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V 01.46 No. 39
Chopper ( Checks Out ’ Farm Fields
HOLTWOOD (Lancaster Co.) Larry Smith, remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) aerial
photographer, left, uses a radio control stick to guide a miniature helicopter over the
crowd gathered Wednesday morning at Steve Groffs eighth annual Farm Field Day.
Smith says he can use the helicopter to hover over fields to take video or still photos
of weeds or other field activity. Smith can guide the chopper “as far as I can see,” he
said. Read more about the RPV demonstration on page A 32.
Photo by Andy Andrews, editor
Penn State Labs Work
To Make Food Safer
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.) Many readers
have never been a student at
Penn State University. Regard
less, Dean Girton, president of
the Penn State Ag Council, said
of the land grant university,
“This is your university, and we
want to be relevant to meet your
(consumer and agriculturists)
needs.”
Which Came First:
Hen Or Hatchery?
Although Hen Has History,
Hatchery Has Volume
MICHELLE
RANCK-KUNJAPPU
Lancaster Farming Staff
ELIZABETHTOWN (Lan
caster Co.) A visitor pulling
up to Longenecker Hatchery,
Inc., located here, should have
little doubt as to what resides
inside. The chirping of thou
sands of fluffy chicks is unmis
takable.
The hatchery brings
36,000,000 chicks into the world
every year to fill the demand for
broilers.
The independent hatchery
markets four strains of chicks.
www.lancasterfarming.com
Last week, the Penn State Ag
riculture Council presented a
daylong session on food safety
and emerging diseases and the
research protecting agriculture
and consumers. Participants
toured Penn State’s research fa
cility and sat in several class
rooms and labs to hear about the
work.
The food science department
had been formed in 1975, and
(Turn to Page A3l)
since each customer works with
a different weight level from
4-5.5 pounds age, or confor
mation for their own market.
“Wc chose a bird that would
be the most efficient for each one
of those categories,” said John
Martin, president.
“In the late ’4os and early
’sos, it would take 16 weeks to
produce a four-pound bird. It
now takes less than six weeks
with a lesser amount of feed to
reach that because of genetics
and nutrition,” said Martin,
who pointed out that chicken
(Turn to Page A2l)
Five Sections
In this issue we salute the new Dairy of Distinction
winners from across the commonwealth. This year, 18
family farms were selected for the positive image of the
dairy industry that they reflect. Winners were nominated
by district and will be recognized at a ceremony con
ducted at Ag Progress Days on Aug. 14.
Saturday, July 28,2001
Economist: Major Changes
Unlikely In 2002 Farm Bill
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.) While national
farm and commodity groups
lobby U.S. lawmakers for a 2002
Farm Bill they hope will meet
their needs, the new bill will
probably not differ greatly from
the current one, according to
Penn State ag economics profes
sor James Dunn.
“It’s difficult for it to change
very much,” Dunn said. “It’s so
big and complicated.”
The U.S. House Agriculture
Committee recently unveiled a
bill proposal drafted by Chair
man Larry Combest (R-Texas)
and Charlie Stenholm (D-
Texas).
U.S. Harnesses Receive
High Marks In Belgium
Somerset Co. Correspondent
Editor’s Note: This article will
update interested readers on a
story published Feb. 10 this year
in Lancaster Farming. It con
cerns a businessman from the
country of Belgium who ordered
harnesses to be made by Amish
$34.00 Per Year
GAY BROWNLEE
750 Per Copy
Because of the complexities
involved, and because legislators
do not want to risk alienating
large portions of their constitu
ency, “They make changes at
the margins (of the bill),” Dunn
said.
One major question for Penn
sylvania dairy farmers, however,
is whether or not the new bill
will continue to mandate milk
price supports as an “insurance
policy against low prices,” he
said.
The current Farm Bill, passed
in 1996, called for milk price
supports to end in 2000. How
ever, because of low milk prices
last year, supplemental federal
funds were released to keep the
(Turn to Page A 36)
harnessmakers in Somerset
County. In Belgium on Aug. 28,
the harnesses will be used in a
76-horse hitch to set a new
record and break the current one
of a 56-horse hitch in the Guin
ness Book of World Records.
ANTWERP, Belgium On
(Turn to Page All)
Districts
Recognize
Award
Winners
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) The Pennsylvania Asso
ciation of Conservation Districts
(PACD) recognized individuals
and organizations for support
ing Pennsylvania conservation
efforts at its annual awards cere
mony here July 17. Award recip
ients were nominated by their
county conservation district.
This year’s PACD Conserva
tion Award winners are:
• 2000 National Association
of Conservation Districts
(NACD)ZPACD Conservation
Award Bradford Conserva
tion District. The Bradford Con
servation District provides
numerous education and techni
cal assistance programs for stu
dents, teachers, and other
community members. Programs
focus on conservation educa
tion, agriculture, and nutrient
best management practices,
nonpoint source pollution pre
vention and environmental
stewardship of the soil, water,
forest, and wildlife resources
within Bradford County.
• Conservation Farmer of the
Year Stan and Cindi Bucher,
Lebanon County. The Buchers
own and operate a 116-acre
dairy and crop farm and employ
numerous conservation prac-
(Turn to Page A 22)