831 P 3 ***
036034 053199
PERIODICALS DIVISION 048
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
WZO9 PATTE LIBRARY
UNIV PARK PA 16802
Vol. 44 No. 32
All of the Rothenberger exfcti ded family enjoy working with the public it’* what
their farm is all about. MerrymeacL which includes a farm market and a retail flower
«S
Maynard, Betty Jean, Mark, Jewel, Scott, Mary, Carol, Linda, and Donna. At far right is
Steve Quigley, farm general manager. See story page A 22. Photo by Andy Andrews
Growers Learn Importance Of Proper Conditions For Thinning,
Protecting Trees From Deer Damage, At Orchard Tour
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
BOYERTOWN (Berks Co.)
Thinning and protecting apple
trees from the ravages of disease
amt deer, ensuring good fruit dur-
Sam and Bev Minor combine dairy industry leadership
with running a restaurant, store and catering business on
their Washington County dairy term. On page 82, read
S£k MteoS. thelrtemlly. and longw.ll mining that
threaten, to destroy their 200-year-old farmhouse and
bam. Photo by Lou Am Good.
Four Sections
ing a season full of unknowns, pre
sents great challenges to orchard
managers.
About 85 growers and agri
industry representatives found
exactly how to use thinners proper
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 12, 1999
ly and took home insight into pro
tecting trees from deer and insect
damage recently during the Penn
State-sponsored Southeast Pen
nsylvania Fruit Growers Twilight
Tour at Kcim Orchards in
Boyertown.
For thinners to work on apple
trees, you need “a lot of real cloudy
weather,” said Dr. George Greene,
Pom State Fruit Research and
Extension Center, Biglerville.
“You need cloudy weather three
days in a row, and warm nights
Day Brothers
First Sibling
DJM Finalists
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
SHIPPENSBURG (Cumber
land Co.) For the first time in
the history of the Holstein USA
breed organization, a pair of
brothers arc national finalists com
peting for the title of distinguished
junior member.
David and Matthew Day, sons
of Curtis and Ann Day erf Tri-Day
Holstcins in rural Shippensburg,
ate both in the tunning for the
honor, with the winner to
be announced at the Holstein USA
convention, June 19-22, in Boise
Idaho.
Both youth are to be flown to the
Boise convention courtesy of the
(Turn to Pag* A2S)
$31.00 Per Year
Pa. House Approves
N.E. Dairy Compact
Legislation 183-18
VERNON ACHENBACH JR-
Lancastcr Fanning Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The state House of Rep
resentatives on Wednesday
approved, 183-18, an amended
version of proposed legislation
that would authorize Pennsylvania
to join the Northeast Interstate
Dairy Compact, should the U.S.
Congress reauthorize the Compact
and the addition of Mid-Atlantic
states.
The House action on Senate Bill
365 (S.B. 365) came quickly this
week
ft followed on the heels of a
press release made June 4 by Gov.
Tom Ridge that staled his support
of the state Legislature’s efforts to
enable Pennsylvania to join the
Compact, with conditions.
Up until the Friday news
release, the Ridge Administration
had not been politically involved.
The renditions were not made
specific, but according to various
sources close to the issue, they
then trees can be more easy to thin.
Some will drop without thinner at
all."
In a demonstration area, Greene
said a commercial variety of thin
ner W as demonstrated on several
rows of 12-year-old Law Romo
apple trees. Spray was applied
mostly on May 21 this year at dif
ferent rates. Five different treat
ments were applied, compared to
one (heck.
At 10 parts per million (ppm).
Masonic Homes in Elizabethtown contains one of the
country’s last “institution’’ orchards. John Andrews, left,
and Tad Kuntz, orchard supervisor, outside the farm mark
et The orchard is profiled in this issue’s Grower A Marketer
pages starting on Cl. Photo by Andy Andrew »
600 Per Copy
dealt with deciding who should
represent Pennsylvania to the
Compact Commission.
On Thursday Tom Charles, a
spokesperson in Gov. Ridge’s
press office, said, “The Ridge
Administration continues to work
with House and Senate leaders on
the specific wording for Pennsyl
vania to join the Compact. We re
hopeful the General Assembly will
send a satisfactory bill to the gov
ernor shortly.”
Charles said he could not say
what specific measures were being
sought by the Administration and
Gov. Ridge.
Despite the House approval, and
SB. 365 apparently on track to
being approved, there are House
and Senate agricultural leaders
who continue to hold “serious"
reservations about the wisdom of
pursuing Compact control of the
dairy industry.
The main theme of concern is
that small-herd, family run dairy
(Turn to Page A 36)
the thinner didn’t take enough
apples off, leaving some viable
fruit in clusters. In areas where a
higher dose, 15 ppm, there were
“plenty of clusters here too
many," Greene said. At the low
rate of 5 ppm, there was “still not
enough thinning,** said Greene. In
another sampling at 10ppm,“Istill
see some clusters with three or
mote,” -he told the tour group.
Using thinner can be both a sci-
(Turn to Page A3l)