USD A Promotes Environment-Friendly Milk Production
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Id an
effort to encourage more environ
mentally friendly dairy produc
tion, the U.S. Department of Agri
culture has provided financial as
sistance and technical support to a
creative group of Pennsylvania
farmers.
The farmers ate part of a new
campaign launched this week to
establish a premium Environ
mental Quality Initiative milk
label. Consumers who purchase
the specially labeled milk called,
Chesapeake Milk™, will direedy
support farmers’ efforts to prevent
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MAY GOD BLESS YOU WITH
A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
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Commitment to Agricultural Industry
Stan Michonski
Assistant Vice President
Agricultural Lending
Call (717) 581-6020
pollution from animal waste and
other sources.
“Wc have contributed funding
and expertise since 1991 to help
Pennsylvania daily farmers in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed adopt
sound conservation and manage
ment practices,** said Colicn Hef
fcran, acting administrator for
USDA’s Cooperative State Re
search, Education, and Extension
Service. “These efforts have ef
fectively reduced nutrient runoff
into streams and other bodies of
water that feed the Bay, improving
water quality.”
Thank you for your patronage during the past year.
We look forward to serving you in 1999.
LAPPS BARN EQUIPMENT
. 5935 Old Philadelphia Pike Gap, PA 17527
(717) 442-8134
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We’re locally-owned and operated. We know Lancaster County
and can respond with timely answers to your loan requests.
Whether you need financing for buildings, land, livestock or
machinery, working capital or a loan tailored to specific needs,
look to the bank that is committed to your industry and has been
for more than 135 years. Bank of Lancaster County.
At Bank of Lancaster County, we take pride in providing
our customers with exceptional service targeted toward
their specific financial needs. We understand your business.
And, we’re committed to developing long-term relationships.
Our Agricultural Lenders are available to meet with you
at a time that fits your schedule ... on your farm.
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Our name alone tells you where our interests lie.
Why not give Stan Michonski or Mary Henry a call?
We’re looking forward to talking with you about
banking on your terms ... on your farm.
Bank of Lancaster County, na.
Farmers have fenced stream
side riparian areas to keep cattle
out, built manure storage facilities
to hold animal waste until it can be
spread on fields for fertilizer, and
controlled runoff from roofs and
across barnyard areas.
Fresh Fields, a chain of grocery
markets in the mid-Atlantic re
gion, will test market the environ
mentally labeled milk for one year
beginning this week. For every '"'
half-gallon sold, 2'h cents will be
returned to the certified Pennsyl
vania dairy farmers to reward their
high environmental standards.
The Better Bank.
Another 2'h cents will be de
posited into an Environmental
Quality Initiative which will pro
vide cost-share for those fanners
who want to install conservation
practices to qualify for the EQI
program.
“Farmers have always worked
to protect the resources from
which they make their living,"
said Danny Sells, associate chief
for USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service. "This mar
keting effort brings the food pro
ducer, the retailer, and the con
sumer together to benefit the en-
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vironment"
USDA developed the environ
mental stewardship standards
used to certify a farm for partici
pation in the EQI label program. It
worked through the Cooperative
Extension Service at Pennsylvania
State University to develop a
scorecard for the farmstead
evaluation.
Twenty Gums in southeastern
Pennsylvania ate currently certi
fied to participate in the EQI label
ing program. The Roman Stoltz
foos and Mahlon Lapp Farms in
Lancaster County have served as
demonstration farms for the proj
ect and have hosted tours to pro
vide other farmers with the know
ledge of bow the conseervation
practices affect the land and their
business.
Since 1995, both USDA agen
cies have worked with the Dairy
Network Partnership of environ
mental and educational organiza
tions to develop the EQI.
The Dairy Network Partnership
is a collaboration of the Chesa
peake Bay Foundation, Pennsyl
vania Association for Sustainable
Agriculture, Pennsylvania State
University Cooperative Exten
sion, Rodale Institute, and the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency in cooperation with Sun
nydalc Farms and Natural Dairy
Products Corporation.
Local conservation districts
also provide cost-share monies for
installing conservation measures
through the Chesapeake Bay Pro
gram. Practices have been in
stalled on many farms through
partnerships of local organizations
and state and Federal agencies, lo
cal conservation districts. Trout
Unlimited, and local sportsman’s
organizations.
Mary Henry
Assistant Vice President
Agricultural Lending
Call (717) 464-4520
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Member F.D.I.C,