A34—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 9,1980
BAINBRIDGE - Lester
Hawthorne did not brood
long over the tragic fire that
claimed a less than one year
old chicken house and 52,000
four week old broilers, early
this week.
Two days after the fire, a
construction crew was
already at work putting up a
new house.
What started the fire still
remains a mystery, although
Hawthorne has several
'theories on what might have
caused it.
“It might have been a
short circuit in a fan motor,
or possibly one of the
propane heaters may have
fallen into the sawdust and
started to smolder,” h: said.
One cause that Hawthorne
is sure didn’t start the blaze
is a malfunction in the
Hinish
as assistant director
UNIVERSITY PARK
W. Wayne Himsh, professor
of agronomy extension at
Penn State, has been named
assistant dean and assistant
director for administrative
management and training in
the College of Agriculture’s
Extension Service.
Huush will assume his new
duties March 1, according to
James M. Beattie, dean of
the College of Agriculture.
Hmish succeeds Dr. Craig S.
Oliver who was named
director of the University of
Arizona’s Cooperative
Extension Service.
Currently coordinator of
agronomy extension
programs, Himsh will be
responsible for ad
ministration in the areas of
personnel, management
information systems, af
firmative action and other
equal employment op
portunity procedures, staff
development and training,
and short course and
correspondence course
programs of the College.
As coordinator of
agronomy extension
programs, Himsh has
brought together ag-mdustry
representatives, farmers,
government agency and
extension personnel to plan
and develop educational
programs and publications
benefiting the entire
agricultural economy.
Himsh has developed
numerous Ag Service
Schools held annually m
eight location within Penn
sylvania He also helped
Fire razes broiler house Hawthorne rebuilds
electrical room at the west
end of the house. “The fire
definitely started at the
other end”, he stated.
What remained of the
$160,000 chicken house on
Tuesday after the fire did not
give many clues to the
cause.
“There just wasn’t much
left after it was all over,”
Hawthorne noted. “The only
thing that didn’t bum up was
the augers and some fans.
The rest of the house
disintegrated everything
burned up to ashes, even the
heavy timbers.”
The fire was reported
around 6:45 Monday mor
ning. Hawthorne recalled
about three people noticed it
at once. A neighbor called
the fire department, while
to take new post
W. Wayne Hinish
organize and is responsible
for the agronomic activities
of Pennsylvania’s Unit
Demonstration Farm
Program, a cooperative
project with the Tennessee
Valley Authority.
In charge of the Penn State
soil testing program since
1956, he combined soil
physical characteristics and
soil survey information in
determining lime and fer
tilizer recommendations.
He computerized the
program and designed an
innovative, colored bar
graph soil test report which
has been adopted by many
states.
Under his leaderhip, this
testing program has grown
from about 20,000 samples
per year to 70,000. Some 20
percent of the state’s far-
two others stopped at both
Hawthorne’s home and his
son’s house next to the
chicken houses.
“I never thought one of
these buddings would bum
now I know different,”
Hawthorne mused. “You
don’t hear of many chicken
houses burning.”
Unfortunately, Hawthorne
lost a fairly new house that
he estimates will cost him
around $175,000 to replace.
And Wogemuth Bros., the
Mount Joy feed firm that
owned the 52,000 broilers,
estimates their loss at 50
cents a bird.
The chicken house, located
on Hawthorne’s farm on
Bossier road in West
Donegal Township, burned
in about one hour. Fire
mers use this program to
determine lime and fertilizer
needs.
He has been consultant to
various state and county
government agencies ser
ving agriculture. His ex
pertise was used by the
Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture to help for
mulate new lime and fer
tilizer laws to benefit both
producer and consumer.
In 1979, Hmish ad
ministered plant science
programs in four computer
workshops held throughout
the United States.
He has authored or co
authored more than 60
technical reports, journal
articles, bulletins, and
popular articles.
Himsh was honored as
Man of the Year by the
Pennsylvania Plant Food
and Protectant Society in
1977.
He also received the
Extension Merit Award from
Gamma Sigma Delta
Society, and Extension
industry Award from the
northeastern branch of the
American Society of
Agronomy in 1978, and
Cooperative Extension
Service Award in 1979.
A native of Curryville,
Blair County, he received
three degrees from Penn
State.
He is married to the for
mer Janet Exnigh, of
Roaring Springs. They are
the parents of two children.
jonstr /on got underway on Wednesday at the Hawthorne farm. Early
Monday morning, fire destroyed a $160,000 house and 52,000 broilers.
companies from Bainbndge,
Elizabethtown, Maytown,
and Rheems responded to
the alarm.
Clean' up operations
started on Tuesday, and
Hawthorne said they han
dled the building remains
with a manure spreader and
front-end loader. By Wed
nesday, the only tell-tale
evidence of the tragedy was
the sickening odor that every
fire leaves as its mark.
Hawthorne explained that
the new building has to be
finished by early March
when his next batch of
broilers will arrive. The new
building will stand next to
the two remaining broiler
houses that were untouched
by Monday’s blaze.
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Hawthorne, who also has a happened to me in the fifteen
dairy business along with the years that I’ve been farmijfj
broilers, said he counts here. I’m just happy that tk?
himself lucky. “This is the fire wasn’t in one of the
first terrible thing that has family’s homes. ”SM
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