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VOL 36 NO. 39
Farmers , Educators , Agribusinesses
Work To Make Ag Progress Days Successful
ROCKSPRING (Centre
Co.) —Billed as the largest outdoor
agricultural event in the East, many
persons and agribusinesses get
involved in the production of Ag
Progress Days. A wide range of
programs—from equine education
to food safety to alternative agri
cultural practices—will be fea
tured at this 23rd annual exhibition
sponsored by Penn State’s College
of Agriculture is scheduled for
August 13 to IS.
“Ag Progress Days is a {un
Drought Will Not
Affect Ag Progress Days
ROCKSPRING (Center Co.) —
The drought that has wreaked
havoc with agricultural production
in central Pennsylvania
mer will not adversely affect Penn
State’s Ag Progress Days accord
ing to Dr. Joseph Harrington, gen
eral manager of the exposition.
“We don’t expect the drought to
have any impact on the event,”
Harrington said.
Harrington says machinery
demonstration areas and seed com
pany display plots are the Ag Prog
ress Days attractions most depen
dent on healthy field crops. And
despite the nearly 6-inch precipita
tion shortfall in Centre County so
far this year, those crops are more
than adequate for planned
activities.
‘ “The com in the demonstration
areas isn’tas high as we might like,
but it looks pretty good,” says Har
rington. “The exhibitors’ com
plots were irrigated, and the hay
alfalfa used for machinery demon
strations is a deep-rooted perennial
that gets sub-soil moisture.”
Michelle High, left, reigns as both Lancaster County Poul
try Queen and Pennsylvania Poultry Queen. High and Alter
nate Pou (try Queen Marlene Enck were crowned at the Poul
try Pageant on August 2. Turn to page 814 for the pageant
story.
Six Sections
filled, educational event for the
entire family,” said Dr. Lamartine
F. Hood, dean of Penn State’s Col
lege of Agriculture. “Through
numerous exhibits, farm machin
ery demonstrations, and tours of
Penn State’s research areas, visi
tors will have the chance to see the
important role agriculture plays in
our society.”
Held at the university’s
1,500-acre Russell E. Larson Agri
cultural Research Center at Rock
Springs near State College, the
(Turn to Pago A 32)
He says although the recent dry
spell has affected crops at the Ag
Progress Days site, the most criti
cal lime for com growth was in
early June when rain was more
plentiful.
“We need rain, but maybe not as
badly as other areas of the state,”
Harrington says. “And we’re rais
ing these crops for demonstration
purposes, not for high yield, so we
can use different management
techniques than fanners use.”
Hay Finding,
Selling Service
To Be Offered
However, if you ’re a farmer who
has suffered crop losses as a result
of the drought, help is available in
locating appropriate forage for
livestock feed.
Penn State’s College of Agricul
ture and the Pennsylvania Forage
and Grassland Council are offering
(Turn to Pag* A 47)
Lancaster Farming. Saturday, August 10, 1991
Machinery exhibits, above, and field demonstrations are scheduled to be part of the
23rd Ag Progress Days to be held at Rockspring in Centre County next week. More
than 250 commercial exhibitors will set up $2O million worth of equipment for viewing
at the three day event.
State Ag Budget Called Best Ever
VERNON ACHENBACH JR,
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Pennsylvania may be
looking at the largest tax increase
in history, but most agriculture
people involved with forming the
$13.9 billion state budget said they
were pleased.
Except for certain things.
In the 1991-92 budget,
approved August 4, the majority of
agriculturally related state prog
rams have received spending allo
cations equal to, or higher than,
1990-91 levels.
However, there are two areas
which have received significant
cuts the state Animal Health
Commission and the Department
of Agriculture (PDA).
Gov. Robert Casey received
bipartisan criticism this week for
his veto of $1 million in funds for
the Animal Health
Commission a commission
Casey heralded as his effort to
strengthen support for the state’s
leading business.
With the cut, the commission is
targeted to receive $2.91 million.
Also, the PDA had its operating
budget reduced from last year’s
$18,143 million to $17,902 mil
lion. Last year’s PDA operating
budget was called “austere” by
department officials.
Also in the slate budget spend
ing plan are a number of line item
allocations for agricultural prog
rams which do not yet exist.
And while the spending side of
the budget appears to be settled.
INDEX
Sec. A... Market Reports
& General News.
Sec. B Women’s News
Sec. C General News
Sec. D Public Sales &
Mailbox Market.
Sec. E Business News
& Classified 4-36.
Sec. F Classified 1-3.
See Story Index Page A 3.
600 Per Copy
the same can not be said of the tax
plan.
Because of vagueness in the
wording, some stale officials said
that elements of the tax plan may
hurt rural Pennsylvanians more
than urban residents.
Furthermore, Gov. Casey assail
ed the lax plan (which his stalf
originally created and he signed
into law) claiming legislators
slipped in “loopholes” which
unfairly benefit the wealthy,
according to an Associated Press
report His comments came on the
heels of sharp criticism from legis
lators for his veto cuts of $46 mil
lion, which according to numerous
sources, he had agreed not to do.
The $46 million cut includes the
$1 million taken from the Animal
Health Commission.
In early reaction to the budget
Steve Crawford, executive direc
tor for the House Agriculture and
Rural Affairs Committee, said he
was pleased with most of the
budget.
(Turn to Pag* A 3 7)
19.00 Per Year