A42-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 20, 2002 Farm Credit Reviews Prosperous Returns LOU ANN GOOD Food And Family Features Editor NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster Co.) Mid Atlantic Farm Credit celebrated a successful year by hosting eight sectional stockhold er banquet meetings April 1-10. According to Ralph Robertson, Farm Credit director, the mem ber-based focus of decision-mak ing policies resulted in track-re cord achievements and successful returns on stock of more than 20 percent. Farm Credit’s diversified port folio is almost equally divided among what is called the “top five” grain, poultry, dairy, landlords, and livestock. This di versification lowers risk-taking. Twenty months ago. Farm Credit began ongoing consolida tion. Reducing the number of of fices trimmed operating costs, saved taxes, and strengthened the organization. Planned merging changes continue to be put into action, Robertson said. Within the next year, the 31-member board will be reduced to 23. Bob Frazee, CEO, said that members cooperation continue to make stocholders’ vision a reali ty- This past year’s financial suc cess was partly due to the dra matic decline in interest rates, the lowest in recent memory. This enabled improved cash flow and lowered borrowing costs for members. The lower interest rates spurred refinancing opportuni ties. Last year, 300 new members joined Mid Atlantic. Internal duties include reorga nization to equip Farm Credit to serve the needs of large and small operations. Allied Milk Producers Conduct Annual Banquet SANDRA LEPLEY Somerset Co. Correspondent JOHNSTOWN (Somerset Co.) The 52nd annual meeting of Al lied Milk Producers’ Cooperative Inc. was conducted April 2 at the The Allied Milk Producers’ Cooperative Inc., which includes 200 members from nine -ounties in Western Pennsylvania, conducted its annual banquet recently in Johnstown <1 Cambria County. Here, some members get together before the banquet to discuss ne dairy industry. They are Dr. Paul Knepley, guest speaker from the Pennsylvania De triment of Agriculture; Fred Shankle, vice president, Bedford County; Lowell Friedline, •rganization secretary from Boswell in Somerset County; and Dave Myers, president 'om Cambria County. Photo by Sandra Lepley An oversized check for $17,544,543 held by Ralph Robertson, director, right, and Bob Frazee, CEO, demonstrates the amount returned to stockholders of Mid Atlantic Farm Credit. Profits also increased in part because of a finalized IRS set tlement, which returned monies from an escrow account. “September 11 shaped 2001,” Frazee said. The events showed that anything can happen, but also rekindled a renewal among the nation to concentrate on what is important in life, Frazee said. Farmers, he said, are accustomed to dealing with crisis as a result of changeable weather, economy, and government polices. The company slogan for the year, “The Time Is Right,” signi fied that the time was right for consolidation and for moving to a holding company to benefit from deferred taxes. Masonic Temple in Johnstown with more than 100 members and families. Allied Milk Producers has been in existence since 1950 for the purpose of promoting and adver “We strive to be the premier cooperative lender. I promise we are working for you,” Robertson told the stockholders. Elections were held at each of the eight regional meetings, which included Dover, Del., Prin cess Anne, Md., Denton, Md., Al lentown; New Holland; Level, Md.; Westminster, Md.; and Hag erstown, Md. After the votes from all region al meetings were tallied, the fol lowing members were elected to the board of directors: Gary Grossnickle, Walkersville, Md.; Merle Ramsburg, Thurmond, Md.; Douglas Scott, Hurlock, Md.; Dale Ockels, Milton, Del.; James Garber, Mount Joy; Dale R. Hershey, Manheim; Wilmer tising the dairy industry to in clude the consumption of dairy products, according to Dorothy Naugle, dairy marketing special ist who has been with the cooper ative for the past 16 years. Hostetter, Oxford; Mervin Saud er, Lititz; Kenneth Stutzman, Kutztown; Rodger Wagner, Oley; George Bundick, Bloxom, Va.; M. Wayne Lambertson, Pocomo City, Md.; Fred Moore Jr., Eden, Md.; Jesse Burall Sr., Monrovia, Md.; Steven Wilson, Parkton, Md.; Raymond Harrison 111, Easton, Md.; William Knight Jr., Church Hill, Md.; Leroy Allen Messick Jr., Seaford, Del.; Benja min Tull, Sedford, Del.; Stephen Burkholder, Alburtis; Dean Groff, Kinzers; Susan Arnold, Salisbury, Md.; and Lewis Q. Riley, Marva. Featured speaker was Bryan Townsend, Talladega, Ala. The motivational humorist spoke of making good things happen. Allied Producers include 200 dairy producers from nine coun ties, including Armstrong, Bed ford, Blair, Cambria, Clearfield, Indiana, Jefferson, Somerset, and Westmoreland. These business owners ship their milk to 13 dif ferent markets, some of which in clude Gallikers, Land O’Lakes, and Schneiders Dairy. According to Naugle, the an nual banquet and meeting allows the farmers to get together and enjoy one another’s conversations as well as contribute suggestions or complaints about the organiza tion. In addition, it allows them to hear a speaker who often talks about current issues in the dairy business, said Naugle. This year. Dr. Paul Knepley from the Bureau of Animal Health at the Pennsylvania De partment of Agriculture, spoke to the crowd concerning farm bio security. “Biocontainment provides the best safeguard at keeping the bad guy off your farm,” said Dr. Kne pley. “It’s a reality. You can’t have an impenetrable fortress, and it’s not cost effective to do that, but there are ways to pro tect your farm environment.” Knepley first discussed the po tential sources of new disease, such as new herd additions, visi tors, equipment, and wildlife. He also talked about reportable dis eases, such as brucellosis, an thrax, and mad cow disease. Other speakers that evening included Sara Jennings, Pennsyl vania’s Alternate State Dairy Ptipqegs* .Qtjigr, Purple Deadnettle Carpets Fields DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff HARRISBURG (Dau phin Co.) If you’ve been curious about a short plant with purplish leaves and flowers making a strong showing in some fields and roadsides this spring, Penn State extension agent Paul Craig offered some inform ation this week. .Purple deadnettle is its name, and serious competi tion is not its game. Although it forms a dense carpet of striking purple in some fields, it will not pose much of a threat to crops grown in this area, Craig said. Purple deadnettle (Lami um pupureum) is a winter annual often confused with henbit (Lamium amplexi caule). Both weeds have square stems and belong to the mint family. The leaves of purple deadnettle are tri angular in shape and less deeply lobed than henbit. The upper leaves of dead nettle are red to purple in color. The flowers of purple deadnettle are light purple in color and are arranged in whorls in the axis of the upper leaves. Purple -- 4 e*d*#444e— spreads by seeds and is found throughout the U.S. and Canada. It germinates’ in the fall or spring. Like’ henbit, it does best iti thin, turf or open ground, Tt is usually found in moist fer tile soils, growing best in the cooler weather of late fall and early spring. Proper cultural and fer tility practices will reduce competition from purple deadnettle. Website information from WeedAlert.com was used in this report. in attendance were Stephanie Biesinger, Armstrong County; Emily Kirsch, Blair County; Michele Freyer, Clearfield Coun ty; Gretchen King, Indiana County; and Jennifer Stahl, Som erset County. Amy Sylvester, newscaster from Channel 10 News in Altoo na, served as MC. The board of directors includes Dave W. Myers, Cambria Coun ty, president; Fred Shankle, vice president, Bedford County; Low ell Friedline, secretary, Somerset County; Janice Itle, treasurer, Cambria County; Richard Kauf man Jr., Somerset County; and James Scott, Indiana County. Naugle serves as dairy marketing specialist. Naugle explained that .even though Allied Producers has been up and running since 1950, the Dairy Tobacco and Adjustment Act of 1983 made it mandatory for dairy farmers to contribute so many cents per hundredweight collected each year for a qualified agent, with five cents going to the National Dairy Board and 10 cents being directed by local pro ducers for advertising. »
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