CJ. BOUGHT AUNG Tioga Co. Correspondent WHTTNEYVILLE (Tioga Co.) —Although the crowd was small, those who attended Tioga County Dairy Day at the Tioga County Fairgrounds in Whitneyville found the sessions worthwhile. The topics GATT and NAFTA, dairy cattle worming and vaccina tion practices, frees tall bam de sign and bedding, comparing New Zealand and Pennsylvania pasture management, crop insurance, DHIA computer formats and ARIS enlightened, as well as edu cated. the crowd. Milton Hallbetg, a professor of agriculture economics from Penn State University, discussed the purpose of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GAIT) hnd the North American Free Trade Agreement, and how they affect farmers worldwide, as well as Pennsylvania farmers in particu lar. According to Hallberg, factors affecting international trade in clude domestic price support poli cy, inflation rates, world demand conditions, and global operations of food manufacturers. “We are now exporting more high-volume products and less bulk products like wheat and com, and that’s all due basically to the changing world demand condi tions.” One of the primary questions asked coneming GATT and NAF TA is: Why should we in agricul ture be interested in international trade? Hallberg explained, “Since 1950, (the U.S.) has had a fairly steady uptrend in agriculture ex ports.” He contends that is a value to farmers because as those ex ports have gone up, so too, have the gross farm income per farmer steadily risen. While the average Pennsylvania Tobacco Growers Association Pott Office Box 645, Federal Square Station, Harritburg, PA 17108-0645 Tobacco Grower Meeting THE 1995 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE PENNSYLVANIA TOBACCO GROWERS ASSOCIATION WILL BE HELD: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH, 1995 PARADISE TOBACCO AUCTION BARN BEGINNING AT 9:00 AM. GROWING TRANSPLANTS USING THE FLOAT SYSTEM Growing Tobacco Transplants using the float system has become very popular In southern tobacco growing regions. This year the educational program will be presented by Dr. W. David Smith, extension tobacco specialist at North Carolina State University. Dr. Smith has been active in tobacco research since 1978. He began looking at the greenhouse for transplant production in 1982, and has been working with the float system since 1984. He will be discussing the advantages of the float system and how best to manage the production of transplants. He will also be talking about the control of tobacco diseases and insects during the transplanting process. NOTICE: THIS IS CORRECT DATE FOR THE MEETING. DISREGARD DATES IN FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER. All Pennsylvania Tobacco Growers Are InvitejJl Keeping The Hittory, Pride And Tradition Alive Tioga County Dairy Day Educational farm today is certainly larger than it was 40 yean ago, Hallberg stressed he believed it is not the only reason for the increase in gross farm income. “The point is.” said Hallbetg, “that increasing agricultural trade had put us in a position for in creased farm incomes. “Twenty-three countries estab lished GATT in 1947 to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers and to encourage global economic growth and development, which, at least in theory, in turn should lead to increased demand in agri cultural products. “GATT provided a code of con duct for international commerce and a framework for periodic mul tilateral negotiations,” said Hall berg. He considers trade a long-term issue, so it must be looked at over a long-term period. “No single trade agreement will result in overnight magic,” he said. While grain farmers are likely to experience a positive effect from GATT, with a projected in- ' crease of 8 to 12 percent for wheat, 11 to 15 percent for rice, 6 to 9 percent for com, and 5 to 9 percent for soybeans (with gross farm receipts slightly higher in those areas), the dairy farmer’s in crease is only projected'to in crease a maximum of 2 percent (3 percent in gross farm receipts). According to Hallberg, over the long tom, this imbalance in in creased prices may force some farmers to go out of business. Those farmers should be encour aged {o look into industries that will be expanded due to freer trade. Ultimately, this expansion will lead the nation’s producers to shift from the less efficient com modities to those that are more cost efficient to produce. Continuing to address the com- > Coffee and Donuts > Annual PTGA Business Meeting > Tobacco Industry Representative > Legislators and Guest Speakers > Free Lunch > Pesticide Credit Course (afternoon) plex topic of free trade, Hallberg said, “In 1988, the U.S. negotiated a free trade agreement with Can ada. So in a sense, the Mexican- Canadian-U.S. agreement was a natural extension of the Canadian- U.S. free trade agreement “Another change of signifi cance in agricultural trade, for the U.S., at least, is that we ate now exporting a higher proportion of our commodities to Latin Ameri- M Ct. In conclusion, Hallbetg stressed that some of the expected gains from these agreements are: pro duction efficiencies in the differ ent countries will increase, we won't have to subsidize the pro duction of commodities which we don’t have a comparative advant age, and consumers will now have access to cheaper imports of cer tain commodities. “All of these things taken together mean that in comes should, rise. As incomes rise, demand for products should increase, and that, in turn, will cause prices to increase.” Eric Kolver, a dairy farmer from New Zealand with a back ground in research, shared his in sights on dairy farming practices in his native country compared to Pennsylvania. New Zealand’s climate is simi lar in range from San Francisco, to Seattle. The average farm in New Zealand is family operated with 160 cows on ISS acres. While many farms have Holsteins and Jerseys within the same herd, the most popular cow in New Zealand is a cross-breed of a Holstein and Jersey. Much of the milk produced in Kolver’s country is converted into milk products that are exported, with milk prices varying from $3.30 to $5.50 per hundredweight, with a herd average of 7070 pounds of milk. “(Another) cost affecting our dairy industry." said Kolvcr, “is that good dairy land goes for about 3 to 5 thousand dollars an acre. Fanners in New Zealand incor porate a pasture system for feed ing because grain is too costly. Having developed a business-like attitude to survive, according to Kolvcr, fanners in his country look to lower their on-farm costs. That means minimum use of ex "pense like labor and machinery. Utilizing pasture for ultimate efficiency, Kolver said farmers dry off their entire herd during the summer which is New Zealand’s dry season. This method is com- Dr. WiUiam George Del-Val Presidency DOYLESTOWN Dr. Wil liam L. George secured his place in the history books Wednesday, February 1,1995, when he opened his term as the tenth President of Delaware Valley College. At an assembly held in his hon or, Faculty, Staff, Students, Ad ministration and Trustees wel comed Dr. George back to the Doylestown area. George, a mem ber of the Delaware Valley Col lege class of 1960, has spent the past ten years as the Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs in the College of Agri culture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to his return to Delaware Valley College, Dr. George spent two weeks serving as a consultant to the Government of Uganda, currently in the process of estab lishing an agricultural university, and with officials from Egerton University, Njord, Kenya. Dr. George enters the Delaware Valley College Presidency at a time of great enthusiasm for the future. The College is preparing to honor its Centennial in 1996, with celebrations of the past and im provements for the future. Cur rently the College has 1,341 full time day students, coming on the heels of the two largest enrollment classes in its history and an addi tional 1,020 continuing education students enrolled in Evening Divi sion courses. The College’s new residence hall opened January 20th, as plans for further campus improvement follow their pre scribed course. “I am ready to begin,” Dr. MILK. IT DOES A BODY good; EQUIPMENT MFC. BY RAISED BED MULCH LAYER FLAT BED MULCH LAVER MODEL 2500 MODEL 560 SPECIALIZING IN: Vegetable machinery, plastic mulch, drip & overhead irrigation, layflat, pumps, tomato stakes, harvesting baskets, etc. • RAIN-FLO IRRIGATION 884 Center Church Rd„ Eostlarl. PA 17519 (717)445-6976 Laneastar Finning, Saturday, February 11,1M5433 patible with the herd, because both pasture and herd are in their low est production mode. In other topics at Tioga County Dairy Day, important crop insur ance facts were provided by Sher ry Elder, Director of the Tioga County Farm Service Agency and Don Johnson of Wingate Insur ance; herd health issues by County Agent J. Craig Williams and Dr. Larry Hutchinson, Extension Ve terinarian from Penn State, and DHIA computer formats by DHIA area representative Diane McD wain and DHIA tech support Dan Smith. Assumes George stated, as he met with members of the College Com munity on his first day in office. “1 really am looking forward to get ting involved with, and getting to know all of you.” Fruit Growers MOUNT JOY (Lancaster Co.) The Lancaster County Fruit Growers Association will hold its annual banquet here at the Country Table Restaurant on Thursday, March 9, at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $l3 per person. Guest speaker will be Jay Irwin, retired Lancaster County extension direc tor, who will speak about “The Farmers Of Romania.” Reservations are necessary by March 1 to Beth Rohrer, (717) 898-2748 or Romaine Erb, (717) 569-5125. RAIN-FLO IRR. Dr. William L. George To Meet
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