I ancia a VoL 42 No. 28 Sam Hayes Jr. To Become New State Agriculture Secretary VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Fanning Staff HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Gov. Tom Ridge on Mon day officially announced his nomi «don of Samuel E. Hayes Jr., 56, Warrior’s Mark, to serve as state agriculture secretary. According to a news release from Ridge’s press office, Hayes is to start as acting secretary on June 1, If confirmed by the Senate, as is expected, Hayes would then serve as agriculture secretary for the less than two years remaining in Gov. Tom Ridge’s term of office. The announcement of Hayes as a nominee has been met with sup FFA Members Leant To Be Eagles ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.) Many young people, saidaretiring high school performing arts direc tor, think they are turkeys. 9 Sometimes he sees them walk ing down the hall in school, their arms listlessly at their sides, defeated. With heads down, they arrive in his English class, crestfal len, hope tom away from them. When he asks the students what they would like to leant and exper ience today, they reply apathetical ly. “We’d like to sleep.” Stan Deen, who has taught English at Garden Spot High School in New Holland for 30 years and who founded the highly renowned Garden Spot Pcrform (Turn to Page A3O) Carl Shaffer Thrives On Diversification, Ag Awareness Carl Shaffer farm* 1,000 acres naar |/llffHnvllle In Colum bia County. A farm leader, Shaffer Is Vice president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and presknit of the Ag Aware ness Foundation. ’ | Four Sections port and praise from representa tives of agricultural organizations, legislators and policy leaders. It has not, however, been met A rad barn, and farmers working the field and garden help craatf this rustic scene west of Manheim in Lancaster County Wednesday afternoon. Jay Hershey, beef fanner along Colebrook Road west of Manheim In Lancaster Coun ty, works the corn ground while the Evan Cargill family plant their garden. According to the Pennsylvania Agricultural Statistics Service, corn planting continued ahead of the Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 17, 1997 with much surprise, especially when considered in comparison to the event that lead to the need to find a new agriculture secretary. EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor MIFfLINVILLE (Columbia Co.) The crackle of static from the remote radio unit on the dash of the suburban farm vehicle inter rupts conversation and draws an immediate reach of the hand from the driver to pick it up. Now a major fanning operation decision must be made. It’s mid-morning and the wind has increased. One of the workers located six miles down the valley on this 1,000 acre - operation located near Mifflinville in Colum bia County, is calling in to ask if he should continue to spray fields. Material drift may become a problem. Reluctantly the farm owner calls off the spraying operation and puts his man to work repairing a broken piece on the chisel plow. Welcome to the world of Carl Shaffer, age 47, and vice president of the Pen nsylvania Farm Bureau. When Shaffer’s family pur chased tfie local farms back in the *4os, they had a diverse operation that included cows, hogs, and chickens like most farms of that Hayes is a former state represen tative who served for 22 years, and whose service included holding several key Republican leadership five-year average with some of the early corn starting to emerge. But gardners planting vegetables are behind sche dule because of cool soil temperatures. The cool weather kept the growth of pastures and small grains slow too. Her shey feeds 500 steers and forms 250 acres. Photo by Everett Newawanger, managing editor. era. Today diversity is still the rule, but all the animals and poultry are gone. Everything revolves around field crops that includes 300 acres of snap beans. “I still believe diversification of some son is necessary in the farm ing operation,” Shaffer said. “ Not off-farm work, but enterprises that lend themselves to what you are doing on the farm. Even diversifi cation of crops is good because if you have some dry periods during the summer, hopefully the rains you do get will be timely for at least some of crops.” June 7 Is Dairy Issue June is when special tribute is paid to the dairy industry. Lancaster Farming’s annual June Dairy Month issue is scheduled to be published on the first Saturday of the Month, June 7. We are again working to bring the dairy story to you in a special way through visits with farm families, DHIA reports, farm management reports, dairy recipes, and mes sages from our advertisers. If you have a news story or an advertising message to be placed in this special June Dairy Month issue, please contact our office, any day, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Our phone numbers arc (717) 394-3047 or (717) 626-1164. Our fax is (717) 733-6058. $28.50 Per Year petitions. He has a strong resume and is considered a vigorous advocate of (Turn to Pag* A2O) Along with the snap beans, Shaffer farms com and wheat, and oats for a cover crop in winter. His other farm enterprises include some custom bean harvesting, rental of wheat storage bins to a local flour mill, trucking, and removing the liquid waste water used to wash food processing equipment at a nearby pet food company. The liquid is a good injected fertilizer that is high in organic matter and nitrogen. But Shaffer is also paid to haul it away (Turn to Page A2O) (Ot Per Copy
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