A2B-Lancaater Fanning, Saturday, January 1, 2000 Past Year (Continued from Pago A 26) Act 57, the drought relief pack age, is the largest in Pennsylvania history, according to state Sen. Noah Wenger (R-36). In mid-November, die Ridge Administration announced that donated hay was available for drought-stricken farmers. More than 350 tons of donated hay became available to farmers most severely affected by the drought Pennsylvania farmers suffered more than $5OO million in crop loss because of the drought Farmers incurred an additional $2OO million in dairy, livestock production, and special ty crop losses. Gov. Ridge's drought-assistance plan also includes a rebate program to partially reimburse eligible Pen nsylvania farmers for hay purchases and long distance hay transporta tion costs incurred dur ing the fall and winter months. A $6O rebate will be provided for each ton of hay pur chased in the state. A $5O rebate will be pro vided for each ton of hay purchased out of state. A $25 rebate will be provided for each ton of hay to help defray long distance transportation costs. To be eligible, far mers must have realized a minimum 30 percent loss on crops intended for livestock feed, including pasture, because of the drought Also, about $300,000 in user fees that farmers pay have been waived by the departments of agriculture and labor and industry. The fees include veterinary laboratory diagnostic, pesticide license, seed certification, and sea sonal farm labor registration fees. Grain producers, hay producers, produce far mers, Christmas tree growers, and others who market farm commodi ties reported to Lancas ter Farming that, easily, 1999’s drought was by far the worst they had ever seen. What will 2000 bring? The continuation of the La Nina event, which normally brings precipitation to the East and West coasts, nor mally causes drought in the Midwest Areas of the Midwest arc dry and forecasters arc keeping a wary eye. Will Dairies Survive? The state’s dairy industry, long depen dent on government price support and con trols, continued to move toward (he unpredicta bility and chaodc up and-down {vices of a a free-market based system. Late in August, the USDA announced that fanners voted in a n»Hn«i«l referendum early in August to con solidate the current 31 federal milk marketing ados into 11. Other reforms were supported, including the minimum pricing of Class I (drinking) milk. The milking marketing order program ensures the fair marketing and pricing of milk. The reforms take effect today. While leaders of the state's dairy industry were undecided and divided about joining the North east Dairy Compact in mid- February this year, by late April, the Senate approved Dairy Com pact legislation, authorizing Pen nsylvania to join the Northeast Interstate Daily Compact A supply management program was necessary. A hearing was set in early May to gather testimony on a proposal to establish a supply management program. hr mid-June, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved the Northeast Daily Compact legislation on the SB. 365. hi July, a group of dairy farmers met in Lancaster at the Farm and Home Center as part of a series of meetings to launch the USDA Risk Management Agency’s Dairy Options Pilot Program. The nationwide program was designed to help dairy farmers transition completely away from federal government price support prog rams. Pennsylvania was selected as die first state to participate. And they needed to get serious about die new pricing philoso phies, too. By early December, the basic formula price of milk reach ed the lowest price in 21 years, hi an editorial, Lancaster Farming noted:' “At 9.79 per hundred weight, we say this is a terribly sad day for dairy farmers. Not only is the shock of a 30 to 40 percent reduction in die dairymen's milk check from one month to the next unbelievable, but die increase in production costs from the need to purchase hay because of the drought this summer adds a double blow to the ability to make a living, or even pay production costs.’’ Those production costs can vary from $lO to $l4 per hundred weight (according to the ag statis tics service, about $1347 per hun dredweight), depending on the overall feed system and other factors. “Goodbye, dairy farmers, we’re (Turn to Pago AM)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers