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Vo). 42 No. 21
Dedication To Farming Pays Off At Brookfield Farms
Metirte and Thalma Ramsburg relax with three of their
lour grandchildren at Brookfield Farms hear Utica, Mary
Dairy Cooperative Reports Good Year
EVERETT NEWSW ANGER
Managing Editor
HAGERSTOWN, Md. - The
general manager of a leading east
ern milk producer’s cooperative
told the 700 members and guests
present at the annual meeting Wed
nesday that the future of the dairy
Marketing Forum Presents
Pennsylvania Pride Potential
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The official marketing
logo of the Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture is, “Pennsyl
vania Pride From our home to
yours.”
That logo could someday
Preconditioned Cattle
Benefit The Bottom Line
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
ADAMSTOWN (Lancaster
Co.) No longer is it good
enough for cattle buyers to simply
“look” at a set of calves and deter
mine their quality, according to
one animal expert.
Buyers want backgrounding
information genetic and other
data that will show how to
improve, as is often the case, a sag
Four Sections
industry is in cooperation.
George Walgrove, Jr., Maryland
and Virginia Cooperative Associa
tion, said producer groups, as well
as cooperatives, need to participate
in this joint effort.
“Each year I am asked if there is
hope for the future of the dairy
become the umbrella slogan for in
state-produced agricultural com
modities, as part of a dedicated
agricultural and commodity mark
eting program.
Or not
The PDA Bureau of Market
Development held a marketing
forum last week in the state Agri-
ging bottom line.
And calf producers who can
show the buyer a calf that has been
preconditioned properly
weaned and vaccinated against
respiratory diseases has the
potential to earn good premiums in
the years to come, according to
leading Midwest veterinarian.
Dr. Ken Odde, senior veterina
rian at Pfizer Animal Health, Pol
lock, SD.. examined some of the
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 29, 1997
land. Tha children are from left, Whitney Diane Crist, Jacob
Roop, and Lauren Roop.
industry,” Walgrove said “Each
year I say yes, because there are
responsible people in the industry
who care very much about the
dairy burners. These people have
committed themselves to our
industry to make it prosperous.
(Turn to Page A 33)
culture Building in Harrisburg to
bring together representatives of
various segments of Pennsylvania
agricultural producers to hear sev
eral speakers discuss current mark
eting analysis, research on con
sumer trends, and aspects of suc
cessful marketing programs.
(Turn to Page A 29)
benefits in terms of better price at
auction and of improved herd
health performance.
Odde spoke to 40 producers and
agri-industry representatives on
Tuesday, the first day of a first
time, on-the-road, three-day East
ern Cattlemen’s Symposium
which began at Weaver’s Market
in Adamstown.
Odde indicated that there is
(Turn to Page A 32)
The Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative
outstanding young cooperator couples are, in front, Steve
and Kelly Wilson, Parkton, Maryland, starting term, and
Richard and Naomi Speer, Blairs Mills, Pennsylvania, com
pleting term.
$27.50 Per Year
KAREN BUTLER
Maryland Correspondent
UTICA, Md.—You don’t have
to look very hard to see how dedi
cated Mehrle H. Ramsburg, Jr. is
to agriculture; it’s evident in every
aspect of his life. It shows in the
neat-as-a-pin appearance of his
and his wife Thelma’s Brookfield
Farms. You can tell it by looking
at his crop yields; numbers like
5.75 tons to the acre of alfalfa hay
lage, 18 tons of com silage per
acre, and 90 bushels of barley per
acre. And the inspirational way he
has kept farming despite a tragic
PTO accident that took his right
arm speaks volumes about his
love of dairying. The numerous
awards and honors he has ac
cumulated, including most recent
ly being honored as a Master
Farmer, speak for themselves.
Mehrle Ramsburg is the 4th
generation of his family to milk
cows at Brookfield Farms, a
Maryland Century Farm. His
great-grandfather purchased the
farm in 1882. When they started in
January of 1961, Mehrle and Thel ■
ma had 44 cows. Over the next
fvo years 10 cows were pur
chased. The herd has been closed
since that. Now they are up to 300
(Turn to Pago Al 9)
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