Veteran Lancaster Farming
Reader Wins Ice Cream Freezer
EAST BERLIN (York Co.)
Sherman Grove has been sub
scribing to Lancaster Farming
since 1966.
This loyal reader from York
County received a bonus from
the paper last week when his
name was selected as winner of a
handcrank White Mountain ice
cream freezer.
Grove had dropped his name
into Lancaster Farming’s ice
cream freezer drawing boxes at
both the Pennsylvania Farm
Show in Harrisburg and the Key
stone Farm Show in York. It was
the Keystone entry that paid off
for him.
Equine Conference Will Be Conducted
At Penn State University
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) A weekend workshop will
be conducted at Penn State Uni
versity at the University Park
campus on March 15-16. Friday
evening will start off with the
Pennsylvania Equine Council
Board of Directors Meeting,
chaired by Walt Jeffers current
President of the Pennsylvania
Equine Council.
This weekend program will be
held in Penn State’s Agricultural
Sciences and Industries (ASI)
Building, and feature topics and
issues facing the state’s equine in
dustry. Some of the speakers and
topics to be included are: Senator
Mike Waugh, “Working with
your Legislator”, Mike Peckarg,
Farm Bureau “Current Legisla
tive Issues”) Gene Wood, Clem
son University, “University Best
Management Practices on Trail
Use”, Jerry Fruth U.S. Equine
Trail Collision, “The Big Picture
Across the Country on Trail
Use,” Ann Swinker, Professor
Equine Science, Extension Horse
Specialist, “Best Management
Although his favorite Lancas
ter Farming department is the
mailbox markets, his perusal of
the newspaper doesn’t stop there.
“I look at all of it.” the native
said.
As a former swine and beef
producer, Grove said he used to
run several ads a year in mailbox
markets.
Now that he is no longer farm
ing, that rate has slowed but he
still looks forward to the paper
every week.
His current subscription is
good until 2004.
Practices and Manure Manage
ment’, and a panel presentation
Multi -Use Trail Issues.
Come to this conference and
have many of your equine ques
tions answered at this education
al Pennsylvania equine industry
workshop, hosted by the Pennsyl
vania Equine Council and Penn
State University, Equine Science
Program.
In addition to speakers, there
will be educational and promo
tional booths. Equine Council
committee and regional directo
ries interaction groups and round
table discussions. If you are inter
ested in getting involved with the
Pennsylvania Equine Council,
plan on attending this worth
while event.
If you want to become a direc
tor id your county, it would be a
good time to come see what it is
all about. Find out how you can
get involved, support and protect
your horse industry.
The registration fee is $l5 for
PEC members and $25 for non -
PEC members. The registration
fee includes all costs of instruc
Homestead Nutrition, Inc.
Sherman Grove of East
Berlin received this ice
cream freezer after his
name was selected in one
of Lancaster Farming’s
farm show drawings last
week.
tion and instructional materials,
beverage breaks, and lunch.
Walk-in registrations will be ac
cepted as space allows. Space is
limited.
For More information, contact:
Dr. Ann Swinker, (814) 865-7810.
Swenson Urges Swift Action
WASHINGTON, D.C. Na
tional Farmers Union (NFU)
President Leland Swenson, in
speeches to the Utah Farmers
Union and Kansas Farmers
Union state conventions this
weekend, issued a passionate call
for Congress to act swiftly to pass
a new farm bill that provides an
adequate safety net in order to
avert further economic strife in
rural America.
“Congress must act immedi
ately upon reconvening Jan. 23 to
pass a farm bill with a signifi
cantly improved safety net,”
Swenson said. “The passage of
the farm bill is equal in priority
to the consideration and passage
of any other type of economic
stimulus package.”
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 19,2002-A27
USD A To Offer CRP
Contract Extensions
WASHINGTON, D.C. The
USDA has announced that Con
servation Reserve Program con
tracts expiring this year may be
extended for another year. Par
ticipants with contracts expiring
on Sept. 30, 2002 have from Jan.
14 to May 31 to apply for the
one-year extension. Some 30,000
contracts are affected.
“The expiration affects 1.8 mil
lion rural acres now protected by
the CRP. This action will help
ensure the continued safeguard
ing of this sensitive land as a new
farm bill is developed,” said Agri
culture Secretary Ann M. Vene
man.
Local offices of USDA’s Farm
Service Agency are currently no
tifying eligible CRP participants
of their option to modify and ex
tend their CRP contracts. The
deadline to apply for an exten
sion is May 31.
The extension option applies to
CRP participants with contracts
scheduled to expire on Sept. 30,
2002. The original contract with
extension must not exceed 15
years.
The extension will not change
participants’ rental rates. All or a
USDA’s Economic Research
Service (ERS) issued a report
Jan. 7 in which the 2002 net farm
income forecast was revised from
the $49.3 billion forecast in 2001
to $40.6 billion, a decrease of $8.7
billion.
“The recent net farm income
forecast spells continued econom
ic disaster for rural America
without changes in existing farm
programs or emergency supple
mental assistance,” Swenson
said. “Farmers must have a safe
ty net that relates to what they
are producing today and the
yields they are getting today, not
based on yields of 15 to 20 years
ago.”
The USDA-ERS report also
forecasts a decrease in off-farm
income and an increase in debt,
although the debt increase is ex
pected to be offset by a rise in
portion of the acreage under con
tract may be included in an ex
tension, but no new acreage may
be added. Obligations and re
sponsibilities under the original
contract continue to apply to
contracts that are modified and
extended.
USD A is not planning to offer
a general CRP sign-up in fiscal
year 2002. However, producers
may continue to enroll relatively
small, highly desirable acreage,
such as filter strips and riparian
buffers, in the continuous CRP at
any time at their local FSA office.
Producers enrolled in CRP re
ceive rental payments and other
financial incentives to remove
lands from agricultural produc
tion for a period of 10 to 15 years.
CRP participants plant native
grasses, trees, and other vegeta
tion to improve water quality,
soil, and wildlife habitat. About
34 million acres are currently en
rolled in CRP.
For more information on the
CRP program, contact your local
FSA office or visit the FSA Web
site at: http://www.fsa.
usda.gov/dafp/cepd/crp.htm.
On Farm Bill
farmland values. The report also
predicts that agriculture’s contri
bution to the national economy,
through added net value, will be
10 percent lower than in 2001
and the lowest since 1995.
“The economic devastation
facing rural America extends well
beyond the individual family
farmers and ranchers opera
tions,” Swenson stated. “The in
crease in bankruptcies and de
clining rural populations results
in the deterioration of the whole
rural infrastructure. Its impact
will be the continued loss of rural
businesses, increased consolida
tions of schools, loss of health
care services and facilities and
the loss of rural transportation
services. The ultimate results will
be greater concentration and a
contract production agriculture
system.”