VOL 34 NO. 28
Blossom Time On
Chestnut Ridge
BY LINDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
FISHERTOWN, (Bedford Co.)
Chestnut Ridge is one of those
areas in Pennsylvania where
apples just naturally seem to
thrive.
“It’s the chert limestone soil we
have here,” says Larry Wright,
owner of 180-acres of apple
orchards on the Ridge. “It pro
vides good drainage and, at the
same time, holds the water and
keeps moisture around the roots of
the trees.”
“There is also good air move
ment which helps to keep the frost
way.” The picturesque ridges give
the trees plenty of sunlight in the
daytime and, at night, the cold air
so essential for good apples.
“The apple growers are like any
other farmer,” Wright says. “We
take a lot of risks. We have to con
tend with the weather and insects
including die gypsy moth. There
can be too much water or 100 little,.
To add to these problems, we were
caught off guard when bad public
ity over the use of Alar hit last
fall.”
Wright, like other apple grow
ers in Chestnut Ridge and probab
ly most of Pennsylvania has not
used Alar, a product which is use
(Tum to Pago A 24)
Penn State Faculty
Members Tour Pennsylvania
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Now that classes are over, new
faculty in the College of Agricul
ture at Penn State have switched
roles. Instead of preparing courses
and exams, 17 teaching and
research faculty left May IS for an
intensive four-day course to learn
about the diversity of
Pennsylvania.
“Many of our new faculty have
come from other parts of the coun
try, or the world, and don’t know
what Pennsylvania is all about,”
says Dr. Joan Thomson, coordina
tor of faculty and staff develop
Farm Is A Farm—Forever
BY
EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
EPHRATA (Lancaster
Co.)—The grace and charm of an
era gone by greeted invited guests
to the celebration here among
stately trees and a house full of
memories. I|Tie festivities were ini
tiated to mark Mrs. Mary
Schantz’s contribution to farmland
preservation and to her equal con
tribution to the preservation of his
torical buildings.
While Mrs.
received recognition for her contri
bution to farmland preservation
last year at the annual meeting of
Four Sections
Larry Wright, Fishertown, checks the condition of JWs appla blossoms. National apple
» leaders said this week thay have asked growers to stop using the chemical Ajar
of consumer fears. But Wright and most otherPfinrjeytvania apple producers
jApple A Day Is Still The Dpctor’s Orders
BY PAT PURCELL
CAMP HILL (Cumberland Co.)
—“Virtually no risks”; “levels are
permissable and safe” and “what
Alar remains on apples does not
represent an unacceptable health
ment for the college. “Some also
are unfamiliar with our tradition
of outreach and public service. We
want College of Agriculture facul
ty to know the range ofPennsylva
• nia’s agricultural enterprises and
the scope of Penn State’s educa
tional programs throughout the
state.”
The course schedule includes
conversations with state officials
and county commissioners, visits
to some of the largest and most
successful poultry and dairy farms
in the country and inspections of
(Turn to Pag* A 26)
preservation official said this
assembly of about 100 enthusiasts
was called to “just rejoice over
what Mrs. Schantz has done.”
The farm, located on Springville
Road, east of town, is in an agricul
tural security area and is in the
National Registry of Historic
Places. Permanent conservation
and historic preservation ease
ments have been placed on the
property by will and with no cost to
the two conservation
organizations—Lancaster Farm
land Trust and The Historic Preser
vation Trust of Lancaster County.
The late 17th and early 18th Gen
try buildings will be preserved in
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 20,1989
risk”, Dr. Sorrell Schwartz said
repeatedly during the video news
conference televised on Monday,
hosted by the Pennsylvania Far
mers’ Association in Camp Hill.
Schwartz of Georgetown Uni
versity. an advisor of risk assess
ment on environmental health,
told viewers that the Environmen
tal Protection Agency’s decision to
cancel the use of Alar does not
translate into impending disease
resulting from its use.
“It is very important to settle the
question now that while Alar is
being cancelled what Alar remains
on apples does not represent an
unacceptable health risk,” said
Schwartz. “My advice to consum
ers is that there is nothing to be
concerned about It is not neces
sary tobuy Alarfreeproducts. Vir
tually no risks result from expo
sure to these low levels of Alar.”
The video and the following
PFA news conference was held in
response to the recent airing of the
“60 Minutes” program “A Is For
At the farmland preservation celebration are: (I to r) Alan Musselman; Daniel Herr; Nasser
Basir; Mary Schantz; Debra Schantz-Baslr; Christene Brubaker; Mary Wlley-Myers and Char-
Apple” concerning pesticide
residue in food, specifically Alar
in apples.
President of die American Farm
Bureau, Dean Klechner, criticized
the program for its lack of balance
(Turn to Pag* A 22)
DHI Organizations To Offer
Test For Staph Mastitis
BY KARL BERGER
Special Correspondent
FREDERICK, MD—Dairy farm
ers in the Mid-Atlantic area soon
will have access to a new weapon
in their never-ending battle against
mastitis.
Area Dairy Herd Improvement
organizations are gearing up to
provide a test for detecting Staphy
lococcus aureus, a bacteria that is
one of the major causes of mastitis.
The test should make it easier to
identify infected animals and
reduce bulk tank somatic cell
counts, according to DHI officials.
509 Ptr Copy
Berks Co.
FFA Holds
BY VALERIE VANTASSEL
Berks Co. Correspondent
KUTZTOWN* (Berks Co.)
Kirk Sattazahn received the Coun
ty Star Farmer award at the Berks
County FFA banquet held last
Tuesday at the Kutztown Grange.
Sattazahn, a senior at Conrad
Weiser High School, was named
as the State Star Farmer by the
Pennsylvania FFA in January dur
ing the organization’s Midwinter
Convention. His program is a
diversified one including dairy,
crop and livestock enterprises.
Sattazahn was also honored as
Berks County’s top prepared
speaker and as the outgoing coun
ty president. He plans to run for
FFA State President in June dur
ing FFA Activities Week and has
been accepted at Penn State Uni-
Eric Marshall, Twin Valley,
find Scott Youse, Oley Valley,
were awarded scholarships to at
tend the Washington Leadership
Conference, a national event held
each summer in the country’s
capital.
Marshall was inducted as the
county’s new president with
(Turn to Pago A 24)
The Pro Staph mastitis test —a
registered trademark of the Pro Sc
ience Corporation of Sterling, Va.,
the developer and marketer of the
test —refceived full federal licens
ing in April. DHIA Services Inc. is
distributing it to the laboratories
that service state and regional DHI
units across the country. DHIA
Services is the marketing subsidi
ary of the National Dairy Herd
Improvement Association.
Richard Barth, general manager
of the Pennsylvania DHIA, said
his organization plans to begin
(Turn to Page A 27)
$12.50 Per Year
Banquet