i Farmer D
CAROLYN N. MOYER
Bradford Co. Correspondent
TROY (Bradford County)
With a compassionate look on
his face, the aging farmer peers
out across the landscape, quietly
watching as the seasons slowly
turn from summer to fall to win
ter to spring. This is his land and
all is calm under his watch.
The annual ritual of watching
the seasons turn with anticipa
tion is echoed in farmer’s faces
across the nation. For this farm
er, however, guarding the coun
tryside is a never-ending task. He
will stand tall, singing out a trib
ute to all farmers no matter
where they live for as long as he
is able. It was for this purpose
that “Farmer D” was bom.
Towering over the land,
“Farmer D” stands 14-feet tall
and was carved from an 80-foot
tall white pine tree. Nelson and
Sylvia Waffle, who commission
ed the work, thought that carv
ing a farmer would be a fitting
tribute .to an agricultural com
munity.
“Someone should honor the
farmers,” said Nelson about his
reasons for choosing this design.
When the couple saw that the
tree in their front yard was be
ginning to die, they contacted
Dennis Beach of Wapwallopen,
Mennonite Farming History
In Europe And Pennsylvania
The Dec. 1 lecture will focus on hay and grain harvest
by Swiss pioneers.
HINKLETOWN (Lancaster
Co.) The Swiss Pioneer Preser
vation Association plans a meet
ing on the history of Swiss Men
nonites, who moved into French
Alsace and the Pfalz in Germany
where they innovated a new kind
of sustainable agriculture before
the migration to Pennsylvania.
Arc’s Holiday Bed And Breakfast Tour Is Dec. 10
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
The Arc of Lancaster County
will host the sixth annual Holi
day Bed and Breakfast Tour on
Sunday, Dec. 10, from 1-6 p.m.
Proceeds from the event will help
to provide support services for
children and adults with mental
retardation and their families.
Guests will have the opportu
nity to tour some of the most
beautiful inns in Lancaster
County. Participating inns in
Tribute To All Agriculturalists
who created the statue in May
1991.
Beach carved the entire statue
using chain saws. The whole
farmer is one piece with the ex
ception of the fork, which was
carved from a separate piece and
craftily positioned inside “Farm
er D’s” curved hand.
“He does the detail as he car
ves,” noted Nelson.
And, this larger-than-life icon
is. complete with fingernails,
buckles on his bib overalls and
straps on his boots.
For the first few years after the
carving was complete, the Waf
fles were instructed to treat the
wood with linseed oil and miner
al spirits. After the wood was
partially preserved, they were
able to apply a coat of white oil
based paint and, this past sum
mer, decided to add some more
detail to the statue. The base,
which sports 168 rings, was pre
served with one gallon of black
wood sealant. With careful man
agement, “Farmer D” will stand
at watch for 25 to 30 years.
“Every year we try to add
something,” commented Sylvia.
“We’re giving him a gray beard
and gray hair and a faded red
shirt and denim blue overalls.”
They also have been collecting
pieces of vintage farm equipment
They pioneered the use of leg
umes and crop rotations to boost
soil fertility.
The illustrated lecture by Men
nonite historians Ivan Glick and
Allan Keyser will explain how it
all happened in Europe where
Dutch Mennonites provided clo
ver seed to the Swiss Mennonites
clude the following: The E.J.
Bowman House, Nefisville; Blue
Ball Bed and Breakfast, Blue
Ball; Sheep Hill Bed and Break
fast, East Earl; The Candlelight
Inn, Ronks; and Mill Creek
Homestead Bed and Breakfast,
Bird-in-Hand.
Eby’s Pequea Farm Bed and
Breakfast in Gordonville, though
not being toured, is participating
through a donation of a one
night stay as a door prize. Four
other inns have also donated a
to scatter around him and plan
to do more landscaping work as
time permits.
Although Nelson worked on a
farm when he was 19 years old,
he is not a farmer by profession.
He moved to the Troy area in
1987 from LaPeer, Michigan. He
met his wife, Sylvia, in nearby
Mansfield while he was playing
in a band called the “Country
Drifters.” But he has always felt
a connection to the land.
“This was a 500-acre farm at
one time,” explained Nelson.
So, “Farmer D” faithfully
watches over the rolling farm
land of Northeastern Pennsylva
nia, greeting visitors who travel
between Troy and Mansfield,
ready to start each new day, no
matter what the season. And,
Nelson and Sylvia have greeted
hundreds of visitors who can’t
help but stop to see the tribute to
all farmers. Their guest book in
cludes people from all over the
United States and several coun
tries. Even Prince Charles’ cous
in couldn’t resist the urge to stop
in to talk with Farmer D’s cre
ators.
“Everyone falls in love with
it,” said Sylvia. And it is clear
that Nelson and Sylvia wouldn’t
trade their beloved farmer for
anything.
as they moved into France and
Germany. Later, they came to
Pennsylvania, where they and
the Quakers brought their unique
farming methods.
The Dec. 1 lecture will focus
on hay and grain harvest with
special emphasis on the tools
Lancaster County Mennonites
used including Joe Shirk’s
grain cradle. Machine develop
ment during most of 300 years
up to Ed Nolt’s New Holland
baler invention, as well as Ike
Smoker’s bale thrower that beat
John Deere’s patents, will be de
tailed. A hands-on antique farm
tool display is planned.
Keyser is a specialist on Penn
sylvania Dutch food research,
antique looms, and fabrics, as
well as old buildings. He and
Click share an interest in the his
tory of farming. They study the
development of gristmills, cov
ered bridges, barns, and old
houses. Their barn research
shows how barn designs change
as farming practices change.
Starting time for the Dec. 1
meeting is at 7 p.m. The Chris
tian Aid Ministries Warehouse is
located at 2412 Division High
way, five miles east of Ephrata,
on the north side of Route 322.
Admission is free. A free-will
offering will be taken to benefit
the Swiss Pioneer Preservation
Association as they work to pre
serve the local landmarks.
For more information, contact
Raymond Zimmerman at (717)
354-4301 or (717) 354-7139.
stay at their inn as a door prize
for some lucky tour participants.
Tickets for this spectacular
event are $lO in advance or $l2
if purchased at an inn the day of
the event.
The ticket not only gains ac
cess to these superb inns, but also
enables the guest to possibly win
an overnight stay at one of the
inns participating in the event.
Tickets will be available after
Nov. 1 at Park City Boscov’s,
Stauffers of Kissel Hill stores,
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 25, 2000-817
Standing 14-feet tall, “Farmer D” watches the sea
sons turn as he looks out over the rolling hills of North
eastern Pennsylvania. “Someone should pay tribute to
the farmers,” said Nelson Waffle about his and Sylvia’s
decision to turn a dying white pine tree into a highly de
tailed statue of a farmer.
Outstanding 4-H
Equestrians Honored
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
Lebanon County 4-H members
enrolled in the horse project were
honored for their outstanding ac
complishments during the coun
ty recognition banquet held Nov.
3 at the Schaefferstown Fire
Hall.
The 4-H horse program pro
vides youth, between the ages of
8-19, with the opportunity to ac
quire horsemanship skills, learn
horse care and management, and
explore interests in the horse in
dustry. Ownership of a horse,
while desirable, is not required to
participate in the 4-H program.
Dr. Nan Hanshaw Roberts, a
veterinarian with the Pennsylva
nia Department of Agriculture,
presented a program on West
Nile Virus focusing on how the
disease effects horses. Members
of the Lebanon County 4-H
horse judging team made a pre
sentation on the basics of horse
judging.
Receiving awards for their
achievements in the county
grooming and showmanship
contest were Kristi Klein, Leba-
non; Bethany Parker, Annville;
Natasha Holler, Lebanon; and
Herr’s Market in Marietta and
the following locations of The
Bank of Lancaster County: New
Holland, Leola, Christiana,
Strasburg, Greenfield, Mill
ersville and Ephrata. Tickets can
also be purchased at The Arc of
fice or by mailing a check made
out to The Arc along with a self
addressed stamped envelope to:
The Arc, 630 Janet Avenue, Lan
caster, PA 17601.
For more information call The
Arc at (717) 394-5251.
Jennifer Campbell, Annville.
Brandt’s Mill & Saddlery, Leba
non sponsored the grooming and
showmanship awards. Addition
al awards were presented to win
ners of county, district and state
performance and production
classes. H & H Tack Shop,
Chapman Ford and First Union
Bank sponsored the awards.
Outstanding project record
book trophies were presented to
Bethany Parker, Annville; Jenni
fer Campbell, Annville; and Me
lissa Hershey, Cleona. Members
are required to keep detailed re
cords of their feed costs, main
tain a monthly stable record, and
write a story of their project ex
periences. Members receiving
gold ribbon awards for scoring
98 points and above on their re
cord books included: Katie Ei
senhauer, Lebanon; Sarah Le
vengood, Newmanstown;
Lindsey Sattazahn, Annville;
Ashley Zimmerman, Palmyra;
Cody Gosch, Fredericksburg;
and Jennifer Landis, Newmans
town.
Members of the county 4-H
horse judging team which placed
sixth in state competition were
Kim George, Annville; Jennifer
Landis, Newmanstown; Beth
Parker, Annville and Lindsey
Sattazahn, Annville.
Adult volunteers recognized
for their leadership of the 4-H
horse program included Amy Jo
Gosch, Renee Levengood, Kris
tin Schellhamer, MicheVoydik,
Tammy Beard, Alice Jones,
Donald Parker, Kathy Phillips,
Dave Sattazahn, John Tshudy,
Eileen Yorty, Amy Zellers, Wi
lann Miller, and Barbara Stoyer.
4-H I
HAPPENINGS