A26-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 6, 1996 (Continued from Page A 1) According to John, they quit pullets 4 or 5 years ago in favor of “spent hens,” which he says allows them to adjust to the chang ing market more quickly. After getting in a flock of hens that have been laying for 12-14 months for another producer, they may be molted immediately and can then be back in full production in two or three months. Raising pullets takes longer with the additional problem of all the undersized eggs. In addition to eggs, the farm produces frestt sweet com in late spring through early summer and pumpkins in the fall. Both these products are also delivered fresh to area stores. ‘Tor sweet com we ask the store to order only as much as they will sell in a single day,” Ina says. “We deliver every day.” At pumpkin time in the fall, there is another opportunity to emphasize fresh produce and make a contact with the stores. These additional connections pro vide opportunity for spaced con tact with the stares and a way to keep the Greenawalt name out in the public. Though secondary to eggs, these two products add depth to the farm’s produce and extra cash income. What’s the attraction? Why would school children and families come out to see a working farm? Ina emphasizes that many of the people who visit have never been on a farm or have only a r Farmer Boy Ag Systems j THANKS TO BEN ANGLE of Mercersburg, PA for choosing Farmer Boy Ag Systems for his new Turkey Facility 50'x325' Starting Building and 50'x600' Growout Building Featuring: yßiniTni'Tir] Full Line of Parts in Stock For Your Poultry, Hog and Cattle Needs 24 Hour Service 4/6 At Greenawalt Farms, Public Gets slight idea about how food is pro duced. This farm tour gives kids and their parents a chance to learn something and make a connection to their rural heritage. The educational/public relations effort has been a continuing con cern for the business. Lead by Ina, the teaching effort includes year around tours of the farm with spe cial emphasis on seasonal events such as the Egg Festival. Though wagon rides are available to groups all year around, they are especially popular in the fall. For the big egg festival, the farm buys ad space in local papers to advertise the'event Vendors have caught on that many people will be at the event and 30-40 craft and agri-business booths are set up on the property. One exampleof the literature available for children and their parents includes a storybook that has both a children’s story line and adult explanations. In the story, titled Sunrise to sunset A day in the life of Grech’hen the Greena walt chicken, Lil Bird is intro duced along with Grech’hen to tell visitors what happens on the farm. The story includes planting and harvest, molting hens and production. At the beginning of the bode, a direct connection made between this farm and eggs in the store. The book concludes with connect the dots, mazes and other pencil activities for the kids. Included on the farm is a small retail outlet called the Country Check Our Warehouse Prices 410 East Lincoln Avenue, Myerstown, PA 17067 BjH QQ 717-866-7565 • 1-800-845-3374 A Division of <m> • Feed Bins • Flex Augers • Hi-Lo Pan Feeders Fanner Boy Ag Systems Inc. JM Jt •****' -%m * A £ £ This is no Esster bunny, but Sam DeArmnit could be the bunny’s hslper. Hs helps bring eggs to youngsters while working with the egg sorter/grader/packer as Greena walt Farms host thousands of visitors at their annual egg festival. Farai Store. Greenawalt’s two also opening as part of this 14th some rented ground, sons have contiguous, but inde- Egg Festival. The adjusting, development and pendent, businesses with their The farm started as a 26 acre imagination that have been put parents One son has a solid oak plot, inherited as part of John’s into the business m the last gener fumiture business located with the family place. It’s now been in the ation will have to continue if it is . family for over a hundred years, to survive into the next century, retad food outlet Another son has Q ra( j ua j expansion included addi- But from the energy shown by the a greenhouse called B& G enter- | in 1969 and Grecnawalts and their employees prises, which is also located on the following. The acreage has now in the last fourteen years, that is property. A small restaurant is grown to about 280 acres plus sure to happen. 4 *»*./ * MMW * * Education A Division of • Ventilation • Heating • Automatic Inlets 'ism Hours: Mon-Fri 7 to 5:30 Sat 7:30 to Noon WE SHIP UPS & % £rv!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers