V 01.46 No. 16
Graziers Learn ‘Maximum
Techniques At Conference /
MICHELLE RANCK
Lancaster Farming Stqff
QUARRYVILLE (Lancaster
Co.) Careful management,
agreed speakers at the Southeast
Pennsylvania Grazing Confer
ence, is the key to a successful,
profitable grassland operation.
The conference brought to
gether producers and speakers
to exchange ideas during the
two-day event at the Solanco
fairgrounds.
In its eighth year, the confer
ence attracted approximately
200 people for the educational
event sponsored by the Lancas
ter County Graziers.
Cove Mountain Farm
Glen Moyer, Cove Mountain
Farm, Mercersburg, Franklin
County chose to try operating a
grass-based farm because of fi
nancial reasons. In 1996 Moyer
took up the challenge to develop
a seasonal dairy farm from the
ground up on a farm willed to
American Farmland Trust.- Qf
the IgnOrT3oo acres, 200'of the
acres are in grass.
Duane Hertzler, Mover, Mercersburg; Dave Forgey, Logansport, Ind.;
Kenneth King, Hutchinson,Aan.; HeMy Strife. Williamsport, Md.; and Tim Fritz, farm
management extension ageht, Chester County, each shared their grazing experiences
and expertise during the recent two-day conference at Solanco fairgrounds. Photo by
Michelle Ranck
The Pennsylvania Junior Holstaln Assoolatton recently conducted its 2001 state con
vention at the Radisscn Hotel. West Middlesex* Distinguished Junior member contest
winners include, from left to right, Christopher Vanco, Sarah pay, Scott Walton, Megan
Sehanta, Jaaen Troutman, and Melissa Sehuier. See photo essay on page A2B.
Four Sections
Last year Moyer and his
family milked 118 cows.
Having begun with registered
Holsteins, Moyer was intro
duced to the Jersey breed by a
neighbor and over time has
added Jerseys to his crossbreed
ing program. “We’re definitely
into color. It’s not all black and
white.”
To make a lane for the cows,
he topped an old diversion ter
race with loose gravel. Moyer
feeds his herd round bales with
an unroller.
. Cove Mountain Farm weath
ered a tough lesson and was in
troduced to its “number one
challenge” with an endophyte
fescue problem. Irrigating the
pasture too late, said Moyer, al
lowed the fescue to grow while
leaving other plants dormant.
The endophyte problem, esti
mates Moyer, has affected pro
duction, body condition, and
even reproductive efficiency.
The seasonal setup means
that the Moyer family milks
from.., apqrmiimatelv early
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, FobrujCSfe+Z, 2001
March to early or middle ianu-j
ary. c.
Additional informatioiv'mis
grass-based farming systems
and Cove Mountain Farm is
available at Grassfarmer.com.
The Strite Family
Pastoring a church and rais
ing four homeschooled boys
helped to put Harry Strite, Wil
liamsport, Md., on a mission for
a lower-stress, less time
intensive way to farm.
Besides the Ayrshkres, Suite’s
crossbreeding program includes
Holsteins, Normandes and
Dutch Belt cattle. The “rainbow
herd” also includes New Zea
land genetics and even Guern
sey and Jersey cattle, besides
recently-purchased Linebacks.
Once the calves afS% big
enough to go out on a pasture,
they are introduced to the “calf
mobile.”
Inspired by the “chicken
mobile,” this setup, 50 feet
square, is constructed of two-by
(Tum to Pago A4O)
Calvin Ernst plants about 2,000 acrss, which are divided
among five townships and spread throughout a 15-mile
radius. All of the plots are in Crawford County. Ernst
spends his time cultivating what most farmers try to de
stroy In their fields what most of us label as common
weeds. With more than 2,000 acres in production, Ernst
Conservation Seeds markets the seeds and cuttings of
about 200 different native perennials, which he sells to
anyone who wants to return land to its natural state.
Photo by Santfy Bradley
They’re Not Weeds,
But ‘Conservation Seeds’
SANDY BRADLEY
Crawford Co. Correspondent j
MEADVILLE (Crawford
Co.) —Although Calvin Ernst is
a farmer, he doesn’t raise live
stock or animal feed. Althougl)
his clients are people, he doesn’t
raise produce for human con
sumption. 5
And, while Ernst can be called
progressive, his success isn’t
based on new technology.
To many people’s surprise,
Ernst spends his time cultivat
ing what most farmers try to de
stroy in their fields what most
of us label as common weeds.
With more than 2,000 acres in
production, Ernst Conservation
Seeds markets the seeds and
cuttings of about 200 different
native perennials, which he sells
to anyone who wants to return
land to its natural state.
“We’re a telephone-based in
dustry,’’ he said of his mail
order business. “We have five
lines and three girls answering
phones. We try to service from
Indiana to North Carolina and
up into the Maritime provinces.
That’s where our. seeds are
adapted to. Kentucky and Ten
nessee are pretty good all the
way up to Maine and[ Canada.
$32.00 Par Year
We sell to seed companies or in
dividuals. We have a network of
distributors and direct sales.
“This product never goes to
the retail sales,” he said. “We
sell more to the restoration
range of people like the contrac
tors that want to restore really
bad strip mines and wetlands
and sfltff like that. Nothing that
a Wal-Mart would sell. (As far
as) the Wal-Mart stuff people
want to see something bloom
right away. Ours is perennial
and takes several years to estab
lish. Our stuff is a native ecotype
and will be there for 50 years if
established and maintained
right.
“But we do sell to a lot of golf
cpurses that want out-of-play
areas like with the native
grasses, asters, goldenrods, and
things like that. If they want to
have butterfly or bluebird habi
tats and want to quit mowing
that’s the kind of thing that
we do well.”
Ernst earned an agronomy
degree in 1963 from Penn State,
and he planted his first commer
cial crop in 1962, a five-acre plot
on his parents’ farm consisting
mostly of crowned vetch.
60<t Per Copy
(Turn to Pago A 36)