Passages

Sustainable Food and Farming Systems

Newsletter of the
Pennsylvania
Association
for Sustainable
Agriculture

Serving the Community of Sustainable Farmers, Consumers and Businesses Throughout Pennsylvania and Beyond
Number 52 January/February 2005

PASA’s 14th Annual Farming for the Future Conference

Reclaiming Health: Nourishing Our Farms and Families
Thursday Pre-Conference Track Highlights
The benefits of attending PASA’s annual Farming for the Future conference are many.
From learning new skills to apply on the farm, to connecting with other like-minded indi-
viduals, to understanding why buying local is so important, one can leave the conference
feeling fulfilled and ready for another growing season.
Although some may feel the PASA conference is only for those involved directly with
farming, there are many workshops designed to meet the needs of our largest audience
— consumers. This year’s conference planning committee decided to design the 2005
version of Farming for the Future around the theme of health. Public health is a topic that
is part of our lives everyday, since we all make important food decisions that ultimately
have an impact on our families and communities. The health theme will flow throughout
the entire conference February 3, 4, 5, 2005 at the Penn Stater Conference Center —
including being the focus of one of four Thursday pre-conference tracks. These tracks are
an opportunity to focus on one topic for an entire day of learning.

The Link Between Nutrition organic with conventional systems.

and Agriculture Track Presents the
Connection Between Nutritional
Quality of Food & Human Health
With sales in the organic sector of the
food industry growing by 20% each year,
it’s clear consumers are making decisions
about what’s for dinner based, at least in
part, on how their food was raised. Some
consumers cite better taste as a reason for
buying organic, others express concern
about consuming chemicals from conven-
tionally raised foods. But scientists and con-
sumers are just beginning to understand
that food grown in an organic system may
be more nutrient dense than other foods.
PASA is offering a pre-conference track
dedicated to exploring the link between
human health and agricultural practices.
One of the highlights of this innovative
track comes from the Rodale Institute and
their results to date of the Farming Systems
Trial, a 23-year study designed to compare
“The Rodale Institute has assayed corn,
soybean, oats, wheat, peppers, and carrots
for their mineral and vitamin contents,”
said Dr. Paul Hepperly, Research and Train-
ing Manager. “They have initiated rodent
feed tests with the Department of Zoology
at the University of Wisconsin look at the
composition of foods grown on organic and
conventional systems.
In another workshop entitled, “The
Agriculture-Nutrition Connection,” Dr.
Steven Marks and farmer John Hopkins
will present research about the ability of
good nutrition to reduce incidences of com-
mon causes of blindness and other diseases.
“One out of three kids is at risk of diet-
related diabetes,” said Marks. “This is just
one of many disturbing examples that can
be reversed with a change in diet.”
Dr. Marks, an eye surgeon with
Geisinger Medical Center and the primary
coordinator for the pre-conference track,
supports Hopkins’ practice of raising ani-
mals on pasture (not in barns). According
to recent research, meat from animals raised
on pasture, also known as “grass-fed meat,”
can be higher in omega-3 fatty acids than
meat from grain-fed animals. Omega-3s are
called “good fats” because they play a vital
role in every cell and system in your body.
People who consume ample amounts of
omega-3s reduce their risk of cancer and are
less likely to have high blood pressure.
But changing kids’ diets is more than
just a matter of family choice. Bill Sanda,
the Director of Public Affairs for the West-
on A. Price Foundation, believes that gov-
ernment farm subsidies actually undermine
the health of our nation.
“Corn is an efficient way to get energy
calories off the land and soybeans are an
efficient way of getting some protein off the
land, so we’ve designed a food system that
produces a lot of continued on page 3
 Jan/Feb 2005
Pennsylvania Association 4 PASA News:
for Sustainable Agriculture
PASA Welcomes Joel Salatin
114 West Main Street
P.O. Box 419 5 “The Great Thing About Farming
Millheim PA 16854
Phone: (814) 349-9856 • Fax: (814) 349-9840 is that it is Never Boring”
Website: www.pasafarming.org
6 Director’s Corner

Passages STAFF & OFFICE 7 President’s Corner

Staff Editor: Michele Gauger
9 A Tribute: Les Lanyon
Layout: C Factor
Advertising Sales: Michele Gauger,
10 Regional Marketing
PASA office, michele@pasafarming.org My Family’s Bountiful Harvest
Joel Salatin comes to PA, see page 4
12 Consumer News
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Kim Miller, Westmoreland County 13 Business Member Profile:
Vice President: Kim Tait, Centre County Wil-Den Family Farms
Secretary: Lyn Garling, Centre County
Treasurer: Chris Fullerton, Huntingdon County 14 PASA News:
Mary Barbercheck, Centre County Annual Fund Update
David Bingaman, Dauphin County
15 Book Review:
George DeVault, Lehigh County
Food Politics: How the Food Industry
Mena Hautau, Berks County
John Hopkins, Columbia County Influences Nutrition and Health
John Jamison, Westmoreland County
16 Educational Outreach
Dave Johnson, Tioga County
Don Kretschmann, Beaver County 19 Conference Update
Brian Moyer, Berks County Consumer motivations on purchasing meat,
Anthony Rodale, Berks County 20 Editor’s Corner: The Grapevine see page 12

Kim Seeley, Bradford County 21 Classified Ads

PASA STAFF 22 Calendar

Headquarters
23 Membership Contribution Form
Brian Snyder
Executive Director
brian@pasafarming.org
Lauren Smith
Director of Development Passages January/February 2005 Contributors
& Membership Programs
CONTRIBUTORS: Tim Bowser, Andy Conte, George DeVault, David Eson, Chris Fullerton, Michele Gauger, Kyle
lauren@pasafarming.org
Holzhueter, Heather House, Kim Miller, Gayle Morrow, Eric Nordell, Dorene Pasekoff, Lauren Smith, Brian Snyder.
Heather House
Director of Educational Outreach PASA’s Mission is… PASA in the News
heather@pasafarming.org
Promoting profitable farms which produce healthy Have you seen articles about PASA in your local news-
Michele Gauger food for all people while respecting the natural envi- papers or other media? PASA is active across the state,
Membership & Research Assistant ronment. and we’d love to know what coverage we are getting
michele@pasafarming.org
PASA is an organization as diverse as the Pennsylvania in your area. Please clip any articles you see on PASA
Brandi Marks landscape. We are seasoned farmers who know that and mail them to our Millheim headquarters to the
Office Coordinator/Bookkeeper sustainability is not only a concept, but a way of life. attention of Office Coordinator Brandi Marks.
brandi@pasafarming.org We are new farmers looking for the fulfillment of land
stewardship. We are students and other consumers, Do you have a great
Regional Office anxious to understand our food systems and the
article idea for Passages?
David Eson choices that must be made. We are families and chil-
Want to share a farming practice with members? We’d
Director of Western Programs dren, who hold the future of farming in our hands.This
Phone: 412-997-2343 love to hear from you. Please contact the newsletter
is an organization that is growing in its voice on behalf
david@pasafarming.org staff at newsletter@ pasafarming.org.
of farmers in Pennsylvania and beyond. Our mission is
achieved, one voice, one farm, one strengthened com- Deadline for March/April 2005 Issue:
munity at a time. February 28, 2005.

PASA is an Equal Opportunity Service Provider and Employer. Some grant funding comes from the USDA and com-
plaints of discrimination should be sent to: USDA Office of Civil Rights, Washington, DC 20250-9410.
Passages is printed on recycled, chlorine-free paper

2
Conference Update
Pre-Conference Track
continued from page 1
cheap corn and cheap soybeans which
results in a lot of cheap fast food,” says
Sanda.
The PASA conference organizers
work hard to ensure they “walk the talk.”
All the meals served at the conference are
sourced from local and/or organic farms,
and are delicious to boot!
Value-Added Dairy Track
Encourages Farmers to “Make
$omething More with Your Milk!”
Dairy farmers are always interested in
receiving better prices for their milk, but
usually have to settle for whatever blend
milk price is being paid according to the
federal milk marketing order. Across the
nation, many farmers are discovering the
economic potential of processing and
marketing their own products, an
increasingly common practice called
value-added dairy. Farmers who “add
value” to their milk have found that con-
sumers are willing to pay a premium for
locally produced, farmstead products
including cheese, yogurt, butter, ice
cream, and farm-bottled milk.
But some farmers, who have only just
begun to consider value-added dairy as
an option for their farm, might be dubi-
ous about overcoming what may seem
like insurmountable obstacles. “Some
farmers tend to see value-added dairy as
too big of a hill to climb because they
don’t know where to start,” says Wes
Ramsey, Coordinator for the Penn Soil
Resource Conservation and Develop-
ment (RC&D) Council. “They don’t
realize there are resources and people to
help them climb the hill.”
In an effort to assist those farmers
assessing the climb, PASA and RC&D
have teamed up to offer a full day of
workshops called “Make $omething
More with Your Milk.” These work-
shops, which include information on
value-added dairy regulations, equip-
ment, marketing, and production, will
be held as one of the pre-conference
tracks at the annual Farming for the
Future conference.
“This program is unique because
farmers will have the chance to ‘try on’
different value-added scenarios to deter-
mine what will work best for their farm
operations,” said Heather House, Con-
ference Program Coordinator for PASA.
Value-added dairy isn’t only for the
“big” or “small” farm. Any farm man-
agement team with good people skills
and a detail-oriented style should be able
to successfully produce and market a
value-added product. Marketing skills,
computer skills, and a good imagination
should all be found within the manage-
ment team, even if these assets are not all
present in the same person.
“The beauty of a value-added opera-
tion is that once you successfully pro-
duce a good product, you are in a
relatively size-neutral market,” says
Ramsey. “If you are producing a consis-
tently high quality product, you can be
as large or small as you wish!”
Highlights from the program include
an overview of sanitation regulations,
labeling and processing logistics, and the
elements of a good business plan. In the
afternoon, six concurrent sessions will
give participants an opportunity to delve
more deeply into specific value-added
products. These sessions include farmers
who have already entered the value-
added business, including Mike Koch of
FireFly Farms (goat milk cheese),
Wilmer Newswanger of Wil-Ar Farms
(cow milk cheese), Keith Morgan Davie
of Windhaven Farm (sheep milk
yogurt), Tom and Donna Perry of Perry-
dell Farm (on-farm bottling), and Steve
Fisher of Swiss Villa Acres and Ivan Mar-
tin of Natural Acres (raw milk).
Women in Agriculture
Track Facilitates Networking
and Learning
The number of women who own and
operate (yes, operate) farms in the Unit-
ed States continues to climb, jumping
nearly 13 percent from 1997 to 2002,
according to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s latest census. So it’s not sur-
prising that there is a corresponding
growing need for more educational pro-
grams dedicated to women farmers.
That’s why PASA has teamed up with
the Women in Agriculture Network
(WAgN) Pennsylvania chapter to offer
the second annual Women in Agricul-
ture pre-conference track.
3
“Women farmers need an organiza-
tion that validates their roles as produc-
ers and marketers,” said Amy Trauger, a
Penn State doctoral student and key
organizer of the WAgN pre-conference.
“What WAgN has to offer in terms of
networking, mentoring, and education
is applicable to women in both sustain-
able and conventional operations.”
Working together to offer a women’s
conference benefits both organizations.
PASA has built a reputation for hosting
one of the best sustainable agriculture
conferences in the country. PASA is able
to provide the logistical infrastructure
that enables a specialty group like
WAgN to offer educational program-
ming. In return, WAgN helps PASA
meet the needs of a group that has tradi-
tionally been overlooked.
“We see WAgN blossoming and
many of our female members are saying,
‘Yes! I love this!” said Heather House.
“They crave the kind of respectful envi-
ronment that WAgN cultivates.”
With nearly one hundred women in
attendance last year, PASA is anticipat-
ing an even stronger turn out this year.
“We are hoping to attract women
from all sectors of agriculture. From ani-
mal, crop, and produce production to
retail, value-added, and direct marketing
sales, women are shaping the future of
the food system,” said House.
Exit surveys from last year’s pre-con-
ference participants show that they find
“the opportunity to network with other
women farmers” as the most valuable
part of the experience. The survey also
indicated that the women laughed and
learned plenty, too.
“I think my favorite workshop last
year was the ‘how to buy a tractor’ work-
shop. The invaluable information shared
over dozens tractor options were price-
less,” said Trauger.
Highlights from this year’s program,
presented entirely by women farmers
and professionals, include presentations
entitled “Advanced Business Planning”
by local business extraordinaire and
PASA Vice President Kim Tait, “Stress
Reduction Through Stretching” by farm
assistant and yoga instructor Theresa
Shay, and “Gaining Access to Land” by
beginner farmer Sarah Rider.
continued on page 19
PASA News
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
February 22, 2005, 10am–4pm at the
Salisbury Fire Hall in Salisbury, Somer-
set Co., near the intersection of Rts. 669
& 219 near the Maryland border. Regis-
tration is $10. Lunch will be provided.
To register call 814-349-9856 or visit
www.pasafarming.org.
Come hear Joel speak about:
• Multi-species grazing
• Family Farming
• Marketing
This program is offered with support
from Project Grass and Fertrell Company.
26110 Nanticoke Road
Salisbury, MD 21801
Ph/Fx: 410-546-8480 • Cell: 410-430-8100
Connie & Pat Dolbey
• Growers of quality vegetable & herb transplants
for market gardeners & large scale growers.
• Ability to custom-grow your variety choice
for your planting date.
• 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
PASA Welcomes Joel Salatin
to Southern Pennsylvania
Joel Salatin is a nationally renowned
speaker on organic farming and “rela-
tionship marketing.” He is on a mission
to develop emotionally, economically
and environmentally enhanced agricul-
tural enterprises, and facilitate their
duplication around the world. Part of
that goal is to produce the best food in
the world.
Joel espouses a paradigm shift that
sees plants and animals as partners rather
than units of production. “Let the plants
and animals fill their natural niche with
full distinctive expression. The starting
point for animal husbandry is to let the
animal express its uniqueness.”
For example, Joel entices the pig to
work for him, which replaces the need
for machinery and petroleum. “In the
winter, we bed cows in the hayshed every
couple days with straw, wood chips or
leaves to lock soluble nutrients with car-
Hungry
Parasites,
Predators
on Patrol
Use Biocontrol
in the Field
to Control
• Corn Borer
• Mexican Bean Beetle
• Manure Flies
4
bon, to minimize leaching and vaporiza-
tion. In between the layers of bedding
pack, we add whole corn. In the spring,
when cows go back out to graze, we turn
pigs into that anaerobic bedding pack
which has fermented the corn. It entices
them to root through the deep bedding,
aerate the pack, and initiate aerobic
composting. This saves the step of
windrowing compost. It creates a perfect
and passionate living environment for a
pig, and replaces tractors that rust with
‘pigaerators’ that grow.”
PASA invites you to join us for “A
Day with Joel Salatin.” During this all-
day format, Joel will give examples of
how family farming, multi-species graz-
ing and relationship marketing can all
work to improve your bottom line. We’ll
feast on a lunch featuring pastured meats
and save plenty of time for “questions
and answers.” n
Use Biocontrol
in the Greenhouse
to Control
• Aphids • Whiteflies
Spider Mites • Thrips
• Fungus Gnats
IPM Laboratories, Inc.
www.ipmlabs.com
ipmlabs@baldcom.net
Healthy Beneficials Guaranteed

“The Great Thing About
Farming is that it is Never Boring”
By Michele Gauger
“The farmers are endless sources
of knowledge,” said Anna Santini, a
senior at Penn State majoring in
Agricultural & Biological Engineer-
ing. Anna was one of six interns
who had the opportunity this past
summer to work on a sustainable
farm through Penn State’s agroecol-
ogy on-farm internship program.
The on-farm internship pro-
gram, coordinated by associate pro-
fessor Heather Karsten, was Interns had the chance to experience farm life with
designed to offer interns the chance State’s agroecology program.
to gain a whole-farm perspective.
Karsten was able to begin the program in
2003 through a Higher Education Chal-
lenge grant with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA). 2004 was the sec-
ond year of this two-year program. “We
advertised across the country for stu-
dents who wanted to participate and
who had ecology interests” said Karsten.
Many of the participating farmers are
PASA members, including Dave John-
son of Provident Farms, Don
Kretschmann of Kretschmann Farms,
Steve & Carol Moore of Sonnewald
Natural Foods, Bill Callahan of Cow-a-
Hen Farm, Anne & Eric Nordell of
Beech Grove Farm, Steve Groff of Cedar
Meadow Farm and Preston & Wanda
Boop of Briar Patch Organic Farm.
Many of the student interns got to
“see the big picture” while working on
host farms. Hands-on learning is an
important part of this educational expe-
rience and good preparation for careers
directly related to production agricul-
ture. “The great thing about farming is
that it is never boring. I walked away
with the sense that I love farming and
see it in my future,” said Santini.
Although not all have future aspirations
of farming themselves, they are interest-
ed in working in extension and agricul-
tural education in some fashion.
Mika Hunter, a 2003 intern, who is
currently working for the Environmen-
tal Protection Agency’s (EPA) office of
pesticide programs, feels “Agriculture in
Penn “pop culture,” including the latest
the U.S. needs to move in a new direc-
tion and education is the first step.”
Having experience in entomology
research she studied the impact of
sequential corn plantings on beneficial
insect and pest populations at Groff ’s
Cedar Meadow Farm.
Hunter added “I was able to gain real
insight on what it really meant to be a
farmer. How long a typical day is, how
dependent they are on outside forces and
resources to do their job, how personal
farmers take it when it doesn’t rain and
how intrigued farmers are with their
work and how they are the ultimate
problem solvers and researchers.”
While working at Cedar Meadow
Farm, Hunter noticed Steve Groff was
clocking about 80 hours per week. “I did
learn most farmers are always trying new
things on their farms. Many people get
the idea that farmers just do the same
thing every year and that they are trained
to do things by their parents and that is
the way farming is still done.”
Interns were able to learn all aspects
of a farm operation, including the fact
that a farmer’s number one priority is
his/her land, and that they are very care-
ful with it because they make their living
directly from the land. Kristen Wilmer
who interned at the Kretschmann Farm
said “One thing I learned was the impor-
tance of questioning all aspects of your
system and continuously trying new
ways of tweaking it.”
Many of the interns felt the farmers
5
enjoyed having them around. Host
farms benefited from intern participa-
tion in the program, which also allowed
them to learn more about their farms.
This new knowledge came from the var-
ious research projects the interns worked
on at the farms.
Before heading out to their
assigned farms, interns first learned
more about agroecology in the
classroom and were also able to
design a research project they
worked on at the farm. An interdis-
ciplinary faculty team provided
technical information and guidance
to the interns.
In some cases the farmers had
the opportunity to brush up on
trends and slang. “Probably the
most fulfilling part of the internship was
knowing that every task you did on the
farm was a major help to the farmer and
was enabling him to support his or her
family.”
Santini, who interned at both Provi-
dent and Beech Grove Farms, said “I
liked the combination of working on a
farm to learn the ropes combined with
academic research and presentation. I
was the most stimulated and inspired by
the direct interaction with the farmers
and getting the opportunity to follow
them on their daily routines.”
This intern experience gave many of
the interns with a hopeful and positive
view of agriculture. “For me, farming is
a way to fill an important societal role
and make a key contribution to the sus-
tainability of our food system” said
Wilmer. Nicholas Willis, another intern
on Groff ’s farm believes “The greatest
reason to work towards a healthy ecosys-
tem is because a lot of costly problems of
industrialized agriculture are taken care
of naturally in a sustainable agriculture
system.” Practical experiences such as
these can only help to further educate
future farmers, agricultural educators
and of course — eaters.
To learn more about the Agroecology
On-Farm Internship, visit http://paon-
farminterns.cas.psu.edu. The project
website offers the students’ experiential
essays, whole farm case studies, includ-
ing video segments and on-farm research
projects. n
Director’s Corner
When Quality
Becomes King
By Brian Snyder
On a recent trip to my hometown in
Indiana I decided to visit a local farm
that had converted to dairying a few
years ago. Such an activity is hardly
remarkable in my daily life, but in this
case the farm in question was anything
but ordinary.
Fair Oaks Farms of Newton and
Jasper Counties in northwest Indiana are
currently managing 29,000 mostly Hol-
stein cows on about 17,000 acres of
sandy farmland just 70 miles southeast
of Chicago. No need to call and check
with our editor — I’ve got all the zeros
in the right place!
I’ll give just a few more stats to finish
painting the picture in your mind. The
farms, really two of them working
together, are managed entirely as con-
finement systems, with eight 72-cow
rotary milking stations that operate
around the clock (expect for brief clean-
ing periods) with cows constantly step-
ping on and off without noticeable
prompting from the paid help. All told,
the operation utilizes about 80 acres of
space under roof, separated into eight
distinct facilities.
One reason for visiting was to see the
new visitor center, cheese plant and
restaurant/gift shop. The whole Disney-
like theme park is referred to as the Fair
Oaks Dairy Adventure, and you can take
your own virtual tour by going to
www.fairoaksdairyadventure.com on
your computer.
After processing my experience at
Fair Oaks Farms, I am still trying to
wrestle with the meaning of it all. One
thing’s for sure, many folks who are wor-
ried about current trends in the Pennsyl-
vania dairy industry have no real idea
what they’re up against. Families trying
to decide whether or not to keep that
62-cow herd (the average size of a Penn-
sylvania dairy farm) could easily be
demoralized altogether by a simple bus
ride through one of those 10-acre barns!
I was impressed, in the same way that
a 100-story building is an impressive
sight, regardless of its usefulness or con-
tribution to the sustainability of its com-
munity. The entire operation (including
tourist buildings) runs on electricity
generated by manure digestion, the cows
appear content and healthy (and import-
ed workers likewise), and several neigh-
boring farms are better off (we were told)
due to contracts to grow forage in sup-
port of the mega-operation.
While I was annoyed by the so-called
“Grass to the Glass” video propaganda in
the visitor center (quite a hoot, given
that the animals never have access to
fresh pasture), there was little else I
could find to complain about, until the
end of the tour, that is, when we all had
an opportunity to sample the product.
Despite the world cheese competition
awards on the wall, the milk, the cheese,
the ice cream, were all quite ordinary
tasting, reminding me this plant was
operating to fill supermarket shelves
anywhere. I was confronted with the
thought that the Achilles Heel of indus-
trial agriculture is not necessarily envi-
ronmental degradation or economic
injustice, but mediocre product quality.
It was no big surprise that this dairy-
megalopolis could not equal the experi-
ence of the small, raw milk dispensing
family farm less than a mile from my
office. But I was aware of how small
every farm in Pennsylvania is, and how
product quality will likely be the key to
saving each and every one of them, no
matter what crop is being raised.
In a world where mega-farms will
continue to increase in numbers, more
of them overseas as time goes by, Penn-
sylvania agriculture must find a way to
differentiate itself as a matter of priority.
I have in mind some rather bold steps
that would not, could not be ignored by
the marketplace — though they may get
6
me firmly labeled as a kook at some of
the meetings I go to in Harrisburg.
Think about it. Why shouldn’t we be
the first state to ban all use of non-ther-
apeutic antibiotics and artificial hor-
mones in raising livestock, or eliminate
all synthetic fertilizers on our fields?
Why not decide to excel in the produc-
tion of safe, unpasteurized milk and
other dairy products for consumption by
the general public?
How about if the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture puts much of
its resources behind a massive, though
not compulsory, statewide transition
from conventional to organic farming
methods? What if holistic, grass-based
farming became the norm that all our
farmers were encouraged to achieve?
What premium would result if all foods
produced or processed in the common-
wealth were GMO free?
Such activism would take tremen-
dous political will, unlike the milk-toast
efforts we’ve become accustomed to,
which are directed at spurring on pro-
duction agriculture toward satisfying the
great mediocrity of commodity markets.
Someone(s) would have to say “Stop,
enough is enough; only our best efforts
will do!” We would need a vision that
finds security through the quality of our
work, rather than mere work through
the quality of our security.
The result is not all that difficult to
imagine. The name “Pennsylvania”
could become synonymous with “Qual-
ity” to a buying public that is already
beginning to herd itself toward any food
product that promises to benefit their
health and/or reawaken a sense of enjoy-
ment and surprise at mealtime. In short,
we would very quickly be leading a rev-
olution in agriculture that would pay
significant dividends to Pennsylvania
farmers and consumers alike for decades
(and generations) to come.
Or, we could continue to be follow-
ers. I’ve often said “In Pennsylvania,
we’re ahead because we’re behind,” but
our accidental status as leaders will run
out all too soon. Because if we don’t
make product quality our calling card,
some other state or region of the country
will, and for once we’ll be way behind,
because we mistakenly thought we were
ahead. The choice is ours… n
President’s Corner
The Challenge
of Education
By Kim Miller
When I think of education I am
reminded of the old school yard insult
that goes “If they put your brain on the
edge of a razor blade it would look like a
pea rolling down an eight-lane high-
way.” If the eight-lane highway repre-
sents all possible knowledge then the pea
might be indicative of all human learn-
ing. The razor blade is just thrown in for
an order of magnitude and to assure
proper humility. Now this may exagger-
ate human ignorance but I’ll submit that
it’s a whole lot closer to the actual state
of human understanding than that in
which we, as a society, have come to
believe.
Perhaps we have been overly
impressed with our collective knowledge
since the Age of Enlightenment, but this
exaggeration of mankind’s ability really
took off after World War II. We could
not replace the old methods fast enough,
replacing our base of collective wisdom,
acquired over millennia, with the new
and improved scientific method. No
more would we suffer at the hands of a
fickle natural world. We would educate
ourselves in the new science and tri-
umph over the natural order. Progress
would marry science with agriculture to
bring us food without labor.
That’s not all. We got cheap energy,
cheap transportation, irrigation, synthet-
ic material and petrochemicals. We got
miracle drugs and fast food. What a
bonanza thanks to our wonderful educa-
tional system. We got global warming,
acid rain, rivers without fish and, if you
are far enough south, water. We also got
soil depleted of tilth and all manner of
cancers and nutritionally related dis-
eases. Add in the wars needed to main-
tain this system and one might begin to
think that we aren’t so smart after all.
Therein lies the problem with educa-
tion. We learn a little something and we
run off down the path without looking
Therein lies the
problem with educa-
tion. We learn a little
something and we
run off down the
path without looking
around to see how
the whole system is
affected.
around to see how the whole system is
affected. We prove the old adage that “A
little learning is a dangerous thing.” In
fact I think we live in a world with a
whole lot of a little learning.
Speaking from personal experience I
have found that I need to have a lot of
education on a given subject before I can
even begin to understand the magnitude
of my ignorance. It is only after I achieve
this state of enlightened ignorance that I
can begin to seek knowledge that might
be useful and true.
This is the educational opportunity
that is presented to us in the sustainable
agricultural community. I will submit
that we now know enough to know how
much we don’t know. And we are start-
ing to know what we need to know.
An example of this might begin with
asking what is the best transportation
system for food? Among many possible
answers one stands out; that the best and
cheapest transportation system is to not
transport our food at all. This saves oil
and the pollution from burning oil along
with the wars needed to acquire it. It
7
allows us to eat food grown for taste and
nutrition rather than for transport. It
also means that food can be harvested
closer to the time at which it will be con-
sumed. And it means that the produc-
tion of food must be widely
disseminated since, presumably, people
everywhere must eat.
This example indicates that we need
to educate eaters to the value of a sea-
sonal and local production system. It
also means that we must learn how to
generate and support this kind of system
since it has been lost to most of us.
This example works because it offers
positive outcomes on a macro level. It
also provides further direction. If we
choose not to transport food we might
also choose to not transport off-farm
input to grow the food. So we need sys-
tems that are self-perpetuating. This is
where the magnitude of our collective
ignorance becomes manifest.
In our efforts to educate and promote
local food production and consumption
we are apt to loose sight of the fact that
most of our farming systems are not self-
perpetuating. Certainly we in the sus-
tainable community utilize farming
methods that use up resources less
quickly than those farming convention-
ally, but we still use far too many non-
renewable resources. Some management
intensive grazing systems can come
close, but I don’t think we are likely to
become a nation of “carnitarians”
(Atkins’ acolytes excepted, and just
where are those carnitarian restaurants
for those of us that are philosophically
opposed to eating our vegetable bud-
dies?).
Without further digression I submit
that we just don’t know how to farm in a
way that does not utilize non-renewable
resources. So we need to educate our-
selves in a new system, one that is not yet
invented. This is our great educational
opportunity and we must pursue it vig-
orously. Time and resources are short.
While pursuing this opportunity we
must continue to educate our fellow
eaters on the benefits of eating locally,
while simultaneously working with
farmers so that we can use resources
more judiciously. We must do this with
a humility born of our knowledge that
our own ignorance is great. n
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A Tribute
By Tim Bowser,
Executive Director, FoodRoutes Network
The precise moment I met Les Lany-
on some 20 years ago is no longer clear.
But I am very clear about the defining
moment of the beginning of what would
become a too-brief friendship and ongo-
ing discussion, each truncated by his far
too premature passing in May.
It was 1984 or 85, after a stellar lec-
ture by Wes Jackson at Penn State that I
had a hand in organizing. In the midst of
feeling youthfully triumphal about the
first-ever sustainable ag luminary to
speak to the College of Ag., Les came to
offer congratulations. I immediately
inquired what he thought, imbued with
the righteous confidence that Jackson’s
presentation was so brilliantly self-evi-
dent that not even a Penn State agrono-
mist could find fault with it. Les sort of
bowed his head slightly and humbly, as
he would always do when he was about
to drop yet another cosmic bombshell
on someone who was asking for it, and
quietly said; “well it was fine as far as it
went, but he is not taking the Second
Law of Thermodynamics in to account.”
I am sure that my jaw stiffened, after
it dropped, at such audacity, at what I
assumed was an unreasoned academic
challenge to the thought provoking pres-
entation on the potential of perennial
polyculture. But I had merely experi-
enced my initial encounter with the First
Law of Lanyon: There are no answers,
only possibilities.
For years Les and I rumbled over the
term Sustainable Agriculture, and while I
continued to promote the term without
reservation he never ceased to remind
me, ever gently, that sustainability in
agriculture was really an irrelevant con-
cept if we did not see it in the context of
global-societal sustainability. We never
really disagreed in our quests, and I
never doubted that he was right; you had
to look at the whole picture the systems
the pieces were part of. Agricultural sys-
tems were very part of larger and inter-
connected systems. He was, quite
simply, an agricultural systems thinker
non pareil, one who was unfortunately so
far ahead of his time in the intellectual
gulag that was Penn State agriculture of
the 1980s and 90s that many of his ideas
have only recently begun to receive the
LES LANYON:
The Idea
of Possibilities
academic acknowledgement they are
due. As the eminently eloquent Tom
Horton portraits in his rich tribute to
Les below, some of these ideas deserve
major real life accolades.
Even during this time he contributed
significantly to the advancement of prac-
tical applications of systems thinking in
several groundbreaking efforts; he was a
member of the Farming Systems
Research team that introduced us to sev-
eral of the farmers who would lead the
formation of PASA. He served on the
Faculty Advisory Committee of the
embryonic Circleville Farm. Chesapeake
Milk, one of the first branded efforts to
reward farmers in the marketplace for
doing the right thing in the environ-
ment, was his brainchild. He was one of
the very first people to join PASA and
the very first to renew his annual mem-
bership year after year.
Systems thinker can sometimes mean
“head-in-the-clouds.” But while Les was
one of the most truly scholarly people I
have ever met, so was he one of the most
grounded. He believed fervently that the
job of a university professor was not to
make pronouncements about ‘the way’
or ‘the truth’ but to provide people and
farmers with the best possible informa-
tion from which they could make fully-
informed, integrated decisions in their
lives, on their farms. Lanyon’s Law.
Les was an extremely prodigious
researcher and a champion for the envi-
ronment, but he was always Farmer
First. As Horton is uniquely able to
describe and does so splendidly, Les was
uniquely able to integrate research, his-
9
tory, biology, economics, and social
choice to frame his systems view of serv-
ice to farmers. And he did so with a
splendid devotion.
I had the gut wrenching privilege of
helping Roseann, Les’ wife, best friend,
and partner in life’s journey to pack and
redistribute his mind-boggling personal
library. The depth, breadth, and integra-
tion of this library was absolutely awe-
inspiring, even to someone who had
engaged the man in wide discourse over
many years. Actually, intimidating
comes to mind. Along with a nominal
number of books on soil, chemistry,
nutrient management, and cropping sys-
tems were volumes and volumes on his-
tory, chaos theory, WWII logistics,
economics, the Harmonists, feminism,
anthropology, ecology, race relations,
coal miner strikes, the Whisky Rebel-
lion, Native Americans, and Leonardo
Da Vinci. There were shelves of poetry,
philosophy, and fiction. Treatises by
Goethe, Einstein, M.L. King, Jane
Jacobs, Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu, Fukuoka,
Castaneda, and Havel. Books of the out-
of-the-box thinking of Fritoj Capra,
Bucky Fuller, Fred Franck, Frankie
Lappe, Thomas and Wendell Berry, Jane
Smiley, Paul Hawken, and Phil Jackson.
And he had read most of them.
Whatever else this brilliant, literate
man was, he was a magnificent human
being; one of the most kind, gentle, gen-
erous, thoughtful, imperturbable, and
genuinely humble people one could ever
hope to meet. Les was a disciple of Saint
Francis and a tremendous example of
what “Frank,” as he privately referred to
him, embodied in life. I will never forget
seeking Les out immediately following
an exciting bioregional conference, to
get his take on the day’s proceedings; at
long last I found this scholarly universi-
ty professor in the kitchen, washing the
lunch dishes.
Roseann told me that on the day that
Les’ ashes were committed in the ceme-
tery, she looked up and realized that in
view was a hillside hayfield that Les had
worked during his youth. A vintage blue
tractor that Les likely drove some 40
years earlier was traversing the field. A
tribute to some degree of farm sustain-
ability, I am sure Les would agree.
Farmer first, and last. n
Regional Marketing
My Family’s Bountiful Harvest
By Andy Conte
My family had a bountiful harvest of
fresh fruits and vegetables this year — all
without ever turning a spade of earth or
pulling a single weed. We bought a small
share in a community-supported agri-
culture project, or CSA for short.
Rochester farmers Don and Becky
Kretschmann offer this service in which
they grow the food, package it in wood-
en crates and deliver the crates to our
neighborhood each week.
Instead of going to the farm — or
doing any backbreaking work of our
own — we simply travel to the
Kretschmanns’ drop spot inside another
family’s garage three blocks away. The
farmer comes to us.
The Kretschmanns make more than
30 such drops throughout the Pitts-
burgh region each week, making them
one of the country’s largest CSAs. Every
drop supports about 15 nearby families.
Our “harvest” lasted from June to
Thanksgiving and included fresh and
organic blueberries, strawberries, carrots,
tomatoes, radishes, lettuces, onions,
beets, broccoli, potatoes, corn, zucchini,
butternut squash and apples. We also
expanded our culinary tastes to include
items only vaguely familiar before: Kale,
mustard greens and rhubarb now rank
among our regular favorites.
In the works…
WESTERN REGION
n Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign
In the anticipation of the summer cam-
paign kick-off for the western region’s
Buy Local campaign, David Eson has
been meeting with farmers and con-
sumers to discuss membership in the
campaign. Contact David Eson at (412)
697-0411 or david@pasafarming.org for
more infomation.
n Western Regional Meetings
David Eson recently spoke at the month-
ly meeting of the Organic Crop Improve-
ment Association’s western Pennsylvania
chapter in Portersville. He introduced
The Kretschmanns grow most of the
items on their own 80-acre farm, but
they also work with several local farmers
that include four Amish families north
of Pittsburgh. All of the items meet strict
organic standards.
Different items were offered almost
every week, so we looked forward with
great anticipation to Friday afternoons
when the fruits and vegetables arrived.
My wife or I would walk with our two
young children to the neighbors’ garage,
stacked with about 20 wooden boxes for
local families.
The boxes were even tailored to each
family’s particular tastes. This was no
problem for us because we liked every-
thing. But the farmers will substitute
favorites to replace items particular cus-
tomers do not want. They also allow the
families to buy more of any item. One
family at our site purchased a crate of
blueberries, and I imagined wistfully
how they might freeze them for winter
or make their own blueberry wine.
We had so much fresh food that we
split a small share, which costs $450 for
the year, with a family across the street.
That share is designed for a family of
four with enough extra to share with
friends, but we found it almost enough
for two whole families with a total of
four adults and five children. We took
farmers to PASA’s Buy Local campaign. He
also met with approximately 20 PASA
farmers in Clarion to discuss marketing
opportunities for 2005. PASA and the
Weston A. Price Foundation hosted the
meeting. PASA will be working with farm-
ers in the Clarion Co. area to increase the
number of CSA shareholders and con-
sumers attending area farmers’ markets.
n PASA Conference —
Annual Western Regional Meeting
On Saturday, Feb. 5 from 9:45 to 10:45
am, David Eson will host the second
annual western regional meeting. The
meeting will focus on member ideas and
questions for the upcoming year along
with the introductions of PASA’s two new
employees working in the western office.
10
turns picking up the bounty each week
and dividing it up.
Our saddest day of the summer came
one Saturday morning when we realized
neither family had picked up the share.
Not only would we miss out on the reg-
ular items we had grown to expect, but
what if the Kretschmanns included
something special — like their home-
made apple butter or sauerkraut?
CSA rules dictate that if no one picks
up the share by Friday evening, the host
family can keep it for themselves. We
resigned ourselves to the loss — until
Sunday evening. That’s when the neigh-
bors — whom we do not know and have
never met — called to ask if we were
never going to claim our produce. Soon
we were enjoying fresh salads again.
With today’s global harvest, fresh
fruits and vegetables are always in season
somewhere — South America, Spain or
a greenhouse. Because the Kretschmanns
only deliver their fruits and vegetables
when they are in season on their Penn-
sylvania farm, we stopped receiving
items in November. Now we’ll be wait-
ing eagerly for spring. And planning to
buy enough blueberries next summer to
last throughout the year. n
Andy Conte writes for the Pittsburgh
Tribune Review and lives in Mt. Lebanon
with his wife Tanya and their two children
Noah and Claudia.
PASA staff and
board would like to
thank these recent
volunteers:
Bob Ambrose
Charlie Boyer
Tom Carey
Bill Fuller
Suzy Meyer
Virginia Phillips
Ian Smith
Craig Richards
 REGIONAL CONTACTS
PASA Membership Western
Materials Available PASAWestern-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
David Eson: 412-697-0411 • david@pasafarming.org
PASA draws its strength from the collective energy,
vision and dedication of each and every member. We Southeastern
hope that you will join us in working to inspire others PASAsoutheast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
in your region to join us. PASA has tools available to Brian Moyer: 610-944-9349 • brianm22@aol.com
help “spread the word” about your organization. Mena Hautau: 610-378-1327 • mmh10@psu.edu
• PASA PowerPoint to be used to present to groups Southcentral
in your area. This presentation highlights the state of PASAsouthcentral-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
agriculture & how actions to support sustainable agri- Julie Hurst: 717-734-2082 • royjulie@pa.net
culture and PASA can help change the course of our
NorthCentral/Eastern
future.
PASAnorthcentralEast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
• PASA Video/DVD is also a useful tool in making Leah Tewksbury: 570-437-2620 • tewks1@aol.com
presentations to groups. It is a moving tribute by real
farmers, giving real advice and facts about the joys and
challenges of sustainable agriculture.
• PASA Brochures & Holder are useful to pass out NorthCentral/Eastern
at farmers’ markets, friends & neighbors or display at
your business. We have developed two new brochures
Western
geared towards our largest audiences — farmers and
consumers.
Contact Michele Gauger at PASA headquarters for Southcentral Southeastern
more information on obtaining any of these materials.

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Consumer News
Consumers Go Out of Their Way
to Spend More on Local Meat
Over 60% of Pennsylvania consumers who regularly purchase meat directly from a local
farmer make an extra effort to do so.
Sure, it costs more and it may be more
difficult to obtain, but consumers want
locally raised meat. The results of a sum-
mer survey, “Consumer Motivations for
Purchasing Local Meats,” indicate that
over 60% of Pennsylvania consumers
who regularly purchase meat directly
from a local farmer make an extra effort
to do so. The survey, which was com-
missioned by Ben Franklin Technology
Center of Pennsylvania and conducted
by PASA, revealed over 85% of these
consumers pay more for local meat.
So what motivates consumers to drive
further and spend more for local meat?
Concern for personal health.
“An overwhelming majority of people
cited health as their primary reason for
buying local meat,” said Amy Trauger, a
doctoral student at the Pennsylvania
State University and the principle inves-
tigator for the study. “It’s surprising
because we’re told that Americans just
want cheap food that tastes good.”
But these consumers aren’t your aver-
age Americans. Over 60% of the respon-
dents reported household incomes of
over $50,000, which is higher than
Pennsylvania’s average of $40,106 (US
Census Bureau 2000). These consumers
are also college educated and over two
times more likely to have children in
their household.
“In many cases, families came to the
market as a social event. It’s more fun to
go to a farmers’ market to buy food than
at a grocery store,” said Trauger.
Sixty percent of those surveyed said
that one of the most important reasons
for purchasing directly from a local
farmer was to support the local econo-
my. “These results confirm that con-
sumers are beginning to understand the
connection between how they spend
their food dollars and the viability of
their local farm communities,” said
Acorn Squash with Apple and Beef Stuffing
2 each acorn squash
1 pound lean ground beef
11 ⁄ 2 teaspoons salt
1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups chopped apples (2 to 3 apples)
1 ⁄ 4 cup raisins, optional
salt
4 TBS brown sugar, firmly packed
2 TBS melted butter or margarine
• Heat the oven to 400°. Halve each
squash; remove seeds and fibers. Place
the squash, cut sides down, on an
ungreased shallow baking pan. Add
water to the depth of about 1 ⁄ 4-inch
and bake, uncovered, until the squash
is tender, about 30 minutes.
• While the squash is baking, cook
ground beef in a large skillet until
browned. Drain off excess fat. Remove
12
Heather House, Director of Educational
Outreach at PASA.
House believes people’s concern for
health extends to the entire food system,
ranging from the health of local
economies to the environment in which
the animals are raised. For example, over
60% cited ‘factory farming practices’ as a
reason not to purchase regular meat
from a grocery store. A Concentrated
Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) or
‘factory farm’ is defined by federal and
state statutes as a facility that contains
1,000 animal units. Many consumers
believe that, in addition to the possibili-
ty of having a negative impact on the
environment, these farms may not be
producing a healthy product.
“We’re witnessing growth in demand
for locally raised meats, and other prod-
ucts, that directly corresponds to con-
sumers becoming more educated about
the nature of food production. It’s not
just what you eat anymore, it’s about
how it was produced and by whom,”
said House. n
Amy Trauger will present the results of
this study during a conference workshop on
Saturday, February 5 during the annual
PASA conference.
the skillet from the heat and stir in the
11 ⁄ 2 teaspoon of salt, cinnamon, the
chopped apples and the raisins.
• When the squash is cooked, turn
them so that the cut side is up and
remove them to a platter. Drain off
any remaining liquid in the pan and
dry. Scoop out the pulp from the
acorn squash, making a shell that is
about 1 ⁄ 4-inch thick all the way
around. Sprinkle the shells with salt to
taste. Mash the pulp and mix into the
meat mixture. Return to the shells,
piling them full and sprinkle 1 table-
spoon of brown sugar on each. Drizzle
with the melted butter. Bake uncov-
ered about 20 to 30 minutes, or until
apple is tender. Serve hot.
Recipe courtesy Kim Tait,
Tait Farm Foods
Business Member Profile
Wil-Den Family Farms
and “Fresh Air Pork”
By Gayle Morrow
This time last year, says Denise
Brownlee, she and her husband, Bill,
were on the phone with PASA Direc-
tor Brian Snyder telling him “it’s just
not working.” They were ready to sell
their business, and hoping PASA
could help them find a buyer. Instead,
Snyder encouraged them to hang on,
then put the resources of PASA to
work for them. It was the shot in the
arm they needed. At Wil-Den Family
Farms in Mercer County, Denise and
Bill Brownlee raise and market pas-
tured pork. They farrow year-round
on about 100 acres, rotating stock in a
“pie system,” using a central hub to
facilitate that movement from pasture
to pasture. They started with 60 sows
in 1994 in Lebanon County; Bill had
actually worked in a large hog con-
finement operation prior to that. The
thought process was to go full-time,
she says, and conventional wisdom
dictated that they had to get larger.
They made the move to Mercer
County, began increasing their herd
(up to 170 sows), and continued to
1. What is unique about your busi-
ness? The uniqueness of our business is
that we raise our pigs naturally outdoors,
use no antibiotics as growth promotants
and use no preservatives or MSG in our
processing. Our processor only puts in
what we say. It’s a USDA facility, only
about 20 miles from us — he’s a small,
area business, too. We have our own on-
farm store, we sell at a farmers’ market in
Cleveland, and we’re beginning to ship.
There is a difference between what we
did for eight years and what we’ve done
sell everything commercially. “Prices
never quite cooperated,” Denise con-
tinues, adding that by 2002 prices had
dropped again and “we decided we
were going to lose our shirts.” “We
thought if we were going to do it, we
had to do the marketing ourselves.”
They hired a business consultant, and
in August of 2002 “Fresh Air Pork”
had been born. But the marketing was
incredibly time-consuming, debt was
looming, and it just didn’t seem to be
working. In the winter of 2003 they
cut the herd back down to 60 sows
and made the call to PASA for help.
Instead, “here we are in 2005 being
conference speakers,” says Denise. “It’s
been a wonderful partnership. PASA
has been absolutely instrumental.
2004 has gone fairly well by business
standards. We’ve sold two times in
2004 what we did in 2003. People
want the product and are willing to
pay a little more. There is such a mar-
ket out there; it’s just tapping into it.
We were just wasting our time in the
commercial market. We were not get-
ting paid for our uniqueness and now,
thanks to PASA, we are.” She says the
CSA idea works well for produce, and
consumers are now realizing they can
go to their local grower for quality
meat as well. “I am a very discriminat-
ing customer,” says Denise. “We mod-
eled our business after our own taste,
and it’s working.”
the past two. The fact that we could not
pay our bills thrust us into change. Mar-
keting your own product is a very, very
challenging, yet rewarding.
2. Why did you join PASA? Our first
membership was a gift, yet we decided in
2005 we’d become Bronze Key confer-
ence sponsors. The Bronze Key sponsor-
ship, which includes a business
membership, is our first purchased
membership. We believe in what this
organization has done for us and can do
13
for us in the ag minority. They have bent
over backwards for us, and it means so
much. And, PASA can pick up the (mar-
keting) slack. It’s basically my husband
and myself, and you don’t have the time
or the energy to do it yourself.
3. How has your membership been a
benefit to your business? It boils down
to two things. The first is the power of
networking. Word-of-mouth is vital,
and PASA has provided us with ways to
get our product and name out there.
Second, it’s like having the extra employ-
ees we can’t afford. PASA does a lot of
the legwork. We would not be where we
are today if not for PASA. 2005 has
some pretty good prospects, but if it
were not for PASA we probably would
not be having this conversation.
4. What does the term “sustainable”
mean to you and how do you incorpo-
rate that into your business? Being sus-
tainable to us is taking farming full
circle. We intend on making a living off
our lifestyle choice, and believe farming
can provide a living for a family. We do
our best to treat the animals humanely,
handle the land responsibly, and to keep
the desire to continue farming burning.
Farming is a lot easier when you are
making money!
5. What do you see as some of the
critical issues facing ag and ag-related
businesses today? It’s marketing, it’s
people’s perceptions. Being in the hog
business and reading business publica-
tions, we see the “super big” are getting
bigger, but the “smaller big” are strug-
gling and going into the same niche
market we are. But the farm picture in
our logo is real; what you see on our logo
is our farm. We deliberately wanted the
consumers to not feel like we were trying
to “pull the wool over their eyes.”
6. What do you see as the connec-
tion between sustainable ag and the
consumer? We really feel this connec-
tion is getting bigger and more impor-
tant on both sides — it’s educating
customers as to how the animal is raised,
how it’s processed and how to properly
cook and prepare it. It’s been a surprise
as to how much educating we’ve been
able to do to get continued on page 14
PASA News
Measuring Our Success in 2004: How High Did Our Beanpole Climb?
By Chris Fullerton
In this dark season of root vegetables, frozen ground, and seed cat-
alogs, there was at least one thing green and growing: PASA’s annual
December 24
$100,000 fund. The “beanpole” continued its climb toward our $100,000 goal,
$97,170 with a vigorous “growth spurt” of over $13,000 in new gifts during
97,170

