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V 01.47 No. 17
Storybook Exhibit Showcases Farm Life History In Southwestern Pa.
The Somerset Historical Center, located off Rt. 601 north of Somerset on Rt. 985,
looks much like a big red barn to complement the farming history exhibit it houses on
the inside. The center, along with its nonprofit entity, the Historical and Genealogical
Society of Somerset County, works to preserve the history of southwestern Pennsylva
nian agriculture in a state-run facility. Photo by Sandra Lepley, Somerset Co. correspondent
Hinton Named Outstanding Young Farmer At Virginia Convention
GAY BROWNLEE
Virginia Correspondent
WYTHEVILLE (Wythe
County, Va.) Jeffrey Hinton
of Heathsville was named Vir
Lancaster Farming’s quarterly exclusive booklet, Dairy
Plus, begins its 2002 season this issue, devoted to manure
management. Special features include a story about a
dairy family who installed a manure system in Bangor, nu
trient management concerns and the future of state and
federal policy, manure management guidelines, improving
milk quality, managing odors, and an update on a calf clon
ing project.
www.lancasterfarming.com
ginia’s Outstanding Young
Farmer recently during the 52nd
Annual Convention of the
Young Farmers of Virginia and
10th Annual Convention of the
Four Sections
Virginia FFA Alumni at the
Holiday Inn.
Hinton, his dad, James, and
late brother. Jimmy in 1997 es
tablished a corporation
comprised of the 188-acre
family farm in Lara and other
Senate Farm Bill Heads To Joint Conference
Economist Explains Unique Northeast Dairy Program
DAVELEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.) The U.S. Senate
passed their version of the new
Farm Bill last week by a vote of
58-40.
The House Ag Committee
and the Senate Ag Committee
will form a conference commit
tee to negotiate the differences
in the Senate bill and the House
version passed last fall.
The Senate bill contains a
dairy title that would provide
support for dairy producers in
12 northeast dairy states includ
ing Connecticut, Delaware
Massachusetts, Maryland,
Maine, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylva
nia, Rhode Island, Vermont,
and West Virgina.
According to the National
Milk Producers Federation
(NMPF), the program would
provide dairy producers in those
states with a payment whenever
the monthly Class I (fluid milk)
price falls below $16.94 per hun
dredweight.
Ken Bailey, Penn State dairy
economist, recently analyzed the
provision and the effect it may
have on the region’s dairy pro
ducers. While a relatively small
amount of Farm Bill funds go to
dairy programs nationwide, this
Saturday, FebrasitysaivUM state
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SANDRA LEPLEY
Somerset Co. Correspondent
SOMERSET Co.)
The history of farming in
southwestern Pennsylvania is
showcased through a unique ex
The thresher and farming steam engine are impressive
artifacts in a farming exhibit at the Somerset Historical
Center. Vernon Berkey, president of Historical and Genea
logical Society of Somerset County, left, Charlie Fox (in
back), administrator at the center, and Barbara Black, cu
rator, look over some of the equipment. Photo by Sandra
Lepley, Somerset Co. correspondent
land the brothers had begun to
invest in back in 1986.
Their discipline and patience
in the years following their high
school graduation was owing to
their shared childhood dream to
be full-time farmers, like their
new provision is significant, ac
cording to Bailey.
“It’s huge,” he said.
Targeted to dairy farms with
about 400 cows or less, the meas
ure would provide significant
payments to farmers in the ab
sence of a Northeast interstate
dairy compact removed from
Farm Bill legislation last year.
The program is less contro
versial than an interstate com
pact, and the benefit to
northeast producers would
likely be about equal to that pro
vided by a compact, according
to Bailey.
“One of its biggest advantages
is that it’s not a compact,”
MADMC Conference Draws 400
MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Lancaster Farming Staff
YORK (York Co.) From
towering brick buildings in the
center of the city, to roadside
stands, to family-run farm
stores, producers have used vari
ous venues to market their
wares.
This week a conference
helped to disseminate ideas and
information for farmers inter
ested in marketing directly to
consumers.
The Mid Atlantic Direct Mar
keting Conference (MADMC),
$ 4.00 Per Year
hibit called “Patterns On The
Land; Farming In Southwestern
Pennsylvania,” which opened
late last summer as a full-scale
(Turn to Page A3O)
dad and granddad. Every dollar
they earned was invested, along
with plenty of muscle, and even
tually the tally was 750 acres for
harvesting corn, soybeans,
wheat, and barley.
(Turn to Page A 27)
Bailey said. “The compact was
extremely controversial.”
Under the new Farm Bill pro
vision, payment levels and inter
state trade would be regulated
by Congress instead of a panel ot
board members as the interstate
compact would have done.
“You’re not turning pricing
over to a citizen’s panel,” Bailey
said.
The new program will also
use taxpayer dollars instead of
milk processor monies, as would
have resulted from an interstate
compact.
The Northeast Dairy Program
will likely have less effect than a
(Turn to Page A3l)
hosted by the Pennsylvania
Retail Farm Market Associa
tion, Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture and Penn State
Cooperative Extension, is actu
ally a joint effort of these organ
izations in Delaware, Maryland,
New Jersey, and Virginia, be
sides Pennsylvania. The event
attracted 400 participants from
across the U.S.
Preconference workshops in
cluded a seminar at the York
Central Market House, a fruit
basket seminar, a community
(Turn to Page A2B)
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