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VOL 37 No. 15
Mark Kornman checks the denSfly'WThe maple syrup as
It comes off the automatic draw-off valve. Kornman won the
State Star Agribusiness award from Pennsylvania FFA for
his maple syrup business.
FFA State Star
Agribusiness Award
Goes To Mark Korman
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LINESVILLE (Crawford Co.)
When Mark Kornman was 13
years old, he started a hobby that
skyrocket him into state FFA
fame. Now 18 years old, Mark’s
hobby has evolved into a maple
syrup business that caught the eye
of judges for the Star Agribusiness
award, the only one given in the
state.
Mark said tapping maple sugar
was a hobby that his uncle
enjoyed. When he showed Mark
how to tap maple sugar from trees
that are 8-inches in diameter, Mark
thought it was pretty neat.
Small-Scale Pork Producers
Need Professional Attitude
VERNON ACHENBACH, JR.
And
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
CAMP HILL (Cumberland
Co.) Pork producers should be
able to get through the year at least
breaking even, but as an industry,
recruiting employees and impro
ving labor relations need to be
addressed quickly.
Those assessments were given
by several of the speakers who
talked to hundreds of pork produc-
Five Sections
Soon, Mark started tapping syr
up for his own family. At first he
used 23 taps, but he enjoyed it so
much that he now has 930 taps.
According to Mark, the average
tree gets 23 taps. Mark rents trees
for 25 cents a tap or gives the own
er free maple syrup for the use of
the tree.
When the taps began to produce
more syrup than his family could
use, he gave some to neighbors. As
he started tapping more and more
trees, Mark sold the maple syrup in
32-gallon bulk drums to busines
ses. Eventually he started canning
it in gallon tins, one-half gallon.
(Turn to Pago A 24)
ers on Wednesday during the 1992
Keystone Pork Congress, held at
the Penn Harris Inn in Camp Hill.
H. Louis Moore, Penn State
agricultural economist, predicted
hog prices in the 41-cent range,
and probably a little lower would
prevail, he said.
Moore is a well-known speaker
and has addressed other livestock
producer meetings this late winter
and predicted a slow growth of the
economy, and either a no-change
or slight change for the agriculture
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 22, 1992
New York State Dairy Princess Crowned
SYRACUSE, NY Lorelei
Crane from Bliss, New York in
Wyoming County was crowned
the 1992-93 New York State
Dairy Princess on Tuesday. The
29th annual coronation was held
at the Sheraton Inn in Syracuse,
New York, sponsored by the
American Dairy Association and
Dairy Council, Inc. (ADADC). As
slate princess, Crane received a
$1,200 scholarship and becomes a
leading spokesperson for New
York’s dairy industry in the
upcoming year.
Tara Williamson of Green
wood, New York was named first
Alternate Slate Princess. She
received a $7OO scholarship. Kerri
Benson of New Lebanon, New
York was selected as second
Alternate State Princess. She
(Turn to Pago A 25)
Ag Teachers Fight Agricultural Illiteracy
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Robert Lauffer did not
grow up on a farm, however, he did
work on a farm for eight years.
Does he know farming?
Recently. Lauffer said that it
seemed strange how many people,
especially farmers, automatically
equate knowledge of fanning and
agriculture with the choice of
occupation by one’s parents.
Lauffer knows better. As agri
science teacher at Garden Spot
High School in New Holland,
Lauffer’s job is to teach
agriculture.
And while that is his job, his
goal is to instill “agricultural litera
cy” into all students across Pen
nsylvania, most of whom did not
grow up on farms.
Through his and some others’
INDEX
Sec. AeMarket Reports
& General News.
Sec. B... Women’s News
Sec. C... Business News
& Classified 4-36.
Sec. Declassified 1-3.
Sec. EePublk Sales &
Mailbox Market
Sec Story lades Pa|e A 3.
prices.
Beef production and poultry
production are high, he said, and
the extra meat will keep down the
demand for pork, even though
pork isn’t as high in abundance.
Pennsylvania production is pro
jected to be about the same as last
year, while the national production
is estimated to increase several
points over last year, indicating
that production increases are hap
pening outside of the state.
(Turn to Pago A3O)
Lorelei Crane was crowned the New York State Dairy
Princess this week in Syracuse. In the photo are, from left,
Kerri Benson, second runnerup; Princess Crane and Tara
Williamson, first runnerup.
efforts, more people are agreeing
with and adopting that goal. There
are fellow teachers and legislators
who are like-minded, but the battle
needs support from many others,
he said.
For decades in the United
States, agriculture has not been
regarded by academia (outside of
the agricultural colleges) as a sub
ject by which literacy would even
be questioned.
School curriculums seem to
reflect a perspective of agriculture
Lebanon Countlan Barbara Grumbine is the new North
east area director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Con
servation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Grumbine, her husband Dennis, and two sons are well
known In political and agricultural circles. For more about
Grumbine, turn to page 82.
609 Per Copy
that it is not a highly important
subject for study by anyone,
except those who grew up on a
farm.
Other than the “vo-ag” classes
for the “fanner kids,” no other
courses offered in curriculums,
even science, include any discus
sion of agriculture in anything but
a cursory manner.
Lauffer and others are attempt
ing to have that changed.
In addition to being a teacher,
(Turn to Pago A2B)
19.00 Per Year