Ida’s
Notebook
Ida Risser
Apply For Dairy Of Distinction Award By April 15
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.)
Pennsylvania dairy farms are invited to
apply for this yeai’s Dairy of Distinction
award from the Noitheast 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 wholesomcness 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-mch
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 in 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 tarmmg
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 m
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 ot 90 percent on their Daily of Distinction
score card Your cooperative or milk handler will be contacted
to approve youi milk quality
RULES FOR THE
DAIRY OF DISTINCTION AWARD
I The Dairy of Distinction sign remains the property ot 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' oi iron pipe 2” x 12' be used Posts or pipe should be
installed and maintained m true vertical position with 8' abovp
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
1 The sign shall be displayed m 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
si/e and quality comparable to the Dairy of Distinction sign
The sign should be secured on all sides to avoid wind damage
4 Sign l - shall not be moved to other premises New owners of
a Dairy ot Distinction farm must apply to retain the sign
S Replacement ot damaged signs shall be at the discretion ot
the committee
6 No producer shall be charged with scoring or sign expenses
7 The |udges decision will he final
8 Judging will take place between May I and May Jl
0 Fauns awaided a Daily ol Distinction sign in pievious years
will be judged between Apnl I and Apnl JO It they do not
quality they will be ic|tidged between May I and May Jl so
they have the oppoilumty to keep the sign
10 Fauns that do not lequahty will leluin the sign to then
legional Daily ol Distinction Committee
UhuJy i
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 HYPERLINKmaiI to.
MOConnor@psu edu.
Lately, I’ve been privileged to drive in other people’s
cars to visit my husband in Lancaster General Hospital.
Sometimes my children drive, or my sister, or a cousin.
Now I do have my own older car and it only has 65,000
miles on it. I tell people that it belongs to a little old lady
who only drives to church and the grocery store.
Actually, it does take me for a haircut or to the drug
store too. It even goes to a travelogue at a nearby high
school. Sometimes we travel to other counties to visit rela
tives. And, of course to nearby farms.
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 m
which encourages public support of the dairy industry. The •
award gives recognition to the dairy farmer for maintaining •
a well-kept farmstead. •
ELIGIBILITY 1
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 Apnl 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 slates can con
tact the program secretary in their state
for applications.
Farm Name
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 29, 2003-B9
The car that I first learned to drive was a 1931 Chevro
let that my father bought when his first car was more
than 10 years old. I even drove his first car which was a
1923 Overland. In later years it was just driven between
our farms. I had to crank it to start it and then lift the
hood and manually turn off the gas, when it was not run
ning, as it had a leak. It was an open touring car and had
snap-on curtains for bad weather.
At the opposite extreme was the new automobile that I
drove home from Michigan. The speed limit was 70 miles
per hour there, and after I was back in Pennsylvania, it
was difficult to drive slow enough to be under the
speed limit.
I do not require much from a car. It simply has
to start when I want to go somewhere, and stop
when I want to stop. However, my car and my
husband’s car have similar dashboards, which
makes it easy to drive either car.
Editor’s note: Several readers have express
ed interest in sending get-well cards to Ida.
Lancaster Farming would be glad to forward
your cards and letters to her attention. Send
them to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming,
P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522 and we
will be glad to forward them. Thank you.
Dairy Farmers Support
Special Olympics
HARRISBURG, Pa. Pennsylvania Dairy
Promotion Program, the dairy farmer funded
checkoff organization serving dairy farmers in
western and north-central Pennsylvania, is proud
to be a gold sponsor of Special Olympics of Penn
sylvania, reaching Olympic viewers with “got
milk?®” messages.
The winter games took place Feb. 25-28 in the
Johnstown area and featured competition in a
variety of winter sports. The dairy farmer check
off sponsorship included “got milk?” banners
displayed during opening and closing ceremo
nies, “got milk?” advertising in the official pro
gram book, recognition on the Special Olympics
of Pa. Web site and on the winter games volun
teer shirts.
“PDPP strives to increase the demand for
dairy products and recognizes that grassroots
promotions, such as the Pa. Special Olympics is a
great way to reach our target audiences of mom
with kids and kids,” says Scott Higgins, CEO for
PDPP and the American Dairy Association &
Dairy Council Mid East. “Programs like the Spe
cial Olympics allow the dairy industry to rein
force the positive message that dairy’s powerful
package of calcium plus eight key nutrients fuels
your body, not just your bones.”
GOT WOOD?
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• Uses present central
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877/606-3113 Warranty
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800-332-6293 or 570-458