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 SECOND CHANCE Don’t miss the chance to cast your vote for agriculture! Thou sands of your friends and neigh bors in Pennsylvania have al ready sent in their completed Ag Census form. Thank you! But many have not yet re turned the form. That’s why we are mailing a second one. Penn sylvania farms need to be proper ly counted so that we receive fair consideration compared to other states concerning agricultural is sues. County counts are also very important because they can affect decisions about the future of ex tension services to growers, crop insurance, financial programs from the Farm Service Agency, and more. Even local chambers of commerce depend on county statistics to promote agriculture in your area. These county statistics will often be the only information about your county until the next Ag Census, which is five years away. A complete count is needed for every county so that your county is properly repre sented compared to the rest. Response in some counties is already approaching 50 percent, but a few counties are as low. as 27 percent returns. Any county Correction Eric Charles, Lan caster, right, broke the harvest barrier for me chanical harvest of to matoes with a 54.9-tons-per-acre av erage yield. James Kohl, Furman Foods vice president, awards a crisp $lOO bill to Charles for breaking the 50-tons-per-acre harvest barrier, not bushels per acre, as was incorrectly report ed in the Feb. 8 issue of Lancaster Farming. We apologize for the error, **** * ♦ 4 NASS Agriculture Counts By Marc Tosiano Pa. State Statistician that comes up short in the final tally may not get a fair considera tion for extension services or other decisions that affect grow ers. If you mailed the form close to the Feb. 3 due date, we may have already sent a second form before receiving the first one. Just make a note on the second form and mail it back. Remember small, part-time and hobby farms must be count ed too. Call (888) 4AG-STAT or (888) 424-7828 if you did not re ceive a census form or if you need any help completing the form. 2002 Fruit Summary Published Jan. 24 The Pennsylvania 2002 com mercial apple crop totaled 390 million pounds, or 9.3 million 42-pound bushels. This was 19 percent below last year. National ly, the utilized apple crop was down 8 percent from previous year. For 2002, Pennsylvania peaches totaled 60 million pounds or 1.3 million 48-pound bushels. This was 20 percent below 2001 production. National ly, the utilized peach crop was up 6 percent from previous year. Pennsylvania pear production totaled 3,800 tons in 2002, 1,700 tons less than 2001. Nationally, the utilized pear crop was down 6 percent from previous year. Pennsylvania sweet cherries to taled 355 tons in 2002, down 39 percent from 2001. Nationally, the utilized sweet cherry crop was down 20 percent from previ ous year. Pennsylvania tart cherry pro duction in 2002 was 3.8 million pounds. This was down 3 percent from 3.9 million pounds in 2001. Nationally, the utilized tart cher ry crop was down 80 percent from previous year due huge losses in Michigan. Pennsylvania grape production in 2002 totaled 53,200 tons, down 13 percent from the previous year due to spring frosts around Lake Erie. Nationally, the utilized grape crop was up 9 percent from previous year. 2002 Vegetable Summary Published Jan. 29 End-of-season statistics are published annually for major vegetable crops nationwide. Pennsylvania crops are listed Sheep And Woo here for the 2002 season. Prices Published Feb. 1 received by growers are a weight- Pennsylvania farms had 83,000 ed average of wholesale and re- sheep and lambs on hand Jan. 1, tail sales. 2003, down 3 percent from a year Sweet com for fresh market to- earlier. These sheep were on taled 628,000 CWT or 1.5 million 2,600 farms in Pennsylvania, up crates (with 5 dozen at 42 4 percent from previous year, pounds). This is 10 percent less Breeding ewes at 55,000 head than a year earlier. The average j$ unchanged from previous year. Pennsylvania price in 2002 was Other changes are replacement $31.80 per CWT or $13.36 per lambs down 8 percent, rams crate - down 17 percent, and market Sweet corn for processing to- sheep and lambs down 8 percent, taled 6,660 tons, up 36 percent Wool production in Pennsylva from previous year. The average „ia totaled 430,000 pounds in Pennsylvania price in 2002 was 2002, down 2 percent from previ s77.3o per ton. o us year. Average price to grow- Tomatoes for fresh market to- ers was 25 cents per pound, same taled 701,000 .CWT, up 31 per- as 2001. » » • cent from a year earlier. The av erage Pennsylvania price in 2002 was $23.80 per CWT. Snap beans for processing to taled 20,340 tons, down 1 percent from a year earlier. The average Pennsylvania price in 2002 was $215.00 per ton. Cabbage for fresh market to taled 342,000 CWT, twice as much as last year. The average Pennsylvania price in 2002 was $13.30 per CWT. Strawberry total production was 73,000 CWT, 15 percent below 2001. The average Penn sylvania price in 2002 was $137.00 per CWT. Cantaloupe production totaled 130,000 CWT, 16 percent above 2001. The average Pennsylvania price in 2002 was $22.00 per CWT. Pumpkin total production was 1,170,000 CWT, 18 percent above 2001. The average Pennsylvania price in 2002 was $14.10 per CWT. Cattle Counts Published Jan. 31 During 2002, there were 28,000 Pennsylvania operations with cattle and calves, unchanged from previous year. There were 9,900 farms had milk cows, 400 less than 2001. There were 11,200 farms with beef cows, 100 more than 2001. Pennsylvania farms had 1.63 million bovine on hand Jan 1, 2003, down 10,000 head from previous year. Pennsylvania milk cows, at 590.000 head, is up 2,000 head from previous year; 150,000 beef cows - down 1 percent; 280,000 milk cow replacements - down 2 percent; 45,000 beef cow replace ments - up 13 percent; 50,000 other heifers - up 11 percent; 170.000 steers - up 3 percent; 25.000 bulls - unchanged; and 320.000 calves - down 3 percent. Nationwide, bovine inventories are 1 percent below previous year. Compared to last year’s in ventories: Milk cows up less than 1 percent, beef cows down 1 per cent, milk replacement up 1 per cent; beef replacements up 2 per cent; steers down 1 percent. Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter in all feedlots was 12.9 million head, down 7 percent from previous year. Satellite Program To Help Delaware County Residents Solve Pond Problems SPRINGFIELD (Delaware Co.>—Ponds can provide many recreational benefits to home owners, but they have their share of problems, says a water re sources specialist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. “Some may develop leaks or fill with sediment,” said Exten sion Associate Bryan Swistock. “The water may be muddy, or choked with weeds and algae. And sometimes, that big fish you hoped would be there for the kids to catch just doesn’t materialize.” To address the basics of pond management, experts from Penn State, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Mansfield University will offer a live satel lite clinic from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 27. The program will be aired locally at 6:45 p.m. at the Delaware County office of Penn State Cooperative Extension, Smedley Park, Springfield. Swistock recommends that people who own a pond, develop a management strategy depend ing on their goals. “How you manage your pond depends on your goals,” he said. “People who want a pond for swimming, for instance, usually want a clean, sandy bottom with out many weeds. But if you want a good fishery, you’ll need some plants and structures.” Maryland To Host Getting Started In Farming Sessions ELLICOTT CITY, Md. Is there room for beginning farmers in an economy that is forcing farms to get larger and larger to survive? Resoundingly, yes. The Howard County Office of the Maryland Cooperative Exten sion and the Howard County Economic Development Authori ty will sponsor four evening ses sions for people interested in starting a farming or natural re source based enterprise. Seminar participants will re ceive practical knowledge and advice on how to select the right enterprise for them and how to convince their banker they have what it takes to succeed. Exam ples of different enterprises will be used to detail start-up consid eration and how to structure an entry into farming. Scouting out the market, de veloping a successful business plan, examples of starting from Simmental Show Posts Results HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) —Larry Hughes and Triple L Farm made a clean sweep—win ning the grand championship with KJS Kenya and following it up with LLL Ms Cleo’s reserve championship placing—was ac complished at the Farm Show here in January. Hughes and Triple L are no newcomers to the Farm Show’s winner’s circle, having won the grand champion bull in 1998 with LLL Chunk and the grand champion female in 1999 with K- Hill Sophia. Although Hughes has been raising purebred Sim mental cattle in New Oxford for 15 years, his farm upbringing was on a dairy farm in Harney, MD. , la The 2002 Five-Acre Corn Club winners are scheduled to appear in the March 1 Corn Talk, a newsletter of the wlaPk Pennsylvania Corn Growers Association (PCGA). Wf** Included that issue: PCGA board of director information, During the program, the ex perts will offer tips and advice on common pond problems and proper management. Attendees will be able to ask questions by telephone and fax. Master Gar deners Steve Kosiak and Carl Pfeiffer will serve as facilitators for the local event. “The most frequent questions involve the control of aquatic plants and weeds,” says Swis tock, “so we’ll spend time dis cussing how to identify and con trol nuisance plants and algae. We also get a lot of questions about fisheries, so we’ll discuss the best kinds of fish to stock, the species to avoid and how to har vest to keep the populations bal anced.” Other topics will include get ting permits, general pond main tenance and testing water quali ty. Professional pesticide applicators can receive re-certifi cation credits for attending the program. The clinic costs $3 and pre-registration is required. To sign up or for more inform ation on the satellite program, contact the Delaware County of fice of Penn State Cooperative Extension at (610) 690-2655. scratch and juggling farm and family life will be among the top ics covered. These sessions will be con ducted Wednesday evenings 7-9:30 p.m., March 12, 19, 26, and April 2 at the Maryland Co operative Extension, Howard County Office. There is a $4O registration fee per participant or $7O per couple to cover the cost of materials. Registration ends March 7. Class size is limited. Registration forms are avail able from the Maryland Coopera tive Extension, Howard County Office, 3525-L Ellicott Mills Drive, Ellicott City, Maryland, 21043. The phone number is (410) 313-2707. If you need special accommo dations to participate in this meeting, please call by February 28,2003. After one enlistment in the Marine Corps and a career in the automobile business, Hughes re turned to his roots —farming and raising cattle. His herd includes approximately 75 brood cows. Following the heifer show Scott Greiner, Blacksburg, Va., selected SVJ Champe from 17 entries in the Simmental Bull Show. Champe was lead to champion honors by Justin Mankey, Amity, Washington County. Mankey first garnered champion bull calf honors. In the reserve champion bull position was Montana Pete, owned by Haven Woods Farms, Stoneboro, Mercer County. Mon tana Pete won reserve champion bull calf honor.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers