lll' JAN I i Vol. 48 No. 46 Higlj tunnels proved very beedflalal. jnb matter the George DeVault’s Pheasant Hill Farm, a operation near Emmaus. Plastic hoops and float ing row cover provide extra warmth and protection, like an extra blanket on a cold night, according to DeVault. Son Donald inspects the tunnel system, which held up well even in heavy snow early In the season. Photo by George DeVault GROWING UNDER COVER On March 5 last year, our field records show, we were in T shirts, planting onions in the open ground. Sugar snap peas went in on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), right on schedule. This year was a different story. When St. Patty’s Day 2003 rolled around, I had the 7-foot blade on the back of the John Deere 1050. Donald Sunday, Dallastown, exhibits the grand champion market steer at the York Fair on Monday. See page A 42. Photo by Dave Lefever www.lancaBterfarming.com The tractor was in 4-wheel drive. I was plowing a foot of frozen snow and ice off of our best vege table beds in a desperate attempt to get the soil to thaw, dry out, and warm up. While I was plowing snow like a madman, my son and wife were calmly working in T-shirts. They were harvesting salad mix, set ting out transplants, and direct- Five Sections seeding other crops in warm, fluffy soil. The secret was that they were inside of our three high tSßiifels. ■ - Everyone seems to be jumping on the high tunnel bandwagon lately. Ads for them are every where. And for good reason. A high tunnel is nothing fancy or terribly expensive, just a metal frame covered with greenhouse plastic. Unlike “low tunnels” of plastic or bonded material on wire hoops, high tunnels are tall enough to walk upright inside. We can even drive machinery in side of our two largest tunnels. We’ve never had much need to, though. About all we need inside is a garden tiller and a wheel barrow. (Turn to Page A 22) Saturday, September 13, 2003 DFA Discusses Milk Markets NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster Co.) Dairy cow numbers are down across the country, milk production is about the same as a year ago, and re tail cheese sales are up. “All of that adds up to strong mar kets,” said Gary Hanman, president and CEO of Dairy Farmers of Ameri ca (DFA), the country’s largest milk cooperative. Hanman spoke about dairy market trends to about 50 farmer/members at Yoder’s Restaurant in New Holland Thursday evening. “All market directions are positive foi milk prices,” he said. Steers Reach $lOO CWT Cattle Set Record Prices NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster Co.) — Just when you think they’ve gone about as far as they can go, the upward trend in fed cattle prices speeds up. Steer prices peeked at $lOO for a few High Choice and Prime with average Choice at $86.50-90.50 Tuesday at Vintage. Meanwhile, trading in the mid weStem feedlots was reported ac tive earlier than usual (meaning the packers needed cattle). Prices in the Nebraska feedlots went to $92.00 on High Select and Choice with dressed basis sales soaring $37.00 Per Year DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff MILLIE BUNTING Market Staff New hay processor, new forage types, forage en siling all these are part of this issue of Foraging Around. Also included this issue: update on pastured poultry research at Penn State and the latest hay making and grazing information. $l.OO Per Copy While farmers can expect larger milk checks this month and probably through the end of the year, “our crystal ball is not that clear” for 2004 and beyond, Hanman said. Block cheese prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) rose from about $1.13 per pound in the early months of the year to $1.60 per pound in August, holding steady the present. According to Hanman, DFA lever aged the increase in cheese prices by buying large quantities of cheese on the CME. Since cheese prices are the “Class I mover” that determine fluid (Turn to Page A 42) to $144.00. The USD A Des Moines market (Turn to Page A3B) Inside The Farmer ✓ Denver Swine Show page A2l. ✓ York Fair Cover age page A 42. ✓ District Dairy Show page A 32.
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