Summer 2016

Transcription

Summer 2016

Passages
grow
Stealth Fighters
In The Orchard —
PASA Field Day Provides
Tips and resources for
Cultivating Pollinators
Pollinator Paradise:
Three Springs Fruit Farm
Climate and Fiscal Sustainability:
Conservation & risk
management
Programs
Pennsylvania
Association for
Sustainable Agriculture
Volume 24 • Issue 121 Summer 2016
PaSa STaFF
PASA Headquarters
Phone: 814-349-9856
Pennsylvania Association
for Sustainable Agriculture
P.o. Box 419 • millheim PA 16854-0419
Phone: 814-349-9856 • Fax: 814-349-9840
www.pasafarming.org
miSSion: Promoting profitable farms that produce
healthy food for all people while respecting the natural
environment.
Founded in 1992, PAsA is a diverse network of growers,
businesses and consumers that facilitates and enables
viable farming systems to provide healthy food as locally
as possible through innovative programs of education,
marketing and advocacy in service to its members and
the general public. As the largest statewide, memberbased sustainable farming organization in the united
states, we seek to improve the economic viability, environmental soundness and social responsibility of food
and farming systems in Pennsylvania and across the
country. We place great value on efforts to build bridges
between broadly diverse participants in the agricultural
industry from “farm to fork.”
Do you have a great article idea for Passages or
want to share a farming practice with members?
We’d love to hear from you. Please contact us at
[email protected].
Advertising Sales: michele spencer
Co-editors: michele spencer, Tara Caimi
Contributing Writers & Photographers: Tara Baugher,
scott Case, Franklin egan, samantha Futhey, mary
Janzen, Ted leBow, Heather manzo, Christina Joy
Neumann, Richard Neumann, Jamie oberdick,
Pennsylvania Native Plant society, sally scholle
note to our readers: If you are moving, please contact
PAsA to update your mailing address. several of our
publications are sent via bulk mail service, which is not
forwarded via the usPs. Call 814-349-9856 or contact
[email protected] to make an update.
reproduction of Passages material: Please contact the
PAsA office ([email protected]) before reprinting
or distributing materials contained in this publication.
Layout: C Factor
Find PASA
on social media
pasafarming.org/facebook
@pasafarming
youtube.com/pasafarming
2
Passages | summer 2016
Ted leBow
Interim executive Director
[email protected]
lisa Diefenbach
Administrative Director/
Board secretary
[email protected]
Becky Clawson
Business member services
Associate
[email protected]
erin Barto
Development Assistant
[email protected]
Franklin egan
Director of educational Programs
[email protected]
Alicia leitch
Buy Fresh Buy local® Centre
County Chapter and Conference
Auction Assistant
[email protected]
lauren smith
Director of Development
[email protected]
Delaware Valley Hub office
Phone: 215-804-4731
michele spencer
Director of membership
[email protected]
Aaron de long
Delaware Valley Hub manager
[email protected]
Kristin Hoy
Conference manager
[email protected]
Katie endicott
Delaware Valley Hub Program
Assistant
[email protected]
Peggy Perlongo
Accounting manager
[email protected]
Chris Rand
Annual Giving manager
[email protected]
Helen Kollar-mcArthur
educational Programs
Coordinator
[email protected]
Three rivers Hub office
Phone: 724-502-4346
Jessy swisher
Three Rivers Program
Coordinator
[email protected]
Christina Kostelecky
educational Programs Associate
[email protected]
BOard OF dIreCTOrS
scott Case
Chair
Centre County
Vice Chair
(vacant pending election)
Bill Kitsch
Treasurer
Berks County
lisa Diefenbach
secretary
PASA Staff
Roy Brubaker
Board Development officer
Juniata County
Claire orner
Program Committee Chair
Jefferson County
Barbara Gerlach
Cultivation Committee Chair
Bradford County
mike Brownback
Perry County
melanie Dietrich Cochran
Cumberland County
Brooks miller
Perry County
susan miller
Chester County
Jamie moore
Allegheny County
Jessica moore
Philadelphia County
Dave mortensen
Centre County
Heidi secord
Monroe County
lloyd Traven
Bucks County
At-Large Board member
eugene Creany, esq.
Cambria County
IN THIS ISSUe
Passages is a publication of the Pennsylvania Association for sustainable Agriculture (PAsA). The GRoW section is designed to provide current
and practical information on topics that impact farmers such as research, production practices and policy issues, along with topics of interest
such as grower profiles and interviews.
11 Pollinator Paradise:
Profile of Three Springs Fruit Farm
PASA news
4
Message from the Board
Scott Case, Chair of the Board of Directors, introduces
PASA’s Interim Executive Director and outlines plans for
the Executive Director search.
4
Letter from the Editor
Editor, Michele Spencer, talks about the new format,
goals and future plans for Passages.
6
PASA Program News & Updates
PASA welcomes a new Annual Giving Manager, the
SOIL Institute continues to expand and educate, businesses raise money for PASA through the Ways to Give
Program and the 4th Annual Dairy Dash is on!
Flip it! — Be sure to check the EAT (E) section on the other side
for the following PASA News:
4E Message from the Interim Executive
Director
Ted LeBow talks about PASA’s future and the role of
humans as pollinators.
Stealth Fighters in the Orchard —
PASA Field Day Provides Tips and Resources for
Cultivating Pollinators
A PASA education event examines the role of wild bees
for pollination and how to enhance habitat to encourage
wild bee species in orchards.
on the Cover
See article
on page 8
13 Climate Change and Fiscal Sustainability:
Conservation and Risk Management Programs
