f
Hempfield Area 4-H’er On
Strawberry Winning Streak
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Heaping boxes of sweet straw
berries grown by Lancaster
County youth were available for
purchase at the Rotary Club and
4-H Strawberry Roundup here
Wednesday.
Jill Fletcher, a 7th grader in
the Hempfield School District,
raised the grand champion box of
succulent ‘Earliglo’ fruit in the
sideyard of her home on Spring
Valley Road.
Anticipating a treat, Tim Peters purchased this grand
champion box of strawberries from Jill Fletcher at the an
nual Rotary Club and 4-H Strawberry Roundup.
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Tim Peters of Lancaster
bought the prize berries for $270.
It was the second time in as
many years that Fletcher exhibi
ted champion strawberries at the
annual roundup. Last year, she
claimed top box in the first-time
exhibitor division.
Fletcher said she “bunny
proofed” her strawberry plants
by constructing a fence with a
jagged edge around the perimeter
of the patch. She also uses row
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Some of the berry money will
go toward her college fund and
the rest will be for spending,
Fletcher said.
She has reaped the benefits of
having several accomplished
strawberry growers in the family.
Older sister, Heather, and broth
er, Chris, have exhibited prize
winning berries in the past at the
roundup. Jill’s father is Dan
Fletcher, and her mother, Mich
elle, serves as Mountville Com
munity 4-H strawberry project
leader.
Virginia Maness, Lititz, had
champion entry in the first-year
exhibitor category, Donald Peters
purchasing her strawberries for
$275.
Katie Theis of Mount Joy won
reserve champion in the experi
enced exhibitor division, receiv
ing $l5O from Hess Catering.
Emily Stehman, Manheim,
brought the reserve champion
entry in the first-time division.
Emanuel Peters purchased her
berries for $B5.
A total of 58 youth from vari
ous parts of Lancaster County
participated in the roundup, in
cluding 21 just starting out with
project books, according to 4-H
coordinator Katina Showman.
Harold Keller of Mount Joy
was auctioneer for the day.
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Heald Honored As Dairy
Innovator \ Team Player
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.) Dr. Bill Heald
grew up working on his grand
father’s Chester County farm
and went on to become a major
force shaping the dairy business
in Pennsylvania.
Heald’s friends, family, and
colleagues gathered here last
week to honor him with a recep
tion for his retirement from
Penn State as professor of dairy
science.
The West Grove native said
he was 8 years old when he first
climbed onto his grandfather’s
tractor and discovered his feet
couldn’t reach the clutch and
brake pedals. Nevertheless, he
knew he wanted a life in agri
culture.
A passion for learning and
dairy science took him to Penn
State, the University of New
Hampshire, and Virginia Tech,
where he earned his doctorate in
1969. He engaged in various re
search projects and taught at
Virginia Tech before returning
to Penn State as professor in the
early 1980 s.
All the while, he remained in
volved in his family’s dairy op
eration as “observer and casual
adviser,” he said. Their herd has
expanded from 50 cows to more
than 600 and still growing
through three intergenerational
transfers. This progressive dairy
serves as an example of Heald’s
influence on farms across the
state.
Among Heald’s achievements
was his role in starting the
Dairy Stakeholders of Pennsyl
vania and the Professional
Dairy Managers of Pennsylva
nia. Launched seven years ago,
these organizations have been a
strong force in promoting a
more efficient and competitive
dairy industry in the state.
Terry Etherton, Penn State
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 1,2002-A23
dairy and animal science depart
ment head, said Heald demon
strates a creativity beyond the
intelligence and persistence re
quired for his position.
“He tends to think in a way
that is very imaginative,” Ether
ton said.
Much of Heald’s extension
work at Penn State focused on
production records and comput
er-assisted information manage
ment, especially in the area of
milk quality control. He helped
discover a connection between
somatic cell counts and milk
production, developed the first
Mastitis Expert system, and
helped transform DHIA data
management.
Heald has served as interim
Dr. Bill Heald is retiring
from Penn State’s depart
ment of dairy and animal
science. First at Virginia
Tech, then throughout the
past two decades at Penn
State, he has made signifi
cant contributions in the
areas of integrated dairy
management, recordkeep
ing, and milk quality con
trol. Photo by Dave Lefever
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airy Monthly
(Turn to Page A4l)