MARY LAEGER HAGEMEISTER Dauphin Co. Correspondent DAUPHIN (Dauphin Co.) They’re back at their desks piled high with phone calls that need to be returned, days of accumulated mail, plus all the other projects that were put on hold during the days at Farm Show. Some of the Penn State exhibit staff dedicated eight days to keep ing the exhibit functioning; others were able to be there only one day, Maryland Ag Ed Foundation Holds Baltimore Fundraiser BALTIMORE. MD The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation launched its fundrais ing campaign with a kick-off din ner at Stouffer’s Harborplace Hotel in November. More than 250 people attended the SSO/person fundraiser, which raised more than $15,000 to pro mote agricultural education pro grams throughout the state. Speakers included Shirley Traxler, director of the “Ag in the Classroom” Program for the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Mary land Lieutenant Governor Melvin Steinberg; and Rev. 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CABLEVEY Installs Easily * No need for installing steel beam track to support heavy feed hopper toads. CABLEVEY Systems Are The "Best Buy” For Your Money Invested! CALL TODAY FOR A NO OBLIGATION "QUICK QUOTE" Behind The Scenes At Penn but no matter how many days or hours each individual spent at the Farm Show—they were working! Like the sales people at the other exhibits the Penn Stale staff was there to sell. Their product? Education. As Penn State employees and students, whether at University Park or extension staff from vari ous coundes, their mission was the same: to meet and educate indivi duals on how to improve their life and their community. Passersbys could learn facts about the College importance of agricultural educa tion to let all students know about the importance of agriculture to Maryland’s economy and to increase the number of young peo ple who choose agriculture as a career. The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation was recen tly established at the request of Gov. William Schaefer to coordi nate public and private support for expanded and improved agricul tural education in Maryland’s schools. Work is currently under way with the Maryland Depart ment of Education to develop cur riculum guides for including agri :ultural concepts in the elemen ary curriculum. of Agriculture—including a sur prising factor that only 15 students out of 100 at the college grew up on a farm! By using a computer test, hun dreds of people learned about chemicals in the home. Workers noted how much easier it was for the younger generation to operate the “user friendly” computer while others preferred to take hand-outs and talk to the “experts” about safe ways to dispose of hazardous wastes. Although the beeping of correct answers from the Food Safety quiz board was irritating at the begin ning of each day by the end, the staff was able to block out the noise. Participants faces lit up when they pushed the correct button. If participants pushed the wrong but ton, staff helped quizzers under stand why they may have answered wrong. It was always very evident when farm safety experts were preparing for another tractor safety demon stration. Droves of people huddled together to be able to see and hear what they can do to prevent fatal accidents on their tractors. When the microphone didn’t work, the staff shouted the information. While the primary goal was to educate the public, but much more happened for the staff. For many it was a chance to work with long time friends or cement existing the Penn State exhibit chose the right answers for the test. friendships. However, it was also an opportunity for students to get acquainted with extension agents and specialists. Some had ques tions about careers while others just wanted to talk to people in the real world. Sometimes visitors from one of the worker’s county would stop by to catch up on the news. Farm Show offered time to share stories with other staff members, exhibi tors, and friends from home. To those readers who thought is,a„ BflAemnßiiß am®!? 2388 Old Leacock Rd., Gordonvllle, PA 17529 CUSTOM BUILT —^TRAILERS COAL STOVES V » HIGH PRESSURE WASHERS m HIGH-TENSILE FENCING - f - PEQUEA BATTERIES K6VIGCII| DISTRIBUTOR FOR BEARINGS fc DrvdenC SPROCKETS. PULLEYS. BELTS —J J . KENDALL & DRYDENE OILS & LUBRICANTS —ms**.— Lancaattr Farming, Saturday, January 20,1990-B9 your extension agent was on vaca tion or wondered why your phone call wasn’t retumed—the explana tion is “no” it was not a vacation by any means. By the end of the day there were headaches, backaches, and sighs of relief when the staff s weary heads hit the pillow. Your phone calls will be returned and rest assured many hundreds of people gained a wealth of know ledge because of the staff behind the scenes at the Penn State Exhibit.