BONNIE BRECHBILL
Franklin Co. Correspondent
CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co.) When John Z. Shearer
came to Franklin County in 1960
as a Penn State cooperative exten
sion agent, there were no such
things as no-till farming, integrat
ed pest management, a county
fair, and freestall dairy barns.
‘There’s been a lot of change in
agriculture,” Shearer said while
reminiscing about his career at his
retirement reception July 11. “It’s
good that some things have chang
ed. It’s good to live through
changes.”
A farm boy who received his
bachelor’s degree in agronomy
from Penn State in 1951. Shearer
fanned for a few years, then be
came an assistant county agent in
Columbia County. He worked
there for five years, then came to
Franklin County as county agent,
associate rank, on July 1,1960. He
retired June 30, 1993.
“I’ve enjoyed my career in co
operative extension. I feel good
about it I hope I’ve helped, that
I’ve made an impact on some
lives.” he told the audience. “It
was a privilege to work and asso
ciate with you. I didn’t do that
much by myself. You determine
Shearer Retires After 38 Years
Franklin County Coopera
tive Extension Director John
Z. Shearer retired June 30 af
ter 38 years, 33 of which were
spent in Franklin County.
what a county agent does. You
have made an impact. You’ve
been a great part of my career and
my life.”
Shearer, 63, said that while he is.
happy that he no longer has to
write reports and attend adminis
trative meetings, he leaves “with a
little regret.” He received a stand-
ing ovation from the 280 people
attending the reception at the
Lighthouse Restaurant.
Commissioner Sam Worley
read a proclamation from the
Franklin County commissioners
in Shearer’s honor. He noted that
in 196 S Shearer helped to start the
Franklin County Fair and to intro
duce no-till farming to the area. In
1976-1978, Shearer oversaw the
release of the parasitic wasp to
control the cereal leaf beetle. In
the early 1980 s, he oversaw the-"
development of the Franklin
County Crop Management Asso
ciation. He was also instrumental
in starting Farm-City week in the
county.
Linda Golden, former president
of the cooperative extension board
of directors, read a proclamation
from Representative Alan Egolf
and the Pennsylvania House of
Representatives.
Dr. Paul Wangsness, capitol re
gion director for cooperative ex
tension, gave Shearer a Penn State
football Jersey numbered 38%,
for the number of years Shearer
has been an extension agent. “It’s
a one-of-a-kind shirt for a one-of
a-kind guy," Wangsness said.
Presentations were also made
by Dean Carey of Knousc Foods,
Inc.; Dick Fusting of the Franklin
County Horticultural Society;
Clifford Hawbaker of the Franklin
County Extension board; Larry
Yeager, president-elect of the
Pennsylvania Association of
County Agricultural Extension
Agents; and John P. Harris, retired
county agent from Perry County.
Shearer’s wife, Pauline, receiv
ed an engraved planter from the
citizens of Franklin County in re
IH Collectors To
Form Pa. Chapter
PERKIOMENVILLE (Mont
gomery Co.) The International
Harvester Collectors, a worldwide
organization, for those who have
an interest in IH products and his
tory, is conducting a survey of
members and prospective mem
bers who are interested in forming
a Pennsylvania chapter.
The national club was organ
ized in July 1990 and now has
mote than 2,200 members who
collect Farmall and McCormick-
Deering tractors, International
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 17, 1993-Al7
cognition of her years of service.
Bob Kessler, who replaces
Shearer as cooperative extension
director, presented Shearer, an
avid fisherman, with a trolling
motor, battery, and fishing rod
from the citizens of Franklin
County.
Kessler told Shearer that the
crowd represents “the respect and
love that the people of Franklin
County have for you."
trucks, gas engines, and the many
other products of IHC.
Pennsylvania has been selected
as the site for the 1994 Red Power
Roundup, an annual gathering of
members and their equipment.
If you have an interest in the
formation of an International Har
vester Collectors Chapter for
Pennsylvania, contact Roger W.
Dietrich, 1412 Perkiomenville
Road, Perkiomenville, PA 18074,
(215) 234-4132.
Kreider Farms
(Continued from Page At)
—Lancaster Chamber’s Agricultural Ex
hibit Tent
—The Kunzler hot air balloon “Top Dog”
—Dairy Princesses
—lnformation videos on farming & the
food industry
Scrumptious food, ice
cream, and beverages including
farm fresh Kreider ice cream
cones & milk shakes all under the big food
tent
—Farm equipment expo
It’s educational and fun for the whole
family! Wendall Woodbury, TV personality,
will be the emcee for the day.
The public will be invited to tour the Farm
and Dairy Plant via continuously running
shuttle buses; ride right through the bam
where the real milk producers live. Experi
ence ice cream in die making!
The 2nd Annual Kreider Farms Dairy Fest
& Farm Tour means a Saturday full of farm
tours, food, Pennsylvania Dutch delights, in
formation and entertainment
The Kreider family philosophy emphasiz
es high quality, hard work, a willingness to
lake risks and a strong faith in God These
principles and beliefs have led to a sizable
and diverse business 57 years after the family
arrived in Manheim.
In the spring of 1936, Noah W. Kreider
and his wife, the former Mary R. Hershey,
and their two young sons, Richard and Noah
Jr. moved from Bird-In-Hand to her parents’
farm on Doe Run Road. Mary was bom and
raised on the farm which had remained in the
Hershey family since it was first settled in
1739. Her father, John B. Hershey, a distant
relative of Milton Hershey, sold the farm to
Noah and Mary as his health was failing. As
Mary recalls, they started small with 103
acres of land, a dozen dairy cows and 200
chickens, “In the early years we took vegeta
bles, grown in our garden, to Manheim and
peddled them from house to house.”
As Noah and Mary’s sons grew older and
married, adjoining farms were bought and
the Kreider Farms operation was up and run
ning. Continued dairy expansion led to the
decision in 1972 to build a processing plant
-and retail store here at this site, where Kreid
ers started processing, bottling and selling
their own milk and making their own ice
cream. In 1980 Kreider Farms expanded their
retail business to include a family restaurant
and dairy store on Route 72 outside of Man
heim. Since then they have added restaurant
locations in Hershey, Lebanon and Lancas
ter.
Today, Noah and Mary’s sons, Richard
and Noah Jr. as well as their grandsons Ron
and Jim head a, farming and retail operation
that employs a dedicated staff of 4SO people.
The operation consists of 1000 cows and 1.7
million laying hens, supplying their three
farm stores and four family restaurants with
farm fresh milk, ice cream and eggs.