DS-Lancastv Fuming Saturday, September 28,1991
ST. JOSEPH. Mo. Angus
breeders paraded 91 heifers and
bulls before judge Randy Daniel,
Colbert, Georgia, to compete for
championships awarded at the
1991 West Virginia State Fair
Angus Show in Lewisburg.
Among the heifer entries, grand
champion laurels were given to the
intermediate winner named Ridge
crofts Ms Jac Evera. The heifer is a
June 1990 daughter of Jacs Hud
son and is owned by Mr. and Mrs.
C.C. Lamond 111 of Bluemont,
Virginia.
The reserve grand champion
heifer was Justafew Cindy Lou
owned by William Walther, also of
Bluemont. The heifer first topped
the junior division and is an April
1990 daughter of R&J Spade 1204.
In bull competition, the senior
division winner was judge
Daniel’s pick for grand champion.
The April 1989 son of S A F Power
Shaft 6021 is named Hill Crest
Thistle. He is jointly owned by
Susan Rucker, Delaplane, Virgini
Animal Group Takes
Issue Over Book
CAMP HILL (Cumberland Co.)
—Pennsylvanians for the Respon
sible Use of Animals (PRUA), a
group representing farmers,
researchers and sportsmen, has
taken issue with a children’s book
published by Random House.
The book, entitled ‘Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles ABC’s for a
Better Planet” contains question
able information about agriculture
and nutrition, according to Ken
Brandt, executive vice president of
PRUA.
In a letter to Jerry Harrison, vice
president, juvenile division at Ran
dom House. Brandt said the book
does include some good ideas for
saving the planet but also dis
penses some false and misleading
information, particularly in the
chapter headed “M is for Meat.”
A sentence from that chapter
states, “A lot of the world’s cereal
crop is fed to cattle, when it could
be used to feed starving people
instead.” Brandt pointed out that
80 to 85 percent of the nutrients
consumed by cattle come from
non-grain sources feedstuffs
not edible to humans. These feed
stuffs include grass, roughage,
food processing by-products, and
crop aftermath. Therefore, Brandt
maintains, this sentence is very
misleading for the young minds
that will be exposed to the book.
Another misleading statement,
Brandt said, is the sentence,
“Cattle expel methane, a gas that
makes the greenhouse effect
worse.” Brandt explained that beef
catde account for only one-half of
one percent (0.5 percent) of the
world’s methane production.
PRUA’s biggest complaint
about the book, Brandt said, is that
it tells kids to eat less meat and
only meat from organically raised
catde. “This,” said Brandt, “is
irresponsible dietary advice.
“Leading health authorities note
that children in particular need the
vital nutrients —protein, iron, zinc
and vitamin B-12 that beef
provides.”
Additionally, Brandt said, a
statement in die book that some
animals are injected with artificial
hormones to make them grow fas
ter and that some of these hor
mones cause cancer gives the erro
neous impression that organically
raised beef is healthier because it
Daniel Picks Angus Champs In W. Va.
a; G.T. Ward, Marshall, Virginia;
and Mystic Hill Farm, Culpeper,
Virginia.
The reserve grand champion
bull was W R B Prime Time 180
owned by Roger Bowles, Kents
Store, Virginia. The bull first
topped the junior division and is a
March 1990 son of Manhattan of
Indian Creek.
A complete list of winners
follows:
1991 WEST VIRGINIA STATE FAIR
ANGUS SHOW
LEWISBURG, WEST VIRGINIA
Total number shown: 98
Judge: Randy Daniel, Colbert, GA
HEIFERS - 70 Shown
Junior Heller Call Champion; Tilmans
Miss Indy 101, Exhibitor: Edward Tilman,
Powhatan, VA.
Reserve Junior Heller Call Champion: J
R D C Mariah, Exhibitor: Rusti & Denise Car
son, Jane Lew, WV.
Senior Halter Calf Champion: B H
Gambler Lass 340, Exhibitor: Andrew Altche
son Jr., Waynesboro, VA.
Raaarva Senior Haller Calf Champion:
Willow Oak Elba 140, Exhibitor: Willow Oaks
Farms Inc., Nokesvllla, VA.
Intermediate Champion Famate: Ridpe
crofts Ms Jac Evera, Exhibitor Mr. & Mrs.
CC. Lamond 111, Bluemont, VA.
Reserve Intermediate Champion
does not contain hormones.
“Hormones are present in virtu
ally all foods of either plant or ani
mal origin.
Given the misinformation con
tained in the Ninja book, Brandt
suggested that the next edition
should contain the chapter “M is
for Mythology.”
The Pennsylvanians for the
Responsible Use of Animals
(PRUA), a consortium of agricul
tural, biomedical, and sporting
groups and associations, is head
quartered in Camp Hill.
ANKENY, lowa Nearly half
of all respondents in a national
survey of Conservation Reserve
Program (CRP) participants said
they already have plans for how
they will use their CRP acres once
the contracts begin to expire in
1995.
According to the survey, which
was completed by the Soil and
Water Conservation Society in
cooperation with the U.S. Depart
ment of Agriculture, more than
half (51 percent) of the respon
dents with plans say they expect to
leave the acres in grass for lives
tock forage or hay production, in
trees, or in wildlife habitat.
Another third said they will put
their CRP acres back into crop pro
duction under an approved conser
vation compliance plan.
The survey, which was done
over the past year, involved a ran
dom sample of more than 2,750
farm owners and operators who
enrolled land in the CRP during the
first nine sign-ups held from 1986
through 1990. Seventy-four per
cent of these farm owners and
operators completed and returned
the survey questionnaire.
The CRP was established in the
1985 farm bill as a means of
encouraging farmers to retire high
ly credible cropland from produc
tion. In return for an annual rental
payment from the federal govern
ment over a period of 10 years, far
mers agreed to establish and main
tain a permanent, soil-conserving
cover of grass or trees on the acres
enrolled in the program.
During the first nine sign-ups,
CRP
Participants Say They’ll Use Land
Female: Northcote Star Rachel, Exhibitor;
Wynn Dalton, Altavista, VA.
Junior Champion Female: Justafew Cin
dy Lou, Exhibitor: William Walther, Bluemont,
VA.
Reserve Junior Champion Female;
Northcote Exciting Wilma, Exhibitor: Spring
Hollow Farm, Waynesboro, VA, 8 S I J Cattle
Company, Staunton, VA.
Senior Champion Female: MTF Ms
Scotch Cap, Exhibitor: Shelley Wright, Jane
Lew, WV.
Reserve Senior Champion Female:
Bleak Hill Scotch Jewel, Exhibitor Tara
Shaver, Homer. WV.
Grand Champion Female; Ridqecrofts
Ms Jac Evera, Exhibitor: Mr. A Mrs C.C.
Lamond 111, Bluemont, VA.
Reserve Grand Champion Female; Jus
tafew Cindy Lou, Exhibitor: William Walther,
Bluemont, VA.
BULLS - 21 Shown
Junior Bull Calf Champion: B H Charley
Hitch 41, Exhibitor Andrew Aitcheson Jr.,
Waynesboro, VA.
Reserve Junior Bull Calf Champion:
Goodwins Sean Boy 135, Exhibitor: Sean
Goodwin, Lewisburg, WV.
Senior Bull Calf Champion: M H Strieker
1, Exhibitor: Mystic Hill Farm, Culpeper, VA.
Reserve Senior Bull Calf Champion;
NONE.
Intermediate Champion Bull: Daltons
Mac Gregor, Exhibitor: Douglas Dalton Jr.,
Sycamore, VA.
Reserve Intermediate Champion Bull:
Justafew Magnum Force, Exhibitor: Ann
Ogle, Max Meadows, VA.
Junior Champion Bull: W R BPrimeTlme
180, Exhibitor; Roger Bowles, Kents Store,
VA.
Reserve Junior Champion Bull: J P Hi
Spade 8240, Exhibitor; W.W. Vanlear, Chi
ton Forge, VA.
Senior Champion Bull; Hill Crest Thistle,
Exhibitor; Susan Rucker, Deiaptane, VA;
G.T. Ward, Marshall. VA; & Mystic Hill Farm,
Culpeper, VA.
Reserve Senior Champion Bull; Zeus
wyn Mac Bo 039, Exhibitor; Robert E. Lee
Mem. Fund, Stratford, VA.
Grand Champion Bull: Hill Crest Thistle,
Exhibitor; Susan Rucker, Delalane, VA; G.T.
Ward, Marshall, VA; & Mystic Hill Farm. Cul
peper, VA.
Reserve Grand Champion Bull: W R B
Prime Time 180, Exhibitor: Roger Bowles,
Kents Store, PA.
COW-CALFS . 7 Shewn
Grand Champion Cow-Call: D A Bar
Maid 145, Exhibitor; Sean Goodwin, Lewis
burg, WV.
Reserve Grand Champion Cow-Calf: R
F F Michelles Bluebird 531, Exhibitor; Dixey
lands Ranch, Raphine, VA.
GROUP CLASSES
Gat-of-Slra: CH Stackar 7040. Exhibitor:
Rocking P Farm, Homer, WV.
Junior Oat-o(-Slra: R4J Spade 1204,
Exhibitor; Trymore Farm, Loat Creek, WV.
the nation’s farmers enrolled
33.921,898 acres (333,392 con
tracts) in the program.
More than half (58 percent) of
all respondents in die survey said
that economic considerations
would be the single most important
factor in their decision to keep
their CRP acres in a soil
conserving cover or to return those
acres to crop production once the
contracts expire. Market prices or
government price supports for
crops and costs of crop production
were mentioned by respondents as
the factors that would most influ
ence their decision.
Another quarter (24 percent) of
the respondents said life-style con
siderations would be the single
most important factor influencing
their land use decision, while 14
percent identified conservation as
the most important factor.
Respondents offered a number
of interesting reactions to a series
of questions in the survey aimed at
determining what incentives far
mers might be willing to accept as
a means of keeping their CRP
acres out of cultivation beyond the
10 years covered by the existing
contracts:
• About a third of all respon
dents said they were willing to
extend their CRP contracts for
either five years or 10 years at an
annual rental rate lower than they
now receive.
• Twelve percent of the respon
dents said they would be willing to
plant trees on their CRP acres that
do not now have trees, at their own
expense, in return for a five-year
Igecrofts Ms Jac Evera Is the name of this grand
champion heifer that first won intermediate champion hon
ors at the 1991 West Virginia State Fair Angus Show in Lew
isburg. Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Lamond 111, Bluemont, Virginia,
owns the grand winner that is a June 1990 daughter of Jacs
Hudson.
Virginia Slate Fair Angus Show. The entry Is Hill Crest
Thistle and Is owned by Susan Rucker Delaplane, Virginia;
G.T. Ward. Marshall, Virginia, and Mystic Hill Farm, Culpep
er, Virginia. First named the senior champion, the bull is an
April 1989 son of S A F Power Shaft 6021.
contract extension at the current
annual rental rate. A majority (58
percent) rejected this option,
however.
• Nearly a fifth (18 percent) of
the respondents said they would be
interested in keeping their CRP
acres in a soil-conserving cover
beyond 10 years if those acres
could be used to meet set-aside
requirements under federal farm
commodity programs. Two-fifths
(40 percent) of the respondents
rejected this option outright.
• Just over a quarter (27 percent)
of the respondents said they would
be willing to sell a permanent con
servation easement to the govern
ment on their CRP acres. The ease
ment would not allow haying or
grazing on the acres, and the
contract-holder would lose any
commodity program base acreage
involved. Nearly two-fifths (39
percent) of the respondents
rejected this option, while the
remaining 34 percent were unsure
of it’s acceptability.
• A second type of conservation
easement that would allow haying
and grazing produced an accep
tance rate among respondents of
29 percent. About a third (36 per
cent) of the respondents were
unwilling to accepted this form of
easement, and another third (35
percent) were unsure of the ease
ment’ s acceptability. Most farmers
willing to sell a conservation ease
ment to the government expressed
a preference for an annual payment
for that easement as opposed to an
up-front, lump-sum payment
• Slightly more than a tenth (13
percent) of the respondents said
they would be willing to extend
their CRP contract for five years,
with no annual rental payment, if
during the final two years of the
initial 10-year contract the federal
government would share half the
cost of installing fence and deve
loping a water supply so the CRP
acres could be used for livestock
grazing. About three-quarters (77
percent) of all respondents indi
cated in the survey that fencing
would be required before the CRP
acres could be grazed. Nearly half
indicated that development of a
water supply would be needed.
• Half (50 percent) of the
respondents said they were willing
to plant a different vegetative cov
er on their CRP acres to improve
wildlife habitat if the government
provided cost-sharing for these
new plantings.
The report concludes that many
options or combinations of options
exist for keeping highly erodlble
land out of cultivation beyond the
10 years covered by the existing
contracts. A regionalized approach
to use of these options might be
justified, the report says.
There are many other innovative
approaches that could be used to
maintain at least a portion of the
permanent vegetative cover estab
lished on the more fragile CRP
acres and thus maximize returns on
the public’s $2O billion investment
in the program, the report con
tends. For example, portions of
whole fields now in the CRP might
(Turn to Pago D 8)