UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.)-The PA Department of Agri culture’s Meat Animal Evalua tion Center is accepting applica tions for PA’s Performance Test ing programs for Rams and Boars. There are a few pens still available for the Boar Testing Program. The nomination period continues for a couple more weeks for the Ram Performance Testing program. The Center will accept both fall born ram lambs bom between September Attention Receive Crop insurance Protection FREE (or better) The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) will provide $5.6 million for Crop Insurance Assistance grants to defray the cost of purchasing crop insurance in 2000 and 2001. UP Ut? The PDA Crop lnsurance Assistance Program will pay all f JtvUju crop insurance related fees making catastrophic (CAT) coverage FREE. BETTER Application deadline is March 16. Sign up today! See your local Rain and Hail agent for additional details. To locate an agent near you, visit our website: www.rainhail.com or call 1-800-776-4045 Insure your crop with the Industry Leader - Rain and Hail March Dauphin County Perry County Conewago Township Building Ickesburg Fire Hall 3279 Old Hershey RD Ickesburg, PA Elizabethtown, PA Man York County Extension Office Adams County Extension Office Rm 1 1135 Chambersburg Rd 112 Pleasant Acres Rd, York, PA Gettysburg, PA All workshops begin at 10:30 and end at 2:30. Nutritionists, Vets, Dairy Fanners and all other Agri-Business people are invited to attend. Applications Needed for PA’s Performance Testing 1, 1999 and December 31,1999, and spring bom ram lambs bom in January and February of 2000. The rams nominated will be delivered April 11, 2000. They will then be given a 7-day adjustment period. April 18, 2000, the rams will be weighed on test. The rams will be weighed every 14 days and progress reports will be sent out to owners and requesting, inter ested parties. The 84 day test will conclude July 11th and the Growers wishing to "buy-up" to higher coverage levels will receive a reduction in premium of up to 10% of the cost of the gross premium. This reduction is in ADDITION to the 25% subsidy Protection Bonus being provided by the USDA for emergency disaster assistance. Find how Bam Owl2^ irch i March Pennsylvania Farmers v**.. Crop insurance ’•V' ' »*' Serviced By “RAIN AND HAIL” "The Crop Insurance Industry Leader" You’re Invited! PA DHIA Workshop featuring George Cudoc. you the competitive edge. rams will have their average daily gain, lifetime weight per day of age and respective ratios calculated. The rams will be shorn, scan ned ultrasonically to determine fat-thickness and loin-eye area and undergo breed character and structural evaluations. The rams will have a breeding soundness exam which will in clude a comprehensive semen evaluation on the fall-born rams. After all of the objective eval- Mean give pimsrmliiii dhik uations, approximately 75% of the rams are selected to be offered in PA’s Performance Tested Ram Scale. This year is Pennsylvania’s 22nd Annual Performance Tested Ram Sale is scheduled for Saturday, August 5, 2000. The ram sale will be held in conjunction with an invi tational ewe sale and the PA Sheep Producers Field Day at P.S.U.’s Ag Arena. PA’s 25th Performance tested Boar Sale is slated for Wednes day evening, August 16, 2000. This is scheduled to coincide with Penn State’s Ag Progress Days. A pen of three boars, from one sire and from one or two litters are delivered weighing between 40 lbs. and 65 lbs. The pigs are given a 7-14 day adjustment Professional (Continued from Page A3O) able to view horses offered for sale and stallions available for breeding. One farm will even invite visitors to line dance with their Paint stallion. Breeds of horses range from popular thoroughbreds, paints, and quarter horses to the more unusual American Miniature horses, Clydesdales, Percherons, and European warmbloods. A number of stables will give visitors the opportunity to “throw a leg over” a horse or pony. Mile View Farm in Bucks County, Lauxmont Farm in York County, and Heron Mead Farm in Berks County will offer pony rides for kids both days. Foxfield Farm in Reinholds, Lancaster County, will have free pony rides and free introductory mini riding lessons, both avail able on a first-come, first-served basis. Bar Kay Stables in Man heim will offer 15-minute mini riding lessons, with reservations taken in advance, for $lO. Windy Ridge Acres in Newport, Perry County, will offer half hour trail rides for $lO and $2 pony rides. With more than 174,000 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 4, 2000-A33 period, then weighed on test. While on test, the boars are weighed every 14 days until the pen’s average weight is 240 lbs. The pen’s feed efficiency will be calculated and the boars will be scanned ultrasonically to deter mine fat thickness and loin-eye area. The boars must meet min imum requirements for struc tural correctness and soundness of movement, in addition to breeding soundness. For more information on PA’s Performance testing programs or to nominate rams or boars, please contact, Glenn Eberly, Director, Pennsylvania Depart ment of Agriculture’s Meat Animal Evaluation Center, 651 Fox Hollow Rd., State College, PA 16803, phone 814-238-2527 or 814-865-5857. Horse Farms horses, Pennsylvania ranks tilth in the nation in generation of income from the horse industry, and Pennsylvanians spend nearly two-thirds of a billion dollars a year on their horses. Most of that industry is clustered in the southeastern quadrant of the state, where the open house is centered. Complete information on the farms, including maps and di rections, will be featured in the March/April issue of Pennsylva nia Equestrian, a bimonthly newspaper for and about Penn sylvania’s horse industry, and on the world wide web at www.horseshow.com. The Open House is free. For more information, call (717) 898-5874. The following stables are among those who will partici pate in the 2000 Horse Farms Open House. • Beau Chevaux, 90 Eagle Rd., Newton, PA 18940. (215) 860-3525 or (215) 639-9119. Cutting horses, hunter/jumpers, Quarter horses. Boarding, les sons. • Dancing Star Equestrian Center, across the street from 1261 Slotter Rd., Bedminster /Perkasie, PA 18944. (215) 795-0264. Dres sage, warmbloods. • Horses LTD., 374 Worthington Mill Rd., Richboro, PA 18954. (215) 968-8841. Hunter /jumpers, lessons, training, sales. • Mile View Farm, 1355 Ferry Rd., Doyles town, PA 18901. (215) 489-0115. Dressage, hunter/jumpers, driving, lessons, training, boarding. • My Dream Farm, 1805 Allentown Rd., Quakertown, PA 18951. (215) 529-7384. www.mydreamfarm.com. American Minia ture Horses, breeding, sales. Reading/Northern Lancaster County Area • Foxfield Farm, 230 Holtzman Rd., Rein holds, PA 17569. (717) 484-2250. Thorough breds, warmbloods, dressage, eventing, hunter/jumper. Lessons, training, boarding. • Heron Mead Farm, 4903 Penn Ave., Sink ing Spring, PA 19608. (610) 678-6876. Thor oughbreds, dressage and eventing. Lessons, training, boarding. Northwest Lancaster/ Lebanon/Dauphin/Perry Area • Bar Kay Stables, RD 3 Box 360, Lawn Rd., Manheim, PA 17545. (717) 665-2009. Lessons, trail riding lessons, boarding. • Double D Stables, 1265 Mapledale Rd., Elizabethtown, PA 17022. (717) 367-2053. www.doubledstables.com. American Paint Horses, breeding, sales. (Turn to Page A 36) Bucks County