Lancaster Farmland Trust At
Land Conservation Conference
MADISON, Wis. dust as
the issue of sprawl and the
unremitting loss of open space
are grabbing the public’s atten
tion, Tbm Stouffer, Karen Weiss,
and Heidi Lundy of Lancaster
Farmland Trust joined more
than 1,000 officials, landowners,
and volunteers from hundreds of
land trusts at the 1998 National
Land Trust Rally, the nation’s
largest gathering devoted to
land conservation.
The conference was held Oct.
17-20 in Madison, Wis. Stouffer
is executive director of
Lancaster Farmland Trust,
Weiss is director of land preser
vation, and Lundy is a preserva
tion specialist.
“The Rally is always instruc
tive and inspirational,” said
Weiss. “But this year, it was
especially important because
the Land Trust Alliance, which
sponsors the Rally, just released
new information about substan
tial gains made by local and
regional land trusts during the
past decade.”
The Land Trust Alliance
(LTA), the national organization
working to strengthen the land
Hatfield To Require
Level HI Certification
HATFIELD (Montgomeiy Co.)
Hatfield Quality Meats has
announced that, effective July 1,
1999, all producers marketing
bogs to the company are required
to have Pork Quality Assurance
(PQA) Level 111 certification.
In March this year. National
Pork Producers Council (NPPQ
delegates passed a resolution to
encourage packers across the U.S.
to require PQA Level HI certifica
tion for all producers by Jan. 1,
2000.
Hatfield supports the program
and has encouraged producers to
become PQA Level 111 Certified.
In fact, according to a company
news release of Oct. 5, many of the
producers marketing hogs to the
Dairylea Reviews Year
SYRACUSE, N.Y. Dairylea
Cooperative Inc. posted a strong
financial and operational perfor
mance in fiscal year 1998,
according to Clyde E.
Rutherford, the cooperative’s
president at their annual meet
ing in Liverpool, N.Y.
During his presentation to
members and industry leaders,
Rutherford noted that despite
the hectic pace change within
the dairy industry, the coopera
tive remains focused on maxi
mizing net returns at the farm
and committed to improving the
quality of life for all of its mem
bers by being financially sound,
paying members a highly com
petitive price for their milk, pro
viding programs and services
that have a positive impact on
members’ bottom line, and being
an advocate for farmers on leg
islative matters.
Profits for the cooperative
totaled $1.4 million, with premi
ums paid to members totaling
$23 million. Dairylea marketed
10 percent more milk than last
year totaling almost five bil
lion pounds. The cooperative’s
milk sales increased to approxi
mately $723 million.
Rutherford reported that
most of the cooperative’s exist
ing programs and services for
members were upgraded,
expanded and enhanced in 1998.
conservation movement and
land trusts across the country,
released Oct. 1 its Land Trust
Census, showing that local and
regional land trusts conserved
more than 4.7 million acres, a
135 percent increase over
acreage protected as of 1988.
The Census also reported that
the number of land trusts has
grown to 1,213, a 63 percent
increase over the 7653 land
trusts operating in 1988.
The Census shows that in
Pennsylvania, 75 land trusts
have protected more than
59,000 acres—nearly a tenth of
that the agricultural land (86
farms) preset/ed by Lancaster
Farmland Trust.
Stouffer, Weiss and Lundy
attended a number of workshops
and field trips during the Rally,
and Stouffer presented a session
entitled “Saving Farms and
Farmers, Not Just Farmland.”
The key element of the session
was Stouffer’s focus on the need
for continuing benefits to own-'
ers of preserved farms—benefits
should eventually help reduce
up-front easement costs.
company have done so. Two
thirds of the hogs marketed at Hat
field are marketed by Level HI
producers.
The company noted that Level
111 certification is not difficult to
achieve. Producers must complete
an educational program and have a
verifier confirm their understand
ing of the outlined good produc
tion practices.
Hatfield plans to sponsor sever
al meetings throughout the com
pany’s local buying area to help
producers become Level 111
certified.
If you are not already Level 111,
or if your certification is due to
expire, according to Hatfield, you
will receive an invitation to attend
one of these meetings.
Fixed forward price contracting,
bulk buying and leasing pro
grams all • saw an increase in
member activity.
Additionally, Rutherford
reported, Dairylea’s insurance
subsidiary, Agri-Service
Agencies (ASA), continued its
pattern of growth and now
insures more than 25,000 farm
ers and agribusiness owners
nationally. He pointed out that
ASA is a recognized leader in
providing cost-saving workers’
compensation coverage. At the
same time, ASA continues to
expand its product line, and now
offers long term care insurance
that covers the cost of nursing
home and other long-term care
services.
According to Rutherford,
Dairy One Dairylea’s infor
mation technology venture with
Northeast DHIA expanded
and improved laboratory test
ing, information reporting and
support services. Similarly, he
reported that Dairylea’s live
stock marketing subsidiary
Empire Livestock Marketing
Inc. experienced heightened
activity and business volume,
while posting solid profits.
Dairylea Cooperative is a
Syracuse-based agricultural ser
vice organization, cooperatively
owned by more than 2,800 farm
ers throughout the Northeast.'
$760,000 For This Standardised Mare
Continetal Victory is led around the auction ring in the Small Arena of the Pennsyl
vania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, as auctioneers with Vernon Martin and
Associates seek any additional interest in the horse, as the $760,000 price is posted
on the digital display above the horse and auctioneers. The display also indicates the
sales catalog number and the fact that the mare is in foal. The 60th anniversary Harris
burg auction of the Standardbred Horse Sales Company, sponsored by Hanover Shoe
Farms in York County, saw one of the best breeding mares ever offered sell for
$760,000, the second-highest price paid for a Standardbred at auction, according to
the breed registry organization, U.S. Trotters Association.
Out standing
in vour field.
The Agri-specialists from Farmers First aren’t a bunch of deskbound bankers
waiting around for the phone to ring. We get involved with you. Right-where
you live and work. We lend the money farmers need to keep growing,
And, we can help your business in a lot of other ways, too
We talk the talk. And we walk the walk
(wherever that might lead us)
ANDY TERRELL
(717) 626-4735
EXT. 264
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 14, 1998-A27
The Agri-specialists
FARMERS
- FIRST [MKK
A SUSQUEHANNA BANC
Monitor FOIC
JAY HERSLjEY
(717) 768-8256