Vol. 42 No. 8
This farm family is the Maryland Farm Bureau Young Couple of the Year. They are
George and Debbie Donnonand their two children LindseyS, and April 18mo. Photo by
Evaratt Nawawangar, managing adltor.
Dairy Fanners Want Immediate Action
COLUMBIA CROSSROADS
(Bradford Co.) Nearly 100
dairy farmers and business people
attended the spirited Dairy Rally
conducted by Pro Ag last Wednes
day in Columbia Crossroads.
They shook their heads in dis
belief as Pro Ag Manager Arden
Tewksbury revealed how low
milk pices were going to decline.
Tewksbury said, ‘‘Dairy far
mers will really get the message
when they open their milk checks
on January Ist and realize their
payment for the first fifteen days
of milk in December will be
$11.67 per cwt with the price
probably declining more on
February Ist”
Tewksbury read letters from
both Senator Arlen Specter and
Congressman Joe McDade, but
the letters failed to really address
the seriousness of the situation.
All three County Commis
sioners from Tioga County
attended the Rally, as did Rep
resentative Scott Chadwick and
personnel from the Pa. Milk
Marketing Board.
Paul “Hap” Schatz, Agriculture
Aid to Congressman Paul Kan
jorski, addressed the Rally. Schatz
said, “Congressman Kanjorski
supports the efforts of Pro Ag.”
He told the farmers present, “I
can’t illustrate strong enough to
you people how important it is for
you to contact your Congressman
on this and any issue.” Schatz
said, “If your elected officials
don’t hear from you, then they
simply apply their lime to other
things.” A warm reception was
Four Sections
given to Schatz from the crowd
because of his willingness to
attend the Rally.
Tewksbury praised local far
mers and business people for the
significant number of calls they
Although Ken and Denise Sanner, 'ADC’s Outstanding
Young Cooperative Couple, were intent on farming suc
cessfully before attending the National Milk Producers Fed
eration annual meeting and still are, they have redefined
what that means. Read about the Banners and their Berks
County farm on page 82. Photo by Lou Ann Good.
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, December 28, 1996
made to Washington. He said,
“Many times I’ve been told that
mote calls have been made from
northeastern Pa. than any other
area in the United Stales.”
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$27.50 Per Year
Maryland Young Couple
To Prove You Can
Make It Farming
EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
RISING SUN. Md.—At Miner
al Springs Farm, George and
Debbie Donnon and their two
small children, April, 18 mos., and
Lindsey, S, are out to prove you can
make it in farming even if you
don’t have a farm handed to you on
a gold-plated deed.
This Maryland Farm Bureau
Young Farm Couple of the Year
started from scratch and have deve
loped a nice 85-head Holstein
milking cow herd, along with 80
heifer replacements.
Their herd average is just over
20,000 pounds and they farm 250
acres of com silage, haylage,
ground ear com and use a by-pass
protein product to balance the
TMR ration. Their herd is housed
in free-stalls and milked in a
double-four parlor.
Organic Dairy Co-op Seeks
Regional Producer Interest
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
EPHRATA (Lancaster
Co.) The town of Colby, Wis
consin, is the namesake and found
ing location of the mildly flavored,
soft, popular American cheese.
It is also the home area of Aaron
Hoover, a dairy farmer who grew
up on a family farm in Reamstown,
Lancaster County.
Hoover was in town recently to
visit with relatives and was accom
panied by a regional organizer for
a cooperative to which Hoover
belongs: Coulee Region Organic
Produce Pool (CROPP)
Cooperative.
CROPP is headquartered in
LaFarge, Wisconsin and is eight
years old.
Though “produce” is generally
Advertising/News Deadlines
For Holiday, Farm Show Issues
The new year begins with a holiday next Wednesday
and then comes the next big event for farmers 1n
Pennsylvania—the state farm show In Harrisburg. For
Lancaster Farming this means many of the advertis
ing and news deadlines will need to be early this week
and also for publication of the January 10 Issue. Some
of these deadlines are the week prior to the week of
publication.
These deadlines are as follows:
January 4th Issue
Public Sale Ads 5 p.m., Monday, 12/30.
Mailbox Markets 5 p.m., Monday, 12/30.
Classified Section C Ads 5 p.m., Tuesday, 12/31.
All Other Classifieds 9 a.m., Thursday, 1/2.
General News Noon, Thursday, 1/2.
January 10th Issue
Public Sale Ads 4 p.m., Friday, 1/3.
Classified Section C Ads 5 p.m., Tuesday, 1/7.
All Other Classifieds 9 a.m. Wednesday, 1/8.
General News Noon, Tuesday, 1/7.
601 Per Copy
They have done all this by work
ing for other dairymen, renting
farms, buying used equipment, and
sleeping on the floor until they
could barter for beds and living
room furniture. But they are not
complaining. “What you work
hard for you appreciate more,”
they say.
In fact, you could not find a
more enthusiastic young couple
with a positive outlook on life.
Many times George has been on
the manure spreader, fixing a bro
ken chain under a full-load, on a
cold, windy, winter day. But the
Donnons say these bad days only
make the good days all that much
more enjoyable on the farm.
This couple works as a farm
team, and they are adamant that
husband and wife must work
together on the farm if you are
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associated with truck patch crops.
Hoover is a dairyman with about
117 acres and a herd of 30 milking
Holsteins that he has maintained
for the past eight years using rota
tional grazing.
CROPP is his dairy market.
The cooperative is marketing a
variety of “organic” foods, under
the Organic Valley brand name,
that its members raise according to
a self-created set of rules.
Its dairy products line includes
cultered unsalted and salted butter;
whole milk, 2-percent milk, skim
milk and half-and-half; mild,
sharp, Colby, Monterey Jack,
petite Swiss, and aged Swiss raw
milk cheeses; reduced fat farmer,
Monterey Jack and low-sodium
Cheddar, mozzarella, provolone
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