Vol. 42 No. 3
Water Quality Tour
Looks At Four
Berks County Farms
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
NORTHWESTERN BERKS CO.
Sound conservation practices
can’t be put into place overnight
They are found on cooperator
farms that make long-term
commitments.
Some of the finest programs
used on farms were illustrated all
day Wednesday to about 30 who
participated in a multi-farm water
quality tour conducted in the
northwest tier of Berks County.
Farmers, extension agents, agri
industry representatives, educa
tors, and students were on hand to
see various technologically sound
ground- and water-saving tech
niques on farms in Womelsdorf,
Mt. Aetna, and Bethel.
What they discovered, accord
ing to Mena Hautau, Berks County
extension agent, is how well the
practices “illustrate the commit
ment over time,” she said. “These
things don’t happen overnight.”
According to producers on the
tour, the investments are worth it
because they save soil, improve
the quality of water, and boost the
quality of life for farmers and non
farmers.
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FARM-CITY
Farm-City Events Create
Forum For Friendships
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) With the signing of a pro
clamation, state Gov. Tom Ridge
has officially signalled Pennsylva
nia’s observance of national Farm-
City Week as Nov. 22-28.
Of course, farm-city events
occur throughout the year, not just
during the annual week of observa
tion, which always ends on
Thanksgiving Day.
Some counties hold their events
during the summer, while others
schedule events closer to, but not
during the official Farm-City
Week.
Berks County held its Farm-
City banquet two weeks ago.
Lebanon County has its event
scheduled for Dec. 11 at the Leba
non Area Fairgrounds Exposition
building.
Lancaster County is to conduct
UN I V
N J 'A 1 O'r-UJZ
Four Sections
Martha Rhoads of Emlenton, Clarion County, is the first
women to receive Pennsylvania Farm Bureau's Distin
guished Service To Agriculture Award. Martha and her hus
band Richard were at the annual meeting banquet Tuesday
evening to receive the award. Photo by Everett Newswanger,
.maoaglng editor.
Deadlines Change For Thanksgiving
The Lancaster Farming
office will be closed Thurs
day, November 28 in obser
vance of Thanksgiving Day.
News and advertising dead
lines for this week are as
follows:
• Public Sale Ads - Noon
ADC Considers Expanding Alliance With Land O’Lakes
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Injected among annual reports,
awards, and resolutions, Atlantic
Dairy Cooperative (ADC)
its annual Ag-Industry Banquet,
which doesn’t get featured expli
citly as a farm-city event, though it
is.
There are many more “farm
city” events held than get widely
publicized.
In some cases the lack of proper
publicity for the event is because
of too-late, last-minute planning;
failures to establish program conti
nuity; or a lack of communication
skills and creativity.
In some counties, the local
chamber of commerce takes on the
responsibility for organizing a spe
cific farm-city event
In other counties, the local farm
bureau organization takes charge.
And in some other counties, other
organizations, such as the USDA’s
Farm Service Agency, have
accepted planning and coordinat
ing responsibilities.
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Uncaster Farming, Saturday, November 23, 1996
Mon., 11/25.
• General News - Noon
Wed., 11/27.
• Classified Section C
Ads - 5 p.m., Tue., 11/26.
• All Other Classified
Ads - 9 a.m. Wed., 11/27.
announced it is pursuing the possi
bility of further uniting with Land
O’Lakes (LOL) to make business
more profitable.
Whether this alliance means
something as major as merging or
simply expanding butter manufac
turing has not yet been determined.
“Before any decision is made
about any type of relationship with
• LOL, we will come back to you—
the members,” said Robert Dever,
chief executive officer for ADC.
Dever explained the ongoing
talks with Land O’Lakes at the
Cooperative’s annual two-day
meeting held for its 3,600 dairy
farm members this week at the
Lancaster Host
The two cooperatives have been
business partners since 1980 when
Atlantic began producing butter at
its Holly Milk facility for Land
O’Lakes.
With headquarters in Minneso
ta, but with operations that extend
to California and the Northwest
part of the U.S., LOL is the largest
butter marketer in the U.S. and has
substantial cheese manufacturing
facilities and national cheese
distribution.
In addition tadiscussing cheese
and butter manufacturing, Dever
said, “We have discussed how
their ag service sector and their
feed, seed, and agronomy business
could benefit ADC members. Last,
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Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
Reverses PMMB Policy,
Honors Achievements
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
and
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
HERSHEY (Dauphin
Co.) The Pennsylvania Farm
Bureau held its 46th annua) meet
ing and convention this week at the
Hershey Lodge and Convention
Center in Hershey.
In addition to offering seminars
on topics ranging from retirement
planning to promotion strategies,
the Farm Bureau presented awards
to outstanding members and its
170 voting delegates set policy.
The PFB offers members ser
vices such as insurance, business
management consulting and retire
ment and estate planning. Howev
er, the strength of the organization
is its clout with setting agricultural
Farmers Union Inducts
Two Into Mail Of Fame
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Pennsylvania Farmers Union
honored two longtime members at
its 2Sth annual convention held at
the Holiday Inn in Harrisburg.
Jack Rynd of Crawford County
and Albeit Bentz of York County
were inducted into the Hall of
Fame.
Outstanding Young Cooperators Kenneth and Denise
Sanner of Kutztown represent the Atlantic Dairy Coopera
tive. The Sanners will attend the National Milk Producers
Federation annual meeting held in California on Dec.l-5.
$27.50 Per Year
policy.
All during the convention dele
gates debated a wide range of
issues until taking a final vote on
policy on Thursday.
Among new policy set, of inter
est to dairy producers is the rever
sal of the Pro’s policy with regard
to the Pennsylvania Milk Market
ing Board’s authority to set mini
mum retail prices.
Last year, PFB member
delegates had voted to adopt a poli
cy calling for the elimination of the
PMMB’s authority to set mini
mum milk prices.
More recently, during a hearing
held in Lower Merion Township
on a legislative proposal to elimi
nate the PMMB’s authority, those
opposed to the PMMB cited the
“I am honored to present these
two men with this award,” said
Pennsylvania Farmers Union
President Bob Junk. “Jack and
Albert truly are the foundation of
our organization and the backbone
of rural Pennsylvania.”
The PFU Hall of Fame was
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60t Per Copy
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