Vol. 48 No. «
ELVERSON (Chester Co.) With the arrival of spring comes renewed
pastures, and grazing has come full force to the region. In addition,
fence installation and repair are part of the chores. This is a scene from
the Todd and Christina Kurtz Farm on Wednesday at the foot of Twin Val
ley High School, Elverson.
According to the Pennsylvania Agricultural Statistics Service, for the
week ending May 11, there were three days suitable for fieldwork. Soil
moisture was rated as 1 percent very short, 6 percent short, 57 percent
CWT Outlines Buyout, Milk Cutback Plan
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
DELTA (York Co.) About
50 dairy farmers attended a
meeting here Thursday evening
to find out how paying 18 cents a
hundredweight on their milk
under a “voluntary price man
agement program” could result
in higher farm milk prices within
a period of months, according to
creators of the plan.
Known as Cooperatives Work
ing Together (CWT), the fast
moving, non-government effort
to combat record-low milk prices
is being designed by members of
the National Milk Producers Fed
eration (NMPF).
Cooperatives that have agreed
to move ah&d with the plan so
far include Dairy Farmers of
America (DFA), Land O’ Lakes,
Dairyjea, Maryland & Virginia,
Allfeo, Mount Joy, and others.
CWT leaders are expecting to
begin a 30-day sign-up period in
June, and to have the program
up and running by July.
Their goal is for producers of
80 percent of the nation’s milk
supply to join, including mem
bers of independent co-ops. At
this point, with nearly all NMPF
co-ops and some independents on
board, the total stands at about
70 percent.
Herd buyouts, production cut
back incentives, and export price
assistance make up the “three
legged proposal” to lift milk
prices out of the unprecedented
slump they’ve been in since late
2001, said Jerrel Heatwole, a
DFA director and dairy farmer
from Greenwood, Delaware.
www.lancasterfarming.com
Most of the buyout and reduc
tion incentives are targeted to
western and southwestern states,
where production has risen the
most dramatically in recent
years.
While national milk produc
tion has continued to climb, de
mand has remained flat during
the last year and a half, resulting
Program Targets Fly Complaints
MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Lancaster Farming Staff
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.)
As new shopping, industrial, and
housing complexes make inroads
into farm areas, coexistence be
tween agriculture and the non
farm public has become an in
creasingly pressing issue.
Inside The
Farmer
✓ Bull proofs! Lancas
ter Farming lists the latest
USDA updates starting on
page A3O.
✓ Lancaster DHIA in
formation pages C2-C4.
✓ Important nutrition
information page 86.
✓ More than 100 mar
ket reports this issue!
✓ See complete index of
stories page A 4.
Five Sections
in blend milk prices at levels un
seen since the late 19705. A major
purpose of the farmer-funded
CWT program is to bring dairy
product supplies more in line
with demand.
“It’s time for dairy farmers to
work together,” Heatwole said.
(Turn to Page A 42)
A poultry management and
health seminar hosted by Penn
State on Monday focused on
helping to address complaints
about black fly problems.
About 25 poultry producers
and industry representatives at
tended the event, conducted at
Kreider’s Restaurant.
Complaints about flies have al
ready come in this year, accord
ing to Gregory Martin, capital re
gion poultry agent.
To address the issue, an inte
grated team has been assembled
under the Special Weapons And
Tactics (SWAT) program. “Just
as in law enforcement, we try to
move quickly to help solve prob
lems,” said Martin.
The interdisciplinary group
serves several regions of the com
monwealth and includes govern
ment, industry, and academia.
The SWAT program, ex
plained Martin, was founded “to
provide concise, repeatable, and
(Turn to Page A 27)
Saturday, May 17, 2003
adequate, and 36 percent surplus.
Rain and hail across Pennsylvania prevented most farmers from doing
any significant amount of fieldwork. Despite this, the percent of spring
plowing advanced to 72 percent complete, a 9 percent increase over last
week but 5 percent behind 2002. Although rain slowed fieldwork, it
helped improve the condition of pasture land. Six percent of pasture land
was rated as poor, 26 percent was fair, 53 percent was good, and 15
percent was excellent. Photo by Andy Andrews, editor
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Lancaster Farming’s Grower & Marketer Section
this issue includes a focus on organic production
and certification. We’ve also included some informa
tion on water gardening. In addition, Aqua Country, a
component of the special section, is included, with
aquaculture features and other highlights.
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