Bradford
BY JANE BRESEE
Staff Correspondent
TOWANDA A crowd of over
200 people filled the Towanda Elks
Club Thursday night, June 14, to
honor Bradford County
Cooperative Extension Agent
Orville Yoder and his wife, Irene,
upon his retirement after serving
27 years in the Extension service.
Yoder had worked in Bucks County
for four years and then came to
Bradford County in November of
1961.
The auspicious occasion moved
smoothly along with Gary Green,
chairman of the County Extension
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Water, One of the most basic
needs to sustain life.
Fresh, sparking, cold and clear,
it runs from mountain streams.
Thick with mud after gully
washing rains. Polluted by toxic
chemicals and human wastes. Acid
and sour from the burning of dirty
fuels.
Water, How badly we abuse it.
How regularly we take it for
granted. Push a button, turn a
handle - and out it flows, instant,
clear, potable.
Here on the farm when it comes
to water, we seem to constantly
jiggle back and forth between the
extremes of too much and too little.
And that’s not just a weather
problem, but holds true at the
numerous outlets around the place
that serve ever-thirsty cattle.
Water. Running somewhere. A
spreading wet spot at the foot of
the calf barn grows volunteer
bearded barley plants with a
vengeance - but the swamp for
ming there was simply never in
tended to be so.
Over a couple of days it grows,
sloppier, wetter, spreading like a
slow blight. We debate the reason,
wracking our brains over the
watery mystery, while rushing to
put hay away before the next
downpour.
One morning, a small stream
materializes from the outside of
the calf barn, first a wet spot on the
blacktop, eventually running down
the driveway between the yard and
the dairy bam. It seems to ooze up
from nowhere. (Why couldn’t it be
crude oil, for pity sake!)
As the creek grows in volume,
with still no known reason, the
inevitable can no longer be put off.
Late one evening, the water to
the calf bam is shut off. Digging on
the outside commences. A giant
crater, pile of blacktop and one
relocated watering hose later, the
creek still tumbles merrily down
the driveway.
His Father’s Day gift is a chance
to play plumber in place of an
afternoon nap, a sacrifice to the
continuing mystery of the swamp
and stream.
Out comes the sink in the calf
nursery. Up comes several square
feet of concrete flooring. Out goes
a couple of cubic feet of fill ground
beneath, a stark maze of water
pipes left behind, jutting at odd
angles.
Retreating to the house, mud
splattered, weary, he finally
comes bearing a short piece of
black plastic water pipe, complete
with a crimped fold from which
emanates a long split, the result of
Co. honors Orville Yoder
Executive committee, acting as
master of ceremonies. The in
vocation before dinner was given
by Russell Jones, a prominent
Holstein breeder, and long time
member of many farm and Ex
tension organizations.
The first guest on the program
was Roger Madigan, state
assemblyman from Bradford
County. He commended Yoder for
his excellent work and commented
that Yoder had contributed greatly
toward peaceful settlement of the
truck strikes. Madigan presented
Yoder a citation from the House of
Representatives for his out-
a chunk of old cement included as
part of the fill ground many, many
years ago. Like all of us, the pipe
became a sort of victim of
inevitable old age.
Milking time. Evening chores.
Drop-in company. The job will be
finished at some later time.
Meanwhile we lug hot water up
from the dairy barn. But at least
the swamp and creek have sub
sided.
In under the old dairy bam I
traipse, to feed heifers housed
there.
A familiar sound. Splashing,
gurgling. A puddle forming inside
confirms the dread suspicion. The
heifer’s water fountain is stuck,
running like a spring in a wet
March. Before the first swamp has
begun to dry, a second is in the
making.
Another one of those lousy
summer re-runs.
standing service.
Mrs. Marilyn Bok, chairman of
the Bradford County Com
missioners, the next speaker,
jokingly said that Yoder was the
last person with a flat top hairdo to
retire in Bradford County. She also
thanked Mrs. Yoder for helping the
Garden Club plant and replant
flowers and shubbery around the
Court House.
