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Vol. 40 NO. 7
Quality Seedlings, Shearing, Fresh Cut Trees Hallmarks Of Schuylkill Forest Farm
The Bacherts, who farm with Bruce, Sr., wife Jean, and sons Bruce, Jr, Joel, Jared,
and Bret, maintain about 135 acres of Christmas trees. They grow mostly firs, Includ
ing Douglas and Frazer. Also, they grow several varieties of spnice and also Scotch
Pine. From left, Mike Onuskanlch, Jean Bachert, and Nancy Killian at the homestead
farm, which contains Scotch Pines.
Agribusiness Professionals, Farmers
Gather To Discuss Future
EVERETT NEWSW ANGER
Managing Editor
LANCASTER (Lancaster
Co.) A group of 60 agribusi
ness persons and a few fanners
convened early Tuesday morning
under the auspices of the Lancaster
604 Per Copy
County Extension Service and
Glenn Shirk, dairy agent, and Alan
Strack, farm management agent.
Hie goal: to explore the internal
and external problems facing
county agriculture in the immedi
ate future.
From the staff at
Lancaster Farming
to you!
Lancaster mining, Saturday, December 24, 1994
Sitting in round-table discus
sions. each group forwarded spe
cific ideas on what were problems
facing agriculture. Some of the
problems that surfaced include:
agriculture’s resistance to change;
(Turn to Pag* A2S)
A star erected 140 feet above the Fred Heller farm in Lltltz attracted hundreds to.
view a real-life relnactment of the birth of Jesus. Part of the cast Includes, from left,.
Darin Zimmerman, Chad Burkholder, Matt Hurst, Duane Bollinger, Kevin Hurst, Mar
vin Martin, and Holly Hurst. Turn to page 814 to read more about the youth who trans
formed the rustle bam Into the perfect Christmas story setting. Photo by Lou Ann Good.
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
NEW RINGGOLD (Schuylkill
Co.) —In the rush to bring Christ
mas trees to market yean ago,
growers would simply cut doW
the trees and sell them as last as
possible.
Sometimes the trees were of
poor quality, the needles would
bum and fall off, and the trees
mostly Scotch Pine—desperately
needed a prune job.
Those days were sent packing in
this part of the country about 60
years ago when a man by the name
of John Bachert began using the
technique known as tree shearing.
Beginning in mid-June and lasting
until Thanksgiving, the trees were
carefully cut and groomed to have
Christmas Deadlines
The Lancaster Farming office will be closed Monday, Dec.
26, to observe Christmas Day and reopen again at 8 a.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 27. Early deadlines for several departments
have been issued for the Dec. 31 issue. These deadlines
include:
• Public Sale Ads s~|Em., "Friday, 12/23,
• Mailbox Markets 5 p.m., Friday, 12/23.
Other departments will have a normal schedule as follows:
• General News Noon, Thursday, 12/29.
• Classified Section C Ads 5 p.m., Wednesday, 12/28.
• All Other Classifieds 9 a.m. Thursday, 12/29.
New Year’s Day Deadlines
The Lancaster Farming office will be closed Monday, Jan.
2,1995, to observe New Year’s Day and reopen again Tues
day, Jan. 3. Early deadlines will be needed for the Jan. 6,
(Farm Show) issue. These deadlines are as follows:
• Public Sale Ads 5 p.m., Friday, 12/30.
• Mailbox Markets 5 p.m., Friday, 12/30.
• General News Noon, Wednesday, 1/4.
• Classified Section C Ads 5 p.m., Tuesday, 1/3.
• All Other Classifieds 9 a.m., Wednesday, 1/4.
Four Suctions
the conical appearance that con
sumers prefer.
John Bachert, starting with 35
acres, gradually purchased more
land to grow Christmas trees, care
fully expanding the business.
Others grasped onto the concepts
that made his steadily growing
business so successful.
But he was the first to demons
trate the technique of shearing on
Scotch Pine trees in the eastern
part of Pennsylvania, according to
Harvey Bachert. “He started a lot
of these guys,” said Harvey. “He
was a farmer, he fanned com and
potatoes and whatever, and then he
started planting trees. He taught a
lot of guys about it, that there was
money in it.”
(Turn to Pago A 32)
$21.00 Psr Year