016192 1299 PERIOOICAL S DIVISION PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY M2O9PATTEE LIBRARY STATE COLLEGE PA 16o0i IWO_ . VOL 35 NO. 30 The Beam Farm: 33 Years Of Conservation ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff ELVERSON (Chester Co.) Omar Beam is concerned about the changes. During just the last 35 years he has lived and farmed near Elvers on, Beam has seen an increasing amount of deve lopment of land in this section of Chester County. A few years ago. Beam became a member of the Chester County Agriculture Development Coun cil, and spent time educating peo ple about the increasing amount of land being sold to developers and speculators—which may, accord ing to Beam, have profound effects on how we farm. Beam farms about 6SO acres and raises 1,100 head of hogs and 300 head of steers in partnership with his son. Nelson Ray; his associate, John Wilmer Stoltzfus; and Stolt zfus’ son, Scott. Beam enjoys the benefits of a family farm. “We all farm together, but each one farms some of the acreage on his own,” be said. Beam has been a member of the Soil Conservation District since 1957. Recently, he was awarded Cousins Earn Big Bucks For Berries LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) “Lode at these berries. What’ll you bid?” auctioneer Harold Kell er called out. Twelve-year-old Joel Leaman lifted the one-quart box of straw berries a little higher as the brisk bidding jumped from $100... $2OO ... $3OO ... $4OO and.... “Smile a little more,” Keller advised the Lancaster 4-H’er, “you might get more.” And Joel did get more for his ' berries that took the grand champ ion award at the annual 4-H Straw berry Roundup sponsored by the Lancaster Rotary Club. He got a hefty $470 for his box of juicy, sweet berries. The highest bidder was Donald Horn, president of Permfield Cor poration, a Rohrestown feed company. Nsstlod In th# rolling grssn hills of southsm York County nssr Alrvllis, the WlHlameburg-blue end ivory colored buildings of the Heindeis* dairy complex make a picturesque color contrast. 50* Per Copy the Chester County Conservation Farmer of the Year Award at the Chester County Crops Day. Omar Beam has been practicing soil conservation for about 33 years. Using con tour strips and cover cropping, Beam farms about 650 acres and raises 3,000 head of hofs-pbr year and 300 steers In partnership with his son Nelson Ray; an associate, John Wilmer Stoltzfus; and StoßzfUS* son; Scott. “When I left home this morning, I told Mrs. Horn to have the short cake made,” Horn said, “because I planned to bring home the prize berries this year.” Horn, who for several years had purchased the reserve champion’s berried, said that he feels strongly about the importance of supporting 4-H and the farm community. Joel’s stiffest competition in the strawberry competition was his counsin Hans Leaman who took the reserve championship. “We’re bom only five days apart,” Hans, the son of John and Nancy Leaman of Bird-In-Hand, said of his cousin; Although the cousins are good friends and live within five miles of each other, they did not visit each other’s strawberry patch. Both top winners insisted that they don’t have a secret for raising (Turn to Pago A 29) Heindeis Ready New Dairy Facility Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 9,1990 Practices different Beam said that conservation practices are different today than Cousins Joel Leaman, left, and Hans Leaman, right, took home a combined total of $570 for 2 quarts of berries In the annual 4-H Strawberry Roundup sponsored by the Lancas ter Rotary Club. 20 years ago. “When I signed up for member ship in the district, the reason I JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent AIRVILLE (York Co.) Doing things a "little different’’ has never bothered Horace Hein dcl. So when the opportunity arose about a year ago to build a from- Ihe-ground-up dairy facility, the Yorkana fanner broke stride with industry trends toward rapid-exit parlors and free-stall housing. Instead, crews of installers and earth-moving machines are putting the finishing touches on a dairying complex revolving around a state of-the-art. 200-head, tie-stall bam. "I want to lode down through Four Sections signed up was that I thought I could try to make the best out of the the land I could,” he said. ‘‘Not only that, I wanted to save on a lot of water and a lot of runoff, which would give me better crops.” Beam plants a cover crop of rye during the winter. When the rye reaches 10 inches in height, it is sprayed with herbicide. The rye acts to keep the soil moist, retains soil nutrients, and keeps the soil in overall good condition. “The secret is to not let the rye gel more than 10 inches high,” he said. “If it gets too high, it becomes matted too much and it can become a harbor for insects.” Manure is taken from a holding pit, tested, and spread before com is planted in the spring. If neces sary. Beam adds commercial nitro (Tum to Pag* AST) Lancaster Rep Proposes Egg Refrigeration Law VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.) Lancaster County Rep. Kenneth Brandt (R) on Monday introduced legislation before the state House that would mandate refrigeration of eggs within less than a day of hatching. The proposed law was sent to the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee on Wednesday where action is expected to pro ceed quickly, according to Brandt’s aide. Both Brandt, the chairman of the Ag and Rural Affairs commit tee and Samuel Morris (D), vice chairman, support the bill along with 27 other co-sponsors. Currently, eggs are considered non-perishable foods and are not required to be refrigerated under federal law. If passed, the Brandt bill would change that. (Turn to Pago A 33) the bam and see cows tied,” was Heindcl’s preference. Heindel, York R 9, has fanned some 50 years, beginning with five milk cows of mixed breeds. In the days when most general farms kept a family flock of chickens, Heindel tended upward of 50,000 of all sizes, many out on range at the Yorkana farm. The family, including his late wife, Thelma, and their 10 child ren, tended market across the Sus quehanna River in Columbia dur ing the 19405. They were the first to market the once-popular colored chicks at Easter and the first to offer pre-cut chicken parts at a (Turn to Pag* A2O) $15.00 Per Year Adds nitrogen
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