VOL 31 No. 31
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Lebanon Co. Farmer Gives Alternate Method
A large crowd attended the Conference on Rural Preservation In Pennsylvania at
Franklin and Marshall College last Saturday.
Solids NtTTf'at Discussed
BY KATHY E. GILL
Special to Lancaster Farming
FT. LAUDERDALE - Dairy
farmer options on multiple com
ponent pricing can often be
predicted by the color of their
herds. But industry opinions on the
same subject are far less uniform
and demonstrate that the subject is
far more complex than apparent at
first glance.
In a session on nonfat solids
standards and testing at the second
annual US Dairy Forum, former
Maryland and Virginia General
Manager Jim Click opened the
session with the comment “we’ve
been down this road before.”
He was referring to past sym
posia and other producer
discussions debating the merits of
producer pay prices based upon
milk component other than but
terfat And, as he pointed out, past
discussions have not made over
whelming inroads into the issue.
Dr. David Barbano of Cornell
related results of a milk com
position study which only adds to
the complexity of the issue. The
study, which analyzed milk
samples from 50 plants in 19 states
across the country, demonstrated
that there is tremendous variety in
total solids, percent of fat, percent
°f protein and percent of all solids
not-fat.
In his presentation, Dr. Barbano
assured the technical people in the
audience that all testing was done
one centralized laboratory. The
fact that he prefaced his survey
results with such an announcement
was a clue to one factor holding up
Pricing on nonfat solids.
Major regional differences in
[nilk composition affect attempts
t 0 standardize samples. For
Sample, the annual average for
oonfat solids is 8.7 percent. In the
" est < that figure rises to 8.8 per
cent and in the Mid-Atlantic it
“■ops to 8.65 percent. The range on
an y given farm, however, can be
as great as 6.6 percent to 10.0
Percent.
Three Sections
Moreover, the Mid-Atlantic has
one of the lowest protein levels in
any region of the country - 3.22
percent compared to the West’s
3.33 percent. Even the Deep South
falls in at 3.26 percent.
A more debilitating problem,
however, lies in the test itself. Or
the tests themselves.
Put simply, there are too many
tests available.
For each component, including
butter, there is more than one way
a laboratory can ascertain its
percentage of milk volume. But the
tests do not necessarily provide the
same percentages, even for the
same milk sample. Thus the
stumbling block.
If farmer Jones is paid for nonfat
solids using test A, and farmer
Smith is paid using test B, it is
likey that their milk checks will not
accurately reflect the variations in
the milk composition.
California-based Randall Young,
of Dairy and Food Labs in San
Francisco, told the group that in
the market, the state sets prices
and determines which testing
methods will be used to pay those
prices. Moreover, by motion of 50
percent of the producers shipping
to any one plant, the producers
may force the plant to use a third
party test for payment.
But can such a mandated
uniformity be reached across the
US?
Not if opinions expressed at this
Forum accurately reflect the in
dustry.
In addition to grappling over the
technical issues of determining
just what is in each milk sample,
the Forum also touched on the
issues of increasing nonfat solids
percentages in fluid milk.
Such a move was heartily op
posed by most fluid processors.
However, Gary Korsmeier of
California Milk Producers
Association attributed California’s
higher standards to increased milk
consumption.
“Consumers are willing to pay
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 31,1986
for a better-tasting, more
nutritious product,” he asserted.
“Few of us would have guessed a
few years ago that consumers are
after taste and not necessarily just
price. The growth of the gourmet
ice cream market is a good
example.”
However, processors remain
stuanchly opposed to nationwide
increases in the standards for
nonfat solids in fluid milk.
Nevertheless, the agree in prin
ciple to paying on protein or all
solids for milk used in cheese, ice
cream or powder.
Tobacco planting is progressing nicely in Lancaster County. The nice rains last week
prepared the soil and the warm weather grew the plants rapidly. Don and Dawn Rohrer
on the planter and Mrs. Rohrer guiding the tractor along the contours on the family farm
off Limevalley Road had already planted two acres by late Thursday afternoon when
Everett Newswanger, Managing Editor caught up with the planting operation. The
Rohrer family expect to be about half done planting by the end of today.
of Ag Preservation
A Lebanon County farmer
proposed an alternative method of
ag land preservation last week at
the Conference on Rural
Preservation in Pennsylvania at
Franklin & Marshall College.
George B. Wolff speaking about
the implications of agriculture on
the environment said that :
I believe this method could
preserve agricultural land while at
the same time saving money for
municipalities. In addition it would
recharge our local ground water
table, which I feel is probably one
the most important things we can
do. One of the major problems we
have confronting agriculture is the
need for additional agriculture
land to spread excess nutrients. All
the blame for overloading of
nutrients in our waterways has
been placed on agriculture. I have
a feeling that that’s not all fair.
Residential communities also
contribute. Mainly as a result from
leaking underground septic tanks
and improperly operating septic
systems. Dr. Frank Leader from
U.S. Extension at a recent
presentation was talking about
rust-leaking underground storage
tanks. He felt that a bigger
problem than the leaking un
derground petrolium tanks were
the leaking underground tanks
commonly known as septic tanks.
He said that right after World War
II thousands of round metal tanks
were hurried with a life ex
pectancy of 25 years. Here we are
45 years later, and they are still
being used. Where municipalities
have concentrated septic systems
Tobacco Planting Progresses
$8.50 per Year
they are having more and more
problems contributing to more and
more high nitrate levels in the
ground water. This creates the
situation that will eventually force
(Turn to Page A 39)
Dairy Month
coverage to begin
next week
LANCASTER -
Lancaster Farming will
honor the dairy industry
with its annual Dairy
Month coverage which
begins in next week’s
edition.
This newspaper’s
editorial staff has
devoted extensive
amounts of time and
effort in preparing this
review, which will
continue throughout the
June editions.
Coverage will include
stories from
correspondents through
out Lancaster Farm
ing Territory. These
stones will range from
top dairymen to crop
management associa
tions to a bam white
washer.
Watch for next week’s
edition for the beginning
of our in-depth account
of the dairy industry.