summer 2003 passages newsletter, pennsylvania association for sustainable agriculture

8/9/2019 Summer 2003 Passages Newsletter, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

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Number 44 Summer 2003

Newsletter of thePennsylvaniaAssociation

for SustainableAgriculture

Buy Fresh/Buy Local

Shows the Way

Recently in downtown Philadelphia,PASA joined the Philadelphia Fair FoodProject and Farm to City to unveil a mar-keting campaign called Buy Fresh/BuyLocal, which aims to connect farmers andconsumers through a network of farmersmarkets, CSAs, restaurants, caterers, andother market venues, focusing specificallyon Philadelphia for the first stage of thecampaign.

The campaign will utilize a Local FoodGuide (already in its first printed edition), a

By Brian Snyder

It has become increasingly clear in recent

years that if family farms are to flourishonce again across the American country-

side, farmers must reconnect in a meaning-

ful way with their closest neighbors and

with the rural communities in their region.

In fact, a growing chasm between farms and

communities has led to a sometimes brutal

public debate over such issues as land use,

property taxes, waste disposal, urban

sprawl, and funding for schools and other

public services.

Fortunately, at the same time that many

farmers are rediscovering the enduringvalue of their neighbors, average consumers

are showing increased interest in the quality

and safety of their food supply. Increasingly

they are expressing a preference to buy food

that is grown on nearby farms, by farmers

who they know and can visit, using meth-

ods that assure accountability and high

quality

Farmers and consumers, it would seem,

are yearning to find each other. They are

like two highway crews tunneling through a

mountain from opposite sides. The moun-tain in this illustration represents all the

complexities of todays marketplace, includ-

ing issues of processing, transportation,

marketing, and government regulation of

the food supply chain.

What they need in order to succeed is

some kind of navigation system to guide

their efforts. Such a system is now becom-

ing available in southeastern Pennsylvania,

with promise for every region of the state in

coming years.

PassagesSustainable Food and Farming Systems

website (www.buylocalpa.org), plus numer

ous point-of purchase materials and tradi

tional advertising to get the word out to

consumers on where they can encounter the

agricultural bounty of the region. Already

huge banners with the Buy Fresh/Buy

Local logo adorn the outside of the Reading

Terminal Market (one of our most notable

campaign participants), and material

inside the market indicate which vendor

feature local fare.

Philadelphia is an exciting city fo

Continued on page 3


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ContentsSummer 2003

1 Pennsylvania Goes Local!

4 Directors Corner: Wakeup Call on Raw Milk Products

5 PASA-tively Speaking: Board Presidents Corner

6 Wanted: Farmers and Schools to Build Local Food Systems

8 Regional MarketingSoutheast

10 Regional MarketingSouthwest

11 A September Harvest Dinner

12 PASA Welcomes New and Returning Board Members

13 Board Opening Reminder

Sustainable Ag Leadership Award Reminder

Volunteer Acknowledgment

14 Waterkeeper Alliance Brings Third Hog Summit to Gettysburg

16 Pasture Monitoring on Provident Farm

20 Business Member Profile: Barry Denk,

Director of The Center for Rural Pennsylvania

21 Business Members

22 The Compost Heap: Editors Corner

24 Opportunities and Classified Ads

Conference Opportunities

25 The Junior PASA Page

26 Calendar of Events28 Dont Grow Corn!

34 PASA Membership/Contribution Form

Pennsylvania Association

for Sustainable Agriculture

114 West Main StreetP.O.Box 419

Millheim PA 16854Phone: (814) 349-9856 Fax: (814) 349-9840

Website: www.pasafarming.org

Passages STAFF & OFFICE

Guest Editor: Dan Brannen Jr.

Layout: C Factor

Advertising Sales: Lauren Smith,PASA office, [email protected]

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President:Kim Miller,Westmoreland County

Vice President: Kim Tait, Centre County

Secretary: Lyn Garling, Centre County

Treasurer: Chris Fullerton,Huntingdon County

Mary Barbercheck,Centre County

David Bingaman,Dauphin County

George DeVault, Lehigh County

Mena Hautau,Berks County

John Hopkins,Columbia County

John Jamison,Westmoreland County

Dave Johnson,Tioga County

Don Kretschmann, Beaver County

Brian Moyer, Berks County

Anthony Rodale, Berks County

Kim Seeley, Bradford County

PASA STAFF

HeadquartersBrian Snyder

Executive [email protected]

Lauren SmithDirector of Development& Membership Programs

[email protected]

Heather HouseFarm-to-School Program Coordinator

[email protected]

Brandi MarksOffice Coordinator/[email protected]

Regional Offices

Ruth SullivanDirector of Southeast Programs

Phone: [email protected]

David EsonDirector of Southwest Programs

Phone: [email protected]

Passages is printed with soy inks on recycled, chlorine-free paper

2

PASAs Mission is

Promoting profitable farms which

produce healthy food for all people while

respecting the natural environment.

PASA is an organization as diverse as the Penn-

sylvania landscape. We are seasoned farmers

who know that sustainability is not only a con-

cept, but a way of life.We are new farmers look-

ing 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 children,

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 community at a time.

Passages Summer 2003 Contributors

WRITERS: Mary Barbercheck, Dan Brannen Jr., Gene Chenoweth, George DeVault, David Eson,

Chris Fullerton, Kim Miller, Gayle Morrow,Virginia Phillips, Sally Roe, Lauren Smith, Brian Snyder, Ruth

Sullivan.

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Pat Little, Lauren Smith, Brian Snyder.

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

newspapers or other media? PASA is active

across the state, and wed love to know whatcoverage we are getting in 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 greatarticle 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 Fall Issue: September 19, 2003.


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PA Goes Local!

food, notes Bridget Croke of thePhiladelphia Fair Food Project. Restau-rants participating in the Buy Fresh/Buy

Local campaign make special dishes fea-turing locally raised ingredients. Forinstance, Django Gypsy Caf serves a deli-cious Atlantic Bluefish and creamy mush-room polenta made with locally grownblack forest mushrooms, and a smokedtomato broth made with locally growntomatoes and bacon from locally raisedpork.

We are blessed to have a tremendousvariety of farm-fresh products availablefrom southeastern Pennsylvania, saysBob Pierson, Queen Village resident and

manager of Farm to City farmers marketsin seven Philadelphia communities. Thefarmers markets in Philadelphia selleverything from strawberries, tomatoesand sweet corn, to naturally raised beef,aged cheeses, locally made breads, andmouthwatering BBQ chicken and ribscooked right at the markets. Bob alsomanages a Winter Harvest program thatextends the availability of seasonallydiverse farm products year-round.

Its a Regional Effort

By next year, PASA plans to expandthis buy local campaign to a growing network of market venues throughout thetarget region, and to make materials avail-able to individual farmers in southeastPennsylvania who wish to label their prod-ucts as locally grown. A similar program will be launched to promote farm prod-ucts in southwestern Pennsylvania by nextyear as well.

What is local food? The current cam-paign focuses on Pennsylvania food grown within a 75-mile radius of Philadelphia,reaching as far as the areas around Lan-caster, Reading, and Allentown. PASAand its partners will identify other buylocal regions similarly, paying close atten-tion, as in Philadelphia, to designationsand boundaries that farmers and con-sumers in the area find meaningful

In fact, consumer research has been akey to this campaign right from the begin-ning. Our eventual aim is to make surethat consumers anywhere in the Com-monwealth have a reliable method of

3

Continued from page 1

Continued on page 30

identifying farm-fresh products grown in

their region by farmers who know thevalue of their local customers.

In many cases this will mean partner-

ing with private food retailers and distrib-

utors to properly designate the local

products they carry. Current examples

include partnerships with the Natural

Dairy Products Corporation (Natural by

Nature), Kimberton Whole Foods, and

the Swarthmore Co-op in the southeast,

and the McGinnis sisters Special Food

Stores in the southwest.

Thats HappeningStatewide and Nationwide

The Buy Fresh/Buy Local campaign in

Pennsylvania is part of an even larger,

nationwide Buy Local Initiative organized

by the FoodRoutes Network, our neigh-

bor in Millheim, which provides technicalsupport to community-based groups

working to strengthen regional markets

for locally grown foods. FoodRoutes pro-

vides communications tools, networking

The three heroes of Buy Fresh/Buy Local Southeast share a moment of levity at theJune 15th campaign launch. From left to right,Bob Pierson (Farm to City),BridgetCroke (Philadelphia Fair Food Project) and Ruth Sullivan (PASA).


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Dozens of phone calls from concernedraw milk producers this spring indicated

to me that something was afoot. They were getting the message, by word ordeed, from some state inspectors andother sources that enforcement of dairysanitation standards would increase soon,followed by the possible elimination oflegal raw milk sales in Pennsylvania laterthis year.

The issue caught me by surprise, asnearly every producer of raw milk andcheese I know seems to be expandingfacilities for processing and marketing inorder to handle increasing demand. Sales

of raw milk and milk products are quick-ly generating a genuine family-farm suc-cess story in this state.

Still, the callers were insistent thatstorm clouds were brewing, so a meeting was scheduled to share information andplan a strategy. Then things got reallycrazy.

Within 24 hours of the meeting, whichincluded a couple dozen farmers and sev-eral others involved with food marketingand agricultural issues in general, one ofthe participating farmers had his raw milkcheese permit unexpectedly revoked.

The facts behind the decision to revokethe permit on that particular day remainmurky at best. But the most importantfact of the moment was that these farmers were told to expect trouble, and troubleshowed up right on schedule.

My subsequent call to Harrisburgrevealed that, for the first time in twodecades, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture had plans to open up theDairy Sanitation Code for possible revi-

sion, beginning sometime this fall. Fur-thermore, I was told by a department offi-

cial that, sometime next year, thelegislature is likely to approve new stan-dards that will eliminate legal sales of rawmilk and raw milk products, partly inresponse to pressure from the FDA.

The call also yielded the informationthat the revoked cheese permit was immi-nently being returned to the farmer inquestion, as due process had been neglect-ed, and in any case the farmer had donenothing wrong with respect to selling hischeese.

All of this drama was followed by an

opportunity in early July for me and othermembers of PASAs staff to sit down anddiscuss the raw milk issue with our newstate Secretary of Agriculture, Dennis Wolff. The meeting had originally beenarranged for other purposes, but the Sec-retary seemed quite comfortable raisingthe issue of raw milk, even before wewould have.

Secretary Wolff, a dairy farmer himself,recounted his own familys experience as aholder of a raw milk permit some yearsago, and gave us his personal assurancethat the department had no intention ofeliminating the permitting process now.

I explained to him that we are interest-ed in working with PDA to find accept-able ways for farmers to market otherbyproducts of raw milk, including yogurt,butter, and cottage cheese, all banned bycurrent law, as many farmers are experi-encing strong demand for such products.He indicated his willingness to explorecreative strategies with us.

Needless to say, we were grateful for

our time with Secretary Wolff, and appreciated his candor. But that does not mean

the issue has gone away as suddenly as iarose.You see, many consumers put consid

erable pressure on certified raw milk andcheese producers to stretch the rules a little and sell butter, yogurt, and other nonsanctioned products. Such farmers arefeeling a squeeze, as much from their cus-tomers as from governmental regulation.

So it would seem the timing for reviewof the state code, if it is to happen, is ideafor helping these farmers expand theimarkets in a rational way.

That would be the case, were it not forpowerful forces working in the oppositedirection. It would seem that three emotionally charged arguments may be coming together to the detriment of smaldairy farmers who have found succeswith raw milk, as follows:

1) Safety and securityPeople havelong-held, outdated concerns about rawmilk safety. Now add to that the securityfrenzy of the last two years. Proponents oindustrialized agriculture have not hesitated to take full advantage of both.

2) Budgetary concernsWouldnt ibe cheaper for the state not to inspect althose small farms and issue so many individual permits?

3) Dairy industry pressureDairyfarmers across the country continue to bein a massive crisis over prices, and industry reps find it easier to worry about thelittle guy taking away bits and pieces othe market than to focus on the real cul-pritgigantic confinement operationout west.

Now is the time for every sustainablefarmer and consumer to WAKE UP andrealize that these same arguments can beapplied to any direct marketing or valueadded farming strategy. For instance, ithey prevail in shutting down raw milksales, then why not other small pasteur-ized bottling plants later, or any smaldairy operation for that matter?

Purveyors and consumers of pasturedpoultry that is processed on small farmhad better take note as well. Correspond

Directors Corner

By Brian Snyder, Executive Director

Wakeup Call onRaw Milk Products

Qu PASA? Whats up with your organization?

Continued on page 7


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yogurt, we would have a victory for eatersand the economic viability of family dairyfarms.

So far this story has a happy ending.But it points out where industry wants totake us as consumers. Believe this: there isno claim so far fetched that industry willnot make it if it perceives that it will eitherboost sales or limit competition.

So we can expect, given the currentconfusion in this country over the differ-ence between safety and security, to seemany more claims by industry thatunprocessed foods are unsafe. Industrywill continue to claim that they should bethe guardians of public safety and that leg-

islatures should create laws prohibitingthe sale of fresh and raw foods on thegrounds of protecting the safety of the American public. They will continue tolobby for the irradiation of food and call itcold pasteurization. They will try to forceall food production through this funnel,eliminating, along with nutrition, theright of us as farmers to sell directly to ourcustomers.

Even though their methods havecaused the death of several consumersfrom tainted meat over the last couple of

years, the industrial spin masters will con-tinue to insist that it is the small, the mod-est, and the conscientious family farmerthat is the safety problem.

We cannot, we must not, be suckeredby these false claims. Farmers and eatersmust unite to demand the freedom tochoose the nutritious, the local, and thefresh over the falsely safe and nutritionallyimpaired products being foisted upon usby industry.

Madison Avenue would have us believethat we are lucky to live in this time, atime in which we are fortunate to havesuch a plethora of choices. And yet, themore I travel around, the more thingslook the same. I still recall the first time I

visited a large toy store franchise shortlyafter it opened near our home; I naivelythought they might have toys availablethat I had not seen before. In fact, therewas nothing new or unusual, unless youare impressed with a huge inventory.

I find large supermarkets to be thesame. Tractor-trailer loads of tomatoes,now in different shapes, all unpalatable.Apples that are green in color, but taste asbad as the red ones they are meant toimprove upon. And dont even get mestarted on the nectarines.

Then there is the drudgery of nationwide franchise restaurants. They are thesame wherever you goawful. Get in, getout, feel sick. Such a deal. Would youlike the super size formerly known as thefamily of six size? This is choice? They arestill French Fries, as dull one place as thenext, and just as devoid of nutrition.

The bad news for industry, and ourconsumption based economy, is that weare starting to figure out that size alonedoes not a choice make. Some of us likeour apple cider unpasteurized (anythingelse is just juice) and our milk raw. Gener-ations of red-blooded Americans havebeen raised on these products, but nowcomes industry with the helpful informa-tion that these products are unsafe. Noth-ing self-serving here, mind you, just tryingto point out, in a helpful sort of way, thatthese uncooked products could, no will,jeopardize our health. Further, those of us who choose to consume these productsbefore the nutrition is cooked out of themshould be prohibited from so doing, pre-

sumably to lower the national health careburden. We might then be free to choosea product that has been processed byindustry and presumably made safe, if lessnutritious and less palatable.

Well, Im not buying it, and neither are

a number of family dairy farmers aroundPennsylvania and their customers. Overthe last couple of months, some of thesegood farmers have prepared themselves todo battle over their right to sell raw milkto their happy customers. The federalFood and Drug Administration, not sur-prisingly taking the side of industrial aginterests, wishes to end the right oflicense-holding farmers to sell raw milk inPennsylvania, one of the few remainingstates to resist their edicts.

Fortunately we now have a Secretary of

Agriculture in this state who is a familyfarmer and a dairyman too boot. In arecent meeting with PASA staff, SecretaryDennis Wolff set the record straight, indi-cating that the licensed farm sale of rawmilk to the public would continue. Thefamily farmers of Pennsylvania and theircustomers thank you, Mr. Secretary. Now,if we could increase consumer choices byproviding for the farmstead production ofraw milk cottage cheese, butter, and


PASA-TIVELY SPEAKING: Board Presidents Corner

By Kim Miller

Freedom of Choice

26110 Nanticoke Rd, Salisbury, MD 21801Ph/Fx: 410-546-8480 Cell: 410-603-6553 Email: [email protected]

Connie & Pat Dolbey

Growers of quality vegetable & herb transplants for market gardeners& large scale growers since 1985.

Ability to custom-grow your variety choice for your planting date.Ideally suited to start-up CSAs.

Certified organic by MD Dept. of AG.

Flying Mother Natures Silver Seed To A New Home In The Sun. Neil Young, after the goldrush


6/366

By Dan Brannen Jr.Were gonna change the world,

laughs Heather House, PASAs new Farm-

to-School Program Coordinator. At least

Meadville, Pa.!House came to PASA in May after

earning a graduate degree from the Sus-

tainable Systems Program at Slippery

Rock University (SRU), where she created

and managed a farm-to-school project

from scratch. (See Food for Thought,

Passages# 41, fall 2002, p. 1.). Now she is

running PASAs new Farm-to-School pro-

gram to help farmers and school cafeterias

form supplier relationships that thrive.

Thanks to a two-year grant from the

Pennsylvania Department of Environ-mental Protection (DEP), Farm-to-School

is already working on projects at Alleghe-

ny College in Meadville, plus Pennsylva-

nia College of Technology, Wilson

College, and SRU.

If we connect farmers with large insti-

tutions like schools and universities, says

House, the farmers get predictable, sub-

stantial markets and fair prices, and the

schools get fresh food, improved town and

gown relations, and educational opportu-

nities for a variety of departments.What it Takes

The SRU program provides good

examples of the qualities farmers need to

make a farm-to-school project succeed.

Pittsburgh area farmers interested in sup-

plying SRU had formed a cooperative

called Pennsylvania Local Organics Works

(PLOW). By spreading the growing risks

over many farms, cooperatives help farm-

ers attain a consistent, reliable supply,

which House says is essential.

So is persistence. After PLOWs firstseason with SRU in 2002, the universitychanged food services companies. PLOWis supplying SRU for a second season

thanks in large part to farmer Jack Duffsefforts to cultivate a relationship with thenew company, AVI. Those efforts includ-ed an organized presentation containing

minimum order requirements, prices, and

plans to fax AVI weekly lists of available

products.

In addition to providing consistentquality, farmers who want to supply uni-

versities probably should consider season

extension.

You really need product throughThanksgiving, advises House. And you

need alternative markets during the sum-

mer, when university demand could be

lower because most of the students aregone.

For farmers prepared to meet these

challenges, House can provide assistance

and guidance on forming cooperatives(for which seed money is available

through organizations such as Keystone

Development Center), meeting insurance

We held several Good Food and

Organic Lunches at Slippery Rock and

distributed a Good Foods Cookbook,

says House. The simple yet attractive

cookbook gave attendees information on

the benefits of local food systems, plu

recipes ranging from pasture-raised

Roasted Rosemary Chicken to the veganSoba Noodle Salad with Vegetables and

Tofu. According to House, visible sup

port from the turnout at such events gave

the SRU project momentum.

Interactive events could also feature

local foods cooking demonstrations, Iron

Chef competitions, and picnic tours o

local farmers markets. House plans to

work with neighboring FoodRoutes Net

work in Millheim to develop innovativ

specs, arranging delivery schedules, and

writing grant applications to pay fotrucks, salad washers, and other equip

ment.Where it Goes

The school end of Farm-to-School

presents its own set of challenges, and

Houses experience at SRU has preparedher well to meet them too.

The key at the universities is consen-

sus building, says House. You need an

innovative dining services program and anetwork of staff, faculty, and student

committed to the project.

Through trial-and-error, House learn

ed that dining hall table tents and flyerare not the way to build consensus

Instead, if you want to get people excited

about local foods, feed them local foods.


Wanted: Farmers andSchools to Build LocalFood Systems

Its not that theyre anxious to eat kale or spinach,

local or otherwise, but even my daughters wonder

why their diet at school is different from ours at

home. The answersconvenience and costare

not good enough from the point of view of the kids.

Brian Snyder, Executive Director

Continued on next page


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farm-to-school campaigns. House can alsohelp develop graduate assistantship pro-

grams (as she did at SRU) and organizefaculty and student petition drives to getfarm-to-school projects off the ground.She emphasizes that the projects are greatopportunities for education and for build-ing interdisciplinary partnerships on cam-pus.

Almost all universities have programsand departments that can benefit from afarm-to-school project, says House,whether it be agro-economics, environ-mental economics, or sustainable agricul-ture.

Indeed, the grant that PASA receivedcame from DEPs Office of Pollution Pre-vention and Compliance Assistance, which highlights the opportunity toexplore how local food systems reduce thepetroleum, CFC, and other pollution thatcomes with our societys current system oflong-distance food transportation.

The Three Rs

Education, in fact, is one of the mainreasons that Executive Director Brian Sny-

der wanted to launch PASAs Farm-to-School program.

At the Future Issues Forum at my first

PASA conference, some impassioned peo-ple asked, why cant we get our good foodinto schools for kids to eat? remembersSnyder. Even my daughters wonder whytheir diet at school is different from oursat home. The answersconvenience andcostare not good enough from thepoint of view of the kids.

To that end, PASA is in the prelimi-nary stages of working with a secondaryschool system in Centre County toexplore a farm-to-school project for schoollunches. According to House, the USDA

Farm Bill has a Farm-to-Cafeteria pro-gram that encourages K12 schools topurchase from local farmers. Schools thatare part of the Department of DefensesNational School Lunch Program pro-gram may even be eligible for money for afarm-to-school project.

My main concern, says Snyder, isthat mealtime in schools not be treated assomething separate from the curriculum.Lunch is a tremendous opportunity toinspire our kids to engage in an important

area of investigation. As for House, her main concern is

hearing from Pennsylvanians who needhelp with a farm-to-school project. Housemay be reached at 814-349-9856 [email protected].

ing to the raw milk situation, there are

legitimate health concerns with any poul-

try products, and we are in the vicinity ofa powerful and struggling poultry indus-

try. One easily forgets that on-farm poul-

try processing is already disallowed in

many other parts of the country.

Almost no marketing strategy, regard-less of product or profitably, that now

flourishes on sustainable farms is safe from

the power of the notorious, agri-industrialtriumvirate of maximized security, eco-

nomic efficiency, and commodity compli-

ance. So it behooves us all to pay attention

before it is too late. Dont think twice;farmers could loose their local markets

almost overnight in response to a crisis.

After all, concerns like these certainly

do not come out of thin air, nor are they

merely fabricated by activists looking toboost their own reputations. Take a lookat the following comments made in thepress recently, in their own words asthey say:

Much of the sustainable production onsmaller farms cannot produce the desired

end-product. Free range access canincrease the animals risks of beingexposed to diseases, safety hazards areeminent since biosecurity is often over-looked, and there is a greatly increasedthreat of environmental endangermentdue to relaxed management practices.

attributed to Bob Gueldner, presi-dent of PennAg Industries Association

Pasteurization, the final safeguard in theproduction and processing of milk, is thesingle most important food processing

procedure that has ever been developed for public health and safety. We arefortunate that we have access to the safestfood supply the world has seen.

Gary Heckman, president of thePennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders

Such statements show that hyperboleand deliberate misinformation, now staplecommodities in the public discourse ofour society, are certainly being employed

by the agribusiness industry to graduallypaint both traditional and innovative sus-tainable farmers out of the Americanlandscape.

We will need everyones help to resistthis insidious effort to control the foodand farming systems of our future. Wewill need your presence as well. Please staytuned regarding potential information ses-sions, action alerts, and probably even agathering in Harrisburg this fall to sup-port raw milk production in Pennsylvania.Well be in touch.


Wakeup Call on Raw Milk ProductsContinued from page 4

Farm-to-School Program Coordinator,Heather House

Continued from previous page


8/368

Upcoming Potlucks

This fall and winter, PASA will be look-

ing to host potlucks in the remaining

regional counties of Philadelphia,Mont-

gomery, Bucks, Lebanon, Lancaster, and

Northampton. If you would like to host

such an event, please call Ruth at (717)

917-3731 or email to ruth@pasafarm-

ing.org.

Qu PASA? Regional Marketing Southeast

By Ruth SullivanEarly this spring, PASA held three

potlucks in Berks, Chester, and LehighCounties. The potlucks were a chance forme to meet PASA members in the regionand for members to socialize with othersin their counties.

The first potluck filled David and Joy

Stutzmans house in Kutztown to burstingon March 13. We had about thirty peo-pleall PASA memberswho broughtdelicious dishes featuring ingredients fromtheir farms. Offerings included a savorymushroom and onion bread puddingfrom Angela Evans of Oley Valley Mush-room Farm(see recipe in sidebar), Hawai-ian chicken from Linda Bird, and achicken pot pie from Holley and BrianMoyer of Green Haven Farm. Neighborsmet neighbors for the first time and

exclaimed that this needed to be an annu-al event.

A picture-perfect daysunny and sev-enty-five degreesbrought a crowd ofseventy-five Chester County PASA mem-bers, CSA customers, and friends to HughLofting and Claire Murrays place in WestGrove on March 22. This potluck had

delicious food too, including a seeminglygiant turkey from the Loftings, a muchcoveted nut pate from Janna Weil, and thelegendary yogurt drink from Seven Starsdairy farm. Thanks to Claires efforts, weeven had press coverage by several localpapers.

On March 26, George and MelanieDeVault opened their Emmaus home to agroup of over sixty Lehigh County folks,including PASA members, friends, andinterested newcomers. It was a good thing

the DeVaults were well equipped to handle guests because the chilly rain meanfolks stayed inside. While the food wa

deliciousincluding fresh greens, a gorgeous frittata, and heaps of desserts what made the evening memorable werthe interesting connections made by folkfrom a variety of organizations, such as theEmmaus Farmers Market, WildlandConservancy, Sierra Club, MuhlenbergCollege, and Organic Gardening Magazine.

Besides serving up good food and company, the potlucks proved beneficial toPASA and its programs. We received goodpress coverage in the West Chester and

Three Southeast

Potlucks a Success!


PASA members enjoy

good food, sunshine,

and fellowship at

Chester county

Potluck Party at

Inverbrook Farm.


9/369

Qu PASA? Regional Marketing Southeast

Replies or inquiries about any ofthese items should be directed to: RuthSullivan, Director of Southeast Pro-grams, (717) 917-3731, [email protected].

I Farmer-to-Chef Network inChester County:With the help of theChester County Economic Develop-ment Authority (PASA Member GarySmith) and Chester County Coopera-tive Extension, PASA is spearheadingthe development of a Farmer-to-ChefNetwork in Chester County. We areplanning a training session for farmerswho are considering selling to chefs atthe next Keep Farming First conference,and an event to bring together farmersand chefs in February or March of2004. In the meantime, if you are afarmer interested in selling to restau-rants, or a chef looking to buy fromlocal farmers, give me a call.

I Pastured Products Directory: Iam still collecting names for the pas-tured products directory for southeast

PA. If you havent already given me your

name (through the sign-up sheet at the2003 conference or by giving me a call

or email), I encourage you to do so. I

am looking for folks within my region(counties of Berks, Bucks, Chester,

Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh,

Montgomery, Northampton, andPhiladelphia) who are selling meat,

poultry, or dairy products raised on

grass. (Depending on demand, I mightfudge the regional outlines a bit.) Call,

email, or drop me a note with a copy of

your brochure or product list at: RuthSullivan, Pastured Products Directory,

PASA-SE, P.O. Box 419, Millheim, PA,

16854.

I Photos for Southeast CSA Net-

work: This summer I will be pullingtogether press kits for CSAs involved in

the Southeast CSA Network. I am look-

ing for good pictures of your CSA to goon a CD. The Southeast CSA Network

maintains a list-serve and has two or

three informal meetings a year to shareinformation, cooperate on buying sup-

plies, etc. The meetings are on hold

until the late fall, but the list-serve isactive all year round. If you have photos

to share, or want more informationabout getting involved in this informalnetwork, let me know.

I New Restaurant Wants to BuyLocal: Chef Jim Colemans new restau-rant will be opening as part of the Nor-mandy Farm conference center inBluebell (Montgomery County) in lateJuly. Coleman is looking for local farm-ers interested in supplying product. Ifyou want to participate, please contactme as soon as possible.

IPhoenixville Farmers Marketand CSA Looking for Meat Producers:

The Phoenixville Farmers Market, aSaturday morning market in northernChester County, is looking for fresh andsmoked meats and poultry. In conjunc-tion, the Charlestown CooperativeFarm, a nearby CSA, is looking to offerbeef, pork, and poultry to their 85member families. The intention is for aproducer to take advantage of bothopportunities simultaneously, ensuringgood sales volume. If you are interested,

contact me immediately.

SOUTHEAST IN THE WORKS

MUSHROOM BREAD PUDDINGThis recipe, courtesy of Angela Evans, was one of the

yummy dishes at the Berks County potluck on March 13.

2 cups milk

2 cups stale bread (I like to use nice crusty white bread)

2 eggs2 cups mixed mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, etc.)

salt & pepper to taste

herbs optional (parsley, chives, etc.)

canola oil

I Mix milk, eggs, and broken pieces of bread together and let stand atleast 1/2 hr.

I Chop onion and mushrooms and saute in canola oil. Mix all ingredientstogether.

I Pour into baking dish, and bake at 375F. for about 1 hr. or until knifecomes out of center clean.

RECIPEKennett Square newspapers in ChesterCounty. Many new folks who attendedthe potlucks vowed to become PASAmembers. Current members learnedabout my role as Regional Director andgot to network with each other on localprojects such as the Emmaus FarmersMarket, Farm-to-School projects, and theSeem Seed Farm project in Lehigh Coun-ty. Finally, PASA farmers requested thatthe association prepare lists or maps ofPASA farms organized by county so thatfarmers can refer customers to other PASAfarms.

Thanks to all three host families fortheir hospitality, and to all of the attendeesfor the great food and fellowship. Onceagain, I feel privileged to be part of such awarm, generous, dedicated, and inspiringgroup of folks.



10/3610

three are essential, according to Shinn andFrye.

Shinn, former NELA executive direc-tor, works closely with Frye, who heads hisown bovine genetics firm. The two haveelected to pursue an independent partner-ship, working and teaching on their own.Their educational tours through north-

eastern states have included several stopsin Pennsylvania, where they have present-ed the grass-fed gospel and tested grassfarmers cattle.

Their message concerns improvedhealth for people, animals, and environ-ment, and improved economics as well.They say:I People who eat pastured beef receive

multiple health benefits, derived from thebeefs fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids andCLA (conjugated linoleic acid) arebelieved to boost cardiovascular, immune-

system, and developmental health.

I Pastured animals are healthy andunstressed. They never see a feedlot, grazing calmly instead on the diet natureintended them to eat.I Grass ranch operations nourish the

land. Ecological benefits are undisputed.Meantime, Ridge observes, the marke

for truly high quality grass-fed beef is far

from satisfied. Suppliers, such as PasturePerfect, the for-profit arm of NELA, findthemselves posting sold-out websitemessages a few months after announcingsupply.

Still, there is a learning curve, coveringaspects like genetics, quality of grasshumane care, skillful processing, andaging of the beef, all of which affec whether grass-fed beef will have whShinn calls the dead-tender prime meaquality essential for consumer acceptance

Shinn and Frye intend to make anoth

By Virginia PhillipsMore than thirty grass ranchers and

would-be grass ranchers converged onhost David Colliers Hill Farm in Arm-strong County May 3 to learn about tech-niques, both startlingly new andreassuringly old, for assessing the mar-ketability of grass-fed beef.

Collier, who has honed intensive rota-tional grazing for sixteen years, was eagerto volunteer his exclusively grass-fed cowsfor the two-part demonstration.

Tests were performed by RidgewayShinn and Gerald Frye, the principalspokespersons for the New England Live-stock Association, a nonprofit marketingeffort for producers of top-grade grass-fedbeef. The NELA visit was coordinated byLaurel Hoffman of the Armstrong Coun-ty Conservation District.

For the first test, each animal stood as

Shinn waved an ultra-sound wand alongthe length of its long back muscle. Aminiscreen image reflected the amount ofintramuscular fat, to a degree preciseenough to determine which animals qual-ified on the tenderness scale to becomechoice or even prime quality steaks, andthus candidates for an upscale mail ordermarket.

No high tech was required for the sec-ond test, only the ability to perform sim-ple linear measurements and to observesharply. Based on decades-old theoriesrefined by Frye, farmers learned to com-pare ratios of body length and girth, tonote patterns of hair growth, and otherdiverse details of conformation. The seem-ingly unrelated elements add up to a use-ful picture. They predict with a highdegree of accuracy, says Frye, three things:how likely an animal is to thrive on pas-ture, to produce tender meat required foran excellent eating experience, and toperform well in its reproductive life.

For raising profitable pastured beef, all

Qu PASA? Regional Marketing Southwest

PASAs Southwest Regional Market-ing program includes the followingcounties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver,Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Wash-ington, and Westmoreland. Check thislisting quarterly for projects in-the-works!

I Farmer to Chef Networks: Thereare now thirty businesses interested inpurchasing locally produced food prod-ucts. If you are interested in either buy-ing or selling local products, please callor email me.

I Buy Local Campaign: PASASouthwest is in the initial stages ofdeveloping its own Buy Fresh, BuyLocal campaign. The Buy Local labelwill be tested this summer, so look for itat your local farmers market.

I Farmers Market: From mid-July

to October, PASA will be working with

Focus on Renewal and the Greater

Pittsburgh Food Bank to manage the

new McKees Rocks Farmers Market.

I Grass-Based Networks: After

Gerald Fryes successful first trip to

western Pennsylvania, ArmstrongCounty Conservation District is inter-

ested in hosting him again this fall. I

will keep us posted on this upcoming

field day, which will address grass-fed

beef genetics.

Lets Work Together

Were eager to hear from you. Please contact:

David Eson,

Director of Southwest Programs

412-997-2343 [email protected]

SOUTHWEST IN THE WORKS

Teachers of the Grass-Fed Gospel

Come to Armstrong County



11/3611

By Chris Fullerton

Perhaps Wendell Berrys most quot-

ed line is eating is an agricultural act. It

comes from a short essay by the farmer-

poet entitled The Pleasures of Eating,

in which he notes, Eating with the

fullest pleasurepleasure, that is, that

does not depend on ignoranceis per-

haps the profoundest enactment of our

connection with the world.

His argument is that one cannot trulyenjoy food that is anonymous, that is

produced through industrial practices

that are beyond our knowledge and

consent. A good meal, a pleasurable

meal, is not only tasty and healthy, but

one in which the ingredients are pro-

duced locally and in a responsible man-

ner, by ourselves or by people we know.

Many PASA members have experi-

enced this kind of pleasurable eating at

our winter conferences, where thepleasure is heightened by eating in com-

munity with so many of our friends and

colleagues. Last summer, PASA members

and Slow Food members sat down to a

great meal featuring local ingredients

and prepared by local talent at the Gam-

ble Mill restaurant in Bellefonte (Centre

County). Now, another opportunity is

approaching to experience the pleas-

ures of the table with other PASA com-

munity members.On the evening of September 20th, in

the beautiful Mountain Laurel Room on

the grounds of the Penn College of

Technology in Williamsport, there will

be a wonderful Harvest Dinner Cele-

bration of local farms and local flavors.

This strolling feast will feature that

evenings food producers and their sus-

tainably raised foods, while benefiting

PASA.

This is a continuation of a great part-

nership between Penn College of Tech-

nology and PASA. Not only does the

college buy from local farmers, but its

chefs and students have helped create

the special meals at our last several

PASA conferences.Chefs at Penn College of Technology

are working right now with PASA staff

to develop a menu for the Harvest Din-

ner that will feature as many items as

possible grown or made by PASA mem-

bers. The dinner will also include local

beer and wines.

If Williamsport (Lycoming County) is

a little too far to travel for you, take

heart; PASA hopes that were just in the

beginning stages of a tradition that will

continue for years to come and take

place in communities all over the Com-

monwealth.

Invitations to PASAs 2003 Harvest Din-

ner will be mailed to all PASA members in

August.

A September Harvest Dinner


PASA HarvestDinner Celebration

Date: Saturday, September 20

Time: 5:00 pm

Where: Mountain Laurel Room,Penn College of Technology,Williamsport

For more details: ContactLauren Smith at the PASA office,814-349-9856

Chef Mike Ditchfield (right) is planning the menu

featuring local foods for the Harvest Dinner

Celebration, which will be prepared by student

chefs from the School of Hospitality.


12/3612


PASA WelcomesNew and ReturningBoard Members

By Dan Brannen Jr.In PASAs great traditions of sustain-

ability and diversity, members at the

Annual Meeting last February electedthree new Directors and re-elected twoincumbents, giving the Board connectionsto academia and government while main-taining its strong farmer makeup. Werecently spoke with the new membersabout their visions for PASA

Dr. Mary BarbercheckBarbercheck is a professor in the

Department of Entomology at Penn StateUniversity and works with CooperativeExtension in forage and pasture manage-

ment. In her research, Barbercheck studiesthe soil level connections between diversi-ty, stability, and productivity. Shes alsotaught courses on womens studies andethics in agriculture.

Asked to name PASAs top three chal-lenges today, Barbercheck replies,Finances, finances, finances. I think weneed to work on creating a more stablefinancial base so that PASA can continueto offer and improve on all the great workthat it does to help farmers and promotesustainable agriculture.

Barbercheck invites PASA farmers toshare their research and Extension needswith her so she may convey them to theuniversity.

Dave BingamanBingaman brings to PASAs Board the

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture,where he has worked for thirty years, cur-rently as Chief of the Division of Conser-vation and Ag Technology. His post giveshim responsibility for PDA activities inNutrient Management, Integrated Pest

Management, Sustainable Agriculture,and Biomass Energy. Bingaman also hasreal farm experience.

Growing up on a small diversifiedfarm in Dauphin County was good to pre-pare me and help me identify with PASA,says Bingaman. Our operation direct-marketed poultry, beef, fruits, and vegeta-bles from this location for fivegenerations. Our markets included ped-dling door-to-door and selling at the oldChestnut Street market. I fondly remem-ber bus trips with my mother when I wasfive or six so she could help at the salescounter. Later, to foster responsibility, Ireceived chores on the farm that includedraising animals and vegetables.

As a PASA Board member, Bingaman wants to increase direct-marketingthrough better animal processing regula-tions, improve relations between large andsmall producers so both can focus on eco-nomic viability, and create more localmarkets to reach the 54 million peoplewho live within 200 miles of Pennsylva-nia.

When asked what members can do tohelp him in his role with PASA, Binga-

man says, Provide input on all of theabove issues, especially any that you dis-agree with. We all benefit from the per-spective of others and need to be open tonew and opposing ideas.

Brian MoyerBrian Moyer operates Green Haven

Farm in Berks County with his wife Hol-ley, raising pastured poultry, sheep, anddairy goats. The Moyers market throughtwo CSAs plus farmers markets, restau-rants, and on-farm sales. Building on their

belief that good communities start withgood food, they founded the Skippack

Farmers Market and helped open theIndian Valley Farmers Market in Telford.Moyer agrees with Barbercheck tha

fundraising is one of PASAs top challenges today. He also cautions, As PASAmembership continues to grow, and webecome involved in many different things we need to always keep in mind whaPASA is all about: healthy farms, healthyfood, healthy communities.

As for support, Moyer urges memberto contact him. Let me know who youare. What do you like about PASA? Wha

dont you like. How can we help you withyour farm or community? I am your volunteer representative. Use me.

John JamisonJamison joined the Board last summe

when he was appointed to fill a mid-termvacancy. For 25 years, John and wifeSukey have been raising and marketingwhat the Chicago Tribune has called thebest lamb in America. Their marketingefforts include mail and Internet orderfor retail cuts as well as lamb stew and

pasta sauces.Jamison thinks that development of an

infrastructure for marketing Pennsylvaniasustainable ag products throughout thenortheast is one of PASAs challenges. Heurges PASA farmers to realize that marketing, in whatever form it takes, is as important to sustainable ag as production.

Kim Seeley and Kim TaitPASA members re-elected Kim Seeley

and Kim Tait to the Board in Februaryleading Board President Kim Miller to

applaud the return of the three Kims.Seeley and his family run Milky WayFarms, which grazes 170 cows and has oneof the oldest on-farm bottling operationsin the state. Tait is President of Tait FarmFoods, which manufactures over 40 specialty food products and has a 150-member CSA in Centre County. On July 9Tait and her company were featured in aCBS Evening News segment on women inagriculture. (See The Compost Heap,this issue, p. 22)


13/3613


Board Opening Reminder As always, five seats on PASAs board of

directors are up for election at the Farm-ing for the Futureconference in February2004. If you or a member you know

would like to do PASA the valuable favorof board service, please send a nomination

suggestion with brief biographical infor-

mation to Nominating Committee Chair

Kim Seeley (570-673-5690) or to the

PASA headquarters by November 7,

2003.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THESE RECENT PASA VOLUNTEERS

Shown playing around are some of the volunteers that met recently fromthe 2004 Conference Planning Committee.

Doug Ayres

Mark Besterman

Jackie Bonomo

Carl Callenbach

Sam Cantrell

Sabine Carey

Tom Carey

Gene Chenoweth

Kelly Coleman

Eileen Clark

Chef MikeDitchfield

Bill Deitrick

Jack Duff

Isabella Eson

Wendy Eson

William Eson

Elody Gyekis

Joe Gyekis

Bernie Hoffnar

Kelle Kersten

Art King

Kathy King

Larry King

Laura King

Tim Lillis

Jeff Mattocks

Tom Maurer

Tara Merenda

Gayle Morrow

Anne Nordell

Eric Nordell

Patti Olenick

Virginia Phillips

Craig Richards

Louise Schorn

Smith

Ian Smith

Ron Stanely

Amy Trauger

Mary G.Whittam

Alma Wynne

Sustainable Ag Leadership Award Reminder

Know someone who stands out in the promotion of sustainable agriculture? Someonewhose day-to-day work gives exceptional lifeblood and energy to our movement, or

someone who quietly leads by example using new and innovative methods to produce

and market their commodities. PASA Award Committee Chair David Bingaman is

accepting nominations for the Sustainable Ag Leadership Award until December 15,

2003. Please contact David at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, 2301 North

Cameron Street, #G-13, Harrisburg, PA 17110, phone 717-772-5208, email dbinga-

[email protected]. As always, PASA will present the award at the Farming for the Future

conference in State College, February 2004.

Fall Volunteer

Opportunities

IVolunteer at a PASA Field Day.

Contact Kate Gatski at 570-387-

6327.

IVolunteer to represent PASA at a

community event in your region.

Contact Lauren Smith at PASA

Headquarters.

IHelp with office work. ContactBrandi Marks at PASA head-

quarters.

IGet involved with the Regional

Marketing Programs. Contact

David Eson in the southwest

regional office, or Ruth Sullivan

in the southeast regional office.

IHelp sell tickets to the Harvest

Celebration Dinner. Contact

Chris Fullerton at chris@tog.

coop, 814-448-2173

IAssist with soliciting items for

the Silent Auction in February.

Contact Lauren Smith at PASA

Headquarters.

IClip articles in your local news-

paper that feature PASA or sus-

tainable ag. Send them to Brandi

Marks at PASA headquarters.


14/3614


Waterkeeper Alliance Brings

Third Hog Summit to GettysburgBy Gene Chenoweth

Warriors on the frontlines of CAFObattles, and hog farmers providing sus-tainable solutions, convened for the thirdannual Hog Summit at the EisenhowerConference Center in Gettysburg on June7. The event was sponsored by Water-keeper Alliance in partnership with organ-

izations whose names suggest diverseconcerns about modern day pork produc-tion: PASA, PennFuture, White Dog CafFoundation, GRACE Factory Farm Pro- ject, Animal Welfare Institute, andDelaware Riverkeeper Network.

PASA even added a second day to theevent with its June 6 Field Day on rota-tional pastured hog raising, held on the Alvin Stolzfus family farm in LancasterCounty.

History of Hog SummitsNorth Carolinas farmers were never

major marketers of hogs. Yet, to that state went the distinction of hosting the firstHog Summit. Why? Conditions for devel-oping concentrated animal feeding opera-tionsCAFOs or CAOswere ideal inNorth Carolina during the1980s. By2000, hog production in NC hadincreased five-fold, while the numbers ofindependent hog farmers dropped morethan 75%.

Feed merchant and venture capitalist Wendell H. Murphy did all he could to

make NC a welcoming venue. While serv-ing in the NC General Assembly and Sen-ate (1983-1992), Murphy pioneeredCAFOs and sponsored laws worth mil-lions of dollars to his company, treatinghog and poultry CAFOs like diversifiedfamily farms by exempting them from tax,zoning, and environmental statutes thatnormally apply to such capital intensiveoperations. The policies and practices notonly devastated NCs environment, prop-erty values, quality of health and life, butalso sparked a great divisiveness that con-

tinues to mount across the US.The achievements of Wendell Murphy

and associates spurred WaterkeeperAlliance and its Board president, Robert F.Kennedy Jr., to initiate the Annual Sus-tainable Hog Farming Summit in 2001. Joining in was the NC Hog Round-table, a number of national organizationsconcerned about the issues, including ani-mal friendly, healthy, and sustainable agri-culture practices. Kennedy andWaterkeeper were depicted in NC as New York trial-lawyers and other bottom

feeders requiring high profile litigation tosupport flagrant lifestyles.

The second Summit convened in CleaLake, Iowa on April 5, 2002. Summit 2emphasized innovations in producing andmarketing sustainable pastured pork. Ihad an international flavor thanks to areport on hog farming in Sweden, whichhas a national prohibition on the routineuse of antibiotics. It also sparked controversy with the thought, attributed toKennedy, that CAFOs pose greater threats

Helen Browning, of Eastbrook Farm in Great Britain, talks to participants at thepastured-pork field day.Helen also spoke at the Hog Summit the next dayher inform-ative descriptions of the organic hog operation she owns and operates were a highlighof the Summit.



15/3615

Producers Council, and Penn Ag Indus-

tries Association would have representa-

tives on hand to provide an alternate point

of view to Summit attendees. CAO oper-ators were incensed by characterizations of

their enterprises. An assistant to PA Sena-

tor Mike Waugh (R-28) said, Im con-

cerned that the driving movement behind

this (Summit) is a national movement

against progressive agriculture. I contend

that we will remain free as a country only

so far as we are able to feed our-

selves. One wishes he and Senator

Waugh had joined us on the Stolzfus farm

to see a viable, prosperous example of sus-

tainable pork production. Well, maybe

next year?

It is true Senate Bill 1413 (a Pennsyl-

vania legislative effort to end local regula-

tion of factory farms) died in committee

last year, but the issue has not gone

away. High-density hog operations are

here and, as activist organization Citizens

for Pennsylvanias Future pointed out,

they are on the increase. Struggles over the

economic, environmental, and social haz-

ards posed by factory farms are apt to

dominate Hog Summits for the foresee-

able future.

to the nation than Osama bin Laden.

Bringing the Battle to Gettysburg

Hog Summit 3 at Gettysburg this June7 carried over the energy and controversyfrom earlier summits. The format wassimilar to the annual P ASA conferences, with two morning plenaries, one onshortcomings of industrial agriculture,the other on creating meaningful solu-tions.

A new voice at the Summit was Helen

Browning, who spoke on operations atEastbook Farm in southern England. In asimilar vein, the Stolzfus familys Spring Water Farm bespoke the success andenthusiasm of the increasing numbers ofmodest-sized, low-tech, imaginativelymanaged sustainable units. These immac-ulate facilities permit enjoyment of sweet,clean country air in the midst of energeticand responsive animals on lush, managedpastures.

Lunch was delicious, sandwichedbetween networking, browsing packedstalls, and attending two afternoon break-out sessions, each featuring six panels ofspeakers. The first session I chose was theRoundtable Forum on Citizen Activismand Options: Responding to FactoryFarms. Moderated by Bill Weida of theGRACE Factory Farm Project and RickDove from Waterkeeper, the session fea-tured participation by people from acrossthis nation who have struggledarestrugglingwith CAFOs. It was bothchilling and moving to hear details of

activism stretching from Utah, Colorado,Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, and else-where to here in Pennsylvania. Local par-ticipants included the Concerned Citizensof Nippenose Valley, a year-old group try-ing to protect Limestone Township,Lycoming County, from factory farms.Old hands moved to comfort and person-ally reassure anxious, frightened, angryindividuals from York County, where ashowcase CAFO is being funded byUSDAs Young Farmer Program.

In April, the National Pork Producers

Council announced that NPPC, PA Pork


The crowd at PASAs pre-Summit field day observe these handsome Tamworth sows atAlvin Stoltzfus farm.The hut behind the hogs is used for farrowing.

Overheard at the Third Annual Hog Summit:

The problem is not hogs, chickens, cows, or dairy.The problem is the social, environmental, and economic

problems resulting from concentration of anything.

Nature abhors concentration, and will react to it.

Jim Brown, Hog Summit panelist and concentrated hog

farmer turned factory farm opponent.



16/3616

By Mary Barbercheck,PASA Board Member

Dave and Maggie Johnson and family were the hosts for a pasture monitoringfield day at their organic dairy, ProvidentFarm, near Liberty, PA, on June 25. Thefocus of the day was management of pas-tures and soils to maximize the capture of

sunlight to provide energy for vegetationthat will be converted to milk productionthat goes to market.

Various monitoring tools were demon-strated. Jim Weaver (PSU cooperativeextension in Tioga County) discussed thephilosophy behind monitoring methodsdeveloped through Holistic Management.Paul Shaffer (NRCS) and Kris Ribble(NRCS and the Project Grass coordinatorfor NE Pennsylvania) demonstrated someof the tests in the NRCS Soil Quality Test

Kit. Other less technical methods ofassessing soil quality and forage condition were demonstrated: the soil quality testcard developed by producers, grazing yardstick, and a forage plate meter.

Provident FarmProvident Farm is located on approxi-

mately 160 acres at 1800 ft elevation onmoderately drained Wellsboro soil. Daveand his family have a deep commitmentto stewardship of the land. Daveexplained:

I see farming as just one part of lifes stew-

ardship. It is the noble legacy we received

from Adam and Eve. All we have and

enjoy is a gift from God and we are here

to be caretakers of the creation. Our man-

agement should nurture and enhance

whatever we set our hands to do. When

we farm, we should enhance the natural

systems to function even better, and the

land should look better than when we

started. If we seek short term gain and

exploit the ecosystem through chemicals

or monoculture, we have missed the foun-

dations of stewardship, of husbandry.

Stewardship is a long term commitment,

an eternal commitment. Immediate prob-lems are far less important than where

things are heading. These things help clar-

ify what sustainable agriculture is all

about.

The Johnsons, who are full-time farm-ers, bought the farm in 1993 and practice

Qu PASA? Farm Based Education

Continued from previous pagePasture Monitoring

on Provident Farm

intensively-managed rotational grazing aan alternative to crop production. TheJohnsons milk 4060 cows and raise stock

on the farm with the help of a Normandybull. The cows are milked, eight at a timetwice a day in an airy New Zealand swingparlor. It takes Dave about 45 minutes tomilk the herd. The cows are moved to anew paddock after milking. Each paddockhas 4050 cows and is one-half to twoacres in size, depending on the conditionof the grass. The Johnsons also direct market beef and chicken raised on the farmThe farm has been producing milk for thelast five years, is PCO certified, and markets through Organic Valley.

Monitoring fields is critical to getting where you want to be, explained Davewho built up the lush pastures from weedymeadowland that had been out of production for eight years in a government set-aside program. We overseeded the field with a perennial rye/clover mix into thmeadow in April with a no-till drill, frost-seeded alice clover every three years, andfertilized with lime and two tons of broiler litter to the acre to bring up fertility.

The cows are outside year-round, withthe barn being used as a holding area and

for feeding grain. The Johnsons recentlyinvested in three tractors because there areno custom harvesters available in the areaand organic hay is too expensive to buy. Inaddition to the 160 acres on the farm, 140additional rented acres are used to pro


Participants at the Provident Farm field day have close encounters with cows of many different kinds.


17/3617

duce hay and forage. Dave makes largeround bales and has a bale tuber for wrap-

ping baleage. He considers this a goodinvestment, especially in a year as wet asthis one has been. With all the rain, thecows had a hard time keeping up with thegrowth on the pastures. Dave estimates itcosts $.02/lb to produce forage as pasturein comparison to $.04.05/lb to producebaleage.

Full grazing starts in spring aroundmid-April. Dave limits earlier grazingbecause some of the land is wetland withfairly heavy clay soils that are damaged bytraffic. Perennial grasses come on first and

grow late into fall. The rest period for thepaddocks ranges from about 15 days inspring to 4560 days in summer. Grass isstockpiled to graze into November andearly December. To rejuvenate andincrease fertility, Dave chooses a paddockfor use as a winter feedlot in which roundbales are placed, then gives that paddock arest the following year.

With the farm situated at the headwa-ters of Pine Creek, Dave would like to putin more permanent lanes to protect waterquality. Thistle has become a weed prob-lem in an area where drain tile wasinstalled because of soil disturbance, andhe is not able to control the weeds there with clipping because of wetness, so heplans to try vinegar (10%) as an organicherbicide. Dave recently started a collabo-rative research project with Ron Hoover, aPenn State University on-farm researchcoordinator, to investigate organic weedmanagement through different practicessuch as clipping, adjusting soil fertility,and aeration.

Holistic ManagementJim Weaver, a member of the Northern

Penn Holistic Management Network,presented a pasture monitoring methodthat was developed by Alan Savory(www.holisticmanagement.org/). Jimexplained, Holistic Management is adecision-making framework throughwhich people can make decisions that areenvironmentally, socially, and financiallysound in both the short and long term.

Holistic Management has its roots in

land, agriculture, and wildlife manage-ment. Decision-making revolves around aholistic goal. All decisions are tested

against the goal and made in the contextof available tools and information gath-ered through monitoring procedures. Jimsapproach to Holistic Management hasbeen influenced by John Ikerd and theidea of the new American farmer, one whoengages in environmentally-consciousland stewardship on appropriately scaledfamily farms; builds relationships that cre-ate value-added direct marketing so that agreater proportion of profits are kept bythe farmer rather than by processors andother middlemen; and nurtures a high

quality of life through family and com-munity.

Holistic management is based on theidea that the whole chain of the farmenterprise is only as strong as its weakestlink. The holistic manager finds the weaklink in the production chain, pays atten-tion to it by applying resources tostrengthen it, and continuously monitorsthe chain to identify weakest links. Wealthis generated by the allocation of expensesand the elimination of expenses, becauseonce an expense is eliminated, it cant rise.

Management of grazing animals andmonitoring for early-warning biologicalindicators is central to holistic manage-ment. Livestock are used to help create thelandscape that is envisioned. Periodic dis-turbance (grazing and/or clipping) isneeded to maintain soil cover and to keepplants fresh and high in nutritional quali-ty. In this system, livestock are used asland reclamation tools, but are also man-aged to take into account other functionsof the ecosystem, such as wildlife habitat.

This enables the use of the herd to benefitthe whole environment and, ultimately, tocreate the landscape that will sustain theproduction and quality of life described inthe holistic goal.

The outcomes of this type of grazingmanagement are several: 1) in the growingmonths, the land can produce the maxi-mum amount of high quality forage on anincreasing or sustained basis; 2) in thenon-growing months, there is adequateforage and/or cover for livestock and wildlife; 3) droughts can be dealt with

effectively; 4) the nutritional requirementsof the livestock and wildlife are adequate-ly met; 5) there is minimal stress on the

animals, as well as on the people, fromphysical handling; 6) there is maximumcoordination with cropping, wildlifeneeds, and other land uses, as well as withthe personal schedules of those who willoperate the plan; and 7) the manager isconstantly moving toward the holisticgoal.

Monitoring Procedure Jim Weaver demonstrated a simple

monitoring procedure that has been usedand improved by holistic managers for

over 25 years to detect change on landgrazed by livestock. The purpose of thismonitoring is not just to record change,but also to steer all changes in the direc-tion of the holistic goal. Indicators ofresource condition monitored include water, minerals, energy, and communitydynamics. The measurements of the indi-cators are used to produce an ecograph,where progress is measured based on goalsfor the farm.

Ideally, for ease of calculation, 100points on the farm are monitored and

converted to percentages. The monitoringpoints are selected randomly along a tran-sect that crosses as many different types ofsystems on the farm as possible (for exam-ple, hay fields, pastures, and woodlot). Tohelp keep the choice of sample points ran-dom so that the manager is not biased byappearance of an area, Jim suggests usinga marker (in this case, a flagged dart). Jimused the throw the dart over the shoul-der method to randomly choose moni-toring points.

At each of the 100 monitoring points,the manager measures indicators ofecosystem function: the closest plant orplant type (grass, broadleaf, forage, weed);amount of plant cover; soil condition(wet, dry, eroded); evidence of worm orinsect activity within six inches of thepoint; and other animal activity (manure,ground-nesting birds) within six feet ofthe point.

Soil condition measurements are bestmade when soil biological activity is high





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drought management, and the pastureand fields at Provident Farm have anSOM content of about 56%. SOM

improves water-holding capacity, andreducing runoff is especially important onclay soils like the moderately drainedWellsboro soil at Provident Farm.

The take home message for the day wathisto get your pastures to sustain animal nutrition and environmental qualityneeds, it is important to monitor thechanges that accompany management.

ered a good population. Healthy soilsmells good. A rich earthy smell indicateshigh biological activity. No smell indicates

an intermediate condition, and a bad orchemical smell indicates a poor condition.Ecographs for recording the indicator

values are available at the Holistic Man-agement website, www.holisticmanage-ment.org/. To check progress toward theholistic goal, the farm should be moni-tored annually at the same time of year.The ideal monitoring time is at the peakof the forage growing season around thesummer solstice. However, consistency iscritical, so it is important to be aware oftime limitations on a particular farm and

choose a time of the year that consistencyis possible.

Soil Quality Test KitFarmers generally have a sense of what

good soil does: it takes in water rapidly,holds moisture well, resists erosion, drainswell, remains uncrusted, decomposes cropresidue rapidly, and produces healthyplants. Soil scientists from the USDAhave developed a kit that ag professionalsand farmers can use to help monitor theirsoil qualitythe soils ability to perform

its critical functions of supporting plantand animal productivity, contributing toclean surface and ground water supplies,and enhancing human health.

Paul Shaffer and Kris Ribble demon-strated some of the measurements possiblewith the Soil Quality Test Kit (availablefrom Gemplers www.gemplers.com),including soil pH, electrical conductivity(as a measure of salinity), and water infil-tration rate. The Kit also includes suppliesto assess soil respiration (a measure ofmicrobial activity), bulk density, soilnitrate, aggregate stability, earthworms,compaction, soil structure, and soil tex-ture. A DEP Growing Greener Grant pro-vided funds to test the Kit on 17 farmswith grazing plans.

NRCS and Project Grass personnel arealso testing a tool developed by Dr. RayWeil in the Department of Soil Science atthe University of Maryland to measurebiologically active carbon in the soil as anindicator of organic matter. Soil organicmatter (SOM) is a key to soil fertility and

and with adequate soil moisture; forexample, two days after a good rain or irri-

gation. To determine how well a soil takesin water, about a pint of water is pouredon the soil from a distance of about oneinch. You pour the water within five sec-onds, slow enough so that the soil surfaceis not disrupted, but fast enough to deter-mine how long it takes the water to soakinto the ground.

Upon observation, a small wet spotindicates rapid infiltration and is usuallydue to a well-aggregated surface condi-tion. A soil aggregate is a cluster or crumbof soil particles stuck together with a com-

bination of weak electrical forces from thesoil particles and from substances pro-duced during the decomposition of organ-ic matter. A well-aggregated soil accepts water easily, provides room for vigorousroot systems, and for aeration of the soil.A poorly aggregated soil crusts and erodeseasily, and will not accept water very rap-idly, leading to water runoff.

To maintain the aggregated state, ahealthy population of soil organisms isnecessary to provide the glue that holdsthe soil particles together. The organisms

that decompose crop residues and cyclenutrients need organic matter and mois-ture. A well-aggregated soil is loose andcrumbles easily through your fingers. Apoorly aggregated soil is cloddy and crust-ed. Adequate ground cover for long peri-ods of the year fosters higher waterinfiltration, and provides food for the soilorganisms that drive nutrient cycles.Ground cover also helps reduce soil ero-sion and water runoff by giving the watermore time to infiltrate the soil.

To determine the soil organisms pres-ent, move aside surface residue and lookfor ants, millipedes, beetles, snails, orother small animals on the soil surface.Two or more within a two-foot circle isconsidered a desirable amount. Theseorganisms help break down coarse cropresidue into smaller particles and make itmore available for nutrient cycling. Lookfor earthworm holes or casts at the surfaceand then turn over a shovelful of soil andcount the number of earthworms. Two ormore earthworms per shovelful is consid-

Continued from page 17


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PASA Business Member Profile

An Interview with Barry Denk,Director of The Center for Rural Pennsylvania

What is unique about your business?We are unique on the national scene in

that we are a legislative service agency.Pennsylvania is the only state with aresearch agency that is dedicated to ruralissues and housed under the generalassembly.

Why did you join PASA?It was a natural connection, given what

PASA is all about. It helps us in terms ofresearch. We get to hear about issues thatmay affect our membership. PASA servesan audience we believe we need to hearfrom, and a sector that is critical to thestates economy.

How has your membership been a

benefit to your business?The conference is obviously a great

forum. With our booth there, we get toprovide our literature and hear and shareinformation. The Center is currentlylooking at getting locally grown food intoour schools, so membership has beenhelpful there, too.

What does the term sustainablemean to you and how do you incorporatethat into your business?

One definition is to endure and with-stand. We work to help rural Pennsylvaniaendure and withstand, and maintain aquality of life that sets Pennsylvania apart.We help the government help rural Penn-

sylvania to endure and withstandchangeto understand it and to act andnot just react, whether specifically in agriculture or in other sectors.

What do you see as some of the criti-cal issues facing agriculture and ag-related businesses today?

There is a whole host of them! It is anever-changing and diverse industry. Onesimple definition doesnt really describeagriculture, so thats a challenge. Onevoice doesnt necessarily speak for it. Thenthere are Jane and Joe Consumer whohave no concept of the agriculture industry and dont know any of the behind-the

By Gayle MorrowIn the most recent issue of The Center for Rural Pennsyl-

vanias newsletter, state Rep. Sheila Miller, who is the Centerschairman of the board, touches on a variety of topics, includ-ing agriculture.

While some of our farmland has been blessed with cornthat lived up to the knee-high by the Fourth of July meas-uring stick, other areas see crop fields that are at least amonth behind in maturity, Miller writes. All of us in ruralPennsylvania who are linked to the agricultural land are hold-ing our breath and hoping that this years harvest brings bet-ter yields for our farm community than has been experiencedduring the past several cycles.

As a cattle farmer, Miller is in the business, says BarryDenk, Center director. Shes committed to this industry.

She experiences the issues affecting small farms, and she hashelped educate other members [of the legislature] on agricul-ture issues.

The Center is fortunate to have Miller as its chair; ruralPennsylvania is fortunate to have the Center. This legislativeservice agency was formed in 1987 as part of the Rural Revi-talization Act of 1986, Denk explains. The Center is part of

state government, a line item appropriation that providesresearch and data to Harrisburg as well as making it all avail-able to the private sector, academia, and others.

We have an extremely broad-based audience, notesDenk, who has served as director since 1996. As a bipartisan,bicameral legislative agency, the Center awards grants forapplied research and model projects (including PASA proj-ects in the southwest region), maintains and disseminatesinformation on rural trends and conditions, publishesresearch and project results, and sponsors forums on ruralissues.

The Center has been a PASA member since 1993 and hassponsored the conference annually since 1994.

Think about all of us in rural Pennsylvania who arelinked to the agricultural land. That is all of us; we are all

inextricably linked to the land. And as Miller encourages, besure to purchase some of Pennsylvanias great direct-from-the-farm fruits and vegetables as your travels take youthrough the Keystone States bountiful and beautiful ruralareas.

To find out more about rural Pennsylvania and the Cen-ter, visit www.ruralpa.org or call 717-787-9555.



21/3621

scenes things that go on. What do you see as the connection between sus-

tainable agriculture and the consumer?I think there is a great opportunity for all of us who

support Pennsylvania agriculture to develop a strongeducational program geared toward that Jane and Joe

Consumer. There is a need to understand whats goingon as it relates to them and their decisions as consumersand their personal choices. There is a connectionbetween sustaining and keeping agriculture, in all theshapes it has, as a viable industry in Pennsylvania, andconsumers will play an increasingly important role.

Business Members Are

Important To PASA!Membership plays a vital role at PASA

member support, interest, and involvement build

the foundation for our mission. Business Mem-

bers play a key role in that vitality. These farms

and businesses are committed to working with

other progressive members of the business com-

munity in the struggle to protect and preserve

Pennsylvania farmers and farmland. They know

this crusade will not be won without our collec-

tive effort. The strength these companies con-

tribute is deeply appreciated, and we look

forward to an ongoing partnership in furthering

the vision of promoting profitable farms which

produce healthy food for all people while respect-

ing the natural environment.PASA needs and appreciates the member-

ship support of the business community, and

extends an enthusiastic invitation to all interested

in becoming a Business Member. Join other lead-

ers in sustaining Pennsylvania agriculture while

enjoying extra PASA member benefits. Contact

the PASA membership office in Millheim for more

details.

NEW BUSINESS MEMBERSSUMMER 2003

Future Harvest/CASAStevensville, MD

Slow Food PittsburghPittsburgh, PA

Watershed Agricultural CouncilWalton, NY

Omitted from the full list/Spring 2003

big Burrito GroupPittsburgh, PA



22/3622

were all delighted (and sated) by a buffet o

savory, healthful foods, such as chevon stew

sweet strawberries, spring salads, moussaka

organic milk and cheeses, hearth-baked

breads, and oven-roasted vegetables. Jus

crumbs and casserole scraps were left over

by the end of each gathering. Exchanging

ideas and sharing laughter and fundamenta

beliefs about sustainable farming and com

munities are just some of the possibilities

when dynamic, hardworking PASA folks con

verge for fine socializing and dining. Perhap

you can form a regional group in your area.

Women Helping

Women in Farming

Some of Pennsylvanias leaders in sustain

able agriculture met in July to promote the

Pennsylvania Women in Agriculture Network

(WagN), which provides women with a

space that responds to their unique needs a

female members of the states farming com

munity.Amy Trauger, a doctoral candidate aPenn State University (PSU) who specializes

in gender roles in farming, leads the group

through emails and face-to-face monthly

meetings.Because of the persistence of gen

dered occupations, women in agriculture

tend to be excluded from certain spaces o

knowledge and authority about farming, and

are often reluctantly let into the farmer club

as an honorary man, Trauger explains.

Participants in WAgN-Pennsylvania

include farmers, agricultural extension

agents, trainers, researchers, legislators, and

brokers. Organizations represented include

Pennsylvania Certified Organic, The Rodale

Institute, PSU, and PASA. To get involved

contact Trauger at 814-422-0634 o

[email protected].

BOOK REVIEW:

Bringing the Food Economy Home:

Local Alternatives to Global Agribusiness

by Helena Norberg Hodge,Todd Merrifield

summer 2003 passages newsletter, pennsylvania association for sustainable agriculture

Documents