Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 12:05pm.
Mary Clare Jalonick
Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON — Congress sent the White House a huge election-year farm bill Thursday that includes a boost in farm subsidies and more money for food stamps amid rising grocery prices. Bush has threatened to veto the $290 billion bill, saying it is fiscally irresponsible and too generous to wealthy corporate farmers in a time of record crop prices. But Congress disagreed, passing the bill by overwhelming margins in both chambers — enough to override a veto.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 12:03pm.
 Charlene M. Shupp
Espenshade
Special Sections Editor CAMP HILL, Pa. — A year’s worth of hard work and planning became reality this week as Weis Markets unveiled its Pennsylvania Proud Choice Angus Beef Program. Weis is the largest supermarket chain nationally to take on this type of endeavor — and it will be marketing Pennsylvania-produced Angus beef. “You read the food pages and you see an interesting trend — it’s called the ‘Slow Food’ movement,” said Weis CEO Norm Rich, Wednesday at the Camp Hill Weis Store.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 12:01pm.
 Carol Ann Gregg
Western Pa. Correspondent SMITHFIELD Pa. — Retirement for many is a time to relax. For Warren “Skip” Dick, it has been a time to do what he loves most — work with his cattle here on his Fayette County farm. He and his brother farmed with their dad on the family dairy farm until in 1964 when the family went out of the dairy business. Dick and his brother went to work away from the farm.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 11:58am.
 Linda Williams
Southwestern Pa. Correspondent BREEZEWOOD, Pa. — Sam and Sherrill Wylie received the Seedstock Breeder of the Year award at the annual Cattleman’s Banquet, held March 27 at State College. The award followed closely to winning the Pennsylvania Angus Association award at the annual Pennsylvania Angus Banquet during Farm Show week.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 11:43am.
Chris Torres
Staff Writer Two farmers who were recently found guilty of selling raw milk are now contemplating whether they will appeal their cases in a higher court. On May 5, Mark Nolt, a Newville, Pa. farmer, was found guilty by a magisterial judge in Cumberland County on four counts of selling raw milk without the state-required permit last year. Nolt, who had his farm raided twice by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), has not had a raw milk permit since August 2006. Last month, PDA came to the farm and confiscated products and equipment after Nolt allegedly sold raw milk to undercover PDA food agents on two separate occasions and he was taken into custody for not responding to the summary citations that had been sent to his farm. He was fined $4,300. Jonas Stoltzfus, a close friend of Nolt’s who has been designated as his spokesman, said Nolt plans to appeal to the state’s Court of Common Pleas. Stoltzfus said a large crowd gathered outside the courtroom in Nolt’s defense and that some money has been raised on his behalf. A call this week to Magisterial District Judge Susan Day’s office revealed Nolt had yet to file an appeal.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 11:39am.
 Lou Ann Good
Food and Family Features Editor LANCASTER, Pa. — Embracing technology has brought about many changes in dairy and livestock industries. Think how artificial insemination, embryo transplants and in vitro fertilization have influenced the dairy business. Is cloning the next big revolutionary tool to help breeders improve and preserve genetics? Steve Mower thinks it is.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 11:27am.
Chris Torres
Staff Writer Get ready. A second round of REAP is coming this summer. Confident it will receive the necessary state funding to open up the second round of REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection program) tax credit applications, the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission will make applications available in June and will start accepting them in August. As with last year’s program, it will operate on a first come, first served basis.
Mary Bender, administrator of the state’s REAP program, said Gov.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 11:25am.
 David Koop
Associated Press Writer MEXICO CITY — Sitting in a Mexico City office, dressed in a pressed white shirt, Gerardo Sanchez seems a world away from his herds of goats and fields of beans. But he’s no poster boy for the new world agricultural order, in which peasants are supposed to leave their unproductive farms and strive for middle-class prosperity while food production is left to agribusiness in the countries that farm most cheaply and efficiently. Sanchez works for the National Campesino Federation, a lobbying group for small farmers that has been active lately in protests against the rising price of food, notably a doubling of the price of tortillas.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 11:21am.
 Chris Torres
Staff Writer Wild boars are no longer under protection in Pennsylvania, as state officials now focus on eradicating their numbers in the state. Last week, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) removed protections on wild boars, or feral swine, in 64 of the state’s 67 counties as concerns increase over their growing population. The order allows hunters to shoot and kill feral swine year-round, as long as they have a hunting license. Protections are still in place in Bedford, Butler and Cambria counties where trapping operations, considered more effective in controlling large populations, have been put into place. Hunters in those three counties will be allowed to hunt for wild boars after their trapping seasons end. The decision to allow the hunting of feral swine comes amidst a number of sightings and reports the commission said is indicating an increasing population. Feral swine are not native to the state and are considered invasive because of their potentially destructive behavior in the wild. Feral swine, also commonly referred to as wild boars, are native to Europe and Asia, where they are known for their long tusks and aggressive nature. According to a 2006 game commission report, wild boars were first sighted in Somerset County in 1993 and have been sighted in a total of 15 counties throughout the state since.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 11:09am.
 Gay Brownlee
Virginia Correspondent MONETA, Va. — Thomas (T.D.) Steele’s prestigious honor of having been inducted into the Angus Heritage Foundation in November of 2007 was almost like another pit stop in the race track of the active cattleman and real estate developer’s life. Four or five times a year the circuit takes him from Virginia to Maple Hill, Kansas, where he takes care of business at his property Mill Brae Ranch. Perhaps Steele is eager to prove that he prefers to “wear out instead of rust out,” according to a favorite adage of his late father Byron Steele. Steele and his son, Roger Steele, a business partner since 1980, own Mill Brae Ranch.
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