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Vol. 40 No. 30
He Farms, She Teaches Ag, Together They Find Balance
Farming must generate enough income to be efficient and not rely upon income
from another career, said Christine and David Williams. Farming practices imple
mented on Chris-Da-Will Farm help the Williams find more family time with their child
ren. Erin, 8; Lauren, 5, and Matthew 3. A story about Erin, who Is Lebanon County's LI'I
Dairy Miss, also appears on page 810.
PMMB Considers Request To Lower Producer Premium
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The Pennsylvania Milk
Marketing Board last week held a
public hearing to collect input on a
proposal from the Middle Atlantic
Cooperative Milk Marketing
Agency (MACMA) and the Pen
nsylvania Milk Dealers Associa
tion to decrease the over-order pre
mium to 40 cents.
The Pennsylvania Milk Market
ing Board is an agency that regu
lates the dairy industry, and
June Dairy Month: This Issue Pays Special Tribute To The Industry
600 Per Copy
ensures that fanners are properly
compensated for the milk they
deliver to processors.
The PMMB also has the authori
ty, unique among states, to place a
minimum level on the retail price
of milk, and place an over-order
premium on the Class I price paid
to producers.
Since 1988, the PMMB has
acted to add a premium to the price
paid to Pennsylvania dairy produc
ers who sell Class I (fluid) milk
that retails in Pennsylvania. The
prompting of that was a drought
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 3, 1995
and poor milk prices paid to the
producer relative to the cost of
production.
The premium has remained in
place since, varying in amounts, up
to a temporary high of $1.35 per
hundredweight, to the current low
of 80 cents per cwt.
The premium is called “over
order” because it refers to the fact
that the federal government milk
distribution and pricing system
attempts to organize and regulate
the flow of milk according to “fed
eral orders.”
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
Before Christine Williams began
teaching adult fanners and voca
tional agriculture at Tulpehocken
High School, she was advised that
it isn’t considered professionally
astute to use one’s own farm as an
experiment.
“But that doesn’t quite work
out,” she admitted.
Buoyed with knowlege from
constant exposure to educational
research, Christine is eager to app
ly classroom learning to the farm
that she and her husband own in
Lebanon County.
Her husband David, an avid
reader of agricutural technology, is
just as eager to adapt farming prac
tices that mean less work, more
Apply Now For
Liquid Fuels Tax Refund
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Every year, those who s*e
liquid fuels in the course Of am
cultural production are eligiblelor
a refund of the taxes assessed.
According to state Treasurer
Catherine Knoll, “Last year, the
Board of Finance and Revenue (an
official state agency chaired by
Knoll) paid out a total of $2 million
in liquid fuels tax refunds to
11,000 Pennsylvania farmers, with
each farmer receiving an average
of $176.
“However, nearly 40,000 far
mers did not even apply for the
refund,” she added.
Index Of Dairy Stories
Please see general index on Page A 3.
Lancaster DHIA Al 6
Full Circle Dairying A 22
American Jersey News A 27
AD ADC Annual Report A 26
ADADC Hispanic Market A 26
Glenn’s Udderings A2B
Dairy Agents Leant A 29
Chester Co. Milk Lines A 33
(Turn to Pago AM)
Those federal orders are deter
mined according to certain sized
volumes of milk being handled,
and geography.
The program is part of the gov
ernment’s effort to ensure citizens
plentiful, inexpensive food, as a
basic service.
Pennsylvania producers nor
mally directly supply several fed
eral orders in marketing their milk,
though local milk or milk products
can be and are found in many
places in the world.
The PMMB over-order pre-
Five Sections
profit, and more time to spend with
their children. Grin, 8; Lauren, S,
and Matthew, 3.
Christine said that people often
think that the money she earns as a
teacher supplements farm income,
but she said, “Farm income must
generate enough to be self
sufficent. I don’t work to pay to
farm. I work because I enjoy teach
ing and David farms because he
enjoys it”
Called Chris-Da-Will Farm, the
13S-acre farm occupies the inside
of a deep bend in the Litde S watara
Creek. Within several minutes,
almost walking distance from
Jonestown, the bordering medium
sized stream provides the family
isolation from crowds and
urbanization.
(Turn to Pag* A 35)
The reason that agriculture is
allowed to recoup taxes collected
by the state on liquid fuels is pri
marily because those taxes are col
lected to benefit motorists and the
transportation industry, not far
mers as such.
If a farmer uses liquid fuels to
take a vacation and uses the state’s
highways for transportation, then
those taxes collected wouldn’t be
relumed.
However, taxes are returned to
those who use liquid fuels to oper
ate tractors, machinery, heating,
etc., for agricultural production.
(Turn to Page A 39)
mium is paid only on Class I milk
retailed in Pennsylvania.
The basic argument for the over
order premium has been that it is
necessary to help provide the resi
dent Pennsylvania producer with a
chance at a profitable sale of milk,
while at the same time ensuring a
dependable, fresh and high quality
product for the stale’s citizens.
That argument follows the
theme that it’s better to support a
neighbor in business because it’s
easier to know and influence the
(Turn to Pag* A 32)
$25.00 Per Year