ATTENTION TOBACCO FARMERS
Consider these options when growing tobacco in 2001:
* $ 1.50 pound for all grades grown of VT Tobacco, deductions made for 20%+ moisture
* Plants are furnished FREE and delivered to your farm
* One year contract with the growers option for two more years
* Local, centrally located receiving stations
* A modified tobacco plant to be made into “nicotine free” cigarettes
* Call for a packet with information about this new venture
Deadline for signing contracts is January 25
Signup sessions, a Rep will be at these locations:
* Monday, January 22, Paradise Fire Hall 1-3 p.m,
* Wednesday, January 24, Wolgemuth Auction, 109 N. Maple Ave, Leola
* Thursday, January 25, Sylvan S. King Sale, 44 Harristown Rd, Paradise
* Thursday, January 25, Amos M. Hursh Sale, 1670 Lincoln Rd, Lititz
* Thursday, January 25, Amos K. & Rachel L. Stoltzfus Sale, 896 North of Georgetown-Strasburg Area
* Mon-Fri, 9-4 p.m. Trileaf Tobacco Receiving Station, Larry Weaver Farm, 641 Spruce Rd, New Holland
Get 5 or More of Your Neighbor Together kid a Rep will
Cali us and make an appointment.
Working with Vector is your local tobacco company:
Trtleaf
Tobacco Company, Inc.
Jerry Winstead, President, Larry Weaver, Manager, Gail Sensenig, Supervisor
Associations React To Rejection Of Pork Checkoff
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Late last week, U.S. Agri
culture Secretary Dan Glickman
announced that he would pre
pare and issue a final rule to ter
minate the Pork Checkoff Pro
gram.
The statewide pork producer
industry conducted a meeting at
the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture building in Harris
burg Thursday evening to de
termine their strategy in light of
the checkoff rejection.
The rejection was the result of
a referendum conducted by
USDA between Aug. 18 and
Sept. 21 last year. Final vote was
14.396 for and 15,951 against the
checkoff.
Barb Wiand, Mifflinburg, who
operates a 300-sow farrow-to-fin
ish herd and is president of the
Pennsylvania Pork Producers
Council (PPPC), noted that the
National Pork Producers Council
(NPPC) is in “crisis mode” after
the announcement.
An injunction by the NPPC
was reported to be hied late last
MIDDLETOWN (Dauphin
Co.) The Pennsylvania Dairy
Stakeholders has produced a
new video called “Make It Work
In Pennsylvania” to introduce
dairy producers to the many
non-traditional management re
sources now available in Pennsyl
vania.
Interested persons in Pennsyl
vania can receive a free copy of
this video, which is ideal to show
week by a group including con
cerned independent producers,
state associations, and NPPC,
according to a release from the
national council.
“We are deeply disappointed
and very concerned by USDA’s
announcement regarding the
pork checkoff referendum,” said
Craig Jarolimek, NPPC presi
dent. “USDA . . . understands
the negative impact termination
of the pork checkoff will have on
every pork producer in this coun
try.”
According to Karl Johnson,
co-chair of the Vote Yes Task
Force, "Again and again produc
ers are citing to us examples of
flaws in the referendum voting
process.”
Wiand and the state industry
are still trying to sort out what
the injunction will implies. In
formation still was not available
as of presstime.
But if the injunction is unsuc
cessful, and the checkoff is in
deed terminated, Wiand said, “a
lot of our promotion and educa
tion programs will come to a
halt.”
New Video Showcases Dairy Resources
at county dairy days, breed meet
ings and other dairy educational
events or farm-related meetings.
The video overviews resources
available in business planning,
dairy advisory teams, consulting
services, reproduction manage
ment, herd health, milk quality,
employee training, and speciali
zation like heifer raising and for
age production. It’s the perfect
medium to show any dairy pro-
Vector Tobacco Contracts
“Changing the Future of Tobacco”
641 Spruce Rd
New Holland, PA 17557
717/351-9221
717/556-0270
717/354-7477
The monthly checkoff report
for October 2000 showed that in
the state, a total of $73,951.96
was raised. A portion of that
amount is sent to the NPPC and
National Pork Board for the ad
ministration of their programs.
About $22,000 is shared by
PPPC and other Pennsylvania
pork promotion efforts.
Somehow, that funding may
have to be picked up by indepen
dent processors and producers, if
promotion, education, and re
search efforts are to continue.
If the checkoff is canceled, the
PPPC would have to look for
ways to fund events such as the
Keystone Pork Expo, scheduled
Feb. 6 at the Lebanon Valley
Expo Center, North Cornwall.
About $54 million was col
lected through the pork checkoff
in 2000. As required by the Pork
Promotion Research and Con
sumer Information Act (which
became law in 1985), 20 percent
of the money is returned to the
state pork association for invest
ment in state-directed promo
tion, consumer education, and
research programs.
ducer how he or she can “make
it work” in Pennsylvania.
“In Pennsylvania, we are for
tunate to have available the types
of progressive services and ideas
highlighted in this video,” says
Dan Mains, producer and Stake
holders’ board member. “We not
only have the strong traditional
Extension programs and indus
try support, we also have work
ing examples of new and innova-
Deadline far signing contracts is
January 25, 2001
Armmm 4p^mw*
Old or new 41 crop, hanging or baled *
call Trileaf bef sell. _ ...
The checkoff rate stood at 45
cents per $lOO value of marketed
hogs.
Other industries who are fac
ing similar issues regarding
checkoff dollars reacted to the
announcement. Many believed
there could be strong repercus
sions to other checkoff-depen
dent industries because of the re
ferendum announcement.
George Hall, president of the
National Cattlemen’s Beef Asso
ciation, Mustang, Okla., noted
Wednesday that the agency
charged with the responsibility of
counting beef producer petitions
did not get the required amount
10 percent of all beef produc
ers to sign to institute a refer
endum.
“NCBA will continue its ag
gressive work in helping imple
ment programs funded by the
beef checkoff,” said Hall.
Les McNeill, chairman of the
Cattlemen’s Beef Board, Pan
handle, Texas, noted that regular
independent surveys show there
is significant support for board
efforts. The last survey in sum
mer of 2000 found that 69 per
cent of producers support or
tive thinking that every
dairyman can copy and use.”
The video was made possible
through a matching grant from
the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture and contributions
from industry sponsors. It is 12
minutes long and features in
formation from 18 different in
dustry professionals and Penn
sylvania dairy producers.
To get a copy of “Making It
Work In Pennsylvania,” send re
strongly support the beef check
off.
“We believe the trust beef pro
ducers have in us is justified,”
said McNeill.
Paul Slayton, executive direc
tor of the Pennsylvania Beef
Council, said that a 10 percent
vote would mean 120,000 pro
ducers would have had to sign to
call for a referendum.
The pork industry, Slayton
noted, is vertically integrated,
with processors and packers
owning much pork. The beef in
dustry, however, is horizontally
integrated, with independent
producers and processors.
Seven out of 10 producers sup
port the beef program. The
checkoff, at $1 per head, is heav
ily endorsed by producers.
The beef industry “is a lot
more stable,” Slayton said, com
pared to the pork industry. The
beef industry can’t significantly
and quickly build inventory.
Out of $1.3 million collected
by the state, about $500,000 is re
turned to Pennsylvania to run
various programs. The council
employs six full-time and one
part-time.
quests to The Pennsylvania
Dairy Stakeholders, 111 West
Harrisburg Pike, Middletown,
PA 17057, e-mail to dmr2S
psu.edu or fax request to (717)
948-6611. Please include your
name, organization and address
to receive the video.
Questions regarding this video
or other programs of the Penn
sylvania Dairy Stateholders
should be addressed to Alan Bair
at (717) 948-6328.