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