A36-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 30,2002
TECHNOLOGY
AND AGRICULTURE
Agriculture in central Pennsyl
vania in the year 201 S will have a
distinctive new dimension.
Agriculture is undergoing
changes in all sectors. Production
agriculture will have two size
classes of farms in the next 15
years. The first class will be the
very large or integrated enter
prises. The second important size
class will consist of small and
part-time farms.
Large, independently owned
farms and integrated agriculture
serve the needs of increasing food
exports abroad and commercial
food distribution domestically.
The major impact in the market
ing scheme for large and inte
grated farms is wholesale pricing
determined by supply and de
mand of commodities. Usually
their profitability is based on
lower cost of production relevant
to the prices that are paid.
Since marketing opportunities
have been narrowed by company
consolidations and integration,
producing commodities at lower
costs is important for large farm
survival.
A new marketing system is be
ginning to emerge and gradually
being applied by innovative farm
ers. There are two systems that
determine the marketing and
production practices applied on
the farm.
The two marketing systems in
agriculture are:
• Commodity-based market
ing
• Product-based marketing
Small and part-time farm en
terprises are becoming increas
ingly dependent on product
based markets. Direct marketing
will have a major role in profita
bility.
The identification of a niche
market is important for small
farms to remain profitable.
Farms in this size category will
need to develop direct marketing
skills and produce value-added
products to remain viable enter
prises.
Small and mid-sized enter
prises can market services or
products to a larger audience be
yond the local area through tech
nology applications such as e-
Lancaster Farming’s annual
booklet, A Reference Guide To
Animal Health and Housing, is
scheduled April 6. The booklet's
scheduled lineup includes a focus
on animal care Included are
features on heat stress abatement
in the summer months, hoof
trimming guidelines, a look into a
special-design milking parlor, heifer
contracting, and a lambing story.
Did you know farmers and ranchers
make up less than 2 percent of the
U.S. population, and each one
feeds 129 people, 101 in the
U.S. and 28 abroad?
- Colorado State University Ag News
commerce. This technology offers
farmers tremendous marketing
potential through extended mar
ket regions. Many businesses out
side of agriculture are discover
ing the potential of internet sales.
The Internet caused a para
digm shift so severe that even Bill
Gates missed its significance at
first. The folks at Microsoft
thought that the ’Net was just a
plaything for academics, college
kids, and military-industrial es
tablishment spooks. Now they
are betting the future of their
company and their stock options
on this worldwide communica
tions phenomenon.
There is nothing evolutionary
about the Internet. It is not the
natural outgrowth of the tele
graph or telephone or even televi
sion, although it shares some
common characteristics. The In
dustrial Age is dead, and it has
been replaced by the Commu
nications Age.
It’s not the Computer Age,
even though it is powered by
computer technology. The Com
munications Age as this era is
identified, like the Industrial
Age, entails a revolution in how
the folks earn a living and ex
change goods and services. It dis
rupts and reshapes markets and
the very lives of those fortunate
to be part of it.
When we talk about the new
economy, we’re talking about a
world in which people work with
their brains instead of their
hands. Communication technolo
gy created global competition
everything from running shoes to
laptop computers but also
bank loans and other services
that can’t be packed into a crate
and shipped. In business today,
innovation is more important
than mass production. People are
investing in new concepts or the
means to create them, rather
than new machines.
In business, rapid change is a
constant a world at least as dif
ferent from what came before it
as the industrial age was from its
agricultural predecessor. A world
so different its emergence can
only be described as a revolution.
As all of agriculture struggles
to remain profitable in an ever
changing global economy, both
large, small, and mid-sized farms
will need to apply e-commerce
and other technology to remain
sustainable. As markets contin
ually change, farmers will need to
be familiar with implementing
cutting-edge technology. E-com
merce is an example of technolo
gy being used as a valuable mar
keting tool.
Morrison’s Cove Announces
LINDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
NEW ENTERPRISE (Bedford
Co.) The Southern Cove Power
Reunion Association will conduct
its annual Spring Plow Days and
Show April 6-7. The plowing will
begin at 9 a.m. and run through 6
p.m. on Saturday and continue
on Sunday afternoon.
Located on the club’s 47-acre
club show grounds, plowing
equipment will include the horse
drawn variety as well as antique
tractors and machinery.
Hit and Miss engines, a saw
mill, and chain saw carving will
also be a part of the day.
Smells of Southern Cove cook
ing are expected to fill the air and
entice the appetites of spectators.
There will be a drawing for a
1948 Ford BN.
Both exhibitors and campers
are welcome. For more informa-
Drinking Water Clinic
Offered In Lebanon County
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
Lebanon County residents who
rely on a private well, spring or
cistern may be drinking tap
water that contains some form of
contamination, according to a
Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion educator.
“Between 60 and 70 percent of
all private well water supplies in
the state don’t meet all drinking
water safety standards,” said
Tom McCarty, water quality
agent. “There are about one mil
lion private water supplies in
Pennsylvania, mostly springs and
wells fed by groundwater, and
about 20,000 new wells are drill
ed in the state every year. Be
cause private water systems are
largely unregulated, water quali
ty and quantity problems are all
too common.”
To address these problems,
water specialists from Penn
State’s College of Agricultural
Blair County Honors Top Breeders, Herds
KRISTIN RUSSELL
Blair Co. Correspondent
WILLIAMSBURG (Blair Co.)
The Blair County Holstein
Club conducted its annual meet*
ing and banquet in conjunction
with the DHIA awards presenta
tions, March 18 at the Williams
burg Elementary School.
Presiding over the meeting was
Holstein Club President Dennis
Brumbaugh.
Guests for the evening in
cluded Blair County Dairy Prin
cess Emily Kinch and Pennsyl
vania Dairy Princess Rebecca
Mowrer from Huntingdon Coun
ty. The dairy princesses served a
milk punch reception before the
banquet.
The Blair County Holstein
club recognized Judy Black and
John Burket for their efforts in
organizing the 2002 Pennsylvania
Holstein Convention that was
hosted by Blair County in Altoo
na earlier this month. Both were
given a fruit basket. Club Presi
dent Dennis Brumbaugh express
ed the club’s sincere appreciation
for all of their hard work that re
sulted in one of the most success
ful and memorable state conven
tions.
New directors were elected to
serve a three-year term on the
Blair County Holstein Club
board of directors. Serving until
2005 are Wesley Metzker of Mar
tinsburg, Wesley Smith of Mar
tinsburg, Bradley England of
Spring Plow Days
Plowing under all circumstances throughout history
will be demonstrated at the Spring Plow Days April 6-7 at
New Enterprise.
tion, contact Darin Helsel at
(814) 766-3715, Mel Calhoun at
(814) 224-5861, or Fred Mellott at
(814)766-2703.
Sciences and the Environmental
Resources Research Institute will
offer a satellite clinic, which will
be presented at Lebanon County
extension office from 7 p.m. to
8:30 p.m. April 8. The aim is to
provide rural residents with the
information they need to cost-ef
fectively maintain a safe and
plentiful water supply.
“Residents who receive water
from a public water company or
authority can be confident that
their water meets drinking water
safety standards,” McCarty said.
“But if you own your own private
supply, you have sole responsibil
ity for managing the quality and
quantity of your water.”
Common problems in private
water supplies include bacterial
contamination, lead, radon, ni
trate, iron, acidity and corrosivi
ty. Residents attending the clinic
can learn how to avoid, detect,
and treat the contaminants they
Williamsburg, and Judy Black of
Tyrone.
Judy Black presented the Hol
stein Junior member awards for
the milk, fat, and protein produc
tion contest. Deanne and Donna
Delp, daughters of Durreil and
Donna Delp of Williamsburg,
swept that competition with their
two outstanding production
cows.
Delside Delaware Bingo won
first place milk, fat, and protein
award in her age division. She is
owned by Deanne Delp. Delside
Counselor Heidi also won first
place in all three categories in her
age division. She is owned by
Drama Delp.
Rebecca Shaw, daughter of
Steven and Karyn Shaw of Wil
liamsburg, was recognized for
having die only Junior All-PA
show winner from Blair County
this year. Her project calf,
Windy-Knoll-View Jennifer, was
the reserve Junior All-PA spring
calf for 2001.
David Bigelow from Pennsyl
vania DHIA/Dairy One pres
ented the production awards to
top herds in Blair County. He
brought greetings from the man
agement of his organization and Also recognized were the herds
commended Blair County on its with the lowest somatic cell
10th place rank for milk in Penn- counts. Top herds in this catego
sylvania. • ry were 1. Andrew and Jennifer!
Bigelow recognized Frederick IldlzeL 2. {tarns Brothers. 3. Jo-J
Farms of Martinsburg as the high "FarmsT W**9mith Hollow]
herd in Blair County for 2001 Farms. 5. Thomas W. Kelly. I
The Power Reunion grounds
are located off Rt. 36 on Brum
baugh Road. Turn onto Cave
Road.
are likely to find in their water.
Water conservation and manag
ing a private water supply in
times of drought also will be dis
cussed.
“We’ll cover drinking water
standards, proper well construc
tion and location, land-use activi
ties associated with individuals
pollutants, water testing,, and
water treatment,” McCarty said.
McCarty recommends that pri
vate well owners hire a certified
laboratory to test their water for
bacteria annually, and for other
chemicals at least every three
years. 1
The clinic is free, but please
call the office if you are planning
to attend so that we can have
enough materials for all attend
ees. For more information on the
clinic or maintaining a private
water supply, contact the Leba
non County office of Penn State
Cooperative Extension at (717)
270-4391.
with ,a herd average of 28, 323
pounds of milk, 1,137 pounds of
fat, and 877 pounds of protein
per cow. Also recognized was the
top Jersey herd in Blair County,
the Jo-Be Farm, with 18,634
pounds of milk, 824 pounds of
fat, and 623 pounds of protein
per cow.
In the mixed breed competi
tion, Harold and Bernard Bai
ley’s Roaring Spring herd ranked
on top with 18,760 pounds of
milk, 725 pounds of fat, and 586
pounds of protein per cow. The
toj) Ayrshire herd for Blair Coun-
Sr is owned by Andrew and Join
er Heltzel of Martinsburg with
18,055 pounds of milk, 693
pounds of fat, and 543 pounds of
protein,
Pennsylvania DHIA presents a
herd management award. This
award is based on a point system.
Points are awarded for increase
in production from one year to
the next, low somatic cell counts,
and other good management
practices. Ranking in the top for
Blair County were 1. Frederick
Farms. 2. Thomas W. Kelly. 3.
Smith Hollow Farms. 4. Rodrick
and Trudy Hinish. 5. Mill Hill
Farms.