A24-Uncastor Farming, Saturday, November 1,1986
Smiths Named Blair Count
BY BETSY STTIT-YODER
Blair County Correspondent
MARTINSBURG - Shock and
surprise played across the faces of
Dennis and Margaret Smith as
their names were announced as the
1986 Blair County Farm Family of
the Year.
The presentation was made Oct.
16 at the annual Blair County
Farm-City Banquet. The award is
presented annually to a county
family in recognition of a suc
cessful farming operation and
community involvement.
Along with their three children,
Doug, Dan and Laurie, the Smiths
farm 196 acres in Morrisons Cove
nearMartinsburg.
“We are just ordinary farmers;
we don’t do anything special,’’
exclaimed Mrs. Smith. “We were
completely surprised with the
award.”
They are the second generation
to farm the 76-acre Piney Creek
Farm. Dennis and Margaret
bought the farm from Dennis’
parents, Marion and Verna, ten
years ago.
They had farmed 40 years and
were ready for retirement.
Although he helped regularly on
the farm, Dennis was also working
for PPG Industries Inc. and
Burchfield’s Inc., a farm equip
ment dealer.
Margaret is a registered nurse
and has worked at Nason Hospital,
Spring Cove School District and for
Dr. Whitstone.
Laurie. Margie, Dennis and Doug work together closely to run an efficient farm
CAMP HILL - The future
course of Pennsylvania’s leading
general farm organization will be
determined by several hundred
farmers during the 36th Annual
Meeting of the Pennsylvania
Farmers’ Association (PFA) Nov.
17-19 at the Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center.
PFA Voting Delegates will elect
officers, including a president, and
will set policies on important farm
issues tor the coming year. PFA is
a voluntary farm organization
representing 23,361 farm families
statewide.
The Governor-Elect of Penn
sylvania is scheduled to deliver the
Opening Address to the PFA
convention during a luncheon at
12:15 p.m., Monday, Nov. 17. At 2
p.m., a roll call of 170 Voting
Delegates will begin three days of
deliberations on policy resolutions
originating from PFA’s 54 county
associations.
“Market Culture”, the theme of
the Annual Meeting, will be
highlighted in a number of con
ferences planned for the event. On
Monday, Nov. 17, Snyder County
vegetable grower Titus Hoover
will speak about “Marketing Your
The farm is definitely a family
enterprise with each of the
children helping. Doug and his
wife, Veronica, and son, Ryan, live
on the farm. He is employed full
time.
Dan is a student at Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, but he
helps in the summer and during
school breaks.
Laurie is a senior at Central
High School. She not only helps on
the farm, but promotes the
“product of their toil” as Blair
County dairy princess. Laurie also
attended the Pennsylvania
Governor’s School of Agriculture
at Penn State!
The Smiths rent 120 acres and
raise com and alfalfa to feed 68
milking registered Holsteins and
53 young cattle.
During the 10 years the Smiths
have been fanning on their own,
they have seen numerous changes.
“Things are more technical now
with both crops and animals,”
Dennis said. Hybrid crops,
monitored dairy rations, and sire
selection have made dairying
more complicated. “Computers
are also on the increase,” he
continued.
The Smiths also discussed
government involvement in
agriculture. “The government
can’t get out of it all at once, but
the less involved they are, the
better,” Dennis said. “Farming
should be run as a business.”
PA Farmers Annual Meeting To Be Held In Hershey
Own Products” at 10 a.m., and
Lancaster County egg producer
Richard Myer will discuss “Waste
Marketing” at 2:30 p.m. PFA staff
will conduct concurrent sessions
beginning at 3:30 p.m. on farming
with computers and managing
marketing risks through forward
contracts, hedging and other
methods.
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, nationally
known commodity marketing
consultant Richard Brock will
speak about “Megatrends In
Agriculture” and “Marketing
Strategy” in back-to-back sessions
beginning at 8:45 a.m. From 2 p.m.
to 4 p.m., PFA’s annual outlook
conference will present expert
forecasts on next year’s markets
for fruits and vegetables, grain,
poultry, finances, livestock and
dairy.
