A34-*Lancaster Farmings Saturday/June 21,2003
Farm Show Leaders Planning For ’O4
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Fanning Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The Pennsylvania Farm
Show has a solid foundation to
build on and it needs to keep get
ting better, according to members
of the Commercial Ag Exhibit
Committee.
The committee met with about
50 exhibitors and the Pennsylva
nia Department of Agriculture’s
Farm Show management team
for a dinner at the Farm Show
Complex Wednesday evening.
The committee reviewed suc
cesses and shortfalls of the 2003
show and introduced plans for
the future.
Possible changes for the the
2004 Farm Show include:
• extending the number of
farmer days from three to four;
• having dairy show animals
brought in earlier in the week;
• adding a 20,000 square foot
auxiliary structure to provide
more commercial exhibition
space; and
• drawing a more diverse
group of commercial ag exhibi
tors, including dairy product sup
pliers.
Some ag equipment exhibitors
expressed concern about having
staff on hand for an additional
farmer day. Others noted that
farmers and potential customers
were present throughout the en
tire eight days at the show this
past January.
Last year’s farmer days, which
included free parking and re
freshments for farmers as well as
fully-manned commercial exhi
bits, were set for Monday through
Wednesday. For 2004, the com
mittee is proposing adding
Thursday as an additional farmer
day.
Based on the discussion
Wednesday evening, the commit
tee will be reviewing that propos
al, according to Tom Yohe, gen
eral manager of ag exhibits.
The first-ever live machinery
demonstrations in 2003 were a
success, but product seminars
were poorly attended, Yohe
noted. The committee will con
sider adding more demonstra
tions. It will also determine
whether or not to continue the
seminars and, if so, how to better
promote them.
According to committee mem
ber Don Hoover, the Farm Show
is an excellent venue for entire
farm families as well as an oppor
tunity to communicate with peo
ple from non-farm backgrounds.
“We need to help them under
stand (agriculture) and here is a
golden opportunity to do that,”
Milk Production
Finally Declines
Ken Bailey
Dairy Economist
Penn State
USDA just released its May
milk production report and
the numbers look good. Milk
production for 20 select states
was down 0.4 percent from the
same month a year ago. Cow
numbers on dairy farms have
fallen two months in a row.
California, the nation’s
number one dairy state, actu
ally had no growth in cow
numbers from April to May
2003. And, only five of the top
20 dairy producing states had
positive growth rates for May
relative to a year ago.
This news will be viewed as
favorable by the dairy indus
try. It indicates that the mar
ketplace is finally realigning
supply with demand.
Exhibitor Gerald Kurtz, left, brainstorms 2004 Farm
Show plans with Ed Nielsen.
The new PDA Farm Show team, from left, Ed Nielsen,
director; Bill Wehry, deputy secretary; and Larry Weaver,
chief of show management.
Hoover said.
Ed Nielsen, new Farm Show
director, suggested that commer
cial exhibitors “profile” potential
customers who come to the show
to help determine buying pat
terns and improve exhibitors’ re
turn on their investment of time
and money in the show.
Nielsen spoke about his goal of
increasing international presence
at the Farm Show, which has tra
ditionally been a place where
local equipment dealers meet
local customers.
The challenge of balancing
local flavor with a global market
ing plan: “How big do you get
without losing your soul?” Niel
sen said.
The new Farm Show manage
ment team includes Bill Wehry, a
Schuylkill County farmer, deputy
secretary; and Larry Weaver, a
The market may have al
ready factored in some of the
expectation for lower milk
output. The Class 111 price is
expected to peak at $12.50 per
cwt by the fall. However, it is
possible that dairy futures at
the Chicago Mercantile Ex
change could get higher, par
ticularly if the market expects
the USDA’s milk production
report to indicate a sustained
trends towards less milk.
It is not known precisely
why the nations milk output
declined. One likely reason is
that cow numbers have finally
responded to months of low
milk prices. The other reason
may be related to a cold and
damp spring (less milk per
cow). This is particularly true
for states like Pennsylvania,
New York and Vermont.
Lancaster County cattleman, as
chief of show management.
Also on hand were Pennsylva
nia Secretary of Agriculture Den
nis Wolff, and Deputy Secretary
Russ Redding, moderator of the
meeting.
Redding said logistical glitches
in last year’s show, such as over
crowding in the main corridor,
will be resolved at the 2004 show.
To make comments and sug
gestions, call the Farm Show Of
fice at (717) 787-5373.
Longtime Penn State Dairy Instructor Retires
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) Larry Muller, renown Penn State dairy science in
structor, center, was feted during a two-day retirement symposium at the Penn Stater
Hotel Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Noted grazing specialist Eric Kolver, Dexcel
Co., calls Muller, who began teaching at Penn State in 1976, a “champion of pasture
based dairying in the U.S. the voice of reason to balance the views of the proponents
and critics of grass-based dairying.” Speakers at the symposium included, from left, Jim
Aldrich, Carl Akey Co.; Elliot Block, Church and Dwight Co. Inc.; Muller; Lisa Holden, as
sociate professor of dairy science; and Terry Etherton, department head, dairy and ani
mal science. More about Muller’s life and work is scheduled in Lancaster Farming’s
Dairy Plus June 28. Photo by Andy Andrews, editor
Editor’s note: This is a monthly
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.govlnassl.
DAIRY HERD BUYOUT
The Cooperatives Working To
gether, or CWT program to re
duce dairy herd numbers, has
generated much discussion and it
has received a lot of press lately.
You may not realize that statis
tics from USDA’s National Ag
Statistics Service were and con
tinue to be a major source of in
formation for the cooperatives
that have been planning this
buyout. Our monthly state-level
statistics of cow numbers, milk
per cow, and production no doubt
will take a role in the implemen
tation of the plan if it is approv
ed.
Most folks see or hear about
our statistics and never realize
that NASS and the Pennsylvania
Ag Statistics Service is the source
of the numbers. These days, ev
eryone uses statistics to make
their point or promote their
cause. Our cause is agriculture.
Our data is public information so
we don’t have to be credited as
the source. Often our data is only
credited to “USDA” and the
agency name is never mentioned.
You have probably seen or
heard NASS numbers in articles
in agricultural magazines and
newspapers, talks or reports from
extension specialists and other
educators, grower association or
cooperative meetings and confer
ences, publications and handouts
from the Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture (PDA) or
Penn State, pamphlets from
chambers of commerce promot-
NASS
Agriculture Counts
By Marc Tosiano
Pa. State Statistician
ing agriculture, or speeches from
various leaders of Pennsylvania
agriculture.
By helping us with our surveys,
you are helping yourselves to
have accurate information that is
used in these ways and many
more.
Ag Census Continues
On The Phone
Response to the Ag Census by
Pennsylvania growers is only
about average compared to other
states. This means that half of the
states have a better response than
here in the Keystone State.
You may still get a phone call
if we haven’t received your form
for the 2002 Census of Agricul
ture. We are making phone calls
in an attempt to improve re
sponse here in Pennsylvania.
After so many growers have al
ready responded, it would be a
shame to come up short in the
final tally! We want Pennsylva
nia agriculture to be properly rep
resented compared to the other
states. Every response is impor
tant because the numbers that
come from the Ag Census will be
used for the next five years as
part of the decisions that affect
agriculture and you.
If you have questions about the
census or need a census form, call
1-888-4 AG-STAT or
1-888-424-7828.
U.S. Cattle Counted
Cattle inventories, births, and
deaths are measured twice a year,
in January and July. In July,
about 9,400 of the largest cattle
operations (including dairies) are
contacted nationwide to help es
tablish official statistics at the na
tional level.
In Pennsylvania, only 125 t)f
the largest cattle and dairy opera
tions are asked for their help with
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