Ida's
Notebook
Ida Risser
Wanted: Well-Kept Farms For Dairy of Distinction Merit
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.)
- Pennsylvania dairy farms are invited
to apply for this year’s Dairy of
Distinction Award from the Northeast
Dairy Farm Beautification Program.
Applications must be submitted by
April 15.
The award is based on the idea that
attractive farmsteads enhance
consumer confidence in the
wholesomeness of milk and stimulate
milk sales and public support for the
industry. Dairies receiving the highest
scores in each of 10 Pennsylvania
districts will be awarded an 18- by 24-
mch Dairy of Distinction sign to
display m front of their farm.
“This program is run by volunteers
and recognizes the hard work and
dedication of dairy producers who
promote a positive image for the dairy
industry,” said Mike O’Connor,
secretary of the Pennsylvania Dairy of
Distinction program and professor of
dairy science extension m Penn State’s
College of Agricultural Sciences.
Roadside judging will take place in
May. Judges will look at factors that
can be controlled by the farmer, such
as clean and attractively finished
buildings; neat landscaping,, pitches,
roads, and lanes; and well-maintained
fences. They also will take into
How Is Your Farm Scored?
Awards will be based upon neatness, good maintenance, and
other factors, which can be controlled by the farmer. Attractive
background scenery should not be weighed heavily in judging
All judging observations should be made from a vehicle at one or
more points on an adjacent public highway (or if farm is off the
road, the nearest lane). Judging should give equal consideration
to old wood construction and new construction of metal or
concrete block
The award program may be used for subsequent advertising or
promotion activities for dairy producers or dairy farming
Farmers who apply for awards agree that, if selected, they will
cooperate with these activities and make all reasonable efforts to
maintain both the exterior and interior of their properties in an
acceptable condition
How The Judging Works
Judging teams will visit farms during the month of May. Farms
will be judged each year as the award is presented on an annual
basis Any dairy failing to maintain appearance standards will be
asked to remove their sign The Dairy of Distinction signs remain
the property of the committee, not the property of the dairy
farmer All farms must achieve a compliance score of 90 percent
of their Dairy of Distinction score card. Your cooperative or milk
handler h ill he c ontacted to approve vour milk quality.
1 The Dairy of Distinction sign remains the property of the
Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification Program Committee
(NEDFBP)
2 The post and bracket shall be supplied by and maintained by
the dairy farmer NEDFBP suggests that a wood post
4”x4”xl2‘ or iron pipe 2”xl2’ be used Posts or pipe should
be installed and maintained m true vertical position with 8'
above ground Top of the bracket should be lower than six
inches from the top of the post In addition, NEDFBP
suggests that the sign be mounted in a frame to provide
additional stability
3. The sign shall be displayed in from of (he dairy at roadside
An attractive post and bracket, or other frame shall be used to
display the sign No more than three signs should be
displayed from the sign frame or post, and all shall be of a
style, general size and quality comparable to the Dairy of
Distinction sign The sign should be secured on all sides to
avoid wind damage
4 Signs shall not be moved to other premises New owners of a
Dairy of Distinction farm must apply to retain the sign
5 Replacement of damaged signs shall be at the discretion ot the
committee
6 No producer shall be charged with scoring or sign expenses
7 The judges' decision will be final
8 Judging will take place between May I and May 31
9 Farms awarded a Dairy of Distinction sign in previous years
will be judged between April 1 and April 30 If they do not
qualify, they will be rejudged between May 1 and May 31 so
they have the opportunity to keep the sign
10 Farms that do not requalify will return the sign to their
regional Dairy of Distinction Committee
account other aspects of the farm, such
as cleanliness of animals, the
barnyard, feed areas, and manure
management.
Winning farms will be notified in
late June. Because this is a yearly
award, previous winners are
reevaluated each year to see if they are
still maintaining excellent standards.
O’Connor at (814) 863-3913 or e-mail
Rules
With Easter comes thoughts of “traditions.” My dic
tionary says it very well an inherited or customary pat
tern of action or behavior. It is handed down information
or customs by word of mouth from one generation to an
other without written instructions.
My Grandmother always dyed her ‘-Easter eggs by
using dried orange-brown onion skins. And I do the
same. They give egg shells a mottled design, which is al
ways different.
Hiding an Easter basket for children is an old tradi
tion. I’ve gone from hunting my faded green basket, to
Crystal Spring Farm, Mifflintown
To receive an application, call Mike
• Dairy of Distinction
• 2002 Pennsylvania Application
• PURPOSE OF PROGRAM
• Attractive dairy farms give the consumer greater confidence in the
• wholesomeness of milk and stimulate milk sales which encourages
• public support for the dairy industry. The award gives recognition
• to the daily farmer for maintaining a well-kept farmstead.
I ELIGIBILITY
• All Northeast dairy farms producing milk for sale are invited to
• submit an application for the award. Dames receiving the 10
• highest scores in each of the 21 districts will receive an 18”x24”
• Dairy of Distinction sign to be displayed in front of their farm.
• APPLICATION
m Your Name
• Mailing Address
? Phone Number,
• Cooperative or Handler (where you ship your milk, be specific)
• (Your Handler will be contacted to approve your milk quality)
_ Location (driving directions forjudging team)
• County (where your farm ts located)
• I hereby apply to the Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification
_ Committee to have my dairy scored m accordance with the rules of _
• the program for the purpose of obtaining a Dairy of Distinction m
• sign to be displayed on my premises. (No producer will be charged •
• for scoring or sign expense.) •
• Date *
Signature Owner/Operator
• Return application by April 15 to:
• Pennsylvania: Michael O’Connor
* Department of Dairy and Animal Science
* 324 Henning Building
• Penn State University
* University Park, PA 16802
m ✓ NEW YORK - Carol Keene-Ainsille, 3993 Jordonville Road,
m Jordonville, NY 13361
• ✓ NEW JERSEY - Joy Ricker, 91 Beemer Road, Sussex, N/ 07461 •
• ✓ VERMONT - Elisa Clancy, Vermont Department of Agriculture, •
• 16 State St., Drawer 20, Monteplier, VT 05620-2901 •
Dairy
of Wt
Distinction
him at MOConnor@das.psu.edu
Since 1987, Pennsylvania’s Dairy of
Distinction Program has recognized
more than 750 dairy farms. The
Pennsylvania program is part of the
Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification
Program, which also includes New
York, New Jersey, and Vermont.
Dames in these states can contact the
program secretary in their state for
applications.
Farm Name
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 30, 2002-B9
hiding some for my children, to merely listen to my chil
dren’s stories of hiding them for their children. We always
hid them indoors but now the grandchildren, who live in
the South, can expect to hunt outside in their back yards.
My son has even had his children take part in the egg roll
on the White House lawn. Later, they had their pictures
taken with the President of the United States.
Ham on Easter is another tradition that many families
follow. Although, nowadays, lamb is a close second. My
father usually sold his lambs just before Easter.
Another tradition in our house was the breakfast menu.
We always managed to have smoked tongue care
fully sliced to eat with our soft boiled eggs. This
meal was not repeated on other days of the year
and so it was special.
Then we dressed for church in a different man
ner than we do today. If we could manage it, we
had a new dress. With this outfit there had to be a
new hat and also gloves. Today we skip the hat
and gloves bit.
But no matter how we dress, the reason for cele
brating Easter is the most important. We expect to
have four families together for the religious holi
day.
Pennsylvania Egg
Producers Join In
New York Celebration
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Just in time
for Easter, the most popular and biggest selling
time of the year for eggs, PennAg Industries Asso
ciation joins with other egg producers around the
country for an “Eggstravaganza” to celebrate the
good news about eggs the comeback kid of nu
tritional foods.
Egg consumption is up a healthy 11 percent, a
wealth of new research and scientific studies have
prompted changes in the American Heart Associ
ation’s (AHA) 30-year stance on eggs and new re
search points to nutrients contained in eggs that
have important health benefits.
The “Eggstravaganza” was celebrated March
30 in New York City’s Central Park and brought
together leading scientists, egg industry represen
tatives and six of America’s best-known and be
loved television moms from the days when stan
dard breakfast fare was a couple of eggs.
Barbara Billingsley (Leave It to Beaver), Betty
Buckley (Eight is Enough), Beverly Garland (My
Three Sons), Shirley Jones (Partridge Family),
June Lockhart (LassiefLost in Space) and Marion
Ross (Happy Days) symbolically returned eggs to
their rightftil place in America’s hearts by putting
a giant-sized Humpty Dumpty back together
again.
“Maybe mom really did know best when she
told her TV families, ‘eat your eggs, they’re good
for you’,’’quipped Shirley Jones. “Eggs are back
and, like us, they’re better than ever.’’
“We’re pleased that Americans are eating and
enjoying more eggs,” says Jim Shirk, assistant
vice president of Penn Ag. “Not only are eggs good
tasting, they’re one of the most versatile foods,
and now with research showing that they may
have several health benefits, eggs seem like a per
fect food to include in one’s daily diet.”
In addition to increased consumption, the Egg
stravaganza commemorated the American Heart
Association’s (AHA) decision to allow an egg a
day back in the American diet. The AHA’s land
mark decision ended a 30-year campaign that sin
gled out eggs and limited consumption to no more
than three per week. The organization now says
it’s OK for healthy Americans to eat an egg a day.
Scientists point to a landmark Harvard Univer
sity (Journal of the American Medical Associa
tion, April 1999) study, among others, which con
cluded that one egg a day did not have significant
impact on the risk of coronary heart disease. Re
search now shows that saturated fat and trans fat
are the more serious contributors to heart disease.
A study published in the October 2000 Supple
ment to the Journal of the American College of
Nutrition suggests that choline, an essential ingre
dient found abundantly in eggs and milk, when
taken during pregnancy, may be key in the devel
opment of an infant’s memory function and may
improve memory capability later in life.
A separate study in the same publication show
ed that two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin,
found in eggs and certain vegetables, significantly
reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macu
lar degeneration. Some observational studies have
shown that generous intakes of these carotenoids
reduce the risk of cataracts up to 20 percent and
age-related macular degeneration up to 40 per
cent.
The American Heart Association’s journal Cir
culation (June 2001), published research showing
that lutein, a nutrient found in egg yolks, may
help to reduce the risk of heart disease. In this
study of 480 middle-aged men and women, those
with the highest blood levels of lutein showed the
least thickening in their artery walls over an
18-month period. Research has shown lutein from
egg yolks is better absorbed by the body than from
a comparable serving of vegetables.
For more information about
www.pennag.com.
visit
eggs,