Lancaster farming. (Lancaster, Pa., etc.) 1955-current, March 25, 1995, Image 1
Vol. 40 No. 20 Good Conservation Practices Make Good Neighbors, According To Chester County Farmer ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff HONEY BROOK (Chester Co.) What bothers conservation far mer David Homing is seeing the telltale dirt and silt on piles of snow alongside road drainage ditches in the wintertime. That’s a sure sign of erosion erosion that could have been pre vented if farmers would not mold board plow late and would use some kind of cover crop. With this in mind, this Chester County farmer takes time every year to make sure that erosion is contained on his farm by using cover crops and ensuring no plow ing is done in the winter season. Many fanners who don’t use a cover crop ignore the fact that, as a result of the bare topsoil, tons of good farm soil are being “blown away,” said Homing. At this year’s Chester County Crops Day, Homing, 25, manager of DH Lone Hill Farm, was hon ored as 1994 Conservation Farmer of the Year. Intensive use of cover crops has been a consistent practice at DH Lone Hill Farm. Together with Lancaster Conservation District Honors Farm Managers ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Fanning Staff NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster Co.) Conservation was evident in almost every facet of the four farms. Photos of clean fields, farm land, and homesteads “spoke about conservation on their own,*’ said slide narrator Gerald Heis- Producing and promoting pork goes hand in hand for Anna Marie Schick of Barks County. Turn to page B 2 to read about the Schick family, who make farming a family affair. Photo and atory by Lou Ann Good. 60t Per Copy wife Tracy and daughter Lindsey, 6 mos., and David’s parents Donald and Joyce, Homing man ages about 67 acres at the home farm just south of Honey Brook. He rents an additional 75 acres for a total of 133 tillable. Dairying is the mainstay at DH Lone Hill Farm. The Homing fam ily take care of 60 registered and ID grade Holstein, in addition to some Red and Whites. There are about 50 replacement calves in the herd. The Pa. DHIA herd average for the farm stands at about 20,000 pounds, 3.7 f, 3.2 p, for a herd total of 685 pounds fat and 624 pounds protein. David Homing said a “boyhood interest” drew him to raising the Red and White portion of the herd. “It’s something that always intrigued me,” said Homing. The origipal Red and White, on the 352-day lactation, recordeid 30,000 pounds of milk, he said. For his dairy, he looks for cows that h|ve good production and gooooverall health, with adequate uddenand good feet and legs. For his conservation practices, Hom (Turn to Pago A2O) land, assistant administrator/ Chesapeake Bay Program. The Rohrer family. Manor Township, were honored with the Outstanding Coopera tor Award Thursday evening at the 44th annual Lancaster County Conser vation District banquet at Yoder’s Restaurant Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 25, 1995 At this year’s Chester County Crops Day, David Homing, 25, manager of DH Lone Hill Farm, was honored as 1994 Conservation Farmer ofthaYear. Intensive use of cov er crops has been a consistent practice at OH Lone Hill Farm. Together with wife Tracy and daughter Lindsey, 6 mos., and David’s parents Donald and Joyce, Horning man ages about 67 acres at the home farm just south of Honey Brook. He rents an addition al 75 acres for a total Of 133 tillable. Photo by Andy Androws At the banquet the district offered a slide presentation ‘ ‘tour’ ’ of the Rohrer Farms, located west of Millersville along Blue Rock Road. Altogether, four farm mana gers were honored for work in Pa. Celebrates Ag Day, Confirms Brosius As Secretary JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) —Acting Pennsylvania Sec retary of Agriculture Charles Bro sius had just finished his lunch as the honored guest at the Ag Day luncheon, held Tuesday at the Captiol, when an acquaintance stepped up to congratulate him. The Senate had just made his cabinet post official, confirming the appointment of the Chester County mushroom producer as the new head of the state’s Depart ment of Agriculture. Appropriately enough, Secret ary Brosius had, just a short time before, welcomed the large grtnip gathered in the Rotunda of the East Wing of the Capitol building, praising the productivity of the American farmer and agricul ture’s vast contribution to Penn sylvania’s economy as the state’s largest industry. “ Each of our farmers today feeds 129 people, 97 of them in the United States and 32 of them abroad,” Secretary Brosius told the Rotunda assembly. “Agricul (Turn to Pagt ASS) conservation. According to Heistand, Wilmer Rohrer purchased the original farmland in 1944, milking a dozen cows. The land needed a lot of work Wilmer discovered gut- About the same time that the state Senate confirmed his appointment, State Secretary of Agriculture Charles Bro sius gives opening remarks to attendees of a National Agri culture Day event In the state Capitol. Five Sections ters from a wheat/barley Held that had 10-inch trees and "you could have buried a car in them." Rohrer closed up the holes and reworked the fields into strips. (Turn to Pago A2B) $21.00 Per Year