RICHFIELD (Juniata Co.)
After 30 years of service,
Boyd Mertz of Northumber
land retired as secretary
treasurer of the Pennsylvania
Vegetable Growers Associa
tion (PVGA) and as a direc
tor when his terms of office
expired at the annual meet
ing of the association on Jan
uary 31. Mertz had also
served two years as president
of the association prior to be
coming secretary-treasurer in
1971.
Two new directors, Lois
Klinger of Catawissa and
Keith Masser of Sacramento,
were elected to their first
three-year terms on the board
of directors. The members
also re-elected Elias Groff,
Herbert Pollock, Robert
Trax, and Dale Whitenight to
three-year terms. Besides
Mertz’s term, the terms of
Francis Janoski and George
Richard expired. Thomas
Styer of Muncy holds the des
ignated berry grower seat.
With the inclusion of potato
growers into the association,
the board decided it would be
better to return to 18 direc
tors rather than adding a
20th seat.
Keith Masser was specifi
cally nominated to represent
potato growers.
Members of the board of
directors are elected by the
general membership of the
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Mertz Retires As PVGA Secretary-Treasurer
association at the annual
meeting during the conven
tion while the board of direc
tors elects the officers.
Officers were elected to
one-year terms. Barron Heth
erington was elected to a
second one-year term as pres
ident along with John Mason
as first vice president and
Hilary Schramm Jr. as
second vice president. Ru
dolph Grob was elected
secretary-treasurer to replace
Boyd Mertz, whom he pre
ceded in that office 30 years
ago.
Barron Hetherington has a
fresh-market vegetable and
berry operation in Ringtown,
Schuylkill County. He also
farms several hundred acres
of agronomic crops. Many of
the vegetables are sold whole
sale and the strawberries and
some of the vegetables are re
tailed at the farm.
Hetherington is a Master
Farmer and a second
generation PVGA director
who has been on the board
since 1987.
John Mason, along with
his wife and two sons, oper
ate a vegetable and berry
farm in Lake City, Erie
County. They have a modern
retail farm market in nearby
Erie City and also wholesale
certain crops such as fresh
market sweet corn and green
beans and processing grapes.
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Mason has been a director
since 1981 and previously
served two years as president.
Hilary Schramm Jr., along
with his brothers, operates
Schramm’s Farm and Orc
hards in Jeannette, West
moreland County. The
Schramms grow a wide vari
ety of fruit, vegetable, and
greenhouse crops which they
retail at their farm market
and several farmer’s markets
in the Pittsburgh metropoli
tan area. Schramm has
served as a director since
1997.
Grob worked at Funk’s
Farm in Millersville for 48
years in both production and
retail marketing of vegetables
and berries. After retiring
from Funk’s, he worked at
Schied’s Produce in Millers
ville as a salesperson. He has
been a director since about
1957.
Lois Klinger and her
family operate a vegetable
and bedding plant farm near
Catawissa in Columbia
County. They market much
of their produce at several
farmers’ markets in the
region.
Keith Masser and his
family grow several hundred
acres of potatoes near their
home in Sacramento, Schuyl
kill County. Besides their
own potatoes, they pack and
ship potatoes from other
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growers on a year-round
basis. Masser is also president
of the Pennsylvania Coopera
tive Potato Growers.
Elias Groff and his son
Steve grow vegetables and
field crops using no-till meth
ods on their Lancaster
County farms in Holtwood.
Their primary vegetable
crops are tomatoes (fresh
market and processing) and
pumpkins.
Herbert Pollock operates a
pick-your-own strawberry
operation near Indiana, Indi
ana County. He is retired as a
salesman/consultant for
Agway in southwestern
Pennsylvania. Pollock has
served on the board since
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The USDA is proposing a
new grade standard for
frozen celery and is inviting
comments.
The proposal was initiated
by a celery grower who peti
tioned USDA to establish a
new standard. This new stan
dard is intended to provide a
common language for trade,
a means of measuring value
in the marketing of frozen
celery, and guidance in the
effective use of frozen celery.
This new standard could
affect an average of 15 mil
lion pounds of celery pro-
Guide Looks At
Facilities For Roadside Markets
ITHACA, N.Y. Selling
produce from a roadside
market can be satisfying and
profitable, but only with care
ful planning.
A valuable planning tool
for persons considering a
roadside market, or looking
to improve or expand a cur
rent one, is “Facilities For
Roadside Markets,” NRAES
-52 (published April 1998), a
publication from the Natural
Resource, Agriculture, and
Engineering Service. It fea
tures plans for a roadside
stand and a roadside market,
along with 26 illustrations
and four tables.
This 32-page publication
addresses the factors that
affect whether a market will
succeed or fail. The first step,
choosing a site, is discussed
with respect to zoning and
building ordinances, visibility
and accessibility, utilities,
and appropriate drainage.
“Facilities For Roadside
Markets,” NRAES-52, re
views the necessary features
of the sales area. It should
allow for smooth customer
traffic and space should be
used such that items for sale
can be prepared, stocked, and
stored efficiently. Other as
pects of the market which
can influence customers to
come or to return include ad
equate parking, good light
ing, fire protection, and an
accessible building.
1994.
Robert Trax has served as
a director since 1989 and is
also a member of the Vegeta
ble Marketing and Research
Board. The Trax family oper
ates a large farm market, or
chard, greenhouse, garden
center, and vegetable busi
ness in Finleyville, Washing
ton County.
Dale Whitenlight and his
family operate a vegetable,
berry, and grain farm near
Danville, Northumberland
County. They also grow bed
ding plants and maintain a
retail farm market. Whi
tenight has served on the
board since 1975 and as pres
ident from 1982 to 1983.
duced yearly in the U.S.
The existing standard and
proposal can be viewed at
http://www.ams.usda.gov/fv/
ppb.html.
Comments, postmarked no
later than July 2, should be
sent to Karen L. Kaufman,
Processed Products Branch,
Fruit and Vegetable Pro
grams, Agricultural Market
ing Service, USD A Stop
0247, 1400 Independence
Avenue S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20250-0247. Comments
also may be faxed to (202)
690-1087; or e-mailed to
karen.kaufman@usda.gov.
“Facilities For Roadside
Markets,” NRAES-52, was
written by Arthur W. Selders,
extension agricultural engi
neer and professor at West
Virginia University; Ransom
Blakely, marketing consult
ant in Dryden, New York;
Grant Wells, extension spe
cialist at lowa State Univer
sity Extension; Robert
Martin, consultant and
former extension agent at the
University of Massachusetts;
Lynne H. Irwin, associate
professor at Cornell Univer
sity; and University of New
Hampshire faculty Otho S.
Wells, extension specialist,
and Francis E. Gilman,
former extension agricultural
engineer.
NRAES-52 is available for
$8 per copy (plus shipping
and handling) from NRAES,
Cooperative Extension, 152
Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, New
York, 14853-5701. The ship
ping and handling charge is
$3.75 for orders totaling $2O
or less within the continental
U.S. If an order totals more
than $2O, or if ordering from
outside the U.S., contact
NRAES for quantity dis
counts and shipping rates.
For more information or a
free publication catalog, con
tact NRAES at (607) 255-
7654, by fax at (607) 254-
8770, or by e-mail at
nraes@cornell. Or visit the
Website, www.nraes.org.
204