A36-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 23,1989
Pennsylvania Seedsmen Support Changes To Plant Protection Act
BY LISA RISSER
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
“Farmers selling protected
seeds to other farmers has gotten to
be a cottage industry, particularly
in cotton and soybeans,” said Jerry
Peterson, president of American
Seed Trade Association (ASTA),
at the recent Pennsylvania Seeds
men’s Association winter meeting.
At Peterson’s urging, the mem
bers of the Pennsylvania Seeds
men’s Association unanimously
voted to support the ASTA in its
push to get the Plant Variety Pro
tection Act amended.
The proposed amendments
would tighten up the loose word
ing of the right-to-save-seed or far
mer’s exemption. As it is currently
written, “Seed can be sold under
the counter,” said Peterson. “In the
Midwest, farmers have sold seeds
of protected varieties to other far
mers. This undermines the value of
plant protection.”
After the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture turned down a
request for a language change to
the Act, the ASTA formed s spe
cial committee to prepare amend
ments to the Act
The amendments are to prohibit
sales of protected seeds by the
farm where it is grown; make it an
infringement to buy protected seed
for reproductive purposes without
the owner’s permission; and that
anyone who cleans, conditions, or
treats a protected seed variety must
have the owner’s permission
before selling the seed or must
return it to the owner after being
processed.
Peterson reported that ASTA is
looking for sponsors for the
amendments as well as supporters.
He uiged the seedsmen to join in
Maryland 4-H Member Is Presidential Tray Winner
COLLEGE PARK, MD
Michael T. Howell, 19, of Glenelg
has become the third Maryland
teen-ager in six years- and the
second from Howard County- to
win the prestigious 4-H silver tray
award, given on behalf of the
President of the United States.
Howell was one of 12 outstand
ing young persons who received
the Presidential Award during a
banquet that closed out the 68th
National 4-H Congress last week
(Dec. 2-6) at the Chicago Hilton
hotel in Chicago. More than 1,600
of the nation’s outstanding 4-H
members were in attendance.
In addition to the silver tray,
each of the Presidential Award
winners received a $1,500 scho
larship from the Reader’s Digest
Foundation.
The 12 honorees were selected
through personal interviews from
among national winners of $l,OOO
scholarships in various 4-H prog
ram areas. Seven of this year’s
national scholarship winners were
from Maryland.
Interviews for selecting the
Presidential Award winners were
conducted by representatives of
the Cooperative Extension Ser
vice from land-grant universities
and the U.S. Department of Agri
culture. These agencies supervise
the nationwide 4-H program for
nearly S.S million youth. |
Earlier during this year’s
National 4-H Congress. Mike was
honored as one of four national
winners in the 4-H sheep program.
That earned him a $l,OOO scholar
ship from the American Sheep
Industry Association. 'Winners
were selected by, the Cooperative
Extension System. Arrangements
were handled-fcy the National 4-H
Council.
this search.
Celebrating 40 years
John Baylor, representing the
Atlantic Seedsman Association,
Pennsylvania Secretary of Agri
culture Boyd Wolff, and Peterson
joined to commend and congratu
late the Pennsylvania Seedsmen’s
Association on its 40th anniver
sary. Wolff noted that the seed
industry has changed drastically in
the past 40 years and stated that the
Pennsylvania Department of Agri
culture will continue to address
seedsmen’s concerns. “The PDA
seed lab will continue to strive to
process seed samples within 10
days,” Wolff said. “In addition, we
are looking at an ammendment to
the Seed Act for seed salesmen to
be licensed.”
The proposed licensing, which
is only in what Wolff terms the
concerned stage, will protect deal
ers from being sold seeds that
couldn’t be resold. PDA is seeking
comments from Pennsylvania
seedsmen on licensing.
Farm seed report
“The com seed supply looks
excellent industry wide this year,"
reported Tim Markovits of Pion
eer. “Last year, because of bad
weather conditions, we had
reduced carryover seed, which
prompted companies to plant lar
ger than normal acreages to build
back carryover supply."
Markovits predicted that com
acreage will be up slightly in Pen
nsylvania partially because the
com price has stayed relatively
strong. He added that the seed
price for com, industry wide, will
be basically the same or slightly
lower than last year’s prices.
The supply for soybean seeds is
very good and the quality is excel-
A 4-H member since the age of
9, Mike Howell credits the 4-H
program with both developing his
expertise in sheep production and
stirring up an interest in intercul
tural affairs.
When three Costa Rican parti
cipants in the Central American
Peace Scholarship Program came
to Howard County several years
ago, Mike honed his high school
Spanish by helping the trio to
understand U.S. culture and the
English language. He later spent
six months in Costa Rica as a par
ticipant in the International 4-H
Youth Exchange program.
His acquired fluency in Spanish
enabled him to serve more recen
tly as interpreter and guide for
several Extension agents from
Brazil who toured the Howard
County area— even though their
native tongue was Portuguese.
Now Mike is into Japanese stu
dies and hopes to spend next sum
mer participating in a cultural
exchange program with that Asian
country. A sophomore at Earlham
College in Richmond, Ind., Mike
has aspirations of becoming a pro
fessor of Eastern religions or
philosophy.
Mike’s mother, Peggy Howell,
recalls that one of the memorable
events during her son’s 4-H sheep
project years was hauling three
purebred Shropshire ewes home
from Harrisburg, Pa., in the back
scat of the family Volkswagen
after Mike and the county Exten
sion 4-H agent had' purchased
them at a sale.
