Jan-Feb 2007 Passages Newsletter, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

8/9/2019 Jan-Feb 2007 Passages Newsletter, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

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Serving the Community of Sustainable Farmers, Consumers and Businesses Throughout Pennsylvania and BeyondNumber 64 January/February 2007

Newsletter of the

Pennsylvania

Association

for Sustainable

Agriculture

PassagesSustainable Food and Farming Systems

PASAs signature event the

Farming for the Future confer-

ence was a success in early

February. Widely regarded

as the best sustainable agri-

culture gathering in the East,

this diverse 3-day spectacu-lar brought together an audi-

ence of over 1,700 from 33

states and 4 countries.


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Jan/Feb 2007

2007 Farming for the Future

Conference Review

3 Sustainable Ag Awards

5 Conference Volunteers & Friends,Brownback Scholarships

8 Conference Photos

6 Directors Corner

7 Presidents Corner

12 2006 Fundraising Campaign

13 Regional Marketing

14 Weed the Soil, Not the Crop

16 Farmer Profile: Berry Fields Farm

18 Educational Outreach

21 PASA Opinion

23 The Next StepGoing Organic

25 Editors Corner:The Grapevine

26 Classified Ads

30 Calendar

31 Membership & Contribution Form

2

Pennsylvania Association

for Sustainable Agriculture

114 West Main Street

P.O.Box 419

Millheim PA 16854

Phone:(814) 349-9856 Fax: (814) 349-9840Website:www.pasafarming.org

Passages STAFF & OFFICE

Staff Editor: Michele Gauger

Layout: C Factor

Advertising Sales: Michele Gauger,PASA office, [email protected]

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Kim Miller,Westmoreland County

Vice President: Kim Seeley,Bradford County

Secretary: Lyn Garling,Centre County

Treasurer: Chris Fullerton,Huntingdon County

Mary Barbercheck,Centre County

David Bingaman,Dauphin County

George DeVault,Lehigh CountyJennifer Halpin,Cumberland County

Mena Hautau,Berks County

John Hopkins,Columbia County

John Jamison,Westmoreland County

Don Kretschmann,Beaver County

Brian Moyer,Berks County

Anthony Rodale,Berks County

Jim Travis, Adams County

PASA STAFF

Headquarters

Brian SnyderExecutive Director

[email protected]

Lauren Smith

Director of Development& Membership [email protected]

Heather HouseDirector of Educational Outreach

[email protected]

Michele GaugerMembership & Research Assistant

[email protected]

Brandi MarksOffice Coordinator/Bookkeeper

[email protected]

Conference Registration StaffWill Wise

Conference Development [email protected]

Allison Shauger

Conference Registration [email protected]

Western Regional OfficePhone: 412-697-0411

David EsonDirector of Western Programs

[email protected]

Julie SpeicherMarketing Manager

[email protected]

Sarah YoungProgram Assistant

[email protected]

PASAs Mission isPromoting profitable farms which produce

healthy food for all people while respecting the

natural environment.PASA is an organization as diverse as the Pennsylvania

landscape. We are seasoned farmers who know that

sustainability is not only a concept, but a way of life.

We are new farmers looking for the fulfillment of land

stewardship. We are students and other consumers,

anxious to understand our food systems and the

choices that must be made. We are families and chil-

dren,who hold the future of farming in our hands.This

is an organization that is growing in its voice on behalf

of farmers in Pennsylvania and beyond. Our mission is

achieved,one voice, one farm,one strengthened com-

munity at a time.

PASA is an Equal Opportunity Service Provider and Employer.Some grant funding comes from the USDA and complaints

of discrimination should be sent to: USDA Office of Civil Rights,Washington, DC 20250-9410.

PassagesJanuary/February 2007 Contributors

Contributing writers and photographers: Mena Hautau, Ron Hoover, Heather House, Phyllis Kipp, Pat Little, Kim

Miller, Brian Moyer, Anne and Eric Nordell,K im Seeley, Allison Shauger,Julie Speicher, Lauren Smith, Brian Snyder,

Will Wise.

PASA in the NewsHave you seen articles about PASA in your local news-

papers or other media? PASA is active across the state,

and wed love to know what coverage we are gettingin your area. Please clip any articles you see on PASA

and mail them to our Millheim headquarters to the

attention of Office Coordinator Brandi Marks.

Do you have a great

article idea for Passages?Want to share a farming practice with members? Wed

love to hear from you. Please contact the newsletter

staff at [email protected].

Deadline for March/April 2007 Issue:

March 16,2007

Passages is printed on recycled, chlorine-free paper

Photographs on front cover

Upper Left The live auction held Friday night is

both a fundraiser and a fun-raiser, as Brian Snyder

and auctioneer Brian Magaro amuse the crowd.

Upper Right Joel Salatins books are as popular asthe speaker himself,sharing visions and techniques of

farming Joel-Style at his Virginia Polyface Farm.

Center Michael Ableman and PASA member/

herbalist Grace Lefever share a hug at the closing cer-

emony.

Bottom Left The Equipment Maintenance and

Repair workshop track lead by skilled professional

Shane LaBrake was ranked over-the-top useful by

participants.

Bottom Right, and above Chair of the PA State

Senate Ag and Rural Affairs Committee, Senator Mike

Brubaker stated,Ive been told you are a niche, are a

fringe, are a radical group of peculiar thinkers.But

what I can clearly see is that you are a group of peo-

ple of passion, coming together to find the truth,a

group that is not willing to settle for business as usual.

I support your mission 100 percent.


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Sustainable Ag Leader Award

PASAs tradition of honoring the Sus-

tainable Ag Leader took an interestingturn this year. In the months leading upto the conference, as the awards commit-tee reviewed various candidates and dis-cussed their impact on Pennsylvaniafarmers and agriculture, an out-of-the-ordinary shift took place. The person who they decided to honor, one whomthey thought has made deep and lastingchange in our states rural landscape, wasnot actually a Pennsylvanian.

Joel Salatin (shown above) of PolyfaceFarm in Swoope, Virginia, was made an

honorary Pennsylvanian at the 2007Farming for the Future conference as hewas presented the Sustainable Ag Leader-ship Award. Presenter and PASA Execu-tive Director Brian Snyder explained theexceptional circumstances in giving theaward. Joel does not live far away fromour state and frequently speaks at eventsin Pennsylvania. But more to the point,his methods have literally transformedour countryside where by now you canobserve moveable pastured poultry pens

and rolling egg-mobiles in nearly everyrural community. Brian continued,Beyond that, Joel also stimulates otherfarmers to innovate on their own, whichhas led to many novel approaches tomanaging smaller farms all over our stateand elsewhere.

As a demonstration of Joels effective-ness as a leader in sustainable agriculture,Brian asked people in the room whosefarms had been directly affected by Joelswork, and then also those who now eatdifferently because of Joel, to stand.

3

Needless to say, everyone was standing atthe end, as Joel was invited onstage toaccept the award.

In reflecting on Joels often-heardcomment that farmers need to respect thepigness of the pig and chickeness ofthe chicken Brian exclaimed in givingthe award that we were honoring theJoelness of the Joel! which drew laugh-ter and appreciation from the audience.

Salatin commented that he was deeplygrateful in part because In all my travelsaround this country, I can honestly saythat PASA is the most effective statewideorganization supporting sustainable agri-culture that I have seen!

Congratulations Joel, and thank youfor sharing your systems, methods andpassions surrounding family farmingwith all of us in PASA.

Sustainable Agriculture

Business Award

An award bestowed to only two oth-ers, the winner of the 2007 SustainableAgriculture Business Leader Award is, aspresenter Brian Snyder stated, A busi-ness that started in a garage! Brian con-tinued that this is true of many successful

business ventures and is, in fact, a reasonwhy suburbia is not all bad. Maybe inthe future when the cars are mostly gone,many new and important enterprises willtake their place in garages all acrossAmerica!

The business he was referring to withsmall beginnings, and the recipient of the2007 Sustainable Agriculture Business

Leader Award, is The Fertrell Company who just last year celebrated their60th anniversary and is the oldest pro-

ducer of organic fertilizers in the UnitedStates.Snyder mentioned, Far more than

just the physical materials they have pro-vided farmers who wish to operate natu-rally or organically, the main productofthis company has always been customerservice. I have experienced this firsthand,and a couple years ago when I had achance to speak at their annual meeting,I found that the concept of serviceextends to their employees as well there was a family-like feel to the whole

group and it was clear that employeesenjoyed being a part of it.

Leslie Zuck, Executive Director ofPennsylvania Certified Organic, took thestage to help present the prestigiousaward. Dave Mattocks and The FertrellCompany have made it possible for gen-erations of organic farmers to succeed inthe challenging field of organic and sus-tainable agriculture. Fertrell was foundedwhen chemical farming was just gettingstarted, but Dave and rest of the Fertrell

team believed that natural farming wasthe better way and theyve made believersout of many who said it couldnt bedone.

Dave Mattocks accepted the awardwith son Jeff. Dave was visibly touchedby the honor and declared You peoplehere tonight are the reason for Fertrells

Awards Celebrate PASA Community Leaders

ConferenceReview

continued on page 4

Pictured left to right:Brian Snyder, Leslie Zook,Dave Mattocks, and Jeff Mattocks.


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success for it is your believing in theconcept of sustainability that has kept theFertrell Company in existence through-out the years. I am inspired by you, andvery happy to see the percentage of youngpeople involved!

Congratulations and thank you toThe Fertrell Company. The leadershipand vision you share with all of PASA

from members in the field, throughfundraising and field day support, andsponsorship of the conference for the past14 years is tremendous!

Departing Board Officers Honored

The Friday Night Banquet was thealso the setting for the membership tohonor two of our leaders who have servedthe organization with strength and stylefor the past nine years. Kim Miller, BoardPresident and Lyn Garling, Board Secre-tary have reached board term limits andwill step off the PASA board of directorsat the spring meeting.

I A tribute was paid to Lyn Garling

by board member Mena Hautau:

Lyn is not your average board mem-ber, certainly not your average humanbeing. She has served most visibly on theexecutive committee as secretary andbrings wonderful thinking to Boardmeetings. She has a knack for looking atan issue and being able to tie it all togeth-

er with the whole. Although Lyn is pas-sionate about the organization and itsmembership, she is grounded in theharsh realities of the farming world andhas had her own share of struggle andhard knocks. As she has reminded the

board several times, some things that wesee as unsustainable in agriculture, is justpure survival for families that dont haveany other choices.

Lyn had to learn how to get morecomfortable around the words, moneyand growth of the organization and theboard. This does not mean she still is realcomfortable with it either, but has beenvaluable in keeping us grounded in whatsmeaningful about having resources andwhat we can physically accomplish as anorganization. I value that as a board

membergiving us a reality check. And finally, Lyn is a very generous

person who exhibits great passion forwhat she values in life. She juggles manythings in her everyday world. Lyn, I willmiss you as a colleague, teacher andfriend. I thank you for all you have givento this organization and know you willcontinue to serve many of us in yourother interests. I hope some of that timecan now come back to you.

I A tribute was paid to Kim Miller

by board member Mena Hautau:It just does not seem possible that the

time has come for Kim Miller to stepdown as board member and president ofthis organization. The one thing I thinkabout when I think of Kim Miller is howpresent and available he has been to all ofus. He has been there at every step. Ithink of Kims tenure as the bridgebetween the days of the founding moth-ers and fathers and todays organization,its all been under his tenure. He workedthrough the departure of founding Exec-utive Director Tim Bowser and he waspart of the team to hire Brian Snyder asour Executive Director in 2000.

Kim also has been one to lead ourboard through an intentional discussionaround organizational growth, fundrais-ing and expansion of membership. It mayall look exciting on the outside, but thereis a fair amount of growing pains thatKim has had to shoulder. He is often theperson who gets things rolling as a groupfor the board and staff, due to his close

communication with staff. This year hereally was a help with our donor fundrais-ing and led our board in setting somegoals with strategic planning for evenmore exciting change in the future.

And finally, I think Kims sense of

humor and one-liners set a tone for boardmeetings. Its work but its fun work. Youget to read Kims musings in the newslet-ter, but its even livelier in person. Kim, I will miss working with you, the discus-sions, and the laughter. You have con-tributed in making PASA a strongerorganization. I admire your tenacity as aguiding leader through the past 9 years. Ithink you have given it your all, especial-ly in times when the average leader wouldhave walked away. I want to say, thankyou, Kim Miller, that you were here to

lead us.

I A tribute was also paid to

Kim and Lyn by board member

Kim Seeley:

I have been proud to serve on thePASA board led by Kim and Lyn. Therehas not been one meeting that I haveattended that I didnt marvel at theknowledge and vision these two haveshared. They truly believe in people landand community and always refer to ourmission statement in decision making

the ultimate in leadership! Kim and Lynmay be at the end of their terms, but justbeginning in a new role, as mentors toPASA members who look to them asPhDs of Sustainability.

ConferenceReview

PASA Leaders

continued from page 3

Departing PASA board secretary Lyn Garlingwas honored during the Friday eveningawards banquet.

Departing President Kim Miller received awell-deserved ovation from conferenceattendees at the opening plenary session.


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ConferenceReview

CONFERENCE VOLUNTEERSPASA staff and board would like to thank

our dedicated volunteers who helped make our recentconference and many other programs a success.

Wendy Allem Rob Amsterdam Patrick Arndt Susan Beal Dipen-

dra Bhattarai Joanna Bohlman Emily Rosen Brown Mike Brown-

back Kathleen Brumbaugh Mike Byers Bill Callahan Sam

Cantrell Eileen Clark Melanie Dietrich Cochran Wesley Confair

Barb Corson Moie Kimball Crawford Jim Crawford Lisa Diefen-

bach Sarah DePasquale Sarabelle Eisenfeld Kathy Fields Rob Fix

Darrell Frey Sam Fromartz Ginny Gauger Barbara & Charlie Ger-

lach Aimee & John Good Sandy Guzikowski Sue & Rob Haney

Brad Halm Peggy Fogarty-Harnish Claire Holzner Erin James

Mick Kodner Becky Kretschmann Shane LaBrake Lap of Luxury

Kitty Leatham Pat Leary Brian Magaro Kerr y Martin Julie Mason

Maryann & Dennis Mawhinney Sue & Tom Maurer Sandra Kay

Miller Holley Moyer Cindy & Eric Noel Patti Olenick Claire &

Rusty Orner Lynn Prior Susan Richards Janelle Robbins Annyce

Schafft Bethany & Micah Schonberg Reni Schuh Mimi Seymour

Caroline & Don Shauger Daniel Shimp Patrick Smith Crystal

Smithmeyer Matt Steiman Amy Trauger Chris Treichler George

Vahoviak David Wrestler Effie Zuck

Special Thanks To: Liz Elmore & April Kocis

who volunteered in the PASA office weeks before the conference.

Their help came just when the PASA staff needed it!

Friends of the ConferenceAnonymous (2)

Mary Barbercheck

Nancy & Bob Bernhardt

Linda & Tim Blakeley

Michele Briggs

Moie & Jim Crawford

Andrew Crowley

Bill Curran

Ann & Robert Docken

Helen & Joe Fahy

Mary Ellen Finger

& David Vickers

Chris Fullerton

Lamonte Garber

Lyn Garling

Meg Gleason

John & Todd Hopkins

Heather House

Carl Hursh

David Lembeck

Beth & Ken Marshall

Maryann & Dennis

Mawhinney

Dianne & Kim Miller

Holley & Brian Moyer

Martha Noble

Anne & Eric Nordell

Mary Ann & William Oyler

Virginia Phillips

Rita Resick

Arias M. BrownbackScholarship Recipients

The 2007 Farming for the Futurescholarship commit-tee was pleased to award 40 applicants full two-day con-ference registrations. These awards are made possible bythe Arias M. Brownback Scholarship fund, which annual-ly benefits from members contributions. As the confer-ence has grown over the years, so have the number ofrequests made for scholarships. Thankfully, the generosityof our members has kept pace with the demand for schol-arships and PASA had never turned away an aspiringfarmer in need. Applying for the scholarship is easy andapplicants must demonstrate only two qualities: an inter-est in pursuing farming as a vocation and a financial needthat would otherwise prevent them from attending theconference. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to

this worthy cause!Here are a few comments from one of our scholarshiprecipients, It was very valuable to make contact withother dairy farmers, composters and mineral experts whocould lead us to the sources of valuable information. Itwas good to have the opportunity to come meet with peo-ple who were in great support of what we are trying to dowith our rotational-grazing dairy.

Special Note:Those who attended the workshop entitled

From Farm to Market, the Butchers View at the confer-

ence, presenter Mike Debach of Leona Meats wanted to

mention a clarification in a formula he used in the session.

In the formula to determine the cost of your animal you

need to add the processing price to hanging cost then

divide to get cut out costs. Contact Mike at 800-416-3968 if

there are questions.

Editors Note: Details and acknowledgments about

the conference food program and auctions will beincluded in the March/April Passages.

Melissa & Thomas Reynolds

Susan & Don Sauter

Peggy & Joseph Schott

Caroline & Don Shauger

Nancy Shorsher

Shary & Gary Skoloff

Lauren & Ian Smith

Paula & Brian Snyder

Genelle Sweetser

& Gene Chenoweth

Debbie Swettenam

& Linda Humphreys

Amy Talarico

Althea & William Wagman

Barbara & Michael Wahler

Sandie & John Walker

Janna Weil

Business Friends:

Amsterdam Produce

Enterprises, Inc.

