VOL. 31 No. 49 Optimism Keynotes Ag Friends Kickoff BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor HERSHEY - “I beUeve that instead of fearing change, we need to embrace it,” said Keith Eckel, president of the Pennsylvania Farmers Association Board of Directors. Speaking at the Kickoff Banquet at the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation here Thursday, Eckel said, “Tonight we embark on a great new venture. And that venture is for Friends of Agriculture in Pennsylvania to PLA Names ‘Man Of The Year’ HARRISBURG - Ray Lehr cautioned his audience to brace themselves for major changes in the livestock industry in the coming years during his address at the Pennsylvania Livestock Livestock Association board member Henry Gruber (left) congratulates Lehigh County’s Peter Krall, the recipient of the association's “Man of the Year” award. - By Monday evening more than 3,000 head of livestock had paraded before judges at the 30th Keystone International Livestock Exposition in Harrisburg. While the show hosts plenty of competition in both open and youth shows, KILE's smaller exhibitors never fail to produce many of the event’s biggest moments. This certainly was a memorable year for Jason Rodibaugh (left photo) whose father, Jack, trucked his Durocs all the way from Rensselaer, Indiana, and was named premier exhibitor in the national Four Sections come together to fund this effort that will benefit not only the ag community but the entire world.” The kickoff was the first public meeting for the foundation to gather funds for an endowment. The foundation sponsored by PFA but expanded to include all segments of the research production and agribusiness community has set a goal to raise $1 million in three years. The in come from this fund will subsidize research and informational projects related to agriculture. Association’s banquet in Harrisburg on Oct. 3. “We’re in a whole new arena in agriculture, and specifically in the livestock business,” said PLA’s president. “The ‘new arena’ will KILE Showcases Champion Livestock Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 11,1986 Eckel drew attention to the foundations green and brown logo that depicts farm land under cultivation, crops growing and pollen being lifted airbom to assure the present agriculture and future growth and its preservation. Dairy Of Distinction Advances BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor HERSHEY The Dairy of Distinction farm recognition have a lot less people and com panies involved,” he added. As examples of how the industry is being reshaped, Lehr pointed out that the nation’s five major feed companies have all changed ownership within the past 18 months. He also noted that, largely due to mergers, the number of major tractor, manufacturers will soon be reduced to three. Lehr said that livestock in dustrymen surviving the lean years would be part of an exciting industry in the future. He pointed to the beef and pork checkoff programs as bright spots on the industry’s horizon. “I think we have a tremendous future in livestock here in Pennsylvania,” he concluded. Lehr’s keynote address was part of the traditional PLA event in which the association honors its Man of the Year for outstanding contributions to the livestock in dustry. Named this year’s recipient of the award was Peter H. Krall of Catasauqua. A 1956 graduate of Penn State’s (Turn to Page A3B) The color brown is symbolic of the good earth while the color green represents growth. “As I look at ag today,” Eckel said, “I think there is one thing we can be certain of. And that cer tainty is change. Ag has changed program, advanced the next step forward when the Pennsylvania Board of Directors met here at Hershey Foods Monday afternoon. Steve Spencer, Penn State Ex tension dairy specialist, called the meeting to order and recom mended that Pennsylvania be divided into 10 districts that would comprise approximately the same number of dairy farms in each district. The outline of the districts as shown on the accompanying map provide and interesting survey of dairy farms in Penn sylvania as well as provides the basis for the Dairy of Distinction program. District 19 is only one county- Lancaster-but has the most dairy farms, 1900. District 13 includes the greatest number of counties, 12, and the fewest number of dairy farms, 1135. But the directors agreed the district divisions were equitable and provided territories that could be worked nicely into the program. After the districts were named, Du roc show held in conjunction with KILE this year. In th Process, four year-old Jason got in some hog driving practice for future nows. It was also a memorable show for the Fox Hill Farm family of Kennett Square. Pictured are (left) Erica McClellan, Matthew McClellan and Chris Jordan, who topped the junior Angus Show the day before Fox Hill cattle swept the Open Angus Show. You’ll find the most complete KILE story available throughout this week's Lancaster Farming. Dairy of Distinction Mry farm R—ißflcaOun Profrwm $8.50 per Year dramatically and tremendously in the last 100 years, the 50 years, even in the last 10 years. It’s changed on my own farm because my dad who works the equipment that allows us to cultivate a hun (Turn to Page A 22) nearly a hundred dairy farmers and industry leaders were listed by the directors to be contacted as local committee persons for the program. When each district has a local committee in place, the stage will be set for the program in Pennsylvania to begin in time for (Turn to Page A 35) Tobacco Auction To Expand BY JACK HUBLE Y LANCASTER Any new business venture is bound to have its share of skeptics in the gallery, and a company called Penn sylvania Tobacco Auction, Inc., was no exception. Formed last year by a group of Lancaster County investors, PTA gained considerable support from the county’s tobacco growers in its attempt to overhaul the traditional tobacco marketing system here. When the smoke cleared at the end of the 1985 buying season, PTA had marketed 4.7 million pounds of tobacco, representing close to one fourth of the state’s crop. The 3.3 million pounds of Maryland-type (Turn to Page A 37)
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