A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 19, 1993
(Continued from Pag* A 1)
the industry to recommendations
to maintain virtually the status
quo. In between those extremes are
numerous and complex program
outlines.
The summit has been called for
by a number of people, including
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Mike Espy, U.S. Sen. Patrick
Leahy, D-Vt., who is chairman of
the Senate Agriculture Committee,
and U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford, rep
resentative for Pennsylvania, plus
the heads of the major dairy
interests.
According to Sen. Wofford, the
meeting is to be similar to Presi
dent Bill Clinton’s December Ark
ansas town meeting and the meet
ing in Washington state over the
management of federal forest
lands.
“The day on the whole lumber
and woods issue in ihc Northwest
was a little different. It was an all
day intense summit that soon is to
lead to a proposal from the admi
nistration,” Wofford said in a tele
phone interview Wednesday.
“The Little Rock (Ark.) summit
showed how you can get people in
a room, gel a number of points of
consensus, and have an impact” on
beginning to find solutions to real,
existing problems.
“When you lake an industry and
get attention on it from industry
(representatives) and leaders of the
nation, it’s a good bet that (the
York dairy summit) is going to be
productive,” Wofford said.
By definition, a summit is a
gathering of the leaders of the
highest levels of human organiza
tion, such as governments.
This summit was to consist of
two, 15-member panels, with the
members openly discussing the
marketing and management poli
cies controling the dairy industry.
In a news release from Sen.
Leahy’s office dated June 2, Sen.
Leahy and Secretary Espy issued a
joint announcement of the meet
ing. However specifics of the
meeting were not available until
late this week.
Leahy’s office has been orga-
Dairy Summit To
nizing practically the entire event,
according to all other parties
involved.
The selection of the York site
was requested by Sen. Wofford,
according to Wofford.
The Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture was asked to help
with some of the lunch details.
In the meantime, the twin
15-member panel formal changed
slightly.
According to a draft witness list
faxed from Leahy’s Washington
staff to Lancaster Farming Thurs
day evening, members of a
13-mcmber and a 15-member
panel are to sit down to discuss the
industry and work toward
consensus.
Each panel is to be divided into a
group of presenters and
discussants.
The first panel is to consist of
three presenters and 10 discus
sants. The second panel is to con
sist of five presenters and 10
discussants.
A specific agenda has not been
created, but discussants include
farmers, processors, researchers,
cooperative leaders, special inter
est groups, and government com
ing from a number of different
states Texas, Minnesota, Cali
fornia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin,
Kentucky, Kansas, Illinois, Ver
mont, Alabama, Mississippi.
The summit may be one of the
most important events for the dairy
industry and while no specific rea
sons were given for selecting the
York site, it may one of the most
significant events to take place in
York. It is expected to attract
national attention, which York
hasn’t had since the racial prob
lems experienced in recent years.
Sen. Wofford, of Bryn Mawr,
said, “I am looking foward to
being there. My office and I have
been working closely with Espy
and Leahy in bringing this about,
getting them to come to York, the
heart of our Northeast dairy
country.
"I’m glad we’re on the map for
what should be, in (the dairy indus
try) world, should be an historic
occasion. It seeks to gel a national
Address Milk Marketing Policy
milk marketing strategy, which is a
lough task," Wofford said by tele
phone Wednesday.
A number of news releases from
the major dairy industry organiza
tions interested or involved were
sent out this past week, helping to
announce the Monday event.
However, the first announce
ment received here was included in
the May 31 issue of the National
Milk Producers Federation’s
newsletter. News for Dairy Co
ops.
In that newsletter, it was
reported that Leahy and Espy
jointly announced the summit and
that a senior member of Leahy’s
staff told the NMPF reporters that
holding the summit will not affect
or negate consideration of
NMPF’s suggestion, or any of the
other many suggestions for policy
that have already been submitted
under the USDA’s normal hear
ings processes.
The USDA, under the Bush
administration, had held numerous
hearings on the issue and several
times extended deadlines for sub
mitting suggestions for policy
changes.
The suggestions the USDA has
received over the years are many
and varied.
The Pennsylvania Stale Grange
also put out a news release this
week announcing that its represen
tatives will be attending the meet
ing, as well as representatives of
the National Grange.
Arden Tewksbury, manager and
found of Progressive Agriculture
Organization, and formerly asso
ciated with other state agricultural
organizations, also faxed a news
release which strongly urges dairy
farmer turnout.
“Some people arc predicting a
small turnout at the Summit. Pos
sibly these same people are hoping
if dairy farmers don’t come to the
summit, then this could be a strong
indication that dairy farmers are
cither satisfied with present dairy
policy or they are leaving any
proposed new legislation propos
als up to other people,” he stated in
the release.
Michael Donovan, general man
ager of Eastern Milk Producers
Cooperative announced last week
that he had been selected to be one
of the presenters during the
meeting.
