Editor’s Note: This is a month
ly column from the Pennsylvania
Ag Statistics Service (PASS), a
field office of USDA’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) in cooperation with the
Pennsylvania Department of Ag
riculture (PDA). The Website is
www.usda.gov/nassl.
APPLE AND PEAR
POSTHARVEST PRACTICES
Because apples and pears are
considered “kids’ crops,” they
can be under greater scrutiny
concerning food safety issues.
Therefore, it is important that the
fruit industry has reliable and ob
jective information about the use
of agricultural chemicals applied
to fruit both before and after har
vest.
Previous surveys from USDA’s
National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) have shown that
postharvest chemicals are ap
plied at lower than the recom
mended label rates and to only a
fraction of the crop. This inform
ation is very beneficial to the in
dustry, as it is used to review tol
erance levels for registering
products under the Food Quality
Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. It
is important to get the facts to
other agencies so they don’t as
sume maximum label rates are
being used on the entire crop.
Postharvest chemical usage
statistics have been published an
nually by NASS since 1998 for
various fruit and, field crops.
Apples have only appeared in the
first report and postharvest
chemicals used on pears have
never been studied. Trained in
terviewers will contact 2,100
apple and pear storage facilities
across six states. In Pennsylvania,
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- Spreader Tanks
2750-9500 Gai.
- Lagoon Pumps
- Vertical Pumps
- Electric Pumps
- Alley Scrapers
- Underground
Piston Pumps
NASS
Agriculture Counts
By Marc Tosiano
Pa. State Statistician
more than 200 apple storage op
erators will be asked for their
help with this project along with
those in California, Michigan,
New York, and Washington. The
pear survey is limited to Califor
nia, Oregon, and Washington.
The survey includes questions
about chemicals used, application
methods, pest management prac
tices, volume treated, and appli
cation rates.
The Ag Chemical Usage pro
gram also includes reports about
chemical applications to fruit,
vegetables, and field crops before
harvest. Other reports also in
clude applications to livestock
and horticultural crops.
The most recent survey about
preharvest chemical applications
on fruit will be published on July
17. The results of the post harvest
survey will be published in March
2003. These and all other reports
on this subject can be found at
www.usda.gov/nass/. Use the
Search button to fmd reports
about “Agricultural Chemicals”
under the “Commodity” listing.
Nursery And Floriculture
Chemical Practices
The first-ever report of agricul
tural chemical usage on horticul
tural crops was released in April
and revised on May 8, 2002. The
entire 200-page report can be
found on the Internet by follow
ing instructions in the previous
paragraph.
U.S. Cattle Counted
Cattle inventories, births, and
deaths are measured twice a year
January and July. In July,
about 9,500 of the largest cattle
operations (including dairies) are
“We’re Here To Serve You”
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RD #3 Box 130, Mifflinburg, PA 17844
570-966-2736
Ask for Ernest or Dean /
contacted nationwide to help es
tablish official statistics at the na
tional level.
In Pennsylvania, only 120 of
the largest cattle and dairy oper
ations are asked for their help
with this national study. How
ever, the January survey includes
many more farms from Pennsyl
vania and across the nation to
provide enough detail to publish
state level statistics for Pennsyl
vania and other states.
The cattle statistics program
also includes reports detailing
cattle on feed, average prices re
ceived by growers, production,
disposition and income, slaughter
statistics, and beef products in
cold storage. The results of cattle
surveys can be found at
www.usda.gov/nass/. Use the
Search button to find the next
“Cattle” report issued on July 19.
From • May to November,
NASS publishes the official
USDA yield and production fore
casts for the major field crops
and tree fruits in Pennsylvania
and around the country. Fore
casts are based on responses to
periodic fruit surveys and month
ly Ag Yield Surveys when farm
ers estimate expected yields from
their own fields.
Forecasted crops include win
ter wheat, barley, oats, com for
grain, soybeans, sorghum, hay,
hay stocks, apples, peaches,
pears, and cherries.
We ask growers because they
are the best source of information
about the crops they grow. They
see the crop develop daily and
they have the best idea of how
the weather is affecting their
crop. Using their years of experi
ence, they can make the best esti
mate of their expected yields
based on current crop conditions.
It is too risky to use weather
predictions when setting yield
forecasts. Forecasts are based on
information from farmers who
must assume that average condi-
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Crop And Fruit
Yields Forecasted
- Vacuum Tanks
1500-6,000 Gai.
-Track Mounted
Vacuum Units
- Vacuum Pumps
-Various
Accessori
tions will prevail through the end
of the season. Potential lower
yields from drought, flood, or
other poor growing conditions
are reflected in the following
months’ yield surveys.
Each month we ask about dif
ferent crops depending on their
stage of growth. In Pennsylvania,
we ask ISO-600 growers for their
help with the Ag Yield Survey,
depending on the field crops in
cluded that particular month.
Fruit forecast surveys are sent to
all known fruit producers across
Pennsylvania.
These production forecasts
give an important advance warn
ing of the size of each crop in
National Animal Identification
Task Force Formed
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.
The National Institute for Ani
mal Agriculture (NIAA) has an
nounced the formation of a task
force to facilitate the advance
ment of animal identification in
the U.S.
The National Food Animal
Identification Task Force was es
tablished in April and conducted
its first teleconference meeting in
May. Task Force members will
gather in Chicago in June where
six working groups of the task
force will meet and discuss vari
ous aspects of a national plan.
According to Neil Hammer
schmidt, COO of the Wisconsin
Livestock Identification Consor
tium and chair of NIAA’s Ani
mal Identification and Informa
tion Systems Committee, the
mission of the task force is “to
ensure the United States has an
adequate animal identification
system that supports the finan
cial viability of animal agricul
ture.
“This stakeholder-based task
force has the challenge to collec
tively develop a national identifi
cation plan that provides the es
sential elements of a national
program,” said Hammerschmidt,
“that can be implemented timely
and cost effectively.”
Hammerschmidt said the task
force is a unified effort involving
industry and government. More
than 25 industry organizations
and a few government agencies
have accepted NIAA’s invitation
to participate on the task force.
In all, more than 75 individuals
are serving on the various work
ing groups.
ies
•Valves
• Fittings
• Suction
Hoses
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 22, 2002-A35
Pennsylvania and across the na
tion. For example, if a large crop
is expected, contract harvesters,
packers, transportation compa
nies, and storage facilities must
be ready to handle the extra vol
ume. A small crop warns about
the possible need to plan for al
ternate livestock feed sources or
farmer- assistance programs such
as the 1999 Drought Assistance
Program.
The results of field crop and
fruit yield surveys can be found
at www.usda.gov/nass/. Use the
Search button to find the “Crop
Production” report issued around
the 10th of each month and the
“Cherry Production” report
scheduled for July 1.
Hammerschmidt pointed out
that several animal identification
work groups and entities have
made significant progress during
the past year. “The intent of this
task force is not to duplicate such
efforts, but to incorporate them
into a broad plan that provides
greater opportunity for a national
program,” he said. “The vast
leadership coming to grips with
the key issues across the entire
industry is what makes this effort
outstanding.” The issue-based
working groups are co-chaired by
10 industry leaders throughout
animal agriculture.
Dr. Mark Engle, with the Na
tional Pork Board, who vice
chairs the NIAA Animal Identifi
cation and Information Systems
Committee, said the task force
will present a preliminary report
during ID/Info Expo 2002, a con
ference and trade show devoted
to the issue of animal identifica
tion and information systems.
During this event, scheduled for
July 28-Aug. 1, the National
Food Animal Identification Sym
posium will provide a forum to
advance the national plan for an
imal identification and consider
the recommendations of the task
force.
After feedback is collected
from the symposium, Engle said,
the task force will meet again and
consider any revisions before
presenting their final recommen
dations for a national plan at the
U.S. Animal Health Association
meeting scheduled for October in
St. Louis.
Hammerschmidt and Engle’s
goal is to have a national plan de
fined by the end of the year.