Pennsylvania Womens

Agricultural Network

(PA WAgN)

Northern Tier SustainableMeat Co-op


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to the editor, Internet blogs, public meet-ings and recriminations back and forthabout the way rbST-free milk is certifiedand whether or not farmers are getting

their fare share of profits for giving upthis all important technologicaladvancement.

The whole discussion has been ratherfun to watch, especially since I was there when it was initiated. But honestly, itsnot all that funny anymore. Ive seenpublic officials looking awkward in tryingto make the world safe for rbST, andyoung people coerced into telling largecrowds that the only difference betweenconventional, rbST-free and organic milkis price.

But the saddest part of all has been theopportunity our dairy industry, andtherefore all of Pennsylvania agriculturehas missed at least so far to makeproduct quality our hallmark. As Ive saidmany times before, nothing would bebetter for all our farmers than for thewhole world to identify the name Penn-sylvania as that place where only the bestagricultural commodities can be found.

Moreover, even a modest effort on thepart of our agricultural leaders to negoti-ate with and ultimately give those proces-sors and the consumers standing behindthem what they truly want, more milkcarrying USDA organic certification,could provide a windfall for our dairyfarmers and the rural communities in which they reside. This opportunity iseven more significant given the growingimpression that some organic milkcoming from out West is little more thana product of conventional feedlots. Again, the name Pennsylvania canmean something in this regard.

If at any time you want to check onthe health of agriculture in Pennsylvania,its a good idea to look at the dairy indus-try in particular. If you want to under-stand whats happening in the dairyindustry right now, you need only do asearch on one term, recombinant bovinesomatatropin, or rbST for short.

In case you dont already know, this isthe artificial growth hormone commonlyused to treat cows on conventional dairyfarms to increase milk production by

about 10 to 15% according to its manu-facturer. The rather sudden furor that haserupted over this substance, known byMonsantos brand name as Posilac, can bedescribed as wildfire-likeand if yourenot careful, you can get burned!

My own experience with this issuebegan with the meeting last spring that Ihave reported before, where leaders ofthree large milk processing companiesmet with a subcommittee of Pennsylva-nias Dairy Task Force. The purpose ofthe meeting was to celebrate the increase

in statewide milk production that hadbeen achieved in the last couple years.

When asked for their impressions ofour apparent success, two of the threeprocessor representatives stated clearlyand poignantly that while increased pro-duction was nice, the Pennsylvania dairyindustry needed to be more concernedabout the quality of milk being pro-duced. One of them, from the HP Hoodcompany, more plainly stated that Whatwe really need is more organic milk!

So there we were, talking about a needto boost organic milk production, a topicnormally taboo within the halls of gov-ernment. Moreover, our invited guestsexplained they had identified that the fac-tor consumers of organic milk caredabout most was eliminating the use ofrbST in the production process. There-fore, in the absence of enough certifiedorganic milk, they would seek to providemilk that is at least rbST-free.

Nothing has been quite the samesince. There have been editorials, letters

6

But what about the much ballyhooedtruth about milk as some commenta-tors put it? Scientifically speaking, isthere really any difference between milkproduced one way or the other? There aretwo answers that make sense to me.

First, a tentative yes we knowthere can be differences, depending on anumber of factors that make up a wholeproduction system. Even the rbST cheer-ing squad is always careful to say that allmilk contains the same vitamins and

minerals, but never the same amountsof vitamins and minerals. They also arenot explicit about whether conventionalmilk might under any circumstances con-tain substances not found in the rbST-free variety.

Second, and not being a scientistmyself, I have to admit that I dont reallyknow the answer to this question. But asa student of ethics, I also dont really care.It is actually quite offensive to me that ascientist would suggest, given his experi-ment showing no literal difference

between two products, that I should notcare at all how each was made. This is oneindication of why scientists rarely makegood ethicists.

The question of rbST use is one ofprofound importance to our society, andwe owe consumers the ability to make aninformed choice as they see fit. Thinkabout itin sports we might ban an ath-lete for life if he or she uses artificialgrowth hormones. But were not sup-posed to care if they are used in produc-ing our food? There is a fundamentalissue of fairness involved here, and it is noless severe if the user of such substancesis a creature with no choice in the matter.

But the issue of fairness does not stopthere either. Much has been said aboutcompensating farmers for choosing notto use the technology available to them.In addition to that, however, we must askif it is really fair for anyone to profit frompushing a product that farmers were notasking for and didnt even need to dotheir best work in the first place. I

The World According to rbST

DirectorsCorner

The question of rbST use is one

of profound importance to our

society, and we owe consumers

the ability to make an informed

choice as they see fit.


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By Kim MillerIt seems everywhere I go people are

talking about food and not just aboutwhere you can get the biggest portion forthe least amount of money. The tenor ofpublic conversation has changed over thelast several years to one that PASA mem-bers have been having since the begin-ning. Folks are interested in eating foodthat is as fresh and local as possible. Theyalso want food that is free of pesticides,antibiotics and GMOs.

The success of organic food providers,coupled with public awareness and inter-est in sustainable agriculture, has the con-ventional agricultural industry circlingthe wagons to defend their shrinkingmarket. From trying tostack the NationalOrganic StandardsBoard with industryshills to rolling out aMilk is Milk disinfor-mation campaign thefactory farmers con on.

The one thing thatnever occurs to our con-ventional ag industry isto produce a betterproduct. In fact it isalmost amusing whenone considers just howeffective they can be atproducing lousy food.Over the recent holidayseason I was twice sub-jected to conventionallyraised pork loin. In bothcases the loin was care-fully and properly prepared. In both casesI was able to conclude that the porkindustry really has succeeded in produc-ing the other white meat. Yes, pork loinis now devoid of flavor, unable to holdmoisture during cooking and with amouth feel similar to sawdust, just likeindustrial chicken breast. In short, it isinedible.

We in the sustainable ag communityare frequently accused of being unscien-

tific and regressive. The science that hasproduced inedible pork loin, I will sub-mit, is nothing short of mad science. Andraising hogs in confinement with all ofthe attendant environmental risks can

hardly be construed as progressive. YetPennsylvanias agricultural industrialistsact as if only mad science, governmentsubsidy and disinformation will savePennsylvanias farmers.

In fact we in the sustainable ag com-munity welcome scientific inquiry. Bringon the research dollars within the landgrant system to develop more tasty andnutritious foods, raised with less off-farminputs. Lets be progressive and under-stand that the era of cheap oil is over andwith it the possibility of cheap fertilizer,pesticides and transportation. To insistwhat we need to do is more of the same,only harder, is regressive and one can

7

PresidentsCorner

Talking About Food

only assume that those who promote thiskind of system are doing so for personaleconomic gain.

In fact things are now so bad for con-ventional ag that we are to look outside of

food production for the savior. Biofuel,perhaps the dumbest idea ever conceivedin American agriculture. If it takes moreenergy to produce a gallon of ethanolthan that gallon produces, using corn as a

source, and we have theadded disadvantage ofdepleting what is left ofour topsoil, then howcan this be any kind ofsolution?

Mad science andgovernment subsidy is

the only answer.The real strength of

the sustainable ag com-munity is that we areopen and honest witheach other. The moreour customers knowabout food the happierwe are as farmers.

The more nutritious,tasty, and free of chemi-cal agents the food weproduce is, the happierour customers are. In

the new food system farmers and cus-tomers are allies not adversaries or dupes.

We also welcome scientific inquiryand progress. But, the kind of progressthat leads to better food. Not just foodthat has a longer shelf life or can travelfarther or be produced for a penny apound less. But, better food, like the porkloin I have in my freezer that my neigh-bor raised. Its not just another whitemeat. I

The tenor of public conversation has changed over

the last several years to one that PASA members have

been having since the beginning.

Current PASA board vice president, Kim Seeley speaks with out-going board

president Kim Miller before Friday mornings plenary session at the conference.


8/32

Brian Moyer,PASA board member and co-chairperson of the volunteer conference committ

helped introduce the Sustainable Ag Leadership award presented to Joel Salatin. Moyer att

much of the inspiration for his own successful pastured poultry business to the insights hes

gleaned from Salatins books and presentations over the years.

SA conference sponsor and exhibitor

air Energy Inc. of Ralston, PA was

e of 81 exhibitors on hand to talk

h conference attendees. Solair also

nerously donated an item for the

ent Auction.

chael Ableman gave a compelling closing keynote,

ding the three day conference with a slideshow of

otos from his latest book, Fields of Plenty.

SA conference sponsor and exhibitor

air Energy Inc. of Ralston, PA was

e of 81 exhibitors on hand to talk

h conference attendees. Solair also

nerously donated an item for the

ent Auction.

Pennsylvania Certified Organic celebrated its 1

birthday at the conference and founding mem

Executive Director Leslie Zuck talked about thnizations successes and challenges over the ye

bra Heller (left) and Charlie Boyer contributed their musical talents

ring the Sustainable Social Hour on Thursday evening. Performing

ists for Sustainable Agriculture, our newest PASA,is organized by

unteers Louise Schorn Smith and John Lozier.

