A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 25, 1998
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
ELIZABETHTOWN (Lancas
ter Co.) 4-H members from six
counties “fine-tuned” their lives
tock judging skills at the annual
Southeast 4-H Livestock Judging
Contest recently at the Elizabeth
town Fairgrounds.
4-H’ers from Lancaster, Berks,
Lebanon, York, Perry, and Dau
phin counties learn from their
experiences at the contest to help
prepare them for Penn State 4-H
Achievement Days in University
Park, Aug. 4-6.
Also, 4-H coaches are provided
this “opportunity to select better
teams” for the Penn State event,
said Chet Hughes, Lancaster lives
tock agent and contest co
superintendent.
“This is one of the last contests
the kids go to before the state con
test in August,” said Galen Kopp,
Lebanon county agent.
Kopp said the event acts as a
“practice and a qualifier for 4-H
members."
Sixty-seven 4-H’ers competed.
They judge and place three species
beef, sheep, and swine and
provide oral reasons.
Juniors and seniors compete
separately. In addition, during the
judging classes. 4-H members are
required to write their answers to
several questions, which can range
from the largest animal in the class
to what the animal is expected to
measure on the rail.
According to Linda Spahr, York
4-H extension agent, junior mem
bers can earn up to 400 points to
take tops in their classes. Senior
teams can earn 550 points.
For the third year in a row, top
senior team was won by Lebanon
County. Team members are com
posed of Blaine Brown, Ryan
Spatz, and Ann Leed.
Top junior team went to Berks
County, composed of Kristy Deit
rich, Cathy Levan, and Amanda
Miller.
VERNON ACHENBACH JR-
Lancaster Fanning Staff
TALLAHASSEE, Florida
Pennsylvania hay producers
wishing to donate or sell hay to
Floridian livestock owners can do
so by contacting the Florida
Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services (FDACS).
Those seeking to donate hay
should call Joe Eight with the
FDACS Division of Animal Indus-
Uy at (850) 488-7079.
Those seeking to market their
hay through a directory of hay sup
pliers being created by the FDACS
should call (850) 488-4366.
Donated transportation is also
being accepted. Those willing to
haul donated hay also should call
Eight.
Florida has been under a severe
drought since April. Two weeks
ago rain began to fall again, though
not significant in terms of quash
ing the drought.
The first rain was falling just as
a Pennsylvania, Montgomery
County steel fabricator used his
business trucks to haul a load of
South Carolina hay to needy reci
pients in Florida.
According to Stephen Monroe
of the FDACS Division of Market
ing, the stretch of rainless weather
broke over the past two weeks, but
the drought situation is far from
over. However, grass has begun to
grow again, giving hope for per
haps another cutting of grass hay
Contest ‘Fine-Tunes’ 4-H
Beef official was Larry Poss,
USDA Packer and Stockyard
Administrator. Swine official was
Doug Musser, Taylor Packing.
Sheep official was Matt Sellers,
Lebanon Valley/Fulton Bank.
Referee official was John Eaton,
People’s Bank of Glen Rock.
Tabulation official was Tim
Beck, York extension.
Tabulations were provided by
Galen Kopp. Lunch was provided
by Deb Hess.
Green Group leader was Gerald
Boyd, Lancaster extension sum
mer assistant and contest co
superintendent. Red group leader
was Fred Rudy, Dauphin County
extension agent Black group lead
er was Rep. Sheila Miller.
“We want to thank the Masonic
Homes, Frank Stoltzfus and Ger
ald Tracy, for providing the lives
tock for the contest” said Hughes,
who also wanted to thank the Eli
zabethtown Fairgrounds for use of
the facility.
Next year, the contest is sche
duled the same week for the Leba
non Fairgrounds.
First place 4-H senior Judging team from Lebanon Coun
ty, from left, Blaine Brown, Ann Leed, and Ryan Spatz.
Florida Needs Hay, Developing List Of Suppliers
before the end of the season.
