f Reservoirs At. Drought Levels; Emergency Hearing Set HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Storage In three large water supply reservoirs at the headwaters of the Delaware River has dropped from drought warning to drought levels, auto matically triggering additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reser voirs into the river and the amount diverted out of the Dela ware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. The reductions are required under the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBCs) drought operating plan which is based on storage levels in the three reser voirs - Cannonsville, Pepacton, and Neversink. The impound ments are located in New York State’s Catskill Mountains region and owned by New York City. A public hearing on whether to declare a drought emergency and implement additional water con servation measures is scheduled Dec. 18 at the commission’s of fices in West Trenton, N.J. As of Dec. 3, combined storage in the three reservoirs was 66 bil lion gallons, over 100 billion gal lons below normal, and 24 per cent of capacity. Under the commission’s drought operating plan, which has been implemented in stages over the past month, the allow able water supply diversions to New York City have been low ered from a normal of 800 to 520 million gallons per day (mgd), alid diversions to northern New Jersey through the Delaware and Raritan Canal have been lowered from the normal of 100 to 65 mgd. In addition, minimum flow HEAVY DUTY HOOF TRIMMING TABLES Endorsed by the International Hoof Trimming School of Wisconsin ■BBBRp"~ .” j~*r*m~» * M !^;, l ■- _4*^gj 'LgS . ' - • Jbj€Ss»' „*■ - ' . ■ >iii '9^jj|K S '**V\ V * - - ■ -. V-' -» « «£»)« r~* FOUR MODELS TO CHOOSE 1. PORTABLE 2. STATIONARY 3.3-POINT HITCH 4. SKID STEER MOUNT Berkelman’s Welding - RR 7, AYLMER, ONTARIO, CANADA NSH 2R6 (519) 765-4230 1-877-230-9993 Web Page: www.berkelmansweldini targets in the Delaware River have been lowered fropi 1,750 to 1,350 cubic feet per second (cfs) at Montague, N.J., and from 3,000 to 2,500 cfs at Trenton, N.J. Smaller cutbacks in the out-of basin diversions and flow targets automatically took effect on Nov. 4 when falling reservoir storage triggered a drought warning. “These water-conserving ac tions in place now save up to 540 million gallons per day of storage in the New York City reservoirs,” noted Carol R. Collier, the DRBC’s executive director. More than 17 million people rely on the waters of the Dela ware River Basin. New York City, which lies outside the wa tershed, gets roughly half its water from its Upper Delaware reservoirs. In addition, Merrill Creek Res ervoir, located near Phillipsburg, N.J., and constructed by a con sortium of electric utilities in the late 1980 s, has been releasing water to the Delaware River to replace evaporation losses caused by power generation. The re leases are triggered by operating criteria approved by the commis sion. Rainfall is approximately 10 inches below normal for the year in the upper basin. The last five months have been very dry in the central portion of the watershed, particularly in the Philadelphia area, central, and southern New Jersey, and in extreme northern Delaware. Southern Delaware has not been as hard hit by the dry spell. •12-year building experience in the tables design * * X *JkST • 2”x2” tube frame chute • chute measures 75”x28”x75” high • 4” casters for cradle fold up • 2 10-inch lift belts • 3500 lb. axle with or without brakes • two hydraulic cylinders for extra stability •tool box for D.C. pump and battery protection 'MV * • manure grate to keep work area clean •fold away side gate • removable head board •45 min. video from International Hoof Trimming School of Canada The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case is the second time the high court has refused to hear Goetz’s appeal from a 1998 determination by the U.S. Court of Appeals that found the beef checkoff program to be constitu tional. Further, it lets stand the appellate court’s April 2001 rul ing that Goetz must pay past-due DES MOINES, lowa Pork producers, through their checkoff investments, recently published a flier for veterinarians, packers, and other allied industry to place in checks to their producer cus tomers. This checkoff-funded educa tional information focuses on the increased consequences of drug residues. “The consequences of finding drug residues in pork products have changed dramatically. Pork producers should work with their veterinarians to avoid residue vi olations,” said Jill Appell, chair of the Pork Safety Committee. The pork producer from Alto na. 111., said, “The new checkoff funded educational information highlights new consequences the USDA is imposing on repeat resi due violators, defines extra-label drug use, and gives steps for pro- .on.ca Supreme Court Denies Request On Beef Checkoff Challenge DENVER, Colo. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court denied without comment Kansas cattle man and order buyer Jerry Goetz’s request for appeal in his claim that he should not have to pay the sl-per-head beef check off. Goetz alleges that the beef checkoff program is unconstitu tional. Pork Board Offers Producers Information On Drug Residues See Lancaster Farming CowCaxn Visit our Website at www. lancasterfarming.com A lesson well learned... Lancaster Farming’s classified ads get results! checkoff assessments, late fees, and penalties for his intentional noncompliance with the beef checkoff law. “The decision not to hear the appeal is appropriate and good news for beef producers who have invested in the beef checkoff program and die successful ‘Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.’ promo tion campaign,” said Lynn Corn well, Montana cattle producer and president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “It seems to send a clear message to those who are trying to take away the industry’s only self-help promotion and marketing pro gram. We believe the checkoff is constitutional.” Goetz filed his latest request ducers to follow to avoid the con sequences of drug residues. The flier emphasizes the importance of a strong veterinarian-client-pa tient relationship in making med ication decisions.” New consequences of residue violations include: • USDA will publish the names and addresses of repeat residue violators on a USDA Website. (Repeat violators are defined as producers having more than one residue violation in a 12-month period.) • Repeat violators will remain on the Website list for one year. • Packers have an increased interest in residue avoidance by producers. • Producers listed on this web site may experience difficulty in finding markets and packers will ing to accept their animals and increased scrutiny when animals are marketed. The flier explains that pork producers who are medicating pigs need to review their residue avoidance practices with a veteri narian. That’s a long-standing practice for pork producers and • DRIES WHITE •NO WET FLOORS • IS COMPATIBLE WITH DISINFECTANT AND FLY SPRAYS • DOES NOT RUB OFF EASILY • EASILY UK BARN CLEANING SERVICE AVAILABLE WITH COMPRESSED AIR To have your bam cleaned with air it will clean off dust, cob webs & lots of the old lime This will keep your bam looking cleaner & whiter longer CALL US ABOUT ON THE FARM FLY CONTROL Serving Southeastern Pa. And More BEITZEL’S SPRAYING Witmer, PA 17585 717-392-7227 or Toll Free 1-800-727-7228 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM CERTIFIED COMMERCIAL APPLICATORS LICENSED 37 YEARS EXPERIENCE INSURED 5 Trucks For Air Cleaning And Whitewashing RADIO DISPATCHED TRUCKS Barn Spr Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 15,2001-A27 for appeal with the Supreme Court on Aug. 9, 2001, following previous rejections by the federal District Court in Kansas, the 10th Circuit, and the Supreme Court in 1999. Goetz argued that the April 2001 ruling against him by the 10th Circuit Appeals Court should be vacated and reconsid ered in light of the Supreme Court’s June 2001 ruling in U.S. vs. United Foods, Inc. involving the Mushroom Promotion Act. The United Foods case consid ered the constitutionality of ad vertising conducted through the mushroom industry’s checkoff program, which is written and administered differently than the beef checkoff program. is the basis for their Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) education pro gram that started in 1989. “More than a decade ago, pork producers started the Pork Quali ty Assurance (PQA) program. That educational program fo cuses on the 10 Good Production Practices, which include and tracking all treated animals and using drug residue tests when ap propriate,” Appell said. “Another good production practice is to use a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship as the basis for med ication decision-making.” To avoid drug residues in pork products, producers should use drugs according to label direc tions, observe the withdrawal time, observe the extended with drawal times provided by a veter inarian when using products in an extra-label manner, identify and track treated animals, and maintain medication and treat ment records. For more information on this and other checkoff-funded pro grams, check the Internet at www.porkboard.org or call (515) 223-2600. ’ASHING, with E FARM WHITE tot a sideline.