Brian Moyer,PASA board member and co-chairperson of the volunteer conference committ

helped introduce the Sustainable Ag Leadership award presented to Joel Salatin. Moyer att

much of the inspiration for his own successful pastured poultry business to the insights he

gleaned from Salatins books and presentations over the years.

John and Dana Eisenstein taught an early morn-

ing class on how to make lacto-fermented drinks,

including homemade root beer!


9/32

The charity auctions held during the conference are gaining in popularity, es

the Bag and Silent Auctions held in Deans Hall,where hundreds participate. S

March/April Passages for a complete recap of this successful fundraiser.

We were pleased

Alan Bullock

Susan, PASA

members fr

Achers Far

awards banq

expressed gra

the PASA fami

support shown

year, as h

illne

no

9

PASA Executive Director Brian Snyder

enjoys addressing the crowd.

The charity auctions held during the conference are gaining in popularity, es

the Bag and Silent Auctions held in Deans Hall, where hundreds participate.S

March/April Passages for a complete recap of this successful fundraiser.

articipants in the Equipment Maintenance and Repair pre-conference track

njoyed a hands-on experience that included changing oil, filters, spark plugs and

elts.

haring the bounty of our regional foods is always a highlight at the conference,

e it at the social hour (pictured here), the special cheese tasting,or the featured

meals. A complete list of farms and businesses that participated in the food pro-

ram will be in the March/April Passages.

We were pleased

Alan Bullock

Susan, PASA

members fr

Achers Farawards banq

expressed gra

the PASA fami

support shown

year, as h

illne

no


10/32

The conference boasted 81 exhibito

year offering a wonderful diversi

peruse. Pictured here is conference

er and exhibitor Jim Gerritsen of Wo

Prairie Farm,who had a very attract

display of potatoes and seeds.

10

SA is always honored to welcome Secretary of Agriculture Dennis

lff to share a message from the State.

The conference boasted 81 exhibito

year offering a wonderful divers

peruse. Pictured here is conference

er and exhibitor Jim Gerritsen of Wo

Prairie Farm,who had a very attract

display of potatoes and seeds.

e Farmland Preservation Artists held a show of their food and

mland art during the conference, with a percentage of sales

nefiting PASA. Pictured left is artist Susan Nicholas Gephart,

plaining the artistry ofplein airpainting techniques.

Kim Millers term as president comes to an end this spring, and in defere

19 of his memorable quotes were hung in Presidents Hall of the confere

center, which was renamed Kim Miller Hall for the duration of the confby Penn States Dean of Agriculture, Robert Steele.

Susan Beal was one of 30 volun-

teers who pulled together

the conference program,

which featured over 100

workshops. For a full list

of volunteers who served

on the committee,

see page 5.


11/32

ver 60 children ages, 18 months to 12 years old, participated

n the Future Farmers Program. PASA thanks Jill Shankel of

Munnell Run Farm and the Penn State Sustainable Agriculture

ub for their efforts to offer engaging programming.

11

James Kunstlers opening keynote was a sobering message about t he changes that will

inevitably occur as supplies of cheap oil quickly diminish. However,the message was not

without hope and many participants came away with the feeling that the future of sus-

tainable agriculture looks brighter than ever. During an afternoon discussion group

Kunstler offered participants a chance to engage in a dialogue about a future withoutcheap oil and following the riveting discussion,Kunstler hosted a book signing.

PASA wishe

thank photograp

Pat Little for capturing

conference so

ver 60 children ages, 18 months to 12 years old, participated

n the Future Farmers Program. PASA thanks Jill Shankel of

Munnell Run Farm and the Penn State Sustainable Agriculture

ub for their efforts to offer engaging programming.

Custom conference merchandise and books

authored by conference speakers are popu-

lar at the PASA booth. Special thanks goes

out to committee member Lisa Diefenbach

who organized onsite sales.


12/3212

$51,940MAY 16

$51,940MAY 16

PASAFu

ndraising

By Mena Hautau, Chair,PASA Fundraising Committee

Thank you to all who responded so generously! This includ-ed an end of the year direct mail campaign and personal visita-tions to several donors by various members of our Board andstaff, which resulted in $52,666 being raised in the final quarterof the year. This, along with our other activities throughout theyear has allowed our organization to achieve and exceed our goalfor the year of $156,827.

I wish to recognize and thank all our generous members anddedicated staff who worked together with enthusiasm and com-mitment this past year. Let us now plan for 2007 with a goal ofsupporting our organization in many ways, including by con-tinuing to build its financial health and wellbeing.

Editors Note: We will kick off the 2007 Annual FundraisingCampaign in the March/April issue. I

We did it! We met ourfundraising goal!

What an amazing 2006 year end for PASA!

Our goal

$150,000

$100,000

$50,000

0

$65,482

JULY 19

$65,482JULY 19

$44, 772MARCH !&

$44, 772MARCH 17

Illustration courtesy of Phyllis Kipp

$101,529SEPT. 25

$101,529SEPT. 25

PASA Welcomes

Our Newest Business Members

AT Sales Associates, Ltd.

Oreland,PA

Boehnlien & Associates

Lewisburg, PA

Certified Naturally Grown

Stoneridge,NY

Colchester Farm

Georgetown,MDCommission on Economic

Opportunity

Wilkes-Barre, PA

Cooking for Real

Coatesville,PA

Creekside Farm LLC

Marysville,PA

Farming Magazine: People,Land & Community

Fredericksburg,OH

Freys Commissary/Meals on Wheels

Montoursville, PA

Food Matrix

Shinglehouse,PAThe Green Chefs Deli

Sewickley,PA

Hain Pure Protein Corp.

Fredericksburg,PA

High Street Pub

Bellefonte,PA

Indiana County Office ofPlanning & Development

Indiana,PA

Keystone BioFuels Inc.

Shiremanstown, PA

Long Vue Club

Verona,PA

Mennonite Central Committee

Akron,PA

Mt. Lebanon Public Library

Pittsburgh,PA

National Center for Appropriate

Technology

Butte,MT

New York Sustainable Ag Working

Group,The Center for PopularResearch, Education and Policy

Rochester,NY

Organic Materials Review Institute(OMRI)

Eugene,OR

Pendle Hill

Wallington, PA

Pharmanex IndependentDistributor

Lykens, PA

Red Hill Farm CSASisters of St. Francis

Aston,PA

Redmond Minerals

Redmond,UT

Schafers Fish Fertilizer

Thomson,IL

Seeds of Change

Sante Fe, NM

Stone Barns Center

Pocantico Hills, NY

University of ScrantonSmall BusinessDevelopment Center

Scranton,PA

Warren County

Conservation District

Youngsville,PA

Willistown

Conservation Trust

Newtown Square,PA

Winrock International

Arlington,VA

PASA Welcomes

Our Newest Lifetime Members

Linda & Eugene Aleci

Lancaster, PA

Sarah & Jason Ingle

Newtown Square,PA

Kelli Lambert &A.J. Bashore II

Danville,PA

Thomas Littlefield

& Bruce Cappel

Wynnewood, PA

Heidi Secord

& Gary Bloss

Saylorsburg, PA

Sandy & Gary Sojka

Middleburg, PA

Helen Tangires &Dennis McDaniel

Washington DC

PASA recently created a new category of PASA membership Permanent Business Partner for those businesses wishing to make a

permanent contribution to PASA.

PASA thanks our very first

Permanent Business Partner:

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

Farmington, PA

$104,529NOV. 3

$104,529NOV. 3

$156,827DEC 31

$156,827DEC 31


13/32

FARMS

Allegheny East Specialty

Produce

Bedillions Route 18

Farm and Fruit Market

C.T.Miller VineyardsCool Springs Organics

Dean Farms

Dillner Farms

Double J Galloway Farm

Farber Farms

Friendship Farms

Grow Pittsburgh

Harvest Valley Farms

Heilman Family Farm

Jamison Farm

Lambert Mountain Acres

Forty-one farms, farmers markets and businesses

helped to spread the message of the Buy Fresh, Buy Local

campaign throughout PASAs Western Region. We would

like to recognize them for their dedication to the cam-

paigns mission to gain consumer recognition of WesternPAs farm products.

If you are interested in being a part of the Buy Fresh,

Buy Localeffort, please contact David Eson at the Western

PASA office at 412-697-0411 or [email protected].

13

Laurel Vista, Inc.

