SZ9 P 3 1838 Z 030 11
294Z88 I I
*' SERIALS RECORDS
176 PATERNO I ISR ARY
UNIVERSITY PARK PA 1680 Z-1808
Vol. 49 No. 3
Big Changes On The Farm Front
New Face Of Nutrient Management Planning Could Be Phosphorus In Act 6 Revisions
CHARLENE M. SHUPP
ESPENSHADE
Lancaster Farming Staff
Editor’s note: Farmers will
soon face new challenges as they
begin to cope with changes to the
state’s Nutrent Management
Law. This two-part series will ex
plore those changes.
Part 1 of 2
MOUNT JOY (Lancaster Co.)
When Pennsylvania embarked
on its first nutrient management
law in 1993, it was noted as a
major breakthrough. Pennsylva
nia became one of the first states
to implement a Nutrient Man
agement Act.
Since its official implementa
tion in 1997, the law a chal
lenge on all fronts to farm owners
and land managers has come
up for review. In the proposed
changes, it includes a switch from
a nitrogen-based plan (N-based)
Farm preservation honors went to several landowners at the annual Lancaster
Farmland Trust banquet Wednesday evening at the Quality Inn and Suites. From
left, Mae and Paul Kline, Warwick Township; Herma Losensky, Warwick Township;
and Karen Wenger, Elizabeth Township. See story page A 22.
Photo by Andy Andrews, editor
Don Robinson Reflects On 36-Year
Career In Lancaster County Agriculture
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
The name “Don Robinson” is
a familiar one to Lancaster
County’s ag community. For 26
years, he headed the adult farmer
instructor program for Eastern
Lancaster County School Dis
trict, and for the past 10 years the
Lancaster County Conservation
District (LCCD).
Robinson, 65 years old and
successfully recovered from heart
and prostate problems, plans to
retire at the end of this year. The
event causes him and others to
reflect on a career that has touch
ed so many lives.
www.lancasterfarming.com
to a phosphorus-based plan (P
-based). In Pennsylvania, the se
lected method of phosphorus
Luke Brubaker and Kevin Seibert discuss points of the farm’s nutrient management
plan. Photo by Charlene Shupp Espenshade
Robinson’s hands-on technical
help with individual farmers in
Inside
The Farmer
✓ Lancaster Farm
land Trust page A 22.
✓ Lancaster DHIAs
page 819.
✓ Chester County
extension meeting
page A 42.
✓ Poultry Seminar
page A 32.
Four Sections
management will be through the
Phosphorus Index (P-Index).
The State Conservation Com
eluded developing farm manage
ment skills, soil testing, fertiliza
tion, weed control, crop
management, balancing feed ra
tions, forage analysis, record
keeping, tax management, farm
business analysis, and more. This
work provided a strong back
ground for his duties as district
administrator for LCCD to over
see conservation of soil, water,
and other natural resources.
Robinson’s agriculture career
is quite surprising, considering he
grew up in suburban Philadel
phia with no farming back
ground.
“In high school, I took an ag
(Turn to Page A3O)
Saturday, November 15, 2003
mission is charged with the ad
ministration of Act 6 and review
of the current law and the recom
Centre County Conducts
Farm-City Banquet
Special to Lancaster Farming
SPRING MILLS (Centre Co.)
On Thursday, Oct. 30 members
of the farm and urban commu
nity of Centre County attended
the 2003 Farm-City Banquet here
at the Penns Valley Area High
School.
Festivities began at 6 p.m. with
a hospitality bar comprised of
different kinds of cheese, crack
ers, and a mild punch. The bar
was served by Ashley Bird,
2003-2004 Centre County Dairy
Princess and sponsored by the
Centre County Dairy Promotion
Committee. Guests were then
treated to a delicious ham and
turkey dinner served by the
Penns Valley Band Boosters.
Approximately 175 people at-
After 26 years as Eastern Lancaster County School
District’s adult farmer instructor and 10 years as adminis
trator for Lancaster County Conservation District, Don
Robinson’s sphere of influence is remarkable.
Photo by Lou Ann Good, food and family features editor
$37.00 Per Year
ASHLEY D, BIRD
$l.OO Per Copy
mended changes to be made.
Doug Goodlander of the State
Conservation Commission said
the decision to move to a P-Index
was one that was carefully evalu
ated between several options
available to manage phosphorus
on a farm.
Goodlander stresses that the
majority of soil loss, the major
transport mechanism for phos
phorus, is handled through a
farm’s conservation plan. “But
there are certain situations on
certain farms that erosion con
trols will not control the phos
phorus. The commission is trying
to find those situations and try
ing to address them.”
A study commissioned by the
State Conservation Commission
at Penn State found the P-Index
the most economical way to han
dle phosphorus on a farm and
(Turn to Page A 24)
tended the banquet and enjoyed
listening to several speakers for
the evening. In the audience for
the evening were Pennsylvania
state officials, politicians, county
officials, and other community
leaders
Master of Ceremonies was
Kathleen Matason, past president
of the Kiwanis Club of State Col
lege and director of operations at
Ben Franklin Technology Part
nership. Matason welcomed ev
eryone and introduced Dr. Rich
ard Deitrich, spiritual life
director at Spring Creek Presby
terian Church. Deitrich gave the
invocation and presented the en
tertainment as an Elvis imper
sonator singing several Elvis
Presley songs.
(Turn to Page A3l)