Other topics will also be featured
in convention conferences. Dairy
Council Inc. nutrition consultant
Lila Darling will discuss
osteoporosis at 2 p.m., Monday,
and public affairs consultant
George Wolff of Lebanon County
will conduct a seminar on “En
vironmental Pollution and Farm
ing”, also at 2 p.m. On Tuesday,
Dr. James Van Horn, Associate
Farm Family Of The Year
' 1-
$ .
1
aK*-— *
The Dennis Smith family is the new . iair County Farm Family of the Year. They are
(front from left) Margaret and Veronica, and (rear from left) Dan, Dennis, Laurie and
Doug.
Margaret agrees that farming
requires better management than
it used to. “Much more time is now
spent on keeping records and
making management decisions,”
she said.
Mrs. Smith’s main job bn the
Professor of Family Sociology at
Penn State University, will speak
at 8:45 a.m. on the topic, “Are
Volunteers A Thing of the Past?”
At 2 p.m. Dr. Suzanne Harris,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Food and Consumer Services,
USDA, will address “Consumer
Concerns”. Marie Peiffer, past
County Commissioner for Cum
berland County, will discuss
“Opportunities In Local Govern
ment” at 3:15p.m.
PFA President Keith Eckel of
Lackawanna County will present
the President’s Annual Report to
the convention at noon Tuesday.
WASHINGTON- An estimated
10,400 head of dairy cattle were
slaughtered in federally inspected
plants during the week ending Oct.
11, as a result of the Dairy Ter
mination Program, the U.S
Department of Agriculture an
nounced Wednesday.
This total includes all cows,
heifers and calves identified as
dairy animals designated for
disposition in compliance with the
program requirements.
Laurie, who serves as the
checks on the calves.
farm is record keeping and she is
also very involved in the com
munity, especially in the Dairy
Promotion Committee.
She believes the public needs to
be educated about the time and
money involved in farming and
sees her work with the dairy
promotion committee as one way
of working toward that goal.
Although the future is not always
bright, the Smiths would not trade
their lifestyle. “The closeness of
the family working together on the
farm can’t be beaten,” Dennis and
Margaret agreed.
They think the farm is a good
Recognition of Outstanding Young
Farm Couples will also highlight
the Tuesday luncheon.
PFA will present its
Distinguished Service to
Agriculture Award during the
Annual Banquet, Tuesday at 7
p.m., County farmers’ associations
which have received “Star”
awards for excellence in PFA
programs will also be recognized.
Dr. Lamartine Hood, Dean of the
College of Agriculture at Penn
State University will be the guest
speaker at the Tuesday evening
banquet. He will speak on
“Charting A New Path for Penn-
USDA Buyout Report
The cumulative total of cattle °*
slaughtered under the program P ... ...
from April 1 through Oct 11 is an Dairy cattle reported for export
estimated 811,800 hiad. de program for ttie period
The purchases of meat in ad- Ap I *° „ 25 totaled
dition to normal purchases are to estimated 39,143 head,
help offset the effects of the DTP estimated 1,108 were exiMirted
on the domestic meat market. For the week ending Oct. 25.
the two-week period ending Oct. 25, Uve “ttle exported under the
the government purchased 200,000 program are expected to increase
pounds of meat. The cumulative as countnes develop tenders to
purchases, reported bi-weekly as participate in the export enha
cement program.
Blair County dairy princess,
place to raise children because it
teaches them responsibility. Farm
children also learn to depend on
one another, they added.
The Smiths have allowed their
children to choose their future
careers for themselves. The
children have been involved in
school activities and sports and
have always received their
parent’s support.
“We hope we can keep
everything going and see the third
and possibly fourth generation
farming here,” they said. With the
start they have, their future looks
bright.
sylvania Agriculture.”
PFA voting delegates will adopt
final policies on Wednesday, Nov.
19. They will also conduct elections
for the office of PFA president and
for 10 members of PFA’s 16-
member State Board of Directors.
Eight vacancies on the 16-member
State Women’s Committee will
also be filled.
The annual meeting of PFA’s
marketing cooperative, PACMA,
will take place Tuesday, Nov. 18,
beginning at 4:45 p.m.
About 900 farmers are expected
to participate in various activities
during PFA’s convention.
25, total 297.8 million