Farm Calendar ♦
(Continued from Page A 10)
Agriculture Conference, Dur
ham, N1M603) 862-5040.
Monday. November 18
Farming with Technology Pre-
Conference Workshop, Weav
er’s Banquet Hall, Adams
town, noon to 5 p.m. Work
shop Nov. 19, 8:30 a.m.-S:3O
p.m., (800) 270-0047.
Md., Va. Milk Producers’ Co-op
district meeting, New Midway
Fire Hall, New Midway, Md.,
7 p.m.
Northampton County Extension
annual meeting and dinner,
Brown and Lynch Post, East
on, 6:30 p.m., (610) 746-1970.
Pa. Egg Quality Assurance
Training, Grantsville Holiday
Inn, Session 5, 9 a.m.-noon
and Session 6, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.,
(717)651-5920.
“Let’s Talk,” Cumberland Coun
ty Agricultural Committee,
Cumberland County Exten
sion Building, Carlisle, 7:30
p.m.
“Forest in a Crisis?” Bucks
County Heritage Conservan
cy, Doylestown, (215)
345-7020, ext. 120.
Pa. Farm Bureau annual meet
ing, Hershey Lodge and Con
vention Center, Hershey, thru
Nov. 20.
DairyCOPs Workshop, Weaver’s
• Feed Bins
• Grain Bins
• Air Drying Systems
• Grain Dryers
• Parts & Motors
We Install Total Package.
Or We Provide Free Bin-Jack Use With Your New Bin Purchase.
• Weight-Tronix Feed Mill
• Transport Augers
• Bucket Elevators
• Stirring Systems
• Utility Augers
ACE
Hardware
Vi Hl'
Hfi)'(ui
H,u ■ I l '., in
'lk- 1
EQUIPMENT, INC.
FARM & HOME CENTER
717-464-3321 or 800-732-0053
■ 1 #
Banquet Hall, Adamstown, 1
a.m.-5 p.m., (717) 503-8114.
Octoraro Young Farmer’s meet
ing, vo-ag dept, of Octoraro
High School, Pesticide Appli
cators’ License, 7:30 p.m.,
(610) 593-8259.
Beef Quality Assurance meeting,
Mercer Extension Office, 7
p.m„ (412) 662-3141.
Tuesday, November 19
Farming with Technology Work
shop, Weaver’s Banquet Hall,
Adamstown, 8:30 a.m.-5:30
p.m., (800) 270-0047.
Western Pa. Vegetable meeting,
Days Inn Butler, 8 a.m.-3:30
p.m., (724) 837-1402.
Statewide Project Grass Confer
ence, Days Inn, State College,
thru Nov. 20, (814) 238-8454.
Winemaker Technical Meeting,
Lancaster Farm and Home
Center, 2 p.m.-5 p.m., (717)
394-6851.
Ohio Food Security Workshop,
University Plaza Hotel, Co
lumbus, Ohio, 8 a.m.-4:30
p.m., (614) 292-9833.
Berks County “Forests in Crisis,”
Berks Ag Center, Leesport, 7
p.m.-9 p.m., (610) 378-1327.
Also Lehigh County, UGI
Utilities Auditorium, Bethle
hem, (610) 391-9840.
Codorous Creek Watershed As
sociation meeting, York Coun
ty Solid Waste Authority,
York, 7 p.m., (717) 843-2929.
Beef Quality Assurance Training,
Indiana Farmers Livestock
Auction, Homer City, 6 p.m.,
(724) 837-1402.
Cumberland County Holstein an
nual meeting, Penn Twp. Fire
EAMERR
www.aceretailer.com/amherr
Herrville Rd & Rt 272 South
2 1/2 Miles South of Willow Valley Square
Not Responsible For Typographical Errors
(Continued from Page A 29)
ing to do with fluctuations in
global protein prices. He specu
lates that higher-value MPC im
ports, those with protein levels
well above 40 percent, are insen
sitive to prices. “Food processors
really want MFCs,” Bailey said.
“Some are willing to pay top dol
lar because of its functional prop
erties in their foods. These firms
aren’t shopping global markets
for the best deals.”
He said the real issue for dairy
farmers is the lower-valued
MFCs, those with protein levels
comparable to the 40 percent
protein content of domestically
produced nonfat dry milk. Some
of these lower-valued imports are
Hall, Huntsdale, 7 p.m.
Wednesday November 20
“Trees are the Answer” video
and discussion, Centre County
Woodland Owners, (814)
625-2741.
Dairy Heifer Management Con
ference, Carriage Comer Res
taurant, Mifflinburg, 9:30
a.m.-3 p.m., (888) 922-5420.
“Forests in a Crisis?” Lancaster
Farm and Home Center, (610)
582-9660. Also Dauphin
County Conservation District,
(717) 362-8875.
• Wet Tanks
Mon.-Fri.
6:30 im-8:00 pm
Sal.
7:30 am-6;00 pm
r ola I
r
m
UPS Drop
Point
MFCs Cause Dry Milk Surplus
(Turn to Page A4l)
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 16, 2002-A39
mixed with other dairy ingredi
ents such as dry whey and casein
and come from places such as
Canada and Europe. In fact, Bai
ley noted, the U.S. even imported
MFCs in 2002 from countries
such as the Dominican Republic,
Estonia, and India.
As their use in the production
of cheese rises, MFCs could dis
place domestic nonfat dry milk,
and even domestically produced
fluid milk as ingredients, theore
tically resulting in increased
cheese production and lower
cheese prices. While cheese pro
duction has risen in 2002, it is not
clear from Bailey’s study how
much of this increase can be at
tributed to MPC imports. “Most
of this year’s cheese production
increase is clearly due to higher
levels of milk production,” Bailey
said.
He notes that there were a
number of ways to deal with
MFCs, although none of the
“cures” are favorable. First, Con
gress could abolish the dairy
price support program. That
would significantly reduce MFC
imports and eliminate govern
ment purchases of nonfat dry
milk, and could jump-start an
MFC industry in the U.S.
Currently there is no U.S.-pro
duced MFC. “The obvious down
side to this idea is that U.S. dairy
farmers would no longer have a
floor under their milk prices,” he
said. “There’s no telling how low
milk prices would have fallen
had there been no price support
program.”
Second, Congress could pass
legislation to subject all MPC im
ports to the same tariffs as other
dairy products. But Bailey says
that could spark retaliation from
our trading partners, particularly
the European Union and Cana
da. “Given the U.S. farm bill and
higher tariffs on steel and wood,
retaliation against U.S. exports,
especially farm exports, is a real
concern,” he said.
A more practical approach,
Bailey argues, would be to tackle
MPC imports as part of the cur
rent efforts to renegotiate a new
global trade agreement. “That
agreement should cover global
trade in all dairy products, not
just some,” he said. “This would
help put MPC imports on a par
with other dairy products that
enter our country.”
At the same time, Bailey said
Congress should consider wheth
er the dairy price support pro
gram has effectively discouraged
domestic production of MPC.
“If U.S. food manufacturers
want high-quality MPC, they will
find a way to purchase it. So why
not make it here, in the U.S.,
from domestic milk sources?”
said Bailey.