A2B-l_ancaster Farming, Saturday, December 28, 2002
Dairylea, DFA Working
To Stop Imports Of
Raw Milk From Canada
SYRACUSE, N.Y. Dairylea
Cooperative Inc. and the North
east Council of Dairy Farmers of
America, Inc. (DFA) are working
on a number of initiatives at the
state and federal levels to close
loopholes permitting the impor
tation of bulk raw milk from
Canada.
Currently, there are reports of
small volumes of milk from Can
ada being delivered to cheese
plants in Pennsylvania, New Jer
sey, and Indiana. Dairylea and
DFA are asking that all imports
of raw milk from Canada be pro
hibited in an effort to prevent any
negative effects on U.S. farm
milk prices.
The importation of bulk raw
milk is regulated by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) as established in the Im
port Milk Act of 1927. The FDA
is an agency of the Federal De
partment of Health and Human
Services. Under this act, the FDA
is responsible for granting li
censes for all imported milk and
ensuring that necessary inspec
tions are completed.
“Unlimited imports of Cana
dian milk would ultimately lower
farm milk prices in the Northeast
and throughout the U.S., ” said
Clyde Rutherford, president of
Dairylea Cooperative. “Although
at this time the problem is small,
Canadian milk brokers have
shown interest in bidding out sig
nificant volumes to U.S. buyers.
The problem will only escalate.”
“This milk is a part of Cana
da’s surplus and is being dumped
in our markets. This can potenti
ally worsen our supply/demand
issues,” said Lewis Gardner,
chairman of the Northeast Coun
EPA Ruling
Concerns Land O ’Lakes
ARDEN HILLS, Minn.
Land O’Lakes, Inc. voiced con
cern that the Environmental Pro
tection Agency’s (EPA) new Con
centrated Animal Feeding
Operation (CAFO) rule, released
earlier this week, will add to the
financial pressure farmers are
facing after an already difficult
year.
While the national farmer
owned food and agricultural co
operative appreciates the impor
tance of the new regulations,
there is concern among its mem
bership regarding the cost of
compliance, according to Steven
Krikava, Land O’Lakes director
of government relations.
Office Closed
New Year’s
On New Year's Day,
Wednesday Jan 1, I ancas
ter la rating office is closed.
The office will reopen Thurs
day Jan. 2.
For the Jan. 4 issue, there
are some early deadline
changes:
Public Sale and Mailbox
ads, 5 p.m.. Friday, Dec. 27.
Classified, Section D ads
3 p.m., Monday, Dec. 30.
Classified, Section C,
Farm Equipment ads, 3 p.m.,
Monday, Dec. 30.
Sect. A ads, 9 a.m. Thurs
day, Jan. 2.
General news
Thursday, Jan. 2.
cil of Dairy Farmers of America.
“At a time when we are starting
to see positive signals that U.S.
milk prices will improve, it is crit
ically important to eliminate a
problem that could negatively
impact farmer income if left un
checked.”
Dairylea and DFA’s Northeast
Council are working on the fol
lowing initiatives:
• Meeting with Tommy
Thompson, secretary of the De
partment of Health and human
Services, to discuss the negative
impacts of the FDA’s practice of
granting licenses for imports.
• Asking Northeastern state
departments of agriculture to
take action to prohibit milk
plants in their states from receiv
ing Canadian milk. New York,
Vermont and Ohio have already
taken measures to prohibit these
imports.
• Requesting Congressional
support in pressuring the Depart
ment of Health and Human Serv
ices to make the appropriate ad
ministrative changes, which
would prohibit raw milk imports
from Canada.
Both cooperatives are also
generating grassroots support
from members on this issue.
Members are being asked to con
tact their state’s secretary or
commissioner of agriculture and
congressional leaders to make
them aware of the problem.
“I believe that if dairy farmers
work together to voice their con
cerns on this issue, we will see ac
tion,” said Rutherford. “This is
an instance where government
officials have the ability to reme
dy a problem before it gets out of
hand.”
“Land O’Lakes supports pro
grams that will provide cost-shar
ing and will help livestock pro
ducers comply with the new
regulations,” Krikava said. “We
also are pleased that the United
States Department of Agricul
ture’s (USDA) Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS)
will be involved with implemen
tation of the nutrient planning
aspect of the rules.”
The CAFO rule will apply gen
erally to pork producers who feed
at least 2,500 mature animals in
confinement for more than 45
days per year, although in some
instances smaller operations will
be affected.
For dairy farms, the regulation
will affect those with a herd size
of 700 or more, though some
smaller operations may have to
acquire permits under the Clean
Water Act, develop nutrient
management plans, improve re
cord-keeping and monitoring,
and enhance nutrient handling
activities.
The EPA worked with indus
try representatives like Land
O’Lakes in an attempt to keep
the rules realistic and workable.
“Our members are the best
stewards of the land,” Krikava
said. “We know that they will en
sure their dairy and livestock op
erations are not polluting our na
tion’s environment, so we urge
our producers to participate in
programs like the Environmental
Quality Incentives Program
(EQIP) in order to cushion the
cost of compliance.”
noon.