Leicher Family Farm

Lengel Brothers Farm

M&M Robertson Farms

Morris Farm

Mung Dynasty

Next Life Farm

Paradise Gardens and Farm

Ridgeview Acres Farm

Silver Wheel Farm

Soergel Orchards & Green-

houses

Sweet Soil, Inc

Toboggan Hill Farm

Townline Farm Poultry

Reserve

Triple B Farms

Wild Rose Farm

Youngs Farm and Greenhouse

FARMERS MARKETS

Johnstown 8th Ward

Farmers Market

Downtown Johnstown

Farmers Market

Ligonier Country Market

Oakland Farmers Market

Washington Main Street

Market

Meadville Area Local Growers

Mt Lebanon Partnership

Farmers Market

RESTAURANTS

Levy Restaurants

BUSINESSES

McGinnis Sisters Specialty

Food Stores

Paragon Monteverde

Whole Foods Cooperative

Grove City County Market

CONSUMERS

Donald Bruckner

Daniel & Lou Ann Collier

Phill Cornell

Judy DeLowry

Mark Forsythe

Bobbie Hineline

Rose Hoberman

Linda Humphreys & DeborahSwettenam

Megan Lindsey

John & Peggy Porter

Jenny Robie

Jessica Swisher

Martin Thomas

Nicole Totino

Jane Trambley

Carole Walsh

May Whitcomb

RegionalMarketing

Western

NorthCentral/Eastern

SouthcentralSoutheastern

REGIONAL CONTACTS & DISCUSSION GROUP ADDRESSESDiscussion groups are open to PASA members only to join and discuss issues related to sustainable agriculture.

To join the group in your region,send an email to the appropriate address provided.

Western

[email protected]

David Eson

412-697-0411 [email protected]

Southeastern

[email protected]

Brian Moyer


Mena Hautau610-378-1327 [email protected]

Southcentral

[email protected]

Julie Hurst:


NorthCentral/Eastern

[email protected]

Leah Tewksbury


Out of State discussion group addresses:

States North and East of Pennsylvania

[email protected]

States South and West of Pennsylvania

[email protected]

Thanks to the 2006 Western Region Buy Fresh/Buy LocalPartners


14/32

By Anne & Eric Nordell,Beech Grove Farm

Many sustainable growers subscribe tothe philosophy of feed the soil, not theplant. Our whole farm approach toweed management follows the same lineof thinking we call it weed the soil,not the crop. Instead of relying on thecultivator or hoe to save the crop from

the weeds we use cultural practices;including cover cropping, bare fallowperiods, rotation and shallow tillage, toreduce overall weed pressure in the soil.

One result of this proactive strategy iswe no longer depend on the cultivator orthe hoe to grow certified organic pro-duce. Weeding the soil has also enabledus to use reduced tillage and livingmulches without compromising weedmanagement.

Weed-free conditions did not happenovernight. It took five years and a

good bit of patience and observation to see a dramatic reduction in weed pres-sure. Successfully weeding the soil alsorequired all of the following principlesand practices.

Discouraging certaintypes of weeds from growing

This may sound far-fetched, but wethink there is a connection between soilstructure, nutrient levels, and weed pres-sure. At least, we have often noticed that

certain weeds seem to flourish where thesoil is compacted or crusted or otherwisein poor condition. It is almost as if naturesends in the weeds to repair the damagefrom overworking the soil.

Other types of weeds seem to domi-nate where fertility levels are excessive orimbalanced and nutrient release is high.This situation often occurs where large

amounts of manure are applied year afteryear. In this case, nature appears to beusing a flush of high-fertility weeds tomop up the excess nutrients and preventthem from polluting the environment.

These observations encourage us torely primarily on cover crops to maintainsoil structure and nutrient availability inthe market garden, and to use low rates ofslow-release rock minerals and well-com-posted horse manure to replace the smallquantity of fertility exported from thefarm in vegetables.

To realize the full soil building poten-tial of the cover crops, we devote a wholefallow year to cover cropping beforeplanting each vegetable crop. The fallowyear provides enough time to grow twomanure annual cover crops, which cangenerate a lot of free organic matter aboveground as well as an extensive network ofroots underground. In this way we canuse the cover crops to maintain good soilquality, so the weeds do not have to per-

form this important role.

Reducing the weed seedbank in the soil

We rely on a fallow year of cover crop-ping before every vegetable crop to putcertain weeds out of a job. But to actual-

ly reduce the number of weed seeds in thesoil, we include a bare fallow period aspart of the fallow year management. Thebare fallow is an opportunity to usetillage to intentionally stimulate weeds togerminate and then kill them while theyare still small.

The timing and duration of the barefallow really depends on the most press-ing weeds. For example, during the eight-ies we used six to eight-week barefallow periods in the middle of the fallow

year to target warm-season broadleaf weeds such as lambs quarter and pig-weed. Recently we have shifted the barefallow to the beginning of the fallow yearto focus on the small quantity of cool-season weeds remaining in the seed bank.

Managing the bare fallow is similar toplanting small-seeded vegetables, in thata firm, moist seedbed is necessary to getthe weed seeds to germinate. As soon asthe weeds sprout, we make a pass withthe spring tooth harrow or riding cultiva-tor equipped with wide sweeps to shal-

lowly uproot and undercut the seedlingsand dry them out in the sun. Once we aresure the seedlings have dried, we re-firmthe fallow field with a cultipacker orroller to germinate another batch ofweeds. By repeating this procedure a fewtimes over the course of the bare fallowperiod, we can flush several generationsof weed seeds out of the soil surface thisyear before planting vegetables.

When preparing a seedbed for plant-ing the market garden crops, it is criticalto limit tillage to the top two of threeinches of the soil. Otherwise, new weedseeds will be brought to the surface togerminate with the vegetables. In thisrespect, the traditional use of the mold-board plow, chisel plow or rotovator, work against the weed-seed-depletingprogress made during the previous yearsbare fallow period. Instead of using deeptillage to loosen and aerate the soil beforeplanting produce, we shallowly till thecover crops, relying on their extensive

Weed the Soil, Not the CropA Whole-Farm Approachto Weed Management

14

Discing down rye and vetch the third week of May in preparation for late vegetables planted

in July and August.


15/3215

root systems to provide good soil struc-ture for the vegetables.

Rotational cover croppingTo facilitate shallow tillage of the

cover crops, we group the market gardencrops by planting dates; that is, whether

they are planted earlyor late. For exam-ple, before late-planted vegetables, suchas frost-sensitive tomatoes and peppersset out in late May or early June, or fallcrops of broccoli and kale transplanted inJuly, we use an overwintering cover cropof rye and hairy vetch. Shallowly plowedin April (no more than 23 inches deep),or disced several times in late May and June, this winter-hardy cover crop mixhas plenty of time to break down beforethese late-planted vegetables go in the

ground.In preparation for early crops, likespinach, peas and onions, we use a covercrop of Canadian field peas, which dieback over winter. A winterkilled covercrop makes it possible to till the soil shal-lowly and prepare a seedbed in time forplanting the first market garden crops ofthe season.

Alternating the cash crops betweenthose planted earlyand latesets in motionthe four-year cover crop rotation illustrat-ed in the Cover Crop Clock (see below).

The clock shows how the rotationunfolds over time. It also tells the timethe land is in cover crops, tillage and veg-etables. Note how the timing of these

three components helps to discouragemany classes of weeds from growing

while reducing the weed seed bank in thesoil.

In 1991 we were beginning the thirdtime through the four year rotation, anexample of what the cover crop rotationlooked like across several fields included afield oflatevegetables tomatoes, pep-pers, flowering kale, summer lettuce, zuc-chini and corn seeded with wintersquash. All of these crops were planted inlate May or early June after shallowlyplowing a cover crop of rye and vetch thebeginning of April. We cultivated these

latevegetables a couple of times to pre-serve soil moisture, but weeding or hoe-ing the rows was not necessary.

To the left of the latefield of vegeta-

fallow, we planted a winterkilled cover ofpeas in preparation for the 1992 crop of

early-planted onions. No hand weedingin the onion rows up to this point, thelast week of June, although we did spendthree hours in July to remove the few hid-den weeds that threatened to go to seedin this half-acre field. Overseeding theonions with sweet clover starts the nextcycle of the cover crop rotation.

One Years Seeding,Seven Years Weeding

One of the advantages of small-scalevegetable production is that it is possible

to do the little extras to weed the soil.This includes mowing around the marketgarden to prevent grasses and weeds fromgoing to seed and blowing in the veg-etable fields. We also make a point ofcomposting the small quantities of horsemanure we apply to the market garden toreduce the likelihood of introducing newweed seeds in the manure and bedding.

As mentioned above, we take the timeto walk to vegetable rows to remove anyweeds that might set seed even if they arenot interfering with the growth of the

crops. This proactive task becomes mucheasier even recreational after reduc-ing weed pressure with the bare fallowperiod and rotational cover cropping. I

Editors Note: Anne & Eric Nordellsnew weed management manual is available

for $15 (includes S&H). Send check ormoney order to 3410 Rt. 184, Trout Run,PA 17771

This cover crop clock shows a new and improved rotationbased on cannery peas.

Fall broccoli, kale and carrots planted in July following disced down rye and vetch

bles was a fallow field inyellow sweet clover beingmowed for the secondtime before plowing itdown to begin the barefallow period midsum-mer. In August, wereplanted this fallow field

to rye and vetch to pre-pare for the next years(1992) late-planted veg-etables.

To the right was a fal-lo w field where we hadalready incorporated acover crop of oats and ini-tiated the bare fallowperiod the end of June. After the six-weeks bare


16/32

By Michele Gauger

It all started with a desire to eat healthy food,according to

Barbara Gerlach of Berry Fields Farm located in New Albany,Pennsylvania (Bradford County). Barbara and her husband,

Charlie had relatively no farming experience,

except for a few raised beds in their garden at

their previous home in the York area.

But about 6 years ago, the Gerlachs decided to

sell their business (Charlie is an architect and Bar-

bara a design/build estimator) and move to Brad-

ford County, to a piece of land they had purchased

about 30 years ago for a hunting area. We

became increasingly aware of how the quality of

food we were eating may affect our long termhealth. So we wanted to begin growing what we

could for ourselves,Barbara continued.

At Berry Field Farms, the Gerlachs at first only

grew produce and fruits for themselves.They soon

discovered that to be a self-sufficient farm they

needed quality compost for their gardens,so they

decided to purchase a few beef cows. But on their

mainly wooded land, they needed pasture areas cleared, so

they also bought a few goats to help clear a few areas on the

farm.We soon discovered we enjoyed raising grass fed meats,

so we expanded to also include poultry and pigs,said Barbara.

However the Gerlachs soon realized how much capital it

takes to produce food and income for themselves. They decid-

Berry Fields Farm

16

What do you see as some of the crit-ical issues concerning agriculture today?

Agriculture encompasses a wide spec-trum of businesses involved in food pro-duction. Each of those businesses hastheir own critical issue to face, but in gen-eral the issue that affects everyone is thelow quality of foods produced by conven-tional corporate farms. How can weinfluence the corporate and politicalstructure of all nations to value nutrition,flavor, diversity, the environment, healthand sustainability over their financialgain? If we cant, how can we influencethe consumer to value quality food overother choices?

Personally, as small-scale producers,our most critical issues concern our ownknowledge and time management.

Because we must be both producers, aswell as business and marketing managers,our skills and time is so diversified thatwe begin to feel overwhelmed. The sim-ple answer would appear to be to hiresome help, but our own financial analysishas shown that the income we now

receive could not be enhanced enough byadditional labor and labor related costs.The only benefit would be less work forus, but no financial gain. How can farm-ers get help they need to survive and growwithin an economic framework of laborrelated costs that make it very difficult?

What is unique about your farm?Locationwe are two miles off a

paved road, on the top of the mountain,in a remote area of the state. We have aview of about 40 miles from our guest-

house and dining room. The high eleva-

tion, short growing season, long distances

to markets and supplies, and sloped ter-rain have added many challenges.

Diversitywe produce a small

amount of many food products; grass-fed

beef, all natural pork and goat meat,

organic eggs, chicken, duck, turkey, andgoose; garden fruit and vegetable pro-

duce; orchard fruits; organic baked goods

such as cakes, pies, cookies, and sourdough breads; value added jarred items

such as jams, jellies and fruit butters.

Marketingwe market everything

direct through six avenues a farmersmarket, a farm store on our property, an

e-mail list about items available, our

vacation rental guests, our dining room

and our blueberry festival.

FarmerProfile

ed to set a goal for the farm to be financially sustainable and in

order to do this they have added a new feature to the farm

each of the 6 years they have been there. The Gerlachs recently began offering farm vacations and

also meals at their farm. These ventures have been a great way

to teach guests about sustainable living, while also diversifying

revenue sources for the farm. Debbie Reeder, a frequent guest

at the Gerlachson-farm dinners,said I first met the Gerlachs at

a farmersmarket in Eagles Mere and go to their farm frequent-

ly for the dinners and for fresh produce.

Barbara Gerlach helps one of their younger guests feed the goats.


17/3217

Educational opportunitieswe have aguesthouse on the farm that sleeps 10adults. Our guests come from all cornersof our country and from many foreigncountries. During their stays we havemany opportunities to speak about sus-tainable living. We find most of themextremely receptive and we are thrilled tohave the opportunity to influence just asmall segment of the worlds population.

How has your operation evolved over

the years?Our operation has evolved as our goals

have changed. Our first goal was to pro-duce as many of our own foods as possi-ble. We were concerned about howconventionally produced foods might beaffecting our future health. As we becomemore and more involved with food pro-duction and the related costs such asseed, equipment, fencing, etc. weexpanded our goals toward financial sus-tainability.

With no obvious markets for our

products in our remote area, we knew wewould need to be creative. We didnt havethe time or the resources to transport ourproducts to any existing farmers marketsso we organized a market in a nearbyresort town (Eagles Mere) and used thatexposure to lure residents hungry fororganic, fresh produce and naturallyraised meats to our farm. Some cus-tomers were willing to come just for theopportunity to purchase garden produceand fruits that were freshly picked just for

farm vegetables, fruits, meats, breads,desserts, jarred items, or meals we knowit must be very high quality to make our

customers travel so far out of their way. When we started we thought no onewould come but they do! Our motto

It is your responsibility to choosehealthy foods, it is our responsibility toprovide healthy foods for you to choose.

Why did you join PASA?With no farming background or expe-

rience, we had a lot to learn. Our firstPASA field day exposed us to more than

knowledge, as we learned the establishedsustainable agriculture community wasvery supportive. We joined soon after the

field day and after attending our firstPASA conference, we were hooked. I

them, but we knew we needed to addmore to make them want to return.

Our first addition was a store that fea-tured our products as well as other organ-ic and sustainable items such as raw milkcheeses, wild Alaskan salmon, maplesyrup, honey and many more. Next webegan baking organic sour dough breadsand desserts with all organic ingredientsincluding our own farm fruits.

When we began to question what todo with leftovers, we decided to add a

small dining room and feature any excessitems on the menu. We now offer Satur-day evening dinners and Sunday morningbrunches by reservation only. We worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture through each step of ourtransition to make sure we were in com-pliance with allof their regula-tions. The instal-lation of thecommercialkitchen wasmuch less expen-sive or difficultthan we antici-pated and wenow have theadded option toproduce valueadded productsto sell in ourstore year round.

Whatever weproduce at our

Left: Charlie Gerlach in the certified kitchen at Berry Fields Farm where he creates the delicious on-farm dinners. Right: In addition to the farm

stays and dinners offered at Berry Fields,the Gerlachs also have their Blueberry Store where they sell locally produced goods.

Hungry Parasites,

Predators on PatrolUse Biocontrol in the Field to Control:

Corn Borer, Mexican Bean Beetle, Manure Flies

Use Biocontrol in the Greenhouse to Control:

Aphids, Whiteflies, Spider Mites, Thrips, Fungus Gnats

IPM Laboratories, Inc.

www.ipmlabs.com [email protected]

Phone: (315) 497-2063

Healthy Beneficials Guaranteed

ADVERTISEMENT


18/32

seeding rates should be used to achieveincreased biomass production.

The field used in this trial was previ-ously in corn. To prepare the field for ryedrilling, two passes were made with a discharrow that loosened the soil surface. The

rye was drilled at two rates in earlyNovember 2004 using a 10 foot widedrill. The normal rate was 2.25bushels/acre and the higher rate was3.75 bushels/acre. The field plots were 50feet wide (5 drill passes per plot) and var-ied in length from 300 to 700 feet, thelength of the field. The two seeding rateswere replicated five times across the field.

In the spring of 2005 small samples ofcereal rye were sheared at the soil surfaceand dried to determine aboveground bio-mass yields. Then the entire field was

moldboard plowed, disc harrowed andpower harrowed prior to planting soy-bean in April. The soybean crop was thenweeded and row cultivated twice to con-trol weeds before harvest in late Septem-ber. Soybean grain yields were collectedat this time.

Overall establishment of the cereal ryecover crop was good. However, heavycorn stover on the field surface after disk-ing interfered somewhat with the abilityof the grain drill to consistently placeseed into soil. Where stover was heaviest,

rye plant density was reduced. Visualobservations of the crop in December2004 and April 2005 indicated slight dif-ferences in stand densities between thetwo treatments. However, we were unableto detect a significant difference betweenthe normal and high seeding rates foraboveground biomass production.

The soybean crop following the ryecover was observed during summer 2005.The stand was very uniform across bothtreatments, showing good growth vigor

and pod development. It was not surpris-ing that soybean yields for the two treat-ments were nearly identical. Averageyields for both the cereal rye cover cropbiomass and soybean grain are summa-rized in Table 1.

Research Profile:

Penn Valley FarmsPenn Valley Farms, operated by Bob

and Lois Keller, has been certified organ-ic since 2000. The farm encompasses 115acres producing alfalfa, corn, soybean, wheat and some oats. Crop rotationsinclude three years of alfalfa to build anitrogen supply, then rotating to graincorn (cover crop of cereal rye after corn isremoved), soybean, wheat, then seeded toalfalfa (begin rotation) or to hairy vetch which is followed by corn, shortcuttingthe rotation. As are many farmers, Bob is

interested in producing more nitrogenthrough better use of legume cover cropson his farm.

