Fwntafl, Saturday, Dectmber 16, 2000
Stakeholder Breakfast Focuses On Dairy Success Stories
(Continued from Page A 1)
The Zimmermans began
fanning in 1967. The stanchion
pipeline installed a year later
worked fine for them. “It
seemed like there was nothing
easier than that,” said David.
A freestall barn was con
structed in 1980. In the ensuring
years, an inexpensive parlor was
finally installed. But the cash
flow wasn’t there.
Zimmerman, who received
about $1,500 in grant money to
help expand the operation
through BPAP participation, ex
amined several options to ensure
farm viability. In the end, they
opted, after 250 cows allowed
them to “break even,” to expand
the herd even further, to about
600 cows. But to have that many
more cows required more
modern equipment.
Now, there’s enough work
and the “whole family is start
ing to come back into” the oper
ation, he noted. The family has
special responsibilities: Dale
with the “special needs” bam,
Sharon with the milking parlor.
Another daughter, Joann, 21,
works at Paul B. Zimmerman
Sons.
Another family, Kevin and
Jennie Richael, Sunrise Dairy,
Inc., in Stoneboro, spoke about
how they have benefited from
BPAP.
The $1,500 grant money
“came in handy” when chores
so bogged down the operation
there was no time for family.
Kevin said, “It was not a real
good lifestyle. (Jennie) wasn’t
happy and I wasn’t happy.”
They relied on an old stanchion
barn that just proved to be the
“same old grind.”
Five years ago, Kevin pur
chased cows and equipment on
the dairy started by his father
and uncle. Kevin and a cousin
worked on the farm about five
years.
Seed Council Reviews ‘Onerous’ Issues At Annual Meeting
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
CENTERVILLE (Lancaster
Co.) Compared to a quarter
of a century ago, today’s seed in
dustry issues are more “onerous
than any issues we have faced in
our industry,” said a noted trade
representative.
Don Wertman, northeast re
gional vice president of the
American Seed Trade Associa
tion (ASTA), spoke about the
issues confronting a consolidat
ing industry Wednesday morn
ing.
Wertman spoke to about two
dozen seed and other agri
industry representatives at the
PennAg Industries Association
Seed Council annual meeting at
the Comfort Inn/Sherwood
Knoll Restaurant near Center
ville.
The Council meeting focused
on several controversial issues,
but none was more predominant
at the meeting than invasive
species.
Wertman, who has spent
about 20 years in the seed indus
try, spoke about the “new
devil,” he said, called invasive
species.
An invasive species is a plant
that can spread in an environ
ment and overtake other plants.
The amount of communication
on this issue alone, according to
the ASTA member, is “tremen
dous.”
One type of invasive species is
the quackgrass weed. The noxi
ous weed is on practically every
Kevin saw how important it
was to expand or “do something
else,” he said.
So they sat down with a finan
cial consultant, Brad Hilty, and
looked at options. The BPAP
money was thought into the
equation. A business plan was
drawn up.
With 300 cows, cash flow was
possible. The financial aspect of
the business leaves Richael feel
ing “very grateful,” he said.
By having a proposal written,
the bank was very cooperative.
“It looked better to the bank,”
he said, than simply saying,
“here’s what we got, see what
you can do for us.”
Richael emphasized how im
portant it was to develop good
working relationships with fi
nancial planners and look at the
report “every month,” he said.
Taking 20 minutes a month to
look at the “red flags” that
sometime show up can prove
very beneficial.
At the breakfast, Sam Hayes
Jr., state secretary of agricul
ture, spoke about the milestones
achieved. One of them was ob
taining official TB-free status
for Pennsylvania herds.
Also, the stories about Penn
sylvania’s involvement in ob
taining cattle from Uruguay are
not true. Hayes said he wouldn’t
allow Pennsylvania to be put at
risk for potential health prob
lems “on my watch,” he said.
Hayes spoke about the new
additions to the Farm Show
Complex and about the good
work of Stakeholders and the
state dairy industry.
Ralph Heffner, chair of the
Pacesetter Award Committee,
presented the first Pacesetter
awards at the breakfast.
“We created the award to rec
ognize individuals or organiza
tions who have contributed
significantly to a positive image
for Pennsylvania’s dairy indus-
sort of state “weed list.”
However, native species
groups have convinced state de
partments of transportation and
turnpike officials not to use cer
tain species simply because they
were not “native.” While it is
OK for a fanner to grow tall
fescue for whatever reasons,
seed suppliers to department of
transportation officials using the
seed on the nation’s roadways
look toward weed lists put out
by a variety of state organiza
tions.
Virginia, according to Wert
man, has an “invasive species”
list under way that includes tall
fescue. Some governmental
agencies put out their own lists
that remain unofficial.
Native plant society members
believe that areas of this country
should be “protected” and use
only native plants, what existed
in this part of the world in the
pre-European colonization days.
Non-native plants on the lists
have included Kentucky Blue
grass, timothy, orchardgrass,
bromegrass, clovers, crown
vetch, birdsfoot trefoil, and
others.
