MO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 8, 2000
Hard Work, Experience
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Grand champions don't have to
do anything special, if you look at
what Brian Rankin accomplished.
On Monday, the 15-year-old
son of Barry and Kathy Rankin,
Conestoga, took home the blue rib
bon for his Pa. 41 wrapper tobacco
at this year's Lancaster County
Tobacco Show.
It wasn't anything special that
garnered Brian a champion,
according to the tobacco grower.
Since he was "a little kid," Brian
said, he’s been helping to do what
needs done on the John Wiker farm
in Conestoga. "I helped plant, hoe,
top, and strip it"
Brian, a freshman at Penn Man
or High School, took the sugges
tion of his Manor FFA adviser Gus
Birchler. Birchier suggested Brian
take some hands of tobacco to the
past year’s West Lampeter Com
munity Fair, where Brian placed
second.
At his first-ever county tobacco
show, much hard work and time,
Brian noted, helped him gamer the
award. Nothing special in the way
of fancy fertilizer or other type of
out-of-the-way care was requited.
Brian works with his father,
Barry, on the farm of John Wiker,
Conestoga. Brian helps care for
about an acre and a half of tobacco,
mostly Pa. Type 41. They also care
for about 10 beds of transplants at
Wiker’s.
The past severe
drought didn't affect the
tobacco as badly as
Brian would have pre
dicted. The growers
didn't use any irrigation
for the crop.
For the second year in
a row, Garrett R. Neff,
17, son of Dianne and
Gary Neff, Millersville,
won the blue ribbon for
Maryland 609 smoking
tobacco at the show.
Garrett, a junior at
Penn Manor High
School and Manor FFA
treasurer, farms with the
Neff Brothers partner
ship near Milletsville,
where he helps plant,
cultivate, cut, and strip
tobacco.
Garrett, who won
best of show at last
year's Farm Show, he
said, noted the market
right now is pretty poor
for Maryland 609 smok
ing tobacco.
Garrett grew what he
refers to as a “pet patch"
of Maryland 609 in two
short rows. Although
the Neffs farm 6.S acres
of the Pa. 41 type, on the
pet patch he used irriga
tion. The judges don’t
like to sec pin holes and
flea beetle damage, so
Garrett used post appli
cations of a commercial
insecticide.
Judges for the show
were Geoffrey H.
Ranch, Domestic
Tobacco Company, and
Raymond Rinehart, leaf
purchaser with Lancas
ter Leaf.
Ranch said the
champion tobacco appe
aled to the standards of
“uniformity and tex
ture” in selecting the
best
Ranck said, “When you have
had a year like we had, it’s really
something to come out with tobac
co as beautiful as we found.”
At the show, there was a total of
18 exhibitors and about 46 exhi
bits. The numbers are down from
last year, reflecting an industry in
decline.
The county show is a prelude to
the state Farm Show, scheduled
Friday at the state Farm Show
Complex. Judge is John O.
Yocum, manager of the Penn State
Southeast Extension Research
Center in Landisvillc. Judging will
take place in the Farm Show Com
plex North East Upper Section.
Following is a list of the Lancas
ter County Tobacco Show results.
LANCASTER COUNTY
TOBACCO SHOW
RESULTS
OPEN CLASSES
Wrapper; 1. Gary R. Naff. 2. Adam Niaalay.
3. Raymond Burkholder.
Binder Claaa 1:1. Stephen Knight 2. Stan
ley C. Knight. 3. Gary R. Naff.
Binder Claaa 2: 1. Dualin Mel lot. 2. Loia
Burkholder. 3. Gary R. Neff.
Pa Smoking Bottoma; 1. Jeaaica Naff.
Pa Smoking Middlea; 1. Jeaaica Neff.
Pa. Smoking Tope: 1. Jeaaica Naff.
Wrappers: 1. Brian Rankin. 2. Andrew
Harr. 3. Adam Entsitins.
FMsrt; 1. Adam Nistlay. 2. Robert Garrett.
3. Garrett Naff.
Binders; 1. Garrett Nett. 2. Alan Harr Jr. 3.
Adam Nisslan.
Bottoms: 1. Garrett Nafl. 2. Robert Garrett.
Middles; 1. Garrett Naff. 2. Brian Rankin. 3.
Robert Garrett
Tops: 1. Garrett Natl. 2. Robert Garrett.
LE
mm
VO AG
Go Long Way For Tobacco Champion
Judges for the show were Geoffrey H. Ranck, Domestic Tobacco Company, right,
holding up the Maryland 609 champion, and Raymond Rinehart, leaf purchaser with
Lancaster Leaf, with the champion Pa. 41.
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• 45 New Farms Signed On With Mount Joy in 1999
-26 From Lancaster Co. - 4 Berks Co.
- 6 Chester Co. -1 Dauphin Co.
- 4 Lebanon Co. - 4 Perry Co.
At this time of year, we want to thank all
of the farms who have joined Mount Joy
Farms Co-op 1999.
If You Are Not Part Of the Mount Joy
Family, Give Us A Call
Thank You To All Our Members For
Making 1999 A Success.
i|P
Happy New Year!
Jor
CO-OP