•I U I I
Vol. - 47 No. - 37
State FFA President’s Roots
Run Deep In Agriculture
SANDRA LEPLEY
Somerset Co. Correspondent
BERLIN (Somerset Co.) “I
always knew I wanted to be a.
state officer,” said David Bittner,
Berlin, Somerset County, refer
ring to his new role as FFA presi
dent.
David Bittner, Berlin, has stepped into the role of state FFA president. He was named
president after seven rounds of interviews during FFA State Activities Week at Penn
State. Further coverage of the week begins on page 813. Bittner is pictured with a
Brown Swiss calf, part of the family’s herd of Holsteins, Brown Swiss, Jerseys, and
Guernseys. Photo by Sandra Lepley, Somerset County Correspondent
Farm Bill Discussed At Ag Issues Forum
MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Lancaster Farming Staff
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.)
“I’ve always believed in the abili
ty of citizens to come together,
work together, and design a pro
gram to improve our lives. I still
Myron Martin, Knoxville, Md., looks over grazing heifers while milking cows feed
and loaf in the freestall bam above. Martin and his family have combined intensive
grazing with a flexible total-mixed-ration feeding approach to boost profits and cut
labor on their farm. Read about the Martin’s operation in this week’s Foraging
Around section. Photo by Dave Lefever
wrww.lancasterfarming.com
A recent graduate of Berlin
Brothersvalley High School, Bit
tner confidently looks forward to
this year as a way to promote ag
riculture and FFA through this
prestigious office.
“I stayed as active as I could
feel that way after working on
these farm bills,” said Tom He
bert, keynote speaker at Thurs
day’s Agricultural Issues Forum
conducted at Kreider’s Restau
rant, Manheim.
Approximately 60 agribusiness
Five Sections
this past year in order to gain ex
perience for this position,” said
Bittner, who became president
after competing alongside 19
other candidates in seven rounds
(Turn to Page A 24)
representatives and producers
gathered to leam more about the
Farm Bill.
Tom Hebert, partner in
agriculture lobbying firm,
(Turn to Page A 23)
Saturday, July 13, 2002
Exclusive to
(Lancaster Farming
This is the first in a series of
articles spotlighting businesses
that will exhibit their products
and services at the 2003 Penn
sylvania Farm Show.
CARLISLE (Cumberland Co.)
Cummings and Bricker, Inc., is
a wholesale distributor of farm
machinery, specializing in vari
ous kinds of haymaking equip
ment. The company serves about
1,200 dealers from Maine to
South Carolina and as far west as
Indiana.
Jim Cummings and his broth
er, Eugene, own and manage the
company, first established by
U.S, Court Of Appeals
Rules That Checkoff Continue
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Wednesday, the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Bth Circuit grant
ed a request for stay that allows
the beef promotion program to
continue without interruption
while the appeal is pending,
according to the USDA.
A June 21 decision by a Dis
trict Court in South Dakota ruled
that the Beef Promotion and Re
search Act is unconstitutional
and directed that the collection of
assessments cease on July 15.
However, the stay postpones
implementation of the South Da
kota decision and the beef
promotion and research program
will continue to operate and con
duct operations as normal during
These newly-hatched ducklings are part of Joe
Jurgielewicz & Son Duck Farm, a supplier for Oriental
markets in several major East Coast cities. Read about
the operation on page 86. Photo by Michelle Kunjappu
$36.00 Per Year
Farm Show
I 2003
Exhibitor
Spotlight
their father in Batavia, N.Y., in
1961. Jim Cummings opened the
Carlisle distribution facility in
1978, and Eugene continues to
manage the operation in Batavia.
The company imports farm
equipment from various coun
tries, including Canada, Ger
many, Italy, Netherlands, and
the United Kingdom. About 75
percent of that machinery ends
up on dairy operations, according
to Jim Cummings.
While business has been “very
good,” Cummings said the com-
the pendency of the appeal. This
stay was requested by the De
partment of Justice on behalf of
USDA.
In accordance with this court
order, the beef promotion and re
search program will remain in ef
fect and beef producers and im
porters must continue to pay beef
checkoff assessments.
Producers and importers who
fail to pay the assessment may be
subject to late payment charges
and civil penalties up to $5,500
per violation.
For more information about
these developments, see page
A 26.
$l.OO Per Copy
(Turn to Page A 37)