VOL 32 No. 6 Faith And Farming Speaker Says Ag Looks Better In 90s ; Church Needs To Respond To Replanted Farmers Now Editor’s Note As reported last week, the Mennonlte church held a special seminar in interest of the current Farmland Preservation Breakfast The second annual holiday season breakfast buffet, to benefit the preservation of Lancaster County farmland, will be served on 1 Sunday, December 14,1986 from 8 A.M. to 1 P.M. at the Family Style Restaurant, 2323 Lincoln Highway East, 4*2 miles east of Lancaster. For only $4.00 per person ($2.00 children ages 3-9), the public may enjoy a hcartv all-you-can-eat breakfast of pancakes, eggs, french toast, sausage, home fries, pastry, and beverages in an in formal family-style setting. The Skiadis family, owners of the restaurant, have secured donations of the breakfast foods from area suppliers. The Skiadis family is generously donating their facility and staff time, and all proceeds of the meal will go to the Lancaster County Agricultural Land Preservation Fund. Make your contribution to preserving Lancaster County’s unique farmland resources and enjoy a hearty meal by attending the Farmland Preservation Breakfast! Higher Prices Predicted t Tobacco Auction Season Off To Slow Start BY JACK HUBLEY Business smoldered but failed to catch fire this week, as tobacco growers and buyers came together for the opening of Lancaster County’s second auction season. Last year Pennsylvania growers marketed 3.5 million pounds of Auctioneer Mitch Ashby coaxes bids from buyers at Paradise Tobacco Sales on Thursday. Low tobacco demand and tobacco quality problems resulted in prices well below last year’s levels. agricultural, financial and farm family displacement problem. Held at the Laurelville Mennonlte Church Center in western Penn sylvania, the seminar was titled Faith and Farming 111. Howard Brenneman, former President of the Hesston Corporation, was a keynote speaker. In part one of the two-part series, Brenneman outlines his thoughts on where agriculture has come from and why the present crisis Givler Wraps Up Vo-ag, FFA Career After Years Of Service BY SUZANNE KEENE RONKS When Henry Givter began teaching vocational agriculture in 1952, almost all of his students were planning careers in pmtaetfcm agriculture. But as he prepares to retire after 34 years of teaching and advising, Givler sees vo-ag students heading in a myriad of directions. Today, Givler says, many are “not necessarily preparing to return to the farm, but to work in related occupations.” Searching his memory, Givler recites a list of well-known Lan caster County agribusinessmen he taught and advised in high school, noting, “I could go on naming many that are in different businesses related to ag.” First as a vocational agriculture instructor and later as regional agriculture education advisor, Type 609 Cigarette tobacco at an average price of $1.15 a pound through the newly organized Pennsylvania Tobacco Auction headquartered in Intercourse. Another 1.7 million pounds of Type 41 tobacco averaged 52 cents a pound. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 13,1986 exists. Next week in part two we’ll report Brenneman’s ideas on where agriculture is going and his answer to some of the needs of the inevitable displacement of families off the farm. Here’s Part I of “The Renaissance of North American Agriculture.” Keynote address by Howard Brenneman. I have a view of agriculture that really the crisis is an individual crisis. The crisis is real. The crisis Henry Givler (Turn to Page A2l) This season finds four auction houses vying for the county’s 20 million pounds of tobacco. PTA, the original auction company, is selling tobacco at its Intercourse warehouse, as well as at a second location in Quarryvile. Tobacco is (Turn to Page A 32) is there. But the crisis occurred some time ago. I’m going to try to explain to you what has heppened and what is happening and where we’re at in agriculture. By doing that I don’t want to infer to anybody that there are not real hurts out there in agriculture. There are tremendous hurts. I don’t want to infer to anybody that there is not real human tragedy out there because there is tremendous tragedy out there. Certainly I have had my experience with it too in Hesston Corporation and many people we had to lay off and what we went through. But I also think there is a great future out there for agriculture around the world and tor you people in this room if you’ll only take a look at it in a little different way. Pa. DHIA Leaders Named UNIVERSITY PARK - Production leaders for the Penn sylvania Dairy Herd Improvement Association were recently released by state DHIA office. Leading all herds on test for milk and protein production was the Laural Valley Dairy owned by Brad Smith of Jefferson County. He averaged 25,939 pounds of milk, 940 pounds of fat and 832 pounds of protein on 34 tylsteins. This herd average qualified Smith for the second place ranking in fat production. Melwood Farm from Chester The newly elected officers of the Pennsylvania State Dairy of Distinction Organization are (L to R) Sue Reynolds, executive secretary; Naomi Spahr, treasurer; Everett Newswanger, president; Daniel Baker, Sr., vice president. Dairy Distinction Program Gears Up For Spring Awards STATE COLLEGE, Pa - The northeast Dairy of Distinction program began to gear up here this week to make the first selections of Dairy Of Distinction Says This Is Where Milk Comes From -- See Editorial Page 10A. beautiful dairy farms across the state in May of 1987. Stephen Spencer, Pennsylvania State University dairy science depart- Four Sections Now crisis to me means that it’s temporary. If we just wait a little bit, if we just watch a little bit, if we just do a few things, it’ll pass by. Because most crises are temporary in nature. That’s why I refer to this as the renaissance of North American agriculture. Believe me this is not momentary and it’s not going to go away. This is what I call the renaissance after the dark ages. The dark ages of agriculture to me in North America were really the 70s. Let me explain by going back in history. Then I’m going into the future of agriculture and try to explain to you where I’m coming from. Hopefully we’ll stir up a lot of debate, a lot of ideas and a lot of discussion about where we are in (Turn to Page A 27) County claimed the second high herd distinction in milk and protein. Owned by Melvin Stoltz fus, the herd traded places with Smith for the top position in fat production. Stoltzfus maintained a herd average of 24,831 pounds of milk, 973 pounds of fat and 805 pounds of protein on 36 cows during the 1985-1986 testing year. The title of third high herd for milk and protein in the state went to Shoch Manor Farms. This Northumberland Holstein herd averaged 24,454 pounds of milk, 828 (Turn to PageA29) ment, said that with the districts in place and people working to put together committees in each local unit, we will be able to honor a group of dairy farmers in time for the spring promotional programs. Sue Reynolds, executive secretary who has been active in the ongoing Dairy of Distinction program in New York state, has been selected to handle the day-to- (Turn to Page A 25) $8.50 Per Year
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