June Class I Milk Price HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) The Milk Marketing Board (MMB) recently announced the prices to be paid to Pennsylva nia dairy fanners for June Class I milk (beverage) as an average of $13.69 in the western areas of the commonwealth; and an av erage of $14.18 in the central and eastern areas of the common wealth. These prices include the over-order premium of $1.55 per one hundred pounds of milk. Farmers, whose milk production is pooled under a federal order, will receive a market-wide blend price based upon the value of all classes of milk. However, the blend price received will vary as the component composition of a farmer’s milk dif fers from the established benchmarks of 3.5 percent butterfat, 2.99 percent protein, and 5.69 percent other solids. Alternatives To Burning, Burying, Dumping Ag Plastics ITHACA, N.Y. Recycling Agricultural Plastics in New York State is a new 30-page re port about recycling options for agricultural plastics. It addresses concerns about the environ mental health effects and other liabilities of burning, burying, or dumping plastic wastes on farms by describing off-farm recycling and re-processing alternatives. Plastics are being used increas ingly in all sectors of agriculture. Plastic products are being substi tuted for the longer lasting ma terials previously used because they often cost less and improve production efficiency For exam ple, plastic silage bags can result in better feed quality. However, as with many throw- ‘ *«»■ - <> * * > away products, disposal is a problem. Surveys indicate that more than half the agricultural plastics in New York state are disposed of by open burning, which releases high levels of pol luting emissions. Most of the re mainder is buried or dumped on farm. Emissions from open burn ing are much greater than from controlled incineration and these emissions pose risks to human health. Recycling Agricultural Plastics in New York State identifies major uses of plastics on New York farms; recycling technolo gies that are currently viable or that may be realistic in the near future; technical and infrastruc tural issues; and processes, agen Cedar Crast Equipment Is Hour a Dealer ' Sates - Service -Rentals Bag knows your farming operation is as ividual as your fingerprint. Let us help you find the right combination of Ag-Bag products to meet your individual needs. {Jo-*** v *&> * > « CEDAR CREST EQUIPMENT Parts Stores: East Earl — 7 1 7-354-0584 ‘Small Farms Boosters ’ On The Rise ITHACA, N.Y. —The tremen dous ingenuity, creativity and sheer persistence of small-scale farmers has become apparent, es pecially in the last couple of dec ades, and we’re beginning to real ize that there are lots of ways farmers can “Stay Small and Stay In.” And there are lots of ways beginning farmers can “Go Small and Get In.” Small farms are here to stay. Fifty-three different extension projects have been funded in the last three years by The Cornell Cooperative (CCE) Extension cies, and individuals involved. It addresses concerns of the agricul tural, environmental protection, public health, and economic de velopment communities. The report was written by Lois Levitan and Ana Barros of Cor nell University’s Environmental Risk Analysis Program. The full report, summary, references, and a photo gallery of agricultural plastic uses and recycling equip ment is posted to the Website of the Cornell Environmental Risk Analysis Program: http:/ www.cfe.comell.edu/erap/C&ER. Or call (607) 255-4765 to order a print copy. For information on many other small farm topics, visit Cornell’s Small Farms Website at www.smallfarms.comell.edu. . ■ ■ ■ ty of Silage ig Machines X: Qualified Field Technicians Customer Service & Parts Assistance 80 339 Grants Program for Innovative Small Farms Education, for a total of $131,610. Recently a group of Cornell Cooperative Extension “Small Farms Boosters” met at Hart wick College in Oneonta, N.Y., to share ideas about how to strengthen their educational pro gramming for smaller farms. Sponsored by Cornell’s Small Farms Task Group, the meeting featured a presentation and dis cussion with Dr. John Ikerd, pro fessor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri. Ikerd has written extensively about small farms and sustain able agriculture, arguing that small farms, not large industrial ized farms, are the future for ag riculture in most rural commu nities. The paper he presented at the CCE retreat can be viewed at Survey Will Help Penn State Target Needs Of Custom Operators UNIVERSITY PARK (State College) Custom agricultural operators are invited to take part in a new online survey designed to help Penn State Extension better serve their needs. “This is the custom operators’ opportunity to be heard,” ex plained Sarah Roth, Extension associate in business manage ment with the Dairy Alliance, a Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 12, 2003-A35 www.smallfarms.cornell.edu. Click on “About Small Farms,” and then click on “Contributions of Small Farms.” “Our purpose was to gather a small group of highly dedicated extension educators people who are enthusiastic about small farms and have a lot of experi ence working with them,” said Joanna Green, extension associ ate with Cornell’s Small Farms Program. “The discussion was part of our ongoing effort to strengthen Cornell’s support for small farms”. The Cornell Small Farms Task Group has developed a set of suggestions for extension pro gram planning for small farms. To view the recommendations, go to www.smallfarms.comell.e du. Click on “Working With Small Farms”, then click on “Ed ucational Programming.” program of Penn State’s College of Agriculture. A custom agricultural operator is defined as any individual or business hired to perform one or more activities necessary for the function of a farm. “The survey is really an at tempt to assess the needs of cus tom operators across the state, and see how we can better serve them,” said Roth. The short online survey can be found on Penn State’s Farm Management web site at http:// farmmanagemen t.aers.psu.edu. The sur vey features eight ques tions that probe how custom operators are currently getting inform ation about topics such ■i as marketing, financial planning, or business or ganization; what types of information they need to improve their produc ■■ tivity; and how they would like to receive that information in the future. HI Data collected from _ the survey will aid in creating new pro ■■ gramming that address es the specific needs of custom operators, one of the fastest growing seg -00 ments of Pennsylvania’s vast agriculture indus try. According to Roth, this programming may 00 take the form of a series of regional workshops that address topics of in terest to operators. The survey follows on the heels of the creation of a custom operator da tabase, also found on Penn State’s Farm Man -00 agement website. “The database is a wonderful means to link operators with produc- ers,” explained Roth. “Operators from across Pennsylvania can use it as a marketing tool to 0 raise awareness about the services they pro vide, and producers can use it to access a variety of resources from some one to harvest their si lage to a place to house dry cows.” i M ft For more information about Penn State Farm Management services, contact Roth at (814) 863-8645, or via e-mail at: Sarahßoth@psu.edu.
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