Thai was prior lo ihe draft list
being completed.
As of Thursday evening, the
proposed list of participants on
Panel 1 included, as presenters, Dr.
Andy Novakovic, a dairy cconom-
ist at Cornell University; Mr.
Ewing H. Row, managing editor
for W.D. Hoard & Sons Co.; and
Dr. Robert Young, v dircctor for the
Food and Agriculture Policy
Research Institute.
The Panel I Discussants are to
be Ms. Norma Hanson, a dairy far
mer from Goodridgc, Minn.; Ms.
Micke Doclman, dairy farmer
from Olympia, Wash.; John Mal
colm, dairy farmer from Pawlct,
Vermont; Don Whorton, dairy far
mer from Wetumpka, Ala.; Buck
ey Jones, president of Dairymen
Inc., of Smithdale, Miss.; Gary
Corbett, vice president of govern
mental and dairy affairs for Dean
Foods, of Franklin Park, 111.;
Richard Cotta, general manager of
San Joaquin Valley Dairymen, Los
Banos, Calif.; Keith Eckel, presi
dent of the Pennsylvania Farmers
Association, Clarks Summit; Ms.
Charlotte Pellegrini, dairy fanner,
Mauston, Wis.; Gene Paul, farmer,
Mankato, Minn.
The presenters for Panel II arc to
be Dr. Larry Hamm, chair of the
agricultural economics depart
ment at Michigan State University;
Fred Douma, dairy farmer from
Ontario, Calif.; Mike Donovan;
Ms. Nancy Danielson, Washing
ton representative for National
Farmers Union; and Clyde Ruther
ford, president of Dairylea Coo
parativc, Syracuse, N.Y..
The Panel II discussants arc to
be Charles Beckendorf, president
of Associated Milk Producers Inc.,
West Virginia Dairy Sales
MOUNDSVILLE,
W.Va. Two major dairy sales
are to be held in Moundsville,
W.Va., on August 28, according to
the West Virginia University
Extension Service.
Members of the Northern Pan
handle Holstein Association met
recent to make preliminary plans
for the West Virginia State Dairy
Sale, and the Dairy Genetics Sales,
both to held August 28 at the Mar
shall County Fairgrounds.
Dennis Remsburg, of Maryland,
is to be the auctioneer for the sale,
and in the months leading up to the
sales, he is to be traveling within
the tri-state area seeking
consignments.
The sale committee has also
approved the admittance of quali
fied grade animals as
consignments.
Welcomed to the sale are regis
tered bred heifers, fresh cows or
cows close to freshening, in addi
of Tomball, Texas: Stewart Huber,
president of the Farmers Union
Milk Marketing Cooperative,
Clintonville, Wis.; Robert
McSparran, president of Atlantic
Dairy Cooperative, Southampton;
Robert Giacomini, dairy farmer
with Western United Dairymen,
Point Reyes Station, Calif; Ron
Morrissette, chairman of the
National Family Farm Coalition
Dairy Committee, Randolph Cen
ter, Vt.; Steve Concrly, CEO of
Flav-O-Rich Foods, Louisville,
Ky; Dennis Rosen, presdient of
Wisconsin Farmers Union, Chip
pewa Falls; Ms. Deborah Van
Dyk, director of legal affairs for
Schrciber Foods, Green Bay, Wis.;
Dana Hauck, of Delphos, Kan.,
who is chairman of the Agricultur
al Policy Committee of the Nation
al Cattlemen’s Association; and
Douglas Grccnway or Mary Kass
ler, either or whom is to represent
the National Association of WIC
(Women, Infants and Children, a
federal welfare program) Direc
tors, Washington, D.C.
According to Edward Melhom,
vice president of the organization
which runs the York Fairgrounds,
he was asked to. set up the facility’s
Old Main Building to seat 300
people.
The building is air conditioned
he said and the fairgrounds is
located along Route 74, south of
Route 30. Those using Route 83 to
get to York, should take Rt. 30
west and then lake the Rt. 74 exit,
he said.
tion to qualified grades.
For more information call
Remsburg at (301) 473-8214, or
(301) 473-7959. Others who are
serving as contact persons are
Merle Chaplin at (304) 845-3167;
Fred Hazlett at (304) 547-5830;
Ivan McCombs at (304) 232-4543;
Maurice Garrison at (304)
336-9937; Tim Hubbs at (304)
845-6174; or Mary Week at (304)
242-8680.
The Dairy Genetics Sale is a 4-H
heifer replacement project for
4-Hers in Ohio and Marshall coun
ties in the Northern Panhandle, and
Harrison County in the center of
the state.
For the sale, 4-H youth receive
1-week-old heifer calves and raise
them until they are bred heifers
ready to enter a working dairy
herd.
Dick Chichester from Select
Sires has been booked for the pedi
gree reading for both sales.