Christopher Reeve And Family To Receive Human Spirit Award
MALVERN (Chester Co.)
Thom croft Equestrian Center, one
of the country’s oldest and largest
therapeutic riding centos, has sc
Enviroscape Loan
Program
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Educators, Educators. Boy
Scout, Girl Scout, and 4-H Lead
ers do you have soils, water
quality, or pollution in your curri
culum? Are these topics required
for a badge or study unit?
If so, the Lancaster County
Conservation District has a deal
for you. As a free loan and service,
educators, scout and 4-H leaders
can borrow the enviroScape mod
el for use in the classroom.
The enviroScape is a miniature
plastic watershed with a housing
development, farm, industry, sew
age treatment plant, golf course,
roads, and waterways which drain
into a river or bay. It can be used
to demonstrate point and non
point source pollution in a fun and
visual way.
Cocoa powder sprinkled on the
brown terrain around the housing
development and farm represents
soil. Colored powdered drink
sprinkled on the green terrain of
Department Issues
Fraud Alert
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
As the spring planting season
approaches, consumers should be
aware of misleading and exagger
ated advertising claims about lawn
seed, according to Agriculture
Secretary Charles C. Brosius.
"Certain advertisements for
mail order lawn seed promise sen
sational results and charge expen
sive prices,” Brosius said. “The
truth is, many of these products
are common, cool season grasses
which can be purchased at local
stores for a fraction of the cost
Remember, if it appears too good
to be true, it probably is.”
Brosius urged consumers to
NOFA-NJ. Hires
Certification Administrator
PENNINGTON, NJ. The
Northeastern Organic Farming
Association - New Jersey chapter
(NOFA-NJ) announced the new
est addition to their program. Mi
chele Bassler has joined the staff
as certification administrator.
Bassler has a master’s degree in
entomology from the University
of Delaware, experience in inte
grated pest management through
the Rutgers Cooperative Exten
sion Fruit IPM program, and ex
tensive experience in quality con
trol for a large agribusiness firm.
She is available full time to an
swer calls and help growers with
the certification process.
“This is a big step forward in
the professionalization of our ser
vice to growers,” said Emily
Brown Rosen, technical director,
who will continue to be available
for grower questions and support.
“The number of NOFA-NJ ccrti-
lected Christopher Reeve, his wife
Dana, and son Will as the group
winners of The 1997 Thomcroft
Human Spirit Award.
Available
the lawns, and golf course repre
sents pesticides and fertilizers.
Vegetable oil on the roads repre
sents gas and oils. You simply
supply a rainstorm with a spray
bottle and it’s easy to see the run
off and resulting pollution. Con
clude the activity with a discus
sion and demonstration on ways to
manage, minimize, or eliminate
the run-off and pollution.
The Lancaster County Conser
vation District enviroScape Loan
Program is made possible with a
minigrant from the Chesapeake
Bay Education Office Nonpoint
Source Pollution Prevention Pro
gram. The lightweight model,
complete with supplies, lesson
plan, and sturdy plastic carrying
case, will be delivered in person to
your school or site, and is avail
able for a two-week loan basis.
If you would like to reserve the
enviroScape, call Chotty
Sprenkle, environmental educa
tion coordinator, (717) 299-5361.
stay alert for products which may
not live up to the advertisement’s
claims. He suggests consumers
should check with a reputable lo
cal dealer before purchasing grass
seed to be sure you are getting the
most appropriate seed for your
lawn. There are many improved
varieties on the market, and some
less expensive seeds may provide
the same results as those being
sold at higher prices.
The Agriculture Department is
required to uphold the provisions
of the Pennsylvania Seed Act
regarding advertising claims of
companies which do business
within the Commonwealth.
fied farms has tripled since 1994,
and having Michele on board will
enable us to do more for our grow
»»
ers.
NOFA-NJ certified 33 farms in
New Jersey and 21 farms in Penn
sylvania in 1996.
NOFA-NJ is now accepting ap
plications for the 1997 Organic
Certification program. Applica
tion packages are available at a
cost of $ 10 for new applicants (de
ductible from the certification fee)
and includes the 1997 NOFA-NJ
Organic Certification Standards.
Growers should send $lO to
NOFA-NJ, 33 Titus Mill Road,
Pennington, NJ 08534. The dead
line for completed applications is
Friday, March 7. The approval
process takes six to nine months to
complete and the certification
term runs for one year from the
date of approval.
Nominated by Thomcroft’s rid
ers and chosen by a blue ribbon
selection board. The Human Spirit
Award is Thomcroft’s highest
honor. It is presented to indivi
duals or support families who, by
their outstanding achievements
and great strides, have inspired
people with a diversity of abilities
to rise above human conditions to
leant and grow together.
“The Reeve family’s heroic bat
tle to rebuild their lives in the face
of diversity has provided an in
spiring lessen about the healing
power of love,” said Saunders
Dixon, Thomcroft’s founder and
director. “We see similar results
played out in the daily lives of our
own riders and their families.”
As group winners, Reeve and
his fatnily will receive specially
commissioned medallions as the
guests of honor at Thomcroft’s
Annual Victory Gallop, April S, at
the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the
Bellevue. The medals will be pre
sented personally by members of
Thomcroft’s Family of the Year.
1997 Dairy Of Distinction
Applications Sought
SYRACUSE. N.Y. Do you
take pride in maintaining your
dairy farm? Does your dairy farm
project an attractive, wholesome
image to consumers? If so, the
Dairy of Distinction Program of
New York, New Jersey, and Penn
sylvania will consider your farm
for the program’s annual recogni
tion awards.
The Northeast Dairy Farm
Beautification Program was first
started in 1983 to recognize the
hard work and dedication of the
farmers who maintained attractive
farms. The purpose of the program
is to instill a greater sense of con
fidence in the wholesomeness of
PURPOSE OF PROGRAM
Attractive daily farms give the consumer greater confidence in the wholesomeness of milk and stim
ulate milk sales which encourages public support for the dairy industry. The award gives recognition
to the dairy farmer for maintaining a well-kept farmstead.
ELIGIBILITY
All Northeast dairy farms producing milk for sale ate invited to make application for the award.
Dairies receiving the 10 highest scores in each of the 21 districts will receive an 18” x 24” Dairy of
Distinction sign to be displayed in front of their farm.
Your Nairn
Mailing Addresi
Phone Number.
Cooperative or Handler (where you ship your milk]
(Your Handler will be contacted to approve your milk quality)
Location (driving directions for judging team]
County (where your farm is local
I hereby apply to the Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification Committee to have my dairy scored in
accordance with the rules of the program for the purpose of obtaining a Dairy of Distinction sign to
be displayed on my premise. (No producer will be charged for scoring or sign expense.)
Signature of Owner/Operator
Return application by April 15. New York dairies send to Carol Weddle, 957 Mitchell Street, P.O.
Box 190, Ithaca. NY 14851; Pennsylvania dairies send to Stephanie Meyers, American Dairy Asso
ciation and Dairy Council, Inc., 219 South West Street, Suite 100, Syracuse. NY 13202-1205; New
Jersey dairies send to August Knispel, 641 Sidney Road, Pitts town, NJ 08867.
This year, Thomcroft has
recognized the family of Bruce
and Karen Smith as the 1997
“Family Of The Year.” With three
children of their own, the Smiths
have served as foster parents for
up to 10 children, many who ride
at Thomcroft. The Smiths were
chosen for their dedication to chil
dren with special needs sharing
their own strength and family val
ues with those around them. The
Smith family includes Colin
Smith, 21, Adam Smith, 18, and
Corinne Smith, 16. The Smiths are
currently caring for three foster
children Taiana, 7, Brittany, 5,
and a newborn baby girl who
came to them at Christmas.
Set in the pasture land of Ches
ter County, Thomcroft brings
adults and children with a variety
of abilities together to ride, talk
and share in an accepting environ
ment where they can learn and
grow together. Of the program’s
350 riders, approximately half
come to Thomcroft with special
needs. More than ISO are disabled
dairy products, and increase their
sales.
Farms that apply are judged on
the roadside appearance of build
ings, grounds, and surroundings,
since this is what our dairy prod
uct consumers observe as they
drive by. The cleanliness of the
barnyard, feed areas, and manure
management are other aspects of
the farm operation taken into con
sideration. Roadside judging is
conducted during the month of
May. Former winners of past
years ate also rejudged to ensure
they continue to meet standards of
excellence.
Application
APPLICATION
; arm Naim
from disease, a traumatic accident,
Down’s Syndrome or mental dis
ability. Many are confined to
wheelchairs, walkers, or emotion
al types of isolation. Riding un
locks those confines.
More than 200 men, women,
and teen-agers volunteer to assist
Thorncroft’s staff of skilled
equestrians. Thomcroft offers rid
ing lessons as a unique form of
therapy. Atop horses, students are
distracted from typical therapy
sessions, as they walk in the
woods or across an open field on
four powerful legs.
Riders come to Thomcroft from
family homes, regional schools,
support programs and health care
facilities. Roughly 20 percent of
the disabled riders are on full or
partial scholarship. The difference
is made up through donations.
There is a two-year waiting list for
Thomcroft’s therapeutic program.
Though the full price for a lesson
is $3O or $l2O per month, no one
is ever turned away for lack of
funds.
To qualify for consideration,
you must be actively dairy farm
ing and shipping milk. Applica
tions are available for New York
and Pennsylvania from Stephanie
Meyers, American Dairy Associa
tion and Dairy Council, Inc., 219
South West Street, Suite 100, Syr
acuse, NY 13202-1205, (315)
472-9143; or New Jersey from
August Knispel, 641 Sidney Road,
Pittstown, NJ 08867, (908)
735-4989. All applications must
be completed and returned by
April 15,1997. You may also con
tact your county agent for more
information.