A36-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 25, 2003 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. Ag Census Due Date Approaches A big “thank you” goes to those who have been so prompt in re turning your ag census form. We have already received more than 20,000 completed census forms from growers, but we are re quired to get responses from ev eryone. The forms are due back Feb. 3. If you mail it back in time, we won’t have to bother you with another form mailed to your home or a phone call. The more census forms re turned before Feb. 3, the less tax payer dollars will be spent on the Ag Census. Nationwide, it will cost about one million dollars just to mail the forms out again after Feb. 3. Then, it will cost about another $2 million to call or visit those who don’t mail a form back. Small, part-time, and hobby farms must be counted, too. They account for nearly half of the 60,000 farms in Pennsylvania. Remember, you only have to produce $l,OOO worth of agricul tural products or have $l,OOO worth of livestock or equine in 2002 to be counted as a farm. If you did not raise any plants or animals in 2002, make a note and return the Ag Census form. This will prevent additional mailings to your home. Help completing the form is only a phone call away at (888 4AG-STAT or (888) 424-7828. Call the same number for a Cen sus form if you did not receive one. Custom Rates In Pennsylvania, we publish an annual report with average rates paid to custom machinery service providers. It is one of our most popular reports requested by farmers. To see the 2002 report, go to www.nass.usda.gov a/ and click on “Publications.” About 1,200 Pennsylvania fanners have received the 2003 survey asking about rates paid for custom work. Phone calls may be made to nonrespondents in mid-February. This annual study is done at the request of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Your response allows us to publish the most accurate information possi ble. 2002 Crop Summary Published Jan. 10 We all know that the 2002 drought was devastating in parts of the state. We now have the final tally of crop production for last year. Pennsylvania grain com yields averaged 68 bushels in 2002, 30 less than 2001 and 59 bushels less than 2000. Total Pennsylvania production was 59.16 million bushels, 39 percent below 2001. Nationally, production was down 5 percent at 9.01 billion bushels. Pennsylvania silage com yield averaged 11.5 tons, 4.5 tons below 2001. Even though acreage cut was 14 percent above 2001, this acreage increase could not offset such low yields. Production was 6.44 million tons, down 18 percent from 2001. Nationally, the crop was up 3 percent. Pennsylvania dry alfalfa hay production was nearly 6 percent above £OOl with an average of 2.6. tons per acre. Nationally, ' the' NASS Agriculture Counts By Marc Tosiano Pa. State Statistician crop was down 8 percent. Penn sylvania alfalfa haylage and greenchop production was 21 percent less with 5.3 green tons per acre. There were 110,000 newly seeded acres planted in 2002 for production in 2003. Pennsylvania dry other hay production was up 2 percent from 2001, averaging a 1.6-ton yield. Nationally, the crop was up 1 percent. The summary of all forage pro duction (both dry and green) shows 4.77 million tons harvested on a dry equivalent basis, a 1 per cent decline from 2001. Forage was harvested from 2 million acres, same as 2001. Yields in 2002 were 2.39 tons compared to 2.41 dry equivalent tons in the previous year. Pennsylvania oat production was 7.02 million bushels, 6 per cent less than 2001; average yield was 61 bushels in 2002 compared to 65 in 2001. Nationally, the crop was up 2 percent. Pennsylvania wheat produc tion was 9.99 million bushels, 20 percent above 2001; yields aver aged 54 bushels compared to 52 in 2001. In the fall of 2002, 190,000 acres were seeded com pared to 170,000 the previous year. Nationally, the 2002 crop was down 16 percent. Barley production was 4.44 million bushels, 6 percent above 2001; average yield was 74 bush els in 2002 compared to 70 in 2001. Nationally, the crop was down 10 percent. Soybean production was 9.1 million bushels, 34 percent less than 2001; average yield was 26 bushels in 2002 compared to 35 in 2001. Nationally, the crop was down 6 percent. Pennsylvania fall potato pro duction was 2.59 million CWT, 18 percent less than 2001; aver age yield was 185 CWT in 2002 compared to 235 in 2001. Acre age harvested in 2002 was 14,000 acres, up 4 percent from 2001. Nationally, the crop was up 6 percent for all potatoes. Pennsylvania-type tobacco production was 4.41 million pounds, 7 percent above 2001 be cause of increased yields at 2100 pounds (up 40 pounds) and 100 more acres harvested in 2002 at 2,100 acres. Maryland-type to bacco production was 2.41 mil lion pounds, 17 percent above 2001. Slightly lower yields (down 10 pounds) were offset by 200 more acres harvested at 1,300 acres. Nationally, the crop was down 10 percent for all tobacco. 