VOL. 34 No. 6 Farmers Must Write Their Own Environmental Agenda BY PAT PURCELL YORK The public’s growing environmental concern has become the number one priority for fanners. It’s impact is felt locally as well as nationally. The impact of this growing concern was the common thread running through the day-long Mid-Atlantic Conservation Tillage Conference held in York this week. The Conservation Tillage Conference, formerly the No-Till Conference, traditionally has presented to farmers, educators and agri-business people the latest in farming tech niques. But attendance appears to grow each year because beyond learning what’s new in farming, they are learning how to make it work on their farm. Who’s On First? ‘Today’s agriculture might be described as a Chinese baseball game.” said Len Richardson, Editor of Agrichemical Age. “In this mythical sport, both the ball and the Seedsmen’s Association Suggests Grower’s Fee BY LISA RISSER LANCASTER The Pennsylva nia seed certification program was the big topic of discussion at the annual Pennsylvania Seedsmen’s Association (PSA) meeting on Friday. Hugh Markham, chairman of the organization’s seed promotion committee and manager of the Emmaus Seedway store, appealed to members for their ideas on bee%. tag up the state’s program and recommended assessing growers to help fund the program. “I suggest we study the provi sions of the Agricultural Commod ities Act of 1968, which provides that we can set up a marketing organization, to basically assess the people who are in seed produc tion to help run the certification program,” said Markham. Because total acreage of certi fied seed grown in Pennsylvania has dropped to half of what was grown in 1982, PDA has siphoned funds off from the seed certifica tion program to other areas such as pesticide programs. Now, should the demand for Pennsylvania seeds rise, slate’s certification ageijftv wouldn’t be able to handle volume. Concerned Pennsylvania growers have visited with Secret ary of Agriculture, Boyd Wolff, earlier this year to express their Letter To Editor Breaks News Of Lottery Drawing At Farm Show BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER, Managing Editor EPHRATA From the writer of a signed letter to the editor but with the request not to identify the source, Lancaster Forming learned this week that the Pennsylvania lottery drawing for Monday, January 9, will take place from the large arena at the Farm Show. The event, to be staged during the Night program at 7 p.m. for prime time television, will include the Lottery’s Daily Number and Big 4 thawing. Audience members also will witness three post drawings held immediately after the live telecast. An official in Harrisburg later confirmed the report The letter writer took strong exception to the scheduled event saying that “the lottery has no place in the family T oriented Farm Show. I believe it would be safe to say that the average farm family would be opposed to the lottery; most would consider it gambling and against the principles that most hard-working farmers believe in. It’s been a “trill over the years to go to the Farm Show and see wholesome farm families making up the backbone of this exhibition. Did anyone con sult them and ask them if they would approve of the lottery being a part Of their show?” the letter writer asked. Four Sections Mid-Atlantic Conservation Tillage Conference worries. “While they (PDA offi cials) were sympathetic, it seems that PDA can’t do anything direct ly,” remarked Markham. As PSA’s seed promotion com mittee sees it, there are three options to beefing up the state’s program; creation of a new entity to handle certification; assignment by PDA of another agency or agen cies to handle certification; or jMfciOftjtynple financial resources tonrajee the program viable. to Markham, earlier this fall when demand for wheat and barley seeds was high, Virgi- Dairy Industry At Crossroads, Zuber Says BATAVIA, N.Y. “The dairy industry in the Northeast is at a crossroads,” Regional Coopera tive Marketing Agency (RCMA) President Bill Zuber told dairy far mers and delegates at the RCMA Annual meeting last week in Liverpool, N.Y. “It’s time to choose the path that will lead to a strong, .tvi' ble dairy industry,” Zuber said. According to Zuber, RCMA u one of the best alterna tives fofdairy farmers right now because it can return monthly cash premiums to the farmer from the (Turn to Pago A 10) Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 17,1988 nia’s seed certification agencies couldn’t process the seeds fast enough to allow farmers to get them to market “This is an industry-wide prob lem,” Markham said. “Farmers may have the wherewithal to grow seed, but they can’t get it certified to get it to the market.” In other business, Dennis Shoop of Agway, former vice president for the association, was elected as president. Outgoing president, Frank Welch of Beachley Hardy Seed, was presented with the Past President’s award. marketplace. Zuber said he is especially proud of the organization’s first year because “we paid out $34 Million since last September while keeping our operating expenses way down - only 114 0 per hundred pounds of member milk. That means the average RCMA member who shipped milk through September 1988 received $1,545 at a cost to the consumers of only 414 0 per gallon.” RCMA Executive Director Ed Anna reviewed the highlights of RCMA’s first year, telling direc tors and delegates that RCMA has made tremendous progress, espe cially in the quantity and quality of membership and in the rapport with milk handlers. Legislators, governors, and (Turn to Page A 29) First Manure-Management Ordinance Approved In Lancaster County BY BECKY COLONS Special to Lancaster Farming LITITZ (Lancaster) History was made this week when the War wick Township supervisors approved the county’s first manure-management ordinance. The ordinance, first proposed in June, was revised twice before being accepted. “Lancaster County has the bases are in motion. As soon as the ball is hit, the defending players can pick up the base bags and move them anywhere in fair territory. The offensive players never know in advance where they must run to be safe.” Richardson opened the conference with “Resources At Risk-How Water Quality Issues Are Shaping Your Future”. Changes in government programs, global political changes and their effects on the world market place and the current emphasis on resource management makes it nearly impossible for farmers to cover all the bases, much less come in safe at home. Farmers can expect the 1990 farm bill to be “the battleground for groundwater regula tion and control,’’according to Richardson. He challenged farmers to become the direc tors of change instead of the victims. Richard Stoner was named Pennsylvania Conservation Farmer of the Year for 1988 for completing 100 percent of his conservation plan. He also received the Goodyear Con servation Award of Merit. Pictured with Stoner are his wife, Lana, and three year old son, Andy. Andy holds Orson, a favorite stuffed toy. Stoner Named Pennsylvania Conservation Farmer Of The Year BY BONNIE BRECHBILL Franklin Co. Correspondent GREENCASTLE A low lying area that was once a swamp is now a pond that attracts wild geese, ducks and an occasional blue heron. It is home to bluegills and large-mouth bass. Low areas between hills, for merly overgrown with briars, are now wide, green strips that pro- chance to be on the leading edge if we take the leadership role on this,” said board chairman, Irel Buckwalter, before the vote was taken. “This is a workable solu tion,” he added. The approved ordinance was authored by the Pennsylvania Far mers’ Association, and the Chesa peake Bay Authority based on a sample ordinance proposed by the Lancaster County Conservation 504 Per Copy (Turn to Page A 36) duce high-quality hay. The farmer responsible for the dramatic changes that have occurred on this 1 IS acres of slate land near Greencastle is Richard Stoner. Stoner was recently named the Pennsylvania Conser vation Farmer of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Con servation District Directors Inc. for completing 100 percent of his (Turn to Page A 23) District. Several farmers at the meeting argued that the ordinance is fiscal ly prohibitive to farmers expand ing their operations. Costs for implementing the ordinance include the permit fee plus the fee for compiling a nutrient management plan. But Buckwaltcr said, “This ordinance was written with the $lO.OO Per Year (Turn to Page A2S)
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