D2o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 10,1950
PDA’s promotions
HARRISBURG - One of
the main thrusts of the
Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture’s budget this
year is product promotion..
In the past several months
there have been changes in
the division's leadership
while the department strives
to put together a promotion
package for state farm
products.
Connie Harness, who
emerged as chief of
promotions after six months
with the Department, said
the promotion division has
had problems but it getting
on the trade by virtue of bard
work and long hours.
The appointment of the
former Miss Pennsylvania to
- the Ag Department job last
September was questioned
in many quarters.
Although Ag Secretary
Penrose Hallowell has said
in the past be prefers to hire
people who have some on
farm experience because be
has found such experience
valuable, Harness has none.
While conceding her
ability to attract interest
because of ha- title, some
farm organizations question
Harness’ ability to handle
farmquetions.
They pointed out that,
while people like former
Miss America Anita Bryant
have been used by other
farmer organizations to
promote a product, that
person was used only to
promote the product, not to
develop a promotion
program.
That task was left to
marketing and promotion
specialists or given to out
side firms.
Harness said all
promotions will be run from
her department.
Promotion work has been
divorced from the Bureau of
Markets. Projects like the
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717-649-5321
commodity queens which
used to be in Markets now
are under Promotion.
Harness explained that
her division is concerned
only with events. Bureau of
Markets will develop a
program, like the ag logo,
but Promotions will push it.
She pointed out that
Markets is involved in major
projects like international
marketing and said her
concern is with local
projects like mall
exhibitions, fairs, and
shows.
The changes are being met
with some chagrin both
within and outside of the
Department.
John Early, former
director of the Rural Affairs
department under which
came promotions, left the
job because of what he terms
“conflict of management
methods.”
He said he left to return to
his business, Early’s Flower
Box, Hummelstown. But he
had served the Department
as bureau director since the
Scranton administration.
“I left to return to my
business. I felt I could use
my talents better elsewhere
than the Department,” he
said.
He said the new methods
used were “not acceptable”
to him.
At the moment, the ac
tivities in the Rural Affairs
Department are under
Deputy Agriculture
Secretary Chester Heim.
Among the questions
raised by several observers
of the promotions program is
m
department talks programs, problems
the setting of direction of the
programs, what those
programs hope to ac
complish, how goals will be
set up, how ac
complishments will be
measured.
Although a major portion
of the Agriculture Depart
ment’s increase in budgeted
expenditures is to go to
promotions, Harness said
she is not at liberty to
discuss details of the
evaluation of the success or
failure of the projects her
division will cun.
She said evaluation
reports will include
estimated number of people
readied and the types of
information given out
“A lot is not fully
developed so I’m reluctant to
go into great detail,” she
said, adding that Hallowell
himself is formulating a plan
on evaluation.
Hallowell said such
evaluation will include
statistics on raw product
sales, including eggs and
potatoes.
Harness said she was not
aware of any problems with
the various promotions,
adding that care and feeding
of the animals or lards at
such events is the respon
sibility of the local
promotions coordinator.
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She said the promotion
coordinator is responsible
for caring for the animals
and cleaning up after the
show.
There have been problems
transporting the exhibits,
though. Currently the
Department is trying to
match hitch sizes in different
regions of the state so
display trailers can be
moved about conveniently.
Hallowell said such a move
would cut both labor costs
and logistics.
Harness said she had no
tie-in with Capitol City Mall
although she did appear in a
commercial for the Mall.
Harness said she did the
commercial at Christmas
“as a favor” and added she
was not doing commercials
any more and that she got no
pay for doing it.
Harness said she is looking
into having the Farm Show
build an incubator and duck
slide for Promotion use since
the one used for years at
Farm Show is on loan from
the Pennsylvania Poultry
Federation and often is not
available where and when
the Department wants it.
Hallowell said the reason
for the move was to allow the
displays to be used in either
end of the state without the
related transportation
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problems. He said another
Country Store also is being
put together for the same
reason.
Rather than having live
animals, the Department
also is developing eight Agri
animals.
Harness said good
progress was being made
with the Agri-animals,
people-size characters
representing a given
product.
Among the eight are
Eggatha, who already has
made appearances; Milton
the Milk Carton and The Big
Cheese, both of whom are
being booked for dairy
month; King Arthur Apple;
Mushroom Munchkin; To-to
Tomato; the Commonwealth
Cow; and P.A. Spuds, a
potato figure similar to
Eggatha.
Eggatha was a learning
experience, Harness said.
The character was too big
to transport, taking up the
whole back of a station
wagon. The person inside
has difficulty walking, can’t
sit, and often gets
claustrophobic.
Harness said she hopes to
have all future Agri-animals
made of foam rubber with a
collapsabje frame for easier
transport.
In March, the Promotions
Division obtained per-
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25 KW Winpower 3 pt. hookup
25 KW Kurz & Root with trailer
(Brushless)
15 KW Generac with trailer
15 KW Surge without trailer
manent headquarters in tb
Agriculture Building, oc
cupying the office spaa
vacated by the Three Mill
Island task force.
“We’ve been in oui
present quarters for si:
weeks to get all thesi
programs together,” sh<
said. “We haven’t had timi
to think.”
But, she added, thi
Promotions people have <
full schedule coming up and
she assured, they “intend ti
get it all together.”—CH