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VOL 38 NO. 14
At the Pennsylvania Young Farmers’ convention, Ste
phanie and Mark Patches, left, and Carla and Paul Witter
receive outstanding young fanner awards.
Avian Influenza Update
VERNON ACHENBACH, JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) An interstate quaratine is
expected on poultry because of a
recent finding of avian influenza in
live domestic poultry at 14 mid-
Atlantic markets located in New
Jersey, New York City and Phi
ladelphia, and on one New Jersey
farm.
According to Gene Schenck,
press secretary of the state Depart
ment of Agriculture, officials from
the several states involved have
been working on establishing a set
of rules for the transport of poultry
to which each state can agree, in
the disease control effort.
In the meantime, Pennsylvania
Pork Bowl Has Roots In Church ‘Quiz Bowls y
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
WEST CHESTER (Chester Co.) Churches in
Chester County and the Keystone Pork Congress
share something in common.
They both love to sponsor and hold “quiz
bowls.”
According to Cheryl Fairbaim, Chester County
livestock agent, “A lot of churches around here
sponsor a Bible quiz bowl. So we decided that
something that would make the kids leant about hog
production yet be fun and competitive would be to
have a swine quiz bowl.”
That was in 1986, according to Fairbaim, the first
year the renowned Pork Bowl was held at the Key
stone Pork Congress.
This year’s Congress, scheduled Wednesday,
Feb. 17 at 9 a.m. at the Penn Harris Convention Cen
ter in Camp Hill, will also have a Pork Bowl. In the
Bowl, 12 teams, comprising six 4-H and six FFA
chapters from around the state, will compete in the
Bowl.
01*193 139 V
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UNIVERSITY PORK TA 1 "” c '- *'
Five Sections
is continuing its temporary suspen
sion of poultry exhibitions and
transportation of live birds to
markets and auctions due to the
discovery of the highly contagious
and pathogenic disease in a chick
en at a Philadelphia live-bird
market, after a routine check dis
covered that some birds in Pen
nsylvania had been exposed to the
disease.
According to the state Depart
ment of Agriculture, the virus was
isolated so far in 13 other markets
in mid-Atlantic states five in
New Jersey and eight in New York
City.
Despite some erroneous pub
lished reports, the disease was not
(Turn to Pag* ASS)
Keystone Pork Congress Hosts Range Of Programs
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 13, 1993
PYF Recognizes Outstanding Farmers
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
READING (Lancaster Co.)
Young Farmers from across the
state gathered in Reading for their
33rd annual convention this week.
Highlights of the three-day
event included naming the Out
standing Young Farmer under 30
and over 30, community service
couple, and electing new board
members.
Outstanding Farmer Under 30
Outstanding Young Farmer
Junior Holstein Youth Recognized
WILKES-BARRE (Luzerne
Co.) The 1993 Pennsylvania
Junior Holstein Association con
vention was held Feb. 5 through
Feb. 7 at the Ramada Hotel, in
Wilkes-Barre, with many junior
members received recognition for
their achievements duimg the past
Please see the special sec
tion called “Corn Talk” that’s
part of this issue. Grant Troop
is president of the Pennsylva
nia Master Corn Growers.
Teams head-to-head
The game, which puts two teams at a time head
to-head, is similar to the TV show “Jeopardy,”
where questions are asked and those who hit a buz-
zer first have first crack at points.
After consecutive rounds, the team with the
greatest number of points wins. At the end, the top
teams are decided by total number of points.
The roots of the Pork Bowl go back to 1983-1984,
when the Chester County Swine Club decided to
adopt the ideas of the popular church quiz bowls. A
few years later, according to Fairbaim, the swine
club looked at some of the activities at the 4-H Slate
Days and the Horse Bowl and worked out a contest.
The Bowl was a big success.
“I mean, every kid on the club got on a team, you
know,” said the Chester County agent. “We did
that for two or three years.”
Fairbaim served on the Youth Committee for the
Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council. Years ago.
(Turn to Pago A 24)
under 30 award went to Mark and
Stephanie Patches of Lebanon
County. The couple rent the farm
from Mark’s parents, Mark and
Alta Patches, and own cattle and
equipment in partnership with
them. They farm 300 tillable acres
and during the past year raised 170
bushels of com per acre and 8 tons
of alfalfa per acre. They double
crop soybeans after barley. Three
Star silos and silage bags arc used
to hold TMR rations.
The couple milk 105 Holstcins
year.
Many of the awards earned dur
ing the convention were presented
during the awards brunch. About
358 members attended the awards
event.
Winners of the organization’s
senior division distinguished
junior member award were Duane
Noll, son of Janice Noll, Richland,
and Miriam Kelly, daughter of
Thomas and Margaret Kelly, Tyr
one. The two are to represent Pen
nsylvania in the national contest to
be held June during the national
Holstein convention in Rochester,
N.Y.
Others who distinguished them
selves as finalists were Jesslyn
Obcrholtzer, Elizabethtown; Kara
Tussey, Huntingdon; Scott Youse,
of Oley; and Tim Ludwick, of
Sugar Grove.
All finalists had completed a
listing of their accomplishments in
Holstein activities, school work,
community involvement, leader
ship and their ideas of the future of
agriculture and the Holstein indus
try. They were also interviewed by
a panel of judges to arrive at a com
bined score.
In the intermediate division,
winners were Elizabeth Walton,
daughter of David and Kathy Wal-
Video Boar Sale
At Pork Congress
Pennsylvania’s 17th Performance Tested
Boar Sale has been moved from Slate
College to the Penn Harris Convention
Center on Wednesday in conjunction with
the Keystone Pork Congress.
The boars will be auctioned off by
video at 3:30 p.m. in the Main Ballroom.
Boars can be inspected through
the day of the sale at the
Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture Meat Animal Evaluation
Center in State College.
For more information,
contact Glenn Eberly at
(814) 238-2527.
60* Per Copy
with a rolling herd average of
24,000 pounds, 875 fal, and 750
protein. Patches attributes produc
tion increase to better cows and
replacements, improved comfort
and total mixed rations. He keeps
strict management records.
Patches also does all repairs and
service on equipment except for
major overhauls.
The Patches are members of the
Cedar Crest PYF and were Region
7 winners before being chosen
ton, of Carlisle; and Wade Stur
geon, son of Tim and Kathy Stur
geon, of Fombell.
In order to compete, all six final
ists had to submit a similar scrap-
From the left, Matthew Day
and Nichol Bozlinski receive
the Junior Progressive
Breeder award for having
bred a herd of high-milking
cows.
$19.00 Per Year
(Turn to Page A2B)
(Turn to Page A 32)