Mike’s sister, Jeanne, has now
taken over the sheep flock as her
4-H project. Their father, Thomas
Allan Howell, is a computer spe
cialist with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Agricultural
The Pennsylvania Seedsmen’s Association celebrated Its 40th anniversary during
its winter meeting In Lancaster last week. Joining In the celebration were, from left,
back row: Boyd Wolff, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture; Jerry Peterson, presi
dent of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA); James Billings, regional vice
president of the ASTA; front row: Charlie Abbott, a founder of the association; and
Dennis Shoop of Agway, association president.
lent, according Maikovits. The
planted acreage will be flat or
down slightly compared to last
year, and the seed cost will be low
er than last year.
“Considering the weather con
ditions this past year, there will be
more alfalfa planted this spring,”
predicted Markovits. “The seed
supply for common varieties
should be adequate to cover the
Research Service at Beltsville.
In addition to sheep production
and inlcrcullural activities, Mike
has been active as a junior 4-H
leader, teaching basic sheep care
to younger 4-H members. He has
helped to train the county 4-H
livestock judging team, and he has
designed lamb and wool displays
for the county and state fairs.
Mike and his fellow 4-H club
Wayne DHIA Celebrates 63rd Year
HONESDALE (Wayne Co.) —
The Wayne County Dairy Herd
Improvement Association com
pleted its 63rd year of milk testing
on October 8,1989, with 98 whole
year herds. In addition, four owner
sampler herds completed the test
ing year. During 1989,4809 cows
were on test in the county produc
ing on the average 15,717 pounds
of milk and 578 pour\ds of butter
fat per cow. The number of cows
on test was down 555 from the
year, but production was
it an all-time high with 298
pounds of milk and 22 pounds of
butterfat per cow above the 1988
levels.
The top herd in milk and butter
fat production was Kevin Bur
leigh, Pleasant Mount, with a
record of, 21,198 pounds of milk,
800 pounds of butterfat and 677
pounds of protein per cow. Char
les P. Dennis Jr. of Honesdale had
die top herd in protein production
with 20,908 pounds of milk, 775
pounds of butterfat and 706
pounds of protein.
Other dairymen with herds in
excess of 700 pounds butterfat per
cow were Rowe Brothers, Hones
dale, 756 and Gary Fielding, Lake
Ariel, 736. Additional dairy herds
needs. Supplies on the new or pro
prietary varieties should be adequ
ate to slightly less.
“If farmers are looking to plant
alfalfa this spring, they should
confirm their seed now,” he
warned. Production seed yields
were reduced this year on newer
varieties due to bad weather condi
tions, and the price will reflect tills.
The pricing on older or public var-
members also have been active in
community service work, includ
ing a fund-raising event that net
ted $3,000 to help pay hospital
bills for a 4-H member in need.
Previous Maryland winners of
the national 4-H Presidential
Award have included Duncan
Murrell of Rockville (Montgom
ery County) in 1985; Stephanie M.
Pardoe of Lisbon (Howard Coun-
with protein production records in
excess of 600 pounds were Kevin
Burleigh, 677; Jack & Ella Chyle.
Pleasant Mount, 642; Gary Field
ing, 640; Rowe Brothers, Hones
dale, 621; A & M Spangenberg,
618; Alton C. Olver, 617; Clear
field’ Farms, Honesdale, 613;
Clyde Eltz, Pleasant Mount, 602;
and Arthur Rutledge. 602,
The cow with the highest but
terfat lactation record in the asso
ciation for the ydkr was "Verna 1”
owned by Charles Dennis. She
produced in 305 days 27,627
pounds of milk and 1143 pounds
of fat. “Cricket,” a cow owned by
Clearfield Farms, had the top lac
tation milk record for 305 days.
She produced 28,773 pounds of
milk and 826 pounds of butterfat
The current record holder for the
highest lifetime total in milk and
butterfat production is “Satifac”
owned by Rowe Brothers. In 11
lactations she milked 241,563
pounds of milk and 8576 pounds
of butterfat. The high quality milk
award has been earned by James
Slocum of Susquehanna. This
award is presented to the heid
owner with the lowest average
somatic cell count for the testing
ieties will be stable or a little lower
than last year.
Markovits added that the seed
supply for forage grasses is excel
lent and the price will be down
considerably.
In other business, members
renewed Tim Markovits’ board
term, elected Fred Gaston and
John Burpee as new board
members.
ty) in 1983, and Dwight C. Smith
of Jefferson (Frederick County) in
1965.
Duncan is now a senior at Cor
nell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
Stephanie is an emergency medi
cal technician for the Lisbon vol
unteer fire department, a business
major at Howard Community Col
lege, and an employee at Sandy
Spring National Bank in Ashton.
year, which in this case was
74,000. Other herds with somatic
cell counts of 150,000 and below
were Alton C. Olver, Honesdale,
107,000; Carl A. Robinson,
116,000; Kevin Burleigh,
117,000; William Taninies,
127,000; Charles P. Dennis Jr.,
135,000; and Ken & Elaine
Soden, 135,000.
Bear Brook Farm of Lake Ariel
has been recognized for having
the largest increase in milk pro
duction over the previous year.
The Wayne County Dairy herd
Improvement Association held its
annual meeting November 14 at
the Fireside. David Soden, presi
dent of the group presided.
Awards were presented and John
Castrogiavanna, State Director,
spoke on centralization. New
directors, elected for three-year
terms were David Soden, Ellis Dix
and Gary Rickard. Other directors
are Harry Antoniolli, William
Bryant, Charles Dennis, Michael
Nebzydoski, John Pawloski,
James Slocum, Marlyn Shaffer,
and Grant Teeple. Marilyn John
son of Honesdale serves as
secretary-treasurer.