$90,000
November and December. We are sincerely grateful for each and
every gift.
October 31
$84,100 At press time (as of December 24) the fund had surpassed the
$80,935 $97, 000 mark. So close! You’ll hear at the PASA Conference in Feb-
Aug 31 $80,000
$75,690
June 30 ruary (and in the next newsletter) if we managed to hit our mark.
$70,000 It’s an interesting coincidence that 3,000 is both the number of
dollars needed to achieve our goal and around the number of current
$62,000
Mar 30 PASA members. Just think — if every member could have given one
$60,000
additional dollar to our 2004 Appeal, we would have met our goal
$50,000
before the end of the year. It goes to show every gift counts, no mat-
ter what the amount.
But whether or not that last $3,000 comes in, there can be no
$40,000
$30,000 argument 2004 was a momentous year in the development of our
organization. Our membership continues to grow steadily, and the
PASA board and staff have made significant strides toward diversify-
$25,000
ing our revenue. As we secure more unrestricted money through
$20,000
membership fees, fundraising dinners, auctions, and direct gifts, we
become less dependent on restricted resources (such as government
$15,000 contracts and foundation grants) and thus freer to pursue goals and
$10,000 programs that will best fulfill our mission and meet our members’
needs. In 2004, thanks in no small part to your generous contribu-
tions, we were able to more than double our unrestricted funding.
$5,000
Last year represented a major step forward in our fiscal evolution.
$1,000 Stay tuned for news about our next steps (and here’s a hint: we won’t
Graphic courtesy of Phyllis Kipp. be doing any backing up!). n

Wil-Den Family Farms

NEW BUSINESS Phillips Aqua Farm/
continued from page 13 MEMBERS The Performance Grower
people to try something different. You build a PASA Welcomes our Kennett Square, PA
Newest Business Members.
relationship with customers who do not often
Brookmere Farm Vineyards Plant Health Alternatives
get to converse with the owner. It makes them
feel good. Consumers need to keep in mind Belleville, PA Morris Plains, NJ
that without the sustainable ag movement and Camphill Village — Kimberton Hills Raw Dawg
having small farmers and producers marketing Kimberton, PA Wilmington, DE
their fresh products in their local communities,
their choices become very limited or non-exis- Farmstead Cheese Associates
tent. The best way to support a farmer is to Winfield, PA
LIFETIME MEMBERS
buy his product from him. It would work if Glasbern PASA is proud of the growing roster of
each consumer were to go out and support Fogelsville, PA lifetime members. Contributions for life-
their local family farm — there’s enough to go
around. n
Harris Seeds time membership will be managed with
Rochester, NY care as part of the PASA Founder’s Fund.
For more information about Wil-Den Family We welcome our newest
Innovative Farmers of Ohio
Farms, call the Brownlees at 814-786-7438. lifetime members.
Delaware, OH
Susan & Alan Bullock
Kencove Farm Fence
Wil-Den Family Farms will be selling Rome, PA
Blairsville, PA
their “Fresh Air Pork” at the PASA
conference in handy portion frozen Moby Grape LLC Leah & John Tewksbury
packages. Bring your coolers! Bernville, PA Muncy, PA

14
Book Review
Food Politics:
How the Food Industry Influences
Nutrition and Health
By Marion Nestle
University of California Press, 2002.
Editor’s note: Marion Nestle will be the
closing keynote speaker February 5, and
her book will will be on sale at the PASA
Conference.
Timing, in life as well as comedy, is
everything. Food Politics was published
in 2002 just after Eric Schlosser’s Fast
Food Nation had shocked North Ameri-
ca. Now, a new book from a respected
nutritionist (Chair of New York Univer-
sity’s Department of Nutrition, Food
Studies and Public Health and the man-
aging editor of the 1988 Surgeon Gener-
al’s Report on Nutrition in Health) was
saying that deception was endemic
across the entire food industry, not just
the fast food portion. Primed on Fast
Food Nation, the country was ready to
hear Nestle’s larger message.
People continue to read the book (cur-
rently in its seventh printing), not just
for its surprising statistics, but for Nes-
tle’s style. Here’s how she sums up
agribusiness’ current dilemma:
“The food industry is in trouble, in
the sense that it is in a hugely competi-
tive environment. Our country has
available in the food supply 3,900 calo-
ries a day for every man, woman, and
child in the country. That’s roughly
twice what the actual population needs.
Food companies are beholden to stock-
holders. They have to grow in order to
maintain their stock prices. We already
have 3,900 calories a day and 320,000
different food products in the American
marketplace. They can’t all keep growing
in that situation. So all they can do is to
try to get consumers to eat their prod-
ucts instead of somebody else’s, or to eat
more in general, and they’re just terrific
at doing that.
Remember, that 3,900-calorie-a-day
figure is 600 calories higher than it was
in 1970. A hundred of those calories
came just between 2001 and 2002. So
the food supply is expanding, putting
increasing pressure on food companies
to sell more in a competitive environ-
ment.”
Nestle’s experiences as managing edi-
tor of the 1988 Surgeon General’s
Report on Nutrition in Health are
equally insightful:
“We were struggling not only with the
complexity of nutritional advice but also
with lobbying activities from food com-
panies, that made it impossible for the
surgeon general’s recommendations to
say eat less of anything. So if you look at
those recommendations: Choose lean
meat. The report couldn’t say: Eat less
meat. Eat a diet moderate in sugar. The
report could not say: Consume fewer
soft drinks. This was, after all, the Rea-
gan administration. It was very pro-busi-
ness, and it really wasn’t possible to put
in any “eat less” messages. That is still
true. If you look on the Web sites of the
major federal organizations and agencies
that are dealing with the obesity epi-
demic, not a single one of the says, “Eat
less.” They all talk about activity. Now,
mind you, activity’s very important and
I’m for it. But I think we have to talk
about diet as well.”
If you haven’t read this book yet, toss
the seed catalogs in the corner for a day
or so (pick a really blustery day when
you’re outside as little as possible any-
way) and take the time to digest it thor-
oughly. If you’ve followed the National
Organic Standards, the Terminator
Technology and genetically modified
organisms, nothing Nestle says in the
sections on corporate “Undermining
Dietary Advice” and “Working the Sys-
tem” will surprise you; however, she pro-
vides a larger context for these activities
than most other websites or books. Nes-
tle’s section on “Exploiting Kids, Cor-
rupting Schools” was the first
comprehensive look in the general media
at advertising to children and the exclu-
15
sive soda contracts in public schools.
Her work here was instrumental in con-
vincing school districts to either revoke
existing contacts or not sign a new one.
The section on “Deregulating Dietary
Supplements” explains how the supple-
ment industry managed to pass the
Dietary Supplement Health and Educa-
tion Act of 1994 (DSHEA), which
allows supplement manufacturers to
vary their ingredients without reflecting
the change on their labels and to make
health claims without proving that their
product fulfills those claims. “Inventing
Techno-Foods” gives a history of forti-
fied foods in the American diet. Nestle
then finished off with a “Conclusion”
section that summarizes the entire book,
plus an appendix on “Issues in Nutrition
and Nutrition Research” to explain to
the layperson how nutrition researchers
design their studies.
Although sustainable agriculture
growers and consumers are considered
small players (between 2 and 4% of all
expenditures on food) in the food mar-
ketplace, they will never expand into the
double digits unless the “small players”
are fully aware of how the “big players”
are controlling the game. Food Politics
will give you that knowledge so that you
can either market or purchase foods with
a clear eye on the competition. n
Reviewed by Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator
St. John’s United Church of Christ Organ-
ic Community Garden Phoenixville, PA.
Educational Outreach
What’s New with Farm to School
By Heather House
PASA recently held two networking
sessions to attempt to forge relationships
between farmers, chefs, and schools in
the south central and north central
regions. These meetings were attended
by a mix of ag professionals, chefs, food
enthusiasts, and students representing
various regional interests in the farm to
school program.
The Pennsylvania College of Technol-
ogy in Williamsport, PA was site of one
of these meetings. This was an opportu-
nity for the school to discuss the recent
partnership with a local beef cooperative
(see Passages #51), based on a history of
local purchasing established years ago.
Chef Rob Coyne, Parkhurst Dining Services at
Chatham College, receives “thumbs up” from
students who enjoyed a recent harvest cele-
bration featuring local food. In addition to
Perhaps the most exciting develop- fresh salad bar items, eaters raved about
ment at these meetings was the interest baked fingerling potatoes, delicious apple
of other schools to begin their own farm dumplings, and baked herbed chicken.
to school initiatives. Bucknell University
is one of these schools hoping to begin
their own relationship with local pro-
ducers. PASA is excited to begin work-
ing with them and area farmers to
hopefully develop a mutually beneficial
relationship in the future.
If you would like more information
on PASA’s Farm to School Program,
contact Heather House at 814-349-
9856. PASA also has materials available
that are useful in hosting a local food
event at your school available on our
website www.pasafarming.org. n

Field Day Report: A Truly Regenerative Agriculture

By Kyle Holzhueter
Imagine assembling a self-contained, regenerative farming
system…and making a living doing it. Impossible, you might
say — but over the last 20 years Anne and Eric Nordell of Beech
Grove Farm in Trout Run, Pennsylvania, have been doing just
that. What’s their secret? Draft horses, alternative tillage tech-
niques, and a time-tested rotation of cash and cover crops. They
call their system “bio-extensive market gardening.”
Although neither Anne nor Eric was raised on a farm, they’ve
turned a 6-acre market garden into an sustainable enterprise.
Their fields are divided into 12, half-acre plots roughly 120
yards long by 20 yards wide. Each plot follows a single-run crop-
ping system consisting of rows 34 inches apart. “The shape of
the fields reflects my experience growing corn more than any-
thing,” Eric explains. “It lends itself to using horses.”
When Anne and Eric began farming, they used tractors for
some tasks and horses for others. But over time they found that
the tractor just didn’t pay. “I didn’t think that horse farming
alone would even be possible,” admits Anne.
Today they keep four draft horses, an experienced pair and a
pair in training. Although the Nordells have to purchase feed
(oats, hay and minerals) and bedding (straw and other materi-
als) for the horses, these off-farm inputs result in more than just
feed and bedding. They equal fuel and fertility. “One of the nice
things about horse farming is that the horses are constantly pro-
ducing fertility,” Eric says with a smile.
The Nordells have developed an innovative method for com-
posting the horse manure to control temperature and stabilize
nitrogen. Peat moss and straw are spread at the rear of the stalls
to absorb urine and manure. Since the horse stalls are located
near the pig pens, the soiled straw and peat moss can easily be
moved into one of three ‘composting’ pig pens. The rooting
instinct of pigs is harnessed by drilling some feed into a hole in
the used bedding. The pigs root in the pile, turning the compost
and helping to control temperature and odors. Through inten-
sive pig composting, manure can be applied to the field in just
six to eight weeks.
The Nordells only compost and apply manure generated by
their own four horses. Compared to many market gardens, the
rate of application per acre is low. But unlike traditional market
gardeners, the Nordells apply compost to cover crops, not their
cash crops. The cover crops contribute to soil health and in turn
fertilize the cash crops. This also avoids flushes of weeds during
cash crop years due to nutrient excesses or imbalances.
The compost that isn’t applied to the fields is further turned
and worked by laying hens. The action of the chickens scratch-
ing creates a fine potting mix. The Nordells raise their own
seedlings in an innovative, energy-efficient hothouse heated by a
woodstove. The stove’s flue pipe runs beneath the propagation
table, surmounted by a layer of rock that acts as a thermal sink.
The Nordells simply make a fire at night and go to bed. Because
the rocks absorb the heat and hold it over night, there’s no need
to stoke the fire in the wee hours. The system combines con-
venience and economy. “It only costs us $70 every two years to
heat the hothouse with slab wood,” says Anne.
The Bio-Extensive Market Garden
Each field rotates between a cash crop and cover crops every
other year. The cash crops alternate between early and late, while
the cover crops rotate between winter-kill and over-wintering.
Winter-kill cover crops, like oats and peas, precede early cash
crops, while over-wintering cover crops, such as rye and vetch,
precede late cash crops. The following sequence is a template for
a four-year rotation:

16
Educational Outreach
Field Day Report Each combination adds more options to the original four-
year rotation by fine-tuning planting conditions for a handful of
continued from previous page growing windows. The Nordells follow a simple principle: Find
Year 1 Year 3 the tillage/cover crop regime that allows the cover crop to be
spring rye spring clover killed and tilled six to eight weeks before planting. This provides
summer bare fallow summer bare fallow enough time for the breakdown of cover crop residues before
fall oats and peas (winter kill) fall rye and vetch planting and allows the soil to gather moisture for the cash crop.
Year 2 Year 4
Reduced tillage has presented a couple of problems, namely
spring early crops spring rye and vetch
weeds and slugs. We’ve already seen how summer bare fallows
summer clover summer late crops
and dominant cover crops address warm-season weeds. The
fall clover fall rye
Nordells are now experimenting with a spring bare fallow the
year before early planted no-till crops to reduce cool-season
At first glance, you’ll see that the cover crop years incorporate weeds, like chickweed. Eric explains that “a weed management
a six-week summer fallow. Deep plowing and successive tillage plan involves prioritizing what weed is a problem, understand-
create a series of stale seedbeds, which germinate and terminate ing its life cycle, and then targeting that specific weed.”
annual broadleaf weeds. These same weeds would compete with The use of trap crops and chickens help to control slugs. Trap
cash crops the following year, but are now eliminated from the crops are plants used to attract pests away from valuable cash
soil’s weed seed bank. When preparing beds for cash crops in crops. For example, since slugs seem to prefer legumes, the
spring, the Nordells use shallow tillage to prevent new seeds Nordells have had success planting beans in the pathways
from being brought to the surface. between carrots. The slugs naturally gravitate towards the beans
What the above rotation plan doesn’t show are the various and leave the carrots alone. Even more effective are the free-
alternative tillage techniques used at Beech Grove Farm. The range chickens which are included in their cover crop rotation.
Nordells have made a firm decision not to use irrigation. During a fallow year, laying hens are grazed on cover crops and
Instead, they seek to conserve existing soil moisture. This is naturally feed on any slugs. For example, the clover in an Italian
largely done by minimizing the depth of tillage. ryegrass and clover mix acts as a trap crop, attracting slugs from
Their alternative tillage techniques include mulch-tilling, neighboring cash crops. The chickens clear the fallowed field of
ridge-tilling, no-tilling, and skim plowing. Mulch-tilling shal- slugs, leaving a clean field for the following cash crop.
lowly incorporates mature cover crops, leaving a mulch of cover Who would have thought that a regenerative, in some ways
crop residues on the soil surface. Ridge-tilling involves forming old-fashioned agricultural system could meet the needs of a
ridges and seeding them to cover crops the preceding fall. In the modern market? The Nordells’ Beech Grove Farm is proof that
spring, the winter-killed cover crop is knocked off the top of the it’s possible. Rather than reap short-term profits through indus-
ridge, leaving a narrow strip of clean soil for direct seeding. No- trial efficiencies, they’ve sought to invest in long-term sustain-
tilling for the Nordells means slicing a narrow furrow into a ability through ecological efficiencies. The farm’s horses,
cover-cropped ridge and transplanting or hand planting into the complex rotations, and reduced tillage methods are not indus-
furrow. Skim plowing is used to shallowly incorporate over-win- trial technologies, but rather ecological technologies, truly sus-
tering cover crops. Each of these alternative tillage techniques tainable and technologically appropriate. It’s hard not to come
preserves the soil structure created by the cover crops’ root sys- away with an impression of Beech Grove Farm as a model of
tems, controls erosion, and improves water infiltration, creating what sustainable farming could be. n
a large reservoir of moisture for cash crops.
Each alternative tillage technique coincides with target plant- Editor’s Note: Kyle Holzhueter hopes to develop a demonstration
ing windows. Again, the cover crops are divided into winter- homestead and further the eco-village movement throughout North
killed and over-wintering species; the planting windows can be America after his current apprenticeship at the Camphill Village
generalized as early, mid-season and late. The following chart Kimberton Hills in Kimberton, PA. Kyle attended the PASA Field
lists the tillage/cover crop regimes in chronological order: Day for interns only at Beech Grove Farm in October 2004 and
Tillage type Cover crop Planting window
wrote this report. The article first appeared on www.newfarm.org in
December 2004.
Winter-killed cover crops
The Nordells will be presenting a workshop on “Managing
Ridge-till oats & peas on ridges early direct-seeded
Cover Crops to Reduce Weed Pressure” at the annual PASA confer-
No-till oats & peas on ridges early transplant
ence Saturday, February 5.
Mulch-till oats & peas or early transplant &
Copyright The Rodale Institute® from www.newfarm.org.
sorghum-Sudan & mid-season direct-seeded
forage soybeans
Over-wintering cover crops Stay connected!
Skim plow rye & hairy vetch or mid-season transplant &
Italian ryegrass & clover direct-seeded Visit PASA online at
Ridged-till rye on ridges mid-season transplant &
late direct-seeded www.pasafarming.org
Mulch-till rye & vetch late transplant

17
 PASA Business FARM-TO-SCHOOL NEWS
Member and Organic Work on the “Selling Grass-fed Beef to the College Market”
Feed Manufacturer grant from SARE has been completed. With funding awarded for
Receives Award the eight month grant, PASA was able to help promote the sales
In September, Kreamer Feed, Inc., manufac- of hamburger from the Northern Tier Sustainable Meats (NTSM)
turers of Nature’s Best Organic Feed received a Cooperative at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. PASA
2004 Pennsylvania Governor’s Export Excel- worked with NTSM and Wolf Pack Designs to develop this logo for
lence Award. A limited number of export awards use on promotional materials and packaging.
are presented to Pennsylvania companies that
have excelled in international sales. Kreamer
Feed’s award is in the specific category of “new-
to-export,” i.e., companies that have begun to
seriously develop global markets. Kreamer Feed
has dedicated financial resources and specific
staff to its export sales effort, involving both
Julie Eriksson, organic marketing director, and
Steve Smelter, organic sales.
Kreamer Feed was founded in 1947, and is
family-owned and operated. It has been produc-
ing Nature’s Best Organic Feeds for over fifteen
years. The company currently employs 40 peo-
ple. They manufacture bagged and bulk organic
livestock feeds for wholesale and retail markets.

Superior Performance from Superior Products

You make the effort to feed your
animals organically. Shouldn’t you
be feeding them an organic product
that works for your farm too?
Increased egg production, healthier
animals, better balanced feeds.
We’ve got over 50 years of animal
nutrition experience. Compare our
CERTIFIED ORGANIC FEEDS
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you’ve been missing.
Is your feed missing something?
Quality: Consistent feed mixes using
quality proven ingredients.
Service: Custom blends, prompt bag or
bulk delivery.
Expertise: We are organic farmers with
experience in dairy, beef, lamb, goat, hog
and poultry production; marketing and
processing.
Products: Full line of feeds. From broilers
to horses, game birds to calves. Complete
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CALL Toll Free 1-800-767-4537 for a Dealer near you or visit www.organicfeeds.com

DEALERS & DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!!!

18
Conference Update
Pre-Conference Track
continued from page 3
New and Beginning Farmers
Track Offers Resources and Advice
If you think you need a lot of money
and land to get into farming, think
again. And if you are among the many
who think a good farm product will lead
to a good farm income, you may be in
for a surprise.
Last year, over 120 novice farmers
gathered for the New and Beginning
Farmers pre-conference for a day of
workshops led by experienced, successful
farmers and agriculture professionals. In
addition to being exposed to a wealth of
resources, the farming beginners had the
opportunity to network with each other
and their “mentors.”
“I think the program is of interest to
folks coming from a non-farming back-
ground and farmers who are thinking
about changing the direction of their
farm operation,” said Tom Maurer, one
of the program’s coordinators.
Taking center stage this year will be
case studies of successful farmers, tips for
transitioning to full-time farming, and
strategies for gaining access to land.
According to Maurer, the highlight of
last year’s program was the question and
answer session featuring farm couples.
“It created an energy that was different
and very beneficial,” said Maurer.
This year four farm couples will
speak candidly about their four very dif-
ferent types of farm operations. Bill and
Denise Brownlee have raised pastured
hogs in western Pennsylvania since 1994
and recently added a meat CSA to their
operation. Mara and Spencer Welton are
entering their third year of farming at
Half Pint Farms and have specialized in
growing baby and specialty vegetables
for Vermont farmers’ markets and
restaurants. Brian and Holley Moyer use
pastured poultry as a centerpiece for
their farm in Bucks County. And Sandy
and Paul Arnold have enjoyed produce
farming as their sole source of income
for over 13 years in Argyle, NY. Atten-
dees will learn from the farmers how
they got started, how they use a business
plan, share the workload and what types
of marketing strategies work for them.
Farm couples will give the majority of
presentations, but there is one exception. posting at the conference and in our
Still in her twenties, Sarah Rider of Blue newsletter.”
Grass Beef farms alone. She will share “The goal is to give these folks the
creative ideas on how to gain access to tools to keep asking the right questions
land without burdening yourself with and access to the resources answers,”
debt. “I don’t think buying land is the according to Maurer.
critical first step,” says Rider. “There are The 14th version of PASA’s Farming
a lot of advantages to not taking on that for the Future conference features 64
responsibility and commitment.” workshops, led by savvy farmers, influ-
Making smart business decisions ential activists and clever educators.
from the start will help aspiring farmers Additional workshops offered during the
stay out of debt and make the most of regular Friday and Saturday program
their investments. Madeline Charney, will focus on everything from holistic
from the Growing New Farmers pro- management, human health, livestock
gram in Massachusetts will offer partici- production, marketing, soil health, poli-
pants a palette of ideas for getting low cy, and year-round production of pro-
interest loans, grants, technical support, duce. Conference attendees will benefit
and other resources. from cutting edge information and
For participants who are just looking inspirational stories. As always, the con-
to get some more experience, PASA will ference program has something for
maintain a bulletin board to post job everyone!
and internship opportunities for the For more information on all the
duration of the conference. workshops offered or to register for the
“We hope the pre-conference will 14th annual Farming for the Future con-
spark some relationships,” said Heather ference, visit www.pasafarming.org or
House. “We encourage farmers to send call 814-349-9856 to request a full
us their job and internship positions for brochure. n
Don’t miss the Farming for the Future keynote speakers:
Special Thursday Evening Presentation —
“Dinner with Jerry”
Thursday, February 3, 6:30pm
Jerry Brunetti, director of Agri-Dynamics,
will share his healing odyssey after diagnosis of
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1999.
Opening Keynote —
Friday, February 4, 9:30am
Allan Savory, co-founder of the Allan Savory
Center for Holistic Management.
Closing Keynote —
Saturday, February 6, 3:00pm
Marion Nestle, noted author and professor at the
NYU Department of Nutrition and Food Studies.
19
Editor’s Corner
The Grapevine
by Michele Gauger
Soybean Rust Found in the U.S.
Asian soybean rust (Phakopsora
pachyrhizi) has been identified in the United
States for the first time. In November, spores
of the fungus were found on plants in two
Louisiana State University research plots.
Soybean rust is spread by spores, which are
easily transported via air currents over wide
distances. Experts are pointing the finger at
last year’s active hurricane season in the Gulf
of Mexico as the culprit for spreading spores
into the U.S.
This rust can cause the leaves to drop
early and inhibit pod setting, all while reduc-
ing overall yield. The fungus spores appear
in reddish-brown spots or blotches, similar
to iron rust, on the undersides of the leaves
on legume plants.
In April, the USDA estimated losses due
to soybean rust in the United States could
be anywhere from $640 million to $1.3 bil-
lion upon its initial impact, depending on
where and when it entered the country. Rust
spores are not known to survive any but the
mildest winter conditions — such as those
in south Louisiana and other Gulf Coast
states.
Grant Opportunity
Through its Water Resources Education
Network (WREN) Project, the League of
Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Edu-
cation Fund (LWVPA-CEF) will accept pro-
posals for water resources education
projects sponsored by community based
partnerships that educate, build awareness,
and promote water-sustaining public poli-
cies and/or behavior change. Projects
should be designed to encourage individual
or collective action that will protect and
improve local water resources. Funding will
be awarded in two tracks: Source Water Pro-
tection and Watershed Protection. Each
award will be up to $5,000 & covers activities
undertaken July 1, 2005–June 30, 2006.
Applications must be postmarked (if mailed)
or received (if hand delivered) by 4:00 p.m.
on April 1, 2005 at the following address:
League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania
Citizen Education Fund Attn: WREN, 226
Forster Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102-3220 or
visit www.pa.lwv.org/wren for more infor-
mation.
Graduate Student
Funding Opportunity
SARE is currently accepting proposals to
fund thesis or dissertation projects that
address sustainable agriculture issues. More
information can be found by visiting
www.sare.org/ncrsare/cfp.htm.
New Secretary at the USDA
In November President George W. Bush
nominated Nebraska Governor Mike
Johanns (R) to be successor to Ann Veneman
as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA). Johanns is an Iowa
native who grew up on a dairy farm before
setting up a law practice and running for
public office in Nebraska. He is also a sup-
porter of ethanol, a gasoline substitute
made from corn produced largely in the
Farm Belt with the support of heavy federal
subsidies. Johanns will also spearhead the
Bush administration’s inevitable clash with
Congress over how to rein in farm subsidies.
Citizen’s Group Fighting
a Proposed Local Incinerator
In April 2004 Resource Recovery, LLC
approached Snow Shoe & Rush Township
Supervisors (Centre Co., PA) about the cre-
ation of a massive landfill, incinerator and
industrial park in the county. According to
JoAnn Gillette, Co-Chair of Outreach for a
community group fighting the incinerator,
“If this project comes to fruition, it will have
significant negative impact on the air quali-
ty, water quality, highway safety, real estate
values, recreation/tourism economy and the
quality of life of not just the citizens of Snow
Shoe & Rush Twps., but of the entire Centre
Co. region.
20
Gillette is just one of several local citizens
who formed an action group currently
known as SSRT — Landfill to investigate the
pros and cons of the landfill/incinerator pro-
posal. Snow Shoe Twp. residents were so
overwhelmingly opposed, the developer
voluntarily withdrew its request for a need-
ed zoning variance.The developer is current-
ly moving forward on the Rush Twp. portion
of the property.
She is quick to add “Our group is com-
mitted to raising the public consciousness
about the negative effects of hosting what
could ultimately be the largest landfill east
of the Mississippi.”
Resource Recovery LLC, the developer of
this project formed their corporation in April
of this year. RR LLC has never constructed a
facility of this type, does not have a track
record of operating any type of waste facili-
ty, but yet is asking to be trusted to construct
— not some small pilot project — but a
mega landfill and incinerator.
Municipal waste incinerators (MWIs)
release toxic and carcinogenic air pollutants
such as dioxin, mercury, and lead. More than
90% of health risks from incinerator emis-
sions are via consumption of contaminated
locally grown food — garden vegetables,
fish, game, chicken, eggs, beef and dairy. In
one day a grazing cow can put as much
dioxin into its body as it would take a human
being 14 years of breathing.
Besides the outright environmental con-
cerns, increased traffic is another serious
worry as the developer intends to import
9,000 tons per day of out of state trash,
which Pennsylvania is the number one
importer of. They are also seeking a dedicat-
ed interchange off I-80 and hope to reacti-
vate rail lines to bring in trash by train.
The SSRT-Landfill group is urging anyone
who is concerned about this proposed incin-
erator and who would like to show support
to their opposition of it, to contact local rep-
resentatives in Centre Co., including Centre
County Commissioners, and state organiza-
tions, including the PA Department of Envi-
ronmental Protection,The PA Department of
Transportation, and The PA Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources. Sample
form letters are available on their website –
www.ssrt.org or contact JoAnn Gillette at
(814) 387-6537 or gillette@uplink.net for let-
ters — please be sure to type “LANDFILL” in
the subject line. n
Classified Ads
FARMERS — Looking for an Apprentice?
APPRENTICES — Looking for a Farm? Let
PASA help! We have a list of farms offering
apprenticeships available. If you1d like to
add your farm to this list, give us a call. If
you1d like a copy of this list sent to you, let
us know. Contact Heather House at PASA
headquarters, 814-349-9856.
FARM WORKER — Rainbeau Ridge Farm, a
small, organic farm in Westchester Co., NY w/
dairy goats, small livestock & a three- season
produce garden. Housing possible for the
right person. Looking for someone to work
primarily in the gardens, with some livestock
work. Other interests & skills welcome.
Salary TBD according to skills — call Annie at
914-234- 2197 or send resume to veglady@
aol.com.
SUMMER FARM CAMP EDUCATOR —
Phillies Bridge Farm Project, Inc., New Paltz,
NY, to teach summer day camp programs on
the farm. Camp serves 24 children 6–13
years of age for three weeks in late July &
early mid August. $800 for 80 hours of work,
this includes training & orientation, curricu-
lum planning, teaching camp, & daily set-up
& clean up during camp.To apply send letter,
resume & names, addresses and phone
numbers of 3 references to: Martha Cheo,
115 Springtown Rd., New Paltz, NY 12561 or
mcheo@hvi.net. Call 845-256-9316.
EDUCATOR & FARM APPRENTICE —
Phillies Bridge Farm Project, Inc., New Paltz,
NY.Work with the farmer about 60% to assist
in the management of the farm. Work about
40% of the time with the Education Director
Passages Ad Rates and Policy
Advertising Inquiries: Please call or write
the PASA office for full advertising pack-
age and rate card information. Special
rates available for PASA Business Mem-
bers and multiple advertising packages.
Contact Michele Gauger at the PASA
office, 814-349-9856 or michele@pasa-
farming.org for more information.
W
R O E R’
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to develop, coordinate, plan & teach pro- 12345678901234567890123
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ASSISTANT FARM MANAGER — The Fulton grams about various aspects of sustainable 12345678901234567890123
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Center for Sustainable Living, Wilson Col- agriculture. Full time, 16 week commitment 12345678901234567890123
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lege, in Chambersburg, PA seeks an assistant late April-mid August. $235/week stipend. 12345678901234567890123
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LS
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manager to run the day-to-day operations at Assistance with locating nearby off-farm 12345678901234567890123
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the college farm. Offers a 7-acre organic housing. To apply: send letter, resume and 12345678901234567890123
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farm with strong CSA program, farmer1s names and phone numbers of 3 references 12345678901234567890123
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market, and sales to the college. Duties to Martha Cheo, 115 Springtown Rd., New 12345678901234567890123
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include running the produce operations on
the farm. Position includes salary, historic
farmhouse, and medical insurance. Send
resume, cover letter, and names of refer-
ences to Matt Steiman, msteiman@wilson
.edu or call at 717-709-1995. Position begins
Febrary 2005.
FARM HOSTS NEEDED — The Multinational
Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture
(MESA) is currently seeking U.S. sustainable
& organic farm hosts for Spring 2005 interns
from Ecuador, Peru & Thailand. These pro-
grams provide an opportunity for U.S. eco-
logical farms to enjoy affordable, full season
assistance, promote global sustainable farm-
ing practices and reap the rewards of cross-
cultural exchange. For more information
contact MESA by phone 510-654-8858 or e-
mail mesa@mesaprogram.org.
FIELD MANAGER — sought for Red Wiggler
Community Farm in Montgomery Co., MD.
Red Wiggler grows 4 acres of market vegeta-
bles, flowers, & herbs without chemical fertil-
izers & pesticides as a vocational framework
for adults with developmental disabilities.
Also hosts a 70-member CSA.Training & sup-
port provided.The position will begin March
1, 2005 and ends October 31, 2005 & will
require at least 30 hours a week pre and post
season. Plan on at least 40 hours a week dur-
ing the season with paid overtime. Generous
hourly wage. For more information visit:
www.redwiggler.org, e-mail: info@redwig-
gler.org or call: 301-802-2386.
C
Paltz, NY 12561 or mcheo@hvi.net. Call 845- O
12345678901234567890123
256-9316. UNT LA
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS — Alternative
homesteaders looking for kindred spirit(s) to
rent mobile home, share organic garden
space in rural Airville, PA. Opportunity for
Reap profits
market garden or CSA. Commuting distance from direct
to York & Lancaster, PA and Bel Air, MD. Beau-
tiful hiking trails and Susquehanna River marketing with
nearby. Contact us at 717-862-1737 or 657 E.
Posey Road, Airville, PA 17302. our labels!
INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE — For students
in agriculture and environmental sciences & We design and print labels
related fields who want to broaden & deep- for berries, vegetables,
en their understanding of organic sustain- sauerkraut, soap, lip balm,
able agriculture & the biodynamic approach yoghurt, cheese, meat, eggs,
at the Pfieffer Center. The main qualification pastured poultry —
is a willingness to work & openness to new labels for almost anythingg!
ideas. Qualified interns are provided with a
dormitory room in Holder House. No stipend
is provided. Some part-time work is available SERVING GROWERS
on campus to qualified students. A limited
number of summer internships are available
SINCE 1975
under different conditions. For more infor-
mation or an application form, call
(845) 352-5020 ext 20 or email intern@pfief- request a free catalog
fercenter.org.
BARN REPAIR/REMODELING — Person
1-800-693-1572
needed that is familiar will all aspects of
barn repair/remodeling — from foundation
to roof. Stone foundation repair a specialty. growersdiscountlabels@tds.net
Contact John Claar Excavating, Masonry,
Concrete at 814-349-1222.

21
PASA 1/4 hor. page Ad 1 2/9/04, 2:09 PM
Calendar
January
JAN 14–15 | Future Harvest — Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable
Agriculture (CASA), 6th Annual Winter Meeting, Four Points Shera-
ton, Hagerstown, MD. Featured speakers to include Temple Grandin,
Jerry Brunetti, & Elizabeth Henderson, farmer & author. For more
information contact CASA at 410-604-2681 or visit www.futurehar-
vestcasa.org.
JAN 22 | Ginseng Culture in Pennsylvania, Erie, PA. Eric Burkhart, from
the Penn State School of Forest Resources, will provide information
about ginseng occurrence and commerce in the commonwealth
and present guidelines for stewardship and husbandry. Call 814-563-
9388 to pre-register. Information (and up-to-date listing of work-
shops) is available at: www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/wildplant/
vulnerable_plants.aspx.
JAN 28–30 | NOFA–NY 23rd Annual Conference & Meeting, Holiday
Inn Syracuse/Liverpool. Keynote speakers to include Diane Whealy,
Tom Frantzen, Dr. E. Ann Clark, Dr. Paul Dettloff, DVM, Organic Val-
ley/CROPP; along with a variety of conference workshops. For more
information visit www.nofa.ny.org or call 607-652-NOFA.
February
FEB 3–5 | PASA’s 14th Annual Farming for the Future Confer-
ence, Reclaiming Health: Nourishing Our Farms & Families, Penn
Stater Conference Center, State College, PA. For more informa-
tion, contact 814-349-9856 or www.pasafarming.org.
March
MAR 12 | Forest Production of American Ginseng in Pennsylvania,
Somerset, PA. Eric Burkhart, from the Penn State School of Forest
Resources. Contact Paula Ledney at 814-445-4652. For a list of work-
shops visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/wildplant/vulnerable_
plants.aspx
MAR 26 | Partial-Strawbale Passive Solar Greenhouse Workshop.
Raindate: Saturday, April 4. Learn the fundamentals of strawbale con-
struction & greenhouse design. The focus is on making simple, inex-
pensive spaces for four-season gardening in the Northeast, &
incorporating production of herbs and vegetables as small-scale
cash crops. Instructors — David Lettero, Center for Sustainability Site
Manager and Program Coordinator & herbalist Jennifer Chesworth.
PASA members may attend free of charge. Please bring a bag lunch
or five dollars for lunch, stay for an evening bonfire and potluck din-
ner. Overnight accommodations are available on a first-come, first-
serve basis. Preregistration requested, call 814-362-9022 or email
Jennifer at cafesombra@aol.com for more information or to register.
New Feature:
PASA now offers an events calendar on our website
www.pasafarming.org. Check it out today and if you
have an event you would like listed, please contact
Michele Gauger at PASA headquarters.

FEB 12 | 23rd Annual NOFA-VT Winter Conference, "Community Rela-

tionships with the Land for a Broader Social Change2, held at the Ver-
mont Technical College in Randolph, Vermont. For more information
on registration or volunteering the day of the conference contact
the NOFA-VT office: Northeast Organic Farming Association of Ver-
mont (802) 434-4122 or info@nofavt.org.

FEB 17 | Ginseng Stewardship in Pennsylvania: An Overview, State

College, PA. Eric Burkhart, from the Penn State School of Forest
Resources, will provide information about ginseng occurrence and
commerce in the commonwealth. Info. available at 814-355-5949 or
814-237-1401, http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/wildplant/vul-
nerable_plants.aspx.

FEB 20–22 | Celebrating the Value & Values of Sustainable Food Sys-
tems: Mobilizing the Movement, National Campaign for Sustainable
Agriculture1s 2005 Annual Conference, Washington, D.C. After six
annual meetings, this year the National Campaign inaugurates its
first-ever annual conference. Register at http://www.sustainableagri-
culture.net/conf2005.php. Feb 22 3A Day with Joel Salatin2, 10:00 am
–4:00 pm, Salisbury Fire Hall, Somerset County. Cost $10. Call Heather
House at PASA headquarters at 814-349-9856 to reserve your space.

FEB 25–27 | Farming with Values that Last 2005: Growers and Eaters
in Communion, Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mount Pleas-
ant, PA. Keynotes, 16 workshops, singing, worship, networking. Con-
tact Cheryl Paulovitch, cheryl@laurelville.org or call 800-839-1021 for
more information.

22
PASA Membership Please clip this application and return with payment to:
PASA Membership, PO Box 419, Millheim, PA 16854
& Contribution Form or join online at pasafarming.org

P
ASA is a nonprofit membership based organization working

About You
Name
to enhance the positive social and economic impact of agri-
Company/Farm
culture and food systems in Pennsylvania. We work with
farmers, consumers, and those concerned with the ecological well- Address

being of our environment and natural resources. PASA works to City State

increase the number of farms and the economic viability of existing

ZIP+4 County
farms in Pennsylvania, maximize consumer awareness and access to
Home Phone Work Phone
safe and healthy food that is locally grown, and develop a strong
constituency for preserving farms, farmers, and E-mail

a thriving agrarian culture. Everyone is invited Web Address

to be a member of PASA. We all have a stake
in making sure agriculture has a healthy join today! Are you farming: NO YES — how many acres:

future — Be a part of PASA! How did you learn about PASA:

Donations
Consider lending extra support to these two PASA funds. The
PASA Memberships

Student $ 15 Annual Fund supports PASA’s basic operations, and the Arias M.
Brownback Scholarship Fund helps those wishing to learn about
Individual $ 35
sustainable agriculture attend the annual conference regardless of
Family/Farm Please complete field below $ 55 financial position.

n Annual Fund
Nonprofit Please complete field below $ 100
$ ...................

n Brownback Scholarship Fund $ ...................

Business Please complete field below $ 150

SUBTOTAL $ PASA is a registered 501 (C) 3 organization and contributions are tax exempt.

Family/Farm or Sustaining Lifetime Membership

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

Check Make check payable to PASA Total amount due

Credit Card Complete below $

Card No.
Nonprofit or Business Membership
Please list up to two additional people associated with your business to Exp. Date
receive individual membership privileges. VISA MasterCard
Cardholder Name

Signature

Gift Membership Lifetime Membership

In addition to your own membership, you may give PASA membership All of us at PASA are proud of the growing roster of lifetime members.
to a good friend, family member, business associate or other worthy Contributions for lifetime membership will be managed with care as
recipient on an annual or lifetime basis…a gift that keeps on giving! part of the PASA Founder’s Fund, sustaining both ongoing member-
ship as well as the long-term future of PASA. There are few things a
Student $ 15
member could do to symbolize their lifelong commitment to sustain-
special Individual $ 35 ability than to place such confidence in the value and viability of PASA
itself.
extras Family/Farm
Lifetime Sustaining Member
$ 55
$ 700 Sustaining Lifetime Member $ 700
Please complete field above
SUBTOTAL $ SUBTOTAL $
Name(s)

Address

City

State ZIP+4

Telephone E-mail
 PASA’s 14th Annual Farming for the Future Conference
PATRONS OF SUSTAINABILITY
PLATINUM KEY SPONSORS
Fertrell Company
Penn State University, College of
Agricultural Sciences
Pennsylvania Certified Organic
Eberly Poultry Farms
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Lancaster Ag Products
McGeary Organics Inc.
Moyer’s Chicks, Inc.
CONFERENCE SPONSORS
Don’t Forget Your T-Shirt!
Lady Moon Farms
Share Your Talent
Woven throughout the Farming for the Future Conference is a
thread of artistic farm tradition. From poetry and plays
to art installations, we are showcasing our creative side.
Pa Department In addition to a workshop track featuring Agric-CULTURE
of Environmental activities, we encourage participants to share their talents
Protection and artwork in a variety of ways.
During the conference we’d like to adorn the walls and
hallways with art of all kinds created by PASA members.
The Rodale Institute Some of the creations we are looking for include:
• T-shirts or hats with your farm/business logo
• Paintings, photographs
• Fiber arts
Pennsylvania Department • Sculptures
of Agriculture You can bring these items with
Water Resource Education Network your directly to the conference,
Watershed Agricultural Council or if someone you know has a
GOLD KEY SPONSORS
piece to exhibit please contact
Moie Kimball Crawford at
Natural Science Organics Spiral Path Farm 814-448-2295 or by email at
Organic Unlimited Stone Soup:
Pennsylvania’s
farmart@pasafarming.org.
Organic Valley
Family of Farms Community Marketplace
Pennsylvania College of
Technology

SILVER KEY SPONSORS

American Farmland Trust Delaware Valley College PennFuture

Mill Creek Consulting Tuscarora Organic Growers PASA members Art King
Bakewell Reproductive
Natural Dairy Products Corp. Cooperative
Center, LLC
Waterkeeper Alliance
(left) of Harvest Valley Farms
Nature’s Best Organic Feed
big Burrito Group and Scott Case (above) of
PA State Association
Center for Rural Pennsylvania of RC& D Councils
Patchwork Farm show off
their t-shirt designs.
BRONZE KEY SPONSORS

Agricultural Systems International • BCS America LLC • Chesapeake Bay Foundation • Dairyland Sales and
Service • East Coast Organics • Eat ‘N Park Hospitality Group • Environmental Fund for Pennsylvania • Farm-
stead Cheese Associates • Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank • Kencove Farm Fence • Plains Animal
Hospital • Plant Health Alternatives • Raw Dawg • Restora-Life Minerals LLC • Seedway Inc. • Sierra Club Penn-
sylvania Chapter • Slippery Rock University • Tait Farm Foods • Tierra Farm • White Dog Cafe • Wil-Den Family
Farms • Wiscoy Pet Food Co.

Non Profit Org.

Pennsylvania U.S. Postage
Association for PAID
Sustainable Agriculture State College, PA
Permit No. 213
114 West Main Street • PO Box 419 • Millheim, PA 16854