A3B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 11, 2000
Hayes Issues Treatment Orders For Plum p ox Orchards
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.)-Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture Secretary Samuel
E. Hayes Jr. issued “treatment
orders” for plum pox infected
orchards in Adams County.
“In an attempt to protect the
stone fruit growers and the re
lated fruit industries of Adams
County and Pennsylvania,” said
Hayes, “I am asking that the
orchards infected with plum pox
virus be destroyed. While the de
struction of orchards is an un
pleasant task, it is what is
necessary from a biosecurity
standpoint.”
There is no alternative to de
struction, Hayes said.
The “treatment orders” re
quire that the infected orchards
are to be removed by April 1.
There are approximately 218
acres of infected trees.
Infected growers and nursery
men are eligible for eradication
Pork
(Continued from
Page A 34)
Both the National
Farmeis Union, who
met in February at the
98th anniversary con
vention in Salt Lake
City, Utah, and Na
tional Farmers Organ
ization, commended
Glickman on his an
nouncement.
“We have for many
years strongly urged
the secretary to allow
producers to vote on
the pork checkoff pro
gram,” said NFU
President Leland
Swenson. “The
checkoff programs
must be more account
able to the producers
who fund them.”
“Certainly all man
dates should be re
viewed periodically to
determine their effec
tiveness based upon a
changing agricultural
landscape,” said Na
tional Farmers Organ
ization (NFO)
President Paul Olson.
Last year the NFO
members took the po
sition that a referen
dum should be
conducted every five
years to determine the
program’s future.
NFO members re
quested that Glickman
set a date to allow
pork and beef produc
ers to vote on the via
bility of checkoffs.
That date has yet to
be determined.
Meanwhile, the
American Farm
Bureau continues to
support checkoff pro
grams. David Win
kles, a producer from
Sumter, S.C and
president oi the South
Carolina Farm
Bureau, saiu the ef
forts ol the tommodifv
promotion piograms
“have inu eased pro
duction ana process
ing efficiencies, help
build demand, and
payments up to $l,OOO per acre
through an appropriation made
by the General Assembly and
signed by Gov. Ridge.
“The infected growers and
nurserymen have shown great
courage in the face of this devas
tating disease. They have also
displayed admirable citizenship
in their determination to protect
other members of the stone fruit
industry who are not known to
be infected by the plum pox
virus,” said Hayes.
The Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture has con
ducted ongoing meetings with
Adams County fruit growers
since September 1999, which has
resulted in an “action plan” to
fight the plum pox virus (PPV).
“As part of our continuing ef
forts to contain the newly
discovered plum pox virus, the
Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture will test all orchards
19 WAYS TO A PERFECT FINISH!
• Approximate Mowing Widths of 48", 60",
& 72"
• Rear Discharge
• Ideal For Small Lawns And Estates
• Approximate Mowing Widths of 60", 72",
84", & 100"
• Side Or Rear Discharge Models
• Ideal For Lawns, Estates, Parks, School
Grounds, or Sod Farms.
I Ik complete, line ot e|ualir\ finishing moweis horn Seius Rhino includes S senes and 19 different models. When \ou need a
peitect finish mowing lawns, estates, school giounds paiks, golf eouise muglis , spoirs fielels, 01 sod hums. Rhino has a fuush
im’ mow ei i ight toi \ on
in the quarantine area two times
during this year’s glowing
season and all other stone fruit
orchards across Pennsylvania at
least one time this year,” Hayes
said.
Residential tress in the af
fected areas will also be tested
for PPV.
Plum pox virus is a debilitat
ing affliction that causes the
stone fruit trees to have a severe
drop-off in production. How
ever, plum pox virus has abso
lutely no affect upon humans.
Fruit from trees infected with
the virus can be eaten by
humans without any conse
quence.
PPV affects stone-bearing
fruits, including plums, peaches,
nectarines, and apricots. It is
characterized by round spots
(pox) on fruit, leaves, stems, and
seeds. It does not kill trees, but
makes fruit unmarketable and
BREEZE
FM
Visit oni website at w'u w set \ ts-i limo com 01 call 1-800-SS6-6282 lot mote clctails’
Rhino*
Finishing
Mowers Are
The Place To
Start For A
Perfect
Finish!
• Sis Models With Approximate* Mowing
NX uiths Ringing 1 tom 1 N 6" Up lo 28a
• Real Diseharge
• Ide il loi Sod I aims, I’aiks Spoils fields,
md Cioll ( ouise Roughs
drastically decreases yields.
PPV is transmitted from in
fected trees by aphids or by
grafting. The strain detected in
Pennsylvania is not transmitted
in the fruit’s seed.
First described in East Europe
in 1910, PPV has spread to most
countries on the European con
tinent and to at least one coun
try in South America. This is the
first time PPV has been detected
in North America.
MILK.
IT DOES A
body good:
WHIRLWIND
• Approximate Mowing Widths of 60" & 72"
• Deep Section Deck For Increased Air Flow
• Ideal For Lawns, Estates, Parks, and School
Grounds
GROUNDSKEEPER
• Approximate Mowing Widths of 60" & 72"
• Rear Discharge
• Ideal For High-Use, Commercial-Type
Applications
Pennsylvania is a leading pro
ducer of fruit, ranking fourth
nationally in peaches. Adams
County is Pennsylvania’s lead
ing fruit-producing county.
In 1999, the value of Pennsyl
vania’s stone fruit production
was approximately $25 million.
Adams County accounted for
$lO million of the total.
USD A APHIS is working col
laboratively with Pennsylvania
because the PPV is a threat to
the USA’s fruit industry.
m
Servis-Rhino"