(Continued from Pago 02) industry programs, consider the beef and veal checkoff program. It really has drawn the three industries beef, dairy, and veal together to address promotion, marketing, image, and research able problems. Each time a bovine animal is sold, either between pro ducers or at markets (auctions, buying stations, or packers), $1 per head is assessed by state beef councils. Half is forwarded to the National Beef Promotion and Research Board to fund national programs: half stays in the state. The Pennsylvania Beef Council is the collection and program agen cy in the commonwealth. The dol lars generated have supported many important programs that ...madtfoiaAt POBox, ( i I ' 4^S?« w,63Kl Contact your nearest dealer. SOLLENBERGER SILO SOMERSET BARN Chambaraburg, PA EQUIPMENT 717-264*9588 Somartat, PA 814-445-5555 ROVENDALE AG A BARN SUPPLY Wataontown, PA 717-538-9564 BIG VALLEY NISSLEY FEEDING LANCASTER SILO FEED A GRAIN EQUIPMENT Lancaatar, PA Ballavllla. PA Willow«, PA 717-299-3721 717-935-2163 717-786-7654 DETWILER SILO Nawvllla, PA 717-776-6321 FICKE3 SILO CO. Nawvllla, PA 717-776-3129 have helped determine the future of each of the three segments of Pennsylvania’s bovine industries. A second example is the dairy/ veal industry task force, which has addressed health and quality of dairy calves. This problem is very important to both the veal industry and the dairy-beef industry, and it can be an image and profit concern for the dairy industry as well. Dairy cattle care guidelines, to be released early this year as an addendum to the milk/dairy-beef quality assurance program, should improve the quality, health, and performance of all dairy calves, whether they stay on the dairy faim as cow replacements or enter other feeding systems (the bull calves). Addressing this problem also Tiberdome HOOVER EQUIPMENT C£D4/7 CfI£S7EOU/P. Tyrona, PA 814-684-1777 717-270-6600 McMILLEN BROTHERS 717-789-3961 81 S£oi GNEGY SURGE SERVICE Waahlngton, PA 412-222-0444 CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin Co.) In an article of the No vember-December issue of the Journal of Soil and Water Conser vation, the American Farmland Trust (AFT) has released a list of have been several progressive auc tion markets, calf brokers, and truckers. But more needs to be done. Another example is closer com munication and cooperation amohg researchers, extension, and technical service persons at uni versities and in industry. More of us who have been strict ly beef- or dairy-oriented are now conducting research and extension programs that more adequately consider the entire bovine industry instead of beef, dairy, or veal alone. Perhaps these advancements have been late in coming. But they are here to stay, and they will make things better for the animals as well as those of us who care for and make our living from them. BRENNER DAIRY EQUIPMENT Spartanaburg, PA 814-654-7309 BADGER SALES A SERVICE Spring Milla, PA 814-422-8279 Region Has Threatened Areas Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 19, 1994-D3 the 12 most threatened agricultur al areas in the United States. I Included in this list are the Shenandoah and Cumberland Val leys of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, said John R. Akers, district conserva tionist with the Franklin County office of the USDA Soil Conser vation Service and a member of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. ‘The areas were selected be cause of their importance as food producing areas and because of the threat of population growth and urban sprawl. AFT reported that while the areas amounted to only five percent of all agricultur al land in the United States, they represented 17 percent of total agricultural sales, 67 percent of fruit production, SS percent of ve getable production, and 24 percent of dairy products. ‘The areas most threatened fac ed a population growth of 21 per- Be Aware Of Program Flexibility cent from 1980 to 1990, twice the national average. Forty percent of the entire country's population in* crease was. in the 12 acres. As population grew, farmland in these areas -decreased by more than thrCe million acres from 1978 to 1987, 40 percent greater than other areas. AFT said that while not all of the loss can be attributed to population growth, it is still likely to be g permanent conver sion and loss.” These trends are evident in Franklin County, said Akers, as we see blocks of farmland being converted to housing and other ur ban development. There continues to be a need to plan our land use so that we do not infringe on our best and most productive farmland. The Soil Conservation Service office in Chambersburg has soils information to help people deter mine where the best and most pro ductive farmland soils are in Franklin County. LIONVILLE (Ches ter Co.) Hollis D. Baker, county executive director of the Chester/ Delaware County Agri cultural Stabilization and Conservation Ser vice (ASCS), said farm ers should be especially mindful this year of the flexible features of farm programs as they make their spring planting de cisions. “There is wide lati tude for farmers in cur rent programs, includ ing recently-authorized permission to plant soy beans or other oilseeds on “optional” flexible acreage. Production from this acreage, equal to 10 percent of a farm’s base acreage, is eligible for price support loans.” Baker said a total of 25 percent of a farm’s base acreage can be in cluded in the “flexible” category of the 1994 wheat, feed grains, cot ton, and rice price sup port programs. The first IS percent is called “normal flexible acre age” and no payments can be earned from its production whether it is “flexed" to another crop or planted to the crop from which its base is derived. The remaining 10 percent is referred to as “optional flexible acreage.” USDA’s recent deci sion to authorize soy bean plantings on this acreage came about be cause of the projection that soybean prices would be higher than 105 percent of the $4.92-per-bushel 1994 loan rate. ‘The full list of crops which may be planted on flex acreage will be available at our office well before signup,” Baker sai(l.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers