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Guest Columnist:
Jennifer Griffiths,
Communications Assistant,
The Lancaster Chamber of
Commerce & Industry
Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania is home to almost
5 000 farms, with an average farm
encompassing about 85 acres of
land In fact, the County ranks
fourth in the nation in terms of
number of farms. So, it shouldn't
be surprising that The Lancaster
Chamber of Commerce &
Industry is one of the only U S
Chambers to have a full-time
Agriculture Service Coordinator
on its staff But, it is surprising
hov\ this unique position began
and the extraordinary ways it
benefits both the Chamber and the
community
The position evolved when
The Lancaster Chamber's
Agriculture Committee
recognized a need to educate the
non I arm public on agricultural
issues such as the economic
bend its of agriculture and the
effects of agriculture on the
quality of life However, although
the idea was there, funding was a
little harder to create The
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Lancaster
Chamber
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Phone: (717) 397-3531
committee, a group of agri
business leaders and production
farmers-all Lancaster Chamber
members, first funded the position
with money donated by
organizations and individuals.
Today, the position is funded by
The Lancaster Chamber and a
grant from the Lancaster County
commissioners
In a county where total
agriculture receipts are over $7
million, The Lancaster Chamber
truly believes that its Ag
Coordinator is a strong asset, and
it recommends that individuals in
agri-business and production
farming across the U.S. become
involved in their local chambers
of commerce.
me position enables the
Chamber to be a strong advocate
for agriculture across the county."
said Jodie Rutt, The Lancaster
Chamber's director of finance and
operations
The Lancaster Chamber stays
in the forefront of agriculture by
sponsoring events such as' the
annual Agriculture-Industry
Banquet, which honors farmers
and agri-business with two
awards, the annual Farm
Financial Management School,
which assists farm managers in
making sound financial decisions
through interactive education; and
Family Dairy Days, which invites
the community to learn about
farming. Strong support for the
events is evident by the
community's involvement and the
ag industry's support. In 1998,
over 500 ag leaders attended the
Agriculture-Industry Banquet and
over 6,000 children and parents
participated m Family Dairy
Days.
The Chamber also encourages
its ag members to become
involved in Chamber sponsored
groups such as the Small Business
Group, which is designed for
members with one to 99
employees. Since production
farmers often are classified as
small businesses, local Chambers’
value-added plans also can be a
great assistance to them.
For instance, The Lancaster
Chamber offers an electricity
program through a partnership
with Pennsylvania Power &
Light's Energy Plus, which
features great service, a
competitive price, and a rebate on
electricity purchases. To farmers,
who use a lot of electricity, this
can be a valuable advantage to a
Chamber membership. Another
benefit of membership is the
Chamber's Healthcare Plan,
which along with PO’s, HMO’s
and PPO's also offers group
dental insurance, group vision
insurance, group life insurance,
and group disability income The
best part about the Healthcare
Plan is that it is available to small
businesses that, otherwise, may
not be eligible for healthcare
Besides the value-added
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benefits of Chamber involvement,
through the active participation of
the Chamber's Ag Coordinator,
farmers and agri-business
organizations know the Chamber
recognizes the importance of
agriculture in Lancaster County's
community and economic
structure.
Industrial Hemp Growers
To Meet April 16
NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster
Co.) A presentation to interest
growers in industrial hemp pro
duction is set Friday. April 16, at
Yoder’s Restaurant in New Hol
land. from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Fanners throughout the state are
invited. Shawn Patrick House
from the Lancaster Hemp Com
pany will start the meeting.
Robert Rex, the North Ameri
can fiber representative for Crane
and Company, will answer ques
tions about hemp farming prac
tices and organization.
Jane Balmer, regional represen
tative for the Pennsylvania Farm
Bureau, will be on hand to answer
additional organizational
questions.
Session To Offer Ways To Save
Money Producing Beef Cattle
YORK (York Co.) —Area beef
producers are encouraged to at
tend a beef meeting Tuesday,
April 20, at the Hoss’s Steak and
Sea House in West York.
State Extension Specialist Dr.
John Comerford will present “10
Simple Ways to Save Money Pro
ducing Beef Cattle” at the in
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 10, 1999-A27
For more information on how
to become involved m The
Lancaster Chamber of Commerce
& Industry, contact Sandy Brill,
membership manager, at (717)
397-3531 Or contact your local
chamber of commerce to see how
it can benefit you
The presentation is free and
open to the public. Seating is lim
ited. Call (717) 399-8369 if you
want to attend.
According to a news release
submitted by House Monday, in
June 1994 President Clinton
signed Executive Order 12919
promoting “strategic commodi
ties,” and hemp was included.
Approximately 30 countries
produce hemp for domestic or
export use. Canadian farmers are
producing commercially and
exporting to the U.S. Twelve states
are introducing 1999 legislation to
utilize the crop.
For more information, call
House at (717) 399-8369, Rex at
(215) 487-3317, or Jane Balmer,
(717) 653-5916.
formational session. The meeting
will begin with dinner on your
own from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
followed by the program from
7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Contact Lisa at
the York Extension Office, (717)
840-7408, if you plan to attend, so
that adequate seating arrange
ments may be planned in advance.
Beef producers are very fami
liar with the need to control costs
in the beef enterprise. Profit mar
gins are always tight and produc
ers need to look at practical ways
to save money without sacrificing
production.
For greatest impact, cost con
trol measures must be simple to
implement practical ideas. This
session will help you identify
ways you can improve beef profit
ability through more effective cost
control.