fn V-Nnw’o f , , i est;e i r Gardeners at their spring semi- Downingtown. topics which will be covered,
vantflirp nfu nar > Saturday, Feb. 26, from 9 Pruning, repairing your law, Each of these session will be
offered hv p Pnn P c fQf 6 ?/’ e ! ng am - to noon in the hall of the propagating plants, and begin- open to home gardeners’ ques
e Master Central Presbyterian Church in ning a vegetable garden are the tions, with Penn State Master
Dairy Of Distinction Seeks Nice Looking Farms
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) Do you take pride in
maintaining your dairy farm?
Does your farm project an at
tractive, wholesome image to
consumers? If so, the Dairy of
Distinction Program of Pennsyl
vania, New York, New Jersey,
and Vermont is looking for you.
The Northeast Dairy Farm
Beautification Program that
oversees the Distinction pro
gram was first started in 1983 in
Pennsylvania. The Dairy of Dis
tinction recognize the hard work
and dedication of the farmers
who maintain attractive farms
The purpose of the program is
to instill a greater sense of confi
dence in the wholesomeness of
dairy products, thus increasing
sales.
Farms that apply are judged
on the roadside appearance of
building, grounds, and sur
roundings, since this is what our
dairy product consumers ob
serve as they drive by the farm.
The cleanliness of the barn
yard, feed areas, and manure
management are all areas taken
into consideration when a team
of judges takes a look at your
farm from the road. Your milk
cooperative or handler will be
contacted to approve your milk
quality.
Judging is conducted during
the month of May. Award
winners are announced during
local June Dairy Month activi-
• Dairy of Distinction !
Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification Program Inc. ! 2000 Pennsylvania Application •
Awards will be based upon neatness, good maintenance, and other * 2
factors that can be controlled by the farmer. Attractive background seen- « PURPOSE OF PROGRAM •
cry should not be weighted heavily in judging. All judging observations * s
should be made from a vehicle at one or more points on an adjacent • Attractive dairy farms give the consumer greater confidence m the wholesomeness of milk and stimulate milk £
public highway. If the farm is off the road, the judging will take place • sales which encourages public support for the dairy industry The award gives recognition to the dairy farmer for •
from the nearest lane. Judging should give equal consideration to old • maintaining a well-kept farmstead *
wood construction and new construction of metal or concrete block. * •
The award program may be used for subsequent advertising or pro- • ELIGIBILITY *
motion activities for dairy products or dairy farming. Farmers who * •
apply for the award agree that if selected they will cooperate with these • All Northeast dairy farms producing milk for sale are invited to submit an application for the award Dairies •
promotion activities and make ail reasonable efforts to maintain both • receiving the 10 highest scores in each of the 21 districts will receive an 18" x 24" Dairy of Distinction sign to •
the exterior and interior of heir properties in an acceptable manner. • be displayed m front of their farm •
HOW IS YOUR FARM SCORED?
HOW THE APPLICATION WORKS
The owner or operator of the dairy farm should sign the application * Your Name
and send it to the Dairy of Distinction state secretary by April 15. •
HOW THE JUDGING WORKS
Judging teams will visit farms during the month of May. Farms will be *
judged each year as the award is presented on an annual basis. Any • Cooperative or Handler (where you ship your milk, be specific),
dairy failing to maintain appearance standards will be asked to remove *
their signs. The Dairy of Distinction signs remain the property of the •
committee, not the property of the dairy farmer. All farms must achieve • v ...
1 , J f • f r-s* .... . • (Your Handler will be contacted to approve vour milk oualitv)
a compliance score of 90 percent on their Dairy of Distinction score card. • '
Your cooperative or milk handler will be contacted to approve your mdk • Location (driving directions for judging team)
quality. •
RULES FOR THE DAIRY OF DISTINCTION AWARD *
1) The Dairy of Distinction sign remains property of the Northeast •
Dairy Farm Beautification Committee. •
2) The post and bracket shall be supplied by and maintained by the • County (where your farm is located)
dairy farmer, it is suggested that a wood post 4’ x4’ x 12’ or iron pipe •
2’ \ 12’ can be used. Posts or pipe should be installed and main- • I hereby apply to the Northeast Dairy Farm Beautification Committee to have my dairy scored in accordance
tamed in true vertical position with 8’ above ground. Top of the • wiih the rules of the program for the purpose of obtaining a Dairy of Distinction sign to be displayed on my
bracket should be lower than six inches from the top of the post. * premises (No producer will be charged for sconng or sign expense)
3) Signs shall be displayed in front of the dairy at roadside. An attractive «
post or bracket, or other frame, shall be used to display the sign. No •
more than three signs should be displayed from the sign frame or * •
post, and all shall be of a style, general size, and quality comparable “*••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••#*****
» SSSSSSS!" ““ Re,urn your application by April IS to:
4) Signs shall not be moved to other premises. New owners of a Dairy ✓ PENNSYLVANIA Michael O’Conner, 324 Henning Building Dept of
Dairy and Animal Science, Penn Slale University, University Park, PA *
6) No producer shall be charged with scoring or sign expenses. IOOUZ
7) Judges’decisions will be final ✓ NEW YORK Carol Keene-Ainsille, 3993 Jordonville Road,
8) Judging will take place between May Ist and May 31st. Inr/l/xnwillo MV 1 1-I*l
9) Farms awarded a Dairy of Distinction sign in previous years will be joruotivilie, IN I IJJOI
judged between April Ist and April 30th. if they do not qualify, ✓ NEW JERSEY Joy Ricker, 91 Beemer Road, Sussex, NJ 07461
“ ” v' VERMONT - Elisa Clancy, Vermont Department of Agriculture, 16
10) Farms that do not requalify will return the sign to their regional State St., Drawer 20, Montpelier, VT 05620-2901
Dairy of Distinction committee.
Let Master Gardeners Help You Prepare For Spring
Del-Jame Farm near Hamburg in Berks County is a 1999 Dairy of Distinction
winner. Since the program began in 1987 in Pennsylvania, more than 700 farms
have been given this farm beautification award. Entries are now being received
for the year 2000 program. Take time to enter your farm now.
ties. To qualify for consideration,
you must be actively dairy farm
ing and shipping milk.
Applications are available for
Pennsylvania dairy farms from
Michael O’Conner, 324 Henning
Building, Dept, of Dairy and
Animal Science, Penn State Uni
versity, University Park, PA
16802. Phone: (814) 863-3913.
New York State applications
are available from Carol Keene-
Ainsille, 3993 Jordonville Road,
Jordonville, NY 13361. Phone:
(315)858-2770.
For New Jersey applications,
contact Joy Ricker, 91 Beemer
Road, Sussex, NJ 07461. Phone:
(973)875-4803.
For Vermont applications,
send to Elisa Clancy, Vermont
Department of Agriculture, 16
State Street, Drawer 20,
Montpelier, VT 05620-2901.
Phone:(802)828-3835.
All applications must , be com
pleted and returned to your re
• Mailing Address
• Phone Number
spective state secretary by April
15.2000.
The Dairy of Distinction pro
gram is financed in Pennsylva
nia by dairy farmers through the
American Dairy Association &
Dairy Council Mid East and the
Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion
Program in cooperation with
many local agribusiness organ
izations. The program is con
ducted with advice and help
from the Penn State Coopera
tive Extension.
APPLICATION
Farm Name
Date
Lancaster Fanning, faturday, February 12, 2000-611
Gardeners from Chester County
supplying the answers.
Refreshments are provided,
parking is free, and admission is
only $5 when received by Feb.
21, or $7 at the door. This is a
great way to meet your local
Penn State Extension folks. The
official mission of the Master
Gardeners is to help homeown
ers deal with those pesky gar
dening problems.
The timing is perfect to find
out how to prune your shrubs
and trees to manage any winter
damage, as well as to help steer
your plants toward vigorous
growth this spring. Just a few
snips here and there can make
all the difference. Master Gard
eners will tell you how.
And who doesn’t have some
bald spot in their lawn after this
past summer’s drought? You can
hear how to revive your lawn
reseeding and fertilizing will be
covered in depth. There will also
be a presentation on possible
alternatives to maintaining that
lawn, for those who want to re
duce their mowing.
How to propagate shrubs and
geraniums will be discussed, too.
You can save money by multiply
ing what plant material you
already have. It’s easier than
you think.
Easy-to-grow vegetables will
also be explored. Experienced
vegetable gardeners will share
their growing tips and help you
get started with a vegetable gar
den of your own. You can learn
from their mistakes, and benefit
from their experience.
What better thing to do while
still in winter’s cold? Start
thinking about spring, and meet
your Chester County Master
Gardeners. They can show you
what kind of help you are enti
tled to get from them through
your local extension office.
Master Gardeners are com
munity volunteers trained by
Penn State extension agents.
Once they complete their train
ing, Master Gardeners begin vol
unteer service. They cooperate
with service agencies and com
munity groups on a wide range
of gardening projects. This popu
lar seminar series is just one of
those projects.
As part of the service they
provide, Master Gardeners help
educate individuals and groups
in plant selection; weed, insect,
and disease identification; com
posting; landscape design; pest
control; park improvement; com
munity gardening; and many
more areas. If you have a partic
ular need or question, just call
the Extension Office at (610)
696-3500.
To register for the spring
seminar, call that same number,
(610) 696-3500. They will also
give you directions to the
Central Presbyterian Church in
Downingtown.
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