AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 1,2001 OPINION Industry Groups To Develop Dairy Future Several industry segments are becoming involved in dairy development in the Northeast. The Dairy Stakeholders organization is bringing those segments together in an industrywide effort to grow the Northeast dairy industry. Production trends and industry demo graphics have made it clear that the local dairy industry must grow to ensure our future as a major dairy production region. Simply stated, if Pennsylvania and the Northeast do not become more aggressive in ensuring a constant and growing milk supply, then proces sors and marketers will make investments and future commitments in other parts of the country that can supply their need. “We’ve already seen dairies and processing plants leaving other parts of the country that do not have a strong dairy infrastructure,” said Alan Bair, Dairy Stakeholders facilitator. “We want to make sure that doesn’t happen here.” Pennsylvania produces about 11 billion pounds of milk annually. With the existing processing and marketing infrastructure in the Northeast, we could use an additional two billion pounds of milk to satisfy the growing market. “The market opportunity is here now,” Bair said. “But the question is, where will the milk be produced?” Both the Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders’ mission and vision statement reflect viability and expansion of the dairy industry as the cor nerstones of the organization. So what better organization to bring “Penn sylvania Dairy Development” from discussion to action? Organizations such as Dairylea, Dairy Farmers of America, Land O’Lakes, Dairy Alliance, Pennsylvania Department of Ag, and coopera tive extension have programs in place that support production growth. An economic development group in Blair County has also started its own local activity. There is also interest in the northwest area of Pennsylvania. To create an industrywide effort, the Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders and the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania are working with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Department of Community and Economic Development to explore potential resources to help agriculture. All of the organizations named above are willing to work individually and in support of our industry. It will take both to be effec tive in creating ongoing dairy economic development efforts. If you or a company you represent wants to become more involved or is involved in some aspect of dairy development but not mentioned above, contact Alan Bair to make your interests known at (717) 948-6328. Every one of us from current and potential producers to companies and individuals who depend on milk production to educators and public officials and finally to consumers have a huge stake in the dairy indus try. The Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders invites you to make a commit ment to yourself and to the industry by becoming actively involved in de veloping the Pennsylvania dairy industry. “Topping the Holidays,” Dau phin County Agricultural and Natural Resource Center, 8:45 a.m.-noon, (717) 921- 8803. Milking Center Seminar, Cham bersburg, 9:45 a.m.-2 p.m., Meeting, Clarion Resort Fountainebleau Hotel, Ocean Editor. I just wanted to say I agree with the woman who said she believed the Dairy Council was wasting dairymen’s money with the type of advertising they are doing. Frankly, seeing some ce lebrity with a milk mustache does not entice me to drink milk. While the whole “Milk Mus- News From The Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders v"v““si" * v M y ❖ Farm Calendar ❖ * X- *.i.. \'* >.. Turfgrass Conference, Colum bus, Ohio, 9 a.m. daily, Dec. 3- 6,(614)501-1100. American Egg Board Retail Egg Education Workshop, Em bassy Suites, O’Hare- Rosemont Hotel. Ohio Family and Children First Regional Forum, Champaign Community Center, Urbana, Ohio, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Chesapeake Executive Council Annual Meeting, Union Sta tion, Washington, D. C., Co (Turn to Page A2S) ❖ Farm Forum ❖ tachc” ad campaign is putting a lot of money in celebrities’ pock ets, I wonder if anyone has ever been induced to drink milk from these ads! I hope she “sharpens some pencils” for the milk producers’ dollars. A.J. Francis Westminster, Md. J s 'V ■< v i u- t-,-: ■ • --.1 , T < 5 ! r sI&SLLJ^> To Prepare Your Strawberry Crop For Winter As we head into winter, there are a few things that should be taken care of in your strawberry fields. First you need to clean up any winter annual weeds that have ger minated this fail and will make major trouble in the spring. This can be done by applying nonselec tive herbicides with directed spray equipment. The herbicides that can be used include Gramoxone Extra or Scythe. These products will bum the foliage but are not translocated. Make sure the spray does not con tact the strawberry plants. The next step in weed control is to apply Sinbar before the ground freezes for preemergent control of weeds in the spring. The label no longer allows for early spring ap plication so this must be applied now. Dacthal or Devrinol can be applied in early spring to give you additional herbicide protection. After your herbicide application is complete, the next step is to apply mulch to protect the crowns from temperature fluctuations and winter winds. It is important to TIME TO QUIT? Background Scripture: Isaiah 49:1-7. Devotional Reading: Isaiah 49:8-13. The crisis which faces us and of which we have become painfully aware since September 11, 2001, has forced many Christians to real ize that the religious statistics are not very comforting. Islam is growing by leaps and bounds at a time when Christianity is struggling for its life in America and Europe. It would seem that both our democracy and our faith are under attack. The 20th century began with many Christians taking up the call to “win the whole world for Christ.” The 20th century was to become the Christian Century and a prominent interdenominational magazine took that as its name. But as the century came to a close, Christianity seemed to be los ing ground. Practically every reli gious denomination in the U.S. has experienced steady declines in membership for the last four or five decades. In England and Europe Lancaster Farming An Awatd-Winning Farm Newspaper • Keystone Awards 1993,1995 • PennAg Industries 1992 • PACD Media Award 1996 • Berks Ag-Business Council 2000 • Recognized for photo excellence throughout the years by the Northeast Farm Communicators protect the crowns since next