1 1 k — fc ■-»f ■ir'l'ft Mmif* M Vol. 40 NO. 2 EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.) The 26,167-member Pen nsylvania Farm Bureau high lighted their year with an annual meeting this week and named Samuel Morris, former slate law maker from the 155th district in northern Chester County, to receive the 1994 Distinguished Service To Agriculture Award. In addition. Dean and Jody Kind, Slippery Rock, in Lawrence County, received the Outstanding Young Fanner Award. Berks was named the All-Star County for the fourth consecutive year, and Shelly Brown of Huntingdon, Hunting don County, won the Discussion Meet and will now compete at the National Farm Bureau meeting in St Louis next January. At the banquet Tuesday night Morris and Eleanor, his wife of 53 years, accepted the Distinguished Ag Service Award from President Keith Eckel. Morris served in the Atlantic Dairy Reviews Successful Year, Builds For The Future John and Julie Mayer are Atlantic Dairy Cooperative’s 1994 Outstanding Young Cooperators. The Mayers operate a 279-acre farm with a 145-head mixed herd In Taneytown, Md. SCC Nutrient Advisory Board Continues, Uncertain Of Changes VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff (part 1 of 2) HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Uncertainty about the extent of changes to the state Department of Environmental Resources as promised by Gov.-elect Tom Ridge in his cam paign platform was a matter of 604 Per Copy Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Holds Annual Meeting, Morris Given Distinguished Ag Service Award state house of representatives from 1971 to 1979 and again from 1981 to 1990. During his tenure Morris sponsored 80 bills that supported or protected agriculture. Notable among these bills were Act 319 of 1974 known as the “Clean and Green Act” that allows tax relief for farms; Act 43 of 1981 that allows farmers to establish ag sec urity areas for farmland preserva tion, and he was the prime sponsor of the bill in 1988 that allowed the state to fund the purchase of deve lopment rights to prime farmland. In addition, Morris also spon sored legislation for ‘The Right To Farm Act” of 1982 that protects farming practices from nuisance lawsuits from neighbors or local governments. ' The Kinds were one of three finalists for the annual award whiph recognizes a farmer or farm couple who have demonstrated outstanding farm management and leadership skills before reaching age 30. They were presented with a concern Wednesday for the 15-member State Conservation Commission Nutrient Manage ment Advisory Board. The board held its November meeting in Room 309 of the state Department of Agriculture build ing in Harrisburg to further work to recommend and advise the com mission in the creation of working (Turn to Pago A 26) Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Novambar 19. 1994 $5OO cash merit award from the Dodge Division of Chrysler and a $lOO Savings Bond from PFB. They will also receive an expense paid trip to the American Farm Eleanor and Samuel Morris receive the Distinguished Service To Agriculture Award from PFB president Keith Eckel. LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) Atlantic Dairy Cooperative (ADC) ended its fiscal year with record-setting amounts of milk marketed and one of the most pro fitable years ever—the third high est in the cooperative’s 77-year history. ADC held its annual meeting on Solution To Ascites ‘A Genetic One,’ Says Poultry Researcher ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.) While poultry producers can put a lot of diseases in check by proper heating and ventilation manage ment, the ultimate solution to a dis ease called ascites may lie in gene tic manipulation, according to a - Penn State poultry professor. Dr. Guy Barbato, associate pro fessor of poultry science, spoke to mote than 30 broiler and layer managers and other industry per sonnel at the Poultry Management and Health Seminar at Kreider’s Restaurant on Monday. Barbato provided information into the “causes, cures, and con cerns” regarding ascites in broil ers. Barbato also provided some research into management and other alternatives producers may use to control the disease in flocks. As fall temperatures begin to fluctuate, the problem of controll ing ascites in broilers becomes more difficult. Ascites, a condition in which fluid accumulates in the broiler’s abdomen, has other signs Bureau’s annual meeting in Janu ary. There they will compete in the Outstanding Young Farmers and Ranchers contest with participants from other state farm bureaus for Thursday and Friday at the Lan caster Host Resort to review its past year and “build for the future.” The profitable year resulted in more than 3,500 dairy farm mem ber families in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Vir ginia receiving an additional milk check the equivalent of five cents as well, including right ventricular atrophy in the heart and broiler pulmonary hypertension. This hypertension is characterized by high blood pressure which robs the body of necessary oxygen. An indication of ascites onset is the dark blue or purple comb, “a classic telltale sign,” said Barbato. The fluid accumulation, a straw color, is the result of the hyperten sion and subsequent pressure in the liver. Fluid (plasma) is literally forced from the liver.- The disease was first noticed in birds in high-altitude conditions and under poor ventilation with high salt diets, primarly in South and Central America. But more and more, the disease is prevalent in the north. Simply put, according to the poultry professor, genetic selec tion to make the birds grow at a rapid rate causes the bird to lose the necessary energy to adapt to changes in the environment. Environmental stress, particularly cold conditions, leads to onset of ascites at a fairly rapid rate. Four Sections national honors and the grand prize of a 1995 Dodge 3500 4x4 pickup truck. Dean and Jody are part of the Grassy Crest Farm family farm corporation which operates a 1,000-acre dairy farm. They have about 360 head of Holsteins and milk 194 cows that average 19,500 lbs. Dean has primary responsibili ty for the dairy herd, handling herd management, production, repro duction and feeding. He makes all breeding decisions and is in charge of feeding heifers. Jody is responsible for keeping records on all registered calves and keeps track of the herd’s records on computer. They show and sell registered animals. Dean serves on the board of directors of the Beaver/Lawrence County Farm Bureau and chairs the Young Farmer and Rancher com mittee. He is also in charge of orga nizing DairyMAP management training wotkships for dairymen. (Turn to Pago A4l) per hundredweight The net mar gin, up from $5.4 million last year, equates to member earnings of 23 cents per hundredweight Sales of 3.S billion pounds of member milk and favorable mark et conditions helped propel the net profit to record levels. “We didn’t have tpo much milk that we had to incur surplus mark- (Turn to Pag* A 35) Penn Stale and other research has concluded that ascites accounts for at least 50 percent of all post-day 14 mortality among broilers. In some cases, ascites has (Turn to Page A 33) Deadlines Change For Thanksgiving The Lancaster Farming office will be closed Thurs day, November 24 in obser vance of Thanksgiving day. News and advertising dead lines for this week arc as follows: • Public Sale Ads Noon, Mon., 11/21. • General News Noon, Wed., 11/23. • Classified Section C Ads 5 p.m„ Tue., 11/22. • All Other Classified Ads 9 a.m. Wed., 11/23. $21.00 Per Year