2002 Hog Summary Published Dec. 30 There were 1.08 million hogs in Pennsylvania on Dec. 1, 2002, up only 20,000 head from a year earlier. Market hogs, at 955,000, were up 25,000 head while the breeding herd, at 125,000, was down 5,000 head compared to the same time last year. Nationally, there were 58.9 million hogs on hand Dec. 1, 2002, 1 percent below a year ago. Market hogs were down 1 per cent from the year before at 52.9 million head. The breeding herd was down 3 percent at 6.01 mil lion head. 2002 Turkey Summary Published Jan. 9 Pennsylvania raised 9.9 million turkeys in 2002, up 4 percent from 2001. Growers are intend ing to raise the same number of birds in 2003. Nationally, there were 272 mil lion turkpys raised in 2002, only 370,000 more birds than in 2001. Growers intend to raise about 2 percent leSs birds in 2003. Fearnley Selected As Pa. Holstein Intern STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) Pennsylvania Holstein As sociation has announced that Je remiah Fearnley began an intern ship with the association Jan. 2, continuing through April. Fearnley is from Susquehanna County where his parents, Robert and Dawn, milk 50 registered Hoisteins. Fearnley is currently in his junior year at Penn State, worldng towards a bachelor de gree in animal sciences. He is ac tively involved in the Penn State Dairy Science Club, serving as the chair of the successful 2002 Nittany Lion Fall Classic Sale and the spring break trips to the Pacific Northwest and California. Fearnley is also a member of Alpha Zeta fraternity, where he served as chancellor in 2002. Fearnley was a member of the Penn State Dairy judging team that competed in Louisville, and he hopes to compete at Madison next year. He has judged on the 4-H level as well. Fearnley has show ring experience, exhibiting at local and state levels. In 2000, he received one of the “Outstand- Marcia Taylor To Speak At Pa. Com And Soybean Conference GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.) The 2003 Pennsylvania Com and Soybean Conference will bring together some of Pennsyl vania’s top com and soybean growers to hear some topics on how they can better plan for the future and improve their bottom line. This year’s program will kick off at 9 a.m., Feb. 7 at the Holiday Inn in Grantville. The featured speaker at this year’s conference is Marcia Zar ley Taylor. Taylor is a Des Moines, lowa native with 20 years experience in farm policy, agricultural finance, and environ mental reporting. Since 1990, Taylor has served as editor of Top Producer magazine. Marcia recently was awarded the 2002 Jesse Neal Award for her series entitled “ Brazil the Competitor You Can’t Ignore” published in Top Producer. In her presentation, she will discuss not only the grain pro duction potential of Brazil but also recent investments in grain processing and hog and poultry Farm Show Names Honey Winners HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) The following winners were selected in this year’s apiary products competition at the Farm Show. Comb honey square sections - light: 1. Craig Celia. 2. Elaine Hintenach. 3 Eugene Taylor. Comb honey square sections - dark 1. Eugene Taylor. Comb honey cobana round - light; 1. Craig Celia. 2. Jim Boob. 3. Elaine Hmte nach. Comb honey cobana round - dark: 1. Eu gene Taylor. 2. Elaine Hmtenach. Comb honey - light cut comb: 1. Eugene Taylor. 2. Harold Jenkins. 3. Bruce Frymire. Comb honey - dark cut comb: 1. Eugene Taylor. 2. Bruce Frymire. 3. Elaine Hmte nach. Comb honey - 3 Lb. chunk: 1. Dave Moyer 2. John R. Frey. 3. Monroe Cres sley. Extracted honey extra white: 1. Leon Ochs. 2. Monroe Cressley. 3. George Biles. Extracted honey white. 1. Mark Bradson. 2. Dave Moyer. 3. Bruce Frymire. Extracted honey ex light amber: 1 James Stem. 2. John Beamenderfer. 3. Richard Patterson Extracted honey light amber 1. Elaine Hmtenach. 2. Dave Moyer. 3. Tim Komar. Extracted honey amber 1. Lancaster. 2. Tim Komar. 3. James Hoffman. Extracted honey dark amber; 1. Dave Moyer. * Extracted honey light - glass jars; 1. Jeremiah Fearnley, new intern with the Pennsylvania Holstein Association, mans booth at the Farm Show. ing 4-H Dairy Member” awards tivities, he can be reached at: for Susquehanna County. Pennsylvania Holstein Associa- If you would like to contact tion, 839 Benner Pike, State Col- Feamley about Pennsylvania lege PA 16801, phone (814) Holstein Association issues or ac- 234-0364 or fax (814) 234-1698. production and what we must do now to remain competitive. The morning program includes speakers on soy beverages and the Penn State football team, how to maximize the quality of com and soybeans, and discussion of how the movie “Signs” was pro duced using a Pennsylvania com field. Our afternoon sessions will fea ture some in depth workshops on the Farm Bill and Crop Insur ance, again with several top speakers. Sam Willet, nationally recog nized expert on the Farm BUI with the National Com Growers Association, is another of our guests this year. Willet will de scribe and explain the new Farm Bill components that have direct financial impact on Pennsylvania farmers with the help of Penn State extension agent John Berry. Willet and Berry will be using real Pennsylvania examples to il lustrate the local effects of this program. A distinguished panel of crop insurance experts will be on hand Monroe Cressley. 2. Eugene Taylor. 3. Richard Patterson. Extracted honey dark - glass jars: 1. Bruce Frymire. 2. William Gilbert. 3. Elaine Hintenach. Extracted honey crystallized or creamed: 1. Eugene Taylor. 2. Elaine Hintenach. 3. James Wentzel. Beeswax commercial single: 1. Eugene Taylor. 2. Joe Duffy 3. Shanna Vorlsek. Beeswax molded or designed; 1. Lucin da “Joann” Frey. 2. Shanna Vonsek. 3. John R. Frey. Beeswax dipped candles: 1. John Bea menderfer. 2. Scott Baxter. 3. Robert Sing er. Beeswax molded candles: 1. Eugene Taylor. 2. Elaine Hmtenach. 3. Timothy Mill- Honey yeast breads: 1. Lucinda “Joann” Frey. Honey quick breads; 1. Lucinda “Joann” Frey. 2. Dorothy Martin. 3. Mark Marshall. Honey cookies: 1. Mark Marshall. 2. Lu cinda “Joann” Frey. 3. Lydia Eddmger. Honey candy: 1. Lucinda “Joann” Frey. Cakes - one round or sheet: 1. Debra Martin. 2. Dorothy Martin. 3. Lydia Eddmg- Fruit pies: 1. Mark Marshall. Gadets for beekeeping; 1. Craig Celia. 2. James E. Hoover. Specialty pack; 1. Shanna Vonsek. 2. Mark Marshall. 3. Eugene Taylor. Individual exhibit: 1. Lucinda “Joann” Frey. 2. Tom Jones. 3. Eugene Taylor. Best comb honey exhibit; Craig Celia. County or association collective exhibit: Best extracted honey exhibit; Mark v l.xl parades Jfsyeefc BvdsM liam Gilbert. Best beeswax exhibit; Eugene Taylor. this year to explore how to more fully utilize this part of our risk management efforts. Insurance agency representatives will give us information from the perspec tive of the actual product users. Gene Gantz and Cliff Parker rep resent the USDA, Risk Manage ment Agency and will supply an swers to our questions on the formulation and implementation of crop insurance regulations and policy. Bring your questions and concerns. This session is sure to be a lively discussion of this im portant topic. The Com and Soybean Con ference is a joint program spon sored by the Pennsylvania Com Growers Association, The Penn sylvania Soybean Board, and Penn State Extension. Registra tion for the meeting is $2O and reservations can be made by con tacting the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Penn State at (814) 865-2543 before Feb. 1. For more information, contact Greg Roth in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Penn State at (814) 863-1018. Mead, dry - less than one percent resid ual sugar: 1. Eugene Taylor. 2. Dane Snyd- Mead, semi-dry, one to three percent re sidual sugar 1. Scott Baxter. 2. Chns Brug ger. 3. Eugene Taylor. Mead, sweet - greater than three percent residual sugar 1. Scott Baxter. 2. Eugene Taylor. Mead, augmented - with other type of fruit added; 1. Dane Snyder. 2. Scott Baxt er. 3. Eugene Taylor. Youth, comb honey light: 1. Jessica Frey. 2. Joshua Brunk. Youth, comb honey, dark: 1. Shanna Vo nsek. Youth, cobana round sections, light: 1 Shanna Vonsek. Youth, cobana round sections, dark: 1 Shanna Vonsek. Youth, extracted honey, white: 1. Timo thy Long. Youth, extracted honey, extra light amber 1. Ryan Komar. 2. Jessica Frey. 3. Georgina Waldman. Youth, extracted honey, light amber 1. Kelly Komar. 2. Ryan Komar. 3 Brandon Komar. Youth, extracted honey, amber: 1. Shan na Vonsek. 2. Brandon Komar. 3. Timothy Komar. Youth, extracted honey, dark amber; 1. Brandon Komar. 2. Timothy Komar. 3. Kelly Komar.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers