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)