Agway Announces Valuable New Service: Futures Trading DEWITT, N.Y. Agway Fu tures Trading (AFT), a new ser vice just launched by the North east’s largest agricultural coopera tive, now allows fanners to better control profitability in crop and milk production, and the buying of feed. The undertaking recently gained CFTC approval to do busi ness on all futures exchange mar kets. By using futures trading to their advantage, agribusiness owners can successfully hedge against vo latile prices, bad weather, poor growing seasons, and other vari ables which threatten their livcly hood. Futures trading offers an oppor tunity to combat market volatility by locking in a set price for the sale of their commodities or the purchase of their supplies. This gives them better control of cer tain costs and makes it possible to more accurately forecast results. ■H ■ "JW., „ To create excitement among 1,200 of Its parts dealers, New Holland North America held Its fall dealer meeting at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dealers experienced hands-on product training and attended marketing and merchandising seminars. New Holland Trains Dealers In Unique Way NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster Co.) Breaking tradition, Peter Bond, the parts business unit man ager for New Holland North America, moved the company’s 1998 fall dealer meeting from a hotel conference room to the fast lane. More than 1,200 New Holland North American parts dealers par ticipated in the two-day meeting, which was held for five separate groups over a 10-day period at the newly built Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada. The infield suites at the track were converted into small class rooms where dealers attended hands-on product training semi nars. The media center was used for the hospitality center. And the garage that generally hums with busy stock car teams on race day became a full-scale New Holland Business * News “American farmers are among the most productive in the world,” said AFT President Richardson B. Smith. “They are experts in the art of producing crops and milk, and at AFT we’d like to help them to become just as proficient with the marketing of their production and the buying of their feed.” The new company employs a staff of highly trained, knowledgeable futures trading ad visers. AFT, an owned subsidiary of Agway Inc., is unique in its ability to combine knowledge of the fiitures markets with know ledge of available marketing alter natives. “Unlike many brokerage firms whose employees are paid on commission and must constantly push their customers to make trades, our approach will empha size what is best for the customer, not the broker,” said Smith. parts store, where the dealers learned the latest in marketing and merchandising techniques. “We knew that holding the an nual meeting at the racetrack would generate excitement among the dealers,” Bond said. “But what’s really pleased us is how the dealers took the experience and enthusiasm home with them. The result of any dealer meeting should be improved knowledge and service, and that’s definitely what we’re seeing.” In the weeks after the meeting, New Holland field personnel throughout North America report ed that many dealers were imple menting the marketing skills they learned in Las Vegas. “Obviously, that’s our goal,” he said. “It’s been especially gratifying to hear the dealers tell us they’re motivated because of how we put this meet ing on at the racetrack.” Ot mi? EPHRATA (Lancaster Co ) Leon Z Martin recently retired from the board of directors of The Ephrata National Bank after serving more than 14 years Martin is president of Martin Paving, Inc Brickerville, a com pany he founded in 1974. Martin serves as chairman of the board of Lighthouse Rehab, Blue Ball, and is a board mem ber of Woodcrest Retreat, Ephrata, as well as Day Seven Ministries, Elizabethtown. To commemorate Martin’s retirement from the bank’s board of directors, fellow direc tors and spouses held a retire ment dinner for him and his wife at the Olde Lincoln House, Ephrata, Jan. 28. Ephrata National Bank has announced that Robert J. Hamilton FV will replace Martin on its board of directors. Hamilton, born in Lancaster and raised in Akron, is the son of Grace (Hess) Hamilton of Akron and the late Robert J. Hamilton, 111, who formerly served on Ephrata National’s board of directors. Hamilton is president of Herbicide Thwarts Canada Thistle FELTON (York Co.) In Pennsylvania, the issue is not whether you have Canada thistle, it’s how much Canada thistle you have. But a newly registered, post emergence com herbicide takes down Canada thistle as well as tackles triazine-resistant lambs quarters, pigweed, and other tough annual and perennial broadleaf weeds. W' “Distinct® herbicide, which is a reduced risk pesticide, is the first product from a new class of chemistry known as semicarba zones,” said BASF Corporation agronomist Bill O’Neal. “The ac tive ingredient, difulfenzopyr, is the first new mode of action avail able to com growers in nearly a decade.” Diflufenzopyr is unique be cause it works much more quickly than the modes of action currently available to com growers, O’neal explains. Unlike other herbicides, when Distinct is sprayed it im mediately begins to restrict hor mone movement in the plant. Since the hormone* cannot be transported throughout the weed for development, they accumulate at the growth points of the weed. The weed essentially overdoses on hormones and dies. Felton com grower Bill Rinas witnessed the quick performance of Distinct last summer. “We saw a fast take-down of Canada thistle and slower grass control that seemed to keep new seedlings from coming up,” said Rinas, who had an Experimental Use Permit (EUP) plot on his farm during the 1998 season. “We also dug up roots in the fall and there was no regrowth.” “Distinct looked very good,” he continues. “I was impressed with the control of Canada thistle and all of the other broadleaf weeds present, including lambsquarters, pigweed and velvetleaf. We also saw some residual control of grasses.” Herbistatic grass control, or grass suppressions, in addition to broad-spectrum, broadleaf weed control, are not the only advantage Distinct offers Pennsylvania com growers. “Distinct is not prone to resistance,” said BASF Field Biologist Gar Thomas, Chesa- Martin Retires From ENB’s Board Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 20, 1999-07 Leon Z. Martin Hamilton Equipment, Inc., an agricultural machinery distribu tion company based in Ephrata and founded by his father in 1938. Hamilton is also president of Hamilton Distribution, Inc., a paint company based in Leola. Hamilton was graduated from Gettysburg College in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in busi ness administration. He was graduated with honors from Babson College, Babson Park, peake City, Md. “Distinct is effec tive across all tillage types, from no-till to conventional tillage, which is a nice fit for Pennsylva nia, and Distinct has no rotation restrictions or carryover concerns to following year crops.” That is important for corn growers like Rinas who also raise soybeans, wheat, barley and some sorghum. “We did not have any drift problems,” said Rinas, who sprayed the EUP plot on his farm himself. “Distinct was easy to mix. The sprayer was easy to clean out, and there was no resi due.” Rinas first applied Bicep®, Prowl® and Gramoxone® as a preemergence treatment over his entire EUP plot. For postemer gence control, he sprayed half of the plot with 6 ounces per acre of Distinct and the other half with a tank mix of Beacon® and Ban vel® herbicide. “Side by side, the Hamilton Becomes Pulverizer EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.) R J Equipment, Blenheim, On tario, Canada, has appointed Hamilton Equipment, Inc. as the exclusive wholesale distributor of their R J Transpacker soil pulver izers. R J Equipment manufactures soil pulverizers in single gang pull-type models, hydraulic wing x-fold models, and the popular RJF hydraulic wing flat-fold soil pulverizers. All models are avail able in 15-inch smooth/sprocket wheels, 18-inch smooth/sprocket wheels, 20-inch crowfoot wheels, and 20-inch ductile notched wheels for rocky conditions. Hamilton Equipment, Inc., Ephrata, Pa., and Raphine, Va„ is a wholesale distributor of farm equipment for Pennsylvania, New ttUY. SELI.TRAPE OR (CLfISSIFIgP APS) PHONE 717-626*1164 or 717-394-3047 FAX 717-733-6058 Mon . Tues . Wed . Fri. 8 AM to 5 PM. Thurs 7 AM to 5 PM Robert J. Hamilton IV Mass, with a Master’s degree in business administration. In addition to serving as a past president of the Farm Equipment Wholesalers Association, Hamilton serves as a trustee of the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Mass, is a board member of the Canterbury Shaker Village, Canterbury, New Hampshire, and serves on the acquisition committee of the Heritage Center in Lancaster. control Distinct provided was very impressive,” he said. BASF Sales Representative Ted Huhn, Elkton, Md„ agrees. “Distinct controls everything bet ter than the Beacon/Banvel com bination,” he said. “Beacon/Ban vel only suppresses Canada this tle, where Distinct has very good activity on it.” Distinct can be paired with other preemergence herbicides or a postemergence grass herbicide for a total weed control program. Huhn typically recommends growers use Guardsman® herbi cide as a preemergence treatment to keep weeds from getting too big before Distinct is applied as a postemergence treatment. “The best application time for Distinct is when com is small (4-10 inches),” he said. “Distinct provides excellent knockdown and in-season residual control through crop canopy.” Distributor R J Equipment manufac tures soil pulverizers in single gang pull-type mod els, hydraulic wing x-fold models, and the popular RJF hydraulic wing flat-fold soil pulverizers. Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Vir ginia, and West Virginia. Hamil ton Equipment has a network of approximately 1,000 dealers to sell and service R J Equipment. RENT THROUGH THE
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