AlB-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 30, 1993 Farming Future Conference To Feature Diverse Workshops STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) The Pennsylvania Asso ciation for Sustainable Agricul ture (PASA) will present the sec ond annual Fanning for the Future Conference on Feb. 5-6 at the Nit tany Lion Inn on the campus of Penn State University. Keynote speaker for the event will be Marty Strange, program director and co-founder of the Center for Rural Affairs (CRA), an independent nonprofit organi zation dedicated to research, edu cation, and action for rural Ameri cans. The CRA is located in Walthill and Hartington, Neb. and has been a driving force for change in American agriculture for the past 20 years. *, Strange is the author of “Family Farming: A New Economic Vis ion,” published in 1988 and hailed as a landmark work in the areas of agricultural analysis and econom ics. This year’s conference will fea ture |i number of speakers on rota tional grazing and pasture sys tems. Roger Wentling, a consult ant who has helped more than 150 farmers set up grazing systems, will discuss grazing in Pennsylva- nia and show slides of sustainable practices in use throughout the state. Allan Nation, editor of the monthly “Stockman Grass Farm- er,” will talk about grassland fanning on a national and interna- tional scale. Roman Stoltzfoos operates a 100-cow dairy and markets 50,000 certified organic chickens and turkeys per year from his Lan caster County farm. He utilizes * -'jin |(g^ i STRATFORD State of the art H ' H 2533 OLD PHI LA. PIKE, _ ri ' ; URt 340, Smokdown, PA Jl tan t*» f( Wi MDm Em» of LwcMtor I Two, Thur*. A FrL 10-8; Wed A S«L 10-5 "•■(U (717) 397-7530 SEE OUR NEW EFFICIENT EPA WOOD STOVES w COKESTOGA VAIi£T ESTIRPRISES hi-mag|mUMß hi - cal Cash Discount Savings on Delivery For your convenience calls received Mon.-Sat. until 9:00 pm 1-800-724-3277 Serving Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delmarva' SMOKER, LANDIS & COMPANY Certified Public Accountants • Individual Partnership & Corporate Taxes • Accounting • Tax Planning • Auditing • Management Consulting • Personal Financial Services • Computer & Consulting Services • Payroll Preparation • Retirement Plans 49 East Mam Street, Leola (717) 656-7544 or 392-1333 • 37 Market Square, Manheim (717) 665-5979 or 393-1929 composting, rotational grazing, ducer in New York state, will be and a number of other sustainable featured in a workshop on Sus practices. Garry and Linda Van- tainable Vegetable Production DeWeert are Bradford County Systems, dairy fanners noted for their effec- A panel of commercial vegeta tive use of rotational grazing and ble growers will discuss “Altema various other cost-cutting prac- live Vegetable Field Management tices. Both will describe their Systems,” comparing tillage, operations in detail. green manures, and permanent Jodi and Ron Snyder have a beds and offering their evaluations 70-sow operation on pasture, pro- of methods they have tried, ducing specialty pork products for “Building Soil Through Tillage” the organic market. They also is another workshop topic with raise sheep, poultry, vegetables, fallows, rotation of tillage prac and fruit. They will talk specifical- tices and fields, and green man ly about their free-range feeding ures to be discussed by farmers systems, fencing, and marketing utilizing those practices. Forest land owners will be in terested in learning about Pennsyl vania’s Forest Stewardship Pro gram, a new program designed to _ . protect and enhance Pennsylvania Row crop and vegetable pro- wooC Uands. The program offers ducers will be interested in leam- cos j share funds to woodland ing about weed control using cul- owners w ho institute various prac tivation from farmers Melvin Gel- tices to improve the quality of, singer (300 acres of grain) and th e j r woods. David Moore (commercial vege- Several workshops will deal table producer). The use of rye as w composting, including a living mulch in tomatoes will be one composting basics, presented by Tom Jurchak ahd one on alternative systems for weed control using systems and making on-farm compost,-and one steel as practiced by David Stem, • oh farm utilization t»f orgaftic ma a long-time organic vegetable pro- terials. of livestock products. Several other farmers who use rotational grazing will speak on other panels as well. [■ AVOID RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC REDUCE EGG ACCIDENTS DRAG AUGER * \ FEEDING SCHEpULE? TT€RSH€V ■■■ EQUIPMENT CO. 255 PLANE TREE DRIVE LANCASTER, PA 17603 , _ . . „ (717) 393-5807 Customer Satisfaction (Personally ,\ A workshop on sustainable fruit production will address a variety of alternatives for reducing chemi cal use in strawberries, raspber ries, and blueberries. In addition, organic fruit tree production will be discussed by a grower from New York. A number of on-farm demon strations were undertaken last summer by PASA with funding from the American Farmland Trust There will be a presentation of observations and results from these trials, which include two ex periments in controlling blight in tomatoes, two experiments in re- ducing starter fertilizer rates in com, two rotational grazing re search projects, and several other on-farm experiments. Cover cropping will be address ed by Dr. Marianne Sarrantonio of the Rodale Institute, author of two books on the subject. She'Will talk about the 1 use of cover crops to serve multiple functions in various farming systems. In addition, Ron .Gargasz will discus* l|fe use of cover crops in small grain produc tion as a way to build soils. Policy issues affecting sustain able agriculture will be addressed in several workshops: “Organic this competition is damaged eggs... from feet, toes and collisions. Big Dutchman chain feeders can feed your flock by running as few as three or four times a day, with little competition for feed, a calmer flock and fewer cracks and checks IF YOU ARE... FORGED TO FEED more than four times a day or during peak laying periods, call 911 for your egg casualties or. . . call (717) 393-5807 for information on how our chain feeder pampers your product. . . from cage to carton Biq Putdimaiu Foods Production Act and Certifi cation” and likely impacts on Pennsylvania producers, “Farm land Preservation” through the use of easements and/or zoning, and “Policy Issues for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture.” In this latter workshop, Marty Strange will present a national outlook on the importance of the 199 S Farm Bill, Cheryl Cook of the Pennsyl vania Farmers Union will present a Pennsylvania perspective, and Lamonte Garber of the Chesa peake Bay Foundation will dis cuss pending legislation in the area of nutrient management. Closing keynote speaker will be Cornelia Flora Butler, a rural so ciologist, professor and head of the department of sociology at Virginia Tech. She has worked in the areas of farming systems re search, rural economic develop ment, rural women’s issues, and the links between the health of communities and sustainable agri culture. For further information about PASA and/or conference registra tion, contact PASA, P.O. Box 316, Millheim, PA 16854 (814) 349-9856.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers