A24-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 22, 1997 Employee-Farmer Puts Special Emphasis On Conserving Soil, Wildlife (Continued from Page A 1) Three years latfer, Hicks began working for the' previous owner of Double-D (then called Del Chester Farm) owned by Anne Pepper Ashton. Ashton sold the property in 1986 to Gwynne McDevitt. Hicks, who lives on an eight acre farmette in West Chester and leases 172 acres of crop farm to Norman Laffey in Cochranville, said that McDevitt has “her heart invested strongly” in all aspects of the farm and the dog training enter prise. As a result, jteatfS ago. the farm was converted to small grain and hay cropland to a wildlife farm in order to facilitate training of the dogs. She also has invested heavily in the soil conservation aspects of the farm, Hicks noted. Hicks indicated that the half the land is highly credible, with some land sloping more than 30 percent in some spots. at the farm, Hicks noted the work of Tim Small, with NRCS. Small’s work of laying out the fields provided the basic out lines of the constant “food and cover, food and cover” sys tem in place for the wildlife, Hicks said. Of all the things that can pile up on you, Don't let manure be one of them Whether you re plan ning to build a new facility or upgrade your existing operation, rest assured that the Delta Livestock Systems spe cialists won’t treat your manure as waste but A Alfa Laval Agri 11100 N Congress Ave Kansas City Missouri 64153 © 1996 Alfa Laval Agri Inc ALAFOO7 96 The hilly, rocky land presents many challenges to the grounds keepers they have to maintain switchgrass strips for the many quail and pheasants and food crops to support the extensive wildlife. There are a local of 131 acres in wildlife upland habitat manage ment, wildlife refuge tree plots (consisting of Norway Spruce, juniper, and barberry), managed meadows, brush management, fencing (the farm is completely bordered), stream crossing, heavy use area protection, hedgerow planting, arid prescribed burnings. The Hicks have installed 80 acres of a conservation cropping system, contour strip cropping, and grasses and legumes in rotation, according to die district There is also a one acre grassed waterway, 12 acres of no-till switchgrass seeding! me acre of critical area plantings, and 131.9 acres of crop residue use. Through the years, Hicks has ' helped by his ' I a y'k will offer environmentally sound ways to handle this valuable resource For more informa- tion, contact your local independent Alfa Laval Agri™ dealer or call 1-800-365-1883 about Delta Livestock Systems clearly the leaders in manure handling equipment Delta 8 LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS senior in ag and bioengineering at Penn State and a member of the Delta Theta Sigma fraternity. At the farm late last week. Jay was busy preparing an additional 25 acres of land purchased by McDevitt that will be converted to training ground. When John Hicks speaks to school children, he emphasizes the importance of water quality. He likes to equate the streams on the farm, he said, with the human body. Tbe human body is a metaphor for the farm. Hicks uses the analo gy of the skin as a covering (the For hit efforts as managtr of the Doubledee Farm owned by Gwynne McDevitt, John Hicks, left, was honored with the 1996 Conservation Innovation Award by the Chester County Conservation District, presented to the farm in January st the county brops day. At tight Is his son, Jay. grasses protecting the soil) for the body, which pumps good blood through the veins (the water trans portation and purification proces ses of the land). While using environmental sound ag practices, Hicks believes that as farmers, they can “still remain afloat in these tough times.” In the process of convert ing from strictly dairying to main taining land for wildlife, Hicks said he had to “relearn and rethink” agriculture. As a result, instead of worrying about seeding times, the weather, and harvest logistics, John and Jay „ • . *tte ¥ Hicks spend a good deal of time looking at wildlife management That includes managing the deer. “We’re overloaded with deer,” said John. To keep the deer popu lation in line, the farm relies on the work of Tom Marsh, formerly with he Pennsylvania Game Commis sion, to hold structured hunting outings each year. Small mammals and other wild life— such as raccoons, ground hogs, fret, and skunks —have to be kept in Check with traps set up by Marsh. The worst predator is the common house cat, a real chal ; (Turn to Pago A 25) -*w , '"■>■l." *•>* yV*- <Aj*
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