The research trial on his farm wasdesigned to address an interest in growinga heavier rye cover. Possible improve-ments included an increased seeding rateor a more efficient planting method toget the desired thick stand of cover cropto compete with winter annual weeds andincrease soil organic matter. The trialfocused on increasing the seeding rates ofcereal rye to increase cover crop biomass

for the above reasons and to possiblyincrease yield of the following soybeansthrough increased amounts of cover bio-mass being tilled into the soil.

Cereal rye is one of the most popularand easiest cover crops to grow. While itprovides ground cover that aids in mini-mizing erosion, it gathers nutrients fromdeeper in the soil profile and helps withweed control through interplant compe-tition for light. Also, it has been suggest-ed that for late plantings of rye, higher

18

Educationa

lOutreach

On-Farm CoverCropping Studies

By Michele Gauger & Ron HooverVisits with numerous farmers in

Pennsylvania have revealed there isopportunity to increase managementintensity of many cover crop programs.While many producers incorporate covercrops into their cropping systems, there isstill important education and research tobe done concerning the management ofthese valuable crops.

Some areas for improving cover cropmanagement include increasing seedingrates, optimizing the time of seeding, and

selecting species to improve overall sys-tem performance. Thicker stands of covercrop should improve weed controlthrough increased shading of emerging weeds. Increased stand density oftenresults in greater cover crop yields, whichshould contribute to more rapid increas-es in soil organic matter and improve-ments in soil fertility.

Since 2004 PASA and Penn State havebeen working with a few PASA membersto conduct cover crop research trials on

their farms. These trials were designed toaddress one or more of the opportunitiesoutlined above. Along with measuringthe production of the cover crop, equal orgreater attention is given to the cash cropthat follows. In this and in future issuesofPassageswe will profile many of thesestudies, some have recently been com-pleted and others are continuing. Forupdates on our progress and furtherinformation on Penn State and PASAspartnership with on-farm research, visitwww.pasafarming.org.

Whats New with Penn State andPASAs On-Farm Research Program?

Treatment Rye1 Soybean2

lbs/acre bu/acre

Normal seeding rate 3742.4 51.9

High seeding rate 3976.4 52.1

1. Rye aboveground biomass (4/ 20/05)

2. Soybean grain yields (9/27/05)


19/3219

The rapid growth associated withcereal rye had only recently begun whenherbage biomass was sampled and thecover moldboard plowed. Observed fromoverhead, as much as 3040% of the fieldlacked foliar cover. Most of this space was

between the drilled rows; however, someopen area was seen nearer the row wheresignificant corn stover remained at thesurface. The corn stover residue served asmulch and resisted being cut by the light- weight grain drill equipped with singledisk openers, preventing seed from beingplaced into the soil.

The greater limitation to improvingcover crop stands and increasing biomassyields in this trial was the ability to cor-rectly place seed into the soil so that ger-mination and emergence are maximized.

Where seed was properly placed,increased seeding rate likely did notimprove stands. While more completeincorporation of residue into the soilshould have permitted the drill to do abetter job at planting, this is undesirableas fewer residues on tilled fields onlyworsens the potential for soil erosion and

nutrient losses. Use of a heavier drill thatis capable of slicing through residue andplacing seed at the appropriate depth inthe soil should have improved rye stands.Further, use of a drill with openers thatare spaced closer than the 7 to 8 inches

utilized by most manufacturers could alsogreatly improve stand density and covercrop biomass sooner after cover cropplanting. A more rapidly and extensivelycovered field will be less susceptible to thedamage inflicted by falling raindrops.

The benefits of incorporating covercrops into crop rotations are not oftenimmediately observed. While no differ-ence was observed in the amount of cere-al rye being produced and subsequentlyadded back to the soil in this trial, grow-ing larger quantities of cover crop should

result in several benefits. Among them isthat the cover crop will be better to com-pete with and reduce weed density andgenerate more organic matter that willimprove soil quality and health. Increasesin soil organic matter dramaticallyincreases the ability of soils to store morewater for following crops. I

APPRENTICE AND

INTERN LISTING

Good help is hard to find. If your

farm offers intern and apprenticeship

opportunities, let PASA help! We will

post your classified listing in ournewsletter and on our web-based

Intern Board.Last year,each farm post-

ing on PASAs Intern Board received an

average of over 500 hits! Although

anyone can search the Intern Board,

posting services are free and limited

to members only.

When submitting your posting,

please use the following format:

Farm Name,County, State

Brief description of the position,

including time frame, compensation,

duties & other details.

Your contact information

Submit your postings directly to

Heather House at heather@pasafarm-

ing.org or via surface mail at PASA

Intern Board, PO Box 419, Millheim,

PA 16854.


20/32

A D V E R T I S E M E N T


21/32

NAIS A Better Food System or a Shell Game?

21

By Brian Moyer,PASA board member, Green Haven Farm

PASAs stand on the National Animal

Identification System (NAIS) wasdescribed early last year by ExecutiveDirector Brian Snyder in a column inPassages (issue no. 60) that was edited bythe full PASA board of directors. Sincethen, Ive heard from several people whowonder why PASA is not devoting moretime to this issue. (For more informationon NAIS visit www.animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index. For opposing views, visitwww.nonais.org).

Those of you following this issueclosely know that NAIS has been a con-

fusing and ever changing issue to follow. As with anything in government, yourbest bet is to follow the money. The reg-ulation is a product of the USDA, so as afederal regulation it tends to limit indi-vidual state power to oppose it. Further-more, the USDA has given money to thestates to start implementing the first partof NAIS, premise identification, whichisnt even really a regulation yet.

Many people dont seem to under-stand that NAIS is in fact a proposed reg-ulation, not a law. The USDA says that

since this is a regulation, they dont needa law passed by Congress. However, theUSDA needs Congress to fund thisexpensive project. So, one thing you cando to help is to contact your state andfederal representatives and tell them whatyou think of this use of your tax dollars.

From the start, the USDA has beenvague at best regarding NAIS. This leadsto assumptions, speculation, conspiracytheories and down right confusion. Somestates have already started to implement

this proposed regulation with USDAfunding. For example, Pennsylvania triedto pass a bill (SB 865) that would makepremise ID mandatory. Thankfully,though this bill passed the state Senatealmost unanimously, it died in the Houseand therefore expired at the end of thelast legislative session. Now we are hear-ing from USDA that the NAIS is anentirely voluntary program, which hasleft everyone, including the statesinvolved, even more confused.

Just like most of you, I dont wantNAIS. I feel it does nothing to protectme, my livestock or my customers. As asmall farm I am open with my produc-tion practices and my customers knowhow I produce the food that they are buy-ing. That being said, lets look at where

NAIS might make sense. We just might want some kind of tracking system forbig industrial farms.

The large centralized food system is inthe news almost every day. We are seeingone micro organism from one area in onestate contaminating a food that shouldnthave this organism and infecting not onestore, not one restaurant, but entireregions and in one case half the states inthe country. For this kind of system ofagriculture, we might want some kind oftraceability. For the most part, PASA

farmers already have traceability andtransparency that any of our customerscan follow.

I think the following comments froman acquaintance and fellow farmer sumup a lot of the feelings that surround thisissue:

I dont need the USDA to manage dis-ease on my property, that is what my vetand I do. What I want from the USDA isresearch into healing diseased animals, low-ering the average age of the farmer by

encouraging more youth, improving theway farmers are seen by society both fortheir contribution and as a possible career,

programs that bring back the support smallfarms need to compete and succeed (such ashelping bring back more small processors),help for small farmers to bring product tomarket, increase in the number of farmsand not the loss of farms, abolishment of

farm subsidies, and a requirement that theagricultural colleges must use federal dollarsto research small scale and sustainable

farming instead of industrial farming.Everyone should have a right to grow foodand to sell it, give it, share it with those whoare able to form a firsthand relationship that is food security and traceability.

For me, NAIS is just another in a longlist of items used to divide the farming

community. To keep us divided meanswe cannot rise out of the corporate serf-dom that currently exists. What the fedsdidnt count on was the grassroots rise ofnew organizations that have become aloud voice against NAIS. Organizationslike Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance,Berks Citizens for Sustainable Farms andothers.

This is an opportunity for us to work with these organizations so we canbecome an even louder voice for not only

civil rights (which NAIS might violate)but also for our healthy food rights, forwhich PASA has long advocated. A num-ber of these organizations werent familiarwith PASA. Now they are.

PASA may not be THE voice onthis issue, but we are an important voicein an ever-growing chorus of discontentwith the status quo. We should work witheach other to build our voices even loud-er and add to the choir.

Weve seen it work before it willwork again.

