818-Lancatter Farming, Saturday, March 22, 1997 AU Gardens Great & Small by York Co. Horticultural Ai Tom Becker Landscaping For Birds Spring is here. Lean how to landscape your yard for wildlife. York County Cooperative Exten sion is sponsoring a landscaping for wildlife and control program on Monday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. Great and small gardeners may want to create an oasis for birds in their community. Ask yourself how much open space do we have, how many and what kinds of trees are present, and how are the trees and other plants arranged? Only a handful of bird species find a home in urban areas. These include pigeons, house sparrows, starlings, and house finches. As the amount of open space and natural vegetations increases, so does the diversity of birds. Cardi nals, mourning doves, blue jays, and robins are common in com munities that have some open space and trees. If small patches of woods are available, you can add chickadees, nuthatches, and some woodpeckers. Migrating warblers Kingston (Luzerne Co.) Do you take pride in maintaining your dairy farm? Does your dairy farm project an attractive, wholesome image to consumers? If so, the Dairy Of Distinction Program of New York, New Jersey and Penn sylvania will consider your farm for the program’s annual recogni tion awards. The Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification Program was first Attractive dairy (arms give the consumer greater confidence in the wholesomencss ot milk and stimulate milk sales which encourages public support for the dairy industry The award gives recognition to the dairv tanner for maintaining a well-kept farmstead. ELIGIBILITY All Northeast dairy (arms producing milk for sale are invited to make application for the award Dairies receiving the 10 highest scores in each of the 91 districts will receive an 18” x 24” Dairy of Distinction sign to be displayed in front of their farm. Your Name Mailing Address imber Cooperative or Handler yiw ship your Milk) Location (driving directions tor judging u.. County (where your lorm is located) I hereby apply to the Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification Committee to have my dairy scored in accordance with the rules of the program for the purpose of obtaining a Dairy of Distinction sign to be displayed on my premises (No producer will be charged for scoring or sign expense.) Signature of Owncr/Opcraior Return application by April 15. Pennsylvania dairies, send to Ameri can Dairy Association and Dairy Council, Inc., 239 Schuyler Ave., Kingston, PA 18704. (717) 283-2204; New York dairies send to Carol Weddle, N.Y. Holstein Assn., 957 Mitchell Street, Ithaca N.Y. 14851, (607) 273-7591; and New Jersey dairies send to August Knispel, RD 1, Box 325, Pittstown, New Jersey 08867, (201) 735-4989. may use these areas for feeding and resting on their journey south in fall or on the return in spring. Birds require food, water, cov er, and space for survival. Collec tively these items are tamed habi tat Within an urban or suburban community, the major way we influence habitat quality is through the kinds of trees and shrubs we plant or retain. When selecting trees and shrubs to plant in urban areas, select ones that will provide food for birds on a year-round basis. Many birds eat soft mast (fruit), sot one of the best ways to provide food for wildlife is to select berry producers such as serviceberry, mountain ash, and hawthorn. In 1997 Dairy Of Distinction started in 1983 to recognize the hard work and dedication of the farmers who maintain attractive farms. The purpose of the program is to instill a greater sense of confi dence in the wholesomeness of dairy products, and increase their sales. Farms that apply are judged on the roadside appearance of build ings, grounds, and surroundings, since this is what our dairy product Application PURPOSE OF PROGRAM APPLICATION Farm Name (Your Handler will he contacted lo approve your milk quality) Date addition to providing food for birds, these are very attractive landscaping trees. When trees are fruiting, be on the look out for huge flocks of cedar waxwings or robins attracted to your trees. Hard mast includes acorns, hickories, beechnuts, and walnuts. Besides providing seeds for birds like blue jays and mammals like squirrels, these species arc often large shade trees. hi Pennsylvania, hemlocks and pines provide needed shelter for birds in winter. Clusters of conif ers provide protection from the elements in winter and protected nest sites in spring. Birds like clusters of trees and shrubs rather than individual plants. Plant islands of vegetation, and within the islands plant trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants of different sizes. To increase the diversity of birds in your areas, maximize the number of layers of vegetation that arc present. This means you 'want to have multiple layers from small shrubs to larger canopy trees planted in close pro ximity to one another. Birds use corridors of trees and shrubs to move from one area to another. Connect islands of veg etation with corridors of trees. If wild areas and woodlots are pre sent, use corridors to connect ther '.the- consumers observe as they drive by. The cleanliness of the barn yard, feed areas and manure man agement are other aspects of the farm operation taken into consider ation. Roadside judging is con ducted during the month of May Former winners of past years are also rejudged to ensure they con tinue to meet the standards of excellence. To qualify for consideration, you must be actively dairy fanning and shipping milk. Applications are available from your state office. Pennsylvania: American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, Inc., 239 Schuyler Ave., Kingston, PA 18704. (717) 283-2204; New York: Carol Weddle, N.Y. Holstein Assn., 957 Mitchell Street, Ithaca N.Y. 14851, (607) 273-7591; or New Jersey: August Knispel, RDI, Box 325, Pittstown, New Jersey 08867, (201) 735-4989. All applications must be completed and returned by April 15th. The Dairy of Distinction pro gram is financed in Pennsylvania by Dairy Farmers through the American Dairy Association Dairy Council and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, plus Agribusi ness organizations. The Pennsyl vania Dairy Of Distinction Pro gram is conducted with advice and help by Penn Stale cooperative extension. Dairy of U Distinction Dairy Farm Bcaullftcadon Program Water is one of the essential requirements for birds. Many birds can obtain much of the water they need from the foods they eat or from dew and rain. However, there is nothing like open water for attracting birds. If you have a stream or waterway within your community, it can be greatly enhanced by protecting or plant ing a buffer of trees and shrubs along the stream edge. The trees will provide food and cover in close proximity to the water. Frequently in urban areas, large areas are planted with one or two species of trees and shrubs. These monocultures are used to create designs appealing to the human eye, but they generally do not attact a wide variety of birds. Dif ferent birds have different habitat requirements so the best way to attract a variety of birds is to land- Timely MARCH NUTRITION MONTH March is National Nutrition Month, and the theme this year is “All Foods Can Fit”; this theme emphasizes that good nutrition is based on developing a healthy eat ing style and not following restric tive diet plans. The Food Guide Pyramid is Farms Sought HOW IS YOUR FARM SCORED? Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification Program, Inc. Awards will be based upon neatness, good maintenance and other factors which can be controlled by the farmer. Attractive background scenery should not be weighed heavily in judging. All judging obser vations should be made from a vehicle at one or more points on an adjacent public highway (or if farm is off the road, the nearest lane). Judging should give equal consideration to old wood construction and new construction of metal or concrete block. The award program may be used for subsequent advertising or promotion activities for dairy p/cducts or dairy farming. Farmers who apply for awards agree that; if selected they will cooperate with these activities and make all reasonable efforts to maintain both the exterior and interior of their properties in an acceptable condition. HOW THE APPLICATION WORKS The owner or operator of the dairy farm should sign the applica tion and send i< to NEDFBP secretary by April 15. HOW THE JUDGING WORKS Judging teams will visit farms during the month of May. Farms will be judged each year as the award is presented on an annual basis. Any dairy failing to maintain appearance standards will be asked to remove their sign. The Dairy of Distinction signs remain the proper ty of the committee, not the property of the dairy farmer. All farms must achieve a compliance score of 90 percent on their Dairy of Distinction score card. Your cooperative or milk handler will be con tacted to approve your milk quality. RULES FOR THE DAIRY OF DISTINCTION AWARD The Dairy of Distinction sign remains the property of the Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification Committee. The post and bracket shall be supplied by and maintained by the dairy farmer. It is suggested that a wood post 4’ x4’ x 12’ or iron pipe 2’ x 12’ be used. Posts or pipe should be installed and main tained in true vertical position with 8’ above ground. Top of the bracket shou' 1 be lower than six inches from the top of the post. Sign shall b_ displayed in front of the dairy at roadside. An attractive post and bracket, or other frame, shall be used to dis play the sign. No more than three signs should be displayed from the sign frame or post, and all shall be of a style, general size and quality comparable to the Dairy of Distinction sign. Sign should be secured on all sides to avoid wind damage. Signs shall not be moved to other premises. New owners of a Dairy of Distinction farm must apply to retain the sign. Replacement of damaged signs shall be the discretion of the committee. No producer shall be charged with scoring or sign expense. Judges' decisions will be final. Judging will take place between May Ist and May 31st. Farms awarded a Dairy of Distinction sign in previous years will be judged between April Ist and April 30th If they do not qual ify, they will be rejudged between May Ist and May 31st so they have the opportunity to keep the sign. Farms that do not requalify will return the sign to their regional Dairy of Distinction Committee. scape with a variety of trees and shrubs. Large lawn areas provide habi tat for only a few species of birds like starlings, robins, and Canada geese. Consider converting part of the area to a wildlife garden for hummingbirds or convert some of it to islands of trees and shrubs. Large shade trees such as oaks and elms will provide nest sites for many birds,- including robins, blue jays, and orioles. To provide habi tat for cavity nesters, build and place nest boxes. Nest boxes in urban areas will primarily attract house sparrows and starlings so they are best if used in less deve loped areas. Shrubs such as for sythia or raspberry provide nest sites for birds like cardinals. Con ifers are used as nest sites by chip ping sparrows and mourning doves. Topics your best reference for improving your eating plan. The first level of the pyramid includes foods high in carbohydrates and primarily made from grains: wheat, oats, barley, com, rice and rye. To achieve a balanced diet you should consume 6-11 servings per day depending on your total calor (Turn to Page B 19)
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