82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 19, 2000
Progress Makers
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
ROCKSPRING (Centre Co.)
Seeking information, enter
tainment, fun and food, thou
sands swarmed the grounds at
Penn State’s Russell E. Larson
Agricultural Research Center
during Ag Progress Days.
They were not disappointed.
“I’m thoroughly enjoying
this,” said Nancy Witmer of
Manheim.
She was one of the visitors
who wanted to know more about
the West Nile disease spread by
mosquitoes. She found a work
shop on insect borne diseases in
triguing.
Some farmers attend to see
and hear about the latest ma
chinery and crop advances.
Children climb over the tractors,
collect stickers, balloons, and
other freebies, admire the ani
mals in the petting zoo and wild
life workshops, and participant
in many of the games and activi
ties held in the Family Room.
For many families, Ag Prog
ress Days is an annual trek.
Stanley and Julie King, Belle
ville dairy farmers, said they
come every year. So do Michael
and Melody Fogal.
Aaron and Virginia Zimmer
man said that it was the first
time they attended the event
since they were married. Aaron
wanted to talk with all the seed
people, but they found so many
other events interesting to them
selves and their children,
Heather, S, Monica, 3, and
Conrad, 2.
Of course with so many activi
ties and exhibits, it takes hun
dreds of people to work at the
booths and workshops. But the
exhibitors seem to enjoy it as
much as the visitors.
While Dale Schnupp, Leba
non, stayed with the booth, his
Below, extended family
members such as these
hold a mini-family reunion
at Ag Progress. From left
are Bradford Countians
Dalton and Lisa Weber with
children, Christ!, 10, and
Travis, 6; Grandma Velma
Schnupp, whose husband
Dale is a standholder from
Lebanon, and grandchil
dren Kyle Burkholder,
Rome, and Kelvin Diffen
bach. Wolmesdorf.
wife Velma accompanied her
grandchildren and daughter
Lisa and husband Dalton Weber
around the grounds.
The three-day event, which
ran Tuesday through Thursday,
offered workshops on health,
food, gardening, landscaping,
inventions, and innovations
show people how to integrate
new findings into their everyday
lifestyles. Informational tours
on woodlot management, nu
trient management, and stream
bank conservation gave visitors
a chance to view the research
being carried out throughout the
year.
The family center is packed
with fun activities for children
and adults to learn how to eat
for better health.
Not all classes were taught by
adults. Second-grader Tara
Fisher helped her mom Susan
teach a Kids in the Kitchen
workshop. The audience could
participate in “shaking them
selves silly” to make ice cream
in the bag and yogurt pudding.
“Children can learn early in
life that cooking is fun. It
teaches them lifeskills and helps
them with math and science,”
Susan said.
Numerous games and activi
ties provided educational
knowledge with lots of laughs.
Prizes were given to those who
found the right answers by
Above, milk promoters for Pennsylvania Dairy Princess
Program Services, from left, include Pennsylvania Alter
nate Amanda Giikinson; Junia Isiminger, PDPPS coordina
tor; Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Lori Connelly; Roberta
McConnell, western coordinator; and State Alternate Re
becca Kilgore.
After “shaking herself silly” Tara Fisher slurps some of
the ice cream she made in a bag. At left, Samantha, 5, and
Nicholas, 3, find their own entertainment. They are the
children of Michael and Melody Fogal, Mt. Union.
Above, ready to play ball
are Eric, 7, Kendric, 5, and
Corey, 2, children of Mike
and Janie Musser, Denver
hog and chicken farmers,
with a cousin, Randall.
searching for clues in a treasure
hunt held in the Family Room.
Farm safety is always a con
cern for farm families. Many ac
cidents can be avoided by taking
the proper precautions. The
Women’s Auxiliary of the Penn
sylvania Farm Bureau set up a
miniature farm display. Those
who found the 17 hazards re
ceived a prize depending on
their ages. Some of the prizes
were sunglasses, earplugs, and
coloring books. Their names
were also entered in a drawing
for a smoke detector.
Connie Teel, safety chairman,
said that 40 percent of reported
farm injuries happen to women.
Women, she said, do a lot of
the barn work, making them
(Turn to Pago B 3)