VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
STOUCHSBURG (Lebanon
Co.) Members of the senior
and junior Pennsylvania dairy
bowl teams met Monday at the
Marion Grange Hall in Stouch
sburg with coaches, some parents
and Penn State University dairy
specialist Dale Giver, for a final
pre-trip preparation for their
upcoming competition in the dairy
bowl contest at the National Junior
Holstein Association’s annual
convention in Seattle, Washing
ton, this weekend through June 28.
Members of the 1994 Pennsylvania Senior Dairy Bowl
Team from Lebanon County are, from the left sitting, Jeffrey
Hostetter and Steve Bollinger. Standing, from the left, are
Karen Lentz and Jennifer Bashore.
SCRANTON (Lackawanna Co.) After a drop of only V* cent on
the price of cheese blocks at the National Cheese Exchange on June 10,
it looks like that’s it for now.
What attracted all the attention was a 10-cent drop in one day on Fri
day the 13th last month. However, that was only half of a 21-cent drop
over eight weeks since March IS, when it started.
Since (May) Friday the 13th, block prices have fallen less than 2 cents
in four weeks, so it appears they have bottomed out for this spring.
Block prices went from $1.39 to $l.lB for a loss of 21 cents in eight
weeks but we did have an unexpected increase from February 4 to April
8, when prices advanced 10 cents from $1.30 to $1.40, in nine weeks.
This was the out-of-season increase that came from the uncertainty
among dealers of what would happen to milk production this spring.
Now they know, and the result was a dramatic drop in prices that was
predicted almost weekly during March and April.
Cycles Old
Or New
Other than the dramatic Friday the 13th drop, there isn’t that much
difference in cheSse prices this year compared to last year that provided
Dairy Bowl Team
The old, upstairs hall room was
warm but private and members
took advantage of the generosity of
the Grange to support the youth.
Both teams earned their respec
tive trips to the nationals by win
ning first at the state level. While
the results of that competition were
reported, the team members have
never stopped preparing them
selves for the upcoming
competitions.
While some teenaged youth par
ticipate in organized sports or
more traditional school-supported
or club-related activities, these are
MILK
CHECK
THOMAS JURCHAK
Dairy Specialist
Lackawanna County
Heading For National Contest
dairy youth.
They appear to take to a dairy
bowl contest with the same desire
that a baseball player make take
into the game.
But this is the big game. The
tournament final.
The senior team representing
Pennsylvania is from Lebanon
County and consists of members
Steve Bollinger, Jeffrey Hostetler,
Karen Lentz, and former dairy
princess Jennifer Bashore.
The coaches are David Lentz
and Duane Nolt.
Bollinger said he was honored
to be able to represent Pennsylva
nia. It will be Ids third attendance
at a national convention.
“I feel pretty good. I hope we do
very well. I’ve been practicing
since Novemeber states. I took off
in March and then we started twice
a week in June.”
He said was proud of Pennsyl
vania’s dairy people, “From what
we’ve accomplished in the past,
where we’re going and where we
ate right now.”
Bashore said that being a mem
ber of the dairy bowl team for two
years and serving as a dairy prin
cess were complimentary roles
that she hopes serve her well in
helping the team attempt a national
victory.
The junior team those aged
16 or younger representing
Pennsylvania is from Berks Coun
ty and consists of Erica Davis,
daughter of Luther and Theresa
Davis; Missy Werley, daughter of
Phil and Donna Werley; and Jen
nifer and Mike Neiman, whose
parents are Leon and Linda
Neiman.
The team coach is Charlie
Seidel.
“It’s strong competition. Pen
nsylvania is lucky in having
strength in the dairy community to
put foward,” Seidel, coach for five
years, said. He said the last time a
Berks County team went to nation
als was in 1987 when they placed
third and in 1986 when they placed
second.
According to Donna Werley,,
the experience of the parent of a
dairy bowl member is to be sup
portive and involved. The same is
true of most of the other parents.
When they read something in a
journal, newspaper or newsletter
the double dip or twin peaks in milk prices.
This was a change in the normal cycle of low prices in the spring and
high prices in the fall, and perhaps it’s the beginning of a new trend, bull
doubt it. It’s more nearly related to milk production losses in the upper
Midwest that were weather related.
There wasn’t enough production from other areas to make up the dif
ference, but that and the weather are both changing.
So, if you compare the last two years you’ll find that cheese prices
increased 23 cents from February to April in 1993, and this year during
those same months there was a 10-cent increase.
Similarly, there was an 18-cent drop in cheese price from May to
Augustin 1993, and this year it was2l cents, but only took from April to
June.
In all this time prices stayed within the same range, with a low around
$1.20 and a high near $1.40 for cheese blocks.
The bottom line is that the rate of change may differ from year to year
depending on milk production, but it's within these ranges of product
prices that you can expect to find your milk prices in the near future.
Don’t be misled by the highs or discouraged by the lows.
For the present, however, producers will be facing falling prices at the
farm this summer.
With the Minnesota-Wisconsin Price Series falling $1.48 to $11.51
for May, the effect will be some lower Class prices paid by handlers.
Class I and II prices will continue increasing for May deliveries and
into June for Class I prices, and byjhen all prices will be lower. And that
won’t be the end, because the M-W stands to drop another SO cents for
June.
Dairy Month
Every June Dairy Month, I’m reminded of the growth of the dairy
industry in recent years.
i(ry
Bowl Team from Berks County are, from the left, rear, Mike
and Jennifer Nelman. In the front from the left are Missy
Werley and Erica Davis.
that discusses changes within the
Holstein Association, or some
other fact about the dairy industry,
or just bovines in general, that
information is shared with their
children.
And many parents help quiz
their kids while they both do
chores, such as milking.
Like playing catch. Like going
over homework. Like preparing
for a role in a school play.
Jennifer Neiman is team captain
of the junior team and her family
has a small dairy herd of about 30
Holsteins and registered Jerseys on
the 28-acre homefarm. She owns
10 animals. Her brother Mike has
five.
She said that altogether they
farm about 100 acres to raise crops
for the herd. She also said she
enjoys participating in the dairy
bowl contests.
“It’s a good opportunity to get
exposed to a lot of people and you
don’t have to be good at it to enjoy
it. It’s a lot of fun.”
She said her parents support she
and her brother, just as do other
parents.
“They support it,” she said. “If
they see something in a magazine,
or hear something from a vet,
they’ll pass it on,” she said, adding
that they sometimes practice while
milking.
Here and Now
Still, with the practice, she said
she was nervous. The others said
the same.
“In some ways, I think I’ll be
more competitive (at the nationals
than at other contests). Competi
tion helps me. A little bit of nerv
ousness helps, I think.”
Parent Wericy said. “I would
say they have to study. The’re in
training all the time. These kids
study basically all year.”
She also said that if the parent
plays a positive role, the children
will do better and enjoy it more.
In addition, she said that a bene
fit of the competition is socializ
ing. “The farm community is small
and this is a good opportunity to
develop friendships. They are hav
ing fun and learning at the same
time.”
Dale Olver gave the team mem
bers a pep talk Monday after the
first, untimed practice round. In
reality, the participants get five
seconds to answer a question.
Olver told them that when they
get out there, not to hole up in there
hotel room the entire time study
ing. He told them to ciculate and
socialize, enjoy the convention,
see the displays, etc.
“If you don’t know it going into
it, cramming up until the last
minute isn’t going to help,” he
said.
Commercial disappearance has
increased 13 billion pounds in the
last 10 years. You’ve reached the
point now where commercial sales
last year exceeded your total milk
production as recently as 1989.
A lot of things have contributed
to this growth, but the most impor
tant was your milk production.
It may be a small consolation
when your prices are falling, but
then that was the reason for start
ing dairy promotion 57 years ago
to provide sales for increasing
production.
Happy June Dairy Month.
jUNEIs
M'lßYf
MtJiH