EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
MOUNT JOY (Lancaster
Co.) For the young man who at
age 19 won the last official com
husking contest that was ever held
in Lancaster County, the past SO
years of association with Pioneer
has been one of enjoyment John
Weidman has announced his
retirement effective the end of this
month.
“Fanners arc the best people in
the whole world,” Weidman said.
“They know how to deal with
mother nature and they know what
it is to work with their hands. I
learned more from them than they
learned from me.”
In the early days, farmers were
planting 42-inch rows with 12,000
to 14,000 plants per acre. Most far
mers were planting U.S. 13 and
some were hill-dropping two ker
nels per hill. Later in the ’6os far
mers began planting in 38-inch
rows. By the ’7os farming became
serious business and much more
specilized.
Although farmers were slow to
accept hybrid varieties until they
saw the increased yield now 98
percent of the com grown in the
Weidman Retires After Lifetime With Pioneer
country is a single cross. With
these new hybrids growers can
expect to pick up at least one or two
bushels per acre each year.
Weidman’s first experience
with Pioneer came when he spent
summers between high school
classes in Indiana at the Pioneer
research farm helping to detassel
corn. Upon graduation in 1945,
Pioneer hired him to work out of
the Mount Joy warehouse where he
had a wide range of duties—
deliveries, manning county and
state fair booths up and down the
East Coast, plot planting, and some
selling.
In 1952, Weidman became an
assistant district sales manager and
a Pioneer sales agent: He became a
district sales manager in 19SS and
was named regional sales manager
in 1957. He was a regional mana
ger for the eastern division through
the ’6os, ’7os and ’Bos. And he was
named area sales manager for the
eastern sales area when it was
created in 1986.
“My greatest satisfaction has
been to watch people succeed,”
Weidman said “In many cases, I’m
working with the third generation
(Turn to Pago A 29)
A collection of mechanical devices found around early farm kitchens have a special
Interest to John Weidman because they were manufactured In his home town of
Mount Joy.
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 4,19 M-All
iHScoular
C-O-M-P-A-N-Y
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WHEAT
Picked Up and Delivered Bids
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Prices Quoted tur Spot or Future
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