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PERIODICALS* DIVISION 048 II /'
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
■H W 209 PATTE
UNIV PARK PA 16802
Vol. 43 Mo. 52
For their efforts to conserve soil and protect the watershed, Dave and Sharon
Bishop of Ensenada Farm in Piumstead Township, Bucks County, were honored early
this month by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) at its
annual awards banquet in Scranton. Photo by Andy Andrews
Flood, Erosion Control Vital
To Conservation Award Winners
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
DOYLESTOWN (Bucks Co.)
David and Sharon Bishop
remember the night of “no sleep.”
On a day in mid-July 1988,
monsoon-like rains began and, by
early evening, four inches of rain
had fallen. 1
The tropical storm caused a tri
butary, which runs between the
house and the bam, to flood.
Floodwater from the creek came
up to the second step on the house
and tore a four-foot deep ditch
through their lane.
The floodwater flowed through
the bam, where cows were in water
up to their udders.
The rain stopped late in the
evening. However, at 2 a.m. the
Bishops were still standing in
water.
David said, “I know wc didn’t
get any sleep that night.”
Poultry Association Faces Challenges
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
WILLOW STREET (Lancaster
Co.) "This year has brought the
stark realities of the industry to a
head,” said John Mattilio, presi
dent of the Lancaster County Poul
try Association, at its annual ban
quet held Tuesday evening.
The reappearance of avian
influenza (A. 1.) in county flocks
last winter resulted in additional
problems for both producers and
industry. Challenges with manure
disposal, stockpiling litter,
weather-related problems, and
preventing and controlling AI all
contributed to taking money out of
producers’ pockets.
Four Sections
The rain “washed the lane out,”
said Sharon. She said an excavator
had to come with stones to put the
lane back together before the milk
truck could get in.
The same year a stream over
flow channel was placed around
the house and bam. In 1991, pipes
to allow flows to pass through the
original channel but route exces
sive flows around the buildings
and back into the original stream
below the farm were installed with
the help of the organization for
merly known as the Soil Conserva
tion Service (now Natural Resour
ce Conservation Service or
NRCS). Cost for the pipe system:
about $6,700, including engineer
ing fees, said David.
Before long, the work to control
stormwater flow paid off there
was no more flooding. The
Bishops’ only worry has been to
make sure the flow continues,
The Association tackled envir
onmental, food safety, and rural
urban issues this past year. The
Association’s annual Poultry
Progress Day, where poultry pro
ducers are taught how to best
tackle these problems, needed to
be cancelled because of the A.I.
scare.
Not all the news was downcast.
The industry released its first
professionally-prepared video,
“It’s Not Just Chicken Feed,"
which tells the story of the egg. To
the beat of peppy music, the story
is comically presented but packed
with facts. Inspector George and
Chicken Farmer Sam illustrate the
biosecurity methods used to guar-
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 31, 1998
despite severe ice and snow storms
in the past several years. All told,
the use of 1,600 feet of grassed
waterways and 4,900 feet of diver
sions to control water flow have
stemmed soil erosion on the
Bishop Farm.
For their efforts to conserve soil
and protect the watershed, the
Bishops of Ensenada Farm in
Plumstead Township were hon
ored early this month by the Pen
nsylvania Association of Conser
vation Districts (PACD) at its
annual awards banquet in
Scranton.
David is a fourth generation far
mer on the dairy. David’s father,
George, developed a conservation
plan in 1967 and promptly had the
farm contoured and stripcropped.
Dave Bishop practices conser
vation tillage on all cropland. This
spring, he no-tilled 235 acres of
(Turn to Pago A2O)
antce that eggs are safe to eat
The video is to be used in school
presentations and as an education
al tool in other public events. A
copy of the video is available upon
request
Another outstanding achieve
ment was that Kendra Weaver, for
mer poultry ambassador, was fea
tured on the cover of Lancaster
County Magazine.
“We (the poultry industry)
received publicity we never had
before through Kendra’s efforts,"
Mattilio said.
Sarah Woodling was introduced
as the newly appointed Poultry
(Turn to Pag* A 32)
$29.50 Per Year
Aquaculture Now Legal
As Agriculture
In Pennsylvania
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co,) Aquaculture in Pennsyl
vania is to soon be formally recog
nized as agriculture and encour
aged in its development
On Oct. 16, state Gov. Tom
Ridge signed into law the state
Aquaculture Development Law,
which goes into effect mid-
December.
Though the law was expected to
be passed by the current Legisla
ture, the importance of the now
officially recognized branch of
agriculture has not been lost on the
industry.
Pa, Cooperatives Council
Recognizes Outstanding Efforts
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
ALTOONA (Blair Co.) The
Pennsylvania Council of Coopera
tives (PCQ held its annual meet
ing and awards program Wednes
day at the Altoona Ramada Inn.
The annual meeting of the more
than 25-year-old organization is
held to recognize outstanding
achievements of members, discuss
issues of concern, provide educa
tional forums, and conduct associ
ation business.
In association business, the
directors re-elected its slate of
officers. They are Randall Mea
bon, president; James Barnett, vice
president; and Bruce Stainbrook,
executive director. The position of
secretary is non-electcd and is
fulfilled by the executive director.
Crystal Smithmycr.
The day’s program began with
Lancaster County Poultry Ambassador Sarah Woodling
accepts a scholarship from George Georges on behalf of
the Poultry Association, which held its annual banquet
Tuesday evening. Photo by Lou Ann Good.
600 Per Copy
That goes for the state Farm
Show Commission, as well.
In fact, the Farm Show Com
mission, which oversees the state
Farm Show Complex and the orga
nization of the annual state Farm
Show, has been aggressive in help
ing to promote the industry.
For the first time this year,
there’s to be a new state Farm
Show judging division for show
classes that reflect student aqua
cultural projects currently con
ducted by high school students.
(They must be enrolled in classes
taught by agricultural instructors,
which, to knowledge, follows
(Turn to Pago A3O)
leadership training in the morning;
was followed by an awards lunc
heon featuring state Secretary of
Agriculture Samuel E. Hayes Jr.;
then two speakers Dennis Hat
field, a senior leadership consul
tant with the Gallup Organization,
and state Deputy Secretary of
Agriculture Russell Redding; and
a discussion by two representa
tives of the large dairy coopera
tives Land O’ Lakes Cooperative
and Dairy Farmers of America
Inc..
The afteroon finished with the
business meeting and the election
of officers.
In Secretaty Hayes’ talk to the
group, consisting of representa
tives of many of Pennsylvania's
and regional cooperatives with
concerns from energy to dairy ser
vices to supplies, Hayes said that a
(Turn to Pago A 36)