A22-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 9,2000
Exciting Exchanges Explained
At Lebanon Farm-City Banquet
(Continued from Pago A 1)
served at the evening’s banquet.
Dutch-Way Schaefferstown cut
the last-minute shipment of 650
smoked pork chops from Hat
field. The Lebanon Chamber of
Commerce initiated a collection
for donations to be distributed
equally among the Kutztown
Bologna’s employees for the hol
iday season.
A highlight of the Farm-City
banquet is the entertaining ac
counts of the job exchange.
Michael Deitzler, owner of
Dairy Queen West, had several
educational experiences during
his exchange with Brian
Kreider.
Deitzler admitted to putting
on a straw hat and listening to
country music as he drove to the
Kreiders’ beef and crop farm in
southern Lebanon. Lesson
number one, said Deitzler, was
that “early” meant 6 or 7 a.m. to
the farming community. Arriv
ing at 7:10, learned Deitzler, was
late.
He also received a lesson in
combining from Kreider.
“I always looked out into the fields and
saw the farmers on their tractors and
thought, ‘Wow, they’re working hard!’”
said Deitzler, who was surprised by the
“La-Z-Boy recliner, air conditioning, and
surround sound,” in the tractor’s cab. “I
was waiting for the projector to pop out so
we could watch a movie,” said Deitzler.
Brian Kreider’s day at Dairy Queen
West began with a message on the answer
ing machine “for Cowboy Kreider,” said
Deitzler. “I’m from the city, and we get up
late and we stay up late.”
Kreider helped to clean the restaurant
and serve the patrons. Although he wore
an assistant manager shirt, Kreider
quickly learned that wearing the shirt does
not substitute for practice in serving ice
cream cones. “1 couldn’t make those nice
swills, so I gave that up,” he said. At the
banquet Deitzler awarded Kreider’s efforts
for the day with a large golden soft-serve
ice cream cone.
Jackie Parker, mayor of the city of Leba
non, exchanged a day of work with Laura
Heilinger, who owns a dairy farm along
with her husband Bruce.
Parker spent her first minutes on the
farm cheering on a cow in labor. “Because
of my son Max I was able to see what it’s
like to be a mother, and I thought she
could use a little encouragement,” said
Parker.
Parker also brought the herd in from the
pasture and assisted in hooking up the
cows for milking before she was drafted to
clean out the grates.
“I was determined that I could do this,”
said Parker. “Luckily I had a supervisor,
three-year-old Emily (Heilingers’ daugh
ter), because I didn’t realize that the cows
behind me are higher than my head. Luck
ily Emily yelled ‘look out’ just in time.
That one was a little too close,” said
Parker.
She was also able to pregnancy check
several cows. “I don’t know what I was
feeling but it was a good experience
anyway.”
I always looked at farmers and thought,
‘l’d like that kind of a job, it’s peaceful and
serene and the cows are great co-workers,”
she said.
- Parker learned through her experience
that ‘‘it just takes a special kind of person
to be a farmer. It’s a lot of hard work and
I’m thankful that we have people commit
ted to farming and our community.”
Heilinger discoverd that Parker’s sched
ule is full of “meeting after meeting and in
between phone calls and paperwork,” said
Heilinger. Besides attending meetings and
fielding phone calls, however, they trav
eled to the site of a future overpass to get
citizen opinion and give input as to where
and whether or not to put the bridge over
the railroad, Lebanon’s major project.
“I was impressed with her
overall concern for the citizens
of Lebanon and her promptness
in taking care of problems,” said
Heilinger. Heilinger was also
treated to a ride-along with the
city police to learn about Leba
non’s police programs. As a
result of the day Heilinger de
cided that she would rather
farm than become the mayor.
The banquet also included
several program updates and
awards.
Fifth-grade teacher Blythe
Hunsinger gave her impression
of her Agriculture In The Class
room workshop. Lebanon
County farm Bureau sponsored
teachers to participate in the
workshop each year.
“I brought back with me a
new appreciation for the agri
culture community,” said Huns
inger. “Our students need to
realize they depend on agricul
ture for their survival.” Huns
inger believes her workshop
experience will help to enrich
her existing curriculum.
Secretary Samuel Hayes and
Dennis Grumbine, Farm Show
director, presented the Century
Laura Heilinger, Jackie Parker, Brian Kreider and Michael Deitzler entertained the au
dience as they shared their workday exchange experiences.
Farm Award to Arthur and Sara The Kralis own a 120-acre
Jane Krall. form m the south Annvule area,
“I don’t think there’s a bigger, * an< * at as in * e fouuly
more robust Farm-City celebra- f° r years. Arthur and Sara
tion in the commonwealth of Ja “ purchased the farm from
Pennsylvania,” said Hayes in his Arthur’s parents 52 years ago
address to the audience. “It’s “d tegan with 15 cows. Today
important to come together and Holstems are milked on the
recognize the importance of ag- form. Besides a dairy, the farm
riculture in Pennsylvania.” a * so hosts alfalfa, corn, rye, and
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The Kralls are now retired
from full-time farming but help
on the farm and are active in
leadership in various farm
related organizations.
The sheep-to-shawi auction,
featuring a shawl made by the
Lebanon Valley Woolsies, ended
with a bid for $275 from Darryl
and Michelle Grumbine.