Monroe said the drought condi
tions that spurred the devasting
wildfires throughout the state also
curtailed the growth of grasses
raised for beef and daily cattle and
horses.
“We had some rain throughout
the state and the situation is some
what alleviated,” Monroe said this
week. However, he said that up
until rain began to fall, many pro
ducers were grazing hay fields,
raising the fear that supplies of
feed to last the winter wouldn’t be
available because the drought
doimant grasses wouldn’t grow for
another cutting.
“(The livestock and hay produc
ers in Florida) were not puting up
any hay for the winter,” he said.
“With the rains of the past two
weeks, the situation has lessened
in severity. We still may be short
this winter, because they haven’t
put up as much hay as normal,”
Monroe said.
What the FDACS is doing is
organizing a list, or directory, of
people who have hay available for
sale, and getting that list to poten
tial buyers who can negotiate the
terms between themselves.
The directory is to be on the
Florida Internet Homepage at
www.fl-ag.com.
Postal service and telephone
fascimile communications are also
to be used to link those needing
hay with those who have hay.
For those using the Internet
Following is a list of contest
placings.
SOUTHEAST 4-H
LIVESTOCK JUDGING
CONTEST RESULTS
JUNIORS
Beat (Individual): 1. Kristy Deltrich. 2.
Tiffany Dean. 3. Becky Space.
Sheep (Individual); 1. Zane Martin. 2. John
Hartman. 3. Erin Willard.
Swine (Individual): 1. Amanda Hoover. 2.
Amanda Miller. 3. Emille Miller.
Overall Individual; 1. Zane Martin. 2. Kristy
Deltrich. 3. Cathy Levan.
Beef Team: 1. Lancaster (Allison Hughes,
Tiffany Dean, and Nicola Hess). 2. Berks
(Kristy Deltrich, Cathy Levan, and Amanda
Miller). 3. Dauphin (Ryan Langhans, Danny
Miller, and Andy Weaver).
Sheep Team: 1. York (Travis Flory, Matt
Hoover, and Amanda Hoover). 2. Berks
(Emille Miller, John Hartman, and Matt Mart
beck). 3. Lebanon (Becky Spatz, Jake Spatz,
and Morgan Firestine).
Swine Team; 1. Berks (Kristy Deltrich,
Cathy Levan, and Amanda Miller}. 2. Lancas
ter (Allison Hughes, Tiffany Dean, and Nicole
Hess). 3. Lebanon (Erin Willard, Janlne
Winebark, and Margeeux Firestine).
Overall Team; 1. Berks. 2. Lebanon. 3.
York (Travis Flory, Matt Hoover, Amanda
Hoover).
SENIORS
Beef (Individual); 1. Kelly Dietrich. 2. Tracy
Lindgren. 3. Anita Manbeck.
Sheep (individual): 1. Mike Burrell. 2.
address, when the Florida Ag
Department homepage appears,
the user should go to the right part
of the screen and scroll down to see
a tractor and hay bam, and double
klick on that icon.
According to a Florida official,
the homepage setup is such that if
an illustration of a state is by itself,
that’s where the FDACS is enter
ing directory address information.
The last entry on the list being
scrolled should be an emergency
hay site that lists where the hay is
to be available.
It’s also possible to get informa
tion on the directory by sending a
telephone fascimile to Florida at
(850) 922-0374.
The information of hay availa
bility can also be mailed to: Forida
Deparmcnt of Agriculture and
Consumer Services, The Capitol,
Tallahassee, Fla., 32399-0800.
On June'2s, Florida Commis
sioner of Agriculture Bob Craw
ford wrote to Pennsylvania Secret
ary of Agriculture Samuel Hayes
Jr. and informed him of the prob
lem and the local demand for hay.
“Many of our livestock produc
ers have found it necessary to use
hay supplies instead of pasture land
to meet their animals’ nutritional
needs. Demand for hay is outpac
ing the supply within the state,”
Florida Commissioner Crawford
slated in the letter.
“Please notify the hay producers
in your state of the marketing
Judging Skills
Blaine Brown. 3. Ann Leed,
Swine (Individual); 1. Blaina Brown. 2.
Mika Burrell. 3. Nathan Spatz.
Reason* (Individual): 1. Blaine Brown. 2.
Mike Burrell. 3. Ann Lead.
Overall (Individual): 1. Blaine Brawn. 2.
Mike Burrell. 3. Ryan Spatz.
Beef Team: 1. Berks (Kelly Dietrich, Justin
Levan, and Jill Neiman). 2. Lebanon (Blaine
Brown, Ryan Spatz, Ann Lead). 3. Perry
(Melissa Dobbs, Tracy Lindgren, and Zach
Martin).
Sheep Team: 1. Lebanon (Blaine Brawn,
RyanS'
chb r
Top Individuals at the Southeast Pennsylvania 4-H Lives
tock Judging Contest, from left, Zane Martin, Perry County,
juniors and Blaine Brown, Lebanon County, seniors.
First place 4-H Junior Judging team at the southeast con
test. Berks County, from left, Kristy Dettrich, Cathy Levan,
and Amanda Miller.
opportunity currently existing in
Florida.”
Unlike Pennsylvania’s tradi
tional marketing of hay through
auctions, Florida doesn’t have
such marketing. The deals are to be
made between producers and
buyers.
According to Monroe, those
who raise beef cattle in Florida are
accustomed to using grass hay,
because they can’t afford alfalfa
(because of low beef prices). “But
the Florida horse industry uses
high quality hay of every sort,” he
said, adding that the situation is
similar with Florida’s dairy pro
ducers, who also use alfalfa and
other types of hay for feed.
Monroe said he couldn’t supply
a range of prices paid for hay.
Instead, he said that those listed on
the directory as having hay avail
able can be contacted by a poten
tial buyer and the prices can be
worked out
Steel worker Jack Mellon, of
Montgomery County, said he
picked up a load of hay from a
South Carolina retired veterinarian
who supplied 86 large bales out of
the 500 he had. Mellon took the
45,000 pounds of hay to Florida
and then came back home.
Mellon said he heard about the
need for hay from listening to
Public Radio.
He said he called around his
county and was eventually lead to
contact the state Departemnt of
3. Lancaster (Kevin Pfautz, Jessica Schmidt,
and Sarah Boyd).
Reasons Team: 1. Lebanon (Blaine
Brown, Ryan Spetz, Ann Leed). 2. York (Jen
Rlnchbeugh, Joe Emenhelser, and Mike Bur
rell). 3. Berks (Kelly Dietrich, Justin Levan,
and Jill Nelman).
Swine Team: 1. Lebanon (Jason Shirk,
Nathan Spetz, and Nats Tice). 2. York (Jen
Fllnchbaugh, Joe Emenhelser, and Mike Bur
rell). 3. Berks (Kelly Dietrich, Justin Levan,
and Jill Nelman).
Overall Teem; 1. Lebanon. 2. York. 3.
Berks.
Agriculture, which put him in
touch with the Florida Agriculture
Department.
“We already delivetd 45,000
pounds of hay. I tried to get hay
locally, but had no luck. I picked
up hay in South Carolina and took
it to Florida,” he said. “I’m not
even in agriculture.”
He said that half of the load of
hay he transported went to Flagler
County, and the other half went to
Valusa County.
“It was quite interesting,” Mel
lon said. “We did a lot of driving,
obviously. We were shocked at the
amount of damage. We literally
drove over two hours and could see
evidence of the fires, and the peo
ple who were receiving the hay are
most grateful. Anyone up here
who could help, it’s greatly
appreciated.”
He said he isn’t planning to
make another run, but fortunately,
he was able to make use of his bus
iness’s trucks to haul the hay.
“The tracks were the only com
mon denominator (I have with hay
delivery), arid the will to help
them,” Mellon said.
Mellon said that it started rain
ing for the first time as they were
delivering the load of hay. He said
he brought the heat back north with
him.
/7l[ir|»yotfw earned
our support—