Farm Show History, Construction Next Issue
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Before TV, before video games, before the Intern
et ... there was the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Crowds flocked here near mid-cen
tury to the Small Arena (now called the Sale Arena) to see this horseshoe contest.
Read a complete history of the Farm Show Complex and learn how new construc
tion will uplift the face of future Farm Shows, beginning in 2003, in Lancaster
Farming’s Farm Show Showcase section next week. This week, schedules, exhibi
tors, and maps of the Farm Show appear on pages D25-D29.
2003 New Holland Vegetable Day Set
NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster
Co.) Greenhouse tomatoes,
weed, insect and disease control
in vegetables, and asparagus pro
duction are just a few of the more
than a dozen topics to be covered
at the New Holland Vegetable
Day January 20,2003.
The meeting is sponsored by
the Eastern Lancaster County
School District and Lancaster
County Cooperative Extension.
Greenhouse flower growers
will want to catch the sessions on
“Perennial Production” and
“Mum Varieties and Produc
tion.”
A panel of local growers will
talk about their experiences with
using beneficial insects instead of
pesticides for greenhouse toma
toes. Raspberry and strawberry
production and food preservation
will round out the program.
Category pesticide credits will
be available at some sessions.
Two core pesticide credits will be
offered at the “Pesticide Safety”
session.
The meeting will be Monday,
Jan. 20, at Yoder’s Restaurant in
New Holland. Yoder’s is located
along Rt. 23 at the eastern edge
of New Holland.
Registration begins at 9 a.m.
Cost for the day is $lO per person
if you preregister by Jan. 15, or
$l5 per person at the door.
Lunch is provided.
For more information, contact
Jeff Stoltzfus, (717) 354-1522. To
register, send the enclosed form
along with a check for the appro
priate amount to Adult Farmer
Program, 126 Eastern School
Rd., New Holland. PA 17557.
Pa. Holstein To Offer Special Membership Rates At Farm Show
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) The Pennsylvania Hol
stein Association will have in
formation booths at both the
Pennsylvania Farm Show in
Harrisburg and the Keystone
Farm Show in York. The Key
stone Show runs Jan. 7-9 and the
Pennsylvania Farm Show runs
Jan. 11-18.
The association invites mem
bers and friends to stop by and
visit them to find out what’s new
and happening in the association.
People who are interested in
joining the Pennsylvania Holstein
2003 New Holland Vegetable Day
January 20, 2003
Yoder's Restaurant
Sponsored by KLANCO School District and
Penn State Cooperative Extension
9 00 9 10 A
Introdm
9 TO 9 4S Welcome.
945 10 30 Concurrent sessions
Rm 1 1 Asparagus Production Disease and Weed Control Scott Walker Jersey Asparagus Farms
Rm 2 Improving Roadside marketing Steve Bogash Penn Slate Coop Hxl
Rin 3 Perennial Flower Varieties and Management John Bell \oderßros
»nt Session!
10 30
Rm 1 *Slrawbcrry Plasticulture Establishment
Rm 2 *What s New in 2003
Rm 1 Mum Varieties and Management
15 12 00 General Scs*
* Vegetable Disease Control
100 Lunch
100 1 45Gi
Problem Weeds
2 00 General Session
Vegetable Research Program Update
it Sessions
Rm 1 Opportunities in Sweet Onions
Rm 3 * Bramble Pest C onlrol
Rm 3 New Heath Varieties
245 3 M) Concurrent
Rm 1 *Gieenhouse Tomato IPM Panel
Rm 2 food Preservation Concerns for the Roadside
Rm J **Pestiudc Safety
M \ isit exhibits on vour wav home
* Category pesticide credit will be available for these sessions
** Core pesticide uedils will be available for this session
Address
Association will want to consider
a visit to either show as a time to
join the association. Pennsylvania
Holstein will be running a mem
bership special for new members
who join between Jan. 1-18. Any
new member can join at that time
for a base fee of $17.50 plus 33
cents per cow.
The association encourages
dairy producers and other dairy
industry enthusiasts interested in
joining the association to stop by
the booth and visit with the asso
ciation about becoming a mem
ber. If you cannot attend either
of Mid Atlantic Farm Credil
md Dt
Inentati
troarai
St on Walker Jersey Asparagus Farms
Exhibitors
BradYodci Yoder Bros
Dr Alan Mac Nab PSD Extension
Mike Orzalek, Penn Stale Extension
Bill Iroxel PA Veg Growus
MikeOr/alek Perm Stale Extension
Kaihv Demchak Penn State Extension
Tom Callahan ACN
I ocal Growers, Cathy Thomas PDA
Nancy Wikei I ancastcr County Ext
Katie tvanchak PA Dept of Ag
C«> SlO/pcrson =
# Attending
Maki thaks payable lo Adull Farmei Piogram
Farm Show, you can still send in
an application by Jan. 18 to re
ceive the new member discounts.
For more information about
the Pennsylvania Holstein Asso
ciation or to receive a member
ship application, contact the
Pennsylvania Holstein Associa
tion, 839 Benner Pike, State Col
lege, PA 16801. Phone
(814) 234-0364, fax (814)
234-1698, e-mail HYPERLINK
mailto:pha@vicon.net pha@
vicon.net or access the Website at
HYPERLINK http://www.
paholsteins.com.
loul