VOL. 32 No. 20 Future Of Ag Bright In Southeastern Pa. BY SALLY BAIR Lancaster Co. Correspondent LANCASTER The future of agriculture in southeastern Pennsylvania is bright, despite the con tinuing recession in the agricultural economy on the national level. Speaker after speaker at the fifth Future of Ag Conference held across the Commonwealth in the last two weeks brought messages of optimism about the state of agriculture in this region. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania State University and the Penn State Ag Advisory Council, the five seminars were a follow-up to the statewide conference held last spring. The mood was especially upbeat in southeastern Penn sylvania, because of the overall healthy economy in the area. Keynote speaker Robert D. Spencer, executive vice president of the Philadelphia National Bank, and Lamartine Hood, dean of Penn State’s College of Agriculture, shared optimism about the economy and agriculture in the southeastern portion of the state. Close markets and skilled labor force are two positive factors in the “very, very optimistic” mood Spencer attributes to the area. Spencer said the farm economy is in relatively good condition, adding that farmland values have not changed dramatically and the “misfortune” of grain farmers has UEP, AEB Campaign For Marketing Order In Lancaster BY JACK HUBLEY LANCASTER - Milk’s got more, beef’s real food for real people, pork’s the other white meat. So where’s the incredible edible egg? Far out in left field, according to Christine Bushway and Ed Houston. Bushway, president of Northeast United Egg Producers, and Houston, chairman of the American Egg Board, came to Lancaster’s Farm and Home Center on Monday to tell producers that it’s time for the egg industry to come out of its shell. And both hard-boiled egg industry representatives told the crowd that the industry has hatched a viable plan. It’s called the egg marketing order, and, if USDA Secretary Richard Lyng gives the program the nod, the marketing order Skim Milk Is 6 Smart Cola 9 BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor JOHNSTOWN Dairy products, especially skim milk, probably got the greatest boost in many a year when Dr. Richard J. Patterson, M.D., took on the soda pop industry here Thursday evening. He called soft drinks “malnutrition at its best” and gave skim milk the label of “the smart cola.” Patterson came to his conclusion after an extensive study of the affects of calcium and phosphate on the human body. “It became obvious to me,” Patterson said, “that one of the reasons the dairy industry is not fairing so well economically is because of Madison Avenue sharpies that run competitive businesses. These businesses especially include: soft drinks, alcohol, chemical fTurn to Pace A 23) Three-fourths Of Producers At Meeting Say Yes To MO should come to a nationwide producer vote by early May, ac cording to Bushway. The vote will culminate a five year battle by UEP to institute a mandatory checkoff program aimed at shoring up the egg’s sagging popularity. In its original form the marketing order con tained provisions for egg production quantity controls, Lancaster Soil, Water Conservationists Honored BY JACK HUBLEY LANCASTER - With the current emphasis on erosion control and nutrient management •in southeastern Pennsylvania, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the concept of keeping the soil on the farm wasn’t bom with the Chesapeake Bay crisis. In fact, decades before the Bay’s plight became “official,” a few farmers were quietly practicing soil conservation in the name of common sense and good economics. Such a farmer is Edd Zug, Jr., who was one of the first Chester County farmers to slow runoff through the use of strip cropping. In 1973 Zug and his wife Dorothy moved their family to their farm located near Peach Bottom in Fulton Township. Within a year Zug signed on as a cooperator with the Lancaster County Con servation District, and on Thur sday evening the district recognized the family’s longstanding commitment to the land by naming them Outstanding Cooperator for 1987. Zug and his son Edward milk SO cows and crop more than 120 acres of their 150-acre farm, planting com, alfalfa, wheat and oats. The Zugs have always concentrated on cost-effective conservation measures, relying mainly on crop rotation and narrow strips of 90 to 100 feet in width to keep their soil and water from rushing south. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 21,1987 Lancaster County Commissioner James Huber, right, greets Lamartine Hood dean of Penn State's College of Agriculture, during the southeast region's Future of Pennsylvania Agriculture Conference held in Lancaster this week. Huber served as master of ceremonies removal of surplus laying hens and promotion. As the order matured, however, USDA nixed both the surplus removal and quantity control provisions, leaving the industry with an order aimed primarily at increasing demand for its product. With egg consumption con tinuing to slide, promoting its product should prove to be a big “We like to keep things simple and practical,” says Zug. “We feel we can control erosion practically without big expense.” Rather than fight Mother Nature, the Zugs keep sod in those parts of their fields where surface water collects and flows during heavy rains. Manure from the dairy herd is stored in combination with bedding Lancaster County’s Edd Zug family received an aerial photograph of their farm taken by Grant Heilman photography at the Conservation District dinner meeting on Thursday. From left are Edd Zug, Jr., Dorothy, Debbie and Edward Zug. benefitted local fanners. He noted, “The diverse economy has been a blessing. Our farmers are feeding us and selling the surplus to our neighbors.” Setting the tone for the conference in his opening remarks, Hood had pointed out similar strengths of the region. He noted that agriculture is close to markets, has an excellent labor supply and a high degree of diver sification, which gives it the opportunity to move ahead. Hood said, “This is an exciting time for Pennsylvania agriculture, with new leadership in Harrisburg and in the Department of Agriculture and Department of En vironmental Resources.” He added that he feels there is exciting leadership at Penn State, noting that President Bryce Jordan “understands agriculture and the im portance of agribusiness.” Speaking to current issues in Pennsylvania, Hood noted the importance of the water supply and its influence on supplies in the surrounding states. He said Pennsylvania is “determined to be full partners” in the effort to study the concerns on water quality, and noted, “Agriculture and related activities have a great deal at stake. We have a responsibility to consumers to have a clean water supply.” He added, “We are determined to try and expand efforts related to animal health. ” (Turn to Page A 27) enough job in itself for the in dustry. According to the Penn sylvania Poultry Federation’s executive director John Hoffman, the nation’s egg consumption has been on a more or less continuous slide since 1945, when per capita consumption hit 405 eggs a year. Last year Americans each con sumed 260 eggs, according to American Egg Board figures. from the tie stall bam in semi-solid form in a roofed manure storage building measuring 36-by-36-by-BM> feet deep. The system allows Edward to use a conventional manure spreader, and three months of storage capacity enables him to stay off the fields in late winter and early spring when wet soils are particularly (Turn to Page A 23) Six Sections By imposing a mandatory one half cent per dozen checkoff on all egg producers, (no exceptions, Bushway emphasized) the in dustry would raise $24 million nationally. The marketing order calls for 15 percent of a state’s contributions to be returned to the state, which would fatten Penn sylvania’s promotional kitty by about $300,000, Bushway said. PPF’s John Hoffman notes that the money would enable the Keystone State to escalate its promotion efforts significantly. Currently the AEB accumulates promotion monies through a 5-cent per case checkoff, which computes to .16 cent per dozen. Although all flock owners with 3,000 or more layers are required to contribute to the fund, the program is voluntary in that anyone may request a refund. At present, slightly more than half of the nation’s egg producers are requesting refunds. Under this program states only (Turn to Page A 26) Vintage Hearing Scheduled A hearing date has been set to hear a request for a preliminary injuction filed by Vintage Sales Stables, Inc. and L. Robert Frame. Sr., against the Federal Govern ment to stop the enforcement of the Beef Promotion and Research Act. The hearing will be held on Friday, April 3,1987, at 10:00 a.m. in front of Federal Judge Cahn in the old Lehigh County Courthouse (Courtroom #2) in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This case will be a test case of agricultural programs for the entire country. Congress put into effect on October 1, 1986, the Beef Promotion and Research Act. Under the act, beef producers are required to pay $1 per head for all (Turn to Page A 23) $8.50 Per Year
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