American Forage/Grassland Council DR. JOHN E. BAYLOR Historian, American Forage And Grassland Council World War n was in full swing. During the previous decade the U.S. had gone through a major economic depression and a devas tating drought The demands on U.S. agriculture to produce more food and feed, and at a lower cost was never greater. This was the setting in 1942 as several agnr.nl ture experiment station workers at a meeting in New Jersey consid ered the challenges before them. One possibility, they believed, was to form an organization con sisting of individuals in agricultur al research and agricultural indus try who were interested in the potentials of grassland farming "as a fundamental thesis in the economic welfare of agriculture and our country.” It took time for the idea to gel. Over the next two years, and with much deliberation, it was agreed that if a group of interested leaders in agricultural research, the farm press, farm equipment manufac turers and the makers of farm facilities could put together the factual data already available and continue to generate new data through research, grassland farm ing could vastly lower the costs and increase the production of agriculture. Then at a meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, in July 1944, as a result of the earlier discussions, the Joint Committee on Grass land Fanning (JCGF) was bom. Its mission was to coordinate research in the production, methods, equipment, facilities, preservation and utilization of for age crops. One of the early objectives of JCGF was to serve as a central clearing house in the gathering of dita on all aspects of grassland Profit from winter ime application To Celebrate 50th agriculture and “to release and disseminate clear information to the farm public on proven methods for the economic hand ling of all kinds of forage crops.” Another was to assist industry in the development of equipment for producing, processing, handling and storing of forage crops on var ious sized farms. During the mid-to-late 40s pub lished information on grassland farming was scarce. But the need was great. Thus, during the first decade of its-existence a major thrust of the young organization was to collect, analyze, and organ ize data for publication in a form that could be used by producers. And by 1947 its first publication Green Fields Are Gold came off the press. Over the next several years more than one quarter mil lion copies were printed and dis tributed. By 1955 three other publications. The Grassland- Livestock Handbook, The Dol lars and Cents of Grass Silage, and Grasslands of the United States and Their Improvement were developed and released with a total of over 2 million copies distributed. In 1957, after years of study, the committee was reorganized, its by-laws revised and its name offi cially changed to the American Grassland Council (AGC). And ten years later in 1968, with broader programs and a changing image the organization again changed its name to better describe its over-all purpose. Its new name, and the one it still car ries; the American Forage and Grassland Council (AFGC). Prior to 1960 the Council was a small nationwide organization made up primarily of dedicated grasslanders in both the public and industry sectors. In 1960, howev- LIMESTONE Anniversary Name; Address;. Registration Monday, March 7 Lunch Spouse Tour Tuesday, March 8 Affliate Council Breakfast $lO Spouse Tour (until 12:00 noon) $l2 Professional Tour (Lunch inc.) $25 Pennsylvania Night $lO Wednesday, March 9 Industry Breakfast Spouse Tour Lunch Banquet Host Family Late Fee (alter February 1) $l5 TOTAL * Please specify day with one-day registration I SS ‘p " gist ™ Uoß 1994 Confcrence > American Forage and Grassland 1 J^ConfereitM° X Geol * ctown ’ 78627. Please make checks payable in U.S. Funds to: AFGC I Call the AFGC Headquarters at 800/944-AFGC if you have questions. er, the Pennsylvania Grassland Council was formed, the first state council organized in the U.S. Its motto “Industry, Farmer, Scientist —Working Together for a Sound er Grassland Program." The Pen nsylvania council affiliated with fv%f =>yWp / f f'fl ;? 1 1 Improve your soil by applying Martin’s quality Hi-magnesium or Hi-calcium agricultural limestone. Call your local Martin Limestone dealer or call Blue Ball, Pa. (800) 233-0205 (717) 354-1370 Martin LIMESTONE —•——-——— • *_ AFGC: A Golden Opportunity , '94 REGISTRATION Lancaster, Pennsylvania - March 7-9, 1994 Check one $l4 $l5 $lO $l7 $l4 $25 N.C. $l7 the American Grassland Coun cil in 1963 and, thus, producers became an important part of AGC. By 1993, 33 states or pro vincial councils had affiliated with the American Forage and Grass land Council with a total mem X X 1 ,* j Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 22, 1994-A2S .Telephone! itate/Province; Registration Category Full One day* Spouse $B3 me. Dahl mix Outside ysi|i wood Furnaces £ V Hot Air and Hot Water. Domestic Hot Water Woodchuck Sales and Service 717-532-5820 SMOKER, LANDIS & COMPANY Certified Public Accountants Individual Partnership & Corporate Taxes Accounting Tax Planning Auditing Management Consulting Personal Financial Services Computer & Consulting Services Payroll Preparation Retirement Plans 49 East Main Street, Leola (717) 656-7544 or 392-1333 37 Market Square, Manheim (717) 665-5979 or 393-1929 $3O $35 bership approaching 6,000. AFGC’s Golden Anniversary Conference will be held March 7-9, 1993 at the Lancaster Host Resort, Lancaster, Pa. This three day event is expected to attract several hundred grasslands, both public and industry, including many producers, from throughout the U.S. and Canada. The program will include a full day Producer Day on'Monday, March 7, with Dean Kleckner, President of the American Farm Bureau, as the keynote speaker along with a For age Spokesman’s program includ ing outstanding producers from throughout the U.S. The Tuesday and Wednesday schedules include scientific and applied presenta (Turn to Page A 26)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers