July-Aug 2007 Passages Newsletter, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

8/9/2019 July-Aug 2007 Passages Newsletter, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

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Serving the Community of Sustainable Farmers, Consumers and Businesses Throughout Pennsylvania and Beyond

PassagesSustainable Food and Farming Systems

By Meghan Coil,PASA Member Field Day Reporter

P ainted Hand Farm in Newburg, PA(Cumberland Co.) is home to SandraKay Miller and Ralph Jones, their daughter Jessica, a few head of cattle, pasturedturkeys, a pair of Great Pyrenees guarddogs, one Tibetan yak (her days are num-bered), and seventy-two Boer meat goats the main focus of PASAs recent field day.

Sandra displayed a carefully designed

network of fences that streamlines her rota-tional grazing practices for the Boer herd.First of all, her permanent high-tensilefences are thoughtfully inset 10 feet or sofrom the perimeter, which allows a vehicleto pass on either side of the fence. She canalso place temporary fencing along the roador other boundary and allow goats tobrowse along the fences outer side.

By rotating her goats frequently throughsmall paddocks (as opposed to less frequentrotation over larger areas) Sandra improvesthe rate of weight gain in the herd, decreas-es spread of parasitic worms, and allowsjust-pastured areas to rest and regenerate for4560 days before being grazed again.Moving the herd frequently is easy sinceSandra trained her goats to follow thesound of a bell!

Serving the Community of Sustainable Farmers, Consumers and Businesses Throughout Pennsylvania and BeyondNumber 67 July/August 2007

Newsletter of the

Pennsylvania

Association

for Sustainable

Agriculture

PassagesSustainable Food and Farming Systems

continued page 3

Small RuminantField Day VisitsTwo Neighboring

Farms

SPECIAL SUMMER EDITIONResources for Small Farmers

see page 12


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July/August 20071 Small Ruminant Field Day Visits

Two Neighboring Farms

4 Directors Corner

5 Presidents Corner

6 Regional Marketing

7 Conference/Fundraising Update

8 Membership Update

9 Membership Form

10 Business Member Profile:

McGeary Organics

11 Advice for Protecting Bees

13 Special Advertising Section

27 Editors Corner:The Grapevine

28 Classified Ads

30 Calendar

Cover story,Small Ruminants

Page 11, Advice for Protecting Bees

Pennsylvania Association

for Sustainable Agriculture

114 West Main Street

P.O.Box 419

Millheim PA 16854

Phone:(814) 349-9856 Fax: (814) 349-9840

Website: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 Seeley,Bradford County

Vice President: Brian Moyer, Berks County

Secretary: Mary Barbercheck,Centre County

Treasurer: Louise Schorn Smith,Chester County

David Bingaman,Dauphin County

Jennifer Halpin, Cumberland County

Mena Hautau,Berks County

John Hopkins,Columbia County

John Jamison,Westmoreland County

Don Kretschmann,Beaver County

Jeff Mattocks,Dauphin County

Patti Olenick,Dauphin County

Rita Resick, Somerset County

Anthony Rodale,Berks County

Jim Travis, Adams County

At-Large Board MemberJamie Moore,Allegheny County

PASA STAFF

Headquarters

Brian SnyderExecutive Director

[email protected]

Lauren SmithDirector of [email protected]

Heather HouseDirector of Educational Outreach

[email protected]

Allison ShaugerEducational Outreach Assistant

[email protected]

Michele GaugerDirector of Membership & Research Assistant

[email protected]

Brandi MarksOffice Coordinator/Bookkeeper

[email protected]

Western Regional Office

Phone: 412-697-0411

David EsonDirector of Western Programs

[email protected]

Chris FullertonDirector of Consumer Division

[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 com-

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

PassagesJuly/August 2007 Contributors

Contributing writers & photographers: Meghan Coil, Maryann Frazier, Chris Fullerton, Donald Gibbon, Mena

Hautau, Laurel Hoffman, Heather House, Eric Klinedinst, Gayle Morrow,K im Seeley, Allison Shauger, Lauren Smith,

Brian Snyder.

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 September/October 2007 Issue:

August 28,2007

Passages is printed on recycled, chlorine-free paper


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In addition to grass pastures, PaintedHand Farm includes wooded and brushyareas, which provide the herd with

browsing forage, while the herd providesthe farm with weed control. Sandra men-tioned that a nutrient test revealed 28%protein content in poison ivy and 30%protein content for chickweed! Anotherbenefit of wooded pastures is that ever-greens provide a shady retreat in the sum-mer and decrease snow cover in winter.

Given the statistic that 10% of aherd carries 90% of the worm load,identifying and treating infected goatsis very important. To identify infectedanimals, Sandra endorsed the use of

both the FAMACHAmethod (anemia chart), which gauges blood flowto eyelids to measure wormload, and a sugar waterflotation which draws the worms from manure,allowing the farmer to viewthem in a drop of solutionplaced under a microscope.Because worms in the Mid-west are now resistant to 3of the 5 classes of chemical

worm treatments, judiciousand focused application ofthese treatments is all themore key.

A quick message on buy-ing stock: beware of cheapthoroughbreds. Accordingto Sandra, many thorough-bred animals that are marketed as breed-ing stock have serious defects and arebetter suited for roasting than for breed-ing. If raising meat goats, it is not neces-sary for your whole herd to bethoroughbred in fact, Sandra hasnoticed that Boer/Nubian crosses seem tobe better mothers and have larger, faster-growing kids, healthier feet, and someparasite resistance. But a high-qualitybreeding buck is a worthwhile invest-ment. (Sandras May/June 2007 Passagesarticle Adding Value with Meat Goatsoffers detailed and specific guidelines forchoosing healthy breeding stock.)

The ethnic market provides most ofthe business for Sandras meat goats,

which is also described in more detail inher article mentioned above. Demand ishighest at the end of the Muslim holidayEid, which calls for feasting on anunblemished ram, so be sure the animalhas his horns and has not been castrated.Because of customer demand for the

whole animal, including many parts that American butchers traditionally discard,Sandra finds it better to bypass the butch-er shop, sell the whole animal to the cus-tomer and let them butcher it on theirown terms.

Another way the herd profits the farmis through prescribed grazing. Thispractice began in the wildfire-prone West, where goats are hired to mowbrushy areas and decrease fire hazard.Here in the Northeast, prescribed grazingis useful for poison ivy control and for

mowing environmentally sensitive areasthat dont tolerate heavy machinery.

In the afternoon we visited Bearlin Acres just down the road in Shippens-burg. Operated by Linda and Barry Sin-gley (along with daughter Courtney),Bearlin Acres has grown from the original3 sheep and 2 goats intended for a Cash-mere operation to the current 22 sheep,alpaca, and several goats, which providefiber and meat for sale along with naturalsoaps produced on the farm.

As in the morning, pasture manage-ment and rotational grazing were the top-ics of interest. Linda quite good-humoredly discussed the aggravation oftangled fence netting and showed the

advantage of electronet (rigid verticalstrands) over tension net (no rigidstrands, very tangle-prone). She andBarry set up their temporary fences at thebeginning of the grazing season so thatthe sheep can spend about 3 days in eachpaddock of the 5-acre pasture. Linda

confessed to having made the mistake ofovergrazing early on and learned how dif-ficult it was to re-grow the pasture. TheSingleys distributed a Ruminant StartupBasic Checklist, which they compiledthemselves for the benefit of those start-ing a ruminant operation. In spite of itsname, the checklist is exhaustive andbelies many a lesson perhaps learned thehard way, but given out freely! Item #1:Check land regulations, past uses andhistory. Item #4: Call anyone you thinkcan offer guidance, good advice, coffee,

and clear vision. Item #35:Check spare time andsense of humor to ensurethey are both available.

Representatives fromCumberland County Con-servation District and theUSDA Natural ResourcesConservation Service wereon hand to discuss the Pro- ject Grass program (www.paprojectgrass.org), whichoffers many resources to

assist farmers interested indeveloping or enhancingtheir rotational grazing sys-tems. For example, Bearlin Acres received financialassistance with their fenc-ing. Suzette Brought Traux,the Southcentral Project

Grass representative, demonstrated howto measure grass height (of severaltypes of grasses) after grazing to ensurethat adequate nutrient reserves remainedfor the plant to replenish itself. Shemeasured the pasture with a tool devel-oped by Project Grass and its affiliates, which field day participants were thenable to take home.

Farmers at both Bearlin Acres andPainted Hand Farm stressed the impor-tance of sharing information and being intouch with neighbors and fellow farmers.Field day participants benefited from see-ing two different ways to manage andmarket small ruminants and left withnew grazing ideas to chew on. I

Small Ruminantscontinued from page 1

Jessica Jones of Painted Hand Farm and her Boer goat, Cinderella,demonstrate howtheir home-made milking stanchion is used for regular goat maintenance such as

trimming feet, vaccinations,worming, body scoring and more.


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By Brian Snyder, Executive Director

critically about things, heres a laundrylist of topics for you to muse over:

With some studies showing that organ-ic farming can, over the long haul, pro-vide better yields and higher profits ascompared to conventional methods,why do we not see massive amounts of

federal and state funding going to pro-vide even more research along theselines and support for farmers transition-ing to organic?

Why is a farmer considered more inno-vative if he/she uses bigger equipmentand more synthetic inputs to get the jobdone?

With all the clear advantages availableto the environment, the cows, con-sumers and farmers themselves forusing rotational grazing systems, why

do we not see more high-level encour-agement for grass-based dairy farmingin Pennsylvania?

Why are we falling all over ourselves inthis country to replace one drug we areaddicted to (crude oil) with another(ethanol) rather than addressing theunderlying disease?

Why does our society seem to care moreabout the levels of fats vs. carbohydratesin our diets, rather than the actualnutrient density (nutritional units per

calorie) of food produced in differentways?

If American farmers are truly the reason why people in more populous nationsare not starving, then why do weimport so much food from China andother rather populous countries?

Why are Pennsylvania consumers gen-erally ignored as the most natural andreadily available solution to keepingPennsylvania farmers profitable and onthe land?

Why is critical thinking in general oftenconsidered a threat to the agriculturalcommunity rather than its surest path-way to future health and prosperity?

These are just some things I drivearound thinking about all the time, andIm proud to say my kids think aboutthem as well. The question is, will kidsever get to consider these and otherimportant issues if they do not happen togrow up in a household that encouragescritical thinking? I

Directo

rsCorner

Afew months ago, not long afterour conference in February, I wasasked to make a presentation at

the annual Ag In The Classroom (AITC)program that is held each summer inState College. I was not so much flatteredas surprised by this request, especiallysince it came from the programs sponsor,the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

For anyone who may not alreadyknow, PASA has had a rocky relationship with Farm Bureau over the years, andnever so much as in the immediate after-math of our conference this year. Never-theless, I took this request as a peaceoffering and began to think about someof the things I would say in my speech. Ihad been asked to talk about the impor-tance of critical thinking in agriculturetoday.

Everything was going along fine untiljust a little less than two weeks before myscheduled appearance at AITC, when Iabruptly received a message saying thatmy services were no longer required. Theprocess that resulted in this series ofevents was never explained to my satisfac-tion, but it did raise some interestingquestions about, well, the importance ofcritical thinking in agriculture today.

So my objective has become to pre-serve and report here some of the think-ing I did with the errant assumption that

it would be delivered to a group of inter-ested school teachers. Only now mythoughts are tempered with a bit ofannoyance and a growing concern thatthings may even be worse than I thought.

Simply put, Im very concerned thatcritical thinking of any kind is on its way

out of style in our nations schools. Timewas, back in the day as they say, whenmy friends and I learned how to thinkcritically at school, then came home andamazed (or horrified) our parents withour new insights. Nowadays it seems tohappen more often the other wayaround...innovation happens, if any- where, at home, to the amazement andsometimes dismay of many teachers.

Food and agriculture provide some ofthe best examples of how this shift hasoccurred. For instance, my own kids

could immediately see through the effortsat their schools to improve nutrition byreplacing whole milk with a syrupy sub-stitute sporting artificial flavors and col-oring to boot. And they can see on their way to school how agriculture haschanged as well, with the first rite ofspring in many fields being, not thegreening, but the browning of the landwith that fresh coating of glyphosate orsome other chemical.

The kids ask about this kind of stuff,and a concerned parent can only wonder

what answers await them at school. Isanyone there really thinking criticallyabout any of this? Is anyone teachingthem to think their way to a better world,or merely to accept the status quo as thebest we can hope for?

I know there are many exceptions, butam afraid the predominant answer to myquestions is a resounding No! becausewe can see the same trend prevailing inour national political discussions, themedia, civic organizations and even in

our churches. In my experience, its asthough too much thought of any kind isenough to raise the suspicions of thosearound you Back awaaay from thethinker! you can imagine them saying.

But Im not giving up just yet on ourefforts at PASA to bring a little criticalthinking into agriculture, or into oursociety in general, and Im certainly notready to give up on the innate ability ofchildren to see through the antics of theirelders. So, for those teachers, students or whomever that would choose to think

4

What I WouldHave Said at Ag In

The Classroom


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followed the same rules of farming asdescribed in the text books I studied incollege. Three of the farmers were farm-ing identically in crop and animal man-agement. The young Amish farmer onthe panel had been following the samepath, until he too had a scare with his

children. He quietly told his story to thecrowd. How he changed his farmingpractices that very day, he started to actu-ally make more money or more exactly,he spent less money on inputs and keptmore of his milk check.

That day was also the day we pickedup a flyer advertising a new ag organiza-tion in the state called PASA. We drovehome engaged in conversations thatwould forever change the way I looked atour farm. I learned that your childrenshould be able to follow the farmer. I

learned that natural, organic farmingimproves your quality of life on the farm.I learned why I needed to join this radi-cal new group called PASA.

I wanted to share this story, because Irecently heard a young family that movedto central Pennsylvania became ill by pes-ticide drift from the fields near theirproperty. They have fallen victim to thedark side of modern food production.The farmer is a victim as well, being apawn in an increasingly dangerous chem-ical chess game. We live with increased

security every day to protect ourselvesfrom foreign terrorists, while we smuglycondone legal poisoning of our soils, our watersheds and ultimately our children.The family has tried all legal channelsand asked for help from Farm Aid andPASA to tell the story, so other innocentfamilies may be warned about the dan-gers.

Farmers, my story is true. I am here totell you,we are the canaries in the mineshaft. Farm men and women are leading

indicators for many cancers. If your farmis struggling, financially and spiritually,you may want to change your farmingpractices. Do it for your families sake.Start today. PASA is here to help, attenda field day or conference.

Country and city neighbors, do youwant healthier food? Help farmers. I askfor your help to support PASA by becom-ing a member. We all need each other tofight the good fight. The chess game isntover. If we dont save our farmers, we canthave society as we want it to be. I

PASABoardPerspective

Why do I farm the way I do?After hearing stories lately offarm accidents and the poi-

soning of a family whose health has beenseverely threatened by pesticide use, I amcompelled to tell my familys story again.

Years ago my oldest son, Shon, wasfollowing me on a day we were plantingcorn. He had a friend with him and thetwo of them were playing farmer! I wasbusy checking the corn planter and mak-ing adjustments. Next, I would fill theseed and fertilizer boxes. Lastly I intend-ed to add the insecticide powder to therecently purchased Gandy applicators, which I had assured my father, wouldtake us to the next level of corn produc-tion. Those pesky cutworms hadnt heardthe last of me!

As the last box was filled with the pret-

ty pink powder, (so sweet smelling, itbegged to be touched) I would head tothe field. The boys were playing as Iheaded into the barn to put away the var-ious bags. I was only gone a moment, but when I returned I saw Shon and hisfriend opening the insecticide hopper,ready to dip there hands into the pinkpoison. I was horrified with thoughts ofwhat if I had been gone a minutelonger? This tragedy was prevented but what about next time? I was a fullylicensed pesticide applicator, so the logi-

cal, educated side of me said; this stuffneeds to be locked up all the time.

As I planted the field, my mindchurned out details of more elaboratesafety measures. A locked room on thefarm for all chemicalsno childrenallowed in the dangerous areasdispos-

able clothing for me. I got home andshared the story with Ann and decided tocount my blessings that my son was safein hisbed not a hospitalbed.

The next day brought more thoughtsabout the previous days stress. What ifsomeone forgets to lock the room? If thisstuff is so dangerous that I need specialclothing, what makes it safe to add waterand spray it from hedgerow to hedgerowamongst our many plentiful drinkingwater springs? Oh, to have a copy of San-dra Steingrabers Living Downstream to

read as a young farmer. My innocenceand ego probably werent ready!

As a young farmer I was intent onusing the latest technology. I hosted seedplot demos on our farm. I studied all thelatest from the crop management experts.The cutworms were my nemesis everyyear or so I thought! I wanted to helpother farmers solve this problem, so Icontacted the company who made thelatest in chemicals and insecticides andoffered to do chemical testing on our seedplots. I was in the middle of this arrange-

ment when the scare had happened.The planting window is narrow and I

would have to solve all of these dangerousconditions before next yearmy sonwouldnt be able to be with me until theseissues were solved. The season progressed, we studied the field and the variousstrips. Harvest season came and I wasexcited to learn how successful my Gandyapplicators had been with increasing mycorn yield. We hand picked the ears what? The treated rows didnt out yield

the controls. I had wasted my money, mytime and almost poisoned my son.Several years would pass, when a

friend who helped us on the farm, sensedthat I wasnt satisfied with the way ourfarm was progressing. Our stress levelswere high, our cow health wasnt improv-ing, and we werent making any money.He encouraged me to go to a meetingwith him about cleaning up the Chesa-peake Bay. That meeting would foreverchange my life as a farmer. There was apanel discussion by 4 farmers who had

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Risks of ModernAgriculture

By Kim Seeley, Board President


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Office OpeningPASA is pleased to announce we are

opening a regional office in SoutheastPennsylvania in partnership with theChester County Economic DevelopmentCouncil (CCEDC). Slated to open thisfall, this satellite office will strengthen theeconomic and social prosperity of thefood and agriculture system in Southeast-ern Pennsylvania by providing regionalsupport for PASAs ongoing initiativesincluding the Buy Fresh, Buy Local cam-paign, educational opportunities forfarmers, and advocating for sustainableagriculture. For more information or the job posting for the regional director,please visit www.pasafarming.org. Pic-tured below at the recent press conference

(left to right) are Brian Snyder of PASA,Conrad Olie of CCEDC, Cheryl Cookof PA Dept. of Agriculture, Suzanne Mil-shaw of CCEDC, Patrick ODonnell, aChester County Commissioner, andGary Smith of CCEDC.

SOUTHEAST REGION

6

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 Moyer610-944-9349 [email protected]

Mena Hautau


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]

of the market will be open on more tra-ditional Friday and Saturday schedule,with the potential of outdoor spaces to beadded as needed. CCFM is also workingto help growers add season extensionpractices on their farms. Again, this notonly helps to provide fresh, local produce

to our community but also has the poten-tial to increase profitability. Furthermore, we are building relationships with localrestaurants to establish a market to chefprogram and are working with Penn Stateto investigate the potential of adding akitchen incubator (community commer-cial kitchen) in or nearby the market.

This local farmers market projectcould not be possible without the com-mitment of the Redevelopment andHousing Authorities of the County ofCumberland and the private investments

of Tuckey Restorations, Inc., and 3-TInvestors. An undertaking like thisrequires a passionate board of directors,advisors, and visionary farmers.

Carlisle Central Farmers Marketwill be a vibrant and vital market com-munity, dedicated to sustainable marketpractices, strong local economy, con-sumer education and better health forour extended region. If you would like toparticipate as a vendor, staff member,or volunteer, please contact Eric Kline-dinst ([email protected] 717-448-

3483) or Pat Mrkobrad ([email protected] 717-249-0789).

Bloomin in the BoroughBy Dr. Eric Klinedinst

Big things are happening in our smalltown. Carlisle is currently undergoing areinvigoration. Many of our historic

buildings in the business district are get-ting a facelift, new businesses are movingin, current businesses are growing, col-leges are expanding and residents arechoosing to relocate into the downtowndistrict. The borough is reestablishing asense of community and farmers arehelping to lead the charge.

In September of this year, the newlyformed nonprofit, Carlisle Central Farm-ers Market (CCFM) will open its doorsfor business in downtown Carlisle. With-in walking distance for over 9,000 resi-

dents and employees, the market will notonly be a year-round location for fresh,local food commerce, but will create avibrant food experience while educatingthe community about the importance ofsustainable agricultural practices.

Traditionally grower/producer mar-kets have been seasonal. However, manymeat, cheese, and dairy producers, as wellas farmers who chose to create value-added products will benefit by selling at ayear-round market. A portion of ourmarket will consist of 810 stand for ven-

dors or co-ops that would like to be sell-ing products five days a week. Two-thirds

SOUTHCENTRAL REGION


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Conference/Fu

ndraising

Planning Committee

Moving Forward

The 2008 Conference Planning Com-mittee consists of over 20 PASA volun-

teers who lend their time to determinethe conference theme, keynoters, contactspeakers for workshops, and solicit spon-sors for support. Board members MaryBarbercheck and Brian Moyer are co-chairing the committee again this year.By the time you read this the committee will have chosen the conference themeand most of the workshop planning willbe completed. Stay tuned for details onour website, www.pasafarming.org and inour next edition ofPassages.

I Business Opportunities Infor-mation packets on sponsoring, exhibit-ing, advertising and other opportunitiesconnected with the conference will bemailed in September. If you are not onthe business contact list, contact LaurenSmith at PASA headquarters.

I Charity Auction We are seekingunique and useful items to auction at the2008 conference. The Silent, Bag andLive Auctions need a variety of items inall price ranges. This is a terrific way to

promote your farm and business and

support PASA at the same time. ContactMichele Gauger at PASA headquarters.

I Arias M. Brownback Scholarship

Fund Formed in 2001, this scholarshipfund is designed to help youth and otherdeveloping farmers attend the PASA con-ference each year. As the scholarship fundgrows, so does the list of people whovegained from its support., in fact PASAwas able to award over 25 scholarships tosupport farmers attending the conferencelast year! If you would like to donate tothis fund, send a check indicating thatdesire to PASA headquarters. Scholarshipapplications will be accepted this fall;more information will be posted on

www.pasafarming.org.

I Photography Exhibit The Far-mArts project will continue at the 2008Conference, as we look at farms, farmproducts, and farmers through the medi-um of photography. The images will beprojected during the conference, ratherthan hung individually, to accommodatemore images to enjoy. Not knowingahead of time what the population is ofphotographers who would like to partici-pate, Donald L. Gibbon, who is chairing

this activity, would like to hear from peo-

2008 CONFERENCE PLANNING

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Nitya Akeroyd

Robert Amsterdam

Mary Barbercheck

Susan Beal, DVM

Michele Briggs

Sam Cantrell

Melanie Dietrich

Cochran

Jim Crawford

Lisa Diefenbach

Brian Futhey

Donald Gibbon

Jenn Halpin

Laurel Hoffman

Julie Hurst

Kelle Kersten

Tom Maurer

Kim Miller

Sandra Miller

Brian Moyer

Eric Noel

Patti Olenic

Louise Schorn Smith

Allison Shauger

Lauren Smith

Crystal Smithmyer

Brian Snyder

George Vahoviak

BARN NEARLY HALF FULL

BY MID-JULY!Across the commonwealth, there can be lots of

variability with the local hay crop, depending on

the scattered weather fronts throughout the state.

Some hay fields have abundance, but some farm-

ers are looking at making emergency feed or buy-

ing in. However in the mythical PASA haymow, we

are past the summer slump and have filled the

barn about half way now, thanks to fundraising

efforts that have involved our members, our board

and staff,and some very generous companies.

In the coming months, we will have direct con-

tacts with many in the membership. We look for-

ward to sharing stories of both PASA and your

farms and families.Also coming this fall (see inside

back cover) we will have time to enjoy the fruits of

our farming efforts at one of the regional fundrais-

ing diners.We hope many of you will consider invit-

ing a friend to a Harvest Celebration Dinner. If you

want to introduce someone to PASA, dinners are a

cool way to do so!!

PASAs 17th Annual Farming for the Future ConferenceFebruary 79,2008 State College, PA

$92,000 July 15

$185,000

$150,000

$100,000

$50,000

0

Our goal

$58,467March 15

$84,691May 15

ple who think they would enter images tobe shown. At this early point, jurying andprizes have not yet been arranged, how-ever photographers will receive personalcredit for their work. If there are PASAmembers or friends who would be willingto help in artistic examination of the joys,challenges, beauties, even the downersof being a farmer in Pennsylvania, pleasecontact Don at [email protected]

or call 412-362-8451.

Il

lustrationcourtesyofPhyllisKipp


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PASA Staff & Board

Thanks the Following Volunteers

Amy Bruning

April Frantz

Mary Kandray Gelenser

Gail & Brian Klock

Amy Leber

Sue & Tom MaurerMaryann & Dennis Mawhinney

Christine Caldara Piatos

Sandra & Ben Simmons

Angel & John VonNeida

Mary Whittam

PASA Staff & Board Welcomes

Our Newest Business Members

Greensgrow Farms

Carlisle Central FarmersMarket

The Garden Shoppe

Conshohocken FarmersMarket

PASA Staff & Board Welcomes

Our Newest Permanent Business MemberKimberton Whole Foods

PASA is sponsoring a farmers market at this event.

Contact Michele at PASA Headquarters for details.

Membersh

ipUpdate

PASA is YOU our Membersbe glad to supply you with a collectionof PASA literature, newsletters and dis-plays as appropriate, for your event.

Beyond tabling opportunities,PASA regional members are coordinat-

ing potlucks and other membershipgatherings. As you and your regionalmembers decide on a time, locationand format of the meeting, Michelecan help promote the event to theregional members via email and post-cards. These regional meetings arevaluable in bringing PASA ideas forfield day programs and conference workshops, in addition to creativeideas on how to increase PASA mem-bership.

YOU our PASA members areour greatest asset in representing ourorganization.

Its that time of year when farmersmarkets are bustling, fairs and festivalsare in full swing, meetings and dinnersare underway. The PASA office isreceiving many requests from our

members to attend regional eventsand/or have a PASA booth in variouslocations across the state. These aregreat opportunities for our organiza-tion!

PASA staff attends many events, butwe cant attend them all. This is where we rely on YOU, the membership.Who better to represent PASA to newaudiences than those who havecome together to make PASA what it istoday a growing voice in the agri-cultural community? Call MicheleGauger, PASA Membership Director,and explain your opportunity. She will

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


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Card No.

VISA MasterCard DiscoverExp.Date

Cardholder Name

Signature

Annual Fund $ .............................

Arias M. Brownback Scholarship Fund $ .............................

Contributions for Lifetime Memberships & Permanent Business Part-nerships will be managed with care, sustaining both the ongoingmembership as well as the long-term future of PASA. There are fewthings a member or business could do to symbolize their lifelong com-mitment to sustainability than to place such confidence in the valueand viability of PASA itself.

Sustaining Lifetime Member $900Please complete the Family/Farm Membership field at lower left

Permanent Business Partner $3,000Please complete the Nonprofit/Business Membership field at lower left

SUBTOTAL $

PASA Membership& Contribution Form

Please clip this application and return with payment to:PASA Membership, PO Box 419, Millheim, PA 16854

orjoin online at pasafa rming.o rg

In addition to your own membership, you may give PASA membershipto a good friend, family member, business associate or other worthyrecipient on an annual or lifetime basisa gift that keeps on giving!

Student $15

Individual $45

Family/Farm $60

Lifetime Sustaining Member $900

SUBTOTAL $

Name

Company/Farm

Address

City State

ZIP+4 County

Home Phone Work Phone

E-mail

Web Address

Are you farming: NO YES how many acres:

How did you learn about PASA:

Student $15

Individual $45

Family/Farm Please complete field below $60

Nonprofit Please complete field below $100

Business Please complete field below $150

SUBTOTAL $

Please list all names for this Family/Farm membership. You may include children

between the ages of 1422, and also multiple generations directly involved in the farm.

Please list up to two additional people associated with your business to receive individ-

ual membership privileges.

Gift Membership

Lifetime Memberships &Permanent Business Partners

Name(s)

Address

City

State ZIP+4

Telephone E-mail

CheckMake check payable to PASA

Credit Card Complete below

Total amount due

$

SUBTOTALS

$

PASA Membership Levels

Become a PASA Member

Payment

CONTRIBUTIONSPASA is a registered 501 (C) 3 organization and contributions are tax exempt.

Benefits of MembershipAs a member you will receive:

A subscription to our bimonthly, Passages newsletter A membership directory for networking

Discounted admission to our annual conference

Discounted admission to our annual field day series

Invitations to other special events,such as ourHarvest Dinners

Free classified ad and discounted display advertisingin Passages

Voting privileges

The satisfaction of knowing that you are helping

sustain agriculture

9


10/3210

that herds can be certified faster than

fields has led to a huge deficit in organic

grain supplies. On the conventional side,

ethanol and high energy prices have led

to a great deal of instability in the mar-

kets that people are trying to deal with.

What do you see as the connection

between sustainable ag and the con-

sumer?

Consumers are hungry for something

better. They are questioning the validity

of global food processing, not just the

quality of the food, but also the ethics of

the production system. Sustainable ag

connects local consumers with local pro-

ducers with a similar beliefs. I

BusinessMemb

erProfile

What is unique about your business?

I think we are unique in that we are very

diverse. We trade conventional as well as

organic grains, mill organic flour in a his-

toric mill, as well as manufacturing certi-

fied organic feeds and fertilizer. Being

involved in so many aspects of agriculture

gives us a unique perspective.

Why did you join PASA?

We joined PASA because we are part of

the sustainable community. Being

involved with PASA is one more oppor-

tunity to support the organic and sus-

tainable community.

How has your membership been a bene-fit to your business?

Being a member provides us an avenue to

interact with people and organizations

that have an interest in sustainable agri-

culture. We really look forward to the

annual meetings.

What do you see as some critical issues

facing ag and ag-related businesses

today?

Currently the most critical issue is the

price of grains and ingredients. The fact

By Gayle MorrowFlour is flour, right? Wrong! If youve never had the

pleasure of using high-quality flour, youre missing theexceptional feel of it as you knead the dough, the perhaps-unexpected tenderness of a pie crust (pie crust can be tem-peramental, you know), the smoothness of gravy or roux. And the snickerdoodles well, more about that in aminute.

At McGeary Organics, they know their flour. It hasbeen milled in the oldest continuously operating flourmillin the country, since the 1750s. The resulting flour is spe-cial, not only because it is organic but because, as RobertMcBride theorizes, the mill runs slower and cooler thanconventional processing methods and the flour eitherwheat or spelt is a finer tex-

ture overall. The original millprobably used a water wheel; themodern incarnation is electric.People come here and hug theboss, says McBride. They saythey havent been able to makesnickerdoodles like their grandmauntil they used our flour.

McBride, whose role atMcGeary is working primarilywith fertilizer, says he likes his jobbecause were doing somethingdifferent all the time.

McGeary Organics, withheadquarters in Lancaster Coun-ty, is indeed doing something dif-ferent all the time. The company,owned by Dave Poorbaugh (a

descendent of the original owner) and Randy Kilpatrick,manufactures and markets organic fertilizers, mineral

packs for organic feeds, livestock feeds, garden/soil testingkits and flour.But, we are primarily a grain-trading company, says

McBride, meaning they buy and resell grain. We are job-bers, not brokers, says Poorbaugh. As the company looksfor grain, they start close to home. As local sources disap-pear, we go further out, says McBride. Further outmight be as far as Illinois, Michigan or the Carolinas.

McGeary Organics employs about 18 people. For moreinformation, go to www.mcgearyorganics.com or call 1-800-624-3279. The company will ship flour to you, so youcan start baking right away.

I N TE R VI E W WI TH R OBE R T M cBR I DE

McGeary Organics flour to the people!

Photo of the oldest, continuouslyoperating flour mill in the U.S.,

circa 1905.


11/32

Read the pesticide label and follow labeldirections.

Never use a pesticide pre-bloom, justbefore bees are brought in to pollinate.If a pesticide must be used, select onethat has a lower toxicity to bees andapply only when bees are not foraging,

preferably late evening.

Do not apply pesticides post-bloomuntil after the bees have been removedfrom the crop.

Avoid applications on a non-bloomingcrop if there is a risk of drift ontoblooming crops and weeds while beesare in the area. If a spray must beapplied, use the least toxic materials andapply when bees are not foraging.

In the pre-bloom period, avoid the use

of pesticides that are long-lived in or onthe plant, such as some of the systemicpesticides.

Protect water sources from contamina-tion of pesticides. Provide bees a cleansource of water close to colony loca-tions.

Growers should be prepared to cope with a potential shortage of pollinationservices and plan well ahead. Frazier saysIf growers have an existing contract or

relationship with a beekeeper, theyshould contact that beekeeper as soon aspossible to ascertain if the colonies theyare counting on will be available.

For more information on honey beesand CCD, visit the Mid-Atlantic Apicul-ture Research and Extension Consortium Web site at www.ento.psu.edu/MAAREC/ColonyCollapseDisorder.html. You may also contact Frazier at 814-865 4621 or e-mail [email protected]. I

In the midst of one of the most alarm-ing die-offs of honey bees ever docu-mented, Penn State EntomologyExtension offers advice for beekeepersand growers of bee pollinated crops.

The recent die-off of more than aquarter of the countrys 2.4 million beecolonies has left many beekeepers devas-tated and growers wondering how theywill pollinate their crops this season. Theaffliction, called Colony Collapse Disor-der (CCD), was first discovered inNovember 2006 after a Pennsylvania bee-

keeper reported that more than 50 per-cent of his bee colonies he wasoverwintering in Florida had collapsed,meaning that the tens of thousands ofbees that are supposed to be in each hivehad simply disappeared. Since thebeginning of the year, beekeepers from allover the country have been reportingunprecedented losses, said Maryann Fra-zier, apiculture extension associate inentomology at Penn States College ofAgricultural Sciences.

According to Frazier, symptoms ofCCD include the sudden reduction ordisappearance of the adult bee popula-tion without evidence of dead bees. Thehive will contain brood pollen and honey,with little evidence of robbing, wax mothor small hive beetle attack.

Researchers from Penn State, otheruniversities, government agencies andother institutions formed the CCDworking group to determine what factorsare responsible for these unprecedentedcolony losses. The cause of CCD is still

largely a mystery with several factors suchas a compromised immune system, poornutrition, parasites, new viral or fungaldiseases and chemical contaminationbeing investigated. Researchers have col-lected samples in several states and havebegun doing bee autopsies, chemical, andgenetic analysis and say that a definitiveanswer for CCD could be months away

Until there are answers, Frazier recom-mends a precautionary strategy on thepart of beekeepers and growers in need ofpollination services to reduce bee expo-

sure to parasites, diseases and chemicals.Chemicals include those being used

within the hive for mite and disease con-trol as well as pesticides used on cropsthat may inadvertently find their wayinto hives, Frazier explains.

Know the pesticides you are usingand their toxicity to bees (do notdepend on a third party to provide thisinformation).

11

Advice for Protecting BeesAdvice for Protecting Bees

Hungry Parasites,Predators on Patrol

Use 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



12/3212

Special Advertising SectionFor this special summer issue of Passages we offered

our PASA business members a chance to advertise

their products and services they offer to smaller pro-

ducers.We hope this special feature will be helpful for

our members to get to know the businesses that sup-

port PASA and for the businesses to also forge new

partnerships with their customers. Check out pages

1326 to learn more!

PASA staff and board would like to thank

the following companies for helping us

with this new endeavor:

Agri-Service LLC

Bakewell Reproductive Center LLC

BCS America

Dairyland Sales and Service Inc. Emmas Food For Life

Fertrell Company

Harris Seeds

Leona Meat Plant

Natural Dairy Products Corp.

Organic Valley/CROPP

Pennsylvania Certified Organic

Poultry Man LLC

Smuckers Specialty Meats Solair Energy Inc.

PASA would also like to thank

our advertorial writing staff:

Chris Fullerton

Michele Gauger

Laurel Hoffman

Heather House

Allison Shauger

Lauren Smith

If you are a business

interested in advertising

in a future newsletter

issue, contact Michele

Gauger at PASA head-

quarters.

15

SP EC IAL AD VERTI SIN G SEC TIO N

You just donttalk about greenhouses and energyconservation atthe same time.Thats what CindyLatchaw heard from the manufacturer of hergreenhouse when she called to find outwhatadvancesh ad beenmade in efficiencyi nth e nineyearssi

nce itwasin stalled.Therehadntbeena ny. Energyusewasnton theirminds atall.Thats whyshe wasglad to read aboutSolairE nergyin thePASAnewsletter. Latchaw, who began producing hydroponicvegetables at her MercerCounty Fair Winds Farm in 2002,immediately got on the phone to Pam Denlinger, Solairsfounderand CEO. This initiated an energya udit p rocess forFairWinds Farm thatcontinuesto this day.Solair Energy provided equipment that Latchaw used tomeasure energydemand of equipment i n her farmingopera-tion, and generatedideas forretrofittinghero ld greenhouse toconserve energy. One suggestion was to insulate the bottomwhere heat rails arel ocated,s oh eatis reflected inward insteadofbeinglost.S olaird etermined the best site on thep ropertyfo ra potential wind turbine, and estimated costs and benefits oflocating solar panels on top of the packing shed andmarket/auction house.Helpingclientse xploreo ptions forreducingenergybills isjustoneo fth es ervicesp rovided bySolair, which was foundedbyD enlingerin 1995.The company,b ased in LycomingCoun-ty, travelsth roughout thes tateto service customerswith renew-able energy,e nergyefficiencya nd sustainable design solutions.Denlinger,who hasworked in thee nergyconservationfi eldsince 1987, founded thec ompanyto providee nergyconserva-tion services for public utility programs. It was a door ofopportunity to do something I enjoyedand believed in. Soono pportunitiesc ameto venture intos olarenergy, as Solaircon-tracted with the PAEnergyAssociation in2001too fferstatewide trainingforthe PARenewable Energy Pilot Program; thencultivated their own installation crew toperform solar water heating and photo-voltaic installations.

Last year Solair installed a number ofsmall wind s ystems throughout the state.Pam says, I l ove providing people withthiste chnology.People are often excited tofind we are here homegrown, localproviders of renewable energy systems! Ialso love beingabletoo ffera two-prongedapproach of reducing customers energyneedsthrough state-of-the-artenergyc on-servation, and providingrenewable energy

Looking TowardsPennsylvaniasEnergyFuture

systems forthem.This makesa greatcombinationo fse rvices.Solairi sc urrentlys eekingc ustomers with downhillstreamstoventure into microhydro energy. Itcan be a veryp roductiveenergy system for people who own this resource. Unlike thewind orthes un, a good downhill stream runs constantlyyear-round, so it generates electricityfo ra comparableco stto ap ho-tovoltaic system orsm alls cale wind turbine.Beinga small business owneris always a challenge but has itsown rewards. Allo fu sa t SolairE nergyfeel good aboutbeingable to make a difference. Business is business, but i ts notalwaysa bout the bottom line. Likem anyPASAmembers, wehave a missionaryz eal to helppeople, includingfellowPASAmembers and farmers,to make theircornero fth eworld a moresustainable place. I

Photoabove:Solair Energy, Inc.founder andpresident, Pam Den-linger andinstallerMichaelFisherattherecentPASA conference.

Got Compaction?Try Bio-Drilling with Forage Radishes

The new kid on the block A cover crop

that helps alleviate tight soils naturally!

Great for making a transition to no-till

Planting window late summer

Can be grazed

Outstanding winter weed control

Nutrient pump will scavenge other nutrients deep in

soil profile

Early Cover Hairy VetchNatural N Production

Weed Suppression

Soil Builder

Will add up to 150 lbs.N per acre, readily available to asucceeding crop

Matures 1 week earlier than most hairy vetch varieties

Ideal companion cover crop with rye

Helps build soil structure & tilth

Can be rolled down to promote a natural weed barrier

Steve Groff Seeds717-575-6778

Holtwood, PA

www.cedarmeadowfarm.com



13/32

fuel increasing, this was becoming significantly unsustainable!When Fertrell put in the Granulator and began manufac-

turing my custom product, it not only saved me money, but

Fertrell made a better product it was more dense and flowedbetter! Paul closed by saying that North Country Organics hasbeen working with Fertrell for nineteen years.

Another satisfied Fertrell customer is Aaron Zook of Leola, who grows a variety of heirloom and specialty vegetables onfour acres. A few years ago I realized my plants and fields werein trouble. I wasnt using the right amendments and I knew Ihad to do something different. I called ATTRA (AppropriateTechnology Transfer for Rural Areas) for help, they gave megood advice and suggested Fertrell as a place where I could pur-chase some products. I didnt know much about Fertrell,although I had seen their ads. But neither my father nor any ofmy neighbors were using them at the time, so I just wasnt

surebut I gave them a call.Aaron continued, Dave Mattocks came out to my farm and

walked my fields. He got me started on a program immediate-ly. I did side-by-side trials with the other program I had beenusing just to be sure. I couldnt believe it! The fields using theFertrell program were greener and had better tasting vegetables!Starting a Fertrell program is one of the best things that hashappened on my farm! I

Reaching their 60th anniversary this past year and beingthe oldest organic fertilizer producer in the U.S. wasnot enough for Dave Mattocks.

Granulation of our fertilizer has been a life long dream, andnow it has become a reality. You see, materials which are groundand blended to form textured particles are much more benefi-cial for spreading and nutrient placement and thats importantto our customers.

Dave continued, Our new Granulator is one-of-a-kind onthe East Coast! A driving force at Fertrell has always been theproduction and distribution of high quality plant foods, butwith the Granulator ready to roll, well, we have a real advan-tage, and we are very excited about that! So the mood at Fer-trells Bainbridge, Lancaster County plant has a new air ofanticipation.

I will add, however, Dave reported with a grin, That thisproject has not happened without its share of hiccups! After

two years in the making, and many dollars, we are nowfinallyin production and this will bring a significant advantage to theFertrell customer.

Fertrell has plans to offer several granulated products tocommercial landscapers, golf course superintendents, profes-sional turf people, and the homeowner.

A happy customer of Fertrells new Granulator is NorthCountry Organics. Before Fertrell had their Granulator inproduction, I was forced to have my fertilizer manufactured inToronto, reports owner Paul Sachs. In fact, the Canadiancompany was not able to weigh and bag my product it wassimply shipped in bulk containers to Fertrell, who was baggingand shipping it back to my plant in Vermont. With the cost of

13

Fertrell Keeps LeadingEdge with UniqueGranulator

Production Manager Karl Knaub (left), and Fertrell owner DaveMattocks (right), discuss operations on the new Granulator.

S P E C I A L A D VE R T I S I N G S E C T I O N


14/32

Leona Meat Plant, based in Troy, (Bradford Co.) Pennsyl-vania, has been serving the needs of livestock producersaround the region for 44 years. It was established in

1963, when Charles Debach fulfilled his dream of operating abusiness of his own. From its humble beginning as a two-roomfacility, the business expanded in 1967 to offer custom process-ing and boneless beef to mom and pop grocery stores and wholesale markets. In 1972 a retail store was added, whichremains a popular stop for customers looking for a wide assort-ment of meat products and other goods such as dairy products,

frozen seafood, fruits, and vegetables, bread, spaghetti saucesand more.

Charles passed on his invaluable knowledge and butcheringskills to his sons Mike and Charles II (Chick) while building hisbusiness. Today, the two sons operate Leona Meat Plant witheight employees. With business growing and manufacturing

increasing yearly, Leona has expanded its services by preparingand packaging for private labels and has become a certifiedorganic meat handler.

Mike Debach, co-owner of Leona Meat Plant, says, About70 percent of our business is vacuum packaging, which includesa lot of private labeling. We are beginning to see more cus-

tomers being conscious of where their food comes from andhow it is raised the whole Buy Fresh, Buy Local idea.

One farmer who has been working with the Leona MeatPlant for over a year now is Bill Callahan, owner of Cow-a-HenFarm in Mifflinburg, (Union Co) Pennsylvania. Bills 100-acreoperation includes beef, pork, turkey, ducks, and geese. Ilearned about Leona from Kim Seeley (PASA board president

and dairy farmer), who highly recommended them, Bill says.

About 60 percent of Bills sales are through direct marketing.I started working with Leona because they were willing to pro-duce a high quality produce, says Bill. Leona Meats currentlyproduces hot dogs and kielbasa for Callahan, which have nonitrates and are made with organic ingredients.

One of the unique aspects of Leona Meats is that they were willing to experiment meaning they arewilling to work with any farmer that comes into create a customized, unique meat product.As Mike puts it, In the end, if the experimentworks, everyone ultimately benefits.

Having Leona Meats is a tremendousasset, says Bill. They have met all my expec-

tations, are very timely with their production,and it would be very hard to find anotherprocessor to do a quality job like they do.

Its nice to be needed, says Mike. Work-ing with the smaller/mid-sized farmers we do,we are thankful they see our business as a keyto their survival. It is becoming more difficultto find USDA certified meat plants that willwork with producers to create custom prod-ucts that their buyers are looking for. Qualityis why we are here. You can believe that youwill never be disappointed. I

Leona Meat Plant, based in Troy, (Bradford Co.) Pennsyl-vania, has been serving the needs of livestock producersaround the region for 44 years. It was established in

1963, when Charles Debach fulfilled his dream of operating abusiness of his own. From its humble beginning as a two-roomfacility, the business expanded in 1967 to offer custom process-

ing and boneless beef to mom and pop grocery stores and wholesale markets. In 1972 a retail store was added, whichremains a popular stop for customers looking for a wide assort-ment of meat products and other goods such as dairy products,frozen seafood, fruits, and vegetables, bread, spaghetti saucesand more.

Charles passed on his invaluable knowledge and butcheringskills to his sons Mike and Charles II (Chick) while building hisbusiness. Today, the two sons operate Leona Meat Plant witheight employees. With business growing and manufacturingincreasing yearly, Leona has expanded its services by preparingand packaging for private labels and has become a certifiedorganic meat handler.

Mike Debach, co-owner of Leona Meat Plant, says, About70 percent of our business is vacuum packaging, which includesa lot of private labeling. We are beginning to see more cus-tomers being conscious of where their food comes from andhow it is raised the whole Buy Fresh, Buy Local idea.

One farmer who has been working with the Leona MeatPlant for over a year now is Bill Callahan, owner of Cow-a-HenFarm in Mifflinburg, (Union Co) Pennsylvania. Bills 100-acreoperation includes beef, pork, turkey, ducks, and geese. I

14

Quality, Service andInnovation


Let us CutYour Meat For You

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Offering Friendly Service & Quality Products

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RD #2 Leona Road, Troy PA 16947

570-297-3574 * 1-800-416-3968

Serving the Community for Over 40 Years.

Quality is Why We Are Here

www.leonameatplant.com and allnaturalbeefco.com

Leona Meat Plant also sells all natural, grass-finished beef raised on their rich, natu-rally managed grass and clover pastures without any growth hormones, antibiotics orchemicals just as Mother Nature always intended.


15/3215


You just dont talk about greenhouses and energyconservation at the same time. Thats what CindyLatchaw heard from the manufacturer of her

greenhouse when she called to find out what advances had beenmade in efficiency in the nine years since it was installed. Therehadnt been any. Energy use wasnt on their minds at all.

Thats why she was glad to read about Solair Energy in thePASA newsletter. Latchaw, who began producing hydroponicvegetables at her Mercer County Fair Winds Farm in 2002,immediately got on the phone to Pam Denlinger, Solairs

founder and CEO. This initiated an energy audit process forFair Winds Farm that continues to this day.

Solair Energy provided equipment that Latchaw used tomeasure energy demand of equipment in her farming opera-tion, and generated ideas for retrofitting her old greenhouse toconserve energy. One suggestion was to insulate the bottomwhere heat rails are located, so heat is reflected inward insteadof being lost. Solair determined the best site on the property fora potential wind turbine, and estimated costs and benefits oflocating solar panels on top of the packing shed andmarket/auction house.

Helping clients explore options for reducing energy bills isjust one of the services provided by Solair, which was foundedby Denlinger in 1995. The company, based in Lycoming Coun-ty, travels throughout the state to service customers with renew-able energy, energy efficiency and sustainable design solutions.

Denlinger, who has worked in the energy conservation fieldsince 1987, founded the company to provide energy conserva-tion services for public utility programs. It was a door ofopportunity to do something I enjoyedand believed in. Soon opportunities cameto venture into solar energy, as Solair con-tracted with the PA Energy Association in2001 to offer statewide training for the PARenewable Energy Pilot Program; then

cultivated their own installation crew toperform solar water heating and photo-voltaic installations.

Last year Solair installed a number ofsmall wind systems throughout the state.Pam says, I love providing people withthis technology. People are often excited tofind we are here homegrown, localproviders of renewable energy systems! Ialso love being able to offer a two-prongedapproach of reducing customers energyneeds through state-of-the-art energy con-servation, and providing renewable energy

Looking TowardsPennsylvanias Energy

Future

systems for them. This makes a great combination of services.Solair is currently seeking customers with downhill streams

to venture into microhydro energy. It can be a very productiveenergy system for people who own this resource. Unlike thewind or the sun, a good downhill stream runs constantly year-round, so it generates electricity for a comparable cost to a pho-tovoltaic system or small scale wind turbine.

Being a small business owner is always a challenge but has itsown rewards. All of us at Solair Energy feel good about beingable to make a difference. Business is business, but its notalways about the bottom line. Like many PASA members, wehave a missionary zeal to help people, including fellow PASAmembers and farmers, to make their corner of the world a moresustainable place. I

Photo above: Solair Energy, Inc. founder and president, Pam Den-linger and installer Michael Fisher at the recent PASA conference.


16/3216

Emmas restaurant pursuits began early, when she worked asa waitress, then line cook, and became absorbed in food service.Her path eventually led her to Walnut Acres in Penns Creek in

1997 where she focused on product development. I was reallyexcited to work at Walnut Acres. Although I was a good cookand great baker, I wanted to understand natural foods better. Ihad passion for nutrition and unprocessed foodsand WalnutAcres taught me plenty! Emma took that quest to new heightsrecently when she graduated from the Institute for IntegrativeNutrition in June.

Emmas partner Nick Charles added, When affirming ourgoals for this project, Emma and I knew we wanted to sourceingredients from our local farmer neighbors. We wanted to sup-port the community that in turn will support us. Environmen-tally also, it felt like the right thing to do.

Emma and Nick have a quest to please the patron. We

guarantee delicious and nutritious food, but take it a step fur-ther too, offering our patrons vegetarian, vegan, and gluten freeoptions, states Emma. And all the breads and baked goods areprepared fresh daily on the premises.

A soon-to-be famous dish on our menu is the pizza, becausewe have a not-so-secret ingredient, Emma teased, from ourfriends at Selinsgrove Brewing Company. We retrieve the spentgrain from their brewing process, dehydrate it and turn it intoflour. It delivers a boost of nutrition and fiber to our crust!

Emmas Food for Life. Stop by for some amazing fresh cook-ing, while supporting regional farms and an independenteatery. I

The areas firstnatural food restaurant

with an emphasis on local,seasonal foods.

Open Tuesday Saturday11:00am 8:00pm

Emmas Food for Life, Inc.11 South Market StreetSelinsgrove, PA 17870

[email protected]

Ready to discover a wonderful new bistro in the heart ofPennsylvania? Travel on beautiful Route 11/15 to thequaint town of Selinsgrove and head for Emmas Food

for Life a fabulous new restaurant thats all about fresh, gour-met, and healthy cooking with local ingredients. The experi-ence will be guaranteed scrumptious and rewarding for yoursoul.

Co-owner Emma Renninger grew up on a farm, so usingfarm-fresh ingredients was a natural choice. I know whatraising food is all about. When you have high standards and

seek food you can trust to serve the public, then buying fromsustainable local farmers is a natural! declared Emma.

So its a natural that many PASA farmers supply the meats,dairy, eggs, fruits and vegetables required for the seasonalmenus. 100% of our meat is locally raised and grass-fed, andall the poultry and eggs are pasture-raised. Its great to knowourfarmers. No concern over whether we can trust what a label oradvertisement claims!

John Hopkins of Forks Farm, who supplies their chicken,eggs, beef and pork added, It is refreshing to work with chefsthat appreciate the difference in our food from the taste andflavor to the nutritional qualities because of the way our food isgrown.

The Kelleys at White Frost Farm, who provide a consider-able lot of the veggies, agree. The dialog that takes placebetween producer and restaurateur is rewarding; we are build-ing relationships that in turn strengthen our local community,commented Kit Kelley.


Natural ChoiceDelivers Fresh

Advantage

(Left) Nick Charles and Emma Renninger, along with Emmasstaff, make a visit to Kit & Cathy Kelleys White Frost Farm inWashingtonville. White Frost Farm supplies many vegetables to thenewly opened restaurant in Selinsgrove, PA.


17/3217


In Europe, many farms are small in size and intensively cul-

tivated by walk-behind two-wheeled tractors that performmultiple tasks. Founded in the 1940s by Engineer Luigi

Castoldi, BCS helped pioneer the mechanization of agriculturein Italy. The tradition of innovation continues, and, today, BCSis Europes largest manufacturer of two-wheeled tractors.

With the advent of the back to the earth movement in thelate Sixties and early Seventies, BCS came to America and hasbecome a popular choice of farmers and rural property owners.BCS proudly counts many PASA members as customers andcategorizes its products as appropriate technology. For allapplications, BCS is designed around the three goals of dura-bility, performance, and versatility.

BCS tractors are all-gear-driven. A heavy-duty, double coneclutch transfers power from a Honda gasoline or Yanmar dieselengine to a precision-crafted transmission. Supported byembedded ball bearings, all transmission shafts and gears areheat-treated steel and running in oil bath. The result is adurable piece of equipment designed to deliver decades of supe-rior performance.

The key design feature of each tractor is that the handlesrotate 180 degrees, enabling the use of both front- and rear-

The BCS Advantage

mount attachments. In less than a minute, with the aid ofBCSs quick coupler, the operator can switch from a rear-mount tiller or rotary plow to a front-mount sickle bar mower,rotary brush mower, shredder/chipper, snowthrower, etc.

The versatility of BCS is fantastic, according to Larry Sey-mour, general manager of BCS America. Because each new jobonly requires the purchase of an attachment, the farmer gets a

lot better return on his investment with a BCS system of two-wheel tractor and attachments, than with separate pieces of sin-gle purpose, belt- and chain-driven equipment.

For market gardeners, BCS is particularly excited about therotary plow attachment. Designed for minimum impact, teninches of soil is loosened in a single pass without the creation ofplow sole or excessive pulverization. Other uses for the plowinclude building raised beds, hilling, trenching, and buryingcover crops.

We caught up with PASA member, John Clendenin, here inCentre County. John raises 1.5 acres of vegetables and uses theBCS rotary plow to make raised beds. I wasnt sure it was apiece I would use much. But now, I would tell folks looking to

buy a BCS to get the rotary plow attachment first. John alsoowns the tiller, lawnmower, and sickle bar mower. His overallassessment of his 13HP BCS tractor and implements: Its wellmade, its easy to usestrong but quiet.

BCS invites you to make your own assessment. Investigatethe BCS Advantage by requesting their free catalog and dvdof the BCS in action. Both are available by calling their toll-free number (800-543-1040) of by contacting them, via thewebsite (www.bcsamerica.com). I

Designed for minimum impact the BCS rotaryplow attachment loosenes 10 inches of soil in a

single pass without the creation of plowsole or excessive pulverization.


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its never more than 17 days from the farm. This is

because Natural by Nature products are pasteurized withan HTST process, or High Temperature, Short Time.This process eliminates any pathogenic micro-organisms,but does not render the milk sterile or compromise thenutritional value of the milk. In sharp contrast, mostorganic milk available in the supermarket is ultra-pas-teurized, which is a process that not only removes anybacteria, but also renders milk so sterile it remains usablefor 5560 days!

Natural Dairy has just successfully completed a new,certified organic, processing facility in Reading, PA (BerksCo). The new facility allows for expanded production oftheir Natural By Nature brand of butter, sour cream and

buttermilk, spray drying capabilities to meet the growingneed for organic dairy powders, as well as research and

development of some exciting new products for the future.This is big for us, said Ned. It gives us a whole new flexibil-ity in receiving milk and manufacturing products.

When asked for his best advice for farmers, Ned MacArthursays Get grass-based. Anymore, its the common sense thing todo for your cows. I

In 1994 Ned MacArthur and his father Norman teamed upwith four organic dairy farmers in Lancaster County to cre-ate a whole system in which grass-fed, organic milk could

be produced, transported, processed and packaged. The ideawas to give farmers who were producing high-quality milk achance to showcase their milk in a branded line of high-quali-ty milk products. Natural Dairy Products created the Naturalby Nature brand, which is supplied solely by members of theLancaster Organic Farmers Cooperative (LOFCO). Natural byNature is unique in that every cow that produces milk forLOFCO is raised organically and on pasture. The farmers ofLOFCO are committed to excellence, and Natural Dairy Prod-ucts is in turn committed to providing consumers with high-quality milk products.

Think all organic milk is the same? Think again. Mostorganic milk at your supermarket comes from cows that are fed

a primarily grain-based diet. Milk from grass-fed cows containshigher levels of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) than that ofcows fed grain. CLA is an Omega 6 fatty acid, which studieshave shown helps in disease prevention. Grass-fed milk natu-rally contains higher levels of Beta-carotene, Vitamin A, andVitamin E because grass itself contains more of these nutrientsthan grain.

According to Ned, Natural Dairy Products tests for CLAand Omega 3 and we see that there is a difference in the prod-uct when it is grass based.

Natural by Nature dairy products are also unique becausethey retail as fresh as regulators allow. When a consumer pur-chases a gallon of Natural by Nature milk, they can be sure that

Grass-fed & OrganicNatural by Nature

Natural Dairy Products Corporation

P.O. Box 464 West Grove, PA 19390

(610) 268-6962 ph (610) 268-4172 fxwww.natural-by-nature.com

Fresh...from the meadow to the market!

Natural Dairy Product Corporations Natural by Naturebrand dairy products are produced with milk solely frommembers of the Lancaster Organic Farmers Cooperative(LOFCO).


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Jay Smucker and his two sons Mike and Jason of Smuckers Qual-ity Meats. The company has been serving livestock producers since1965.

19

In addition to custom butchering, Smuckers also producesvalue-added products such as barbecue, jerky and sausage in

addition to ham and bacon. About half of the sausage and hamsthey produce is nitrate free. Smuckers themselves also whole-sales their own barbecue and beef jerky to independent grocers, which is about a quarter of their business. But according toMike Our main business is to be the processor between theproducer and the consumer not to market the beef products,but rather our services. Educating consumers is a big part ofthis and something we really enjoy. Instead of retailing, wereinterested in helping customers develop consumer markets fortheir product. I

They are a delight to work with, both innovativeand flexible with new products and packaging,says Scott Barao of Hedgeapple Farm in Mary-

land. Barao, a certified humane Angus beef producer, who trav-els 90 miles to work with Smuckers Quality Meats in MountJoy (Lancaster Co.). Scott wasnt able to find a USDA inspect-ed facility in his area, a common problem among small live-stock producers across the country that need butchers who are willing to work one-on-one with customers, handle smallerquantities and create custom products.

Since 1965, Smuckers Quality Meats has been a family-owned business and today is a USDA-inspected slaughter, fab-ricating and processing plant, which includes vacuumpackaging and flash freezing. Along with 20 full-time and part-time employees, Jay Smucker and his two sons Mike (directorof food safety) and Jason (production manager), process beef,pork and bison, as well as some sheep and goats.

According to Mike, A majority of our customers found usvia word of mouth. We really didnt do much advertising, hesays. Many of the producers we work with found us within thelast 23 years. All of their operations vary in size in, but thebulk of them are in the Lancaster area. We currently processabout 2025 head per week, he continued.

Bob Hershey is a grass-fed beef producer hasbeen working with the Smuckers for years. Healso owns a retail outlet, Hershey Harvest inReading, which sells mostly prepared foods, butis now marketing his frozen beef.

A newer customer, Phillip Horst-Landis ofMeadow Run Farm in Lititz (Lancaster Co.)said, I am impressed with their animal han-dling skills. The pens and set-up are much gen-tler than other places I have seen, which lessensthe stress on the animals. They also are verycommitted to working with smaller-scale farm-

ers. We personally are still working out thekinks in our production schedule and otherdetails. But it is nice having them nearby so weare able to sell and deliver fresh meat to ourmarkets.

According to Mike, We have been workingto create better flow for moving the animals toreduce stress. You can tell a difference in thecarcass quality if an animal has been understress. We have also attended workshops byTemple Grandin and read her research inregards to treating animals humanely andreducing their stress.

An Important Linkin the Sustainable

Food System



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breed. Butchers verify that they produce marbled carcasses withan excellent ratio of meat to bone two pluses for the direct

marketer.The Rotokawa Devon herd has been closely bred for years.This paired with ruthless culling has led to extremely prepotentbulls that have the ability to transfer quality consistently totheir progeny. Ask Brian Futhey and he will tell you.

Brian is a dairy farmer/cheese maker who started a smallbeef herd with two purebred Devon heifers. He has been usingthe Rotokawa semen for three years now, not just on hisheifers but also on some of his Milking Shorthorns. I cantalways tell the purebreds from the crossbreds, claims Brian.Its incredible the influence the Rotokawa genetics has onwhatever its paired with. The great temperament of these ani-mals was an unexpected benefit. And these cattle are great graz-

ers, they seem to find grass even when I think theres nonethere.

Visit www.bakewellrepro.com for carcass evaluation testresults on Rotokawa Devon cross-bred cattle. Eighty-sevenpercent graded choice and tenderness values are better thanrestaurant quality. For financial success, consider these cattlethat will fatten on grass in 18 months and then cut out at6575% of Hot Carcass Weight.

Bakewells mission is to equip producers with knowledgeand skills so they themselves can create great herds. They wantto teach people how to fish, not just give them a fish. I

Owners Gearld Fry and Ridge Shinn have a passion torevive the rural economy. Their expertise is grass-fedcattle that produce superior quality beef, and they

strive to restore family farms one cow herd at a time.Started in 2002 and headquartered in Hardwick, Massachu-

setts, Bakewell Reproductive Center offers comprehensive serv-ices including consulting, seminars, on-farm visits, livestockevaluation, and prescribed breeding programs. Many livestockproducers have made great strides towards creating the rightkind of cattle that will grow and finish on grass by incorporat-ing the semen, embryos and/or live bulls from the RotokawaDevon bloodlines, that only Bakewell offers, into their breed-ing programs.

When the McCormicks in Portage, PA decided to transitiontheir commercial/Angus based herd to Devons, they purchasedseveral Rotokawa embryos from Bakewell and used their bestcows as surrogate mothers. Starting this way has put us yearsahead than if we chose an alternative approach, says Darla.

The resulting calves get no grain, are gaining and looking greaton grass, and are wonderful to work with.For a total grass-based operation to be profitable the pro-

ducer needs animals that are moderate in size yet possesstremendous body width and depth. Most cattle today are theresult of pressure from the feedlot industry for tall, big framed,late maturing cattle that can stay on grain for 120 days and pro-duce large, lean carcasses.

Many other British breeds (Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn)have a subset of cattle that still have the correct attributes to getthe job done on a total grass diet. Of them all, Bakewell hasfound the Devon to be the best. These early maturing, good-natured cattle have historically been known as the butchers

Ridge Shinn and Gearld Fry of Bakewell Reproduction CenterLLC, frequently attend and sponsor the annual PASA conference.Their business has been asset to several grass-fed producers.


Reviving theRural Economy


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You probably know Organic Valley Family of Farms as atrusted source of organic foods, but did you know thecooperative behind the Organic Valley brand has grown

to be a family of over 1,100 like-minded farm families acrossAmerica, offering milk, cheese, butter, eggs, juices, meats, pro-duce and soy beverages?

Organic and farmer-owned since 1988, Organic Valleysdecisions are based on the health and welfare of people, animalsand the earth. In todays world, companies need to think dif-ferently, large corporations control business including govern-ment, global energy, agriculture and the global food supply.Organic Valley serves small farmers and the rural community

health by combining two alternative business models thefamily farm and the cooperative. The cooperative was formedto nurture local communities by keeping farmers on the land,farming. Organic Valleys voice of over 1,100 farmers representsapproximately 10% of all certified the organic farmersing com-munity in America.

Organic Valley credits their success to the partnerships soci-ety created between farmers, employees and citizens. As morefarmers join the cooperative, they continually work to balancesupply with consumer demand and labor needed to supporttheir marketing operations. To enhance their sustainability,they have adopted a profit sharing model that recognizes thecontributions of all: 45% profits to farmers, 45% profits to

employees and 10% profits to community. According to Travis Forgues, an Organic Valley Vermont

farm-owner, Organic Valley was founded by farmers, is ownedby its farmers and is driven by a mission to save family farms,as well as to give future generations an opportunity to farm.

Kore Yoder, owner of Bev-R-Lane Farms in Lewisburg, PA(Union Co.) is a 13th generation farmer. In 1995, after takingover the farming operation from his parents, Noah and Aman-da, Kore was tired of receiving low and unstable pay prices inreturn for the hard work of milking cows day and night. At thatpoint Kore decided to sell the herd and focus on the crop pro-duction at the farm.

By 2000, the organic market had grown to the point that

we felt confident the demand was there, and we had heardabout Organic Valley, an organic farmers cooperative based in Wisconsin that wasexpanding its member-ship here in the East. Wedecided to go organic,revive the dairy farm,and join the coop. Forme, transitioning thecrops was a no-brainer.I had been cultivatingsoybeans and corn and

hadnt used chemicals for years. It was raising cattle organicallywithout antibiotics that I had my doubts about, as we made thedecision to purchase cows that were in transition, said Kore.

Farming the way we are, I have more time for my family.Its true we have more work, but I feel we are raising the chil-dren in an environment thats friendlier and safer. Without adoubt, we have a better quality of life, Kore states.

Organic Valleys base of loyal customers allows them to con-tinue bringing more farm families into the cooperative, alongwith the land, water and animals they protect.

Consumer demand for organic food continues to grow rap-idly, says Jamie Johnson, Organic Valleys community relationsmanager. Educational efforts have been successful at raisingconsumer awareness about organic and the benefits of eatingorganic food.

The same farmers who produce for Organic Valley also pro-duce a full range of delicious organic meat under the OrganicPrairie Family of Farms label. For further information, call 1-888-444-MILK or visit www.organicvalley.coop, www.organ-icprairie.com and the cooperatives farmers website,www.farmers.coop.I

21


Rise of theUn-Corporation

Pictured left, Organic Valley sponsors PASAs Farming for theFuture Conference. Peter Miller (seated) is their Northeast DairyPool Coordinator and works directly with regional farmers.


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to take their operation to the next level; easily meeting the everincreasing consumer demand for pastured poultry on their ownschedule and without having to transport birds. What I likebest about the mobile processing unit is that it empowers farm-

ers and communities to process poultry for a nominal cost andminimal commitment. If you have 2 extension cords, 2 hosesand $100, you can rent the unit for a day with the peace ofmind that this Poultry Man design will be easy to use, reliable,and stand the test of time.

I first came to know Poultry Man equipment while workingon Forks Farm in Orangeville, PA. Bringing with me to theprocessing table a high appreciation for big shiny machines thatactually do what theyre supposed to do, when theyre supposedto do it, I was amazed at the Poultry Man scalders features(maintaining temperature and timed rotation!) and effective-ness. I recently discovered that this scalder, which seemed soinventively well designed, was Elis very first model scaldermade nearly 7 years ago. I also learned of all the improvementsmade to the subsequent models such as an insulated front panelto prevent heat loss and accidental burns (or perhaps the lessserious but more likely: apron melting) by the operator. Havingseen the Poultry Man demonstrate his stellar equipment andknowing the reputation he has among his fiercely loyal pasturedpoultry clientele, it is obvious that Eli Reiffs business is con-stantly evolving as he listens to farmers and innovates betterdesigns.

If you have high standards for value and durability, youllfind Poultry Man equipment meets your processing needs its uncomplicated, valuable, and the bottom line is: it works!I

Eli Reiff, also known as The Poultry Man, has risen to arelative celebrity status among producers of pasturedpoultry in Pennsylvania. PASA members since 2001, the

Poultry Man and his family have truly enabled poultry farmersby providing them the equipment necessary for do-it-yourself,on-farm butchering. The Poultry Man equipment is recognizedby its cost-effectiveness, efficiency and high quality stainlesssteel design based on Elis 27 years of commercial processingexperience.

His complete line offers propane-fueled scalders that main-

ta

Documents

July-Aug 2007 Passages Newsletter, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture