Vol. 43 No. 1
Farm Store Livelihood Depends On Conservation
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Stair
SCHNECKSVILLE (Lehigh
Co.) “You don’t pass the buck
in this operation. You can’t say it’s
the fanner who grew the grain or
the fanner who milked the cows or
the plant that processed the
product”
For Hubert Sell, owner of Crys
tal Spring Farm in North Whitehall
Township, those words ring true
for any family farm that sells its
own products. Crystal Spring is a
farm in the Lehigh Valley that sells
the products it produces at its own
farm store.
Scams Now
Running On
Lancaster
Farms
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) •
An officer of the Pennsylvania
State Police at the Lancaster head
quarters called in a wamirig Wed
nesday afternoon about several
large-scale scams under way that
threaten Lancaster County
fanners.
Most recently, an Amish fanner
in the Kinzers area was approach
ed by the perpetrators with an offer
to install lighting rods on his bam.
The cost was quoted at $2OO-$3OO.
When the job was finished, the far
mer was handed a bill for more
than ,$l,OOO. Even if the police
could find the people behind the
scam, since some work was done,
they could not be prosecuted.
(Turn to Pago AID)
Trudy Dougherty, left, presents the 1997 State Honorary
Family and Consumer Science Award to Lou Ann Good.
Good Receives Honorary Award
UNIVERSITY PiVRK (Centre
Co.) —Lou Ann Good, staff writer
for LancasUr Farming, received
the Pennsylvania Extension Asso
ciation of Family and Consumer
Sciences State Honorary Award on
4 Sections
And taking the responsibility for
what goes on at the farm extends
throughout the operation, includ
ing managing the land and car
ing for the soil—on which the Sell
family’s livelihood rests.
Crystal Spring Farm was recen
tly honored as the Conservation
Crystal Spring Farm was recently honored as the Conser
vation Farm of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of
Conservation Districts. The farm is managed by Hubert and
sotted the sward at its annual rec
ognition breakfast held at Atherton
Hotel, University Park.
The award is given for promot
ing, fostering, and upholding the
ideals of extension family living
.V,\\rW«MtoAIVAVAV.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 8,1997
Farm of the Year by the Pennsyl
vania Association of Conservation
Districts. The farm is managed by
Hubert and Grace Sell and their
family, sons Scott, Ron, and Gary,
and daughter Audrey.
The form encompasses 310
acres, of which 130 are owned and
PFB Selects Finalists For Award
CAMP HILL (Cumberland
Co.) The Pennsylvania Farm
Bureau has announced its finalists
for its Young Farmers and
Ranchers Achievement Award.
The winner will be announced
during PFB’s annual meeting,
Nov. 17-19, at the Hershey Lodge
and Convention Center in
Hershey.
Several hundred farmers,
including 171 voting delegates, are
expected to attend the annual
meeting to elect leaden and adopt
policies for the statewide farm
advocacy organization. PFB repre
sents 25.207 farm and rural fami
lies in 54 local county farm
bureaus. It is also affiliated with
the 4.7-million member American
Farm Bureau Federation.
Relevant policies adopted dur
ing the annual meeting will be sent
to the AFBF for consideration in
developing national policy.
One of several awards to be pre
sented during the convention, the
PFB Young Farmer and Rancher
Achievement Award is open to
.TOWrtWttAUAViW.
$28.50 Per Year
180 are rented. A total 0f250 acres
are tilled. The Sells maintain about
20 acres in pasture and nine acres
in woodland and wetland.
The dairy includes ISO milk
cows and7S replacements of grade
Holstein. The Sells are not
Pa.DHIA members, and do their
Grace Sell, pictured here, and their family, sons Scott, Ron,
and Gary, and daughter Audrey. Photo by Andy Andrewa
have exhibited exceptional busi
ness and leadership achievements.
The winner of the award will be
announced during the President’s
Luncheon, at noon on Tuesday,
Nov. 18. Prizes for the statewide
winner include a $5OO cash award
from Dodge Truck, and a trip to
compete for national honors dur
ing the AFBF convention in Char
lotte. North Carolina, in January.
The three finalists are A. Louis
and Gail Diamond of Masontown,
in Fayette County, Patrick Greaser
of Sewickley, Beaver County; and
Myron and Lorene Bonzo of
Rochester, also in Beaver County.
A. Louis & Gail Diamond
A. Louis Diamond operates a
500-acre farm with ISS milk cows
in a three-way partnership with his
father and a brother.
In the three years since Dia
mond has been involved with the
partnership, milk production has
improved from an average produc
tion per cow of 18,500 pounds of
milk to a herd avenge of 21,600
1 Mllhdft U M ♦ M * M M M M
tirrrfS **'it**t\ | ttt**t*
600 Per Copy
own production tests using a com
puterized milk system. The herd
avenges about 21,000 pounds.
Hubert said that he began farm
ing the land, leased from his father
Frank, in 1960, with 24 milk cows.
The same year his father died, in
(Turn to Pago A2O)
During that tune, the operation
has gone to day
milkings, hired an independent
nutrition consultant, purchased a
(Turn to Pag* A 25)
Deadlines
Change For
Thanksgiving
The Lancaster Farming
office will be closed Thursday,
November 27 in observance of
Thanksgiving Day. News and
advertising deadlines for that
week are as follows:
• Public sale ads Noon,
Monday, 11/24.
• Mailbox markets—3p.m.,
Friday, 11/21.
• General news Noon,
Wednesday, 11/26
• Section D ads 5 p.m.,
Tuesday, 11/23.
• Farm equipment ads 9
ajm., Wednesday. 11/26.
• All other classified ads—3
jV>Qt Wednesday. 11/26.
...