A3B-lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 26,1986
Programs Established To Aid Dry Areas
(Continued from Page Al) Editor Newswanger along with
know at the time but we were the Pennsylvania Farmers
certainly willing to find out. So Association and the Pennsylvania
that’s how this article came about. State Department is working to
Pseudorabies
(Continued from Page Al)
for the JIOO-per-head incentive
payments, a producer must agree
to depopulate breeding animals
within 90 days of the quarantine
date, and the virus must be
eradicated from the farm within
eight months of quarantine.
Henkel, who serves as chairman
of the Pennsylvania Pork
Producers Council’s PRV Task
Force, says that producers need a
longer period of time than man
dated to minimize losses. “If you
have to unload sows close to
farrowing, you’ve lost the income
from those baby pigs,” says
Henkel.
Another major point of con
tention concerns the use of vac
cine. PDA officials have kept a
tight rein on the use of vaccines for
two reasons. First, serological
tests are incapable of
distinguishing between vaccinated
and infected pigs, and second,
vaccinated pigs are still able to
shed virus. Since vaccinated swine
may still test positive for the virus
at the end of the required eight
month cleanup period, vaccination
is not compatible with the in
centive program’s goals, ac
cording to the Bureau of Animal
Industry’s Dr. John Cable. The
BAI veterinarian points out that,
while his department will approve
the use of vaccine in certain cases,
its use makes producers ineligible
for incentive payments.
On the other hand, pork
producers argue that ad
ministering vaccine in the early
stages of an outbreak will help to
reduce losses. “I don’t see where
they gain that much,” says Cable,
“because the acute affects (of the
virus) will be over in about 10
days.”
Undoubtedly the biggest
stumbling block in the state’s
program centers around money.
Pork producers contend that $lOO
is hardly adequate compensation
for the loss of a brood sow. “If a
reasonable indemnity would be
involved, there would be no qualms
about shortening the cleanup
time,’’ says Henkel.
Figures from a recently
published Penn State study on the
economics of pseudorabies
eradication support Henkel’s
contention. “When the cost of lost
production from down-time is
added, the cost to the producer of a
pseudorabies outbreak in Penn
sylvania becomes $459 per sow,”
the study concludes.
Ephrata-area producer Allen
Burkholder is one of many Lan
caster County farmers who has
trouble swallowing what BAI is
dishing out. His PRV problems
actually began in 1976, when a
disease diagnosed as a swine
malady known as TGE hit his 200-
sow farrow-to-finish operation.
Four years later, though, PRV
infected feeder pigs were traced to
sows sold by the Burkholder farm,
leading the farmer to conclude that
the TGE diagnosis had been in
correct. Because he determined
that depopulation was not finan
cially feasible, Burkholder kept
raising hogs and had no more
significant symptoms.
In 1962 he offered to depopulate if
the Bureau would allow him to use
vaccine on a new herd, but the
proposal was refused. The
following July Burkholder
received a letter from Bureau
director Dr. Max Van Buskirk
stating that unless he submitted a
plan that would enable him to
eliminate PRV in his herd within
eight months, permission tp move
reason would be refused.
Burkholder complied, farrowing
all the pigs that he could within two
rAonths, which gave him six more
months to ready them for market
by the cleanup deadline.
Following cleanup and
restocking he was back into full
production by the end of 1984.
Having been burned once,
Burkholder instituted additional
biosecurity measures. He
eliminated the cats and dogs on the
premises, and used only his own
truck, which he cleaned and
disinfected, to move animals to
market.
Despite the precautions, his herd
suffered a severe outbreak in April
of this year. His losses included
several hundred baby pigs, a few
sows, three steers and a ram.
Although Burkholder still isn’t
sure where the virus came from,
he suspects that wildlife may have
transmitted it to his herd.
“As soon as it was verified, we
tried to get vaccine, but we
couldn’t,” says Burkholder, noting
that his objective was to reduce his
baby pig losses as much as
possible. Since the use of vaccine
was contingent upon approval by
BAI of an eradication plan,
Burkholder submitted two plans,
both of which were rejected on
technicalities.
A third plan, submitted on June
18, that included a vaccine
request, was deemed acceptable
by BAI if Burkholder agreed to
eliminate all serologically positive
pigs within 18 months. The swine
producer views this condition as
unacceptable. “If I vaccinate for a
year, the vaccine titer (the PRV
antibody level in the blood) might
not be gone by then,” he stresses,
adding that such a plan amounts to
forced depopulation, a financially
suicidal option based on the
present lack of an indemnity safety
net.
Another unrealistic stipulation,
he says, is a request for a vac
cination report within five days of
each vaccination. Such a clerical
burden becomes unreasonable
when a producer is vaccinating
baby pigs daily.
Burkholder put a pencil to the
cost of depopulating his herd based
on Penn State’s figure of $459 per
sow, which he considers to be
about average. To recoup his total
losses of nearly $176,000 within a
15-year period would require a 31-
percent increase in net profit
obviously out of the question, he
points out.
“So we have no plan,” he
declares. "I intend to use vaccine,
but it hasn’t been cleared. I can’t
use it unless I sign the 18-month
document, and I’m not signing
that. I’ll go on without vaccine
before I sign that.”
Burkholder believes strongly
that the scope of the PRV problem
in his area is being un
derestimated, since many infected
producers aren’t reporting the
disease to avoid locking horns with
the state. “The number of farmers
that reported the (Ephrata-area)
outbreak are very few,” he says.
“As long as farmers have forced
depopulation hanging over their
heads they won’t cooperate.”
So, for the time being at least, it
appears that the principle players
in the drama have reached a
stalemate, with producers finding
no eradication plan at all to be
preferable to what state officials
are offering. As the Penn State
study concludes, “There seems to
be little incentive for the producer
to cooperate voluntarily with the
bring those who want to give hay
together with those in drought
stricken areas who really need it to
keep going.
In addition, if people don’t have
hay to give but would like to donate
money to buy hay or pay for
trucking, a 1986 summer drought
hay fund will be established at a
local bank. Moneys deposited in
this fund will be used to buy hay
and/or provided trucking for
donated hay as needed. The fund
will be administrated by the
Pennsylvania Farmers
Association in their program to
coordinate the effort.
Don Risser, a Bainbndge farmer
and treasurer of the Lancaster
County Holstein Association, has
agreed to be the treasurer of this
fund. PFA’s marketing
cooperative PACMA is lining up a
list of coordinators in each county
Farmers Association who will be
establishing collection points and
accepting donations. PACMA is in
contact with the officials in the
effected southern states and will be
arranging the trucking and
distribution of donated hay.
PACMA is also collecting in
formation on hay supplies
available for sale to handle the
long-term needs of southern far
mers.
In addition, as we went to press
Secretary of Agriculture Richard
E. Grubb announced Thursday
that the Department of Agriculture
will serve as an “information
clearing house” to help farmers in
drought sticken southeastern
states obtain hay in Pennsylvania.
“Offers of assistance from
Pennsylvanians will be channeled
through! the Department directly
to those states where officials are
coordinating relief efforts," Grubb
said.
This will facilitate and expedite
hay shipments from those who
TIOGA COUNTY F
/fJTA WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6
1 ” \ through
MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 1986
Located Vz mile off Rte. 6 and midway between Mansfield and
SIX DAYS OF FAMILY FUN!
EXHIBIT BUILDINGS OPEN
" " 10 a.m.-10 p.m. DAILY 11 11
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6 SUNDAY, AUGUST 10
Fair entries will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m 9 a m ■ 5 p m - Antique Car Show
All entries, livestock, and commercial exhibits 11am - Church Service
must be entered by 9 pm Except Jr Dairy No activities or concessions will function during
entries must be on the grounds by 2 p m, the church service
9am -4pm - 4-H Round-up
Ipm - L & K Amusements open
THURSDAY, AUGUST?
Judging of all Fair Exhibits except livestock
beginning at 8 a m Building will be closed until
Ipm
9am- 4-H & FFA Dairy Show
Ipm -4pm - Kiddle Matinee on the Midway
spm - Open & Jr Sheep Show
7 30 p m - Grange Variety Show
Bpm- Bovine Fashion Show - Show Ring
9pm- Baked Goods Auction
FRIDAY, AUGUSTS
9a m - Swine Show
10 am -9 00pm - Craft Show and
Demonstration
10am- Outdoor Flea Market
Ipm- Open & Jr Beef Show
3pm- Deadline for Open Show Dairy Entries
spm- Pork Roast
7pm- Tractor & 4x4 Pull with the Virginia
Giant
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9
9am- 4-H & Vocational Horse Show
10am- Outdoor Flea Market
10 am -spm - Farmer’s Market*
10 am -spm -Tioga Co Ag Promotion Day
11am - Horseshoe Tournament
3pm -Jr Livestock Sale * *
* * Participants must be a member of an
organized 4-H club or FFA chapter to sell an
animal
7pm- Demolition Derby
Bpm 12 Midnight-Round & Square Dancing
with "Dean McNett"
have it to provide to those whose
animals face starvation,” he
noted. Offers to ship for free or at
cost and to provide other forms of
aid also will be relayed."
The department has established
a special telephone number, 717-
787-2387 to receive calls from those
who wish to lend support. “Penn
sylvania farmers have responded
to reports of extensive drought
damage in southeastern states by
calling the department and of
fering hay, feed, and tran
sportation,” Grubb said. “We are
opening a channel to ease
arrangement making in moving
relief supplies.”
“After discussing the problem
with effected states and Governor
Thornburgh’s office, our role as an
information clearing house
seemed the best approach,” Grubb
said.
Information provided the
department will be transmitted
daily through a network of com
puter hookups to relief coor
dinators in the effected states.
Grubb said the department will
also ask the district offices of
federal agricultural agencies and
of the Pennsylvania Extension
Service to make farmers in their
areas aware of the service.
Lancaster Holstein Show
(Continued from Page A 24)
Junior Champion Female
Thomas Barley
Reserve Jr Champion Female
Sandra Kauffman
Jr 2-YearOM
1 Joseph Delong 2 Len Lyn Farms 3 Harold
Wttmer
Sr 2-Year-Old
1 Robert Kauffman Jr 2 Sylvia Frey 3
Brenton Brubaker
3-YearOkl Cow
I Thomas McCauley 2 Nathan Stottzfus 3
Robert H Kauffman & Family
4-Year OW Cow
1 Joseph Wivell 2 Silvermme Holstems 3 Paul
4* Year-Old Dry Cow
1 Mark Welk 2 Lamar Witmer 3 Kenneth
Miller
5-Year-OW Cow
1 Thomas McCauley 2 Robert H Kauffman 3
Welk Acres
5-Ytar-Old Dry Cow
1 Paul & Maurice Welk 2 Bright Meadows
Farm 3 Stonchurst Farms
12noon-Ox Roast
Ipm- Open Colored Breed Show
2pm- ATV & Odyssey Race
6pm- Round Robin Showmanship Contest -
Show Ring **
7pm - MimTractorandTruck Pull
Bpm- Gospel Night with “Mavericks”
** Animals will be furnished Judging will be by
age groups Winners will be chosens by total
points in all three species
MONDAY, AUGUST 11
Sr Citizen's Day - Free admission to the grounds
9am to 5 p m for those 62 years and older
9am- Open Holstein Show
(Tractor driving contest for 4-H & FFA
members immediately following)
12 noon - Chicken Barbecue
2pm- Free entertainment in the Youth Center
Building with the Mavericks
6pm -9pm • pay one price on the midway
Bpm 11pm- Disco Dance by Fantasy IV
Bpm- Horse Pull (includes a class for Tioga
Co residents only)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12
11am - Removal of all exhibits
• FARMERS MARKET POLICY: Open to
Non-profit organizations and individuals who
wish to sell handcrafted items, baked goods, or
produce m a designated area The only charge
being the $1 00 per day gate fee or a $5 00
weekly parking pass
JL L&K AMUSEMENTS - OPEN DAILY AT IPM ,
“Should drought situations in
several southern Pennsylvania
counties produce requests for
similar help, the same system can
be employed to facilitate any of
fers of assistance,” Grubb noted.
So if you want to get involved
with this project, you may select
one of the following ways to get
involved.
The Pennsylvania State
Department has established a
special telephone number, 717-787-
2387, to receive calls from those
who wish to lend support.
For additional information from
PACMA, you can contact the State
Farmers Organization, by calling
717-761-2740.
Or if you would like to contact
Lancaster Farming’s office, you
can do that by calling 717-394-3047
or 717-626-1164 any time during
office hours.
Or you may write to Lancaster
Farming newspaper, P.O. Box 366,
22 East Main Street, Lititz, PA
17543.
If you want to send money to the
1986 Summer Drought Hay Fund,
you can make your checks payable
to the fund, and send them to the
Lancaster Farming address.
We don’t want to be sensational
or emotional. We just want to help
if we can.
Aged Cow and Over
1 Con Noll Farm 2 Galen Crouse 3 Lime
Valley Assoc
Senior Champion Female
Thomas McCauley
Reserve Sr Champion Female
Thomas McCauley
Grand Champion Female
Thomas McCauley
Reserve Grand Champion Female
Thomas McCauley
100,000 Lb Production Class
I Galen Crouse 2 Robert H Kauffman &
Family 3 MarkWelk
Produce of Dam
1 Wivell/Doncgal Creek 2 Len Lyn 3 Con Noll
Dam and Daughter
1 Mark Welk 2 Paul Welk 3 Matt Welk
Best Three Females
1 Con Noll Farm 2 Welk Crest Holstems 3
Wivell/Blossomelle
Best Owned I Bred
1 Paul Welk 2 JoeWivell
Prtrmar Breeder
Star Rock Farms
Prtmitr Exhibitor
Con Noll Farms