A22-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 7,1992 Pennsylvania Holstein Convention News Berkley To Head (Continued from Pago A 1) Castle, representing the northwest district They replace Laszlo Mos es and John Grice 111, Washing ton, whose executive board terms expired. Other members of the executive board include past president Way ne Harpster, Kenneth Mowry, Roaring Springs, Lloyd Pease, Susquehanna, Curtis Day, Ship pensburg, and Donald Hostetler, Parkesburg. Treasurer Dean Johnson report ed an excess of income over ex penses of $18,987 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1991, with a year-end member equity level of $456,017. In his report to the membership, PHA executive director William Nichol shared a five-point “wish list” for the association. Nichol wishes that all SO county clubs will become involved in the state’s holiday cheese sale. Last year’s participating 22 clubs rais ed a combined $24,000 for their treasuries. Two of Nichol’s wishes focus ed on the PHA’s youth activities. One is that every county club will sponsor a junior organization, and the other wish is that more finan cial support can be raised for Kerr Seeking Input On Holstein Challenges JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent WARRENDALE (Allegheny Co.) At least one person sent a letter to President Bush after his recent trade visit to Japan, sug gesting that he take dairy produc ers on such missions if he wants to promote American products. No answer to that suggestion has yet been received, according to letter writer Steve Kerr, chief executive officer of the National Holstein Association. Kerr related that correspondence during his featured talk with members and guests at the Pennsylvania Hol stein Convention. Kerr, the Holstein CEO since last August, is visiting members and associations around the coun try gathering input to help chart future policy and programs of the breed organization. As part of the grass-roots-input program, Kerr announced the planned installments of an 800-toll-free telephone line at the Brattleboro, Vermont, headquar ters for use by members needing assistance. A second additional 800-line will speed help for solv ing logistical problems encounter ed by classifiers and consultants working in the field. Because only four of the past 10 fiscal years have been financially profitable for the national associa tion, three of the four area offices are scheduled for closing, includ ing the Harrisburg location. That move is projected to save some $200,000 annually. “HFA continues to wrestle with problems similar to those farmers face,” noted Kerr. Among them are continuing fewer, but larger farms, changing technology, un certainties of world trade and milk pricing. Kerr urged members to partici pate in upcoming Winter Forum meetings, where policy issues are debated at the gnus roots level. One issue in line for intense scru- youth to participate in the state’s annual junior convention. With world trade a continuing issue for American agriculture, Nichol also wishes for a trade pro gram which would provide trans portation support for sending 30-40,000 Holstein bred heifers annually to needy countries around the world. In the 21 years in which PHA has been involved in the cattle export market, Hol stein genetics have gone to some SO countries worldwide. Nichol’s foremost wish focused on the regionalization of grass roots Holstein groups in areas of the country with more limited membership. While Pennsylvania has nearly 5,000 adult and 2,000 junior members, many areas have more limited resources of people and programs. National Holstein Association director John Cope. Grantham, re ported a dramatic upswing in numbers or registry applications submitted to the Brattleboro, Ver mont, headquarters. Applications received during the first seven weeks of 1992 tallied some 10,000 more than in the comparable per iod of 1991. Transfer applications were 5,000 greater in that same period. That increase in applica- Steve Kerr, chief executive officer of the National Hols tein Association, is asking members nationwide to parti cipate in upcoming winter fbrums for input on needs of future policies and programs of the breed organization. tiny is seeking ways of marketing the majority of registered Hol steins without index “numbers.” An ad hoc committee is being ap pointed to study that marketing challenge. A worldwide demand for milk will grow, Kerr believes, and the United States may be the most significant exporter of dairy pro ducts in the next decade. He pre dicts that heavy levels of Eur opean dairy subsidies “cannot continue forever,” and that the ef ficiency of the American dairy producer will make the industry very competitive on world mar kets. Pennsylvania is expected to continue as a leading dairy state, possibly moving into the third high state nationwide, according Newly elected officers of the Pennsylvania Holstein Association are Lewis Barkley, president, second from left, and Laszlo Moses, vice president, left. Dean Johnson, right was reelected treasurer, and Bill Nichol is executive director. lions has resulted in a 19-day backlog of work. Cope, the NHA board’s finance chairman, also reported that, be cause of the association’s decision to not raise fees during last year’s dairy industry cash-flow crunch, over $1 million was used, from the reserve fund. However, operations management still allowed for the adding of $700,000 to NHA’s re serve fund principal of $l4 mil lion. National director Tom Kelly, Tyrone, urged every member to attend one of the upcoming Hol stein Winter Forum programs. Numerous policies and programs to Cornell economists cited by Kerr. Environmental problems en countered in expanding dairy pro duction areas, like California, and continuing heavy urban popula tion in the Northeast requiring dairy product favors the Common wealth’s continuance as a milk producing center. With a background in dairy co operative and legislative work, Kerr expressed extreme frustra tion with the inability of the daily industry to overcome the price breaking resulting from even just a small surplus of milk produc tion. The government’s commit ment to a cheap food supply en hances milk pricing problems. “Co-ops can manage the na tion’s milk supply," Kerr said, if all farmers participated in co operative marketing. “That’s Backus Highlights Holstein History JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent WARRENDALE (Allegheny Co.) Drawing from a wealth of experience, an abundant reserve of memories and his good-natured sense of humor, featured speaker Horace Backus delighted atten dees of the Pennsylvania Holstein Convention. Backus, who with his brother Charles arranged and conducted hundreds of cattle sales over the past 40 years, traced highlights of his Pennsylvania memories for convention goers. The Backus brothers continue the Backus Pedigree Company begun in 1912 by their father in Mexico, New York. On the evening before his talk, Horace returned to the familiar spot in the auction box at the 1992 convention sale, which opened the PHA annual confab, held Febru ary 26-29 at the Sheraton Inn. The first sale the Backus firm held in Pennsylvania was in 1953, with an average of $649, second- of HFA are up for review and con sideration, including the long range strategic plan, classifica tion, national shows, merchandis ing policies and genetic issues. Members voted to support Da vid Burket, East Freedom, in his bid for the national board scat be ing vacated by Pennsylvania director John Dope. After eight years on the board. Cope will re tire as a director during the Na tional Holstein convention, to be held in late June in Salt Lake City, Utah. By unanimous vote, the mem bership also passed a pair of re- Retiring PHA executive board members Laszlo Moses, left and John Grice, right, accepted plaques of appreciation from Wayne Harpster, association president. what’s standing in the way of bet ter prices.” Kerr warned Pennsylvania Hoi- “We are so well fed that we stein breeders that dairy is “on the have the luxury of thinking that list” for animal rightists’ aclivi- food grows in grocery stores,” ties, and the HFA is working to- Kerr lamented in his closing re ward a practices plan and policy marks. Horace Backus, noted Holstein pedigree specialist, auctioneer and historian, delighted his PHA audience with anecdotes and memo ries of nearly 40 years asso ciated with the Pennsylvania cattle sales business. solutions dealing with environ mental issues. On resolution sup ports legislation that would establish an agriculture advisory board for the state’s Department of Environmental Resources. Such a board would assist and ad vise on policy development deal ing with normal farming practices. A second resolution supports coordination among all state agen cies dealing with soil conservation plans and pesticide and wetlands issues. Planners for the February 1993 annual convention announced the host site to be Wilkes-Barre, Lu zerne County. on animal care. high in the state for that year. Backus recalled their initial con cerns over whether “anyone would come” to this, their first, sale in the state. A backbone event of the Back us sales activities in Pennsylvania were the Garden Spot sales. In the early years. Backus noted that “Pennsylvania was a buying state," and cattle frequently had to be brought in from Canada to assemble enough animals to hold a sale. Cattle were sometimes simply tied to fence and tents set up in available parking lots. “After the sales, there was nothing left but dust,” chuckled Backus in remembrance. He noted that in the ensuing years, many of the “alumni” of those sales have gone on to be outstanding dairy fanners and cattle breeders. Learning when to set sales, according to Backus, was some times a painful - and costly - experience. (Turn to Pag* A 25)
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