Ida’s
Notebook
by
Ida Risser
Apply For Dairy Of Distinction Award By April 15
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.)
Pennsylvania dairy farms are invited to
apply for this year’s Dairy of Distinction
award from the Northeast Dairy Farm
Beautification Program. Applications must
be submitted by April 15.
The award is based on the idea that
attractive farmsteads enhance consumer
confidence in the wholesomeness of milk
and stimulate milk sales and public support
for the industry. Dairies receiving the high
est scores in each of 10 Pennsylvania
districts will be awarded an 18- by 24-inch
Dairy of Distinction sign to display in front
of their farm.
“This program is run by volunteers and
recognizes the hard work and dedication of
dairy producers who promote a positive
image for the dairy industry,” said Mike
O’Connor, secretary of the Pennsylvania
Dairy of Distinction program and
professor of dairy science extension in
Penn State’s College of Agricultural
Sciences,
Roadside judging will take place in
May. Judges will look at factors that can be
controlled by the farmer, such as clean and
attractively finished buildings; neat land
scaping, ditches, roads and lanes; and
well-maintained fences. They also will
take into account other aspects of the farm,
such as cleanliness of animals,the barn
yard, feed areas and manure management.
HOW IS YOUR FARM SCORED?
Awards will be based upon neatness, good maintenance, and
other factors, which can be controlled by the farmer Attractive
background scenery should not be weighed heavily m judg
ing. All judging observations should be made from a vehicle
at one or more points on an adjacent public highway (or if
farm is off the road, the nearest lane) Judging should give
equal consideration to old wood construction and new con
struction of metal or concrete block
The award program may be used for subsequent advertising or
promotion activities for dairy products or dairy farming
Farmers who apply for awards agree that, if selected, they will
cooperate with these activities and make all reasonable efforts
to maintain both the exterior and interior of their properties in
an acceptable condition
HOW THE JUDGING WORKS
Judging teams will visit the farms during the month of May
Farms will be judged each year as the award is presented on
an annual basis. Any dairy failing to maintain appearance
standards will be asked to remove their sign The Dairy of
Distinction signs remain the property of the committee, not
the property of the dairy farmer All farms must achieve a
compliance score of 90 percent on their Dairy of Distinction
score card Your cooperative or milk handler will be contacted
to approve your milk quality
RULES FOR THE
DAIRY OF DISTINCTION AWARD
1 The Dairy of Distinction sign remains the property of the
Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification Program Committee
(NEDFBP)
2. The post and bracket shall be supplied by and maintained by
the dairy farmer. NEDFBP suggests that a wood post 4” x 4” x
12’ or iron pipe 2” x 12’ be used. Posts or pipe should be
installed and maintained in true vertical position with 8’ above
ground Top of the bracket should be lower than six inches
from the top of the post In addition, NEDFBP suggests that the
sign be mounted in a frame to provide additional stability
3 The sign shall be displayed in front of the dairy at roadside.
An attractive post and bracket, or other frame shall be used to
display the sign. No more than three signs should be displayed
from the sign frame or post, and all shall be of a style, general
size and quality comparable to the Dairy of Distinction sign
The sign should be secured on all sides to avoid wind damage.
4. Signs shall not be moved to other premises. New owners of
a Dairy of Distinction farm must apply to retain the sign.
5. Replacement of damaged signs shall be at the discretion of
the committee.
6. No producer shall be charged with scoring or sign expenses.
7 The judges’ decision will be final
8 Judging will take place between May 1 and May 31
9. Farms awarded a Dairy of Distinction sign in previous years
will be judged between April 1 and April 30. If they do not
qualify, they will be rejudged between May 1 and May 31 so
they have the opportunity to keep the sign
10 Farms that do not requahfy will return the sign to their
regional Dairy of Distinction Committee
We’ve had snow again. As my car is parked outside it
has to be cleaned off quite often. Of course, we have a
two-car garage, but one part is needed to store other
things. When the lock on the door freezes, that is just an
other reason to wish for warmer weather.
The other night we were invited to a taffy pull. I’d
never been to one before but I often heard of it. The
Amish neighbors started with two large kettles on the
stove which had to be stirred continually. When the cor
rect thickness was reached, it was removed from the
stove, and the mass was cooled until it could be pulled.
me KulpFamily
Dairies of Distinction for 2002.
Winning farms will be notified in late
June. Because this is a yearly award,
previous winners are reevaluated each
year to see if they are still maintaining
excellent standards.
To receive an application, call
Mike O’Connor at (814) 863-3913 or
e-mail him at HYPERLINKnfiaiI to:
MOConnor@psu.edu.
Dairy of Distinction
2003 Pennsylvania Application
PURPOSE OF PROGRAM
Attractive dairy farms give the consumer greater confidence
in the wholesomeness of milk and stimulate milk sales
which encourages public support of the dairy industry. The
award gives recognition to the dairy farmer for maintaining
a well-kept farmstead.
ELIGIBILITY
All Northeast dairy farms producing milk for sale are
invited to submit an application for the award. Dairies
receiving the 10 highest scores in each of the 21 districts will
receive an 18” x 24” Dairy of Distinction sign to be dis
played in front of their farm.
APPLICATION
Your Name
Mailing Address
Phone Number
Cooperative or Handler (where you ship your milk, be
specific)
(Your Handler will be contacted to approve your milk quality)
Location (driving directions for judging team)
County (where your farm is located)
I hereby apply to the Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification
Committee to have my dairy scored in accordance with the
rules of the program for the purpose of obtaining a Dairy of
Distinction sign to be displayed on my premises.
(No producer will be charged for scoring or sign expense.)
Date
Signature Owner/Operator
Return application by April 15 to:
Michael O’Connor
Department of Dairy and Animal Science
324 Henning Building
Penn State University
University Park, PA 16802
Since 1987, Pennsylvania’s Dairy of
Distinction Program has recognized more
than 700 dairy farms. The Pennsylvania
program is part of the Northeast Dairy
Farm Beautification Program, which also
includes New York, New Jersey, and
Vermont. Dairies in these states can con
tact the program secretary in their state
for applications.
Farm Name
And 1 do mean pulled. The young men stood about five or
six feet apart and did what appeared to be a complicated
procedure as they exchanged long strings of candy. I was
encouraged to butter my hands and try it too. But, I did
not do too well and ended up with too much candy on my
hands.
The whole group gathered around the table to cut the
candy in pieces with a scissors and then wrap each indi
vidual piece. They flavored it with spearmint and pepper
mint. Everyone got to take some home.
Recently, we saw a travelogus on Egypt, and I’m not
sorry that I never got to visit it. We were shown
sand and more sand with lots of camels. They are
mostly raised for meat. There were many pyra
mids and ancient grave sites too.
My grandchildren went tubing. Now I thought
that was sitting in an inner tube and floating down
a stream. But, this was using a tube to go down a
big snow-covered hill in York County. I’ve got to
keep up with the times.
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