V 01.47 No. 19
Janet, center, and Dave Hiieman, right, Blair County, were honored with the Pennsyl
vania Forage and Qrasaiand Council’s Special Award Wednesday evening In dtrairtvlHe.
Presenting the award Is outgoing president Duane Pysher. Photo by Andy Andrews, editor
Conference Honors Successful Producers
ANDY ANDREWS
Editor
GRANTVILLE (Dauphin
Co.) One large-scale dairy
producer/grazier put it this way
for about 200 producers and
agribusiness people Wednesday:
Your farm is “almost like an
artistic canvas,” said Charlie
Opitz, dairy producer from Min
eral Point, Wis. “The species
you work with are your paint.
And the cows are your paint
brush.”
Opitz spoke about what many
graziers recognize as “grass
fever,” he said. “Once you catch
it, it’ll stay with you until you’re
dead.”
Opitz spoke Wednesday
morning at the beginning of the
two-day 2002 Pennsylvania
Grazing and Forage Conference
at the Grantville Holiday Inn.
The conference is sponsored by
the Pennsylvania Forage and
Grassland Council (PFGC) and
the Penn State Grazing Re
search and Education Center.
Opitz, whose farm partner-
Public Perceptions Force Changes
In Legislation, Poultry Industry
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
LANCASTER (Lancaster
Co.) Competition for poultry
producers used to mean vying
for customers with other pro
ducers, but today, competition
includes consumer groups and
government agencies demands,
said Dr. Gregory Martin, exten
sion multi-county poultry spe
cialist.
Martin was one of the many
professionals speaking at Poul
www.lancastorffarming.com
ship 1,200 cows, noted
his family' began farming in
1832 near Milwaukee, Wis.
Through the years, the farm
moved north to Saukville, Wis.,
with additional expansion. In
1979 I® wife Dorothy and
Mark, Janis, and Jenni moved
to the Mineral Point Farm.
Major advancements oc
curred in 1978, 1986, and 1991,
increasing the farm size, going
back to pasture again with milk
cows, and additional acreage.
Now, the farm includes about
1,400 acres, including a 900-cow
freestall in the middle of 600
acres.
In 1993 the farm partnership
purchased a double-27 swing
parlor in the middle of an 800-
acre parcel. The parlor, includ
ing everything except labor, cost
$140,000.
Dairy herd averages are
15,000 pounds per cow at 3.4
percent protein and 3.5-4.2 but
terfat.
The farm milks Holstein/
Jersey crossbreds. Opitz said he
try Progress Day conducted at
the Farm and Home Center,
Thursday.
Producers are facing discrimi
nation in trade and in the U.S.,
Ken Kleppen said. In his job to
analyze government regulations
and reduce confusion for pro
ducers, Kleppen said an increas
ing amount of regulations and
concerns are against the indus
try because of unfair percep
tions.
Science used to be the gauge
Five Sections
liked using Jerseys because of
improved heat tolerance, cold
tolerance, and “better legs,” he
said.
Opitz provided details of his
pasture maintenance. He said
that between two to four times
per year, nitrogen is applied to
improve feed quality. The hay
doesn’t move more than 500 feet
(Turn to Page A2O)
Specialty crops and herbs are in focus with Grower & Marketer this issue. Eric Ha
begger, Akron, provides details about grafting. He points to the grafting wax area that
will yield a new variety of apple. The section also includes, news from the New Jersey
Vegetable Growers and Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable conventions.
Photo by Michelle Kunjappu
»\‘4V*t*. \ V W V V \ *4 '*'*'•*»*<*• *e ** %*4 *t \S \ *4*4 \*i N *. M •
Saturday, March 9,2002
Farm Bureau President
To Visit Lehigh Valley
Holden Appointed To Farm Bill Committee
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
ALLENTOWN (Lehigh Co.)
American Farm Bureau Fed
eration President Bob Stallman
will speak at a meeting hosted
by the southeast region of the
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau here
March 16.
Stallman will breakfast with
the Lehigh Valley Grain Mar
keting Club, then join in a tour
of local ag operations including
a greenhouse, a mushroom facil
ity. and a dairy farm.
Nutrient Management Board:
Keep Regulations Simple
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Phosphorus manage
ment, regulation of exported
manure, and conservation plan
ning'were key issues discussed
at a meeting of the Pennsylvania
Nutrient Management Advisory
Board here recently.
Doug Goodlander, nutrient
management director of .the
State Conservation Commission
(SCC), presented the board with
a list of “possible refinements”
to the Pennsylvania Nutrient
Management Act scheduled for
revision and legislative review
later this year.
The group covered six of 20
agenda items during the six-
$34.00 Per Year
At the evening banquet, Stall
man’s talk will focus on the
Farm Bill and agriculture trade
policy, according to American
Farm Bureau Federation
(AFBF) director of communica
tions Bill Eckmann.
U.S. House and Senate con
ferees were recently selected to
negotiate differences between
the Senate bill passed in Febru
ary and a House version passed
last fall.
Tim Holden, representative
(Turn to Page A 23)
hour meeting.
“Simplify” was one of the
chief requests made regarding
the proposed changes.
Board members and others at
the meeting expressed concerns
about regulations becoming
overly burdensome for farmers
and agents.
A proposal that would require
“exported” manure to be
shipped only to farms with an
approved nutrient management
plan (NMP) or importer plan
would seriously hamper the dis
tribution of manure, according
to various board members.
Noting that the board contin
ues to support certification of
manure haulers, Goodlander
(Turn to Page A 24)
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