A42-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 2, 2003 OPINION a year ago. Most of this increase has come from Australia (up 68 per cent) and New Zealand (up 69 percent). Did you know that so far this year we’ve imported 3,854 metric tons of casein from India ? We’ve also imported casein from 18 different countries including Belarus, China, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. This “least input cost” syndrome runs rampant in this country. It affects our labor costs, it affects all levels of industry, it affects nearly every business at every level. With weakening dairy prices, with imports affecting the price re ceived by farmers, we are looking at new ways for farmers to bolster their income. Just this week we attended the well-run Penn Allied Nursery Trade Show at the Fort Washington Expo Center in Fort Washington. The event is produced and coordinated by the folks at the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association in Harrisburg. About 12,000 landscape and nursery managers, retail green indus try representatives, and others attended the event. The trade show, covering about 225,000 square feet, hosted 1,100 exhibitors at 650 ex hibits. It’s a $3.1 billion regional industry. Are there outlets for dairy farmers through these tough times? Sure, but it may lay entirely in direct marketing. Many of them have al ready engulfed themselves in looking beyond their own industry to the green industry, which has shown phenomenal growth. Interesting note: the tobacco industry in this state has all but died. Marc Tosiano, state statistician, reports in his NASS column this issue: One item of national interest is that all harvested tobacco acres is estimated at 413,710 acres, down 3 percent from both the 2002 crop and 1 percent below the March Intentions report. If realized, this would be the lowest harvested acreage since 1874. Let’s keep an open mind about new technologies and new industries in these trying, changing times. Bongards ’ Creameries Purchases Perham Cheese Plant ARDEN HILLS, Minn. Bongards’ Creameries and Land O’Lakes, Inc. announced Bongards’ Creameries purchase of Land O’Lakes Perham, Minn., cheese manufacturing facility. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. “The sale reflects significant effort on the -part of Land O’Lakes to find a buyer for the Perham facility,” Fernando Angus Producers Elected To Beef Improvement Federation Leadership LEXINGTON, Ky. S.R. Evans Jr., Greenwood, Miss., was elected Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) president at the BIF Annual Meeting, May 28-31 in Lexington, Ky. Evans takes the position after serving as the organization’s vice presi dent. Evans, who has been raising registered Angus cattle since 1971, brings a wealth of knowledge and commitment to the or ganization. He was presented the Contin uing Service Award at the 2002 BIF meeting. Richard McClung, manager of Wehr mann Angus, New Market, Va., is the outgoing president. The Beef Improve ment Federation was formed as a means to standardize programs Lancaster Farming's Classified Ads Get Results! (Continued from Page A 10) Palacios, Land O’Lakes vice president, operations and sup ply chain, dairy foods said. “We are pleased to have found a buyer in Bongards’ Creame ries, who will keep this business operating in the community.” Roger Engelmann, general manager of Bongards’ Creame ries, said, “Bongards’ Creame ries has extensive experience in the manufacturing of natural and methodology and to create greater awareness, acceptance, and useage of beef cattle per formance concepts. For more information about BIF or its recent annual meet ing, log onto www.bifconferen ce.com. (Continued from Page A 10) potentially cost farms thousands of dollars.” One grower in partic ular is facing $231,990 worth of penalities for 229 violations. Today’s farmers and growers need a reliable, cost effective, and easy way to keep their pesticide and farm records. NSIA, Inc., a company that focuses on providing computer and software solutions to the agriculture, horticulture, and turf industries has free information available (call (800) 270-0047) on this subject. There are software programs available today that ease the time and ef fort required to keep good production and work re cords, including pesticide records. The company is a trusted reseller for Farm- Works and AgVance soft ware, products that auto mate the keeping and posting of farm records, in cluding herbicide and in secticide application. Their Website, www.nsia.us, of fers more information on and process cheese products in the state of Minnesota. We are excited about the opportunity of re-opening a dairy plant in our state. The Perham facility has had a wonderful reputation for its cheese and the whey products manufactured there. We believe this will open many new doors for Bongards’ Creameries. We anticipate a solid working relationship with the City of Perham, its resi dents, Land O’Lakes, and Min nesota’s dairy producers.” Bongards’ Creameries (www.bongardscheese.com) was established in 1908 as a dairy cooperative of family farmers. Bongards’ is recog nized as an industry leader in meeting the changing needs in the consumer, food service, and industrial cheese and whey markets. Last year, Bongards’ reached $163 million in sales. these innovative solutions. “Our product allows farmers, growers, and custom applicators to easily keep accurate records of pesticide application so that they are able to monitor the security of their workers and adhere to EPA requirements,” said Campfield. “These records are vitally impor tant in avoiding government MID-ATLANTK Feed Equipment from Hammermill • T.M.R. Auger Mixers • Batch Mixer nnnm Previously Owned For Sole or Rent Houle Manure Irrigation Pump Call for pricing 2003 Houle 6300 Call for pricing 2200 gai. Badger tank Very good condition 21.5 L x 16.1 tires Call for pricing New For Sole From CEIQB Houle 5350 Houle 5250 28L x 26 tires, brakes and 281x26 tires,brakes lights, 1/4" Steel, In stock and lights, 1/4” steel Call for pricing Call for pricing Mid-Atlantic Agri-Systems 800-222-2948 • 717-529-2782 4019 Ashville Rd. • Quarryville, PA 17566 www.midatlanticdfl>'!' c <»' l fines, and in documenting a farmer’s care of the environment from which they make their liv ing. Good records also help a grower make better decisions and strengthen the farm business in other ways.” The agricultural in dustry is rapidly adopting com puter technology, with surveys showing more than 45 percent of growers now using computers and/or the internet'in their daily operations. Campfield attests that many farmers are now turn ing to laptops or pocket PCs in stead of the paper notebooks. Marty Campbell NSIA, Inc. VflLmETflLl BALE MASTER Stationary Bale Chopper. Chops round or square, small or large bales for TMR Mixers. 2003 Houle 32' Lagoon Pump (2 available) Call for pricing Houle 42' Lagoon Pump Call for pricing 2000 Houle 7300 Call for pricing AGRI-CHOPPER Round Bale Chopper.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers