Ag Gives Perspective On Life Says Gail McPherson w 1 JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent NEW PARK (York Co.) Old McDonald used to feed three or four people; today’s farmer growns enough food and fiber for 129 people,” says Gail McPher son. That was just one of the inter esting facts about agriculture Gail McPherson told the fourth graders at Fawn Grove Elementary School, when she visited their classes recently during National Agriculture Week. McPherson and her husband Paul own Maple Lawn Farms, in southeast York County. In addi tion to cropping several hundred acres of grain. Maple Lawn Farms is well-known for its extensive plantings of peaches, apples, and smaller fruits like blueberries. Along with wholesale and retail marketing, Maple Lawn has a loy al following of pick-your-own customers who come regularly in season to harvest their own fruit fresh from the orchards. Though not raised on a farm, Gail quickly became a partner with Paul in the business, with key responsibilities in their extensive recordkeeping systems and per sonnel management But she also saw that agriculture was in need of caring, knowledgeable people to speak out in public relations ef forts. Her background in educa tion and communications, plus an enthusiastic and outgoing person ality, gave Gail a unique combina tion of skills to become an ag-ad vocate volunteer. One of Gail’s early activities was a slide show she photograph ed and coordinated for the then York County Farmers’ Associa tion, now the Farm Bureau. “Sea sons In The Sun” was shared with numerous non-farm audiences, part of a public ag-education out reach which later expanded to in clude an annual, free, farm lour. In the mid-19705, Gail was in strumental in helping to found American Agri-Women (AAW), and in October 1977, helped put together the state affiliate, Penn’s Agri-Women (PAW). From the beginning, Agri-Women was es tablished as a volunteer, public re lations arm of the agriculture in dustry and a training effort for women involved in those leader ship and spokesperson roles. Gail credits the former Ethel Groff of Manchester, York Coun ty, affectionately remembered as the “mother” of Penn’s Agri- Women, for her leadership role in helping organize the network. Agri-Women now includes thou sands of members in state affili ates across the country. “Ethel had a vision for agricul ture that was way ahead of many .. . . market and packing faclll ties at Maple Lawn Farms, Gall McPherson spends much of her time keeping tabs on the family’s fruit and grain businesses using .phones and computers. people of her generation,” Gail re calls fondly. “She also tried to work for Agri-Women within every other group that she was a part of.” “AAW is a sisterhood, a group of nationwide Mends; that’s been one of the highlights of my in volvement in it,” adds Gail. “Net working with women from all over the country, in every disci pline of agriculture, we have learned so much about each other. We’ve been able to identify the things we can agree on and are able to present a united voice on those issues. “And it’s a total volunteer or ganization, so ‘we arc it’,” she said with a smile. “Our members are recognized for their integrity, their credibility, their knowledge. They’re believable. “As women in agriculture, we’re fighting for our homes, and our hearths, which people can re late to and identify with. That makes us especially effective as spokespersons. We always tty to present a very positive image of agriculture.” Gail also sees the Agri-Women programs and networking as an ongoing higher education for those involved. “It’s battery-charging for me,” she relates. “The speakers we hear are outstanding, often better than a college course. That’s continuing education, with information that is applicable to our businesses and the environment in which we work.” Agri-Women, in addition to in formation sharing, networking, and lobbying on legislative issues, works with far-reaching programs that include National Ag Day and Ag In The Classroom. At the state level, Penn’s Agri-Women hosts and organizes the popular Ag Day Buffet at the Capitol in Harris burg, a luncheon for legislators, staffers and guests which features the wealth of Pennsylvania-pro duced foods. For her involvement, Gail has received AAW’s highest honor, Gall McPherson, front, and Carol Ann Gregg arrange trays of food for the Ag Day buffet luncheon hosted by Penn’s Agri-Women in the Capitol’s East Wing Rotunda. the Leaven Award. Ethel Gross was also a former Leaven Award winner, along with Carol Ann Gregg, Grove City, farmer AAW national officer and current PAW secretary. A few years ago, Gail was invit ed to participate in Foodwatch, a focus program of the Agriculture Council of America. The major thrust of Foodwatch is carrying to ■V,' ♦ < the public and the media the mes sage that the American food sup ply is safe and that the products that keep it safe and plentiful must remain available for production use. As a Foodwatch program parti cipant. Gail is one of a few dozen farmer-laymen who have been trained in the most effective ways to speak out for food safety and re spond to consumer concerns. In that capacity, she testified last year at a United States Depart ment of Agriculture hearing in Philadelphia relating to food safe ty issues which should be address ed in the 199 S Farm Bill. That media training has not on ly helped make her a more effec tive spokesperson, according to Gail,-but it has also helped to “mellow” her response to attacks on agriculture, rather than reply heatedly to unfounded or unrea sonable accusations. Two decades of involvement in hands-on farming have also had a “mellowing” effect, Gail adds. “You learn to accept crops foiling from droughts and hail damage and to believe that there will be some benefit in some way. Paul is and has always been a ‘cool as a cucumber’ kind of person about problems. And I’ve learned that I don’t have to do everything; other people can get the job done.” rvsc * *■ The record cold winter of 1994, which virtually destroyed the en tire peach crop in the Middle At lantic region, wiped out Maple Lawn’s production along with that of other orchards. But Gail found a personal benefit in that she had none of the carpal tunnel syn drome pain in her hands and wrists from sorting peaches that had caused her considerable discom '■ < t s- " * fort in other seasons. Gail’s responsibilities as cor porate secretary of Maple Lawn Farms includes managing the of fice with its computerized record keeping systems, handling pay roll, and helping manage the retail market. She also does the exten sive advertising for the market and pick-your-own and publishes two issues annually of the MAPLE LAWN FARMS CONNECTION, the orchard newsletter for cus tomers. One is mailed out just ahead of the peach and blueberry season, the other goes out to cus tomers just before fall fruits are ready for harvest About five years ago, the Mc- Phersons diversified with the land improvement business, purchas ing a few pieces of heavy earth moving equipment from a neigh bor who was retiring. Maple Lawn Land Improvement specializes in constructing soil conservation and farm water management installa tions such as terraces, manure la goons and farm ponds. They also work with home builders in earth moving for footers, foundations, roads, and landscaping. Gail and Paul have three chil dren, all of whom have grown up personally involved in both the farm and the public-relations out reach efforts of this ag-advocacy mindcd family. “I no longer have to chauffeur. *•* but I still have to go-fer,” quips Gail of her changing role as a mother, wife, and farm business partner. Gretchen is a senior majoring in fine arts at the Disney School of Arts in California and was only 10 miles from the epicenter of that state’s most recent major earth quake. Hugh, a sophomore at Penn State, is studying agriculture T s '-’* ,;*■ v‘\ v £ I^* * f ' i: a^ .vS P^r v/A-- >,^x '- f \ s business management and in the college’s “blue band.” Sarah is a junior at Kennard-Dale High School, a track runner and a horse woman who hopes to work profes sionally with horses. Maple Lawn Farms has also been part of the life of hundreds of other children whose families have come here to walk the or chards, enjoy fresh air and sun shine, and dumb into a tree to pluck off a sun-ripened peach or apple. After gaining a personal knowledge of agriculture by pick ing their own food, some of the three generations of customers may have come to appreciate and share a Gail McPherson philo sophy. “Agriculture,” she says, “gives you a perspective on life that, in the long run, the little irritations don’t really matter.” *3l^.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers