A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 18, 1999
Seedmen Discuss Industry Issues At Winter Meeting
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
CENTERVILLE (Lancaster
Co.) Issues at the forefront of
the seed industry include allega
tions of PCB contamination in fish
feed, invasive plants, and the
effects of the worst drought in Pen
nsylvania histoiy on the quality
and availability of seed.
Those and many more went
before about two dozen agri
industry representatives Wednes
day at the Pennsylvania Seed
men’s Association annual winter
meeting at the Comfort Inn,
Centerville.
At center stage for the Feed,
Grain, and Allied Industries Coun
cil of PennAg Industries, Ephrata,
is the allegation put forward by the
state fish and boat commission that
higher than U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)-approved
levels of polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) have been found
in fish species. PCBs are consid
ered poisonous industrial environ
mental pollutants that tend to accu
mulate in animal tissues.
The allegations could have large
and extensive implications for
aquaculture and the feed industry,
noted Walt Peechatka, executive
vice president of PennAg Indus
tries, who spoke at the seedsmen’s
meeting.
“This could be a very difficult
issue for the industry,” Peechatka
said.
PennAg Industries, which has
about 600 business-members, has
to work on strategies to deal with
this “front-burner” issue, noted
Peechatka.
According to the PennAg vice
11-Star Lineup
MILLHEIM (Centre Co)
On the farm of the future, con
tented cows share lush pastures
with poultry and pigs. Compost
enriched soil brims with life;
milk checks are as ample as the
grasshoppers that nourish the
chickens; purchased inputs are
low, production is high, and the
next generation of farmers
eagerly awaits their turn at the
helm.
A pipe dream? No.
A PASAbility? Definitely.
And much of the information
needed to create sustainable
systems will be available Feb. 4-
5 at the Pennsylvania
Association for Sustainable
Agriculture’s 9th annual
Farming for the Future
Conference. With an all-star cast
of presenters, including interna
tionally renown speakers
Vandana Shiva and John Todd,
considering the theme - “The
Next Agricultural Revolution:
Reclaiming the PASAbilities” -
the time will be right to learn
from those who are experiencing
successes with sustainable sys
tems and who believe in their
importance.
Roman Stoltzfoos, a
Lancaster County dairy farmer,
has returned to dairy’s roots, so
to speak, with his profitable
grass-based system Those who
attended the PASA-sponsored
field day at the Stoltzfoos’s
Spring Wood Farm this past July
saw first-hand how the farm
operates At the conference,
Stoltzfoos will give additional
insight into Spring Wood’s eco
nomic success; Arden Landis,
Kim Miller, and Russ Tomlinson,
all Pennsylvania graziers, will
also speak on dairy and beef
grass-based systems.
president, the FDA ceiling for
PCBs in feed is 2 parts per million
(ppm). All feed tested meets the
FDA standard. But the fish and
boat commission and the Depart
ment of Environmental Protection
(DEP) have adopted the Great
Lakes Standard of .06 ppm of
PCBs in the actual fish.
Earl Haas, chief of the Division
of Agronomic Services of the Pen
nsylvania Department of Agricul
ture’s bureau of Plant Industry,
said the PCB issue “fell into our
laps.”
At one time, because of evi
dence of PCBs detected in certain
species, the fish and boat commis
sion and the game commission
announced that people shouldn’t
eat fish. The commissions have
since rescinded, Haas noted.
“They are pointing the finger at
feed with no scientific evidence
that feed is involved in any way,”
he said. Of the sampled feeds,
“none of the feeds arc anywhere
near the tolerance level” of the
FDA, said Haas.
The feed targeted areas, noted
the agronomic services chief,
include the byproducts, including
animal fats, which most likely
would contain above-permitted
levels of PCBs.
Until strategies can be deve
loped, the seed industry has to
work closely with PennAg to
ensure ways to protect the feed
industry.
Peechatka noted that the state
fish and state game commissions
are independent agencies, not
under the auspices of the gover
nor's policy office, according to
the PennAg vice president So it is
‘Reclaim The PASAbilities,’At Farming For The Future Conference
On the poultry side, Diane
Kauffman, from Wisconsin, edi
tor of the American Pastured
Poultry Producers Association’s
“Grit,” and Ray Bolton of
Kutztown will talk about raising
chickens on grass.
“From starting the chicks to
the barbeque ending, I will walk
you through the process to point
out the pitfalls along the way,
facilities needed, equipment,
type of chicken, etc.,” Bolton
said.
Conference attendees will
also hear from New Hampshire
orchardist Michael Phillips (a
civil engineering grad from Penn
State) on growing fruit trees
organically; Dr. Elaine R.
Ingham, president of the
Oregon-based Soil Foodweb Inc.,
on improving the soil foodweb in
order to improve plant produc
tion and on making the best use
of compost and Argyle, N.Y.
organic vegetable/fruit farmers
Paul and Sandy Arnold on sea
son extension for small-farm
profitability.
Keynote speakers are
Vandana Shiva and John Todd.
Shiva, author, Alternative
Nobel Peace Prize winner, envi
ronmentalist, and a panelist at
numerous hearings during the
recent World Trade Organization
conference in Seattle, is an out
spoken advocate for traditional,
sustainable farming practices,
biodiversity, and the preserva
tion of native seeds.
Todd, author, ecological
designer, lauded by both the
United Nations Environmental
Program and the United States’
Environmental Protection
Agency for his environmental
work, is perhaps most well
known for his “Living Machines”
Speakers at the Pennsylvania Seedmen’s Association winter meeting Wednesday
included, from left, Steve Smith, outgoing president; Fred Mohr, incoming president;
Earl Haas, chief of the Division of Agronomic Services, PDA Bureau of Plant Industry;
Steve Deßroux, assistant professor of agronomy and environment sciences, Dela
ware Valley College; and Don Wertman.
difficult to ensure cooperation on
the side of agriculture.
“It’s not going to be easy,” said
Peechatka.
Peechatka noted that PennAg
Industries is moving from its
Ephrata office on Jan. 4 to a new
address: Northwoods Office Cen
ter, Suite 39,2215 Forest Hills Dr.,
Harrisburg, Pa 17112. The phone
number was unavailable as of
presstime.
Because of the move, PennAg is
advertising three positions that,
because of the move, have been
wastewater treatment systems
He echoes William McDonough,
1999 conference keynote speak
er, when he speaks of redesign
ing cities and towns to treat
their own wastes, to heat their
own buildings, and to produce
their own food.
Other conference workshops
Ag Dept. Approves
Beef,
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)
Meat packers have received long
awaited approval to start irradiat
ing beef, pork, and lamb to kill
deadly bacteria and other organ
isms. Whether shoppers will go for
ground beef or pork chops that
have been zapped remains to be
seen.
Irradiation “is not the most
attractive tenn. It would have been
nicer if it had been called 'cold
pasteurization,”* said Tim Willard,
a spokesman for the National Food
Processors Association.
It is the only known method to
eliminate deadly E. coli 0157:H7
bacteria in raw meat The tech
nique also can significantly reduce
levels of other pathogens, includ
ing listeria, salmonella and Campy
lobacter, according to the USDA.
Initially, irradiated meat is like
ly to be most popular with hospi
tals and nursing homes because of
the danger E. coli poses to patients
with weakened immune systems,
said Carol Tucker Foreman, a dis
tinguished fellow with the Con
sumer Federation of America.
“I don’t expect you’re going to
vacated. They include bookkeeper,
director of communications (a per
son to handle publications and
news releases), and a secretary.
The move is a big transition for
the 120-year-old organization,
noted Peechatka. Some staff mem
bers have been with the organiza
tion for 10 and 20 years.
PennAg also has been working
closely with S.B. 300, amend
ments to the Municipalities Plan
ning Code. The bill is the “bible"
for local governments, said Peech
atka, in terms of agriculture expan-
will consider timely topics such
as genetically modified organ
isms, seed stock and seed owner
ship, community supported agri
culture and value-added mar
keting. As usual, there will be an
abundance of workshops on
rotational grazing, organic veg
etable production, and compost-
Pork Irradiation
get it for sale at McDonald’s any
lime soon. It takes a while to build
the facilities,” she said.
Irradiation has been approved
for poultry since 1992 and is under
consideration for hot dogs, lunch
meats, and other ready-to-eat
products.
“While there is no single silver
bullet to cure all food safety prob
lems, irradiation has been shown
to be both safe and effective,”
Agriculture Secretary Dan Click
man said recently in giving final
approval to the program.
Labels on irradiated products
will have to carry the international
symbol for irradiation, known as a
“radura," and a statement that the
products were treated. The sym
bol, colored green on a white back
ground, depicts two leaves testing
in a semicircle, with a green dot
above it beneath a broken-lined
sion and new enterprises. PennAg
is working to ensure that agricul
ture is protected in the amend
ments. It has passed the Senate and
is in the House.
Peechatka noted that the Clinton
Administration has been working
on a new food safety initiative for
eggs. The initiative is modeled
after the Pennsylvania Egg Quality
Assurance Program (PEQAP).
The Poultry Council arm of Pen
nAg Industries has recently been
granted a $50,000 grant from the
(Turn to Pag* A 33)
ing. The event includes a return
of the 'popular “Rotational graz
ing Feast,” a celebratory ban
quet of regional sustainably and
organically produced food.
For conference registration
information, contact PASA at
P.O. Box 419, Millheim, PA
16854, (814) 349-9856, or
www.pasafarming.org
semicircle. Sausage that contains
irradiated meat also will have to be
labeled.
Several companies, including
Con Agra Inc., one of the nation's
biggest meat packers, have said
they plan to use irradiation. But
processors say the government
needs to undertake a public educa
tion campaign to convince con
sumers that irradiation is safe.
“Ultimately, consumers’ purch
ase behavior will drive the availa
bility of this product,” said J. Pat
rick Boyle, president of the-Amcri
can Meat Institute. “If consumers
embrace the product, the industry
is in the business of meeting con
sumer demand, and we will
respond with more irradiated
products.”
E. coli 0157:H7 can cause seri
ous illness and sometimes death,
especially in children and the
elderly.