Vol. 39 NO. 13
Biotech Delivers Better Tasting, Longer Lasting Fruits, Vegetables
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.)
It’s not enough to develop new
vegetable varieties just for varie
ty’s sake. More importantly, plant
genetic companies must consider
how well that crop will hold up
under harvest, processing, packag
ing, and storage conditions,
according to a leading plant
scientist.
Dr. William Romig, Extended
Product Life, Inc., spoke to about
150 vegetable growers about the
realities of developing new variet
ies of fruits and vegetables through
the science of plant genetics on
Tuesday morning at the 1994 Veg
etable Conference and Trade Show
at the Hershey Lodge and Conven
tion Center.
New varieties are coming to
market everyday, according to
Romig, but the processes leading
up to their development can be
time-consuming and costly.
Fruit and vegetable plant geneti
cists are looking for ways not only
to come up with better-tasting and
longer-lasting varieties, but those
that hold up well under harvest and
storage conditions.
“Consumers would like to have
a better-tasting tomato, especially
Interim Criteria Proposed For Nutrient Managment
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The Nutrient Manage
ment Advisory Board to the State
Conservation Commission has
canceled its scheduled Wednesday
meeting and is to meet next on
March 2, from 9:30 a.m., to 3:30
p.m., in Room 309 of the state
Department of Agriculture Build
ing in Harrisburg.
According to Donald Bollinger,
Lancaster County Extension Highlights Services
Commodity groups dish up ths county’s bounty during
the annual Lancaster Cooperative Extension meeting. Here,
Poultry Queen Melissa Stauffer, left, and Alternate Mindy
Du Ho flip an omelet for Dr. John Schwartz, extension direc
tor, while Pennsylvania Alternate Dairy Princess Marcl
Hamlsh, right, offers an ice cream sundae and milk punch.
Five Sections
Pennsylvania Vegetable Conference Looks At Variety Of Grower Concerns
in wintertime,” said Romig.
At one company, DNA Plant
Technology Corp., research is
under way to turn off the enzyme
responsible for the post-harvest
deterioration of taste in a tomato
variety, and also to allow the toma
to to have a much improved shelf
life, even 23 days after harvest
AHheJMawsylvania VegetaWe Conference on Tuesday,
awards were presented to area tomato growers at the Toma
to Awards Luncheon. From left, James Kohl, Furman
Foods, a sponsor of the awards; Cliff Charles, Lancaster,
Class 1 Machine Harvest (60+ acres); Harold Wiser, Girard,
of Kleinfeltersville, who chairs the
board, the recent winter storm and
the lingering poor driving condi
tions caused a delay in preparation
for the meeting and thus it was
canceled until March.
The 15-member advisory board
met last during Farm Show week at
the Penn State Downtown Center
in Harrisburg. The board is aided
with staff from the state Conserva
tion Commission, of which
Michael Krempasky is its execu-
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 5, 1994
Also, work continues on a sweet
com variety with a genetic makeup
that “shuts off’ the sugar-to
starch conversion, allowing it to
taste sweet days after harvest
According to Romig, DNA
Plant Technology Corp owns a
patent on any pepper with less than
live secretary.
During the meeting, the board
reviewed a strategy for a nutrient
management educational program,
among others issues.
Although the state’s Nutrient
Management Act does not limit the
extent or scope of the control to
agricultural production operations,
the board has concentrated almost
entirely on that group.
In a chart that roughly describes
the relationships of governmental
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
—A buffet of the county’s bounty
greeted extension employees, vol
unteers, and supporters at the Farm
and Home Center on Thursday
night.
“We want to show our support
for extension services,” said Ray
Martin of the Lancaster County
Pork Producers.
He and Ron Butt, of the same
industry, dished up two different
versions of fresh ham with special
ty sauces that were served to guests
during the social hour.
Other buffet specialties donated
by local commodity groups
included baked potatoes with top
pings, egg omelets made to order,
hot dogs, ice cream sundaes and
punch, fresh and dried apples, cid
er, cheese, fresh vegetables, and a
variety of snack foods.
Dr. John Schwartz, director.
60C Par Copy
20 seeds.
A new pepper variety has been
developed that has “considerable
consumer appeal,” he said, with
low seed count sweet-tasting, and
that has good shelf life. It’ll soon
appear on East Coast grocery
shelves under the Vegisweet label,
he said.
Class 2 Machine Harvest Cinder,
Mount Joy, Class 3 Machine Harvest (25-39 acres); Marlin L.
Cassel, Manheim, Class 4 Machine Harvest (15-24 acres);
and Robert Macßeth, Biglerville, Class 2 Hand Harvest (6-14
acres). Photo by Andy Andnwa
officials-to-govemed, the highest
level agencies involved are the
Penn State Extension, the USDA
Soil Conservation Service, the
DGR Bureau of Land and
of which Micheal Krempasky is
director, and Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture.
At the middle level, the local
extension is to be the educational
agency, and the conservation dis
trict and local SCS personnel are to
fulfill those duties on a one-to-one
recapped the Extension services
completed this past year. These
included publishing 199,981
newsletters and publications, pro
viding individual help to 30,213
individuals, holding 5,521 meet
ings with 57,096 attendance,
assisting 729 volunteers, teaching
4,113 4-H members how to com
plete 5,407 projects, providing
three daily radio programs and five
weekly newspaper columns.
Dr. Donald Evans, assistant
dean from Penn State, commended
the staff for their outstanding ser
vices. He said that Doris Thomas,
who is retiring after 30 years as
extension home economist, is an
example of the longevity of the
staff that provides an environment
for good educational
opportunities.
Zoann Parker, 4-H and exotic
animal agent, received the national
4-H distinguished award for her
(Turn to Page A 24)
$19.75 Ptr Year
A sweeter tasting, higher juice
carrot under the Vegisweet label
also has improved disease and
insect resistance. Newer varieties
with more juice and longer shelf
life will soon appear under the
Fresh World Farms label, owned
(Turn to Page A2O)
basis.
For example, the state Exten
sion, SCS, BLWC, and PDA are to
conduct group meetings, provide
guidance, and concepts, while the
agencies dealing more one-to-one
are to make the individual con
tacts, provide compliance, and also
provide the experience to get the
information out.
In other news, the state Conser
vation Commission, chaired by
Arthur Davis, DER secretary, pub
lished its proposed interim criteria
for nutrient management. The
interim criteria, while not regula
tions, "... provide guidance that
will be used by the Department of
Agriculure to develop the program
to certify nutrient management
specialists... (and) provide a preli
minary description of the basic
components of nutrient manage
ment plans.”
The commission published the
proposal in the Jan. 15 Pennsylva
nia Bulletin (Vol. 24, No. 3), and
comments are to be accepted up
until Feb. 14.
According to the Pa. Bulletin,
comments are to be sent to Michael
D. Krempasky, Executive Secret
ary, Stale Conservation Commis
sion, P.O. Box 8555, Harrisburg,
17105-8555.
“Comments must be submitted
in writing and contain the name,
address and telephone number of
the person commenting, and a con
cise statement of comments,
objections or suggestions” on the
proposal, according to the
statement.