THE SPRINGHOUSE
BEN K. PETERSHEIM
BRYAN YOUNKER
YOST BROTHERS
LEHMANSTEAD FARMS
HERRING FARMS
DEANE VARNER
JESSE L SPICHER
EL WOOD H STITT
ROBT &BERNEICE GABEL
ROGER+RHODA LENT
VERNON R MARTIN
AMMON&BRENDA PEIFFER
SLICKHILL HOLSTEINS
HILCREST DAIRY
RICK + LINDA STUCHAL
TODD AND LISA WOOMER
NOLAN DRUIST
WELLER’S DAIRY
REULLSIDE DAIRY
LIND FARM
ROBERT & LISA PEACHEY
NORMAN H GRAHAM
BUTTERLANE JERSEYS
PIGEON COVE FARM
NEVIN G RICE
O'TOOLE ACRES
LARRY HEPLER
ELZIE&MARGRETLINDEL#
JOE BUNNELL
LLEWELLYN MOYER
STOVERFARMS
GERALD & BERN MCMATH
TIMOTHY R PEACHEY
JERRY NESBIT
TRI NON FARMS
Experts Discuss Dangers And Opportunities From Global Warming
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Falling crop production result
ing from extreme weather
events, diseases and pest infesta
tions increasingly will be fueled
by global warming and create an
uncertain future for U.S. agri
cultural production and the na
tion’s food supplies, according
to leading experts this week at a
Harvard Medical School Center
for Health and the Global Envi
ronment briefing.
The Civil Society Institute,
the Energy Foundation and the
National Environmental Trust
hosted the event which was fol
lowed by a congressional staff
briefing sponsored by Sen.
Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Brownback
(R-KS), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-NE)
and Sen. Lugar (R-IN).
Not all the views from the ex
perts were gloomy. Some noted
that the impact of global warm
ing can be lessened and even
turned into a boon for agricul
tural producers if farmers
take such steps as setting up
wind farms, engaging in the pro
duction of “biodiesel” and
ethanol fuels and participating
in carbon sequestration pro
grams. ‘
Eric Chivian, director of the
Center for Health and the
Global Environment at Harvard
Medical School said: “Since the
Top Pennsylvania Dairy One Herds By Protein For October
Continued From Last Week
141.0
35.6
78.0
86.4
106.4
113.2
209.8
32.2
32.7
33.0
53.0
62.7
57.8
57.9
187.0
57.6
49.0
90.0
61.3
36.8
60.9
79.0
36.8
26.0
189.0
106.3
56.1
60.6
84.9
61.6
69.8
169.4
61.5
81.9
80.0
78.4
19705, U.S. agricultural produc
tivity has grown, but it has also
experienced greater variability
that has been, in part, climate
related.
William Easterling, professor
of agronomy and director of the
Institutes of the Environment at
Penn State University said: ‘Cli
mate variability continues to
exert large year-to-year swings
in U. S. crop yields and produc
tion in spite of technology
driven gains in crop
productivity over the 20th cen
tury.
Among the big concerns for
farmers when it comes to cli
mate change: more pests and
diseases. X.B. Yang, associate
professor of plant pathology at
lowa State University said: ‘Cli
mate change will greatly impact
plant diseases and pests because
climate dictates their occur
rence. Literature in plant pa
thology has shown that
pandemics of pests are associ
ated with extreme weather
events.
However, global warming also
could work to the advantage of
some farmers, according to
Charles W. Rice, professor of
soil microbiology at Kansas
State University. He noted: ‘Ag
riculture can help solve (the
CO2) problem (through partici-
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715
3.0
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pation in carbon sequestration
programs. After harvest, the or
ganic carbon in residues and
roots is deposited in the soil,
where- portions can remain for
long periods
U.S. farms also could serve as
a major source of alternative
energy supplies, including wind
farming and biodiesel produc-
Land O’Lakes Provides Grant To
CARLISLE (Cumberland
Co.) Producers representing
Land O’Lakes Foundation pre
sented a $5,000 grant to the
Pennsylvania Mobile Ag Science
Lab, a joint venture between the
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and
Pennsylvania Friends of Agri
culture Foundation, during the
lab’s “christening” at Penn
State’s Ag Progress Days in
Rockspring.
The Land O’Lakes Founda
tion grant is one of several
grants used to help fund teacher
curriculums, educational sup
plies, lessons plans, and mainte
nance for the mobile lab
classroom during the the 2003-
2004 school year.
“The mobile lab provides a
tremendous opportunity for our
farmer-owned cooperative to
ROBERT&JOHN MELLOTT
KEENERS DAIRY
DENNIS BROSS
CARL R KRESGE
GAYLORDR WAGNER#
PEN COL 2
ROBERT JOHNSON
ONE HILL FARM MOYER
BRECKADE FARM
JOHN BELT
LOST BROOK FARM
KULP DAIRY FARM
PHIL DON FARM
V BELL FARMS
MOSEMANN, RICHARD
RICHARD O SMITH
ROD AND TIM BRUSS
MEYERS BROS DAIRY
MITCHHILL DAIRYFARM
CHRIS LINDELL
CIRCLE CREEK HOL.
PAUL SMOKER
DONALD J BOWMAN
MARK VOGEL
LITTLE HILL FARM
RED MAPLSPRING FARM
CLAYTON R GRAYBILL
DARE ELAND
HIGHLAND FARMS
EVAFORD
KEVIN VANDERPOEL
EDWARD BURNWORTH
RAYMOND H GOOD
WILSONS DAIRY FARM
'KORE E YODER
ELBERT FARMS
tion. American Corn Growers
Foundation CEO Dan McGuire
said: ‘Renewable energy, includ
ing wind, ethanol and biodiesel
offers the means to improve the
environment and make our
country more energy independ
ent and secure while enhancing
the rural and national economy.
Pa.’s Ag Mobile Classroom
fund something that will proba
bly do more to preserve Pennsyl
vania agriculture than most any
other venture we pursue,” said
John R. Hess, president of the
Adams County Farm Bureau
and a Land O’Lakes member
from Gettysburg, who applied
for the grant. “It’s money well
spent to help get the agricultural
story out to children who are
four or five times removed from
the farm, while at the same time
advancing consumers’ percep
tion of agriculture.”
Plans are to schedule mobile
lab visits to schools in Adams,
Cumberland, Franklin, and
Fulton counties during the 2003-
2004 school year, with addi
tional ag lab units added across
the state as the first one becomes
fully utilized. Able to educate
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 29, 2003-825
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21252
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86.0
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826
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779
4.0
827
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831
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824
The Department ot Energy ana
the U.S. Department of Agricul
ture have calculated carbon
dioxide reductions of 78 percent
for biodiesel when compared
with petroleum diesel in a full
life cycle analysis. Biodiesel also
reduces air pollutants linked to
cancer by 80-90 percent vs. pe
troleum diesel.”
900 students and involve 30
teachers per week, the mobile
classroom will target elementary
and middle school-aged stu
dents.
“Pennsylvania’s mobile class
room is modeled after existing
mobile labs operating in five
states, where they have been
very well received,” said Jay
anna Kopp, Pennsylvania Farm
Bureau communications direc
tor.
The grant to the Mobile Ag
Science Lab is one of several
2003 Land O’Lakes Foundation
grants provided through Land
O’Lakes Mid-Atlantic grant pro
gram.
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