016192 1299 S®K.® Si K?^y 5M i gaWl '' ™ 16802-1802 VOL. 36 NO. 5 James Dunn holds the halter of one of the best cows of his milking herd, while standing with his family and herdsman in front of their Schuylkill County dairy farm. Standing in back of Dunn is herdsman Richard Hire. James’ wife Tammie stands with the couple’s three sons, who are, from the left, Joshua, David, and Robert. The cow is Zsa Zsa and her latest dairy production record showed milk production of 28,677 pounds in 279 days. Her milk tested out with 990 pounds of fat and 898 pounds of protein. She was fresh at 4-years, 7-months. She is classified Very Good 87. Photo by Vern Achenbach Jr. Dairyman’s Herd Shows Most Improvement VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff NEW RINGGOLD (Schuylkill Co.) —The most improved dairy herd in die state is on a farm that is an apparent paradox to the region in which it is located. Northeastern Schuylkill County consists of thousands of acres of steep-hilled, hardwood forest, small mountain streams, and Christmas tree farms. Amid all this northwoods setting is a dairy farm that appears lost It would look more at home in some flatland valley in southern Pennsylvania Farmers Should Consider Environment ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff CAMP HILL (Cumberland Co.) Fanners often face a multitude of dilemmas. What will it mean now that Pres ident Bush approved a $1 billion credit line to the Soviets? In what ways can farmers control troublesome weeds, increase their understanding of nitrates in the soil and how they may leach into groundwater, and what this means to Pa. Lamb And Wool Queen Crowned LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) Seventeen-year-old Arlisa Snavely of Lancaster County wears the 1991 Pen nsylvania Lamb and Wool Queen crown. “It’s awesome to be named queen,” Arlisa said. “I want to use my position to make people aware how good lamb tastes.” The coronation took place during the Keystone She pherds’ Symposium, held at the Lancaster Sheraton for three days last weekend. Arlisa, the daughter of Jim and Arlene Snavely of Lan caster, is president of the county 4-H Woolies Club. The Snavely s live on a small farm, but did not have sheep until Arlisa was nine and purchased one for a 4-H project. Her love and success with sheep breeding has grown Four Sections Mid-Atlantic Conservation Tillage Conference Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 15, 1990 It’s easy to imagine that some huge hand plucked the farm right out of the heartland of dairy country and acci dently dropped it to the earth. And forgot about it But the Dunn’s Farm dairy operation is far from an acci dent, despite its unusual location. James Dunn, 28, his father Robert and brother Steve form Dunn’s Farm Inc., an agricultural production and marketing family business that involves the production of fruit vegetables, forage crops, beef and, as of three years ago, milk. (Turn to Pago A2O) water quality? Those were just some of the topics addressed Wednes day at the 1990 Mid-Adlanllc Conservation Tillage Con ference at the Penn Harris Convention Center. Farmers around the region had a chance to seek expert’s views about farming in the 19905. (Turn to Page Al 9) into a 20-head registered Shropshire flock. “I prefer Shropshires because they are basically an all around meat and wool breed. They are good natured, easy to care for, and don’t consume a lot of food.” Over the years, Arlisa’s breeding sheep have won numerous grand champion awards at Keystone Interna tional Livestock Exposition and farmshows at Manheim, Elizabethtown, Lampeter, and Harrisburg. She was also named 4-H Shepherd of the Year and has participated in lead line competitions and in livestock and meat judging. A senior at Lancaster Mennonite School, Arlisa plans to pursue a nursing or occupational therapy career because she likes to help people. (Turn to Pag# A2l) 50C Per Copy York Farmland Trust Formed JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent YORK (York Co.) In the last four decades, York County has seen a loss of 39 percent of its farmland to non-agricultural use. And, if the rate of loss continues as it has since 1950, a 56 percent loss of the county’s farmland is likely to occur by the year 2000. Alarmed at statistics like those, concerned York coun tians have discussed farmland preservation for the last several years in numerous meetings and forums. Now, that concern has come to fruition with the formation of the York County Farmland Trust. The Trust is a private, non-profit, member-supported organization formed with the intent of providing landowners with alternatives to converting productive farmland to non-agricultural uses. “Development is needed, but not at the expense of our best farmland,” said Stanley Brown, Loganville orchar dist recently elected president of the York County Farm land Trust. Part of a three-generation fruit production and retail marketing family. Brown has a deep personal com mitment to the urgent necessity to slow farmland losses. (Turn to Page A 22) S' 1 f l*inns»l*jnu Ujitv IKruimliuii Editor’s Note: In June and in December, the Pen nsylvania DHIA rrilmber newsletter appears in one of Lancaster Fanning’s regular issues. This four-page letter appears this week on Pages D 9-12 as part of the ongoing goal to make management information assembled in the DHIA computers available to our readership and to help the Pennsylvania DHIA com municate with its members. In addition, other features about dairymen who have done outstanding work with their herds and sto ries about Pennsylvania DHIA’s services appear throughout the paper. Of special interest will be the “Herd Profile Tables” on Page C-5 and “A Picture of Pennsylvania DHIA In Graphs” on Page C-2. Here’s an index of all the DHIA articles in this issue. D9-Dl2 DHIA Newsletter: PA DHIA Board Meeting Summaries. (Turn to Pag* A2S) Pa. Lamb and Wool Queen Arlisa Snavely was crowned during the fifth annual Keystone She pherds* Symposium held at Lancaster December 7,8, and 9. FOCUS Call 1 SOO DHI TEST for service or information $15.00 Per Year