LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Pennsylvania’s ag dealers have
been working hard to become rec
ognized as a reliable source of
information and technical advice
for our state’s farmers.
Tightening federal regulations
are requiring farmers to keep more
records, especially concerning the
use of crop protection chemicals.
The public is becoming more
concerned about the proper appli
cation and use of plant growth
nutrients on farm fields. Also, the
responsible farmer realizes that
nutrient management planning is
also working to his benefit.
In short, a technical service
market is developing in the fann
ing community. The fertilizer and
agriculture chemical dealer real
izes that be has the experience and
expertise to provide these, services
to his customer.
The Pennsylvania agri dealers,
through their trade association
Pennsylvania Agronomic Pro
ducts Association, have begun to
establish a credible certification
program for all persons who act as
crop advisors to Pennsylvania’s
farmers. This will be called the
Pennsylvania-Certified Crop
Advisor (PA-CCA) program.
The CCA program has actually
been developed by the American
Society of Agronomy (ASA).
ASA is the organization that has
acted as the national certifying
agency for professional agronom
ists who have a bachelor’s degree
or higher. ASA has recently rec
ognized the need for ncn-degree
people, who can demonstrate their
qualifications, and document a
prescribed amount of field experi
ence, to be working as crop advi-
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Agridealers Back Certification
sors to Pennsylvania’s fanners.
They realized that this would have
to be a new program and it would
have to be operated in each state,
in some independent fashion, in
order to have it apply directly and
appropriately to agriculture across
the country.
The Pennsylvania Agronomic
Products Association (PAPA)
immediately recognized the CCA
program as the one that would per
fectly meet requirements. Here is
how the program works:
• ASA produces a national test
that will cover all the basic princi
ples of soils, fertility, pest man
agement, IPM, etc.
• Concunently, each participat
ing state must develop a state por
tion of the test that brings the gen
eral agronomic principals to bear
on Pennsylvania’s specific agri
cultural industry.
• The program will be operated
and directed by an elected CCA
slate board that will be comprised
of seven or more people from agri
industry, state and federal govern
ment agencies, extension, and the
farm community.
• An applicant must demons
trate the following experience
four-year bachelor’s degree with
two years experience; two-year
associate degree with three years
experience: and no degree with
four years experience.
• The state and national test
must be passed and the certified
individual must be willing to sign
on to a strict code of ethics. This
code will be strictly enforced by
the state CCA board.
Pennsylvania and ASA are
State Accepts Agribusiness
Award Nominations
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
State Agriculture Secretary
Boyd E. Wolff is accepting nomi
nations for the state’s 1993 Agri
business Achievement Awards.
The awards are presented to
Pennsylvania companies that have
made a special contribution to the
development and expansion of
Pennsylvania agribusiness. First
place awards will be given in two
separate categories.
“The Agribusiness Award is an
important opportunity to recog
moving along very rapidly in iheir
development of this program. The
national test is prepared, it has
been qualified, and is ready for
presentation. Pennsylvania has
established its first PA-CCA state
board in accordance with all the
guidelines prescribed by ASA.
That state board met for the first
time recently.
In that first state board meeting,
the Penn State College of Agricul-
nize the people who contributed
so much to Pennsylvania’s leading
industry,” Wolff said.
“Prestigious companies that
have won this award in the past
include Hatfield Quality Meats,
Reading Terminal Market, Jay’s
Markets, Pellegrino Food Pro
ducts. and other firms that helped
establish a quality standard for
Pennsylvania agricultural
products.”
ture was authorized to begin pre
paration of the state portion of the
examination. The board has also
set the date of August 5, 1993 as
the date for the first PA-CCA
examination.
Anyone wanting more informa
tion on the PA-CCA Program may
contact the Pennsylvania Agro
nomic Products Association, 1408
Mission Road, Lancaster, PA
17601, (717) 392-7577.
Awards will be presented at the
annual Farm Show Dinner on
Saturday, January 9, 1993, at the
Harrisburg Hilton in Harrisburg.
The deadline for receipt of com
pleted award applications is
November 20.
Contact the Department of
Agriculture’s Bureau of Market
Development at (717) 787-4210
for more information or to request
an application.