A32—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 25,1981 Lancaster Co. turf farm By Jennifer Sbenk Lititz Record Reporter Over 400 people from over the country, Canada, the Virgin Isles, Sweden, and as far away as Australia, assembled at the Spor ting Valley turf fields in Lititz last Friday to witness some of the world’s newest sod equipment in action. Friday’s demonstrations were part of the 1981 Summer Conven tions and Field Days of the American Sod Producers Associa tion (ASPA). The field day was hosted by Bob Hummer, owner of Spring Valley Turf Farms, Manheun R 7, who rents the Lititz fields from Paul Mmmch, Lititz. Large equipment manufacturers from as far as California, Nebraska, Ontario, Minnesota and Illinois came to Lititz Friday to demonstrate their mowers, sweepers, harvesters, and forklifts. Among the demonstrators pre sent Friday was Ryan Company of Lincoln, Nebr., which built the first sod cutter in 1948. “We were the first and only until about 1969,” Ryan representative Clarke Staples said Friday. “But almost all big farms still have Ryans today as backup.” An amazing fact, according to Hummer, is that 75 per cent of sod equipment was mvented m the 10 years by one of ASPA’s grower members and is currently being marketed by them or a subsidiary company. In addition to providing the turf and related soil areas for the equipment manufacturers to demonstrate their products, Hum mer was responsible for schedul ing the meals, tents, sound system, security, maps and signs. As a member of the Penn sylvania Sod Producers Associa tion, Hummer was selected along with two others to assist the ASPA directors in scheduling and carrying-out the summer conven tion which was being hosted by Pennsylvania this year. The convention was held at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pa. Sporting Valley was chosen for the field demonstrations because it was the closest large sod operation in the host state. ASPA The American Sod Producers Association was founded in 1968 and currently has over 600 grower members and a full-time staff. ASPA’s membership includes seven countries and meets twice a A Ryan sod-cutter from Lincoln, Nebraska, leaves a trail of sod-rolls ready to be picked up. Ryan built the original sod cutter in 1948 and was the “first and only" until the late 1960’5, according to Clarke Staples, Ryan representative. hosts international convention Bob Hummer, owner of Sporting Valley Turf Farms, Manheim R 7, addresses members of the American Sod Producers Association who visited his Lititz sod fields during ASPA's 1981 Convention Field Demo Day. year, once in mid-winter and once in mid-summer, at various loca tions in the U.S., Canada, and related U.S. islands. “This has been our fust stop in Pennsylvania,” Hummer explain ed following Friday’s field day, “and I feel most, if not all, of our members were impressed with what this area has to offer as a donation to our agricultural heritage, thanks to Milton Her shey, the Amish people, Landis Valley Farm Museum and many other farmers helping to keep us clean and serene.” Last summer’s convention was held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This year it was in Her shey. Pa., and next summer the location will be Denver, Colo. The winter convention which is usually educationally-oriented as opposed to the summer’s practical orientation, will be held in Hawaii this year. This past winter, the ASPA convention was held m Lake Tahoe, Calif. Sporting Valley Like ASPA, Sporting Valley Turf Farms was founded in 1968. Bob Hummer began his turf business near East Petersburg after study ing turfgrass management and agronomy at Penn State Universi ty. Today, Sporting Valley has 225 acres m cultivation on three farms, employs 17 people and supplies central and eastern Pennsylvania, northern Maryland and Delaware markets with Pennsylvania cer tified sod for varied uses in residential, commercial, in dustrial, institutional and recrea tional areas. I u -"-N m ,i w * •V * „ i: 4~ V- Councell’s Turf Farm of Goldsboro, Md., Summer Field Days at Sporting Valley Turf demonstrates a one-man self-stacking sod Farm, Waters Edge Road, Lititz. harvester during the American Sod Producers' it ■ass Conventioneers watch as a Princeton fork- the Lititz farm owned by Paul Minnich and lift demonstrates sod loading and unloading at farmed by Sporting Valley Turf Farms. k jB '"%s*. ~iV 1 Bill Adrian and Tom Slocum of Sporting Princeton Manufacturing Co., one of the Valley Turf Farms, Manheim, man a Prin- leading producers of sod harvesting equip ceton sod harvester as Ken Widen, also of ment, is based in Canal Winchester, Ohio. Sporting Valley, drives the Ford tractor. > I*' 1 (jp*)**. 1- jC *• Floyd Brownsberger operates a Spyder rolls of sod during ASPA Field Days at the Lititz forklift as Jeff Shenk (left) and Harold Shenk of farm. Sporting Valley Turf Farms, Manheim R 7, load %rP^ •mt* Over 400 attend from 3 continents •I* 1 < -*V" •s*
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