iiui ■ ~/i~ yjEflj VOL. 31 No. 45 Balboa Does It Again BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor STATE COLLEGE - After being the grand champion at the prestigious state show and producing 31,000 pounds of milk and 1,200 pounds of fat as a two year old last year, Cherry Brook LTD Balboa came to the 1986 Pennsylvania Holstein Cham pionship Show here Thursday as a three year old and did it again. Was named senior and grand Champion that is. It all started when David Dowler £ ‘chased Balboa’s dam at the e Power Sale as a calf in 1981. 'When this calf Hanover-Hill Rag Apple Rocky grew up (now 2E) she fs mated to Valiant. Balboa is result of this mating. . (Turn to Page A2O) State Dairy of Distinction Board of Directors Named kY EVERETT NEWSWANGER t Managing Editor [STATE COLLEGE A group of Wry industry enthusiasts who Sere in attendance at a meeting &re at Penn State in the interest of !#ie Northeast Dairy Farm of [Distinction Award Program agreed to become the first state pioard of directors and work to get Hhe program in operation in Pennsylvania by the spring of 1987. |lnce milk originates from dairy forms, the Dairy Farm of [Distinction Program is designed to [encourage the beautification of 4ury farms for the benefit of tonsumers of milk who may drive nst the farm. Any dairyman that reduces milk for sale and has a lice-looking farm may apply for fee award. Plans call for the state to be Ivided into districts according to low numbers and numbers of Wiry farms. For example, with its Concentration of dairy cows, Lancaster County may be divided Wo two districts. Where dairy Lancaster Co. Ag Income Down BY SUZANNE KEENE LANCASTER Lancaster *unty farmers harvested a ilthy crop of ag commodities in K, but received $24.6 million less * their products than the Kvious year. The total value of fftcultural products for 1985 was million, reflecting a $l9 ®hion decrease in the value of f°ps and a drop of $5.6 million in ■value of livestock and poultry. We had a good year in Auction, but a very tight year in Sjjws,” said Lancaster County Pension Director Jay Irwin. gtn released 1985 county PCultural statistics compiled by PAgricultural Statistics Service Four Sections The champions at the 1986 Pennsylvania Holstein Show in State College Thursday (L to R) reserve senior and reserve gNM#* champion Singing Brook Pete Audie; owner Obie Snyder; senior and grand champion Cherry brook LTD farms are more sparsely situated a larger territory would be included in a district. A local board of directors promotes the program, assigns local judges and provides the recognition events in each district. Colorful farm signs are awarded to let the public know your farm has received the distinction. The state directors form the basis to tie the local districts together and provide the tie into the regional organization of the program. Steve Spencer, Penn State dairy science department, called the meeting to order and introduced Bill Underwood, president, and Sue Renholds, executive secretary of the New York State Dairy of Distinction Program. Underwood said thier program, which started three years ago, “exceeded by far anyone’s expectations. The in terest was strong. The par ticipation never has gone below 300 applications per year. And it has had a good unpact on agriculture in New York State.” in a press conference here Wed nesday. Farmers broke county records in wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes, the number of dairy cows and laying hens and value of dairy products and eggs in 1985. But the abundance of products contributed to lower prices for almost every commodity “I think the im balance of supply and demand was a major factor,” Irwin said. The way agriculture has maintained its strength in this country is the increase in productivity ' the increase in production in yield per acre, in crease in production in pounds milk per cow, eggs per hen and pounds of meat put on a broiler,” loncostor Farming, Saturday, September 6,1986 At present farms in New York State have received the Dairy of Distinction Award. They limit the award to 10 farms in each district each year. In addition the farm must requalify each year to retain the distinction. Underwood said not all Dairy of Distinction farms are along main roads. Many are along back roads where they don’t get much ex posure but still have a desire to keep their farms looking beautiful. “It gave dairymen in New York State a chance to sit down under a common cause to work on a project,” Underwood said. “And that has been important. Anything we have learned or any of our program bylaws, application forms or judging criteria that can be used to get the Pennsylvania program started is openly available to you,” Underwood said. “New Jersey is also in terested and we hope that together we might turn our experience into a Northeast Regional Program.” The new Pennsylvania state he said. But despite the declining value of ag commodities, the number of county farms remained steady at 5,210. “We have a tradition in this county of really tightening the belt when conditions are bad,” Irwin said "I think Lancaster County is fortunate in that we have the tight farms we do.” With 113,000 cows producing $213.5 million of dairy products, Lancaster County leads the state in milk production. However, dairy farmers here received about 85 cents less per hundredweight of milk than in 1984. The average loss of income on a dairy farm, Irwin (Turn to Page A 39) Balboa; leadsman Harvey Clem; owners Dowter and Ed Doeberiener and Judge John Morris. The show was held in the new ag arena. board of directors have already set up two October meetings for organizational and program planning sessions. The dairy in dustry leaders on this new board of directors are as follows: -Helen Fountain, Dairy Lea; Wally Jackson, Milk Inc.; James R. Barnett, Innerstate; Paul Nichols, ADA&DC; Audrey Queitzsch, Pennnsylvania Brown Swiss Association; Danna Baker, Eastern Milk; Daniel M. Baker, Haylift Lands In York Co. BY JOYCE BUPP York County Correspondent AIRVILLE - Hundreds of southern York County dairy cows will have fuller bellies this winter, thanks to the generous efforts of fellow Pennsylvania farmers, community volunteers and the military. Among the shipments of donated hay which began arriving in southern York County this week was a convoy of six National Guard transports which rolled into the AirviUe area Tuesday afternoon Drought Hay Fund The 1986 Summer Drought Hay Fund has received a total of $19,358 to date. If you want to contribute to this drought hay fund, make your checks payable to 1986 Summer Drought Hay Fund. Then send your check to Lancaster Far ming newspaper, 22 East Main Street, P.O. Box 366, Lititz, PA 17543, attention Hay Fund or attention Editor. $8.50 per Year ADA&DC; Wally Willy, Hershey Chocolate Co.; Richard Packard, dairy farmer; Patty McMurray, dairy farmer; Darwin Braund, Agway, Inc.; Mike O’Connor, Penn "State Dairy Extension; Bill Smedley, Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, PDA; Bob Williams, Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, PDA; Steve Spencer, Penn State Dairy Ex tension; Everett Newswanger, Lancaster Farming newspaper. with about 50 tons of bales. Another 50-ton shipment, three boxcars of hay donated from western Pennsylvania, was ex pected late in the week. It was being moved cost-free by Conßail and the Stewartstown Railroad, and was loaded by Army Reserve personnel. Hay coming into York County is being routed to full-time farmers, primarily dairy operations, facing critical feed shortages due to the season’s severe, extended drought. Some 1,737 cows on 22 farms will eat better with those two ship ments alone. The six loads which arrived Tuesday in Airville were distributed to feed 890 cows on a dozen farms, averaging 74 head per herd. Hay due on the Stewartstown boxcar shipment was earmarked for ten herds averaging 84 head, and a total of 847 cows. Another four boxcars of hay, loaded m Sullivan County, are expected to arrive at a later date in York County Originally intended for use in the South, the trans portation costs were found to be prohibitive, and the shipment instead diverted to aid York far mers. (Turn to Page A3B)
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