A22-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 12, 2003
Grumbine
(Continued from Page A 1)
Wolff said the move fits with
the new administration’s “vision
of looking forward.” He is re
viewing resumes and expects to
announce a new director “within
the next week or two.”
Grumbine was named Farm
Show director during the Tom
Ridge administration.
Ever since his days as a 4-H’er
of 8 or 9 years old, the Myers
town farm native has had a long
and illustrious relationship with
the state’s annual ag expo.
Prior to becoming director in
1996, Grumbine served on the
Pennsylvania Farm Show Com
mision for 17 years. He has also
been a leader in a number of re
lated events and organizations.
In the late 1980 s and early
19905, Grumbine served as presi
dent of Pennsylvania Livestock
Association and chairman of the
Keystone International Livestock
Exposition. For this work and his
service on the Farm Show Com
mission, he was named to the
Pennsylvania Livestock Hall of
Fame.
He is vice-chairman of the In
ternational Association of Fairs
and Expositions, and will become
chairman in December.
Grumbine’s leadership skills
were evident early in life. In
1965, he was named Pennsylva
nia FFA president.
A lot has happened at the
Farm Show during Grumbine’s
tenure as director, beginning with
his renovation of all the livestock
pens and equipment, and ending
with last year’s $B6 million ex
pansion and improvement proj
ect.
Maryland Ag Ed Foundation Hires Secondary Education Director
HAVRE DE GRACE, Md.
The Maryland Agricultural Edu
cation Foundation has hired
Jamie Picardy as its first Second
ary Education Director.
A native of Michigan, Picardy
received a Bachelor of Science
degree in Biosystems (Agricul
ture) Engineering and a Master
of Science degree in Geography
from Michigan State University
in Grand Rapids. Her graduate
research was in Community Sup
ported Agriculture
and she has worked on
several small-scale
farms in western
Michigan and taught
undergraduate envi
ronmental and social
science courses
This is a new posi
tion for the Founda
tion as it works to ex
pand its Ag in the
Classroom program
into middle and high
school curriculums.
The Foundation has
been highly successful
in educating elemen
tary teachers and stu
dents about the impor
tant role that
agriculture plays in
their daily lives
through teacher train
ing and mobile agri
science lab visits to
schools providing
hands-on learning ex
periences for students.
Teachers are trained
to infuse agricultural
concepts into students’
reading, writing, sci
ence, math, and social
studies curriculum.
Picardy will be
working closely with
the Maryland State
Department of Educa-
Grumbine is on his way to visit his horse, housed on
his son’s property.
According to Grumbine, the
Farm Show Complex one of
the largest ag expo facilities on
the continent —is a model of a
well-run exposition center.
“We have, without a shadow
of a doubt, the most efficiently
run facility of its kind in North
America,” he said. “Any measur
ing stick you want to use, we still
come out on top.”
Grumbine credited a loyal,
dedicated staff for their help run
ning the show and managing
throughout last year’s hectic ex
pansion work.
“My staff is next to none in the
industry,” he said. “If there was a
job to be done until 10 at night,
there was never a complaint.”
During the expansion project,
Grumbine said he had some
sleepless nights, and wondered at
times if the work would get done
in time for this year’s show.
While the show for a record-
tion in developing agricultural
based activities to be infused into
curriculums such as science,
math, and social studies at the
middle and high school levels.
She will also be developing and
implementing agricultural career
awareness programs for middle
and high school students.
Another focus of this position,
will be working with the Mary
land Agriculture Teachers Asso
ciation to provide professional
breaking crowd went on as
planned in the new facility, there
was a tremendous amount of be
hind-the-scenes work involved.
“It looked like a duck going
across a pond smooth on the sur
face and a lot of churning under
neath,” Grumbine said of the
Farm Show this past January.
Under Grumbine and his stall,
the Farm Show has received a
number of national and interna
tional awards. In the past two
years, it received four awards
from the International Associa
tion of Fairs and Expositions, as
well as being named America’s
number one rodeo and livestock
facility in 1998.
A highlight for Grumbine
through all of his years of in
volvement with the Farm Show is
seeing what the event offers
youth and families across the
state.
“You see families that are
development workshops, re
source updates, and a new base
of-operations for the agriculture
science teachers located through
out the state. Jamie is currently
coordinating plans for the agri
culture science teachers summer
workshop set for July 9-11 in
Grantsville, Md.
Since joining the Foun
dation in January, Picardy
has attended the National
there for the third and fourth
generation,” he said. “It has a
tremendous impact on the rural
community in Pennsylvania.”
For Grumbine, seeing youth
receive their first ribbon in the
show ring is an unforgettable ex
perience.
“The issue is not that it’s a
blue ribbon,” he said. “The key is
that they have the ribbon with
the state seal of Pennsylvania
and thousands of people wit
nessed that.”
Of losing the director position,
Grumbine said, “Evidently (the
administration) has somebody
they feel is more qualified than I
am.”
According to Grumbine,
“about six people in the country”
are qualified for the job.
Grumbine said he would have
liked to help with the transition
to a new director.
Dennis Grumbine, at his home near Myerstown
Wednesday. He said he will maintain strong ties to the
Pennsylvania ag community.
FFA Agricultural Education In-
Service in Indianapolis and has
been busy meeting Maryland’s
agriculture and education com
munities and developing pro
grams for implementation begin
ning in the summer of 2003.
Picardy said, “Maryland has
provided me with a heart-felt
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For now, he is at home on his
farm near Myerstown, a few
miles from the farm where he
grew up. He lives with his wife
Barbara, another person highly
dedicated to Pennsylvania agri
culture.
Barbara serves with the local
Farm Service Agency and is a
member of the Pennsylvania
Milk Marketing Board.
Two grown sons, Darryl and
Darren, live nearby. Darren runs
the family’s 400-acre crop opera
tion, and Darryl continues to
keep sheep on the home farm.
A grandson, Dakota, will turn
1 year old in May.
Grumbine said he doesn’t
know what his future holds, only
that “it will be something with
agriculture.”
And one way or another, he
said, he’ll stay connected with the
Pennsylvania Farm Show.
welcome and I am excited to
have this opportunity to work
with the Foundation in develop
ing a secondary education pro
gram.” She welcomes guidance
and mput from Maryland’s edu
cators and agriculturalists. She
can be contacted at (410)
939-9030.
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