A22«Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Decamber 12, 1992
TUNKHANNOCK (Wyoming
Co.) R. Wayne Harpster,
owner/manager of Evergreen
Farms, Inc., near Spruce Creek, in
central Pennsylvania is the 1992
recipient of the Pennsylvania For
age and Grassland Council’s spe
cial award for his many contribu
tions to Pennsylvania’s forage and
livestock industry and to the Pen
nsylvania Forage and Grassland
Council.
Harpster’s new dairy operation,
located along Pennsylvania Rt. 45
approximately 20 miles west of
State College is one of the largest
in Pennsylvania and when fully
stocked will accommodate about
1,600 cows.
“It is a collection of tjie best
ideas North American firms and
farms had to offer,” Harpster said.
In preparation for building the
new facility, he traveled to every
comer of the country to see what
was available and what worked
best. What he came up with is a
multi-million dollar dairy facility
which features not only modem
technology, but time honored
simplicity.
Harpster is also one of Pennsyl
vania’s premier conservation far
mers. His first experience with no
till fanning was in 1971 in cooper
ation with Penn State’s former
no-till specialist, the late William
McClellan. Today Harpster farms
1,300 acres, including some 700
acres of com, 600 acres of alfalfa,
and 300 acres of pasture. Since
1976,100 percent of his row crops
Lapp Comfort Tie Stall
9 The Lapp Comfort Tie Stall
was designed for the cow’s
comfort and easy access to
the water bowl.
9 Optional;
Pipeline Bracket
Rear Trough Divider
Cow Trainer Bracket
YOU WON’T BEAT OUR PRICES & SERVICE
Forage Conference Announces Awards
and alfalfa have been planted no
till.
A long time grassland enthu
siast, in the late 1970 s Wayne was
named one of Pennsylvania’s out
standing grassland farmers. He
served on the board and as an
officer of PFGC, and for the past
several years has hosted the popu
lar PFGC summer picnic held dur
ing Ag Progress Days at his cabin
along Spruce Creek in Hunting
don County.
Research/Extension Award
This year’s research/extension
award will be shared by Peter L.
LeVan and Richard F. Todd,
employed by Penn State Universi
ty in the Department of Dairy and
Animal Science.
LeVan and Todd have con
ducted many forage utilization
studies, primarily through grazing
systems research at the Haller
Livestock/Forage Farm on Penn
State’s campus. They have also
formulated a total animal forage
program which exemplifies effi
ciency of resource utilization and
optimum animal and forage pro
duction. The primary animal in the
system has been beef cattle; how
ever, many of the systems they
assisted in developing and eva
luating have direct applicability to
grazing dairy animals.
Although their research efforts
have been many, they have also
dedicated themselves to extending
the information they have gained
through research. During the past
two years they have hosted nearly
9 Trough divider designed so
that the cows do not steal
the other cow’s feed.
9 Stall partition designed for
easier milking.
9 Water bowl location makes
it easier for the cow to
drink water.
LAPP’S
,N E
5935 OLD PHILADELPHIA PIKE, GAP, PA 17527
PHONE: 717-442-8134
Radio Dispatched Trucks
Gutter Grate
Lapp All Steel
Galvanized
Windows
Closed Dec.
25-26, 1992 and
Jan. 1&2, 1993
UIPMENT
1,200 visitors at the Haller Farm
for educational meetings and tours
of the facilities. The PFGC Pas
ture Grazing Day in 1991 utilized
the Haller Farm and LeVan’s
expertise. Both have been
involved in the supervision and
training of students.
Forage/Conservation
Farmer Award
Omer Farms, Inc. is a family
operated dairy located in Clear
field County. Because of the con
servation ethic and concern for
water quality, the Omers have
taken great care to install and
maintain conservation practices
on their home farm as well as
rented ground.
When renting farms, they
obtain leases sufficient in length
to warrant installing the conserva
tion practices such as contour strip
cropping.
The Omers have closely fol
lowed their conservation plans
since becoming conservation dis
trict cooperators in 1969. Other
conservation practices which they
use include grassed waterways,
diversions, crop rotation, conser
vation tillage, nitrogen testing,
and nutrient management.
Omer Farms, Inc. has set an
example of how a large modern
day farming operation can exist on
a watershed (within 600 feet of the
reservoir), which is a public water
supply.
Conservation Award
Joel Myers, state agronomist
for Soil Conservation Service, is
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known throughout Pennsylvania
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Myers has directed and coordi
nated the conservation education
aspects of Ag Progress Days,
including the conservation tours.
Recently, under his role as overall
coordinator within SCS for forage
systems. Myers assisted in incor
porating the use of forages into
SCS training on nutrient and man
ure management.
He also provides technical
training to SCS, conservation dis
trict, consultants and others in the
area of conservation planning,
resource management, soil ero
sion, and water quality. However,
Myers’ real contribution to con
servation throughout Pennsylva
nia has come through his ability to
work cooperatively with many
other organizations and agencies
within the private sector as well as
local, state, and federal govern
ments.
Outstanding Pasture
Producer Award
• West Region: Herb Guyer
(Westmoreland County): Herb
Guyer utilizes pasture and rota
tional grazing as the major forage
source for his dairy herd in West
moreland County farm. Herb rota
tionally grazes the herd through
the approximately IS paddocks on
the 43 acres of native pasture.
The cows are moved about
every two days so that fresh forage
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is available. The native pastures
have been limed and are top
dressed with manure or fertilizers
to improve legume growth and
production. As an indication of his
attitude toward conservation, he
was named the Westmoreland
Conservation Farmer of the year
in 1990. Guyer is active in his
community and is a member of the
American Guernsey Association
and the Pennsylvania Farmer
Association.
• Central region: John Reed
Rodgers (Mifflin County): John
Reed Rodgers, Plum Bottom Farm
in Mifflin County has been
selected as the Outstanding Pas
ture Producer for central
Pennsylvania.
His herd of 42 Ayrshires and IS
Holsteins cows averaged more
than 11,000 pounds of milk and
450 pounds of fat per acre during
the past year while utilizing pas
tures as a major component of the
dairy ration.
Rodgers has 20 acres of native
pasture and 12 acres of improved
pasture. He began strip grazing his
old bluegrass “hillside” pastures
and improving some pastures in
1991,
That is when he realized the
value of pastures to his farming
operation. Rodgers said it “has
been almost unbelievable what the
old-old sods will yield.”
During 1991, the pH on 12
acres of pasture was limed to 7.1.
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(717) 665-5979 or 393-1929
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