Passages

Sustainable Food and Farming Systems

Newsletter of the
Pennsylvania
Association
for Sustainable
Agriculture

Number 44 Summer 2003

By Brian Snyder
It has become increasingly clear in recent
years that if family farms are to flourish
once 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 enduring
value 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
Buy Fresh/Buy Local website (www.buylocalpa.org), plus numer-
like two highway crews tunneling through a
Shows the Way ous point-of purchase materials and tradi-
mountain from opposite sides. The moun-
Recently in downtown Philadelphia, tional advertising to get the word out to
tain in this illustration represents all the
PASA joined the Philadelphia Fair Food consumers on where they can encounter the
complexities of today’s marketplace, includ- Project and Farm to City to unveil a mar-
ing issues of processing, transportation, agricultural bounty of the region. Already,
keting campaign called “Buy Fresh/Buy huge banners with the Buy Fresh/Buy
marketing, and government regulation of Local,” which aims to connect farmers and
the food supply chain. Local logo adorn the outside of the Reading
consumers through a network of farmers’
What they need in order to succeed is Terminal Market (one of our most notable
markets, CSAs, restaurants, caterers, and
some kind of navigation system to guide campaign participants), and materials
other market venues, focusing specifically
their efforts. Such a system is now becom- on Philadelphia for the first stage of the inside the market indicate which vendors
ing available in southeastern Pennsylvania, campaign. feature local fare.
with promise for every region of the state in The campaign will utilize a Local Food “Philadelphia is an exciting city for
coming years. Guide (already in its first printed edition), a Continued on page 3
 Contents
Summer 2003

Pennsylvania Association 1 Pennsylvania Goes Local!

for Sustainable Agriculture
4 Director’s Corner: Wakeup Call on Raw Milk Products
114 West Main Street
P.O. Box 419 5 PASA-tively Speaking: Board President’s Corner
Millheim PA 16854
Phone: (814) 349-9856 • Fax: (814) 349-9840 6 Wanted: Farmers and Schools to Build Local Food Systems
Website: www.pasafarming.org
8 Regional Marketing—Southeast
Passages STAFF & OFFICE 10 Regional Marketing—Southwest
Guest Editor: Dan Brannen Jr.
11 A September Harvest Dinner
Layout: C Factor
Advertising Sales: Lauren Smith,
12 PASA Welcomes New and Returning Board Members
PASA office, lauren@pasafarming.org
13 Board Opening Reminder
Sustainable Ag Leadership Award Reminder
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Volunteer Acknowledgment
President: Kim Miller,Westmoreland County
Vice President: Kim Tait, Centre County 14 Waterkeeper Alliance Brings Third Hog Summit to Gettysburg
Secretary: Lyn Garling, Centre County
16 Pasture Monitoring on Provident Farm
Treasurer: Chris Fullerton, Huntingdon County
Mary Barbercheck, Centre County
20 Business Member Profile: Barry Denk,
David Bingaman, Dauphin County Director of The Center for Rural Pennsylvania
George DeVault, Lehigh County 21 Business Members
Mena Hautau, Berks County
John Hopkins, Columbia County 22 The Compost Heap: Editor’s Corner
John Jamison,Westmoreland County 24 Opportunities and Classified Ads
Dave Johnson,Tioga County
Conference Opportunities
Don Kretschmann, Beaver County
Brian Moyer, Berks County 25 The Junior PASA Page
Anthony Rodale, Berks County
26 Calendar of Events
Kim Seeley, Bradford County
28 Don’t Grow Corn!
PASA STAFF 34 PASA Membership/Contribution Form
Headquarters
Brian Snyder
Executive Director Passages Summer 2003 Contributors
brian@pasafarming.org WRITERS: Mary Barbercheck, Dan Brannen Jr., Gene Chenoweth, George DeVault, David Eson,
Lauren Smith Chris Fullerton, Kim Miller, Gayle Morrow,Virginia Phillips, Sally Roe, Lauren Smith, Brian Snyder, Ruth
Director of Development Sullivan.
& Membership Programs
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Pat Little, Lauren Smith, Brian Snyder.
lauren@pasafarming.org
Heather House PASA’s Mission is… PASA in the News
Farm-to-School Program Coordinator Have you seen articles about PASA in your local
heather@pasafarming.org Promoting profitable farms which
produce healthy food for all people while newspapers or other media? PASA is active
Brandi Marks across the state, and we’d love to know what
Office Coordinator/Bookkeeper respecting the natural environment.
coverage we are getting in your area. Please clip
brandi@pasafarming.org PASA is an organization as diverse as the Penn-
any articles you see on PASA and mail them to
sylvania landscape. We are seasoned farmers
Regional Offices our Millheim headquarters to the attention of
who know that sustainability is not only a con-
Office Coordinator Brandi Marks.
Ruth Sullivan cept, but a way of life.We are new farmers look-
Director of Southeast Programs ing for the fulfillment of land stewardship.We are
Phone: 717-917-3731 Do you have a great
students and other consumers, anxious to
ruth@pasafarming.org article idea for Passages?
understand our food systems and the choices
Want to share a farming practice with members?
David Eson that must be made.We are families and children,
Director of Southwest Programs We’d love to hear from you. Please contact the
who hold the future of farming in our hands.This
Phone: 412-997-2343 newsletter staff at newsletter@pasafarming.org.
is an organization that is growing in its voice on
david@pasafarming.org behalf of farmers in Pennsylvania and beyond. Deadline for Fall Issue: September 19, 2003.
Our mission is achieved, one voice, one farm,
Passages is printed with soy inks on recycled, chlorine-free paper
one strengthened community at a time.

2
PA Goes Local!
Continued from page 1
food,” notes Bridget Croke of the
Philadelphia Fair Food Project. “Restau-
rants participating in the Buy Fresh/Buy
Local campaign make special dishes fea-
turing locally raised ingredients. For
instance, Django Gypsy Café serves a deli-
cious Atlantic Bluefish and creamy mush-
room polenta made with locally grown
black forest mushrooms, and a smoked
tomato broth made with locally grown
tomatoes and bacon from locally raised
pork.”
“We are blessed to have a tremendous
variety of farm-fresh products available
from southeastern Pennsylvania,” says
Bob Pierson, Queen Village resident and
manager of Farm to City farmers’ markets
in seven Philadelphia communities. “The
farmers’ markets in Philadelphia sell
everything from strawberries, tomatoes
and sweet corn, to naturally raised beef,
aged cheeses, locally made breads, and
mouthwatering BBQ chicken and ribs
cooked right at the markets.” Bob also
manages a Winter Harvest program that
extends the availability of seasonally
diverse farm products year-round.
It’s a Regional Effort…
By next year, PASA plans to expand
this buy local campaign to a growing net-
work of market venues throughout the
target region, and to make materials avail-
able to individual farmers in southeast
Pennsylvania who wish to label their prod-
ucts as locally grown. A similar program
will be launched to promote farm prod-
The three heroes of Buy Fresh/Buy Local Southeast share a moment of levity at the
ucts in southwestern Pennsylvania by next June 15th campaign launch. From left to right, Bob Pierson (Farm to City), Bridget
year as well. Croke (Philadelphia Fair Food Project) and Ruth Sullivan (PASA).
What is local food? The current cam-
paign focuses on Pennsylvania food grown identifying farm-fresh products grown in Stores in the southwest.
within a 75-mile radius of Philadelphia, their region by farmers who know the …That’s Happening
reaching as far as the areas around Lan- value of their local customers. Statewide and Nationwide
caster, Reading, and Allentown. PASA
In many cases this will mean partner- The Buy Fresh/Buy Local campaign in
and its partners will identify other buy
ing with private food retailers and distrib- Pennsylvania is part of an even larger,
local regions similarly, paying close atten-
tion, as in Philadelphia, to designations utors to properly designate the local nationwide Buy Local Initiative organized
and boundaries that farmers and con- by the FoodRoutes Network, our neigh-
products they carry. Current examples
sumers in the area find meaningful bor in Millheim, which provides technical
include partnerships with the Natural
In fact, consumer research has been a support to community-based groups
Dairy Products Corporation (Natural by working to strengthen regional markets
key to this campaign right from the begin-
ning. Our eventual aim is to make sure Nature), Kimberton Whole Foods, and for locally grown foods. FoodRoutes pro-
that consumers anywhere in the Com- the Swarthmore Co-op in the southeast, vides communications tools, networking
monwealth have a reliable method of and the McGinnis sisters Special Food Continued on page 30

3
 Qué PASA? What’s up with your organization?
Director’s Corner
By Brian Snyder, Executive Director
Wakeup Call on
Raw Milk Products
Dozens of phone calls from concerned
raw milk producers this spring indicated
to me that something was afoot. They
were getting the message, by word or
deed, from some state inspectors and
other sources that enforcement of dairy
sanitation standards would increase soon,
followed by the possible elimination of
legal raw milk sales in Pennsylvania later
this year.
The issue caught me by surprise, as
nearly every producer of raw milk and
cheese I know seems to be expanding
facilities for processing and marketing in
order 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 that
storm clouds were brewing, so a meeting
was scheduled to share information and
plan a strategy. Then things got really
crazy.
Within 24 hours of the meeting, which
included a couple dozen farmers and sev-
eral others involved with food marketing
and agricultural issues in general, one of
the participating farmers had his raw milk
cheese permit unexpectedly revoked.
The facts behind the decision to revoke
the permit on that particular day remain
murky at best. But the most important
fact of the moment was that these farmers
were told to expect trouble, and trouble
showed up right on schedule.
My subsequent call to Harrisburg
revealed that, for the first time in two
decades, the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture had plans to “open up” the
Dairy Sanitation Code for possible revi-
sion, beginning sometime this fall. Fur-
thermore, I was told by a department offi-
cial that, sometime next year, the
legislature is likely to approve new stan-
dards that will eliminate legal sales of raw
milk and raw milk products, partly in
response to pressure from the FDA.
The call also yielded the information
that the revoked cheese permit was immi-
nently being returned to the farmer in
question, as due process had been neglect-
ed, and in any case the farmer had done
nothing wrong with respect to selling his
cheese.
All of this drama was followed by an
opportunity in early July for me and other
members of PASA’s staff to sit down and
discuss the raw milk issue with our new
state Secretary of Agriculture, Dennis
Wolff. The meeting had originally been
arranged for other purposes, but the Sec-
retary seemed quite comfortable raising
the issue of raw milk, even before we
would have.
Secretary Wolff, a dairy farmer himself,
recounted his own family’s experience as a
holder of a raw milk permit some years
ago, and gave us his personal assurance
that the department had no intention of
eliminating 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 other
byproducts of raw milk, including yogurt,
butter, and cottage cheese, all banned by
current law, as many farmers are experi-
encing strong demand for such products.
He indicated his willingness to explore
creative strategies with us.
Needless to say, we were grateful for
4
our time with Secretary Wolff, and appre-
ciated his candor. But that does not mean
the issue has gone away as suddenly as it
arose.
You see, many consumers put consid-
erable pressure on certified raw milk and
cheese producers to stretch the rules a lit-
tle and sell butter, yogurt, and other non-
sanctioned products. Such farmers are
feeling a squeeze, as much from their cus-
tomers as from governmental regulation.
So it would seem the timing for review
of the state code, if it is to happen, is ideal
for helping these farmers expand their
markets in a rational way.
That would be the case, were it not for
powerful forces working in the opposite
direction. It would seem that three emo-
tionally charged arguments may be com-
ing together to the detriment of small
dairy farmers who have found success
with raw milk, as follows:
1) Safety and security—People have
long-held, outdated concerns about raw
milk safety. Now add to that the security
frenzy of the last two years. Proponents of
industrialized agriculture have not hesitat-
ed to take full advantage of both.
2) Budgetary concerns—Wouldn’t it
be cheaper for the state not to inspect all
those small farms and issue so many indi-
vidual permits?
3) Dairy industry pressure—Dairy
farmers across the country continue to be
in a massive crisis over prices, and indus-
try reps find it easier to worry about the
little guy taking away bits and pieces of
the market than to focus on the real cul-
prit—gigantic confinement operations
out west.
Now is the time for every sustainable
farmer and consumer to WAKE UP and
realize that these same arguments can be
applied to any direct marketing or value-
added farming strategy. For instance, if
they prevail in shutting down raw milk
sales, then why not other small pasteur-
ized bottling plants later, or any small
dairy operation for that matter?
Purveyors and consumers of pastured
poultry that is processed on small farms
had better take note as well. Correspond-
Continued on page 7
 Qué PASA? What’s up with your organization?
PASA-TIVELY SPEAKING: Board President’s Corner
By Kim Miller
Freedom of Choice
Madison Avenue would have us believe
that we are lucky to live in this time, a
time in which we are fortunate to have
such a plethora of choices. And yet, the
more I travel around, the more things
look the same. I still recall the first time I
visited a large toy store franchise shortly
after it opened near our home; I naively
thought they might have toys available
that I had not seen before. In fact, there
was nothing new or unusual, unless you
are impressed with a huge inventory.
I find large supermarkets to be the
same. Tractor-trailer loads of tomatoes,
now in different shapes, all unpalatable.
Apples that are green in color, but taste as
bad as the red ones they are meant to
improve upon. And don’t even get me
started on the nectarines.
Then there is the drudgery of nation-
wide franchise restaurants. They are the
same wherever you go—awful. Get in, get
out, feel sick. Such a deal. “Would you
like the super size formerly known as the
family of six size?” This is choice? They are
still French Fries, as dull one place as the
next, and just as devoid of nutrition.
The bad news for industry, and our
consumption based economy, is that we
are starting to figure out that size alone
does not a choice make. Some of us like
our apple cider unpasteurized (anything
else is just juice) and our milk raw. Gener-
ations of red-blooded Americans have
been raised on these products, but now
comes industry with the helpful informa-
tion that these products are unsafe. Noth-
ing self-serving here, mind you, just trying
to point out, in a helpful sort of way, that
these uncooked products could, no will,
jeopardize our health. Further, those of us
who choose to consume these products
before the nutrition is cooked out of them
should be prohibited from so doing, pre-
yogurt, we would have a victory for eaters
and the economic viability of family dairy
farms.
So far this story has a happy ending.
But it points out where industry wants to
take us as consumers. Believe this: there is
no claim so far fetched that industry will
not make it if it perceives that it will either
boost sales or limit competition.
So we can expect, given the current
sumably to lower the national health care confusion in this country over the differ-
burden. We might then be free to choose ence between safety and security, to see
a product that has been processed by many more claims by industry that
industry and presumably made safe, if less unprocessed foods are unsafe. Industry
nutritious and less palatable. will continue to claim that they should be
Well, I’m not buying it, and neither are the guardians of public safety and that leg-
a number of family dairy farmers around islatures should create laws prohibiting
Pennsylvania and their customers. Over the sale of fresh and raw foods on the
the last couple of months, some of these grounds of protecting the safety of the
good farmers have prepared themselves to American public. They will continue to
do battle over their right to sell raw milk lobby for the irradiation of food and call it
to their happy customers. The federal cold pasteurization. They will try to force
Food and Drug Administration, not sur- all food production through this funnel,
prisingly taking the side of industrial ag eliminating, along with nutrition, the
interests, wishes to end the right of right of us as farmers to sell directly to our
license-holding farmers to sell raw milk in customers.
Pennsylvania, one of the few remaining Even though their methods have
states to resist their edicts. caused the death of several consumers
Fortunately we now have a Secretary of from tainted meat over the last couple of
Agriculture in this state who is a family years, the industrial spin masters will con-
farmer and a dairyman too boot. In a tinue to insist that it is the small, the mod-
recent meeting with PASA staff, Secretary est, and the conscientious family farmer
Dennis Wolff set the record straight, indi- that is the safety problem.
cating that the licensed farm sale of raw We cannot, we must not, be suckered
milk to the public would continue. The by these false claims. Farmers and eaters
family farmers of Pennsylvania and their must unite to demand the freedom to
customers thank you, Mr. Secretary. Now, choose the nutritious, the local, and the
if we could increase consumer choices by fresh over the falsely safe and nutritionally
providing for the farmstead production of impaired products being foisted upon us
raw milk cottage cheese, butter, and by industry.
26110 Nanticoke Rd, Salisbury, MD 21801
Ph/Fx: 410-546-8480 • Cell: 410-603-6553 •Email: ubuubok@dmv.com
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 Nature’s Silver Seed To A New Home In The Sun.” Neil Young, after the goldrush
5
 Qué PASA? What’s up with your organization?
Wanted: Farmers and
Schools to Build Local
Food Systems
By Dan Brannen Jr.
“We’re gonna change the world,”
laughs Heather House, PASA’s 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 PASA’s 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 PLOW’s first
season with SRU in 2002, the university
changed food services companies. PLOW
is supplying SRU for a second season
thanks in large part to farmer Jack Duff ’s
efforts to cultivate a relationship with the
new company, AVI. Those efforts includ-
ed an organized presentation containing
It’s not that they’re 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 answers—convenience and cost—are
not good enough from the point of view of the kids.
minimum order requirements, prices, and
plans to fax AVI weekly lists of available
products.
In addition to providing consistent
quality, farmers who want to supply uni-
versities probably should consider season
extension.
“You really need product through
Thanksgiving,” advises House. “And you
need alternative markets during the sum-
mer, when university demand could be
lower because most of the students are
gone.”
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
6
specs, arranging delivery schedules, and
writing grant applications to pay for
trucks, salad washers, and other equip-
ment.
Where it Goes
The school end of “Farm-to-School”
presents its own set of challenges, and
House’s experience at SRU has prepared
her well to meet them too.
“The key at the universities is consen-
sus building,” says House. “You need an
innovative dining services program and a
network of staff, faculty, and students
committed to the project.”
Through trial-and-error, House learn-
ed that dining hall table tents and flyers
are not the way to build consensus.
Instead, if you want to get people excited
about local foods, feed them local foods.
—Brian Snyder, Executive Director
“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, plus
recipes ranging from pasture-raised
“Roasted Rosemary Chicken” to the vegan
“Soba 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 of
local farmers’ markets. House plans to
work with neighboring FoodRoutes Net-
work in Millheim to develop innovative
Continued on next page
 Qué PASA? What’s up with your organization?
Continued from previous page
farm-to-school campaigns. House can also
help develop graduate assistantship pro-
grams (as she did at SRU) and organize
faculty and student petition drives to get
farm-to-school projects off the ground.
She emphasizes that the projects are great
opportunities for education and for build-
ing interdisciplinary partnerships on cam-
pus.
“Almost all universities have programs
and departments that can benefit from a
farm-to-school project,” says House,
“whether it be agro-economics, environ-
mental economics, or sustainable agricul-
ture.”
Indeed, the grant that PASA received
came from DEP’s Office of Pollution Pre-
vention and Compliance Assistance,
which highlights the opportunity to
explore how local food systems reduce the
petroleum, CFC, and other pollution that
comes with our society’s current system of
long-distance food transportation.
The Three R’s
Education, in fact, is one of the main
reasons that Executive Director Brian Sny-
der wanted to launch PASA’s Farm-to-
School program.
“At the Future Issues Forum at my first
PASA conference, some impassioned peo-
ple asked, ‘why can’t we get our good food
into schools for kids to eat?’” remembers
Snyder. “Even my daughters wonder why
their diet at school is different from ours
at home. The answers—convenience and
cost—are not good enough from the
point of view of the kids.”
To that end, PASA is in the prelimi-
nary stages of working with a secondary
school system in Centre County to
explore a farm-to-school project for school
lunches. According to House, the USDA
Farm Bill has a Farm-to-Cafeteria pro-
gram that encourages K–12 schools to
purchase from local farmers. Schools that
are part of the Department of Defense’s
“National School Lunch Program” pro- Farm-to-School Program Coordinator,
gram may even be eligible for money for a Heather House
farm-to-school project. area of investigation.”
“My main concern,” says Snyder, “is As for House, her main concern is
that mealtime in schools not be treated as hearing from Pennsylvanians who need
something separate from the curriculum. help with a farm-to-school project. House
Lunch is a tremendous opportunity to may be reached at 814-349-9856 or
inspire our kids to engage in an important heather@pasafarming.org.

procedure that has ever been developed

Wakeup Call on Raw Milk Products
Continued from page 4
ing to the raw milk situation, there are
legitimate health concerns with any poul-
try products, and we are in the vicinity of
a 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-industrial
triumvirate of maximized security, eco-
nomic efficiency, and commodity compli-
ance. So it behooves us all to pay attention
before it is too late. Don’t 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 to
boost their own reputations. Take a look
at the following comments made in the
press recently, “in their own words” as
they say:
Much of the sustainable production on
smaller farms cannot produce the desired
end-product. Free range access can
increase the animals’ risks of being
exposed to diseases, safety hazards are
eminent since biosecurity is often over-
looked, and there is a greatly increased
threat of environmental endangerment
due to relaxed management practices.
— attributed to Bob Gueldner, presi-
dent of PennAg Industries Association
Pasteurization, the final safeguard in the
production and processing of milk, is the
single most important food processing
for public health and safety…. We are
fortunate that we have access to the safest
food supply the world has seen.
— Gary Heckman, president of the
Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders
Such statements show that hyperbole
and deliberate misinformation, now staple
commodities in the public discourse of
our society, are certainly being employed
by the agribusiness industry to gradually
paint both traditional and innovative sus-
tainable farmers out of the American
landscape.
We will need everyone’s help to resist
this insidious effort to control the food
and farming systems of our future. We
will need your presence as well. Please stay
tuned regarding potential information ses-
sions, action alerts, and probably even a
gathering in Harrisburg this fall to sup-
port raw milk production in Pennsylvania.
We’ll be in touch.

7
 Qué PASA? Regional Marketing — Southeast
Three Southeast
Potlucks a Success!
By Ruth Sullivan
Early this spring, PASA held three
potlucks in Berks, Chester, and Lehigh
Counties. The potlucks were a chance for
me to meet PASA members in the region
and for members to socialize with others
in their counties.
The first potluck filled David and Joy
Stutzman’s house in Kutztown to bursting
on March 13. We had about thirty peo-
ple—all PASA members—who brought
delicious dishes featuring ingredients from
their farms. Offerings included a savory
mushroom and onion bread pudding
from Angela Evans of Oley Valley Mush-
room Farm(see recipe in sidebar), Hawai-
ian chicken from Linda Bird, and a
chicken pot pie from Holley and Brian
Moyer of Green Haven Farm. Neighbors
met neighbors for the first time and
PASA members enjoy
good food, sunshine,
and fellowship at
Chester county
Potluck Party at
Inverbrook Farm.
exclaimed that this needed to be an annu-
al event.
A picture-perfect day—sunny and sev-
enty-five degrees—brought a crowd of
seventy-five Chester County PASA mem-
bers, CSA customers, and friends to Hugh
Lofting and Claire Murray’s place in West
Grove on March 22. This potluck had
delicious food too, including a seemingly
giant turkey from the Loftings, a much
coveted nut pate from Janna Weil, and the
legendary yogurt drink from Seven Stars
dairy farm. Thanks to Claire’s efforts, we
even had press coverage by several local
papers.
On March 26, George and Melanie
DeVault opened their Emmaus home to a
group of over sixty Lehigh County folks,
including PASA members, friends, and
interested newcomers. It was a good thing
8
the DeVaults were well equipped to han-
dle guests because the chilly rain meant
folks stayed inside. While the food was
delicious—including fresh greens, a gor-
geous frittata, and heaps of desserts—
what made the evening memorable were
the interesting connections made by folks
from a variety of organizations, such as the
Emmaus Farmers Market, Wildlands
Conservancy, Sierra Club, Muhlenberg
College, and Organic Gardening Maga-
zine.
Besides serving up good food and com-
pany, the potlucks proved beneficial to
PASA and its programs. We received good
press coverage in the West Chester and
Continued on next page
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.
 Qué PASA? Regional Marketing — Southeast

until the late fall, but the list-serve is

SOUTHEAST “IN THE WORKS”
Replies or inquiries about any of
these items should be directed to: Ruth
Sullivan, Director of Southeast Pro-
grams, (717) 917-3731, ruth@pasa-
farming.org.
n Farmer-to-Chef Network in
Chester County: With the help of the
Chester County Economic Develop-
ment Authority (PASA Member Gary
Smith) and Chester County Coopera-
tive Extension, PASA is spearheading
the development of a Farmer-to-Chef
Network in Chester County. We are
planning a training session for farmers
who are considering selling to chefs at
the next Keep Farming First conference,
and an event to bring together farmers
and chefs in February or March of
2004. In the meantime, if you are a
farmer interested in selling to restau-
rants, or a chef looking to buy from
local farmers, give me a call.
n Pastured Products Directory: I
am still collecting names for the pas-
tured products directory for southeast
PA. If you haven’t already given me your
name (through the sign-up sheet at the
2003 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, and
Philadelphia) who are selling meat,
poultry, or dairy products raised on
grass. (Depending on demand, I might
fudge the regional outlines a bit.) Call,
email, or drop me a note with a copy of
your brochure or product list at: Ruth
Sullivan, Pastured Products Directory,
PASA-SE, P.O. Box 419, Millheim, PA,
16854.
n Photos for Southeast CSA Net-
work: This summer I will be pulling
together press kits for CSAs involved in
the Southeast CSA Network. I am look-
ing for good pictures of your CSA to go
on a CD. The Southeast CSA Network
maintains a list-serve and has two or
three informal meetings a year to share
information, cooperate on buying sup-
plies, etc. The meetings are on hold
active all year round. If you have photos
to share, or want more information
about getting involved in this informal
network, let me know.
n New Restaurant Wants to Buy
Local: Chef Jim Coleman’s new restau-
rant will be opening as part of the Nor-
mandy Farm conference center in
Bluebell (Montgomery County) in late
July. Coleman is looking for local farm-
ers interested in supplying product. If
you want to participate, please contact
me as soon as possible.
n Phoenixville Farmers’ Market
and CSA Looking for Meat Producers:
The Phoenixville Farmers’ Market, a
Saturday morning market in northern
Chester County, is looking for fresh and
smoked meats and poultry. In conjunc-
tion, the Charlestown Cooperative
Farm, a nearby CSA, is looking to offer
beef, pork, and poultry to their 85
member families. The intention is for a
producer to take advantage of both
opportunities simultaneously, ensuring
good sales volume. If you are interested,
contact me immediately.

Continued from previous page

Kennett Square newspapers in Chester RECIPE
County. Many new folks who attended
the potlucks vowed to become PASA
members. Current members learned
about my role as Regional Director and
got to network with each other on local
projects such as the Emmaus Farmers
Market, Farm-to-School projects, and the
Seem Seed Farm project in Lehigh Coun-
ty. Finally, PASA farmers requested that
the association prepare lists or maps of
PASA farms organized by county so that
farmers can refer customers to other PASA
MUSHROOM BREAD PUDDING
This 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 eggs
2 cups mixed mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, etc.)
salt & pepper to taste
herbs optional (parsley, chives, etc.)
canola oil

n Mix milk, eggs, and broken pieces of bread together and let stand at
farms.
Thanks to all three host families for least 1/2 hr.
n Chop onion and mushrooms and saute in canola oil. Mix all ingredients
their hospitality, and to all of the attendees
for the great food and fellowship. Once together.
n Pour into baking dish, and bake at 375°F. for about 1 hr. or until knife
again, I feel privileged to be part of such a
warm, generous, dedicated, and inspiring comes out of center clean.
group of folks.

9
 Qué PASA? Regional Marketing — Southwest
Teachers of the Grass-Fed Gospel
Come to Armstrong County
By Virginia Phillips
More than thirty grass ranchers and
would-be grass ranchers converged on
host David Collier’s Hill Farm in Arm-
strong County May 3 to learn about tech-
niques, both startlingly new and
reassuringly old, for assessing the mar-
ketability of grass-fed beef.
Collier, who has honed intensive rota-
tional grazing for sixteen years, was eager
to volunteer his exclusively grass-fed cows
for the two-part demonstration.
Tests were performed by Ridgeway
Shinn and Gerald Frye, the principal
spokespersons for the New England Live-
stock Association, a nonprofit marketing
effort for producers of top-grade grass-fed
beef. The NELA visit was coordinated by
Laurel Hoffman of the Armstrong Coun-
ty Conservation District.
For the first test, each animal stood as
Shinn waved an ultra-sound wand along
the length of its long back muscle. A
miniscreen image reflected the amount of
intramuscular fat, to a degree precise
enough to determine which animals qual-
ified on the tenderness scale to become
choice or even prime quality steaks, and
thus candidates for an upscale mail order
market.
No high tech was required for the sec-
ond test, only the ability to perform sim-
ple linear measurements and to observe
sharply. Based on decades-old theories
refined by Frye, farmers learned to com-
pare ratios of body length and girth, to
note patterns of hair growth, and other
diverse details of conformation. The seem-
ingly unrelated elements add up to a use-
ful picture. They predict with a high
degree of accuracy, says Frye, three things:
how likely an animal is to thrive on pas-
ture, to produce tender meat required for
an excellent “eating experience,” and to
perform well in its reproductive life.
For raising profitable pastured beef, all
three are essential, according to Shinn and
Frye.
Shinn, former NELA executive direc-
tor, works closely with Frye, who heads his
own bovine genetics firm. The two have
elected to pursue an independent partner-
ship, working and teaching on their own.
Their educational tours through north-
eastern states have included several stops
in Pennsylvania, where they have present-
ed the “grass-fed gospel” and tested grass
farmers’ cattle.
Their message concerns improved
health for people, animals, and environ-
ment, and improved economics as well.
They say:
n People who eat pastured beef receive
multiple health benefits, derived from the
beef ’s fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids and
CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) are
believed to boost cardiovascular, immune-
system, and developmental health.
SOUTHWEST “IN THE WORKS”
PASA’s Southwest Regional Market-
ing program includes the following
counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver,
Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Wash-
ington, and Westmoreland. Check this
listing quarterly for projects ‘in-the-
works’!
n Farmer to Chef Networks: There
are now thirty businesses interested in
purchasing locally produced food prod-
ucts. If you are interested in either buy-
ing or selling local products, please call
or email me.
n Buy Local Campaign: PASA
Southwest is in the initial stages of
developing its own “Buy Fresh, Buy
Local” campaign. The Buy Local label
will be tested this summer, so look for it
at your local farmers’ market.
10
n Pastured animals are healthy and
unstressed. They never see a feedlot, graz-
ing calmly instead on the diet nature
intended them to eat.
n Grass ranch operations nourish the
land. Ecological benefits are undisputed.
Meantime, Ridge observes, the market
for truly high quality grass-fed beef is far
from satisfied. Suppliers, such as Pasture-
Perfect, the for-profit arm of NELA, find
themselves posting “sold-out” website
messages a few months after announcing
supply.
Still, there is a learning curve, covering
aspects like genetics, quality of grass,
humane care, skillful processing, and
aging of the beef, all of which affect
whether grass-fed beef will have what
Shinn calls the “dead-tender” prime meat
quality essential for consumer acceptance.
Shinn and Frye intend to make anoth-
Continued on page 31
n 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.
n Grass-Based Networks: After
Gerald Frye’s successful first trip to
western Pennsylvania, Armstrong
County 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.
Let’s Work Together
We’re eager to hear from you. Please contact:
David Eson,
Director of Southwest Programs
412-997-2343 • david@pasafarming.org
 Qué PASA? What’s up with your organization?

A September Harvest Dinner

By Chris Fullerton
Perhaps Wendell Berry’s 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 pleasure—pleasure, that is, that
does not depend on ignorance—is per-
haps the profoundest enactment of our
connection with the world.”
His argument is that one cannot truly
enjoy 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 the
pleasure is heightened by eating in com- Chef Mike Ditchfield (right) is planning the menu
munity with so many of our friends and featuring local foods for the Harvest Dinner
Celebration, which will be prepared by student
colleagues. Last summer, PASA members chefs from the School of Hospitality.
and Slow Food members sat down to a
This is a continuation of a great part- beginning stages of a tradition that will
great meal featuring local ingredients
nership between Penn College of Tech- continue for years to come and take
and prepared by local talent at the Gam-
nology and PASA. Not only does the place in communities all over the Com-
ble Mill restaurant in Bellefonte (Centre
college buy from local farmers, but its monwealth.
County). Now, another opportunity is
chefs and students have helped create Invitations to PASA’s 2003 Harvest Din-
approaching to experience the pleas-
the special meals at our last several ner will be mailed to all PASA members in
ures of the table with other PASA com-
PASA conferences. August.
munity members.
On the evening of September 20th, in Chefs at Penn College of Technology
are working right now with PASA staff PASA Harvest
the beautiful Mountain Laurel Room on Dinner Celebration
the grounds of the Penn College of to develop a menu for the Harvest Din-
Date: Saturday, September 20
Technology in Williamsport, there will ner that will feature as many items as
Time: 5:00 pm
be a wonderful ‘Harvest Dinner Cele- possible grown or made by PASA mem-
Where: Mountain Laurel Room,
bration’ of local farms and local flavors. bers. The dinner will also include local Penn College of Technology,
This “strolling feast” will feature that beer and wines. Williamsport
evening’s food producers and their sus- If Williamsport (Lycoming County) is For more details: Contact
Lauren Smith at the PASA office,
tainably raised foods, while benefiting a little too far to travel for you, take
814-349-9856
PASA. heart; PASA hopes that we’re just in the

11
 Qué PASA? What’s up with your organization?
PASA Welcomes
New and Returning
Board Members
By Dan Brannen Jr.
In PASA’s great traditions of sustain-
ability and diversity, members at the
Annual Meeting last February elected
three new Directors and re-elected two
incumbents, giving the Board connections
to academia and government while main-
taining its strong farmer makeup. We
recently spoke with the new members
about their visions for PASA
Dr. Mary Barbercheck
Barbercheck is a professor in the
Department of Entomology at Penn State
University and works with Cooperative
Extension in forage and pasture manage-
ment. In her research, Barbercheck studies
the soil level connections between diversi-
ty, stability, and productivity. She’s also
taught courses on women’s studies and
ethics in agriculture.
Asked to name PASA’s top three chal-
lenges today, Barbercheck replies,
“Finances, finances, finances. I think we
need to work on creating a more stable
financial base so that PASA can continue
to offer and improve on all the great work
that it does to help farmers and promote
sustainable agriculture.”
Barbercheck invites PASA farmers to
share their research and Extension needs
with her so she may convey them to the
university.
Dave Bingaman
Bingaman brings to PASA’s 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 gives
him responsibility for PDA activities in
Nutrient Management, Integrated Pest
Management, Sustainable Agriculture,
and Biomass Energy. Bingaman also has
real farm experience.
“Growing up on a small diversified
farm 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 five
generations. Our markets included ped-
dling door-to-door and selling at the old
Chestnut Street market. I fondly remem-
ber bus trips with my mother when I was
five or six so she could help at the sales
counter. Later, to foster responsibility, I
received chores on the farm that included
raising animals and vegetables.”
As a PASA Board member, Bingaman
wants to increase direct-marketing
through better animal processing regula-
tions, improve relations between large and
small producers so both can focus on eco-
nomic viability, and create more local
markets to reach the 54 million people
who live within 200 miles of Pennsylva-
nia.
When asked what members can do to
help him in his role with PASA, Binga-
man says, “Provide input on all of the
above issues, especially any that you dis-
agree with. We all benefit from the per-
spective of others and need to be open to
new and opposing ideas.”
Brian Moyer
Brian Moyer operates Green Haven
Farm in Berks County with his wife Hol-
ley, raising pastured poultry, sheep, and
dairy goats. The Moyers market through
two CSA’s plus farmers’ markets, restau-
rants, and on-farm sales. Building on their
12
belief that good communities start with
good food, they founded the Skippack
Farmers’ Market and helped open the
Indian Valley Farmers’ Market in Telford.
Moyer agrees with Barbercheck that
fundraising is one of PASA’s top chal-
lenges today. He also cautions, “As PASA’s
membership continues to grow, and we
become involved in many different things,
we need to always keep in mind what
PASA is all about: healthy farms, healthy
food, healthy communities.”
As for support, Moyer urges members
to contact him. “Let me know who you
are. What do you like about PASA? What
don’t you like. How can we help you with
your farm or community? I am your vol-
unteer representative. Use me.”
John Jamison
Jamison joined the Board last summer
when he was appointed to fill a mid-term
vacancy. For 25 years, John and wife
Sukey have been raising and marketing
what the Chicago Tribune has called “the
best lamb in America.” Their marketing
efforts include mail and Internet orders
for retail cuts as well as lamb stew and
pasta sauces.
Jamison thinks that development of an
infrastructure for marketing Pennsylvania
sustainable ag products throughout the
northeast is one of PASA’s challenges. He
urges PASA farmers to realize that market-
ing, in whatever form it takes, is as impor-
tant to sustainable ag as production.
Kim Seeley and Kim Tait
PASA members re-elected Kim Seeley
and Kim Tait to the Board in February,
leading Board President Kim Miller to
applaud “the return of the three Kims.”
Seeley and his family run Milky Way
Farms, which grazes 170 cows and has one
of the oldest on-farm bottling operations
in the state. Tait is President of Tait Farm
Foods, which manufactures over 40 spe-
cialty food products and has a 150-mem-
ber CSA in Centre County. On July 9,
Tait and her company were featured in a
CBS Evening News segment on women in
agriculture. (See “The Compost Heap,”
this issue, p. 22)
 Qué PASA? What’s up with your organization?

Board Opening Reminder

As always, five seats on PASA’s board of
directors are up for election at the Farm-
ing for the Future conference in February
2004. If you or a member you know
would like to do PASA the valuable favor
of 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.
Sustainable Ag Leadership Award Reminder
Know someone who stands out in the promotion of sustainable agriculture? Someone
whose 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-
man@state.pa.us. As always, PASA will present the award at the Farming for the Future
conference in State College, February 2004.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THESE RECENT PASA VOLUNTEERS

Doug Ayres Chef Mike Art King Patti Olenick

Fall Volunteer
Mark Besterman
Ditchfield Kathy King Virginia Phillips
Opportunities
Jackie Bonomo
Bill Deitrick Larry King Craig Richards n Volunteer at a PASA Field Day.
Jack Duff Laura King Contact Kate Gatski at 570-387-
Carl Callenbach Louise Schorn
Isabella Eson Tim Lillis 6327.
Sam Cantrell Smith
Wendy Eson Jeff Mattocks n Volunteer to represent PASA at a
Sabine Carey Ian Smith
William Eson Tom Maurer community event in your region.
Tom Carey Ron Stanely Contact Lauren Smith at PASA
Elody Gyekis Tara Merenda
Gene Chenoweth Amy Trauger Headquarters.
Joe Gyekis Gayle Morrow
Kelly Coleman Bernie Hoffnar Anne Nordell Mary G.Whittam n Help with office work. Contact
Eileen Clark Kelle Kersten Eric Nordell Alma Wynne Brandi Marks at PASA head-
quarters.
Shown “playing around” are some of the volunteers that met recently from n Get involved with the Regional
the 2004 Conference Planning Committee. Marketing Programs. Contact
David Eson in the southwest
regional office, or Ruth Sullivan
in the southeast regional office.
n Help sell tickets to the Harvest
Celebration Dinner. Contact
Chris Fullerton at chris@tog.
coop, 814-448-2173
n Assist with soliciting items for
the Silent Auction in February.
Contact Lauren Smith at PASA
Headquarters.
n Clip articles in your local news-
paper that feature PASA or sus-
tainable ag. Send them to Brandi
Marks at PASA headquarters.

13
 Qué PASA? What’s up with your organization?

Waterkeeper Alliance Brings

Third Hog Summit to Gettysburg
By Gene Chenoweth
Warriors on the frontlines of CAFO
battles, and hog farmers providing sus-
tainable solutions, convened for the third
annual “Hog Summit” at the Eisenhower
Conference Center in Gettysburg on June
7. The event was sponsored by Water-
keeper Alliance in partnership with organ-
izations whose names suggest diverse
concerns about modern day pork produc-
tion: PASA, PennFuture, White Dog Café
Foundation, GRACE Factory Farm Pro-
ject, Animal Welfare Institute, and
Delaware Riverkeeper Network.
PASA even added a second day to the
event with its June 6 Field Day on rota-
tional pastured hog raising, held on the
Alvin Stolzfus family farm in Lancaster
County.
History of Hog Summits
North Carolina’s farmers were never
major marketers of hogs. Yet, to that state
went the distinction of hosting the first
Hog Summit. Why? Conditions for devel-
oping concentrated animal feeding opera-
tions—CAFOs or CAOs—were ideal in
North Carolina during the1980s. By
2000, hog production in NC had
increased five-fold, while the numbers of
independent hog farmers dropped more Helen Browning, of Eastbrook Farm in Great Britain, talks to participants at the
than 75%. pastured-pork field day. Helen also spoke at the Hog Summit the next day…her inform-
ative descriptions of the organic hog operation she owns and operates were a highlight
Feed merchant and venture capitalist of the Summit.
Wendell H. Murphy did all he could to
make NC a welcoming venue. While serv- tinues to mount across the US. feeders requiring high profile litigation to
ing in the NC General Assembly and Sen- The achievements of Wendell Murphy support flagrant lifestyles.
ate (1983-1992), Murphy pioneered and associates spurred Waterkeeper The second Summit convened in Clear
CAFOs and sponsored laws worth mil- Alliance and its Board president, Robert F. Lake, Iowa on April 5, 2002. Summit 2
lions of dollars to his company, treating Kennedy Jr., to initiate the “Annual Sus- emphasized innovations in producing and
hog and poultry CAFOs like diversified tainable Hog Farming Summit” in 2001. marketing sustainable pastured pork. It
family farms by exempting them from tax, Joining in was the “NC Hog Round- had an international flavor thanks to a
zoning, and environmental statutes that table,” a number of national organizations report on hog farming in Sweden, which
normally apply to such capital intensive concerned about the issues, including ani- has a national prohibition on the routine
operations. The policies and practices not mal friendly, healthy, and sustainable agri- use of antibiotics. It also sparked contro-
only devastated NC’s environment, prop- culture practices. Kennedy and versy with the thought, attributed to
erty values, quality of health and life, but Waterkeeper were depicted in NC as New Kennedy, that CAFOs pose greater threats
also sparked a great divisiveness that con- York trial-lawyers and other bottom Continued on next page

14
 Qué PASA? What’s up with your organization?
Producers Council, and Penn Ag Indus-
Overheard at the Third Annual Hog Summit: tries Association would have representa-
tives on hand to provide an alternate point
“The problem is not hogs, chickens, cows, or dairy. of view to Summit attendees. CAO oper-
ators were incensed by characterizations of
The problem is the social, environmental, and economic their enterprises. An assistant to PA Sena-
tor Mike Waugh (R-28) said, “I’m con-
problems resulting from concentration of anything. cerned that the driving movement behind
this (Summit) is a national movement
Nature abhors concentration, and will react to it.” against progressive agriculture. I contend
that we will remain free as a country only
Jim Brown, Hog Summit panelist and concentrated hog so far as we are able to feed our-
selves.” One wishes he and Senator
farmer turned factory farm opponent. Waugh had joined us on the Stolzfus farm
to see a viable, prosperous example of sus-
Continued from previous page activism stretching from Utah, Colorado, tainable pork production. Well, maybe
to the nation than Osama bin Laden. Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, and else- next year?
where to here in Pennsylvania. Local par- It is true Senate Bill 1413 (a Pennsyl-
Bringing the Battle to Gettysburg vania legislative effort to end local regula-
ticipants included the Concerned Citizens
Hog Summit 3 at Gettysburg this June tion of factory farms) died in committee
of Nippenose Valley, a year-old group try-
7 carried over the energy and controversy last year, but the issue has not gone
ing to protect Limestone Township,
from earlier summits. The format was away. High-density hog operations are
Lycoming County, from factory farms.
similar to the annual PASA conferences, here and, as activist organization Citizens
Old hands moved to comfort and person-
with two morning plenaries, one on for Pennsylvania’s Future pointed out,
ally reassure anxious, frightened, angry
“shortcomings of industrial agriculture,” they are on the increase. Struggles over the
individuals from York County, where a
the other on “creating meaningful solu- economic, environmental, and social haz-
showcase CAFO is being funded by
tions.” ards posed by factory farms are apt to
USDA’s Young Farmer Program.
A new voice at the Summit was Helen
In April, the National Pork Producers dominate Hog Summits for the foresee-
Browning, who spoke on operations at
Council announced that NPPC, PA Pork able future.
Eastbook Farm in southern England. In a
similar vein, the Stolzfus family’s Spring
Water Farm bespoke the success and
enthusiasm of the increasing numbers of
modest-sized, low-tech, imaginatively
managed sustainable units. These immac-
ulate facilities permit enjoyment of sweet,
clean country air in the midst of energetic
and responsive animals on lush, managed
pastures.
Lunch was delicious, sandwiched
between networking, browsing packed
stalls, and attending two afternoon break-
out sessions, each featuring six panels of
speakers. The first session I chose was the
“Roundtable Forum on Citizen Activism
and Options: Responding to Factory
Farms.” Moderated by Bill Weida of the
GRACE Factory Farm Project and Rick
Dove from Waterkeeper, the session fea-
tured participation by people from across
this nation who have struggled—are
struggling—with CAFOs. It was both The crowd at PASA’s pre-Summit field day observe these handsome Tamworth sows at
chilling and moving to hear details of Alvin Stoltzfus’ farm.The hut behind the hogs is used for farrowing.

15
 Qué PASA?
Pasture Monitoring
Continued from previous page
on Provident Farm
By Mary Barbercheck,
PASA Board Member
Dave and Maggie Johnson and family
were the hosts for a pasture monitoring
field day at their organic dairy, Provident
Farm, near Liberty, PA, on June 25. The
focus of the day was management of pas-
tures and soils to maximize the capture of
sunlight to provide energy for vegetation
that will be converted to milk production
that goes to market.
Various monitoring tools were demon-
strated. Jim Weaver (PSU cooperative
extension in Tioga County) discussed the
philosophy behind monitoring methods
developed through Holistic Management.
Paul Shaffer (NRCS) and Kris Ribble
(NRCS and the Project Grass coordinator
for NE Pennsylvania) demonstrated some
of the tests in the NRCS Soil Quality Test
Kit. Other less technical methods of
assessing soil quality and forage condition
were demonstrated: the soil quality test
card developed by producers, grazing yard
stick, and a forage plate meter.
Provident Farm
Provident Farm is located on approxi-
Participants at the Provident Farm field day have close encounters with cows of many different kinds.
Farm Based Education
mately 160 acres at 1800 ft elevation on
moderately drained Wellsboro soil. Dave
and his family have a deep commitment
to stewardship of the land. Dave
explained:
I see farming as just one part of life’s 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
16
intensively-managed rotational grazing as
an alternative to crop production. The
Johnsons milk 40–60 cows and raise stock
on the farm with the help of a Normandy
bull. The cows are milked, eight at a time,
twice a day in an airy New Zealand swing
parlor. It takes Dave about 45 minutes to
milk the herd. The cows are moved to a
new paddock after milking. Each paddock
has 40–50 cows and is one-half to two
acres in size, depending on the condition
of the grass. The Johnsons also direct mar-
ket beef and chicken raised on the farm.
The farm has been producing milk for the
last five years, is PCO certified, and mar-
kets through Organic Valley.
“Monitoring fields is critical to getting
where you want to be,” explained Dave,
who built up the lush pastures from weedy
meadowland that had been out of produc-
tion for eight years in a government set-
aside program. “We overseeded the fields
with a perennial rye/clover mix into the
meadow in April with a no-till drill, frost-
seeded alice clover every three years, and
fertilized with lime and two tons of broil-
er litter to the acre to bring up fertility.”
The cows are outside year-round, with
the barn being used as a holding area and
for feeding grain. The Johnsons recently
invested in three tractors because there are
no custom harvesters available in the area
and organic hay is too expensive to buy. In
addition to the 160 acres on the farm, 140
additional rented acres are used to pro-
Continued on next page
 Qué PASA?
Continued from previous page
duce hay and forage. Dave makes large
round bales and has a bale tuber for wrap-
ping baleage. He considers this a good
investment, especially in a year as wet as
this one has been. With all the rain, the
cows had a hard time keeping up with the
growth on the pastures. Dave estimates it
costs $.02/lb to produce forage as pasture
in comparison to $.04–.05/lb to produce
baleage.
Full grazing starts in spring around
mid-April. Dave limits earlier grazing
because some of the land is wetland with
fairly heavy clay soils that are damaged by
traffic. Perennial grasses come on first and
grow late into fall. The rest period for the
paddocks ranges from about 15 days in
spring to 45–60 days in summer. Grass is
stockpiled to graze into November and
early December. To rejuvenate and
increase fertility, Dave chooses a paddock
for use as a winter feedlot in which round
bales are placed, then gives that paddock a
rest the following year.
With the farm situated at the headwa-
ters of Pine Creek, Dave would like to put
in more permanent lanes to protect water
quality. Thistle has become a weed prob-
lem in an area where drain tile was
installed because of soil disturbance, and
he is not able to control the weeds there
with clipping because of wetness, so he
plans to try vinegar (10%) as an organic
herbicide. Dave recently started a collabo-
rative research project with Ron Hoover, a
Penn State University on-farm research
coordinator, to investigate organic weed
management through different practices
such as clipping, adjusting soil fertility,
and aeration.
Holistic Management
Jim Weaver, a member of the Northern
Penn Holistic Management Network,
presented a pasture monitoring method
that was developed by Alan Savory
(www.holisticmanagement.org/). Jim
explained, “Holistic Management is a
decision-making framework through
which people can make decisions that are
environmentally, socially, and financially
sound in both the short and long term.”
Holistic Management has its roots in
Farm Based Education
land, agriculture, and wildlife manage-
ment. Decision-making revolves around a
holistic goal. All decisions are tested
against the goal and made in the context
of available tools and information gath-
ered through monitoring procedures. Jim’s
approach to Holistic Management has
been influenced by John Ikerd and the
idea of the new American farmer, one who
engages in environmentally-conscious
land stewardship on appropriately scaled
family farms; builds relationships that cre-
ate value-added direct marketing so that a
greater proportion of profits are kept by
the farmer rather than by processors and
other middlemen; and nurtures a high
quality of life through family and com-
munity.
Holistic management is based on the
idea that the whole chain of the farm
enterprise is only as strong as its weakest
link. The holistic manager finds the weak
link in the production chain, pays atten-
tion to it by applying resources to
strengthen it, and continuously monitors
the chain to identify weakest links. Wealth
is generated by the allocation of expenses
and the elimination of expenses, because
once an expense is eliminated, it can’t rise.
Management of grazing animals and
monitoring for early-warning biological
indicators is central to holistic manage-
ment. Livestock are used to help create the
landscape that is envisioned. Periodic dis-
turbance (grazing and/or clipping) is
needed to maintain soil cover and to keep
plants fresh and high in nutritional quali-
ty. In this system, livestock are used as
land reclamation tools, but are also man-
aged to take into account other functions
of the ecosystem, such as wildlife habitat.
This enables the use of the herd to benefit
the whole environment and, ultimately, to
create the landscape that will sustain the
production and quality of life described in
the holistic goal.
The outcomes of this type of grazing
management are several: 1) in the growing
months, the land can produce the maxi-
mum amount of high quality forage on an
increasing or sustained basis; 2) in the
non-growing months, there is adequate
forage and/or cover for livestock and
wildlife; 3) droughts can be dealt with
17
effectively; 4) the nutritional requirements
of the livestock and wildlife are adequate-
ly met; 5) there is minimal stress on the
animals, as well as on the people, from
physical handling; 6) there is maximum
coordination with cropping, wildlife
needs, and other land uses, as well as with
the personal schedules of those who will
operate the plan; and 7) the manager is
constantly moving toward the holistic
goal.
Monitoring Procedure
Jim Weaver demonstrated a simple
monitoring procedure that has been used
and improved by holistic managers for
over 25 years to detect change on land
grazed by livestock. The purpose of this
monitoring is not just to record change,
but also to steer all changes in the direc-
tion of the holistic goal. Indicators of
resource condition monitored include
water, minerals, energy, and community
dynamics. The measurements of the indi-
cators are used to produce an ecograph,
where progress is measured based on goals
for the farm.
Ideally, for ease of calculation, 100
points on the farm are monitored and
converted to percentages. The monitoring
points are selected randomly along a tran-
sect that crosses as many different types of
systems on the farm as possible (for exam-
ple, hay fields, pastures, and woodlot). To
help keep the choice of sample points ran-
dom so that the manager is not biased by
appearance of an area, Jim suggests using
a marker (in this case, a flagged dart). Jim
used 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 of
ecosystem function: the closest plant or
plant type (grass, broadleaf, forage, weed);
amount of plant cover; soil condition
(wet, dry, eroded); evidence of worm or
insect activity within six inches of the
point; and other animal activity (manure,
ground-nesting birds) within six feet of
the point.
Soil condition measurements are best
made when soil biological activity is high
Continued on page 18
 Qué PASA?
Continued from page 17
and with adequate soil moisture; for
example, two days after a good rain or irri-
gation. To determine how well a soil takes
in water, about a pint of water is poured
on the soil from a distance of about one
inch. You pour the water within five sec-
onds, slow enough so that the soil surface
is not disrupted, but fast enough to deter-
mine how long it takes the water to soak
into the ground.
Upon observation, a small wet spot
indicates rapid infiltration and is usually
due to a well-aggregated surface condi-
Farm Based Education
ered a good population. Healthy soil
smells good. A rich earthy smell indicates
high biological activity. No smell indicates
an intermediate condition, and a bad or
chemical 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 the
holistic goal, the farm should be moni-
tored annually at the same time of year.
The ideal monitoring time is at the peak
of the forage growing season around the
drought management, and the pastures
and fields at Provident Farm have an
SOM content of about 5–6%. SOM
improves water-holding capacity, and
reducing runoff is especially important on
clay soils like the moderately drained
Wellsboro soil at Provident Farm.
The take home message for the day was
this—to get your pastures to sustain ani-
mal nutrition and environmental quality
needs, it is important to monitor the
W
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changes that accompany management.
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of soil particles stuck together with a com- time limitations on a particular farm and G
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L SL S
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duced during the decomposition of organ- 12345678901234567890123
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B EB E
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root systems, and for aeration of the soil.
A poorly aggregated soil crusts and erodes
easily, and will not accept water very rap-
idly, leading to water runoff.
To maintain the aggregated state, a
healthy population of soil organisms is
necessary to provide the glue that holds
the soil particles together. The organisms
that decompose crop residues and cycle
nutrients need organic matter and mois-
ture. A well-aggregated soil is loose and
crumbles easily through your fingers. A
poorly aggregated soil is cloddy and crust-
ed. Adequate ground cover for long peri-
ods of the year fosters higher water
infiltration, and provides food for the soil
organisms that drive nutrient cycles.
Ground cover also helps reduce soil ero-
sion and water runoff by giving the water
more time to infiltrate the soil.
To determine the soil organisms pres-
ent, move aside surface residue and look
for ants, millipedes, beetles, snails, or
other small animals on the soil surface.
Two or more within a two-foot circle is
considered a desirable amount. These
organisms help break down coarse crop
residue into smaller particles and make it
more available for nutrient cycling. Look
for earthworm holes or casts at the surface
and then turn over a shovelful of soil and
count the number of earthworms. Two or
more earthworms per shovelful is consid-
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holds moisture well, resists erosion, drains 12345678901234567890123
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residue rapidly, and produces healthy
plants. Soil scientists from the USDA
UNT LA
have developed a kit that ag professionals
and farmers can use to help monitor their
Labels for direct
soil quality—the soil’s ability to perform marketing
Labels and
for direct
its critical functions of supporting plant
and animal productivity, contributing to value-added
marketing and
clean surface and ground water supplies,
and enhancing human health.
products
value-added
Paul Shaffer and Kris Ribble demon-
strated some of the measurements possible
products
We design and print labels
with the Soil Quality Test Kit (available
for flowers, honey, fruit,
from Gempler’s www.gemplers.com), We design and print labels
including soil pH, electrical conductivity vegetables, sprouts, milk,
for flowers, honey, fruit,
(as a measure of salinity), and water infil- yoghurt, cheese, meat,
vegetables, sprouts, milk,
tration rate. The Kit also includes supplies eggs, nuts —
to assess soil respiration (a measure of yoghurt, cheese, meat,
labels for almost anything!
microbial activity), bulk density, soil eggs, nuts —
nitrate, aggregate stability, earthworms, labels for almost anything!
compaction, soil structure, and soil tex- SERVING GROWERS
ture. A DEP Growing Greener Grant pro- SINCEGROWERS
SERVING 1975
vided funds to test the Kit on 17 farms
with grazing plans. SINCE
request 1975
a free catalog
NRCS and Project Grass personnel are
also testing a tool developed by Dr. Ray request a free catalog
1-800-693-1572
Weil in the Department of Soil Science at
the University of Maryland to measure
biologically active carbon in the soil as an
1-800-693-1572
growersdiscountlabels@tds.net
indicator of organic matter. Soil organic
matter (SOM) is a key to soil fertility and growersdiscountlabels@tds.net
18
 Continued on page 24

POULTRY MAN
Eli M. Reiff 570-966-0769
922 Conley Road • Mifflinburg, PA 17844

Scalder — (above center) 42 gallon rotary, gas fired with auto con-
trol temp timer. 34,000 BTU, all satinless steel. $1,895.00
3
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$695.00

19
 PASA Business Member Profile

An Interview with Barry Denk,

Director of The Center for Rural Pennsylvania

By Gayle Morrow state government, a “line item appropriation” that provides

In the most recent issue of The Center for Rural Pennsyl-
vania’s newsletter, state Rep. Sheila Miller, who is the Center’s
chairman of the board, touches on a variety of topics, includ-
ing agriculture.
“While some of our farmland has been blessed with corn
that lived up to the ‘knee-high by the Fourth of July’ meas-
uring stick, other areas see crop fields that are at least a
month behind in maturity,” Miller writes. “All of us in rural
Pennsylvania who are linked to the agricultural land are hold-
ing our breath and hoping that this year’s harvest brings bet-
ter yields for our farm community than has been experienced
during the past several cycles.”
As a cattle farmer, Miller is “in the business,” says Barry
Denk, Center director. “She’s committed to this industry.
She experiences the issues affecting small farms, and she has
helped educate other members [of the legislature] on agricul-
ture issues.”
The Center is fortunate to have Miller as its chair; rural
Pennsylvania is fortunate to have the Center. This “legislative
service agency” was formed in 1987 as part of the Rural Revi-
talization Act of 1986, Denk explains. The Center is part of
research 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,” notes
Denk, who has served as director since 1996. As a bipartisan,
bicameral legislative agency, the Center awards grants for
applied research and model projects (including PASA proj-
ects in the southwest region), maintains and disseminates
information on rural trends and conditions, publishes
research and project results, and sponsors forums on rural
issues.
The Center has been a PASA member since 1993 and has
sponsored the conference annually since 1994.
Think about “all of us in rural Pennsylvania who are
linked to the agricultural land….” That is all of us; we are all
inextricably linked to the land. And as Miller encourages, “be
sure to purchase some of Pennsylvania’s great direct-from-
the-farm fruits and vegetables as your travels take you
through the Keystone State’s bountiful and beautiful rural
areas.”
To find out more about rural Pennsylvania and the Cen-
ter, visit www.ruralpa.org or call 717-787-9555.

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 a
research agency that is dedicated to rural
issues and housed under the general
assembly.
Why did you join PASA?
It was a natural connection, given what
PASA is all about. It helps us in terms of
research. We get to hear about issues that
may affect our membership. PASA serves
an audience we believe we need to hear
from, and a sector that is critical to the
state’s economy.
How has your membership been a
benefit to your business?
The conference is obviously a great
forum. With our booth there, we get to
provide our literature and hear and share
information. The Center is currently
looking at getting locally grown food into
our schools, so membership has been
helpful there, too.
What does the term “sustainable”
mean to you and how do you incorporate
that into your business?
One definition is to endure and with-
stand. We work to help rural Pennsylvania
endure and withstand, and maintain a
quality of life that sets Pennsylvania apart.
We help the government help rural Penn-
sylvania to endure and withstand
change—to understand it and to act and
not just react, whether specifically in agri-
culture or in other sectors.
What do you see as some of the criti-
cal issues facing agriculture and ag-relat-
ed businesses today?
There is a whole host of them! It is an
ever-changing and diverse industry. One
simple definition doesn’t really describe
agriculture, so that’s a challenge. One
voice doesn’t necessarily speak for it. Then
there are Jane and Joe Consumer who
have no concept of the agriculture indus-
try and don’t know any of the behind-the-
Continued on next page

20
 Continued from previous page
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 strong
educational program geared toward that Jane and Joe
Consumer. There is a need to understand what’s going
on as it relates to them and their decisions as consumers
and their personal choices. There is a connection
between sustaining and keeping agriculture, in all the
shapes it has, as a viable industry in Pennsylvania, and
consumers 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 MEMBERS

SUMMER 2003
Future Harvest/CASA
Stevensville, MD

Slow Food Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA

Watershed Agricultural Council

Walton, NY
Omitted from the full list/Spring 2003
big Burrito Group
Pittsburgh, PA

21

The Compost Heap:
Editor’s Corner
CBS Evening News
Features Tait Farm Foods
Kim Tait, Vice-President of PASA’s Board
of Directors, appeared in a July 9 CBS
Evening News “Eye on America” segment,
the third in a series entitled “Making Ends
Meet.” Reporter Wyatt Andrews said of Tait,
“She represents the fresh new face of agri-
culture—women who own, manage, and
market the American farm.” Tait attributed
the success of Tait Farm Foods to her will-
ingness to create a year-round, seasonal
retail store on the farm.
The report also featured PASA member
and former Director Carolyn Sachs, whose
university research on women in agriculture
reveals, “women who own farms tend to
have smaller farms, to carry less debt, to use
fewer pesticides, and to have smaller niche
markets for what they produce.” Summariz-
ing her research, Sachs concluded that the
new image of the American farmer is “not a
guy in overalls.” To see the report and
accompanying article online, visit www.cbs-
news.com/stories/2003/07/09/eveningnews/
main562415.shtml.
Rodale Institute
Launches Organic Initiative
Announcing “the single-most ambitious
agricultural initiative of this century” at the
Organic Trade Association (OTA) meeting in
Austin, Texas, this May, Anthony Rodale,
chairman of Rodale Institute, called for at
least 5% of America’s remaining 2 million
farmers to transition to organic farming by
2013. According to a Rodale Institute press
release, 12,200 farmers—just over half of
one percent of all U.S. farms—are certified
By Dan Brannen Jr.
organic. The release says the market for
organic food and products is growing at an
estimated 20–30% per year and currently
accounts for more than $11 billion in annual
sales.
Rodale, whose grandfather, J.I. Rodale,
coined the term organic in 1942, said in the
release, “Are we willing to sit back and wit-
ness the degeneration of our environment,
and quietly lose control of the quality of
food we eat every day?” Instead, he “called
on leaders to pool resources and work
together towards a common, quantifiable
vision.” Rodale received OTA’s Organic
Leadership Award at the May meeting. See
the press release at www.newfarm.org/
pressroom/pressreleases/press052203.shtml
Potluck News
from the Susquehanna Valley
By Leah Tewksbury
The annual PASA Conference provides
excellent learning opportunities, cama-
raderie, cuisine, and business resources.Yet it
can be difficult to find time to meet PASA
members who may be neighbors down the
road or in the local area. So to learn more
about local PASA people, a good crowd of
folks from the Susquehanna Valley region
(north-central Pa.) gathered together this
spring and then again in early summer to
share potluck and get acquainted.
The potlucks provided a friendly environ-
ment for exploring sustainable living and
business concepts, such as developing local
cooperative relationships between produc-
ers and buyers, using various marketing
strategies, and compiling a list of local pro-
ducers for consumer use. Of course, we
22
were all delighted (and sated) by a buffet of
savory, healthful foods, such as chevon stew,
sweet strawberries, spring salads, moussaka,
organic milk and cheeses, hearth-baked
breads, and oven-roasted vegetables. Just
crumbs and casserole scraps were left over
by the end of each gathering. Exchanging
ideas and sharing laughter and fundamental
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. Perhaps
you can form a regional group in your area.
Women Helping
Women in Farming
Some of Pennsylvania’s 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 as
female members of the state’s farming com-
munity. Amy Trauger, a doctoral candidate at
Penn 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 of
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 or
akt122@psu.edu.
BOOK REVIEW:
Bringing the Food Economy Home:
Local Alternatives to Global Agribusiness,
by Helena Norberg Hodge,Todd Merrifield,
and Steven Gorelick, Kumarian Press, 2002.
(Reviewed by Ruth Sullivan)
Bringing the Food Economy Home was an
engrossing, absorbing, and quick read. And
boy did it open my eyes. Full of memorable
quotes and useful facts, the book highlights
the social, ecological, and economic impacts
of the global food system. It takes you
through the landmarks of the global food
system, from consolidation in feed, seed,
chemical, production, and processing sectors
to the structure of globalized trade. The
authors simply and elegantly describe the
basics of the World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), the General Agree-
ment on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and the
World Trade Organization (WTO). If your
eyes normally glaze over when you hear
these names, this book will do an excellent
job of showing you, succinctly and startlingly,
why you should care.To wrap up, the authors
focus on how communities around the
world have succeeded in regenerating their
local food system.
Put out by the International Society for
Ecology and Culture, this book takes a
broad, international view, with many exam-
ples from both north and south of the equa-
tor. I highly recommend Bringing the Food
Economy Home for anyone interested in
understanding the impact of globalized trade
and industry consolidation, and learning
about solutions yet to be implemented.
Available from Kumarian Press in Bloomfield,
CT, at (860) 243-2098 or www.kpbooks.com
for $18.95.
Snyder Gives Cuban
Agriculture Slide Show
On July 10 at West Chester University,
PASA Executive Director Brian Snyder gave
a 1.5-hour presentation on sustainable agri-
culture in Cuba, complete with slide photo-
graphs that he took during his recent trip
there with the Food First/Institute for Food
and Development Policy. (See “An Excursion
through Cuba: A Clue to Our Future?” Pas-
sages #43, spring 2003, p.1.) Over fifty peo-
ple attended. Anyone interested in
scheduling a presentation may contact Sny-
der at 814-349-9856 or brian@pasafarm-
ing.org.
Forget rBGH! Try Bach Instead.
Research psychologists at the University
of Leicester, UK, played loud, soft, and no
music to a herd of 1,000 Friesian cattle from
5 a.m. to 5 p.m. over a course of nine weeks.
According to a report by the Organic Con-
sumers Association, the researchers found
that milk yield rose 3% when the cows lis-
tened to slow music instead of fast music.
Favorite pieces included Beethoven’s “Pas-
toral Symphony” and Simon and Garfunkel’s
“Bridge Over Troubled Waters.”
Patenting Nature
(From Organic Bytes, #15, June 11, 2003)
Thanks to the World Trade Organization
(WTO) and a host of “free trade” agree-
ments, it is completely legal for a large cor-
poration to patent and own the genes of
individual plants, animals, indigenous medi-
cines, and even humans.The WTO states that
all member countries must honor all patents
filed in the U.S. or face economic sanctions,
also known as cross retaliation. In other
words, the U.S. can legally impose economic
sanctions on Mexico if the Mayan people use
their traditional herbal medicines without
paying royalties to transnational corpora-
tions like Dow Chemical, which now owns
patents on some of these thousand-year-old
remedies.
Heck, it’s even legal to patent the genes
of the shaman who gives you that medicine.
Since the mid-90s, there has been a deluge of
U.S. patent applications on human genes of
tribal peoples all over the world. Thanks to
the WTO, even your genes can be legally
owned by corporations or individuals. And
now the Bush Administration plans to use a
secret trade tribunal of the WTO to force
Frankenfoods down the throats of Euro-
peans and consumers worldwide.
Ticked off? Do something about it! Join
the Organic Consumers Association (OCA)
on an escorted OCA delegation to attend
the historic teach-ins and protests at the
next international WTO Ministerial meeting
in Cancun Mexico (Sept. 4–11) www.organ-
icconsumers.org/wto_cancun.htm.
Farm Aid Coming to Ohio
Willie Nelson and company will bring
FarmAid 2003 to the Germain Amphitheater
in Columbus, Ohio, on September 7. Nelson
and fellow FarmAid Board members Neil
Young, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews
will perform as usual, joined by artists Sheryl
Crow, Brooks & Dunn, Trick Pony, and oth-
ers.The concert comes as the Ohio Farmers
Union and dozens of organizations urge
Ohio Governor Bob Taft to veto Ohio
House Bill 142, which makes it illegal for
local governments to regulate large livestock
operations. While the concert is currently
sold out, the website invites people to regis-
23
ter for email updates at www.farmaid.com/
event/misc/enroll.asp in case more tickets
are released.
New! Farm-Fresh Recipes:
Ready-to-Copy Recipes Cards for
Produce Marketers
Farmers who sell direct to the public
agree that recipes increase sales. Most cus-
tomers just need a little inspiration to get
them cooking with fresh ingredients. A new
book, Farm-Fresh Recipes, is packed with easy,
enticing recipes that use a lot of fresh pro-
duce. Nearly 300 recipes are printed three
on a page, all focused on one major ingredi-
ent. The book is designed so that you can
take it to the copy shop, make all the copies
you want, and have them cut down into
recipe cards. Copyright permission is specif-
ically granted in the front of the book, and
the book is spiral bound so it lays flat on the
copy machine, with trim marks for accurate
cutting.You can either stamp the back of the
cards with your farm’s name, or you can use
one of three templates included in the book
to design your own message that can be
photocopied on the back of the recipe
pages.
Farm-Fresh Recipes was written by Janet
Majure, a food writer and cookbook author.
A comprehensive index lists recipes by
ingredients, which comprise every major
type of produce grown in North America.
Although most recipes use only produce,
some recipes include fish, chicken, and beef.
The book costs $20 plus $4 shipping from
Growing for Market, PO Box 3747,
Lawrence, KS 66046; 800-307-8949. Or
order online at www.growingformarket
.com. Wholesale orders get a 40% discount
for 12–49 copies, and a 50% discount for 50-
plus copies.
Yes,We’ll Have No Bananas
By Robert Alison
The banana is about to disappear from
store shelves around the globe. Experts say
the world’s favourite fruit will pass into
oblivion within a decade. No more fresh
bananas. No more banana bread. No more
banana muffins or banana cream pie. Why?
Because the banana is the victim of centuries
of genetic tampering. Scientists say they will
be unable to prevent the extirpation of the
banana as an edible commercial crop.And its
demise may be one more powerful argument
in the hands of those who are concerned
about genetic modification of foods. (For the
full article, see www.commondreams.org
/views03/0719-02.htm)
 Opportunities & Classified Ads
OPPORTUNITIES
Learn the Basic Principles of Biodynam-
ic Farming & Gardening, September 13,
2003–Summer 2004. A part-time, one-
year program presented by the Pfeiffer
Center in Chestnut Ridge, NY, consisting
of eight Saturday workshops and a final
one-week intensive. Taught by leading
practitioners including Will Brinton, Stef-
fen Schneider, Jennifer Greene, Craig
Holdrege, Mac Mead and Pfeiffer Center
Director Gunther Hauk. For information
contact The Pfeiffer Center at 845-352-
5020 ext. 20.
Pennsylvania Energy Harvest Grant Pro-
gram Applications. The Pa. Dept. of
Environmental Protection announces the
availability of $5 million of grant funding
through the new Pennsylvania Energy
Harvest Grant Program. Grants will fund
projects that promote awareness and build
markets for cleaner or renewable energy
technologies. Proposals should manage
the Commonwealth’s energy resources in a
way that also improves the environment,
supports economic development, and
enhances quality of life. Eligible proposals
include biomass energy projects. Special
consideration will be given to proposals
that assist farmers. Applications are avail-
able from the Grants Center at 717-705-
5400 or www.dep.state.pa.us at the
directLINK “2003 Energy Harvest
Grant.” Applications must be postmarked
or received by 4:30 p.m. on September
19, 2003, at the Department Grants Cen-
ter, 15th Floor, Rachel Carson State
Office Building, 400 Market Street, PO
Box 8776, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8776.
Rent-Free Land in Centre County. PASA
members Claire and Dan Brannen Sr. live
on a seven acre parcel of farmland near
Centre Hall (Centre County). They
would like to see up to six acres farmed
sustainably and organically (though not
necessarily certified as such). Farmers
interested in rent-free land should call
them at 814-364-2004 or e-mail
Dan_Brannen@yahoo .com.
Experienced farmer needed to manage
and operate 100+ family sustainable
Community Supported Agriculture oper-
ation at Heifer International’s educational
ranch in central Arkansas. 3+ years experi-
ence in a wide range of vegetable, herb,
Passages
Ad Rates and Policy
Advertising Inquiries: Please call or
write the PASA office for a full advertising
and flower production (preferably in a
package and rate card. Special rates avail-
CSA), production and marketing experi- able for PASA Business Members and mul-
ence, management, leadership, and ability tiple advertising packages. Contact the
to work with youth a must. Complete PASA office.
infrastructure of 20 acres certified organic Display Ads Rates: Full page $150; Half
land, heated greenhouse, barns, tractors, page $90; Quarter page $60; Eighth page
(business card) $40. All rates based on
and all equipment needed for daily opera-
camera-ready copy. Contact PASA office
tion. Housing, noon meal, stipend/profit for complete rate card.
sharing possibilities. Contact Chuck
Classified Ads: $5 for first 30 words, and
Crimmins at 501-889-5124 x3650 or $.20 per word over 30. PASA members
chuck.crimmins@heifer.org receive one free 30-word ad per year.
CLASSIFIED ADS Opportunities & Calendar Listings:
PASA is pleased to offer these listings at
Grass Finished Beef. Limited supply of no charge as a service to our members.
quarters, halves, or whole available Please limit entries to no more than one
November 2003. No grain — ever. No paragraph.
hormones. From old-fashioned grass- Advertising Disclaimer: PASA cannot
based herd. Mike or Barb Wahler, (717) investigate the products or claims of
advertisers and we don’t necessarily
899-6934. endorse any products advertised in Pas-
sages. However, we encourage you to sup-
Organic Layer houses wanted. Interested
port the companies that support PASA.
in areas north of Harrisburg, south of We reserve the right to accept or reject
Route 192. For more information call any ad.
Keith Fleetwood or Dale Smeltz at Back Issues: Are available from PASA.
Kreamer Feed 800-767-4537.
Opportunities…to support
PASA’s Farming for the Future Conference!
SPONSORS
PASA’s commitment to convening Farming for the Future remains strong, and
sponsorship support is key to its success. Sponsorship carries wonderful ben-
efits and demonstrates your support for strengthening farming in our com-
munities while increasing the visibility of your business.
LOCAL FOOD
It means a lot to the PASA membership, to bring responsibly grown and local-
ly raised foods to the table for conference meals. Consider becoming involved
in providing these healthy foods and beverages for the conference.
SILENT AUCTION ITEMS
Great excitement was generated at the auction tables in 2003, and we’re excit-
ed to top last year! We are assembling some terrific items to be auctioned off
and invite you to contribute to the mix! Do you have a weekend stay at your
Inn or Farm? Perhaps a piece of art or antique farm equipment? Something
handmade or unique to Pennsylvania? We are looking for items of all sorts and
would love to hear from you.
For more information or to become involved in the above opportunities,
contact Lauren Smith at PASA headquarters (814) 349-9856
or lauren@pasafarming.org
24
 Summer vacation is almost over, so I
hope you have enjoyed a much deserved
break from tests, homework, and assign-
ments. If the pool, summer trips, soccer,
reading, seeing friends, and simply relax-
ing are getting too boring, here is some-
thing to think about and perhaps to do!
Last year, most of the people in our
part of Pennsylvania suffered through a
very dry summer. Up until June, 2002
was a moderately wet year, but farmers
and gardeners were desperate for rain the
rest of the year.
So far, 2003 has been very wet. As a
matter of fact, a local radio station
reported that there were only six sunny
days in all of May. This has meant that
flowers and yards have grown and flour-
ished. However, this could change
quickly. Since summers are usually dry, a
dry spell would be more likely.
Here are some ideas for helping your
family conserve water. It’s a good thing,
whether or not there’s a drought!
1. Are you a gardener? Water your
plants early in the morning or in the
evening so that the water doesn’t evapo-
rate as quickly.
2. Water your plants thoroughly once
a week (or more if it is very dry)
rather than lightly a few times a week.This
actually helps your plants to develop nice
deep roots that help them survive.
3. Use mulch—bark, leaves, even old
newspapers—in
your garden. Laying this
around the plants on
top of the soil helps to
hold in the moisture.
4. When your par-
ents turn on the garden hose,
take a walk along the length of it to check
for any holes. If you see a fountain coming
from the hose at the wrong place, let your
parents know.
Send your gardening and Junior Page ideas to:The Junior PASA Page, c/o Sally Roe, RD3 Box 44,Troy, PA 16947.
5. Protect your drinking water. Find
out about your local watershed. (It’s
not a building where water is kept!) East-
ern Pennsylvania is part of the Chesapeake
Bay watershed, which means that the
water that falls here drains into the Atlantic
Ocean by way of the Cheasapeake Bay. Call
your local conservation agency (check the
Yellow Pages or ask your parents) to learn
more about your area’s watershed. In a
watershed, all the rain and other water
goes through the soil to the water table,
the place where water is stored under- Since we have been talking about
ground. This is usually where your family’s water this month, here are some ques-
well gets its water. If any pesticides or fer- tions you might want to research. Try
tilizers are used in this region they end up using an atlas or other reference book, or
going downstream to the Atlantic or they ask your parents!
go down into the water table that is the
source of the drinking water for many of 1. What is the longest river in the
the families in that region. Keep your water world?
clean by not pouring harmful substances 2. What is the longest river in North
down the drain or on the ground outside. America?
6. Try a new way of gardening.
Xeriscaping uses plants well adapt-
ed to the amount of rain in a given region.
3. Which is the largest ocean?
4. Is that ocean growing or is it
Since summers can be dry, it is wise to
select drought resistant plants, for looks
shrinking? Do you know why?
5. The surface (top) of one body of
and to conserve water. Some beautiful water on earth is actually more than 400
choices are echinacea (purple cone feet below sea level. Do you know which
flower), yarrow, sedum, and rudbeckia
(black-eyed Susan).
one?
6. Which country is home to the
wettest (rainiest) place on earth?
Write and let me know if you can
find the answers to these questions.
(Send to the Junior PASA Page, care of
the PASA main office.) Enjoy the rest of
your summer!
Here are the answers to the matching
game in the last issue:
Ovine — relating to sheep
Bovine — relating to cows
Canine — relating to dogs
Equine — relating to horses
Caprine — relating to goats
Porcine — relating to pigs
25

AUGUST
Aug 20 Food as Medicine: A Personal
Story of Healing, Trinity Methodist
Church, Montpelier, VT. Come learn Jerry
Brunetti’s remarkable story of surviving
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and hear how human
health practices relate to agricultural
health practices. Jerry is the founder of
Agri-Dynamics, a consulting firm, and lives
in PA. Cost is $5 for NOFA-VT members
and $8 for nonmembers. Call 802-434-
4122 to register.
Aug 21 Organic Fertilization and Irri-
gation of Pastures, Forgues Family Farm,
Alburg Springs, VT. The Forgues and Bill
Murphy are starting a three-year experi-
ment to study pasture yield with organic
nitrogen fertilizer and soil amendments
under irrigation.This workshop is free. Call
NOFA-VT at 802-434-4122 to register.
Aug 22–23 Northeast Organic Dairy
Producers Alliance (NODPA) 3rd
Annual Producer Meeting and Field
Day, Albion, Maine. Anne Lazor and Henri-
etta Beaufait will focus on methods of dry
off and reproductive problems. Jerry
Brunetti will follow with information per-
taining to soil quality.The afternoon session
with Jack Lazor will focus on alternative
forage systems. Contact Lisa McCrory,
802-728-4416, or Stephanie Meyers at the
NOFA-VT office, 802-434-4122.
Aug 22–24 The 16th Annual Women’s
Herb Conference, Hyde Park, 802-479-
9825.
Aug 27 Oak Shade Cheesemaking
Workshop, Kirkwood (Lancaster Coun-
ty). Israel Kinsinger will demonstrate the
cheesemaking process from start to finish.
Standard PASA Field Day fees apply. See
your PASA Field Day Calendar, or call Kate
Gatski at 814-349-9856, ext. 6.
Aug 27 Seed Cleaning and Processing
Techniques, Harmony Essentials, Spring
Grove (York County). Get hands-on expe-
rience by joining this demonstration of
seed cleaning with the Public Seed Initia-
tive’s mobile seed cleaning unit. Free event.
See your PASA Field Day Calendar, or call
Kate Gatski at 814-349-9856, ext. 6.
Aug 27 Drought Management in a
Grazing System Pasture Walk, Mans-
field, PA. What can we do to maintain our
pastures through the summer slump? By
following our grazing plan, we develop
strategies for timing livestock moves, plus
Calendar of Events
allocation and budgeting of forages.Will be
held at KTS Farms from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
(lunch provided). Sponsored by Northern
Penn Holistic Management Network. Con-
tact Jim Weaver at 570-724-7788.
SEPTEMBER
Sept 6 Diversified Mushroom Produc-
tion Techniques, The Intervale Founda-
tion, Burlington, VT. Erik Wells and David
Demarest will give a tour of their facility
and a presentation about cultivation tech-
niques for a variety of mushroom species.
After lunch there will be a hands-on
demonstration of the use of bag culture for
indoor production of oyster mushrooms
and log culture for outdoor production of
shiitake mushrooms. Bring a bagged
lunch. Cost is $5 for NOFA-VT members
and $8 for nonmembers, plus a supplies
cost of $25. Call 802-434-4122.
Sept 6 Family Farm Fall Festival, High
Falls, NY. Dina Falconi, 845-687-8938; Jen
Prosser, 845-657-6059.
Sept 9 Grazing Demonstration Pro-
ject: Organic Fertilizer Applications
to Crop and Grazing Land, Randolph
Center. Gwyneth Harris, 802-656-3834,
Gwyneth.Harris@uvm.edu.
Sept 12–14 Three-Day Cheesemaking
Course. Linda Faillace, 802-496-4559.
Sept 13 Boondocks Grazing: Sheep in
the Woods. Gwyneth Harris, 802-656-
3834, Gwyneth.Harris@uvm.edu.
Sept 18 Stoltzfus Farm Pasture Walk,
Centre County. Come to this pasture walk
to see a rotational Holstein grazing opera-
tion and to learn about IPM and forage
management. Free event includes lunch.
See your PASA Field Day Calendar, or call
Kate Gatski at 814-349-9856, ext. 6.
Sept 18 Cut Flower Production Man-
agement and Marketing, Lilac Ridge
Farm,West Brattleboro,VT.Tour Lilac Ridge
Farm, winner of the 2003 Sustainable Farm
Award, with grower Amanda Thurber, who
will share her tips on marketing and cover
the important aspects of growing such as
production techniques, planting, bed layout,
weed control, and post-harvest han-
dling. Cost is $5 for NOFA-VT members
and $8 nonmembers. Call 802-434-4122.
Sept 18 Pasture Walk: Mixed Species
Grazing. NHUNH Cooperative Exten-
sion, 603-863-9200.
26
Sept 19 Carcass Composting, Foster
Brothers Dairy, Middlebury,VT. Bob Foster,
dairy farmer, and Brian Jerose, SARE
researcher, will give this presentation. Cost
is $5 for NOFA-VT members and $8 non-
members. Call 802-434-4122.
Sept 19–20 Passive Solar Greenhouse
Workshop. Featured topics: Design, Con-
stuction and Year-Round Production. Come
learn how to begin a sustainable green-
house business from design to marketing.
Contact Steve Moore for more informa-
tion at 717-225-2489 or sandcmoore@
juno.com.
Sept 20 PASA Harvest Celebration
Dinner, Penn College of Technology,
Williamsport, Lycoming County. See article,
page 11.
Sept 20 Pasture Walk: Established Pas-
ture Management & Pasture Renova-
tion. NHUNH Cooperative Extension,
603-563-9978.
Sept 22 Grazing Demonstration Pro-
ject: Sheep Pasture Feed & Manage-
ment Concerns for Fiber Flock.
Gwyneth Harris, 802-656-3834, Gwyneth.
Harris@uvm.edu.
Sept 26 High Tunnel Field Day-Fall
Event, Ag Research Station, Rock Springs
(Centre County). High-tunnel research to
be highlighted includes Biocontrol Pest
Management, use of compost, plant propa-
gation, and Haygrove High Tunnel Systems.
Event includes regional high tunnel bramble
grower forum. Register fee $15, includes
lunch. See your PASA Field Day Calendar,
or call Kate Gatski at 814-349-9856, ext. 6.
Sept 29 2nd Annual Farm Fresh & Fab-
ulous, Saratoga Springs, NY Regional Farm
& Food Project, 518-427-6537, farm-
food@capital.net.
Sept 30 Community Supported Agri-
culture, Fulton Farm, Chambersburg
(Franklin County). Event includes tour of
Fulton Farm CSA and presentation by Eliz-
abeth Henderson, co-author of Sharing the
Harvest. Standard PASA Field Day fees
apply. See your PASA Field Day Calendar,
or call Kate Gatski at 814-349-9856, ext. 6.
OCTOBER
Oct 1 Late Harvest Planting at Village
Acres Farm, Mifflintown (Juniata Coun-
ty). This morning field day at Village Acres
Farm, a 20-acre CSA, will highlight the
 Calendar of Events

farm’s new winter shares program. Stan-
dard PASA Field Day fees apply. See your
PASA Field Day Calendar, or call Kate
Gatski at 814-349-9856, ext. 6.
Oct 1 Retail Farm Market Tour. Join
PASA and the PA Retail Farm Market Asso-
ciation for a tour of premiere direct mar-
kets in Elkton, MD, Wilmington, DE, Elwyn
PA, and Westtown, PA. Registration fee of
$30 includes lunch and bus transportation,
which will pick-up participants near Harris-
burg, Lancaster, and Allentown. See your
PASA Field Day Calendar, or call Kate
Gatski at 814-349-9856, ext. 6.
Oct 4 Organic/Biodynamic Fruit
Orchard Management, Claverack,
NYRegional Farm & Food Project, 518-
427-6537, farmfood@capital.net.
Oct 5 Seed Cleaning, High Mowing Seeds,
North Wolcott, VT. Tour High Mowing
Seeds and their new seed cleaning facility
with grower Tom Stearns. Free event, pre-
registration required. Call NOFA-VT at
802-434-4122.
Oct 11 ABGA Sanctioned Boer Goat
Show, Ithaca, NY. John Bloomer, 607-546-
2825, bloomer@empacc.net.
Oct 13 Beech Grove Farm Field Day,
Trout Run (Lycoming County). Worked by
Anne and Eric Nordell, Beech Grove Farm
is one of eleven “focal farms” for a North-
east Organic Network study of systems
management at exceptional organic farms.
NEON researchers will summarize their
findings at this event. Standard PASA Field
Day fees apply. See your PASA Field Day
Calendar, or call Kate Gatski at 814-349-
9856, ext. 6.
Oct 17–19 Bioneers Conference, San
Rafael, CA. An event dedicated to focusing
on creative social strategies that help
implement solutions for environmental
crises. Visit www.bioneers.org for more
information.
Oct 17–19 Three-Day Cheesemaking
Course. Linda Faillace, 802-496-4559.
Oct 22 What Worked & What Didn’t?
Pasture Walk, Mansfield, PA. The Holistic
Management perspective of farming in the
Northern Tier. How can we improve the
planning and monitoring of on-farm activi-
ties, including financial and grazing plan-
ning. Sponsored by Northern Penn Holistic
Management Network. Contact Jim
Weaver at 570-724-7788.
NOVEMBER
Nov 22 A Study of Rudolf Steiner’s
“Agriculture” Lectures, Chestnut
Ridge, NY. For the first time, Gunther
Hauk, program director of The Pfeiffer
Center, offers an in-depth study of the nine
lectures that are the basis for the spiritual
renewal of agriculture now known as “Bio-
dynamics.” Participants should read the
lectures in advance. Contact The Pfeiffer
Center at 845-352-5020 ext. 20.
FEBRUARY 2004
FEBRUARY 5–7, 2004 — PASA’s
13th annual Farming for the Future
Conference, State College, PA. “Path-
ways to Prosperity: The New Face of
Agriculture” Newly expanded to
three days. See more detail on back
page of this newsletter. Please join us!
For a complete brochure, call 814-
349-9856 or sign-up at www.pasa-
farming.org

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27
 Don’t Grow Corn!
And other sage advice on crops and marketing for beginning farmers
By George DeVault
Never mind that he is based in Des
Moines, Iowa, the heart of the western
Corn Belt.
Never mind that 90 percent of the
440,000 people who read his magazine
grow at least some corn.
Never mind that the best Midwestern
growers can net $95 to $175 an acre on
corn, plus $30 an acre from the federal
government.
When it comes to getting started in
farming today, Successful Farming Business
Editor Dan Looker has this advice: Don’t
grow corn!
“That net income of roughly $200 an
acre pales in comparison to what an acre
of established raspberries might produce
in Pennsylvania,” Looker told a crowd of
about 200 at the Ninth Annual New &
Beginning Farmer Workshop in
Grantville, Pa., in early March.
“Why you don’t need to grow corn to
get started in farming” was the title of
Looker’s keynote address at the popular
conference sponsored by Pennsylvania
Farm Link. By a show of hands, about 95
percent of the people in the audience said
they wanted to become farmers.
“The title of my talk today was
inspired by my experience at The New
Farm,” said Looker, who worked at the
magazine in the early 1980s. (Although
New Farm folded as a magazine in 1995,
it was just revived as a webzine by the
Rodale Institute at www.newfarm.org).
“One of the people on the Rodale Press
staff owned a small raspberry farm that
was profitable. It provided some part-time
income that supplemented his salary at
Rodale. But what he really wanted to do
was to someday have enough land and the
machinery to grow a crop of corn. Even in
those days, it didn’t seem like you were a
real farmer unless you could grow corn.”
Nothing could be further from the
truth, according to Looker and all the
other workshop speakers. Growing corn
Why would anyone want to invest hundreds of
thousands of dollars in machinery to grow corn
that might net you $200 in one of those rare years
when you have a good crop?
does not a farmer make. In fact, with low
commodity prices and rising production
costs, corn can easily break a farm.
“According to Dick Funt, a small fruit
specialist at Ohio State University, estab-
lished raspberries can return $1,000 an
acre or more over costs. His numbers
make you wonder why anyone would
want to invest hundreds of thousands of
dollars in machinery to grow corn that
might net you $200 in one of those rare
years when you have a good crop and
most of the world doesn’t. According to
Funt, raspberry farms have the potential
to return about 12 percent on your invest-
ment. That’s a lot more than the three to
five percent that investors in Midwest
corn ground might expect these days,”
Looker said.
Of course, raspberries are not an
instant key to success. It takes a few years
and maybe $6,000 to establish an acre of
raspberries with trickle irrigation. So,
raspberries may not be for everyone, but
there are plenty of other profitable crops
you can produce.
“If you can rent a small plot of land,
you may be able to sell vegetables in the
summer and pumpkins in the fall,” Look-
er said. “If that goes well and if you have
long-term access to land, then Dick Funt
suggests moving into pick-your-own
strawberries, which reach full production
in three years. And, eventually, raspberries
or blueberries may fit in.”
Looker knows a lot about beginning
farmers. After moving from The Des
28
Moines Register to Successful Farming mag-
azine, he wrote an entire book about peo-
ple getting started in farming. It’s called
Farmers for the Future. Even though the
book was published in 1996, Looker said
most of the farmers he featured are still in
farming today, although maybe not exact-
ly in the way they thought they would be
in the beginning. That, Looker and the
other speakers said, is because getting
started in farming today requires flexibili-
ty and a diverse mix of high-value crops
that may include:
• Pastured poultry, for both meat and eggs
• Controlled grazing of any kind of live-
stock to help keep capital investment
and production costs low
• Organic production
• Vegetables
• Dairy goats
• Farmstead cheese
• Agritourism, or entertainment farming,
as some call it.This can include every-
thing from corn mazes and hayrides
through you-pick pumpkin patches to
fee fishing and hunting and even running
a bed and breakfast on your farm.
“We need to look at living and working
on farms in the broadest possible
ways. Land can be used for more than
producing food. Pennsylvania is blessed
with a lot of beautiful farms that would
appeal to city folks,” Looker
observed. Having a good website for your
Continued on next page
 Continued from previous page
farm is essential to success in any kind of
agritourism, since so many city people
plan their vacations with the help of the
Internet.
While crop and enterprise mix can and
will vary greatly from farm to farm and
region to region, all of the speakers said
there are timeless “guiding principles” that
can help any beginning farmer. Here is a
sampling:
n Start small and go slow.
Today, Charles Conklin produces
300,000 pounds of trout and largemouth
bass a year at his Pocono Mountain Fish
and Seafood Company. He started the
business 31 years ago—with just 100 fish.
“By starting slowly, I mean doing your
homework before you ever put a seed in
the ground. Chip Planck, a college profes-
sor who became a vegetable farmer out-
side of Washington, D.C., has put how
you should do this in the right order,”
Looker said, quoting Planck from Farmers
for the Future:
“The best ag school of all is your own
farm. The next best, working at another
farm for money. The next, working at
another farm for no money. The worst, an
ag school where you must pay them.”
n Make sure your first customers are sat-
isfied. There is no better advertising than
word-of-mouth.
n Don’t try to do everything.
“A lot of these agritourism businesses
are very time consuming, just as is a lot of
direct marketing,” Looker cautioned. “I’ve
visited some CSA farms that raise and
market 40 or 50 different vegetables. That
variety is part of the appeal over the bland-
ness of supermarkets. But I can’t imagine
doing that and then having to cook break-
fast and wash bedding for tourists every
day on top of that.”
“Agriculture is becoming more special-
ized but also a lot more diverse these
days. Our system of food production
includes Joel Salatin’s system of pasture
poultry production and Tyson Foods. No
facet of this is simple. Some of it, includ-
ing pasture farrowing and organic veg-
etable production, is far from
simple. There are good reasons why many
farmers would never try either one.”
n Sell everything directly to
BEGINNING FA R MER R ESO UR CES
Farmers for the Future
by Dan Looker (ISBN #081382383 8)
The book costs $21.99, plus $6 shipping.
Visa, MasterCard and American
Express accepted.
Iowa State Press
2121 State Ave.
Ames, Iowa 50014
Call toll-free 1-800-862-6657
Pennsylvania Farm Link
www.pafarmlink.org
2708 N. Colebrook Rd.
Manheim, PA 17545
Phone: (717) 664-7077
E-mail: pafarmlink@redrose.net
USDA Agritourism Website
www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/RESS/altent
erprise
consumers. Eliminate middlemen and
put the whole food dollar in your pocket.
n Find a mentor.
n Know thy enemy, even if it means
working a summer at a confinement hog
operation. You’ll learn what they’re doing
wrong—and what you can do better.
n Join a trade group like the North
American Farmers Direct Marketing
Association to meet people in the same
type of farming and exchange ideas.
n Don’t rush out and buy land.
“Buying land these days would be eco-
nomic suicide for many young farmers,”
Looker said. “Land prices have hit all-time
highs in many areas. It’s probably best to
start out renting. This is where the linking
programs may be able to help you.”
Instead of buying land, Charles Mar-
shall from the federal Farm Services
Agency advised beginning farmers to “put
your money into income-producing
things. You have to reduce the amount of
money you need. Do not buy land at the
outset.”
n Use credit sparingly, and wisely.
n Save your money.
“Don’t go out to eat, buy new cars or a
lot of new clothes,” advised Brian Moyer,
a Berks County pastured poultry produc-
er and newly elected PASA board mem-
ber. “Go to the store very little. Make do
with what you have.”
29
Midwest Small Fruit and Grape
Network
www.ag.ohio-state.edu/sfgnet
North American Farmers Direct
Marketing Assn.
www.nafdma.com
Northeast Workers On Organic
Farms
www.smallfarm.org/newoof/newoof.html
Organic Farmers Agency
for Relationship Marketing
www.ofarm.org
Beginning Farmer Center
Iowa State University
www.extension.iastate.edu/bfc/
n Add value to what you produce.
“Value-added is where farmers here in
Pennsylvania and the rest of the Northeast
can beat the socks off of those of us in the
Midwest who raise corn,” said Look-
er. “We may have some of the best soils
and flattest fields on earth, but you’ve got
millions of potential customers.”
Holley Moyer, Brian’s helpmate, said
she does that by turning her goat milk
into several different kinds of “pot
cheese,” which is exempt from food pro-
cessing laws. Just one gallon of milk pro-
duces one pound of cheese that retails for
$14, which is more than most dairy pro-
ducers receive for milk by hundredweight.
The Moyers first bought goats to
reclaim overgrown land.
n Buy crop insurance, advised John
Berry, Extension marketing specialist for
southeastern Pennsylvania. It is a good
risk management tool, comparable to
homeowners, health and auto insurance.
n Explore the financial, land, housing
and other resources of your extended
family before turning to lenders and real
estate agents.
Federal farm programs, the speakers
said, won’t do much for beginners since
they mostly help larger, established farms
that are getting bigger and pushing land
prices higher. That’s especially true of
commodity programs.
Hog production, once a traditional
Continued on page 31
PA Goes Local!
Continued from page 3
opportunities, and information resources
to organizations working to rebuild local
food systems across the country.
“People everywhere are attracted to this
issue regardless of whether they seek local
food for reasons of personal health, sup-
port for family farmers, concern for the
environment, to strengthen their local
economy, or simply because local food
tastes better,” says Joani Walsh, Program
Coordinator for FoodRoutes. “Food has
the power to unite and reconnect people
in a way that gives this movement unique
potential.”
A public event to celebrate and
“launch” the southeastern Pennsylvania
Buy Fresh/Buy Local campaign was held
on June 15, Father’s Day, at Yard’s Brew-
ing Company in Philadelphia, with 130
local food enthusiasts in attendance. Fare
for the day included a roasted pig from
Country Time Pork in Berks County, zuc-
chini and eggs from Green Meadow farm,
cheese from Farm Fresh for Chefs (both
Lancaster County), and a variety of
breads, beverages, and other foods pro-
duced in the southeast region.
Cheryl Cook, recently appointed
deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture (PDA) and a
featured speaker at the event, brought
“People everywhere are attracted to this issue
regardless of whether they seek local food for rea-
sons of personal health, support for family farm-
ers, concern for the environment, to strengthen
their local economy, or simply because local food
tastes better,” says Joani Walsh, Program Coor-
dinator for FoodRoutes Network. “Food has the
power to unite and reconnect people in a way
that gives this movement unique potential.
greetings from Secretary Dennis Wolff
and made clear the department’s intention
to promote Pennsylvania-grown products
on a local basis as a priority in the future.
Cook explained PDA’s plans to imple-
ment a “Pennsylvania Preferred” label that
can be used in a complimentary way with
marketing efforts that are more locally
based.
With the Buy Fresh/Buy Local cam-
paign, a new era of mutual appreciation
and benefit between Pennsylvania family
farmers and consumers may indeed have
begun. If that is the case, it may have
30
come just in time to address the rising tide
of controversy that has occupied so many
municipal meeting agendas and editorial
pages across rural Pennsylvania in recent
years.
Now more than ever, the lasting solu-
tion for Pennsylvania family farmers is to
be introduced to Pennsylvania consumers.
As it turns out, that’s a darn good thing
for the consumers involved, and the com-
munities in which they live as well.
Editor’s Note: An abbreviated version of
this article appeared on the cover of the July
5th edition of Lancaster Farming.
The crowd at Yard’s Brewery for the Buy
Fresh/Buy Local campaign launch listen
intently to the lineup of locally produced
(and mostly fresh) speakers on the program.
Farmers or consumers who are
interested in the Buy Fresh/Buy
Local campaign should contact
our regional program directors,
Ruth Sullivan in the southeastern
part of the state (717-917-3731),
and David Eson in the southwest
(412-997-2343), for more infor-
mation. If you live outside these
regions, you might want to organ-
ize folks where you are to form a
new region for the campaign. Give
us a call at the main office (814-
349-9856) when you are ready to
explore the possibilities.
Grass-Fed Gospel
Continued from page 10
er visit to southwestern Pennsylvania in
the fall. PASA and Slow Food Pittsburgh
Sincere Thanks
would like to incorporate that visit into a
grass-fed beef BBQ, shaping up now for
September or October. It will be a chance
for a Job Well Done
for SW grassfarmers to show their stuff The staff and Board of PASA would like to extend our heart-felt thanks to
and for Western Pennsylvania chefs, farm- Dan Brannen Jr. of Aaronsburg, Pennsylvania. As our readers know, Dan has
ers, and enlightened eaters of all stripes to
been guest editor of Passages for the past five issues. Not only has Dan done a
see how good grass-fed beef can be.
P.S. Collier’s herd passed the tenderness commendable job in continuing to bring the membership news of the organi-
tests with top honors. He expects to sell to zation and sustainable agriculture, but he has also sustained our reputation for
NELA and to keep some product for his producing one of the best sustainable agriculture publications in the country.
regular customers back home.
Internally, Dan’s dedicated efforts on Passages have allowed the Board and staff
Don’t Grow Corn! the time necessary to develop editorial policies and interview candidates to be
Continued from page 29 the next permanent editor.
“mortgage burner,” is also risky for begin- Dan is moving to Santa Fe with his wife Jen and their two daughters Kaya
ners, unless they specialize in pastured or
and Malina, to pursue new interests. But Dan’s mark on PASA and environ-
organic production and direct marketing,
usually to some niche market. mental issues in Pennsylvania is assured, and folks in New Mexico will be lucky
Successfully getting started in farming to have him there. We’re excited for the Brannen family and wish them food for-
today all comes down to learning to be a tune.
successful entrepreneur, not just an agron-
Thanks again Dan, for being there to serve and for helping Passages get to the
omist or tractor driver, concluded Marion
Bowlan, executive director of Pennsylva- next level!
nia Farm Link.
Key personality traits include passion
and persistence, good health and lots of
energy, creativity and innovation, inde-
pendence and self-reliance, good intu-
ition, self-confidence, market awareness,
lack of need for status, acceptance of chal-
lenge and a strong work ethic.
As what she called a “calculated risk-
taker,” you’ll no doubt figure out pretty
quickly on your own that corn is definite-
ly not the place to start.
[Editor’s note: A shorter version of this
article appeared in Lancaster Farming.]

Hope to see you at the

Harvest Celebration Dinner
September 20, 2003
Penn College of Technology
See page 11 for details
Show your support with a
PASA FARM LANE SIGN
These beautiful three-color signs have been created exclusively for PASA members.
They are a bright addition to your farm or business.
PASA member signs are available in two sizes.The large “farm lane size” measures 18” X 24”, and
the smaller “farm market size,” great to post at any business, measures 10” X 14”. Both are con-
structed of heavy gauge white aluminum, with a bright three-color logo in yellow, purple and green.
Created in durable nylon, the image will last for many years.The signs are two-sided, so people will
see your support coming and going!
Buy one today! Prices are as follows:
Small Sign — $28 + $4.00 shipping = $32.00
Large Sign — $58 + $4.00 shipping = $62.00
To order, send your check or credit card information, along with your name, mailing address and
phone to PASA Merchandise, P.O. Box 419, Millheim, PA 16854

31
 For the latest information on
PASA activities, visit us at:
www.pasafarming.org

Certified by PCO

32
 PAID ADVERTISEMENT

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• Several barns and outbuildings • Land and infrastructure costs of $45K per household
• Working Christmas tree farm (based on 14 households)

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33
PASA Membership/Contribution Form
Please clip this application and return with payment to: PASA Membership, PO Box 419, Millheim, PA 16854.

About You A. Student or Individual Membership

Name Please list one name for this membership level.

Company/Farm

B. Family/Farm or Sustaining Lifetime Membership

Address
Please list all names for this Family/Farm membership. You may include
children between the ages of 14–22, and also multiple generations directly
City State involved in the farm.

ZIP+4 County

Home Phone Work Phone

E-mail

C. Nonprofit or Business Membership

Web Address Please list up to two additional people associated with your business to
receive individual membership privileges.
Name
Are you farming: NO YES — how many acres:
Address
How did you learn about PASA:
City

Membership Category State ZIP+4

Student Please complete Field A $ 15

E-mail
Individual Please complete Field A $ 35
Are you farming: NO YES — how many acres:
Family/Farm Please complete Field B $ 55

$ 100
Would you like to receive mailings from PASA: NO YES
Nonprofit Please complete Field C

Business Please complete Field C $ 150

Name

SUBTOTAL $
Address

Sustaining Lifetime Membership City

Your contribution as a lifetime member will be managed with care as part State ZIP+4
of our Founder’s Fund, sustaining both your ongoing membership and
the long-term future of PASA. E-mail
Sustaining Lifetime Member Please complete Field B $ 700
Are you farming: NO YES — how many acres:
SUBTOTAL $
Would you like to receive mailings from PASA: NO YES
Gift Memberships
In addition to your own membership, you may give PASA membership to D. Gift Membership
a good friend, family member, business associate or other worthy recip- Name
ient on an annual or lifetime basis…a gift that keeps on giving!
Please complete Field D Address
Student $ 15
City
Individual $ 35
State ZIP+4
Family/Farm $ 55

Lifetime Sustaining Member $ 700 Gift from:

SUBTOTAL $

Donation Payment
Tax-deductible donation to Annual Fund SUBTOTAL $ Total amount due Check Make check payable to PASA
$ Credit Card Complete below

Card No.

$
Exp. Date
Total Amount Due VISA MasterCard
Cardholder Name

Signature

34
Top left: These two enthusiastic participants at the Buy Fresh/Buy Local campaign launch
in Philadelphia seem insistent about where their food is produced.
Top right: Local chef at the Buy Fresh/Buy Local launch serves a grass-fed hog from Coun-
try Time Farm in Berks County.
Bottom right: Jim Weaver explains the basics of holistic resource management (HRM) to
participants at the Provident Farm field day.
Bottom left: Bill Brownlee, of Wil-Den Farm, explains the function of his innovative pas-
ture farrowing hut to captivated onlookers at the Fair Winds/Wil-Den field day.The Brown-
lees use a wagon wheel pasture system for year-round management of hogs outdoors.

35
 SAVE THE DATE!
PASA’s 13th Annual
Farming for the Future
Conference
Pathways to Prosperity: The New Face of Agriculture
February 5, 6, and 7th , 2004
The Speakers
OPENING KEYNOTE
Paul Hawken, author of
Ecology of Commerce
and Natural Capitalism,
serves as co-chair of The
Natural Step, a non-
profit educational foun-
dation that assists businesses and
organizations in creating a long-term
commitment to environmental sustain-
ability as a core part of their overall pol-
icy and practices.
CLOSING KEYNOTE
Anuradha Mittal, a
native of India, is the
Co-Director of the
Institute for Food and
Development Policy
(AKA Food First), a
leading progressive think tank and edu-
cation-for-action center focusing on
food as a human right. Their work aims
to re-shape our — global food system to
make it more socially-just and environ-
mentally — sustainable
Pennsylvania
Association for
Sustainable Agriculture
114 West Main Street • PO Box 419 • Millheim, PA 16854
Pre-Conference
New in 2004 — PASA is excited to pres-
ent an additonal day (Thursday) featur-
ing four all-day intensive tracks
(additional fees apply).
n New and Beginning Farmers: Get the
nuts and bolts from PASA’s pros!
n Small Ruminants: The best in the
field lecture on health, production,
and marketing.
n Women in Agriculture: Back and
expanded by popular demand!
n Timber Framing: Participants will
build a corncrib in this hands-on
class led by Hugh Lofting Timber
Framing Inc.
“One of the great conferences
of sustainable agriculture
around the country”
— John Ikerd
F E B R U A RY
5-7 2004
2004 Notes
n PASA is dedicated to keeping regis-
tration fees the same as 2003!
n The Conference will feature national-
ly recognized speakers, over 50 work-
shops, a 45-vendor ‘Sustainable Trade
Show and Marketplace’, meals featur-
ing sustainably, organically, and
regionally raised food, the Sustainable
Ag Leadership Award Banquet & live
entertainment. Look for the full con-
ference brochure in early November.
n Expanded Youth Program — we’re
bringing back the popular K–7 pro-
gram, and new this year — the teen
“PASA Future Farmers” program for
8th through 12th graders.
Look for updates on the Conference on
PASA’s website at www.pasafarming.org
Complete Conference information will be
available mid-November.
For information on sponsorships and
exhibiting space, contact Lauren Smith at
PASA headquarters.
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
State College, PA
Permit No. 41