V 01.43 No. 33
Pennsylvania’s Samuel Hayes Addresses Ag Issues Forum
"/ want you to know that in Pennsylvania there are a million plus
eqfeteria school meals served to the 'commonwealth’s children every
day. That’s a lot of exposure and opportunity for things to go wrong.
We still have a few schools in session, so I don’t want to be to quick to
speak, but we have gone the whole year without any food safety prob
lems in any of the 6,000 school cafeterias. That’s as close to zero
tolerance as you can get”—Samuel E. Hayes Jr., Pennsylvania Sec
retary of Agriculture, at the Ag Issues Forum.
'EVERETT NEWSW ANGER
Managing Editor
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) -
At a breakfast meeting Thursday
the Ag Issues Forum convened at
the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture (PDA) building to hear
Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Agri
culture Samuel Hayes, Jr., discuss
New President Wants To Let
Others Know About FFA
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) Luke Zerby, new state
FFA president, wants to spread the
news.
“I think one of the things I’d like
to do is provide ways for the public
to become more informed about
the FFA,” he said.
Last week, the new state FFA
officers were selected, including
Zerby, West Snyder FFA member.
One of Zeiby’s goals, he noted in a
recent telephone interview, is to
inform the public about the mean
ing and purpose of FFA.
“We want to make sure we get
out there and allow everybody to
leant about the FFA,” he said.
He'll have help from fellow
FFA officers.
Allyson Cole, new state FFA
reporter from Littlestown FFA,
understands the importance of dis
seminating information about
what the FFA means and the extent
of its community involvement
She has maintained a good work
ing relationship with the press
including such newspapers as the
Hanover Evening Sun and the Get
tysburg Times.
“They’ve done an excellent job
From left, Audra Wood, Lancaster; Talltha Coolbaugh, Bradford; and Heidi Finnlcle,
Lebanon, are three of the many county dairy princesses being selected this month to
promote the dairy industry. Read about these pageants in the U B” section.
Four Sections
his perspectives and priorities of
the Department of Agriculture. .
The Forum, a group of farmers
and agribusiness leaders under the
chairmanship of Michael Brubak
er, usually meets monthly in the
Lancaster area to debate and
become informed about current
events in agriculture. This month’s
for Littlestown FFA, always send
ing people out to cover our
events,” she said.
In the future, Cole intends to
work closely with radio and TV
stations to provide news about loc-
FFA activities.
Last week capped a busy time
for the approximately 8,000 FFA
members at the 1998 Summer FFA
Convention during FFA Activities
Week at Penn State. While mem-
(Turn to Pag* A 34)
Luke Zerby
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 20, 1998
group included about 100 impor
tant agricultural leaders and offi
cials from across the state’s legisla
tive and agricultural community.
Sec. Hayes said the food safety
achievement in the school cafeteria
program will not make headlines in
Bobßoyce is a Cumberland County farmer who grazes beef cattle on Lil’ Ponderosa
Farm. He uses rotational grazing on a cow-calf farm and sells freezer beef and breed
ing Stock. See Story page A2l. Photo by Andy Andrews.
Office Closed
July 3
To celebrate Independence
Day, the office of Lancaster
Farming 1$ closed on Friday,
July 3. The off Ice will reopen on
Monday, July 6.
Deadlines are as follows:
• Mailbox Markets 5 p.m.,
Friday, June 26.
• Public Sate, Auction Report
ads—s p.m., Monday, June 29.
• Classified, Section D ads
5 p.m., Tuesday, June 30.
• Classified, Section C, Farm
Equipment ads, 9 a.m. Wednes
day, July 1.
• General News noon, Wed
nesday, July 1.
$29.50 Per Year
the city and urban media by report
ing such a good story. From pro
ducers, processors, and distribu
tors to the keepers of food stuffs in
the school cafeterias, Hayes said
all had a part in this food safety
achievement.
Clawsons Concentrate
On Needs Of Holsteins
RANDY WELLS
Indiana Co. Correspondent
The old adage “It pays to spe
cialize” is proving true for Indiana
County dairy fanners George and
Ginny Clawson and their son Den
nis.
At their Blacklick Township,
Indiana County farm, the Claw
sons are moving away from the
tradition of caring for cows and
growing com and hay to feed
them. Instead, the Clawsons have
relinquished much of .their crop
land to another farmer and are
spending their extra time pamper
ing their Holsteins.
“It’s the livestock that’s making
you money. You can’t sell them
Members of the Pennsylvania Young Farmers Associa
tion expressed excitement as they plan for the National
Young Farmers Educational Institute in Hershey next year.
See their news page.s beglning on page A 32.
600 Per Copy
“We need to protect the consum
er with food safety,” Hayes said.
“But we also need to protect agri
culture from an undeserved image
that we are not producing the best,
safest food in the world.
(Turn to Pago A 36)
short,” Ginny said
The changes on the Clawson
farm date back to the summer
drought of 1988. The Clawsons
that year were forced to buy com
after their crop shriveled, and they
found buying com was easier than
growing it And they discovered
the hay they have started buying is
of a better quality than the hay
they could grow on their own.
Last year the Clawsons turned
over most of their crop and to
Stanley Auen, a crop fanner who
lives near Saltsburg. This year
Auen will plant, cultivate, spray,
and harvest com from about 100
acres of the Clawson farm. The
(Turn to P«go A 27)