SS9UNBI Grower^ A J3^l.£Ur JCCtCKi^wßy Community Supported Agriculture In Full Swing At Fulton Farm DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin Co.) Chambers burg-area residents who want fresh, locally grown food can find it just about all year long at Fulton Farm on the campus of Wilson College. Customers buy seasonal shares in the community sup ported agriculture (CSA) op eration and receive a weekly supply of “certified naturally grown” vegetables in return. “Certified naturally grown” is a relatively new designation, Have A Place For A Pond? Here Are A Few Points To Consider Before Taking The Dive MICHELLE KUNJAPPU Lancaster Farming Staff BRICKERVILLE (Lancas ter Co.) Perhaps it is that comer of the yard that could use a new look. Maybe it is the section of the deck that would lend itself to an added attraction. Possibly it is the appeal of having colorful fish and throaty, croaking frogs on the property. Whatever the reason, home Putting Water To Work Fish Hatchery Finds Opportunity In Niche Market MICHELLE KUNJAPPU Lancaster Farming Staff MERCERSBURG (Frank lin Co.) If any other farm family would see that 300 of their acres are under water, they would call it a disaster. For some operations, how ever, land under water is the necessary element to grow the operation’s cash crop: fish. At Mount Parnell Fisheries, Incorporated, the fish saved by their flashy colors and translucent fins are not headed for<a grocery store son Lancaster Farming • meaning food produced in compliance with certified or ganic standards but without the paperwork and certifica tion fees to back up the claim. In this case, neighboring farm ers inspect the operation. That system makes a lot of sense on Fulton Farm, accord ing to Matt Steiman, farm manager. “There are those of us who don’t have time for all the pa perwork or money for the fees, yet still grow by the same methods,” Steiman said. The cost and time required owners are lining up to put in liners and begin ponds in their backyards. An Increasing Trend Brian Smith, water garden manager at Esbenshade’s Greenhouses and Garden Centers, describes the interest as “an ongoing trend that’s been increasing over the last 5-10 years,” he said. “I think people are spend (Turn to Page El 2) seafood market. The business sells 15 types of ornamental fish to distribu tors who then merchandise the fish to pet shops or water garden centers. The 300 acres of water in- continental U.S. elude more than 300 ponds Half of the crop is feeder ranging from a quarter acre to fi s h _ the smaller, more mod six acres in size. e st “Comet” goldfish that Approximately 60-70 dis- owners feed to their larger, tributors buy the fish. “Most tropical fish, of our customers get fish 52 Besides the comet goldfish, weeks a yem-,” said Mike Rice, Shubunkin (ca lico-colored manager of the family busi- . ........ ...V. .•(TurntoPage El 9). i tICSSe {.{iff. Section E • for organic certification would like this one, where most of be prohibitive for a small farm the produce is picked up by Matt Steiman, manager at Fulton Farm, grows ex tended-season spinach, mixed greens, and other vegetables in two passive solar greenhouses. Photo by Dave Lefever With Consumers, Product Integrity Critical To Survival Of Organic Label ANDY ANDREWS Editor BIRD IN HAND (Lancas ter Co.) For consumers to rally around the organic ideal, first there has to be integrity and trust in the process, according to Leslie Zuck, ex- Thirty percent of the fish are exported to countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico, besides the Saturday, May 17, 2003 * ecutive director of the Penn sylvania Certified Organic (PCO) Association. Zuck spoke at PCO’s Or ganic Standards and Produc tion Workshop in early March at the Bird In Hand Family Restaurant. Mount Parnell Fisheries, Inc. sells 15 types of or namental fish to distributors. Mondays may start at 5 a.m. for employees such as Herbert Hostler, who need to get the fish off to the airport for ship ments Photo by Michelle Kunjappv •* f.f i i t 4 y A’yyjr *• * * • * * 4 * * « * « customers on the farm, Stei man said. Visitors are wel come to see any aspect of how their food is grown and many of them do. “It’s great here,” said Donna Nordin of Fayetteville. Nordin and her two chil dren, Bailey, 5, and Leo, 2, took a casual tour of the greenhouses and farm on April 29, the first CSA pickup for the 2003 growing season. “We eat a lot more vege tables since we get them every week,” Nordin said. Steiman and his partner, Jenn Halpin, are responsible for growing and distributing produce for about 90 CSA members and their families from April through Novem ber. About 30 members cen trum to Page EIO) Ensuring that trust with consumers often takes time and can be involved, but in spectors are necessary to en sure the “viability of the sys tem you have developed,” said (Turn to Page E 2)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers