A2MJIWIW Fanning, Saturday, Jury 1, INS
Expo .Is Lancaster’s Equivalent To Ag Progress Days
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Lancaster County’s Annual
Conservation Exposition is “the
Ag Progress Days of Lancaster’s
conservation organizations,” said
program coordinator Travis
Martin.
Martin, district conservation
technician, said that the annual
Exposition, scheduled Saturday,
July IS at the County Exhibit Farm
at the Lancaster Central Park, is
open to anyone interested in prom
oting the benefits of conservation.
At the Expo, scheduled events
are as diverse as those found at the
annual Pom State Ag Progress
Days. They include descriptions of
conservation programs and equip
ment used, tillage demonstrations,
precision farming using the global
positioning system, a panel discus
sion on the state Nutrient Manage
ment Law, and farm equipment
exhibits.
For sports enthusiasts, there will
be a countywide representation of
various groups, presenting demon
strations and accomplishments of
countywide conservation. In addi
tion, one focus of die daylong
event will be stream protection and
enhancement education provided
by hayrides along Mill Creek,
which runs through the demonstra
tion farm.
For homeowners, natural lawn
care and proper care of septic sys
tems will be featured. And for
Tree plantings for streambank conservation will be high
lighted at the Expo.
The focus of the daylong event will be on stream protection and enhancement
through hayrldes along Mill Creek, which runs through the demonstration farm. These
hay wagons will be used at the Expo.
children, a petting zoo and other
fun and informative activities will
be offered.
The Expo will not focus simply
on fanning practices to promote
conservation, according to coordi
nator Jim Shirk, manager of agri
cultural services for the Lancaster
County Chamber of Commerce
and Industry.
“Conservation in Lancaster
isn’t just a fanner here or a stream
with a tree there,’* said Shirk. “It’s
.everybody working together and
they’re all related in some way.
And by having an Expo like this,
where we bring all those groups
together, they can see how its
related to one another your
neighbors affect you and you
affect your neighbors.”
At last year’s Expo held at
David Becker’s farm in Elizabeth
town, about 120 farmers and agri
industry representatives were on
hand to view conservation prac
tices and see how “we all live
downstream,” with emphasis on
water quality and Chesapeake Bay
conservation programs. But con
cerns about farm biosecurity
prompted the decision to hold the
event in a publicly owned, central
location such as the county park,
where conservation practices are
already highlighted.
The park’s exhibit farm conser
vation methods will be discussed
in some detail by Harold Fritz,
who farms about 41 acres at the
SSO-acre park, according to
According to Travis Martin, right, the purpose of the Expo, like In the radio commer
cial, Is to invite the neighbors over for lemonade, and Instead of calling them neigh
bors, “start calling them friends.” At left Is Jim Shirk, manager of ag services, Lancas
ter Chamber of Commerce.
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The Expo will be held at the County Exhibit Farm at the Lancaster County Park.
Martin.
This year, the Expo emphasis is
“As our resources go. so goes the
nation,” said Martin.
Also, a “soap box” will give
program exhibitors and conserva
tion groups a chance to speak out
about their activities.
The county residents have many
concerns and, like a recent radio
commercial, according to Martin,
the purpose of the Expo is to invite
Lancaster County Park
Go\f^ d
the neighbors over for lemonade,
and instead of calling them neigh
bors, “start calling them friends.
“The Expo will highlight the
conservation work that is going on
in the county and to show what
neighbors are doing to promote
conservation,” said Martin. “We
“Conservation in Lancaster Isn’t Just a fanner here or a
stream with a tree there,” said Shirk, right. “It’s everybody
working together and they’re all related in some way.” At
left is Travis Martin, county conservation technician.
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want to show each person’s
responsibilities and give them
tools so they can improve the qual
ity of their operation.”
For more information, contact
Martin at the conservation district
office at (717) 299-5361.