A34>Lancatt*r Farming, Saturday, May 8,1993
Ephrata High School Facility To Host Ag, Other Research
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.)
A drive to help pay for the con
struction of a regional first-of-its
kind small animal laboratory/
headhouse through the efforts of
the Cloister FFA is under way at
the Ephrata Senior High School.
The FFA and the Vo-Ag Advis
ory Committee have joined forces
to raise funds to construct a 24-foot
by 40-foot building to be attached
to an existing 26-foot by 48-foot
greenhouse.
The purpose of the new
headhouse/laboratory will be to
house projects and materials that
can be used by all departments of
the high school, including the
FFA, science department, and ag
classes, according to Ernest Otr,
chairman of the school’s ag
department.
Cost of the building will be
approximately $26,900. Accord
ing to Orr, the new building will
supplement the existing green
house and will be used by the ag
department to help students incor
porate various types of activity
projects, including work with plant
science, aquaculture, hydroponics,
and aeroponics, and will include a
small animal laboratory for stu
dents to monitor the growth and
development of chicks and rabbits.
Also included in the plans are
rooms for incubators, chick brood
ers, cages for rabbits and other
small animals, a pen for broilers,
and space for three 300-gallon fish
tanks. There is space available for
the connection of another green
house to the laboratory at a future
time.
In addition, the new building
will incorporate a special retail
sales room from which students
can help sell the material grown in
the greenhouse. A work area will
also be established in the center of
the building, according to the
plans.
The Cloister FFA program has
70 enrolled now. Overall, the ben
efits of the facility will extend to
the additional 80 enrolled in some
type of ag program at the school.
Also, the rest of the students
involve in an array of science clas
ses at the school will benefit.
More importantly, however, the
laboratory will allow students to
become more active in hands-on
projects that the department prom
otes throughout the year.
“We’d like to do more research
type projects,” said Orr. “That’s
the main thrust to try to do
something that has more substance
to it. to make kids think more, to
provide more hands-on
activities.”
Not only students who elect to
sign up for agriculture-related pro
jects will be using the facility.
Also, students from all grades
involved in various science
courses will be allowed to conduct
experiments and establish projects
on their own, according to Larry
Hess, chairman of the school’s sci
ence department.
“There’s a multitude of diffe
rent types of project research the
students can do.” said Hess. “We
may have somebody who wants to
do something with antibiotics in
feed, and so they’d do some test
ing. Or testing manure.
‘ ‘Even though we’re here for the
ag students, we’d also have a num
ber of science students,” said
Hess. Many would elect to conduct
research if such a facility would
exist. Right now, the school
doesn'thave the proper facilities to
handle certain kinds of projects,
such as DNA analysis, cholesterol
studies in eggs, electrophoresis
(molecular study of materials or
compounds), and other types of
projects.
Also, students who need the
proper facilities for building coun
ty science fair projects from the
district could use the facility.
All in all, the new facility would
“allow us to do things that we
can’t do now,’’ said Onr.
The new facility would allow all
the materials for the greenhouse to
be stored in a nearby location. At
this time, the materials, including
soil, seeds, and other items are
stored in a shed adjacent to the ag
workshop, some distance away
from the greenhouse. Equipment
to run the various laboratories is
also waiting to be utilized.
“The idea of this is to give us
some additional work room,’ ’ said
Orr. “Right now, when we do
things, we have to bring the plants
down here. We transplant and take
them up to the greenhouse.’’
The greenhouse schedule
includes starting poinsetdas the
first week of school, followed by
Easter lilies in the beginning of
December, then mums, bedding
plants, and flowers, and finally
vegetables near the close of the
school year.
So far. the FFA chapter has
applied for and received a $13,450
competitive matching grant from
the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture. The school must raise
a matching amount from nontax
able funds through the efforts of
community based organizations.
Recently, the ag department
mailed a request for help from area
ag businesses to fund the construc
tion. So far, according to Otr,
about $4,000 has been pledged,
including $2,000 from the Cloister
FFA.
Individuals or coiporations who
want to contribute may contact the
following Advisory Committee
members; Kerry Boyd, president,
(717) 626-0506; David Zimmer
man, vice president, (215)
484-2718; Sam Beamesderfer,
secretary, (717) 738-2929; or
Ernest Orr at (717) 733-1478.
