— _ uu; ' HI ■ pentyl; Vol. 48 No. 19 Pa. Ag Secretary Calls Rendell Budget Workable DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff and ANDY ANDREWS Editor HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposed ag budget re ductions for 2003-2004 will keep a workable amount of funds available for farm programs until the economy recovers, according to Dennis Wolff, acting Pennsyl vania secretary of agriculture. Rendell’s proposa l cuts the state’s total ag budget to $70.7 million, compared to last year’s level of $76.1 million. A large part of the decrease comes from taking about $3 mil lion for plum pox indemnifica- Council Of Farm Organizations Hosts Meeting, Reception MICHELLE KUNJAPPU Lancaster Farming Staff HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Legislators and members of the agriculture industry gath ered at the capital building this week to attend an annual meet ing and roundtable discussion. The event also included an eve ning “Taste Pennsylvania Recep tion” to showcase Pennsylvania agricultural products. The Pennsylvania State Coun cil of Farm Organizations (SCOFO) sponsored the annual event. See this life-size topiary senorita, fantastic garden dis plays, and much more at the world-famous Philadelphia Flower Show, 12th and Arch streets, Philadelphia. The in door 33-acre show remains open today and tomorrow. Turn to page 856 for a preview of show photos and de tails about tickets and hours. Photo by Lou> Ann - Good, food and tan>Uy*featura» editor .... www.lancasterfarming.com tion costs out of this year’s bud get because the plum pox outbreak is largely under control, Wolff said. The Pennsylvania Fair Fund will have $1 million less in the till for capital improvements, according to the Rendell’s pro posal, and the general operating budget for the ag department would be cut by $250,000. Under the budget proposal, many programs are set to receive the same level of funding as they did last year, Wolff said. These include longstanding events such as 4-H state club shows, the All- American Dairy Show, and the Keystone International Livestock (Turn to Page A 36) At the luncheon sixty-five at tendees represented some of the more than 60 agricultural and agriculture-related organizations that are members of the council. Officials expected attendance at the reception to be approxi mately 135. During Monday’s meeting, council members elected new of ficers. Susan Fox, executive director at the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. for (Turn to Page A2l) Five Sections Lancaster Farming Introduces A New Component Of Grower & Marketer We introduce a brand-new component of the Lancaster Farming Grower & Mar keter section this issue. It’s called Aqua Country. Pages include reports on trout hatcheries in Monroe County, calendar events, a suppliers listing, and advertising from major aquacultural suppliers. PFGC Recognizes Forage, Grassland Innovators Group Honors Memory Of Educator Bill Stout DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.) David Fink knows that hay has been and still is a cor nerstone of civilization. Fink received this year’s Spe cial Award from the Pennsylva- The PFGC honors outstanding contributors to Pennsylvania’s forage and grassland in dustry. Accepting awards Wednesday evening are, from left, Kathy Soder, for the late Pr. William Stout, research/education; David and, Sonia Fink, Special. Award; and Jim < Cropper,