Is it reasonable for us to say manda-tory NAIS for factory farms, voluntaryfor direct-market farms? I dontknowthat would probably be a consti-tutional issue as well. What I do know isthat agriculture is moving in two differ-ent directions, large factory and smallniche farms and government will eventu-ally have to level the playing field. Youknow PASA will be at the table for that.Pass me the grass-fed beef please! I

PASAOpinion

PASA may not be THE voice on this issue, but we are an

important voice in an ever-growing chorus of discontent

with the status quo. We should work with each other to

build our voices even louder and add to the choir.


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and other sustainable fruit productionmethods, including the use of biological

control agents, compost, compost tea andalternative weed control practices. Traviscalls their methods science-based IPMas the Center also tracks climatic factorsto learn how it influences production.

Recently the FREC took the nextstep, as Travis calls it, to actually haveacreage under certified organic produc-tion. The two acres of apple orchard nowcertified organic by Pennsylvania Certi-fied Organic (PCO) was planted in May2004, inspected by PCO in June 2006and officially certified in July 2006. The

organic orchard includes disease resistantapple varieties, Enterprise and Goldrush.

Funding for organic certification camevia the State Horticultural Association ofPennsylvania (SHAP), who formed a taskforce called the Pennsylvania OrganicFruit Industry Transition (PROFIT), cre-ated to head the organic transition effortin the state. To date, there are approxi-mately 100 acres of commercial appleorchards that are transitioning to organicproduction in Pennsylvania as part ofPROFIT.

By Michele GaugerDid you know the south central and

southeastern counties of Pennsylvaniainclude about 80% (23,996 acres) of thestates apple and pear acreage and approx-imately 84% (7,774 acres) of the acreagededicated to stone fruits such as peaches,nectarines, plums and cherries?

The Penn State Fruit Research andExtension Center (FREC) in Biglerville(Adams County) was created in 1918 toinvestigate fruit problems in the region.Undergoing alterations through theyears, the Center now encompasses 125acres in the heart of the states major tree

fruit production area. The Center servesas an important venue for research con-sidering new production practices, whichare tested on similar soils and under com-mon climatic conditions as a majority ofthe regional fruit producers.

Today the FREC produces a variety ofapples, peaches and nectarines in addi-tion to wine and table grapes. Dr. JamesTravis, Extension Fruit Pathologist saysmost of the growing practices used at theresearch station utilize those associatedwith integrated pest management (IPM)

The Next StepGoing Organic Travis hopes in the next few years toalso begin organic production/researchareas using stone fruits, such as peaches.He says the main hurdle is identifyingcontrol strategies for brown rot of stonefruits.

Noemi Halbrendt, Research Associateat the Center, has been working closely with PCO during the certificationprocess and she said, It has been inter-esting working with PCO. Both organi-zations seem to be learning together asPCO hasnt certified many orchardsbefore, so we are offering suggestions onhow they can revise their certificationforms for the tree fruit grower.

Halbrendt also mentioned that therewas a lot of time invested upfront learn-ing the regulations of organic certifica-

tion and then continual maintenance tobe sure there isnt any contamination andthat organic guidelines are followed.

Everyone involved with the organiccertification felt going through theprocess will help them better understandwhat other growers in the region will faceas they begin to transition. The knowl-edge the researchers have gained willenable them to better answer potentialgrower questions, such as do the treesyou plant have to be certified organic?

continued on page 24

The organic orchard is clearly marked to ensure no contamination from other research trials. An important part of the research being done at

the fruit research station is outreach to other producers. Dr. Jim Travis (inset), and his team have hosted several field days and tours.


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PASA regrets the omission of this display ad that had been

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The first full year of production hasbeen a fruitful one. FREC partnered with Knouse Foods, a grower-ownedcooperative that is also a certified organicprocessor, to buy the first organic applesproduced.

Travis reported the overall goal is tohave enough bushels of apples for localapple processors to produce an organicline of products using only Pennsylvaniafruit (the minimum need would be about200,000 bushels per year.)

Travis and the research team arealready working with a few area growersto make the transition to organic. Hepoints out, Of the 22,000 acres ofapples in Adams County, most are run bygenerational, family farmers. It has beeninteresting working with family farmers

since they are looking towards the long-term view versus working with financial

The answer is no, since there are no cer-tified organic trees on the market, butTravis points out that disease resistant

varieties are the best to plant in an organ-ic orchard. He recommends that growersplan at least 2 years ahead since thedemand for these tree varieties is so high. A listing of disease resistant varieties isavailable at the FREC website athttp://fpath.cas.psu.edu/, some speciesinclude Enterprise, Goldrush, Topaz,Crimson Crisp and Liberty.

For those growers who may be consid-ering establishing an organic orchard,Travis points out that if they are alreadyusing various IPM methods (pheromone

traps, beneficial insects, etc.) they havethe skills to go organic.

groups who are mainly interested in gainsin the next few years.

As research continues at FREC theknowledge gained testing different organ-ic methods for their effectiveness, along with other varieties of fruit, will enable

them to serve area growers with informa-tion that will hopefully allow their organ-ic fruit production to prosper. Theresearch team plans to have a guide pub-lished by next fall detailing organic appleproduction.

To learn more about the organic appleproduction research at the Penn StateFruit Research and Extension Center inBiglerville, PA, contact Dr. Jim Travis at717-677-6116 or [email protected]. I

Editors Note: Dr. Jim Travis was recentlyappointed to fill a partial term vacancy onthe PASA board of directors.

Going Organic

continued from page 23

24


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planting blueberries, azaleas or rhubarb.

Improve waterlogged conditions and add

organic matter.

If you have oxeye daisy, black medic or

mullein the problem is likely poor soil

fertility. Have your soil tested and add

organic fertilizers and amendments to

remedy nutrient deficiencies.

ATTENTION FARMERS!

INPUT NEEDED ON WEED

MANAGEMENT STR ATEGIES

The Rodale Institute, in collaboration

with Pennsylvania State University and

USDA Sustainable Agriculture Program, is

conducting a farmer survey as part of a

biologically based weed management

initiative.

We invite you to take part in this weed

management research study by filling out

a short survey. We hope to learn more

about the weed management challenges

you face in your operations.With this infor-

mation, we hope to better serve farmers

through identifying their constraints so wecan implement improved approaches and

tools to better manage weeds.

Edito

rsCorner

GOT WEEDS?

Before you dig them up, take a moment

to identify them. Weeds are opportunistic

species that thrive in conditions that are

inhospitable to others, which makes them

clues to what may be lacking or out of

whack in your soil.

If you have thistle, quackgrass, dande-

lion, bindweed or common plantain the

problem is likely compacted soil. Incorpo-

ration of organic matter (compost, shred-

ded leaves, etc) or using a deep-rooted

cover crop (sudangrass or winter rye) will

help loosen the soil structure

If you have purslane, knapweed, lambs

quarters or pigweed the problem is like-

ly excess nitrogen. Plant an annual cover

crop, such as buckwheat, to take the place

of opportunistic weeds, and incorporate it

into the soil when it flowers. Make ample

use of mulches to increase carbon activity

in the soil that will tie up the nitrogen.

If you have field horsetail, curly dock or

sheep sorrel the problem is likely water-

logged or acidic soil. Test your soil and addlime per the tests recommendations. Or

take advantage of acidic conditions by

The study is designed exclusively for

agriculture producers. Your responses are

crucial for getting valid information on this

topic so we can work with you in your on-

going management of weeds. Please take

a few moments (about 10 minutes) to fill

out the questionnaire.We will be careful to maintain your con-

fidentiality. The collected data will be used

only for research purposes. Figures will be

reported only as the group responses,

respecting your privacy. Please visit the

link below to access the survey:

www.newfarm.org/weeds

Questions or concerns, call Stacy Duh,

Survey Administrator, The Rodale Institute,

[email protected], 610-683-1400.

ORGANIC NO-TILL WEED MANAGE-MENT WITH ROLLER-CRIMPERS

Until recently, organic no-till was prob-

lematic because of the difficulty of reliably

killing the cover crops. Several field trials

have demonstrated that mechanical roller-

crimpers can kill a cover crop just as effec-

tively as herbicides, opening the way for a

higher degree of ecological weed, crop

and soil management. An excellent review

of no-till techniques and research by

NCATs (National Center for Appropriate

Technology Transfer) Steve Diver is avail-able at www.attra.ncat.org/calendar/ques-

tion.php/2006/05/08/p2221.

Resources for Weed Management

I Handbook on Prescribed Sheep and Goat Grazing for Vegetation Man-

agementoffers details on grazing to manage invasive weeds on farms, range

and wildland. ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas) web-

page at http://attra.org/livestock.html.

ISteel in the Field: A Farmers Guide to Weed Management Tools looksat how farmers across the country are managing weeds with cultural and

mechanical methods.Order at 301-374-9696 or at www.sare.org/publica-

tions/steel/index.htm.

I Weed Em an

Documents

Jan-Feb 2007 Passages Newsletter, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture