Vol. 43 No. 41
Penn State Ag Progress Days Open Aug. 1&-20
Scenes from Ag Progress Days of years past remind us that this is the week for the annual Penn State Ag
Progress Days at Rockspring in Centre County. The combination of new products and machinery along with
the research results and the new technology shown by the educators of agricultural science provides the rea
son why many farmers and agribusiness leaders will take a trip to “Happy Valley” Tuesday, Wednesday, or
Thursday.
EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
SENECA FALLS, N.Y.—“lf
your business is agriculture, your
business is here.”
Melaine Wickham, show mana
ger for Empire Farm Days, works
on this premise and the results are
obvious. This multi-state farm
show, headquartered at the Rod
man Lott & Son farm just south of
Seneca Falls, was field Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday to
record crowds and exhibitor
expressed satisfaction.
Six Sections
Empire Farm Days Play In Seneca Falls Last Week
The show originated in the
1930’s as the state potato field days
at a different farm each year. As the
potato industry changed and other
agribusinesses wanted to partici
pate, starting eleven years ago, the
show has been held at the present
permanent location. Wickham said
that in her involvement over the
last 12 years, she has seen many
changes. For example: the exhibi
tor list has grown from 250 to near
ly 600. The dairy seminar program
has become larger and more
focused. And this year a livestock
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 15, 1998
handling seminar was added.
“But everything is new every
year,” Wickham said. “The exhibi
tors always bring their new pro
ducts and machinery. We have
expanded the show site on the east
side of the field this year. We
always have large field
demonstrations.”
Governor George Pataki added
his presence to the event late Tues
day afternoon and toured the
grounds, accepting the Crystal
Apple Award from the New York
State Farm Bureau and providing
$29.50 Per Yea|;
ROCKSPRING (Centre Co ) Visitors can take
a cutting-edge lawn tractor out for a whirl, partici
pate in a high-tech agricultural quiz show, or find
out how to map a Pennsylvania farm using satellite
and computers at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days
Aug. 18-20.
Sponsored by Penn State’s College of
Agricultural Sciences, the event is held at the
University’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural
Research Center at Rock Springs, near State
College.
The theme for many of the college’s exhibits
“Growing Pennsylvania: A Precision Business,”
focuses on how computers, space-age tools and tech
nology can improve how we grow our crops and
manage our natural resources.
Several new displays will explore precision agri
culture and its role on Pennsylvania farms “The
use of computers and satellite technology to pin
point crop yields, insect populations and land use
patterns offers a tremendous change in farming as
we enter the 21st century,” said David Wagner,
assistant professor of agricultural engineering.
At the College Exhibits Building, visitors can
learn how farmers can use precision agriculture
and satellite technologies A field mapping demon
stration will allow visitors to pinpoint the location
of their farm and then print out an aerial-view map
of the property. A display on remote sensing tech
nology will show how farmers and scientists can use
computers, infrared equipment, and other sensing
tools to collect data from areas as small as a single
plant leaf to acre-sized plots of farmland.
Penn State Ag
af Win] ULJ ULJ ULI L&&J St-J
19 9 8
Ag Progress Opens A 1
Farm Bureau Events A 23
Family Issues Highlights B 4
Family Activities 817
Machinery Demo C 2
Crops, Forage Info C 2
Picking Produce API-2
Exhibition Map API-8
Exhibitor List API-9
Pasto Museum API-10
photo opportunities for the farm
press.
“Fanning is a common denomi
nator between our past and our
future,” Governor Pataki said.
“Our heritage is based in agricul
ture, and our future—especially
the future of our rural
communities—depends on the
success of our farm families, which
is why we‘ve worked so hard to
make sure our farm families thrive
and survive."
At the conservation awards ban
quet Wednesday, Donald David
(Turn to Page A 35)
—Our Annual
Ag Progress Issue
Index
(Turn to Page A2l)
sen. New York Commissioner of
Agriculture, presented the State
Environmental Stewardship
Award to the Art and Ruth Grau
lich family, 'owners of Angus
Acres, Sharon Springs, N.Y.
The Graulich farm, now also
farmed by son David and his wife,
Suzanne, and their young daughter
Lara,, has been in the family since
1948. Their first conservation
efforts as a Schoharie County Soil
and Water Conservation District
cooperator. Since that time the
(Turn to Page A 24)
Per Copy