Streambank, Conservation
(Continual from Pago A 1)
Bupp, together with wife Judith,
operate Penn Vermont Farm,
located offßt. 113 in Bedminster.
The farm name came from the
original location of Ken (who grew
up near Bedminster), thus the
name “Penn,” and Ken’s wife
Judith, who grew up in Waits Riv
er, VL
The Bupps maintain about 58
acres of cropland an both sides of
Rl 113.
Of those 58,25 are in orchards,
vine crops, and other fruit crops
which they sell on their farm.
Much of the acreage is also pick
your-own.
hi all, they grow about five acres
of strawberries, one of brambles
(red raspberries, black raspberries,
and blackberries), two acres of
sweet com, two of apples, two of
pears, one of peaches, and seven
acres of pumpkins and squash.
They run a cider press operation
that is tractor-driven. Cider is sold
in gallons and half-gallons at the
farm. The press has been in opera
tion on the farm since 1938. They
process about 20,000 gallons of
cider per year.
They also take care of nearly 20
acres of rye, which they use as
mulch for their rows of strawber
ries. They use about four acres of
drip irrigation and use overhead
irrigation on crops, including the
sweet com.
Bupp, who has maintained his
electrical contracting business for
more than 30 years, purchased the
orchard in 1982. He joined the
conservation district in 1984. ,
“We started our conservation
work soon after we bought the
place,” he said “It took Judith
and me close to five years just to
clear out the old orchards.”
Both went to work removing old
trees to make way for the rye crops.
After the trees were cleared,
diversions were installed on a
steep southern slope, including a
30-foot drop nearly 300 feet long.
They put in a few hundred feet of
waterways and diversions as well
-as a lot of underground tile.
In all, according to Ed Brzostek,
a district conservationist with the
NRCS, about 5,500 feet of tile
have been installed on the Gum.
Also included at the Bum ate 2,800
feet of waterway and 3,500 feet of
terraces and diversions.
Bupp maintains a 150-foot buf
fer strip between the stream and
the vegetable and fruit crops he
grows.
Bupp laid thi quality ol tha toll—a shallow slit loam —doas wall with his irrigation
and tha quality of tha crops remains high. “I can compete with any county In tha state
for produce quality,” ha said. He stands with wife, Judith and grandson, Dylan.
The farm pond, used extensive
ly for irrigation, has a one million
gallon capacity and encompasses
about a half acre on the surface.
Ken, who said he has wanted to
work on a dairy farm since work
ing on farms in high school, first
learned to be an electrical contrac
tor. Ken and Judith once lived in
the original farm homestead they
now occupy. A short while later,
they moved into a new home.
When the opportunity arose, they
purchased the farm.
“We gave up a beautiful new
home and everything real nice.”
said Bupp. “Our friends can’t
understand this, but We could
have a new home if we sold the
farm.
“You soon find out that new
homes aren’t everything.”
In 1991, Bupp signed the farm
up for preservation one of the
first of four farms preserved in
Bucks County. -
“When it was fust started, there
was alot of hesitation on thepartof
farmers to sign up,” said Bupp.
“Of course, one of the big con
cerns and that concerns us still here
is that you can get into this, but
your taxes keep going up and the
farm income doesn’t keep up with
taxes. (Farm income) doesn’t keep
up with other segments of the
business.”
One of the concerns is that the
price of equipment repair keeps
going up, not keeping pace with
farm income.
But die preservation helps far
mers and the local public.
“Farmers and other landowners
are seeing it as a good thing, and
now it’s just snowballing,” said
Bupp. “There are more (landow
ners) on the waiting list than (the
preservation board) will ever be
able to give them money for.”
In the meantime, Bupp said the
quality of the soil a shallow silt
loam does well with his irriga
tion and the quality of the crops
remains high. “I can compete with
any county in the state for produce
quidity,” be said.
Bupp, who was honored with
the Conservation Farm of the Year
Award in February 1994, said that
the awards recognize the work of
all the Bums in the county.
“Almost every farmer you look
at today is very conscious of soil
and water conservation,” he said
“So when we accept (die awards),
I guess we’re really accepting it for
a lot of farmers, because any num
ber of them could have won it
Work Catches Eye Of Neighbors, PACD
After contacting the county conservation district and working closely with the Soli
Conservation Service (now the Natural Resource Conservation Service) and the state
fish commission In the early 19905, Ken Bupp, right, made extensive repairs to the
streambank. He also Installed crown vetch and netting to stabilize the banks. Here
Bupp Inspects the crown vetch with Ed Bnostek, conservationist with the NRCS.
“I don’t think we were that
much outstanding than a lot of
other fanners that have done a real
ly super job.”
In the past, saidßupp, you could
travel down the road and see all
kinds of erosion, including huge
gullies in the fields. “You just
rarely see that anymore.
“We could get in the car now
and take a ride and look at a lot of
really good work.”
Bupp said he accepts the award
as a personal honor, and “am real
ly happy about it
“It benefits me right now (and)
in the immediate future,” he said,
“but it’s also going to benefit the
next owners and it benefits the
neighbors and it benefits future
generations.”
Bupp said you can never get
completely finished with conser
vation work.
“As you’re working out in the
fields, you’re always thinking and
looking and you always see
another spot that something ought
to be done. You sit there day
dreaming about all this work you
want to do, but then you come back
to reality when the money is
considered.’’
But cost-sharing is available. A
stream crossing project on the
Lancastar Farming, Saturday, Daeambar 2,1N5-A37
Bupp Farm makes use of precast foot square by nine inches thick,
concrete connected by cables. The was constructed in May 1995 with
concrete, in blocks measuring a cost-share money.
In all, the Bupps grow about five acres of strawberries,
one of brambles (red raspberries, black raspberries, and
blackberries), two acres of sweet com, two of apples, two of
pears, one of peaches, and seven acres of pumpkins and
squash. Ken Bupp, left, with Ed Brrostek.
Proposal Would Increase
Apple Producer
Assessment
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Agriculture Secretary Charles
C. Brosius is urging apple produc
ers to participate in a public hear
ing on Monday, Dec. 18 to discuss
a proposed change to the Pennsyl
vania Apple Marketing Program.
The hearing is to begin at 1 p.m.
in Room 309 of the Agriculture
Department Building, located at
2301 North Cameron Street in
Harrisburg.
Brosius noted that the program
promotes the sale of Pennsylvania
grown apples and apple products.
“This program works best for
growers with their input,” Brosius
said.
The proposed change would
increase the assessment rate or
producer charge of the program.
If approved, the current rates df
7 cents per bushel of apples sold
for fresh market use and 4 cents per
one hundred pounds (cwt) of
apples sold for processing would
be respectively increased to 12
cents per bushel and 6 cents per
cwL for the 1996-97 growing
season.
Also, the proposed change
includes an automatic increase of
the assessment rate to 15 cents per
bushel and 8 cents per cwt. in
2000.
Testimony will be received on
the rate of assessment and other
necessary and relevant matters.
The proposed change applies to all
apple producers in the common
wealth with 500 or more apple
trees of any age (all ages).
To request a copy of the pro
posed change, schedule testimony,
or obtain more information, write
to the Agriculture Department,
Bureau of Market Development,
Pennsylvania Apple Mariceting
Program, 2301 North Cameron
Street, Harcisburg, PA
17110-9408, The telephone num
ber is (717) 787-5086.