procedures employed in
the buyout have maximized rather
than minimized the adverse effect
on the beef industry.
However, the secretary followed
orderly marketing procedures
established in the statutory
requirements, according to
National Milk Producers Fer
deration (NMPF) Chief Executive
Officer Jim Barr.
Roger Bergland, vice president
of communication for the National
Cattlemen’s Association, said
cattlemen are seeking a plan that
would force the dairymen to
market their buyout animals in*a
specific week rather than selling
County Extension Agent Retires
BY CRAIG BINGMAN
Snyder County
Staff Correspondent
To work with Harold Holt is a
learning experience. To know him
as a person is a privilege.
On April 30, Harold Holt retired
as county agent in Dairy for
Snyder, Union, Northumberland,
and Montour Counties. For twenty
seven years, Harold served area
dairy farmers by assisting them
with herd health, marketing, and
dairy promotion.
An Indiana County native, Holt
was raised on a dairy farm near
the small town of Marion Center.
After a short stint in the army
during World War II (he was
wounded in action in 1945), he
attended Penn State University
and earned a bachelors degree in
Agricultural Economics in 1950.
After eight years with two
private milling dealerships, Holt
began his career with the Hun
(Turn to Page A 39)
wheat to be delivered in July at
that price. “Forward pricing”
means locking in a contract for
future delivery. On the following
Monday, May 5, a farmer could
have “forward priced” at $2.85 per
bushel; and on Tuesday, May 6, at
$2.90.
Farmers agree that whether it’s
plowing, planting, harvesting, or
breeding, “timing is all.” Ac
cording to the marketing division
managers at PFA, the adage is as
true for marketing as it is for
producing: “timing is all.”
It’s Spring. In the fields, farmers
'are out on tractors reading pat-
them randomly within each period.
Barr, disputing the claim that
the termination animals depressed
the market noted, “There is no
Ag Sec. Discusses Disease
Control at PEMA Meeting
Richard E. Grubb
Harold Holt retired as Snyder County agent after years of
service to dairymen in Snyder, Union, Northumberland and
Montour Counties.
$8.50 per Year
terns and colors of clouds in the
sky for rain, or interpreting the
behavior of birds and insects as
signs of the quality of the crop they
will be harvesting in late summer
and early fall. At the same time, in
an office at the Pennsylvania
Farmer’s Association in Camp
Hill, Michael A. Omdorff, Director
of Futures Trading, is sitting at his
desk reading patterns on the
financial charts on the electronic
screen of his computer and
listening to the wire reports for
signs of the futures market prices
(Turn to Page Al 7)
documentation that huge numbers
of cattle are going out at this
point.”
(Turn to Page A3B)
LANCASTER Promotion, egg
inspection and disease control
were topics discussed by Secretary
of Agriculture Richard Grubb who
was scheduled to speak at a
Pennsylvania Egg Marketing
Association meeting at Lan
caster’s Old Hickory Inn last night.
Touching on Pennsylvania’s
three-pronged egg inspection
program, the keynote speaker
noted that one phase involved
quarterly USDA inspections
mandated by Congress. Some 146
egg packing plants and 28 hat
cheries are involved in this
program, said the Secretary.
A second inspection phase in
volves a voluntary program
initiated by the state. Fifty-nine of
the state’s packers are visited once
to twice a month by state in
(TurntoPage A3B)