International Speakers Address Penn
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) Community leaden from
jhou Pennsylvania learned about
and international aspects
of leadership during the March
Study Institute of the Pennsylvan
ia Rural Leadership (RULE) Prog
ram, held in March at die Penn
Stale Scandcon on the University
Park Campus.
“RULE is designed to develop
community leaders who have the
skills and resources to meet the
challenges erf the changing rural
communities of Pennsylvania,”
said J.D. Dunbar, RULE program
manager. ‘Participants come from
all walks of life and include far
mers. homemakers, business and
chamber of commerce executives,
as well as elected officials. They
«s a commitment to solving the
lems of rural Pennsylvania.”
rer a two-year period, the
Economic Impact Of
hardware stores that sell supplies to
exhibitors and others who attend fairs.
When a fair comes to town, even retail out
lets are affected, Grumbine indicated.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, who
attends many state fairs, always uses the
statement that fairs are the “showplace of
agriculture” in the state, according to
Grumbine.
Grumbine has served as a Farm Show
commissioner for 16 years and now directs a
farm show staff made up of three unions and
a payroll close to $2 million per year. There
are a total of 157 different events held in the
Farm Show Complex in a year’s time.
He spoke about learning what it is like to
work \yith people at the best of Farm Shows
and at some of the worst He noted some of
the challenges faced at the 19% Farm
Up, with blizzard conditions, the statew
shutdown, the collapsed roofs, and
flooding.
Grumbinc noted he was able to not only
leant, but to work to make some changes to
improve the show. He noted that he was able
to bring PCN TV to the show, which pro
vided 44 hours of TV coverage during the
infamous winter of 1996, when many peo
ple all across the state woe shut in from the
storm. PCN reached 1.5 million households.
Grumbinc believes those telecasts could
prove to be “the most educational experi
ence in agriculture that has ever taken place
in the commonwealth.” As a result, children
who were at home watched and learned and
decided they wanted to see the Farm Show
the next year for themselves.
So this year, more than 180 buses visited
the Farm Show, from what Grumbinc calls
“nontraditional rural schools,” he said.
Children can attend the Farm Show as an
Ksed, allowable absence from school
r state rules.
Grumbinc challenged fair board mem
bers across the state to “develop ideas to
move the industry forward,” he said. Grum
binc pointed to newspaper coverage of the
recent presidential call to service summit
held in downtown Philadelphia. President
Clinton called on inner city people to
volunteer.
“He was telling inner city people to do
exactly what you people arc doing in rural
Pennsylvania,” Grumbine noted.
Of the 113 fairs in the state, all are made
up of “hundreds and hundreds of volun
teers,” said Grumbine. The volunteers
arrive ahead of schedule with “weed eaters
and shovels” and other equipment to pre
pare for fairs.
glYou people ate actually the unsung her-
Jr who hold the social fabric together in
rural Pennsylvania,” Grumbine said.
Sally Nolt, chairman of PSACF Zone 4,
said Wednesday night’s attendance was- a
record for the number of people at a Zone 4
meeting. Ron Miller, fair fund administra
tor, said the state budget, recently passed,
provided a $300,000 increase to the fair
budget, raising the annual budget from $3.7
to & million. The $300,000 is being used
for capital improvements.
RULE program provides training
and information to help particip
ants enhance analytical. leader
ship and group dynamic skills, and
to increase their understanding of
public, business, and government
issues.
Speakers at this year’s program
include international and national
authorities on rural issues and
leadership. Hans-Christoph von
Heydebrand, first secretary of
agriculture from the Embassy of
the Federal Republic of Germany,
discussed agriculture in Germany
and Europe. Mary O’Connor of
the Advanced Agricultural Lead
ership Program of Ontario, Cana
da, also addressed the group.
Dr. Dennis Evans, director of
the Ag and Forestry Leaders Prog
ram in Alabama, presented a ses
sion on “How to Work A Room”
with Luanne Stauffer, a member
(Continued tram Pago A 1)
Bruce Koppenhavcr said that the PS ACF
is on the Internet People can access the
association’s web site at www.pafairs.org.
of the Upper Peridomen Chamber
of Commerce and a RULE
alumna.
Rantty Frazier, an alumnus of
Leadership Arkansas, delivered an
address entitled “You Can Keep
the Change.” Frazier; Teresa Grif
fin and Perry Debter, alumni of
the Alabaam Leaders Program;
Paul Clark, an alumnus of Nebras
ka Lead; and others also partici
pated in a panel discussion about
buidling connections among lead
ership development programs in
many states.
Steve Tweed of Tweed Jeffries,
LCC, Louisville, Ky., delivered an
address entitled “Get Ready for
the Future.” Michael Short, vice
president of Explosive Ordinance
Disposal Technology Inc., Knox
ville. Term., discussed the politics
of terrorism.
Dr. Theodore Alter, interim
Fairs
State’s Rule Program
dean of Penn Stale’s College of
Agricultural Sciences, discussed
food systems and raid develop
ment efforts. Phil Dymond, presi
dent of Eastern Westmoreland
Development Corporation, spoke
about personal power. Chcri Kro
both, direct of rural health for the
Pennsylvania Hospital Associa-
Lancaster DHIA
Expands Service
To Franklin County
Lancaster DHIA recently ex
panded its service area to include
Franklin County. After receiving
several inquiry calls from Franklin
County dairymen, Jere High,
Manager of Lab and Technical
Support, visited to research the
feasibility of providing service to
the area. Jere attributes die good
response of 25 herds presently en
rolled to the wide variety of low
cost programs Lancaster DHIA
has to offer.
Several dairymen are already
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May 10; IM7-Al9
tion and a RULE alumni, deliv
ered an addresi called ‘TEAM...
It’s Not a Dirty Four Letter
Word!”
For more information, please
contact RULE, The Pennsylvania
State University, 6 Aimsby Build
ing, University Park, PA 16802, or
call (814) 863-4679.
using the herd management
PCDART program in their per
sonal computers. Dairymen who
are interested in taking their own
samples are finding the Basic pro
gram an economical alternative at
$.55 per cow.
Lancaster DHIA serves Lan
caster, Berks, Dauphin, Chester,
Franklin, Lebanon, and York
counties. For more information
call us at (717) 665-5960; FAX
(717) 664-2911; Email - landhia
@redtose.net