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)