Several other environmental
organizations such as
Greenpeace, the National Con
servancy, Sierra Club, and
others are lobbying for the
return of native species. So
plants used to maintain heavily
sloped regions, regraded zones,
and other nonagricultural areas
that traditionally use crown
vetch may have to find another
The Business Planning Assistance Program included success stories by a couple of
farm families. From left, Kevin and Jennie Richael, Sunrise Dairy, Stoneboro, and Joyce
and David Zimmerman, Meadowview Farm, Reinholds. At far right is Joel Rotz, Stake
holders board president.
try,” said Heffner. “The pros
perity of the industry rests on
the vital contributions of people
and organization like those we
are honoring.”
Luke Brubaker, of Brubaker
Farms in Mount Joy, accepted
the honor from Heffner. Bru
baker, with his two sons Mike
and Tony and families, milk 600
cows in a modern dairy facility
designed for cow comfort, em
ployee performance, and envi
ronmental stewardship. The
farm has a 23,600-pound herd
average.
The Brubaker family has been
recognized nationally for their
environmental stewardship.
They employ the latest in dairy
production technology and herd
health management.
Land O’Lakes, Inc. was recog
nized with a Pacesetter Award
“mix” for cover.
Virginia has a “nasty list,”
said Wertman. On Dec. 18, he
said, ASTA general council will
sit with Virginia representatives
to review the list. Wertman
wants them to be able to prove
that those plant species on the
list cause economic harm. What
risk analysis studies were done,
if any?
Many groups are pushing
these lists simply to protect tiny
ecosystems little environ
ments deemed worth preserving.
But to litigate for one small area,
while adversely affecting major
economic enterprises, is like
“throwing the baby out with the
bathwater,” said Wertman.
The groups seek to protect
“natural areas” of the North
east. Yet Wertman knows of no
“natural area,” he said, with a
region that has at least 400 years
of cultivation and civilization. If
such an area exists, “it must be
under a big rock somewhere,”
he said.
President Clinton signed an
executive order to establish an
Invasive Plant Council. While
the government is in the process
of setting up a management
plan, there is still so much mi
sinformation out there, Wert
man noted. There has been no
“national list” established.
The issue of invasive species
may come down to how willing
the industry will be to finance
litigation to stop the promulga
tion of lists such as Virginia’s.
Seed growers should be aware
for its investment in the future
of the dairy industry in the state
and surrounding region.
In 2000, Land O’Lakes made
a major investment in the state
dairy industry by expanding its
Carlisle butter plant. The $2B
million expansion doubled the
plant’s capacity, now able to
handle 1.6 billion pounds of
milk per year. The plant can
produce about 530,000 pounds
of cream and 270,000 pounds of
butter per day. It can process 15
percent of the milk produced in
Pennsylvania.
The cooperative has about
5,300 members, more than 2,000
of whom are in Pennsylvania.
Land O’ Lakes, according to
Heffner, actively promotes agri
culture in the U.S. and abroad
through its foundation, trade
mission, and other programs.
The cooperative also supports
legislation to create a more
At the first-ever PennAg Industries Seed Council meet
ing Wednesday were, from left, Fred Mohr, John Baylor,
Fred Grau, and Walt Peechatka. Photo by Andy Andrews
of what’s going on, according to
Wertman. “We have to be dili
gent or we’re going to be leg
islated out of selling some of
these species,” he said.
Other “onerous” issues at the
forefront include the biotech
“front,” said Wertman. Many
environmentalist groups want a
“pushback” on genetically mod
ified organisms, or GMO, crops.
For the industry, seven com
panies are represented at the
state council. That includes
about 18 active and 16 associate
members.
About 20 companies are
represented at AST A. And in
dustry needs to become more in
volved.
viable future for dairy farmers.
The Pacesetter Award was
created to recognize individuals,
companies, or organizations
who bring positive recognition
to the dairy industry, create pos
itive attitudes about the industry
among producers and their fam
ilies, recognize dairy food pro
cessing and distribution
businesses that maintain and
invest it! a long-term commit
ment to the state dairy food in
dustry, and create a more
positive recognition for the over
ali industry. A*.
Stakeholders will recognize'
up to three recipients through- -
out the year. Qualified nomina
tions can be submitted anytime ,
to the board.
To receive an application,
contact Alan Bair, facilitator, -
Pennsylvania Dairy Stakehold
ers,. jat. CUT). 948-SJ2B or
nab4@psu.edu.
Because of the Starlink corn
issue, in which some seed genet
ics entered the greater supply of
corn from pollen transfers and
other methods, the export mar
kets are at “an international
crisis,” Wertman said. Detec
tion methods have become so re
fined down to the parts per
million and beyond.
Proposed legislation in New
York would have halted GMO
research for five years. The five
year moratorium would essen
tially have “closed up the
college at Cornell,” he said.
Another issue is intellectual
property rights. AST A is pursu-
(Turn to Pago 37)