A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 13, 1988
(Continued from Pago A 1)
Extension when they changed their
dairy bams.
Willis Esbenshade, Lancaster,
agreed that there were those who
were not sure about Extension
because of the idea that they were
“taught out of a book.” A general
fanner, Esbenshade served as
president of the Extension Board
from 1956-1959, and it was during
that time that the Lancaster County
Farm and Home Foundation was
organized to begin to raise funds
for the present Farm and Home
Center.
Esbenshade was elected presi
dent of that Board and provided
leadership fra- both for a while.
He says the Extension Board
was solidly behind the idea of a
new building, because “the Post
Office Building was a little
unhandy for farmers.” He made
numerous trips to Washington on
behalf of the Board as they worked
to get non-profit status from the
Internal Revenue Service so that
contributions could be tax
deductible.
Esbenshade also recalls meeting
with the Commissioners to get
budget approval, adding, “Some
times you had to do a little talking
to get the money.”
He was also president of the
Farm Bureau during that busy
time, and says with a smile, “Peo
ple would call me to see if dates
were open for a banquet”
Although Robert C. Groff was
bom on Walnut Street in Lancaster
City, he was involved with Exten
sion for so long it became natural
for him to assume the presidency
of the Extension Board in
1960-1963. About his tenure he
says, “I enjoyed it Extension has
helped a lot of people.” He was
president dining the fundraising
years for the Farm and Home Cen
ter, but had no qualms about the
need for a building. “We were so
cramped and jammed in at the
offices at the Post Office.”
Groffs association with Exten
sion came as a young boy living on
.his grandparents’ farm near Stras
burg, when he was encouraged in
his 4-H projects by Earl Groff and
Elvin Hess. It was through serving
on the 4-H judging team that he
met his wife Millie, a member of
Dauphin County’s beef judging
team.
He became head tester for the
Lancaster Dairy Herd Improve
ment Association, and recalls vis
iting farms throughout the county
as he worked to train new testers.
In those days it was customary for
testers to stay on the farms, taking
meals with families. In addition to
doing the actual testing on the pre
mises with a centrifuge and the
bookwook, Groff recalls babysit
ting, filling silo and registering
cows for people who normally
wouldn’t have bothered. He often
attended church or prayer meet
ings with his farmer hosts, and he
remembers teaming to play canas
ta and pinochle. Groff also remem
bers getting lots of good food.
After being a tester he farmed
“for shares” on a farm near Denver
that was a neighbor to County
Agent Bucher’s farm. Groff recalls
that his landlord always wished
Extension Service
Sam Dum, professor emeritus of
agricultural economics at Penn
State, has been on both sides of the
extension service -- giving and
receiving. As s 4-H’er in Perry
County, he had projects in beef
cattle, potatoes and flower. He
eventually got his Ph.D. in agricul
tural economics from Purdue, and
taught in Delaware for two years
before moving to a farm at East
Petersburg in 1952. It was during
those years of milking 30 head of
cattle, raising 700 layering hens
and farming 12-15 acres of tobac
co that he used advice from the
Extension Service himself. “I used
them extensively for various eco
nomic information. Extension was
really depended upon quite exten
sively for technical information.”
Dum returned to Penn State as a
professor and is now retired and
farming again, this time in partner
ship with his son on a dairy farm in
West Hempfield Township. He
says he feels that now many far
mers are relying upon commercial
suppliers of service such as custom
sprayers, since it has become so
difficult to apply your own herbi-
cides and insecticides
Another Extension supporter in
Lancaster County is B. Snavely
Garber, who served as president in
1953, and recalls the desire of the
Board to get out of the Post Office
Building, “instead of going up
those stairs.”
He started his association with
Extension with a 4-H Guernsey
project. Later, he remembers that
he and his wife Barbara would
have Harry Sloat come to the farm
to help “finish up the books,” and
they would show their apprecia
tion by giving him three dozen
eggs.
Garber said that he remembers
Extension leading the way in intro
ducing new varieties of com, espe
cially, beardless barley, which
averaged 15-20 bushels more than
the old varieties.
He said he was often able to turn
away a smooth talking dealer by
saying he would check with Exten
sion and State College before mak
ing a decision about a purchase.
The greatest change, he says, is
that “technically we find we have
to put work on a different set of ail-
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HERSHEY More than 1,000
people from the United States and
other countries are expected to
attend the International Dwarf
Tree Conference here on February
28 through March 1. The meeting,
which will feature 35 speakers
including three from foreign coun
tries, is aimed primarily at apple
growers.
The theme of the high-powered
meeting, which is sponsored by the
International Dwarf Tree Associa
tion, is “Customizing a System for
Your Orchard. Speakers topics
include the performance of apple
systems, performance of advanced
rootstock candidates from the
ments.” Extension’s greatest
strength, according to Garber, is
sharing information among Uni
versities. He concluded, “When
you’re running a farm and have a
little problem, if you get a hold of
those college boys, they can help
you.”
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Conference Slated
For Apple Growers
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Geneva apple rootstock project,
hardiness of peaches, and the hard
iness of apple rootstocks.
The keynote speaker is Pierre
Herman, an internationally known
nurseryman and apple producer,
who will discuss the French Axe
system for producing apples. This
system is thought by many to be
the most efficient method of pro
ducing apples.
Another featured speaker is Dr.
Sivero Sansavini of the University
of Bologna, Italy. Dr. Sansavini
will focus on high-density peach
systems and dwarving rootstocks.
The pre-registration fee is $l7
for entries postmarked February
18. Later submissions or registra
tion at the door is $34. Send a
check to International Dwarf Tree
Association, Michigan State Uni
versity, Department of Horticul
ture, East Lansing, Ml 48824.
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