spring’s flower buds have already been formed. Winter damage to the crowns will mean lower yields. Apply only very clean wheat, bar ley, oat, or rye straw. Using only clean straw is critical since achiev ing good weed control in strawber ries is a difficult challenge even without seeding new weeds by ap plying weed-infested straw. A four inch mulch will require 2 to 3 tons of straw per acre. Apply the straw uniformly and avoid clumps that can smother plants. If you are growing strawberries using the plasnculture system, your winter preparations are similar to those for a conventionally grown crop. Clean up any winter annuals growing between the rows of plas tic with contact herbicides as listed above. A backpack sprayer cali brated to your walking speed works well tor herbicide applica tions between the rows. Apply Sin bar between the rows for residual preemergent control of summer an nual weeds that will germinate in the spring. As with a conventional crop, Dacthal or Devrinol can be applied in early spring to give you additional herbicide protection. In most situations, straw mulch will not be applied in a plasticul ture system. Floating row covers weighing 1-1.4 ounce per yard have been effective for winter protection. In the colder areas, one can apply straw for extra protection. The straw layer can be applied over the row covers and removed in early spring by pulling back the row cov ers. Another option would be to di rectly apply the straw on the rows. However, this will need to be man ually removed in the spring and can be time-consuming. To Do Your Year-End Tax Planning With one month remaining in the calendar year, you should nave a pretty good idea what kind of year you will have financially. It is important to discuss this with your accountant now so you can make your year-end plans. If you are expecting to have a high tax liability, a number of steps can be taken to reduce this liability. the great cathedrals are virtually empty and fewer and fewer people identify themselves as disciples of Jesus Christ. So, perhaps we can truly appre ciate the lament of the prophet Isaiah when he proclaims to the peoples of the world that, despite the fact that God had called and equipped Israel to be the servant through whom God would be glori fied among the nations, still “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vani ty...” Faith, Not Success Are there not many among us today who feel pretty much the same way? Even if we didn’t suc ceed in taking Christ to all the na tions, couldn’t we at least be gain ing instead of losing? Israel is honest to admit its frus tration. Take a look at the statis tics. Lord, things are not going well with this mission. You called us, yes, but nothing is going the way it should. Notice the dialogue here. God says, “You are my servant...” and Israel replies, “But... I have la bored in vain...” Then, instead of replying to Israel’s complaint, God calls his servant to an even greater mission: “... is it too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the na tions, that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth” (49:5,6). Forget the statistics. This is not about whether you are winning or losing, but whether you are doing what I have called you to do and be. Leave the winning or losing to me. You are called not to be suc- If you are using a cash accounting system, early purchase of next year’s supplies would be a good de cision. Purchase of needed equip ment before the end of the year can provide a tax deduction as well. The important word in the pre vious sentence is “needed.” Buying equipment that only marginally contributes to the productivity of the operation simply to reduce tax payments is a bad idea. In that case you would be better off simply paying the taxes and keeping the balance of the money that would have been spent on equipment. To Comment On EPA’s CAPO Rules The US Environmental Protec tion Agency received public com ment on proposed Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) regulations in July. Based on comments received, the agency has released a “Notice of Data Availability.” This notice summarizes the comments received and how the EPA may use this data in developing its final CAPO rules. The agency is seeking comments to improve its final rulemaking. Comments will be accepted until Jan. IS, 2002. This may be the last time the rules are changed for quite a while, so take this opportunity to have input on development of this important public policy. Penn State has produced a fact sheet entitled “Shaping New EPA CAPO Rules: A Guide to the EPA’s November 2001 Notice of Data Availability.” This publica tion is available online at http:// agenvpolicy.aers.psu.edu/CAFO/ NODA.htm. This publication cov ers how to obtain a copy of the no tice, key areas for comment, tips for preparing comments, and how to submit comments. If you do not have Internet access, you can re quest a printed copy by calling Ex tension Associate Alyssa Dodd at (814)863-5884. Quote of The Week: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ” Martin Luther King Jr. cessful, but faitllful. A Light To The Nations Christians today are not called to compete with or to be successful over Moslems, Hindus, Confucians, or Jews. God has called us instead to be “a light to the nations.” If we concentrate on that mission, we can leave to God the end result: « that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Bigger churches, more members, more prosperous denominations, larger head counts none of these are important unless they make brighter our “light to the nations.” So the big questions today are not, Why is Islam growing so strong? Why are church rolls grow ing smaller? Why does it seem that we “have labored in vain” and spent our strength “for nothing and vanity?” No, the question is, Are we faithful to the mission God has given us? Are we living as God’s servants and is our witness to the world God’s “light to the na tions?” The late Henry Sloane Coffin has written: “God is self-sufficient, but he must have a people through whom his glory can burst upon the sight of men. Israel’s message and life, conspicuously her sufferings, are the mediums through which God has revealed himself.” God needs us not for our suc cess, but for our servanthood through which he works the suc cess of his will and purpose in the world. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 —by— Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Sleinman Enterprise William J. Burges* General Manager Andy Andrews, Editor Copyright 2001 by Lancaster Farming
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers