‘Panorama’ Of Music At Poultry’s Big Fundraiser (Continued from Page A 1) reaching vocal range that includes heart-stirring classics, lovable Dis ney melodies, nostalgic big band and Broadway numbers, and, of course, gospel and pop gospel music,” according to promotional materials. She has earned five Grammy Awards, 34 Dove awards, three platinum, and five gold albums. According to William Trace, Federation chairman, “Sandi Pat ty’s captivating voice and charm ing stage presence made her the immediate choice from a broad range of entertainment selections available. It promises to be a memorable evening.” According to John Hoffman, the Federation’s executive director, as of Tuesday afternoon this week about 1,215 tickets had been sold to the single largest farm industry banquet. Last year about 1,500 people attended the banquet Tick ets, at $l5O each, are still available. The fundraising banquet provides 58 per cent of the entire Federation operating budget for the year. The remaining percentage is made up in membership dues and Farm Show Booth sales. But this year was a banner year for the Fed eration’s fundraising efforts. Farm Show pro fits were “the biggest they’ve ever been,” said Hoffman. Sales from food at the Farm Show booth totalled $70,000 with a net profit of $30,000 which makes for some good news in light of some troubling events early this year, regarding avian influenza (A. 1.) and other worries. The money raised at the banquet is used to fund the highly successful and nationally influential Pennsylvania Egg Quality Assur ance Program (PEQAP). About 80 percent of the state’s egg producers are enrolled in PEQAP, totalling 275 producers, according to Hoffman, which is becoming a national stan dard for egg quality assurance to egg consumers. “The association is becoming more involved in actually promoting PEQAP,” Hoffman said. “We have the program far enough along now to start promoting it” The promotion will begin in the next sever al weeks with radio spots telling consumers to lookfor the PEQAP Quality Seal on cartons of eggs. Producers pay a $5OO license fee to use the seal. The seal can be placed on egg cartons or cases. The radio program, with a matching Sint of $15,000 from the Pennsylvania partment of Agriculture, costs a total of $30,000. The radio ad will run the next 2-4 weeks on markets in the Philadelphia, Lan caster, Harrisburg, Reading, Allentown, York, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton areas, according to Hoffman, totalling about 6.8 million listeners. The funds are also used for operating expenses for the Poultry Health Committee, which provides information on poultry meat issues but also handles issues regarding eggs. Hoffman also noted the success of the insur ance program offered by the Federation and the dissemination of news through the month ly newsletter. Poultry Post. While some commodity groups spend a peat deal of time on legislative promotional activities, the Federation is busy on both levels not only with lobbying efforts but With actual quality assurance implementation and poultry health monitoring. ' The Federation provides a number of other important benefits for members, including: I • Food safety. The Federation is the only state agricultural organization to employ a veterinarian full time to manage food safety programs for producers and processors. • Poultry health leadership. The Poultry Health Committee continuously monitors flock health and avian influenza surveillance data to maintain effective control and eradica tion programs, including the use of the Feder- Sandl Patty • Nutrient management. The Federation constantly participated Farm Credit A Customer Owned Business in the development of nutrient management legislation and reg ulations to ensure effective but fair requirements for poultry and egg producers. • Communication. The Federa tion keeps the industry informed through the Poultry Post newslet ter. Also, the Federation sponsors the Northeast Poultry Show, held at the Lancaster Host Convention Center, the Poultry Progress Day, held at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center; and other meetings. ■ Industry savings and protec tion. The worker’s compensation program and medical insurance programs have saved the industry millions of dollars every year. Also, the Federation is involved in government relations, youth prog rams, turkey and broiler checkoff funds, scholarships, and other efforts. The Federation operates two checkoff programs, for broilers We’ll be there for poultry growers... generation after generation. At Farm Credit, we know poultry operations. As a cooperative owned by the people who use us, Farm Credit has served the poultry needs of rural Americans for generations. In fact, for over 75 years we have been a dependable source of credit to agriculture. We make loans at competitive interest rates for all kinds of purposes. So whether you want to increase the size of your current operation or begin a new operation from scratch, our loan officers can help tailor a financial package to fit your situation. So, whether you are a commercial operator, a part-time farmer or simply like living in the country, we want to do business with you. And we’ll be there for future generations. and turkeys. These volunteer prog rams fund industry research. The Federation also provides five $l,OOO scholarships to Penn Slate students. By the way Hoffman calls entertainer Sandi Patty’s voice “so beautiful that you got to hear it to believe it.” LAKEWOOD (Wayne Co.) Thirteen farms, totaling 2,260 acres, are now under conservation easement in Wayne County. This land can only be used for agricultural purposes, as develop ment rights have been relinquished. Applications for 1997 Conser vation Easement purchase are available from the Penn State Southeastern PA Keystone Farm Credit (800) 477-9947 Western PA Penn West Farm Credit (800) 998-5557 Farm Preservation Begins 7th Year Northern PA Northeastern Farm Credit (800) 326-9507 South Central PA York Farm Credit (800) 503-8957 The social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. at the Hershey Convention Center along RL 322 in Hershey. Tickets arc SISO each and may be ordered by writing or calling the Pa. Poultiy Federation at 500 N. Progress Avc., Harrisburg, PA 17109, (717) 652-7530 or fax (717) 652-0230. extension office at the Wayne County Courthouse. To be eligible, a farm must pro duce at least $25,000 of agricul tural income per year, have at least SO percent of its soils in Class I, n, lE, or IV, and 50 percent of its land in the production of grain, hay, ex open pasture. The farm must also have a conservation plan in use.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers