A2O-Lanca*tw Farming, Saturday, March 6 1993
Taking Care Of Environmental, Neighbor, Industry Concerns
Are Some Tasks Facing Chester Conservation Farmers
(Continued from Pago A 1)
and birds. Recently, there has been
movement to place the White Clay
into the National Wild and Scenic
Rivers System.)
Since purchasing the farm in
1972, Barclay and his family have
been steadily incorporating con
servation practices. In fact, on one
of their first dates, according to
Diana, they walked contours.
“What (Barclay) did was he tied
bale siring together and I said.
What are we doing this after
noon?" said Diana. “He said, I
don’t know. But don’t get dressed
too good. And I wound up walking
those hills over there ... and he
staked it out"
Diana said protecting the White
Clay and Red Clay watersheds is
important, because Barclay has
“always been of the opinion, if it
falls on my place, it’s my water. I
want to contain my water and don’t
want to keep having concerns.”
Hosted project
Diana said that because of their
ongoing involvement in conform
ing to the plans, and eventual com
pletion of most of them, their farm
hosted the demonstration project
Part of the process involved
installing roof and barnyard runoff
practices, which included laying a
substantial amount of under
ground pipe. One set of pipes took
water from the barnyard, including
dairy waste water, and dropped it
into the manure pond. The other
set of pipes took roof runoff
clean water —and allowed it to go
into the creek.
Also, fencing was installed.
Because of the hilly nature of the
ground surrounding the barn area.
The Hoopes collect about eight tons of newspapers per
month from the local solid waste authority and chop it up tor
bedding. Chopped newspaper has kept the cows clean and
dry, works well to absorb water, and provides a good sour
ce of plant nutrients.
barn area, two terraces were completed at the Hoopes farm
to manage water runoff.
two terraces were completed to
manage water runoff. Also, the far
mer completed more terracing,
including rented ground.
Doing the work allows the dairy
farmers to maintain good land ste
wardship and neighborhood rela
tions critical if farmers want to
continue farming when develop
ment takes place all around them.
“And that’s one thing that all of
us in agriculture have got to do,"
hesaid. “We have to work with the
public, communicate with them.”
Host tours
Hoopes said many of the
schools in the area do not have
traditional FFA or required agri
cultural studies anymore. So the
farm family decided to host several
tours conducted through the Ag In
the Classroom program. The plan
to do so again in July of 1993. In
the fall of last year, several
academically talented students vis
ited the farm, and many of the
children were impressed.
“You have to start with the
children,” said Diana. “I don’t
think the children saw so much
manure at one place in their lives."
However, Diana said that the
teacher did a good job in explain
ing where milk comes from and the
products generated as a result
including waste products. The
teacher, according to Diana, said
“You see how we have a big envi
ronment. But Mr. Hoopes has his
own environment. By doing what
he is doing, he’s incorporating
himself into ours.”
The way of life of farming has
gone on in the Hoopes family for
more than ISO years, according to
Barclay. But more and more, he
In 1990, Barclay and Diana Hoopas signed on at cooperators. > conserve jn
district’s Red Clay/Whh® Clay Demonstration Farm Project. They received S27,CuO In
cost-share money to build this dry manure storage pad and storage pond to help save
the White Clay and Red Clay tributaries.
and other Chester County farmers
are feeling intense development
pressure. New housing develop
ments encircle his farm some
cost s4oo*ooo or more.
“That was one thing we didn’t
foresee at all," said Barclay. “I
knew we hade development pres
sure, but this last wave out of the
’Bos, I never felt it would have the
impact on us as it did."
Barclay said because of the new
homes, “you’ve got people con
stantly looking at you, you
know?”
Environment issues
With the general public, envir
onmental issues are an extremely
high priority, according to the
dairy farmer. This has fenced him
to take a closer look at his own
operations, including his ability to
keep fanning as a livelihood. He
said he intends to diversify and to
stay “one step ahead.
“I don’t want anybody coming
in hoc and forcing me to have to
do anything. I don’t like that.’’
Diana said many times farmers
are the first to be blamed when
there are problems. “We’re the
first when you go down there and
see a pile of manure,’* she said.
“(People think) OK, there it is,
that’s the problem, there you go,
there you go! And for some peo
ple, it’s surface thinking. And
water is one of the top priority
issues of the 19905, and we do
have to protect this resource,
because all life forms need it!
“As a parent and a grandparent,
I want the water supply to be clean.
I want to do my port, and I want
somebody up ahead of me to do
their part, too,” she said. “We’re
not going to have a future if we
don’t have water.”
Plans in place
Having the conservation plans
in place and placing on paper the
facets of being a good steward,
including nutrient management
planning, goes with being a good
steward. “But there’s some pro
tection in there, also,” said Diana.
“You’re buildiitg yourself a for
tress. You’re planning to be here
for a long time.”
But remaining a good steward is
top in their minds. They collect
about eight tons of newspapers per
month from the local solid waste
authority and chop it up for bed
ding. Chopped newspaper has kept
Barclay Hoopat, right and Charlie Smith, Atlantic Breed
ers Co-op direct herd sales representative, review a semen
delivery order.
Made Hoopes, left and brother Jeff repair a hay wagon.
the cows clean and dry, works well
to absorb water, and provides a
good source of. plant nutrients.
Diana said that “farmers have
really been one of the fust recy
clers. I mean, with farmers, if
they’re good, they don’t waste
much, they use everything they’ve
got and put it back in the ground.’'
Barclay mentioned that he
doesn’t wan to to be known as
somebody who has really done
something a lot of others hadn’t
done previously. He said that far
mers were contouring back in the
19405.
Inspect operations
The Landenberg dairy farmer
continues to closely inspect how
his operations impact the
environment.
“You can’t imagine, when I go
out on that road with a manure
spreader, how concerned I am for
the amount of stuff that might get
on that road. I don’t want any on
that road. I don’t want anybody
upset with me.
“We want a harmonious rela
tionship with the people in the
community,” said Barclay. “We
don’t want to have neighbors all
upset at us.”
“As far as I’m concerned,” he
said, “I think Burners are good ste
wards, and if you're not a good ste
ward, why—'
It
—you’re not going to be in
business, then,” said Diana.