Orr said he expects construction
to begin in September this year for
completion at the start of 1994.
“We see a big window of
opportunity.” said Hess. The sci
ence department chairman said he
has seen this kind of laboratory
only in colleges, and doesn’t recall
anything of this sort in area high
schools. “It’s going to provide a
window for some of these students
to do some power-packed
research.”
Orr said the laboratory would
provide a forum “where kids can
see a lot of practical things, as well.
They can see it, touch it. feel it,
play with it. .. all kinds of
CHELTENHAM.
Md. Because of the over
whelming success of the first-ever
Bedding Plant Auction, the South
ern Maryland Regional Fanners
Market held an additional whole
sale bedding plant yesterday, and
has scheduled another for 11 a.m„
May 21.
The first Bedding Plant Auction
was held on April 23 and offered a
wide selection of vegetable and
flowering annual plants. Veget
able plants sold included tomato,
watermelon, cucumber, squash,
The Cloister FFA and the Vo-Ag Advisory Committee have Joined forces to raise
funds to construct a 24-foot by 40-foot building to be attached to this 26-foot by
48-foot greenhouse. The purpose of the new headhouse/laboratory will be to house
projects and materials that can be used by all departments of the high school, Includ
ing the FFA, science department, and ag classes, according to Ernest Orr, chairman of
the school’s ag department, pictured here. There Is space available for the connection
of another greenhouse to the laboratory at a future time.
“The Idea of (the new construction) Is to give us some additional work room," said
Orr. “Right now, when we do things, we have to bring the plants down here. We trans
plant and take them up to the greenhouse.” The greenhouse schedule Includes start
ing polnsettias the first week of school, followed by Easter lilies In the beginning of
December, then mums, bedding plants, and flowers, and finally vegetables near the
close of the school year.
possibilities."
Orr said the plans for the new
laboratory will be studied at the
upcoming Pennsylvania Agricul
ture Teachers Conference in Leba
non in July this year. On July 12,
the department will be conducting
a tour of the greenhouse at the
school.
Additional Bedding Plant
Auctions To Be Held
pepper, cabbage, collard and kale.
Prices for the vegetable plants
ranged from $1.50 to $7.50 per
flat with an average of $4.77 per
flat
Flowering annuals sold
included marigolds, snapdragons,
impatiens, cockscomb, salvia.
Dusty Miller, geraniums, pansies,
and petunias. Prices for these
ranged from $5 to $l5 per flat
with an average of $7.38 per flat
Other items sold included 10-inch
hanging baskets of impatiens with
an average of $7.89 per basket and
various specialty type pots of
Hess said he has heard from sev
eral students who went on to study
animal science at various colleges.
"What we hear the most if that
the students who are doing inde
pendent reearch, which would be
right in this area, the benefits of
that have no equal when it comes
to discipline, stoic
flowering annuals.
Buyer interest in the first sale
was greater than seller interest
However, the market anticipates
having additional sellers to parti
cipate in the upcoming sales. A
similar selection and greater vol
ume are expected for the Sale on
May 7. Additional produce items
such as kale, greenhouse toma
toes, or other early spring crops
that growers have ready may be
sold in the bedding plant auctions.
The Southern Maryland Reg
ional Farmers Market is located
on U.S. 301, south adjacent to the
patience ... they find it has
helped them in all areas—the sto
ic patience thing, the stick-to
itiveness to research.
“Our department is excited,”
said Hess. “We push independent
recarch, we push that a great deal.
And the feedback we’re getting is
don’t ever stop that push.”
Veterans Cemetery in Chelten
ham, Md. This location is approxi
mately 10 miles south of the Capi
tal Beltway (1-495) and 30 miles
south of the Baltimore Beltway
(1-695).
Commission rates for selling in
the auction are 10 percent for
Maryland growers and 12 percent
for out-of state growers. Buyer
registration fees are being waived
for the bedding plant auctions.
For more information, call the
Southern Maryland Regional Far
mers Market, (301) 372-1066 or
(800) 533-FARM.