Bok also complimented Yoder
for the growth of the County Ex
tension service during his term
and for the very good cooperation
enjoyed between the County
Commissioners and the Extension
Service. “We hope that your
retirement will be as productive as
your working years and you will
milk it for all it’s worth,” she said.
Alton Homan, Bradford County
Extension agent, represented the
Pennsylvania Association of
County Agricultural agents in the
absence of Robert Hettick,
president. He proclaimed Yoder a
life member both state and
national in that organization. With
best wishes for his retirement, he
presented Yoder a plaque for his
meritorius service from Nov. 1,
1961, to July 31, 1984. Homan also
gave Yoder a statue of the Nittany
Lion from the honorary society of
County Agricultural Agents,
Epsilom Sigma Phi.
Ellen Foust, member of the
County Extension Executive
committee, said that the Extension
service reaches more people in the
county than any other
organization. She read aloud a
poem written especially for Mr.
and Mrs. Yoder by Wilmer Wilcox
of Canton, titled “Poet Laureate of
Bradford County”.
Edward Dieffenbach, regional
assistant director of the Extension
Service, brought greeting from
Penn State University and best
wishes from Dr. Wayne Hinish and
Dr. Sam Smith who could not at
tend.
Dieffenbach enumerated many
changes in the Extension in
Bradford County during Yoder’s
term, such as the fantastic growth
of the DHIA, and in the dairy in
dustry as a whole. He also men
tioned the livestock, wool growers,
and Maple Producers’
organizations which had begun
under Yoder’s direction.
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Gary Green, chairman of the County Extension Executive
Committee, congratulates retiring Orville Yoder.
Among Yoder’s awards and
citations are: NACAA Outstanding
Extension Livestock Program
Award in 1966, Pennsylvania
Dairymens’ Association Award in
1972, Public Information Award
winner in 1975, the Pennsylvania
Maple Council Man of the year in
1976, Bradford County DHIA
Award for Outstanding Service in
1979, a citation from the State
House of Representatives for an
active role in ending a truckers
strike in June 1979, and a 25-year
Service Award from Penn State in
1982.
“Today you hit your epitome,”
Dieffenbach told Yoder. “You are
a true Extension man and a good
educator!”
Green then gave Yoder two
portfolios of letters, written by
people whose lives have been
touched by Extension work during
Yoder’s time.
The remainder of the program
after three vocal solos by Bruce
Bresee, dairy farmer, were
humorous awards given by
Yoder’s co-workers who
remembered the jokes and
humorous incidents during their
time of working together.
Also present was Orville’s son,
Kenneth Yoder, and family.
Flowers and cards were sent from
his other son, Brian, and daughter
Zoe Ann who lives in California.
Linda Wrisley, member of the
Executive Committee and on the
planning committee for the affair,
spoke saying she had the pleasure
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of representing everyone in the
state and out of state who had sent
letters and money for the party.
The gift presented to the Yoders
were a long range lens for his
camera, a slide projector, screen,
and flowers.
The climax of the splendid
evening came with a tearful and
brief thank you from Mrs. Yoder
who spoke about how good and
sincere the people in Bradford
County are.
Yoder’s turn to speak came at
last. I}e stated that the ground
work in Extension had been well
laid by Paul Rever, Extension
Agent before him (he recognized
( Paul Reber’s son in the audience),
and he wished that Paul could be
here to see the strides made in
dairying and crops.
Yoder said that Bradford County
was the greatest in the state, and
the people were tremendous to
work with. He had the greatest
neighbors in Hombrook and an
excellent Extension staff, and a
great group of 4H and Family
Living leaders.
Yoder predicted that Extension
work will become even more
challenging and interesting with
the computer age now in the office.
Yoder thanked everyone for
coming and making it a truly
“Enchanted evening”. He and his
wife plan to host a farm tour to
Europe in August and spend time
in their lake house in Maine in
addition to visiting their daughter
Zoe Ann in California.
Mt. Bethel, PA 18343