A2B-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, February 26, 1994
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) Five hundred fanners,
consumers, environmentalists,
agricultural agency personnel and
others attended the 3rd annual
Farming for the Future confer
ence held recently in State Col
lege, PA. Presented by the Pen
nsylvania Association for Sustain
able Agriculture (PASA), the
theme for this years’ conference
was “Sustaining Agriculture and
the Environment.”
Keynote speakers for the event
were Greg Watson, former Massa
chusetts Commissioner of Agri
culture and Baker, President
and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation. Both gave numerous
examples of the ways that farmers
and environmentalists are work
ing together to protect our natural
resources. From pesticide regula
tion and Integrated Pest Manage
ment to composting and water
quality protection, both Baker and
Watson made it clear that sustain
able agriculture is a major factor
Lancaster Sets Swine
Club Meeting
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
The reorganizational meeting
of the Lancaster County 4-H
Swine Club will be held at 7:30
p.tn., Thursday, March 10, at the
Lancaster Farm and Home Center.
This countywide 4-H club has a
focus on producing and marketing
lean pork in a program that has
timely educational efforts, mem
ber recognition, and community
support opportunities.
The evening’s program will
include official sign-up, distribu
tion of project books, explanation
EFFICIENT
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1 '* : 717 274 3488
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PASA Conference Offers Glimpse Of Future
in true environment protection.
Farmers Joel Salatin of
Swoope, VA and Loma McMa
hon of Tiptonville, TN offered
real life evidence of the linkage
between sustainable farming prac
tices and environmental protec
tion and enhancement. The Salatin
family raises beef, broilers, eggs
and rabbits on 550 Shendandoah
Valley acres, of which 455 are
wooded. Using intensive rotation
al grazing, composted manures,
direct marketing and forest man
agement, the Salatins have deve
loped a system which encourages
wildlife and biodiversity and
allows them to farm profitably
without synthetic chemicals of
any kind.
Loma McMahon and her family
raise organic cotton, soybeans,
wheat, spelt, vegetables, fruit and
Christmas trees on 2300 acres in
the Mississippi Delta. Through
aggressive wildlife habitat protec
tion and tree planting programs.
of project goals, election of offic
ers, and introduction of leaders.
The club will hold seven meet
ings each year, a roundup and sale
in August, and a recognition ban
quet in October. Members of the
club will have the opportunity to
participate in livestock and meats
judging programs, pork bowl and
public speaking competition, and
the Pennsylvania Farm Show
junior swine events.
For additional information,
contact Chet Hughes, Penn State
Cooperative Extension livestock
agent at (717) 394-6851.
McMahon has seen the* reentry of
bald eagles on her farm and actu
ally had chicks hatch out last year.
She has also found that s organic
cotton production is far more
lucrative than conventional cotton
growing.
In the news, we frequently hear
how bleak farming is in the US
and here in Pennsylvania. Howev
er, the SOO conference participants
who came together to hear speak
ers, attend workshops and partici
pate in panels displayed a rare vit
ality and commitment to farming.
Particularly impressive was atten
dance of over 100 at a workshop
designed to help prospective far
mers identify what is needed to
“start and sustain a farm.” Speak
ers at the beginning farmer work
shop included dairy farmers Garry
and Linda VanDeWeert of
Athens, Pa., vegetable growers
Jim Crawford of Hustontown Pa.,
and Ward Sinclair of Warfords
burg and fruit growers David Tait
and Kim Knorr of Centre Hall.
Also presenting information at the
Myers Fills York Dairy Extension Role
nomy was expanded to include part-time for a new education pro-
Baltimoie County. He also con- gran begun by the national Hol
tinued coaching dairy judging stein Foundation. His role is in
teams. planning and leading the Founda
“But, I’d always wondered if I lion’s Young Dairy Leaders Insti
should be milking cows,” Myers tute, aimed at surfacing dairy lead
grins. “I’d hurt my back working ership among Holstein members
at home on the farm during my un- ages 22-35. The first four-day
dergraduate years, but the thought training institute, with about 100
of dairy farming was still there.” young dairy leaders from across
So when a college friend called the country participating, was held
him at the extension office in earlier this month in Florida
search of assistance in rinding a
farm manager, then later offered
him the job, Myers accepted the
challenge. He began managing the
dairy operation near Port Deposit,
Maryland, in January 1993, but a
month later was already facing a
recurrence of his back problems.
Myers remained at the dairy
operation through last June, then
relocated back to his Bel Air,
Maryland, house.
Along with his York Extension
responsibilities with both youth
and adult programs in dairy cattle
and dairy goats, Myers consults
(Continued from Pago A 25)
ing. “There’s less formality than
other school settings and they are
very challenging. They put you on
the spot sometimes, but they have
a great deal to offer. And they re
spect a person who takes time to
listen to them and discuss their in
puts as adults.”
