* periodicals Division W 209 Pattce Library penrEu St at® University university, Pa. ICBO2 Vol. 20 No. 20 Mike and Shirley Wright, New Freedom, have one of the biggest crop larm operations in Pennsylvania. The 23-year-old Wriglrt' >fents corn, small grains and vegetables on 2500 York County acres. The Wrights are some of the grain storage facilities thaiarean important par, the operation. Young York Lountian Farms 2500 Acres At the ripe old age of 23, Michael Wright, New Freedom, is one of Penn- sylvania’s biggest farmers. Wright farms close to 2500 acres of York County far- mland, and does so on a scale that’s usually associated with the American Midwest, Last year Wright farmed 1300 acres of corn, but this year plans to cut back to 900 to 1000, he told • Lancaster Farming this week, because the price doesn’t look quite as good as it did. He’ll also plant 500 acres of green peas which will be followed with limas, 370 acres of barley, 300 acres of wheat, and Lebanon 4-H Agent Appointed, 4-Hers and farm youth in the Lebanon County area will soon be getting advice from Patricia Krall, the newly appointed Assistant Extension Agent - Youth in that county. Miss Krall, who is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Krall, Lebanon Rl, will be responsible for jContinued on Page 12> another 200 to 300 acres of soybeans. Wright and his wife, Shirley, own the 96-acre home farm which has been in the family for several generations. But, like a great many of his Midwestern counterparts, he rents most of the land he farms. However, where Cornbelt land might rent for $9O to $lOO an acre, Wright pays an average $2O to $3O, and until recently had been paying $l5 for some land. When he graduated from Spring Grove High School in 1969, Wright had already been farming 700 acres Patricia Krall Serving The Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania Areas Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 29, 1975 DER Official, Farmers Air Conservation Issues For awhile on Wednesday night, it seemed that Afton Schadel would have to take the blame for all the failings, past, present and future of the American form of government. Schadel is part owner of a Schuylkill County farm, works full-time for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, and heads up DER’s erosion and sedimentation control program. Schadel was at the Hinkletown Alternative School in eastern Lancaster County to discuss the Penn sylvania Clean Streams Law with an adult farmer group. “The state should get its own house m order before telling us farmers what to do,” Schadel was told by B. C. thwestem part of the county. Brubaker railed about, erosion gullies around state about the salt the SfSS during summer vacation. And he did it mostly on his own. Wright’s father is a full time York County con tractor, although he did run the family farm for awhile after Mike’s grandmother died. Machinery, of course, is an important element m big farming. Wright has a combine, three tractors, a 4- wheel drive Steiger and a grain truck, all of which are (Continued on Page 12|" Gary Brubaker Will Head Baby Beef Club by: Melissa Piper Although this will be the first year, Gary Brubaker has served as president of the Lancaster County 4-H - Baby Beef Club, the young man is by no means new to either the beef industry or the 4-H program. Gary, who resides with his parents at 345 Running Pump Road, Lancaster, has been a 4-H member for the past eight years taking steer projects while helping on his parent’s farm. Gary has many qualities Schadel the state had forced him to take down the billboard that advertised his business. He decried the loss of personal liberties, said state game lands were un constitutional and said there was too much tampering with the U.S. Constitution. Schadel rather good naturedly parried Brubaker’s charges, until Aaron Stauffer, chairman of the Lancaster County Conservation District stood up to tell the group that Schadel was a farmer as well as a government employee prqbably the most highly respected conservationist m the state. “We’re very fortunate to have a man like Afton Schadel looking out for the farmer’s interests,” Stauffer said. “We could just as easily have gotten somebody in his spot that knows nothing about con servation and the farmer’s problems. I thmk we should hear what he has to say about the Clean Streams Law.” The Clean Streams Law, Schadel explained, was written to protect the waters of the state from all kinds of In This Issue FARM CALENDAR 10 Markets 2-6 Sale Register 64 Farmers Almanac 8 Classified Ads 29 Editorials 10 Homestead Notes 42 Home on the Range 44 Organic Living 51 Junior Cookmg Edition 45 Sale Reports 71 York DHIA 59 Berks DHIA 14 Farm Women Calendar 50 which should aid him in his duties, with his knowledge of the beef industry being one of the foremost. The young man has shown his beef at the 4-H District shows as well as exhibiting the reserve champion at the Lampeter Fair and at the Farm Show. Gary has become well known to many Lancaster 4- Hers as he is always giving his time at shows to offer advice and demonstrate the techniques of fitting and | Continued on Page 13) pollutants, including soil. In 1972, the Department of Environmental Resources, which operates under the Clean Streams Law, adopted rules and regulations to prevent erosion from far mlands. The regulations said that by July 1, 1977, all farmers woul have to have a conservation plan to keep their soil out of streams, and they would also have to have installed the conservation practices their plans called 100 Attend First Mini-Farm Meet About 100 people showed up last Friday night for the first meeting of the Lan caster County Mini-Farmers Cooperative. They came to the conference room of the Lancaster Coca Cola Bot tling Plant on the Manheim Pike to discuss the pleasurers and the problems of mini-farming. The get together was the outgrowth of a senes of meetings held largely in the living room of Kathy and Eckert Erb, owners of a 30-acre mini farm at Millersville Rl. Eckert is serving as president of the newly for med group, Kathy is the secretary, Ed Moshier, Lititz R 3 is first vice-president, Gary Brubaker, 345 Running Pump Rd., Lancaster was recently elected president of the Red Rose Baby Beef Club. Brubaker helps to manage his father's farm near Rohrerstown. $3.00 Per Year for. In the past few weeks, though, it’s become apparent that the 1977 deadline will be pushed back. But Schadel pointed out that there will still be a need to control sedimentation. “Farmland accounts for about 50 percent of the sedimentation *in Penn sylvania streams,” Schadel told the group. “We might lose less from an acre of [Continued on Page 17| Park Wiker, Holtwood, is second vice-president, and Eugene Degenhardt, Lan caster R 6, is the treasurer. Erb began the evening by telling the audience that they were very likely attending the first meeting of its kind in the country. And adding, “We all need direction, all need help. Maybe together we can find out what we have to do to make our mini-farms successful.” Erb defined a mini-farmer for the group as anyone with two or more acres who was farming for a hobby, not necessarily for profit. Rod Houser, a Lancaster R 6 mini-farmer, was (Continued on Page 13]'
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers