056034 980131 jn jj2 jfi*.
V 01.43 No. 16
Pennsylvania Soybean Yield Contest winners. From left, first place went
to Jon Stutsman, second to Nelson Beam, and third to Steven Wenger.
Starting This Summer, El Nino Effects May Actually Reverse
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.)
Pennsylvania’s own climatolo
gist made his spring predictions for
the state last week.
Expect a continued mild
remainder of the winter, cool to
cold temperatures, below to much
below normal precipitation in the
west, and normal to above-normal
precipitation in the eastern half.
However, according to the sta
tistical models of prediction, there
could be a reverse for next winter,
according to a presentation made
at the 1998 Pennsylvania Com and
Soybean Conference last week at
the Holiday Inn in Grantville.
Paul Knight, state climatologist
with the Penn State Department of
Meteorology, said at the confer
ence that based on numerical and
statistical models, it lodes like the
“La Nina will be back,” said
Knight If that happens, he noted,
“watch out for extreme cold next
winter.”
According to Dr. Louis M.
Thompson, emeritus associate
dean of agriculture at lowa State
University who spoke at the Com
DHIA Reports Good Year
EVERETT NEWSW ANGER
Managing Editor
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) The Pennsylvania DHIA
held its annual meeting Thursday
and reported another successful
year. General manager David
Slusser said the organization
“reported another profit, increased
member equity, and paid off our
major loan.”
“Your cooperative accom
disbedAimudr,
Mtnnn
Four Sections
About 200 Attend Corn. Soybean Conference
Conference six yean ago, the La
Nina is a Spanish phrase meaning
“little girl” It is marked by high
pressure which dominates over
western South America and low
pressure over Australia. When an
El Nino (Spanish for “the boy”)
occurs, the patterns flip-flop,
creating a situation of cool, rainy
Edward Brake received the
prestigious Clyde S. Robin*
son award at the Pennsylva*
nla DHIA banquet Thursday
night.
over the last four years as a result ot
teamwork between the board, the
employees, and the members,”
Slusser said. “The strategic long
range plan developed by the board
has been enacted, and 1998 will see
new services developed and new
markets explored.”
President Norm Hershey said
that one of the goals met during
1997 was the retirement of debt of
several years standing. “This did
~ ~ . /Turn to P»o*A22> .....
i****#>*#**«* r* *********
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 21 ,J 998
weather in California and the
Sou thwestand drought in Australi
a and Indonesia.
What is El Nino? Generally, it’s
GAIL STROCK
Mifflin Co. Correspondent
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) A New Holland, Lancas
ter County, couple accepted the
sixth annual Leadership Award
at the Pennsylvania Association
for Sustainable Agriculture’s
(PASA) Fanning For the Future
Conference in State College. Lee
Bentz from the Pennsylvania De
partment of Agriculture presented
the plaque.
Producers Seek
Dairy Compact
Legislation
JOYCE BUPP
York Co. Correspondent
GALETON (Potter Co.)
“Dairy farmers arc going through
critical financial and changing pd
icy times. We need to have at our
disposal all the tools we can pos
sibly use,” said Galeton dairy far
mer Lewis Gardner.
“Dairy compacts,” he added,
“offer dairy producers another
management tool.”
Gardner, newly-elected chair
man of the Northeast Council of
Dairy Farmers of America, once
opposed the concept of farmer’s
joining ranks to form compacts.
(TMrp fc? ASi) t >
* k k i 1 I (Ikk Dk Jk.k k i it M. M Ik k k K
First-place winners In the 5-Acre Com Club contest are, from left, Jeff
Mitchell, first place In the three-year average awards, shelled grain class,
regular harvest size; Richard Crone, first place, 1997 champion, 3-acre plus
harvest size; and David Schantz, first place, 1997 champion, ear com class,
hand harvest.
the natural phenomenon attributed
to the wanning of the Pacific
Ocean waters west of South
America and the central pan of the
Weaver Family Earns
PASA Leadership Award
Don and Linda Weaver farm in
partnership with Don’s brother
Nelson and his wife Joyce at
Weaver Homestead Farm, a
Don and Linda Weaver,from Weaver Homstead Farm in
New Holland, were the recipients of the Sustainable Ag
Leadership Award at the recent Pennsylvania Association
for Sustainable Agriculture (RASA) conference. Weaver
Homestead is a ninth generation Lancaster County dairy
farm.
$28.50 Per Year
ocean. Since the announcement
was made about the El Nino
effects, there has been such a
(Turn to Pago AST)
106-acre dairy with a 90-cow
milking herd. The Weavers are
ninth-generation fanners who
(Turn to Pago A4l)
600 Per Copy