A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 11, 1991
(Continued from Pago At)
During the past four years as
state agriculture secretary, the
59-year-old Wolff (he will be 60
on May 17), has overseen an agen
cy that has incorporated a number
of new programs and the continued
refurbishing of the state Farm
Show complex.
However, like many agencies in
state government, the Department
of Agriculture has suffered a num
ber of financial support cuts which
have resulted in the loss of rank
and file workers to carry out some
of the programs. Some of the
workers were recendy furloughed.
Other positions, vacated through
retirement or other means, remain
unfilled.
In an attempt to maintain the
agency’s ability to continue ser
vice, several programs have been
combined, such as the Bureau of
Weights and Measures with the
Bureau of Amusement Rides and
Attractions.
In addition to reductions in state
support to the department, the agri
cultural industry continues to have
its ups and downs.
Diseases, record low milk prices
to dairymen following a year of
record high milk prices, uncertain,
but promising world markets, the
possibility of free markets with
Mexico and Canada, increased
changes of rural to urban popula
tions, bank failures, ... all com
bine to create one of the most com
plex atmospheres for those
attempting to make a living
through agriculture.
In a telephone interview Thurs
day, Wolff said his outlook for
Pennsylvania’s agricultural indus
try remained optimistic. He said he
had a positive outlook for the func
tionality of the PDA, despite
hard cutbacks in state tax dollars to
the department.
“We’re lean. We did some fur
loughs in February, bul we’re cur
rently hiring some people who will
be filling some critical positions.
And when the budget gets settled I
hope we will be able to hire some
more people.
“We took some setbacks but
every agency had to do that. It’s
been a difficult year,” Wolff said.
“When I talk to my
counterparts at DER, or wel
fare, or anywhere it’s just been
a rough year,” he said. “With the
governor’s (new) budget and a tax
increase, it’s a starting point,” he
said.
According to Wolff, “This is the
third lime this century (there’s
been a budget problem due to the
economy;, in 1930, 1977 and this
year.
“When the budget was passed
last July, we made the best esti
mate. It will probably be half a bil
lion (dollars) less than anticipated.
“And because of the national
cconcomy going bad, there’s more
welfare, increased cost of Medi
care, the cost of special education
has gone up. If you take the half a
billion (underestimated) and add
half a billion in increased costs
from last July, that put us where we
are.
“We all took cuts. I don’t feel
agriculture took any more of a cut
than any other agency.”
Over the past four years, Wolf
said a number of important goals
have been achieved.
“The first four years, we got the
farmland preservation going, we
got the animal health commission
appointed to better animal diag
nostics to the farmers, and we’ve
expanded thepromotionand mark
eting efforts through the six
groups.
Senate Reconfirms Sec. Boyd Wolff
“In the coming four years we
want to get as many farms as possi
ble in the farmland preservation.
We have 36 farms now. We hope
to continue with that program.”
The farmland preservation
program is on the brink of taking
off, according to Wolff. In order to
be considered for the program, a
landowner must fust place his land
into an agricultural security area.
“In the Ag Security Areas, there
are over 1.27 million acres. Thai’s
an attempt to save farmland too,”
he said. Prior to the establishment
of the farmland preservation
program which had Sen. Noah
Wenger, R-Lancastcr, as its a
prime sponosor less than
500,000 acres were designated as
an agricultural security area.
Wolff said he is also looking
foward to furthering the other
programs that have been initiated.
“I hope we can get our diagnos
tic program in operation, and we
will continue to market Pennsylva
nia products.”
The renovation of the 60-acre
state Farm Show complex also lists
high on achievements begun dur
ing the past four years.
‘The roof is on, the new lighting
system is 99 percent in, the heating
system will be complete this sum
mer,” Wolff said.
“We’re going to break ground for
new building maybe this month,
probably in May, but at least in
June.”
Gov. Casey has come under fire
from both Republican and Demo
cratic legislators for the budget
deficit and for proposals from his
Office of the Budget which
attacked several agricultural
programs.
With Casey no longer eligible to
run for another term in office, and
Wolff confirmed, some have sug
gested that perhaps Wolff might
block political influences from
affecting the agriculture
department.
However, Wolff said there is
nothing to block.
“I try to keep the department as
non-partisan as we can. There’s
not a better system than democracy
and sometimes we get critical of it
“The Republican Caucus, they
like to question the governor’s
support for agriculture. I
to what we’ve been able to do over
the last four years. Economically,
$72 million went to agriculture and
forestry.
‘They (legislators and opposi
tion to Casey) helped too, because
they passed legislation, but if it
wouldn’t have been for his
(Casey’s) support, those things
wouldn’t have happened,” Wolff
said.
For the future, Wolff said he
hopes to see agriculture prosper
and agribusiness grow.
“I intend to continue the market
ing promotions and the economic
development programs.
‘There’s an aquaculture summit
May 21 and May 22 and we’re
developing a new-farmer program
where we’re going to help in Bed
ford County (as a pilot program for
backing up low-interest bank loans
to beginning farmers).
“We’re going to try to help far
mers farm without adversely
affecting the environment With
all the (environmental) issues, we
just have to be conscious about
how we farm.”
Furthermore, Wolff said that
efforts need to be concentrated on
education of the non-farming
public.
“Another goal would be con
sumer outreach, so that the non
farm folks appreciate agriculture.
They get the cheapest and most
wholesome food supply.
“And we should try to work with
consumers so that they see how we
treat our animals and ask their
understanding of why we need
chemicals to farm for a safe food
supply.
“On the environmental issues
we’re developing a plan to help
farmers dispose of (waste) chemi
cals and chemcial containers. It’s a
pilot program.”
On the horizon are several calls
from groups looking for the depar
ment of agriculture to take on addi
tional responsibilities, such as cer
tifying people for nutrient manag
ment, which is being developed in
Berks Co. Dairy
Illusions
CONNIE LEINBACH
Berks Co. Correspondent
LEESPORT (Berks Co.) The
healthful benefits of milk are no
illusion, Berks County’s new
Dairy Princess, Kelly Gelsinger,
proclaims.
Gelsinger, 17, of Womelsdorf
R.D. 1, was crowned with the title
Saturday night during the corona
tion pageant in the Berks County
Agriculture Center. She was the
only contestant to seek the crown
from last year’s winner, Suzann
Moyer.
Having lived on her grand
father’s dairy farm all her life, Kel
ly appreciates country life. “I’m
looking forward to promoting milk
and milk products,” she said.
Given her performing talents
and outgoing personality display
ed during the pageant, she should
have no problem. Kelly charmed
the audience with a magic show,
depicting the benefits of drinking
milk strong bodies, vitamins
and minerals. Eschewing such
milk product fakes as whipped
dessert topping and creamer for
coffee, Kelly said, as she per
formed a trick: “Don’t be fooled.
Always look for the ‘Real’ seal.
Kelly is a junior at Conrad
Weiser High School. She is active
in FFA, soccer, and the girls’ chor
us. Her activities with the child
ren’s ministry at her church, Myer
stown Grace Bretheren, involve
puppets and clowning.
The field of contestants for the
Li’l Miss Dairy Princess was much
larger. Rachel Emily Hartman, a
spunky 5-year-old from Hamburg,
captured that honor over five
others.
“It’s like a dream come true,”
Rachel said after the pageant. She
is the daughter of Bruce and Pol
lyanna Hartman, who milk 56
Holsteins on their 160-acre farm
near Hamburg. Rachel said she
likes white over chocolate milk
and helps to sweep the bam.
When asked by toastmaster
Tammy Balthaser if she ever
drinks milk, Rachel said, “Some
times I get to drink milk.”
Six-year-old Joel Bubbenmoyer
serenaded the new princesses with
“Thank Heaven for Little Girls,”
after the two had received their
crowns. Joel of Fleetwood also
sang and told jokes while the
judges were making their decision
about the Li’l Miss.
“Where do cows take their dates
on Valentine’s Day?” he asked.
“To the m-o-o-b-vies!”
The sparkling youngster
appears every Sunday at noon on
A 1 Alberts Showcase, channel 6.
He also has appeared at the Valley
Forge Music Fair and has enter
tained in some of the casinos in
Atlantic City. In her farewell
speech, Suzann said having been
the House Agriculture and Rural
Affairs Committee and has
received a great deal of support
from agricultural organizations.
Wolff said there is room for
expanded responsibility within the
department, but not without
adequate funding.
“We can do the certification,”
Wolff said. "That would not be a
big program.
“It’s easy for the Legislature to
give a new program. We don’t
object But when they give us a
new program we need the dollars
to operate the new program.”
Wolff said the cutback of ser
vices from the agriculture depart
ment are understood by the far
Princess Holds No
About Milk
Dairy Princess helped her grow in
all areas of her life and that she is
not as shy as she was before she
won the honor.
“It’s easier to get up in front of a
group and speak," Suzann noted.
Her schedule, averaging 12 prom
otions a month, included farm
tours, and speaking at schools,
granges and fairs. A high-school
senior, Suzann plans to continue
living and working on her parents’
1,000-acre farm in New Tripoli,
Lehigh County. She also plans to
continue breeding and selling
miniature horses, which she has
done for more than a year. Suzann
honored several Berks County
pupils for winning her coloring
contest in which elementary stu
dents colored a picture of a cow.
The winners were Ryan Dish,
nursery. Little People Day School,
Exeter Township; Mark Nester,
kindergarten, Richmond Elemen
Newly crowned Berks County Dairy Princess Kelly Gel
singer and Li’l Miss Jill Nelman are eager to promote milk.
Joel Bubbenmoyer, 6, serenades the new Berks County
princesses, Kelly Gelsinger and Jill Nelman, with “Thank
Heaven for Little Girls.”
mers the department serves.
For example, the department
used to have several toll-free tele
phone numbers available to the
public. They were eliminated in
order to save about $30,000.
According to Wolff, when it
came out that severe cutbacks were
going to be necessary, “We looked
at the whole department That 800
number and it became a num
ber used for information and we
were doing an awful lot of calls
that were information type
farmers are conservative by
nature and it’s been a bad year, and
they don’t mind paying for a phone
call. They’d rather see us be con
servative than raise taxes.”
tary; Jolene Longenecker, fust
grade. Strausstown Elementary;
Kelly Gernert, second grade,
Greenwich Elementary; Heather
Avedissian, third grade, Lincoln
Park Elementary; Sara Marks,
fourth grade; and Kelly Mast, fifth
grade, both of Twin Valley
Elementary.
Suzann also thanked Jill Nei
man, the 1990 Li’l Miss Dairy
Princess, for her companionship
while attending fairs and other
functions throughout the year. The
pageant is sponsored by the Berks
County Milk Production Commit
tee. It was coordinated by Mary
Haag, who said the committee is
looking for another coordinator to
organize the bookings and promo
tions for the princess. Anyone
interested in this volunteer job is
asked to call Haag at (21S)
926-4211.