After more than five years with
the college, Myers accepted a
position in January 1990, as exten
sion agent in Harford County, a
move which brought him a bit
closer back home. Later, his re
sponsibility of working with adult
programs in dairy, livestock, part
time farming enterprises and agro-
you are invited to Join the Ephrata Area
Young Farmers for the Jbllowing
educational meetings
Date: 3-08-94 • Time: 7:30 p.m. • Location: Ephrata High School/Rm 192
Dan Gard, Monsanto, will present information on the new and controversial dairy growth
hormone Bovine Somatrophin, better known as BST. This subject is inspiring lively
debates on consumer safety, animal safety, and farm profitability.
Date: 3-15-94 • Time: 6:45 p.m. • Location: Cloister Restaurant
This meeting will be a pesticide spray meeting. It is a dinner meeting, and will be held at the
Cloister Restaurant. There will be represewntatives from two chemical companies. Ciba
and DuPont, present to review their product line and related safety issues. In addition, a
representative from the PA Dept, of Ag, Luke Bruckhart, will ble providing additional
pesticide safety training. Training credit points will be awarded.
Date: 3-29-94 • Time: 7:30 p.m. • Location: Home of Vernon Lelnlnger
Mike Brubaker, EAYF Advisor, has been asked to share his experiences and slides from
his trip to Romania last year, which he took as part of a humanitarian project. Mike stayed
with the Ben Lapp family in Romania who are working with Christian Aid Ministries to
establish a dairy farm operation there. For 10 days Mike was their guest while he provided
agronomic expertise on the farming aspects of this mission operation. Vernon Leminger
and his wife have graciously offered their home in Reinholds for this meeting and we thank
them for their consideration.
Date: 4-12-94 • Time: 7:30 p.m. • Location: Earl G. Martin Farm
This will be a Sprayer and Corn Planter Calibration Meeting. Earl Martin has offered the
use of his farm and equipment in order for Mike Brubaker to demonstate proper calibration
methods and techniques. Among the topics that will be covered will be fertilizer rate
calculations, plant population determination, proper pesticide application (planter). Both
liquid and dry application equipment will be discussed, as well as pre-season equipment
maintenance checklists.
Join us for all the meetings listed above by calling Karen Becker at
(717) 859-3276 to place your reservations. All meetings are free and
open to the public, but reservations are required.
workshop were representatives of
Penn State Extension, Farmers
Home Administration, Farm Cre
dit, Land Link and others.
Other conference workshops
offered practical solutions to prob
lems faced by livestock producers,
graziers, vegetable and fruit grow
ers, and crop farmers. In addition,
there were discussions of CSA
(Community Supported Agricul
ture), urban-farm links, farmers
markets, lawn care, greenhouses,
wholesale marketing, “ag in the
classroom," and trade agreements
impacting apiculture.
At the Annual Meeting, five
directors were elected for three
year terms to serve on the PASA
Board of Directors. New directors
are Teri Sorg-McNanamon,
Lehigh County, Advertising
Director at The New Farm maga
zine: Allen Matthews, Washing
ton County truck farmer; Leslie
Bresee, Bradford County dairy
farmer; Lee Bentz, Adams Coun
ty. Integrated Pest Management
coordinator for the Pa. Dept of
Agriculture, and Carolyn Sachs,
Centre County, Rural Sociology
professor at Penn State
University.
At the Friday evening banquet,
the 2nd Pennsylvania Sustainable
Agriculture Leadership Award
was presented to Paul Keene,
founder, in 1946, of Walnut Acres
farms at Penns Creek, PA. Keene
serves as a continuing inspiration
to sustainable farmers across the
country and around the world.
The Farming for the Future
conference was sponsored by
Albert’s Organics, American
Farmland Trust, Center for Rural
Pennsylvania, Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, Conklin AgroVan
tage, Erth-Rite, Inc., Fertrell,
Headwaters Resource Conserva
tion and Development Council,
PennAg Industries Assoc., Pen
nsylvania Dept, of Environmental
Resources, Pennsylvania Farmers
Union, Penn State College of
Agricultural Sciences, Rodale
Institute and Walnut Acres Organ
ic Farms.
Gifted with a beautiful singing
voice, Jerry Myers is in frequent
demand to sing at weddings and
church events. He was the soloist
at the weddings of many of his
Delaware Valley students and en
joys singing with barbershop
quartet groups. The extension
agent is also an enthusiastic col
lector of antiques and of “cow”
items.
York County dairy extension
agent Jerry Myers may be contact
ed at the York Agricultural Exten
sion offices at (717) 757-9657.