Bifrlancmw Farming, Saturday, March it, 1994 National Grassland Visitors Talk About Their Visits With Farm Families LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Fanning Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) Garry Lacefield is an extension professor at the University of Ken tucky. Forages are his specialty. Every year he looks forward to attending the American Forage and Grassland Council confer ence. This year was no exception. The four-day conference held in Lancaster Much 6 to 9, was packed with information taught by forage leaders throughout the U.S. and Canada. But for Lacefield, the highlight of the whole conference did not take place in the scheduled semi nars but in the home of Melvin and Joyce Eby of Gordonville. Lacefield was one of several conferees who took advantage of the offer to arrive a day early and stay in the home of a local farm family. Lacefield, who travels across the U.S., prefers to stay with peo ple who live in the area. “You can always learn more that way than otherwise,” he said. “I’m going back with fond memories of not just the conference but also what I experienced in their home.” The Ebys milk 56 cows on their 80-acre farm that has been in the family for five generations. “It’s very evident that the Ebys are very knowlegeable about the dairy industry and take a lot of pride in doing a good job.” Lace field said. Although Lacefield accompan ied Mel during the milking duties and took a great interest in examin ing the alfalfa and hay, it was the Ebys’ family life that most impressed Lacefield. “The spirit of love and sharing for family, land, and fellowman was so refreshing,” Lacefield said. “Although I had only known the Ebys for 12 hours, when I left, it was the type of family I just needed to hug.” Lacefield said that he was impressed that the Ebys often open their home to families and even groups. According to Joyce, they sometimes host 20 people overnight. “We have a 16-room farmhouse with an efficiency apartment called a granddaddy house—so its miss television when Harold and Lois Nissley opened their home for an overnight stay. State jfli P®ck Kentucky Garry Lacefleld shows off the prize-winning hay from his state. Lacefleld said that the highlight of the con vention was his stay with Mel and Joyce Eby. “I’m leaving Pennsylvania a better person because of them,” he said. ideal for sharing farm life with non-farming families,” she said. Lacefield enjoyed spending time with the Ebys’ 9-year-old son Matt who showed him the Labor dor puppies the family raises. Lacefield said, “I inspected the farm and was impressed but the real inspection was what I saw in the family. Their daughter Melody is in a wheelchair and another child died from a rare enzyme deficien cy. The spirit of love and sharing and the gracefulness with which the Ebys carry this burden with their children is so refreshing. “I’m leaving Pennsylvania a better person because of my stay with the Ebys and anything else I learned here is just bones,” Lacefield said. The closeness this professor from Kentucky felt was not just a one-way street Joyce saidof Lace field’s visit “It’s advantageous for farm-related people to get together and we would eagerly do it again if we had the opportunity.” She and her husband enjoyed a book Lacefield had written and presented to them. “From the Heart” is Lacefield’s humorous and inspirational account of his five-bypass heart surgery that hap pened when he was 42 years old. Lacefield plans to bring his wife to visit with the Ebys later this year. Neil and Maiy Ann Martin of St Paul, Minn., are another couple who stayed in an area home. Neil, an extension agronomist, was eager to compare farming operations in the Midwest with those in this area. The couple stay ed at the home of Harold andlLois Nissley, Elizabethtown. The Nissleys crop farm about 100 acres on their 175-acre farm. They sold their cows seven years ago and now put about 28 steers and 60 sheep to pasture. Although this was the first visit to the county, Martin travels a lot with his job and has visited Harris burg and other areas. In his work with forage and grassland in Minnesota, Martin said that he has copied lots of Pennsylvania ideas. “You have a longer growing season here and the farms appear to be smaller but there is more of them,” he said. While there are many excellent farming operations in Minnesota, Martin said that overall Midwest ern farmers seem to be experienc ing more serious financial prob lems because of over capitalized equipment and older facilities. Nine persons came from Minne sota to attend the conference. Of the stay in the home, Martin said, “It gives you more of a feel of the attitudes of the people and how they deal with problems. “One of most outstanding val ues of this conference is the oppor tunity not only to talk to scientists and educators but with the profes sionals the farmers,” Martin said. Of his visit with the Nissleys, Martin said, he sensed a strong ste wardship of the land. Although they want to make money in fum ing, they don’t want to take off the (Turn to Pago B 16) See your nearest Dealer for Dependable Equipment and Dependable Service! PENNSYLVANIA Annvllle. PA Hughesvllle. PA BHM Farm Farnsworth Farm Equipment, Inc. Supplies, Inc. RDI, Rte. 934 103 Cemetery Street 717-867-2211 717-584-2106 Carlisle. PA Now Holland. PA 35 East-Willow Street 717-243-2686 Davldsburo. PA George N. Gross, Inc. R.D. 2, Dover, PA 717-292-1673 Elizabethtown, pa Messick Farm Equipment, Inc. Rt. 283 - Rheem’s Exit' 717-367-1319 Halifax, pa Sweigard Bros. 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