Historic Extremes
(Continued from Pago A 26)
to collectively add value to the his
torically top cash crop of the
region.
In a similar, though seemingly
unsuccessful effort, a series of
meetings were held by people
attempting to create and organize
an effective national milk pricing
organization.
Calling itself the American Raw
Milk Producers Pricing Associa
tion, its leaders compared itself to
the Regional Cooperative Market
ing Agency (RCMA) which
attempted to secure appropriate
payment of premiums to farmers.
RCMA’s weakness appeared to
be its lack of control of product
supply, its regionally, and a reluc
tance on the part of dairy proces
sors and buyers to welcome the
agency.
Continuing along daily lines,
established daily farmer coopera
tives continued to merge and enter
into joint ventures with domestic
and fotcign-owned businesses, as
the cooperatives continue to work
to control supply, production and
product quality in an attempt to
control profit
The 22,000-dairy fanner mcm-
ber Dairy Farmers of America Inc.,
one of the bigger national coopera
tives with joint ventures in New
Zealand and Europe, recently
announced another merger, this
one with the Independent
Cooperative Milk Producers Asso
ciation out of Grand Rapids, Mich.
Land O’ Lakes Inc., a compet
ing large dairy and agricultural
supply cooperative recently
announced its own labeled line of
dairy production cleaning and
supply products.
Dean Foods Inc. continued to
pursue purchases of small dairy
processors across the nation and
locally purchased Wcngert’s
Dairy, a highly respected long
time family owned operation noted
for its top quality milk and dairy
products.
The Middle Atlantic Milk
Marketing Association (MAM
MA) technically still exists,
though on paper only. In effect it
merged with two smaller milk
promotion organizations. Legally
it can't
MAMMA, a dairy promotion
and marketing organization
funded by dairy farmers, in June
announced it had concluded a
“consolidation of operations” with
two newly merged dairy
councils Dairy Council Inc.
and the Dairy Council of Greater
Metropolitan Washington, D.C.
The Pennsylvania Poultry Fed
eration held its last banquet this
year as it merged into the Penn Ag
Industries Association (PAIA), a
full-spectrum umbrella agribusi
ness industry association.
The Poultry Federation joined
some other major business sector
groups in becoming a “council”
within the PAIA, which also
serves as a sort of roundtable for
agriculture.
For those concerned with rural
health, the merger of the Penn
State health system with the Gei
singer health system was officially
approved by the state attorney gen
eral, who declared that the new
organization is set to provide better
access to health services for more
people.
In other business news, the lead
ership for Lancaster Fanning
changed hands.
One of the original founders and
former owner of the newspaper,
after almost 43 years, Robert
Campbell retired in June as general
manager, and was replaced by
William Burgess.
In animal health issues, in
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March avian influenza was con
firmed on two farms in Lancaster
County, although there were no
other reports for the year.
That came as welcome releif
following more than a year of the
troublesome disease cropping up
occasionally on different farms,
mostly in Lancaster County.
The state Department of Agri
culture held its first Avian Health
Symposium in January, an event
expected to be repeated as the
industry seeks ways to prevent and
fight disease, and also discover
methods for recovering losses due
to communicable disease
condemnations.
Also announced was a statewide
psuedorabies control program with
the goal of eradication by 2000.
John Enck Jr. was hired to fill
the directorship of the state Bureau
of Animal Health and Diagnostic
Service, left vacant with the retire
ment of Dr. Max Van Bus kirk.
The state also had several prog
rams undated this past year in an
attempt to provide better service
and government.
PennDOT and other agencies
collaborated to offer a Dirt and
Gravel Roads program whereby a
series of seminars were offered to
the state’s roadmasters who deal
with the state's 27,000 miles of dirt
and gravel roads.
These roads are key sources of
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sedimentation and storm water
pollution of critical and sensitive
tributary streams across the state.
The educational program offered
support and technical resources for
those seeking to comply with reg
ulations and rebuild or maintain
their roadways for durability and
efficiency, as well as environmen
tal compatibility.
Continuing along environmen
tal issues, Maryland's political
leaders apparently reinforcing
the observation that perception is
reality in politics reacted
strongly to an unscientifically
made relationship between the
farming nutrient phosphorus and
an aquatic organism in the Chesa
peake Bay.
The result is Maryland’s gover
nor proposing and the Maryland
Legislature approving perhaps the
toughest nutrient management reg
ulations in the country, focusing
on phosphorus as well as nitrogen,
and calling for the shipping of
manure out of areas where soil
levels of nutrients are high.
The organism (pfisteria) that
killed some menhadden in late
summer 1997 is suspected in caus
ing memory loss in watermen
exposed to the same waters in the
Bay.
However, the pfisteria problem
was somehow linked to phosphor
us levels in the Chesapeake.
Concern about some
other pGsteria problems
in the Carolinas and
with water problems in
the Mid West where the
building of confinement
hog raising operations
has exploded in recent
years were included in
the “better safe than sor
ry” reasoning for the
Maryland legislative
reaction to a fairly
unsubstantiated envir
onmental assumption.
However, the effect
of phosphorus concerns
didn’t remain in
Maryland.
The federal govern
ment, especially the
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency,
issued new rules for
states for complying
with the national Clean
Water Act and the
National Pollution Dis
charge Elimination Sys
tem, whereby permits
are required for concen
trated livestock opera
tions, called concen
trated animal feeding
operations (CAFOs).
The permits effec
tively would call for
nutrient management
planning.
The USDA and EPA
later in the year issued a
Unified Joint Strategy
for Animal Feeding
Operations. In short, the
strategy calls for all
livestock operations to
develop and implement
nutrient management
plans.
Meanwhile, Pennsyl
vania’s Nutrient Man
agement Act regulations
have been under consid
eration for revision in
order to comply with the
EPA CAFO
requirements.
In testimony, envir
onmental groups are
now pressuring for
national nutrient man
agement plans that
would limit manure