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VOL 33 NO. 14
Swine Breeders
Have 31st
Annual Banquet
BLUE BALL About 200
swine breeders attended the Lan
caster and Chester County annual
meeting here last Friday evening.
The program included a motion
picture about the results in the
checkoff program and Roger
Rohr’s Canadian hunting
adventures.
In addition, Andy Groff, Lam
peter, received the James Z. Martin
Swine Achievement Award and
the following directors were
elected: Chester County, Ken
Emery; Lancaster County, Eric
(Turn to P«fl* A 27)
John Zimmerman, a Lancaster County 4-H beef leader for
18 years, was given an appreciation award from club mem
bers last week. Zimmerman, of Ephrata, is retiring to spend
more time with his six grandchildren. For more on Zimmer
man and the other award winners at the county’s 4-H lives
tock banquet, see section “D,” page 2.
Bob Groff, center, and Max Smith, right, discuss pasture
management principles with farm owner, Herman Ginder.
Legislative food baskets symbolizing the bounty of Pen
nsylvania’s agricultural economy was given to ail state legi
slators present at the Keystone Corncopia.
In the photo (L to R) are: Patrick Stapleton, minority chair
man Senate Ag Committee; Edward Helfrlck, chairman
Senate Ag Committee and Samuel Morris, chairman of the
House Ag Committee.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 13, 1988
Rabies Is In Lebanon County
BY LISA RISSER
PRESCOTT (LEBANON CO.)
“Rabies is here today,” Dr.
Lynn Sammons, DVM, of Willow
Creek Animal Hospital in Read
ing, told farmers at the Lebanon
Valley National Bank luncheon
seminar on Wednesday.
“On Monday, half a mile from
here (the Prescott Fire Hall), a
racoon was killed that tested posi
tive,” Sammons said. “Two weeks
ago, a cow in Jonestown tested
positive.
“This is a very serious concern,”
he added. “It takes only 10 days
after contracting the disease for
cows to die. In humans that period
could last up to three weeks,
depending on how far away from
the brain the bite is, resulting in the
worst kind of death.”
Sammons recommended that
farmers vaccinate all domestic ani
mals on the farm that can be hand
led. Those that won’t let the farmer
approach, or display unusual beha-
Extension Service Started
“Farming By The Book”
BY SALLY BAIR
Lancaster Co. Correspondent
LANCASTER Although
“fanning by the book” was not
always accepted in Lancaster
County, most fanners eventually
came to accept the idea that the
Lancaster County Extension Ser
vice had something to offer,
according to Earl Groff, president
of the Lancaster County Extension
Board from 1946-1951.
Reminiscing on the 75th
anniversary of the Lancaster
County Extension Set vice, Groff
said, “It was certainly good to gel
the knowledge and expertise they
offered. It was important that we
get the benefit of establishing
methods based on research.”
Groff praised the early leader
ship of “Dutch” Bucher, saying his
unique position of being an agent
who lived in the county made him
Five Sections
Gala Event Showcases
PA Ag Products
BY
EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
HARRISBURG The gala
event that showcases Pennsylvani
a’s excellent farm products took
place again here as the 1988 Key
stone Comcopia unfolded in the
Sheraton’s East banquet room,
from the reception that included
cheese, honey, chips, pretzels,
mushrooms, eggs and milk to the
buffet of chichen, pork, beef, fruits
and vegetables the “Plenty of the
Land Became the Banquet” of the
vior, should be eliminated. In addi
tion, all wildlife coming onto the
farm, especially in the daylight,
should be killed.
Any animal that is killed should
be buried immediately, even in this
Old barns, such as this brick-end structure, are attracting
the interest of architectural historians and renovation buffs
alike. Ginger Myers, Cumberland County correspondent,
takes a look at some of the classic buildings in her county
beginning on page 2 of section “E”.
be more readily accepted than
others. He said, “Those who sup
ported “Dutch” were really inter
ested in getting it to work. We
were fortunate to get a man like
that.”
Groff, who milked 30 head of
Holsteins on his 116 acre farm,
was probably considered progres
sive at the time. His was the first
farm in Pennsylvania to adopt a
system of broad based terraces.
Groff says, “It used to bother me as
I’d plow and work up and down the
slopes that it was taking away the
topsoil that we could never recov
er.” Groff also worked with South
eastern Pennsylvania Artificial
Breeders Cooperative, though a
few skeptics assured him that he
was going to hurt his herd by using
artificial insemination. Groff says,
“It permitted us the use of bulls
that were not otherwise available. I
$8.50 Per Year 1
more than 500 ag industry and
legislative leaders that attend this
social highlight from year to year.
A large number of state legisla
tors attended the Comcopia spon
sored by the Pennsylvania State
Council of Farm Organizations.
And in addition to the first-hand
indoctrination of the importance of
agriculture, these state senators
and representatives received a
food basket full of the bounty of
Pennsylvania’s ag economy to
take home.
(Turn to Pag* A 27)
weather when digging a grave is
near to impossible. The animal
should be buried without being
touched by the farmer or another
human being.
(Turn to Pag* A 33)
was fairly successful.”
Earl’s enthusiasm for the bene
fits of Extension were shared with
his son J. Wade, who became pres
ident of the Board in 1971. Wade
said, “Extension to me was the
voice of research at the college.
We were able to get unbiased
information.”
The younger Groff remembers
that their farm was a “demonstra
tion” farm in 1963, receiving spe
cial attention with soil tests and a
survey on the soil profile. There
were also recommended crops to
plant. Groff says, “We used the
Extension Service to help contour
the farm, and Harry Sloat helped
us in our bookkeeping. He showed
us how to take a capital gains break
in the selling of cows.” He added
that they also used advice from
(Turn to Pag* A2O)