—Lancaster Famine, Saturday, February 10,1979
16
Champion tomato growers honored for yields
By JOAN LIES AU
HERSHEY - Top tomato
growers were honored on
February 6, at a Tomato
Awards Luncheon held in
conjunction with the 1979
Pennsylvania Vegetable
Conference at the Hershey
Convention Center, Hershey.
The champion growers in
the different classes
received an engraved plaque
for their high tomatoe
production and" record
keeping practices. The
contest is sponsored by the
Tomato Processors of
Pennsylvania and the
Pennsylvania State
University Cooperative
Extension Service.
Furman Farms, Inc., of
Northumberland R 2, was
top producer in the Machine
Harvest, over 150 acre class.
Furman Farms produced
3087.97 tons of usable
tomatoes on 168 acres. They
averaged 18.3 tons of usable '
tomatoes per acre. The
product was processed by
Furman Canning Company.
In 1978 the Company
started using a 1978 Model
Button-Johnson Harvester
with an electronic sorter.
This is the first electronic
sorting machine model in
Pennsylvania and probably
the first on the East Coast.
This season, 100 per cent of
the total Furman acreage
was machine harvested.
Several standard machine
harvest varieties and ex
tensive field trials of new
varieties and strains are
planted each year at Fur
man Farms. In 1978 the
varieties VFI34, C-37, and B
-1 (just released as US, 141;
formerly 75818, 768141, and
77816) were the main
varieties planted for early
harvest, with 95 acres
planted to the latter for a
more promising “whole
pack” use. Approximately 30
acres of Red Rock was used
for the late crop.
Kepler Farms, Inc,,
Milton, were the top winners
in the Machine Harvest-50 to
100 acres division. The farm
produced 1352 71 tons of
tomatoes on 80‘ acres for
American Home Foods.
Using southern field-grown
plants of Chef, Merit, and O
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37 plus tray-grown plants of
Chef, Merit, and Red Rock,
the Kepler Farms operation
was able to average 16.91
tons of usable tomatoes per
acre. The Farms owner isF.
Parson Kepler, Sr.
The Schwartz family,
Lykens Rl, (Dauphin
County) produced 1536.44
tons of tomatoes on 45 acres
to become the Champion
Tomato Grower'for 1978 in
the Class 4 Machine Harvest
category. The Schwartz
family has grown tomatoes
for 20 years and qualified for
this year’s award when they
machine harvested 34.14
tons per acre for American
Home Foods. In 1976 Robert
W. Schwartz qualified for the
Class 4 award when he
machine harvested an
average of 23.10 tons per
acre on 40 acres.
Successful growers, the
Schwartz family follows a
two-year, rotation. Timothy
sod and wheat stubble are
plowed down with poultry
manure before the fields are
planted to tomatoes.
Calvin Group of Gardners
Rl, (Adams County) picked
1037 tons of tomatoes on 42.5
acres for an average yield of
24.4 tons per acre. Mr. Group
was selected as the top
producer in the Hand
Harvest, 25-50 acre class.
Varieties grown for the
Musselman Fruit Products
Division of Pet, Inc. were C
-17, C-37 and VF-134 Georgia
grown transplants. Group
only grows field com and
processing tomatoes on his
farm.
Lloyd Wehry of
Klmgerstown Rl, (Schuylkill.
County) won the award for
the highest tomato yield in
the Class 3 Hand Harvest
competition for growers with
five to 25 acres. Mr. Wehry
picked 210.04 tons of
tomatoes for American
Home Foods on five acres
for a 42.01 ton per average
yield. The entire crop was
produced from Heinz 1370
Speedling plants.
Mr. Wehry’s fieldman
attributed his high
production to a good stand,
excellent weed control, a
good fertilizer and pesticide
spray program, and ideal
conditions throughout most
of the harvest period.
Two men from Lancaster
and York County were
recognized for their high
P' 4
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Champion tomato growers were honored on
February 6 at a Tomato Award Luncheon during
the Vegetable Growers Convention at the Hershey
Convention Center, Hershey. Carl Rovenolt, front
row, left, accepted the machine harvest, 50 to 100
acre award which was won by Kepler Farms, Inc.,
Milton. Jim Kohl accepted the machine harvest,
over 150 acre award for Furman Farms, Inc.
Charles Marks accepted the award for Calvin
Group. Mr. Group (not shown) won the hand
harvest, 25-50 acre class. Bill Garman accepted
the award for Lloyd Wehry of Kiingerstown Rl.
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yielding hand harvested
tomato crop.
Harvey S. . Martin of
Ephrata R 4, harvested 6
acres producing 27.02 usable
tons per acre. Martin has his
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Dairy Pan
Jl
tomatoes processed through
Musselman’s Division of
Pet, Inc.
Donald Diehl of New
Freedom R 2, planted 16
Wehry won the hand harvest competition for
growers with five to 25 acres. Standing, left to
right are Dr. Peter Ferritti, associate professor of
vegetable crops Extension at Penn State, and
Robert Schwartz. Schwartz acospted the award
for Schwartz and Schwartz who won the machine
harvest, over 150 acre award. Presenting the pla
que to Mr. Schwartz is Cindy Lesser of Milton R 3,
Cindy is this year’s tomato queen. The the right of
Cindy is David Geise, president of Furman Cann
ing Company.
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acres of tomatoes which
yielded 25.13 usable tons per
acre. Gbarles G. Summers
Jr., Inc. processed the
tomatoes.
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