A264jncMtor Farming, Saturday, January 1, 2000
Some
(ConUniMd from Pag* A 1)
«»n«» named Floyd in September.
Drought Of *99
By far the biggest story was the
worst drought in the history of the
state, rivaling that of 1964 or 19SS.
In mid-June, Gov. Tom Ridge
declared a “drought warning'* for
mote than two-thirds of the state.
The warning, second of a three
tiered drought response, called for
a 10 percent voluntary reduction in
water consumption.
When producers thought the
worst was over, and some small
regions in the northcentral and
northwestern part of the state
received rain, others saw com and
soybeans emerge, wither, and die.
The July 24 Lancaster Farming
reported that a “drought emergen
cy” had been declared. The third
and most severe stage mandates
restrictions on water use.
The drought was how producers
paid the price for little snow over
the winter, little rain the spring,
and a dry, hot summer. This
resulted in dangerous low ground
water levels. Some producers,
dependent on irrigation, had to
turn of the pumps to conserve
water for livestock. Shallow wells
dried up.
Pastures dried up, too. By late
August, truckloads of hay from
Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, and
Ontario made their way to die
drought-stricken states in the
Northeast FFA chapters and other
organizations donated their time to
help unload hay. The Mennonite
Disaster Service initiated a hay
Winning Numbers from NC+
NC+ 3448 - 107 days
NC+4646-111 days
* Also available in
Clearfield, Roundup
Ready and Yield Gard Bt
versions
NC+ 5778-115 days
NC+ 58788-114 days
NC+ 7237-119 days
!
B*% Cash Discount Through January 8, 2000
Call District Sales Manager Harvey Doyle at
724-459-8580 or see one of these NC+ Dealers.
ALEXANDRIA
J CLETUS RHODES • 814-669-4705
CANTON
ED PEPPER *717-364-5242
EAST EARL
IVAN ZIMMERMAN • 717-354-5826
ELLIOTSBUR6
WAYNE FREEMAN • 717-582-2397
HALIFAX
BECHTEL FARMS, KENNETH BECHTEL
•717-896-8314
KINTNERSVILLE
WAYNE LITZENBERGER • 610-847-5563
View Past Year As One Of Opportunity;
For Others, It Was 1999 Nightmare
drive late in August after fir- need to any on sMtional debt, bines with an estimated $75 mil- j** m ifSf
mere in Michigan offered their the relief bill earmarks $6O million lien in federal aid. hrineine the tot- Deadline to apply is Feb. 25. Far
bumper crop of hay to needy far- in grants to help farmers recoup *1 for drought reUefSpennsylva- mere who want aid must apply to
mere in the East 1999 crop losses and $5.6 million to $135 mtn;™ * person at the county brandies of
EvenaslateasDecember.com in crop insurance incentives for The aid program is available to the USDA Earn Service Agency,
was amving from Canada to area this year. The state money com- farmere who can document a crop (Turn to Pag* A 2«)
producers. Silage harvest yields
were way down. Many farmers
simply disced their com grain
fields. As a result, volunteer con
on care too small to be picked
up by the combine will pose a
risk in some fields in 2000.
In 1999, the state Department of
Environmental Protection was
cautioning everyone statewide to
do their part to conserve water.
Some townships declared mandat
ory restrictions including water
rationing.
In Lancaster County, three con
secutive 100-degree days were
recorded, with more than half
dozen days total. For many coun
ties in the southeastern part of the
state, there was no rain in the cru
cial months of June and July
when com and soybeans need it
most.
As a result, in early August,
President Clinton declared West
Virginia and four contiguous
counties in southwestern Pennsyl
vania a federal disaster area.
Prior to recessing, the Pennsyl
vania Genual Assembly passed a
$65.6 million drought relief bill for
producers. Earlier on, many pro
ducer organizations were dis
quieted about a proposed low
interest loan program to aid in the
drought relief; but at the requests
of senators and representatives,
who realized producers do not
KUNKLETOWN
JEFFREY BORGER • 610-381-3785
LEBANON
CLARENCE MULL • 717-865-2037
LEWISBURG
AARON MARTIN • 717-524-2952
LEWISBURG
URIE YODER *717-524-7739
LITITZ
ELVIN HURSH* 717-733-3538
MANCHESTER
ANIMAL MEDIC *717-266-5611
MANHEIM
ARTHUR AUKER • 717-665-6627
Pennsylvania Produce is Simply Delicious. TO educate the public about fruit and
vegetable production In the state, a campaign has been cooordlnated through the
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture with the state food merchants and individual
retailers and marketers. From left, Food Merchants President David McCorkle, Weis
Markets PrasidentNoglMn Rich, State Agriculture Secretary Samuel Hayes Jr., potato
producer Keith Masdfer, and green bean grower Ronald Copenhaver.
NC+ 3A66RR
NC+ 4AI6RR
NC+ 3A87
JADE II
Roughrider
SIERRA
MOUNTJOY
VINCENT MUMMAU • 717-653-5991
RICHFIELD
SAMUEL KNOUSE • 717-463-2885
SALEM
DONALD EMEL • 609-769-1577
THOMPSONTOWN
ROGER SANER • 717-535-5307
WOODBURY
GREGG CARBAUGH • 814-766-3696
WYALUSING
ANDY CAMPBELL • 717-363-2133
<s►
down to earth
seed company
America's