An overview of crop insurance, conservation and risk
management programs available through the USDA.
Departments
16 Job Board & Classifieds
18 Upcoming Events
20 Interview with a PASA Staff Member
PASA’s Director of Education, Franklin Egan, shares
thoughts on programs, progress and finding peace at the
end of the day.
Flip it! — Be sure to check the EAT (E) section on the other side
for the following Departments:
13E Volunteer & Give
Features
8
A seventh-generation family farm effectively employs
integrated pest management (IPM) methods, maintaining
the health and integrity of their operation.
Dr. Dave Biddinger, Penn
state extension tree fruit
research entomologist
demonstrates paper
tubes that imitate the
Japanese orchard bee’s
preferred nesting site.
Photo taken at the PAsA
Farmer-to-Farmer education event “Pollinator
Conservation and Crop
Pollination in Tree Fruit”
held on may 20.
Learn about PASA’s rewarding programs and
how you can contribute to fostering sustainable
agriculture.
14E Join the PASA Family
Your contributions make it possible for PASA
to provide innovative education, marketing and
advocacy programs, enabling viable farming systems
that provide healthy food to our communities.
15E Welcome, New Members!
PASA loves to welcome new members to the
family. Check out the people and businesses who
have joined since April.
Photo by Sally Scholle
3
MeSSaGeS FrOM PaSa
A Time of Transition
In May, PASA’s long time executive director,
Brian Snyder, departed our staff for a new
opportunity at the Ohio State University. Since
that time your board of directors has been hard
at work preparing for the transition to the next
executive director. To ensure the board had adequate time to plan a thoughtful and thorough search process to
find the next permanent executive director, we moved forward
with a plan to hire an interim director. My fellow board members were asked for nominations of individuals to fill this
interim role, and of those recommendations, the top three were
interviewed by the board’s interim executive director search
committee.
As of June 1, we welcomed Ted LeBow as Interim Executive
Director. Ted was currently serving on the board of directors,
but stepped down in order to take on this new interim role. Ted
has served both as treasurer and vice chair of the board, and he
has been instrumental to the success of our ongoing campaign
in support of the SOIL Institute. His knowledge of PASA’s systems and passion for our mission made him the ideal candidate
for the interim period.
A little about Ted: he resides in Bala Cynwyd with his wife
and family. He graduated from Cornell University School of
Agriculture with a degree in Business Management. He has run
eight businesses and owned all or part of them, and for the last
seven years, he has been running a management consulting firm
that serves food and farm related businesses on the Eastern
Seaboard. He will be spending 50 percent of his time working
with our team at PASA.
As Ted and the entire PASA staff work to ensure the quality
of PASA programs and services, the board of directors has
formed a search committee to begin the process to find a permanent executive director. The search committee is being led by
PASA board member Jessica Moore.
In the work to prepare for the hiring process, the board dealt
with two key questions. The first, where will PASA be in five
years? For example, we looked at the makeup of the educational
programs and whom they will serve. Funding streams, which
not only keep the lights on, but make the organization dynamic
and responsive to its members were examined. Many other
organizational issues were discussed.
The second key question led from the first question. Having
put together a vision of where PASA will be in five years, what
are the qualities needed in a new leader to get us to that vision?
All this work has enabled the search committee to develop a job
description, as well as a list of key attributes we would like to see
in potential candidates. We will be posting the job shortly and
expect to progress through the interviewing and hiring process
during the summer and fall. It is our expectation that our final
candidate will be able to join us at our annual board retreat in
mid-November and that they will be in place, full time, near the
end of 2016. It is important to us that we find the right person
to lead PASA through the next five years and beyond.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to
our community.
— Scott Case, Chair, PASA Board of Directors
Welcome to the summer issue of Passages!
Since originally joining the PASA staff in late
2003 as newsletter editor, I have witnessed first
hand several evolutions of this publication, as
PASA has grown and our members diversified.
I am proud to help unveil the most recent
changes to Passages in this issue and introduce
our new editor, Tara Caimi. This new Passages format is the culmination of several years of work, which began with research
and focus group interviews with PASA members and non-members, as well as staff and our board of directors to take a serious
look at our communication methods.
What we discovered was something we had already begun to
realize: our ‘one-message fits all’ strategy of communication was
not as effective as we needed it to be.
Through this process we learned more about our members
and other target audiences, their needs and interests, along with
how PASA can better provide services and membership value to
those groups.
Knowing we have different audiences, which have different
needs and interests in how they participate in and contribute to
the PASA family, we have developed the ‘GROW’ and ‘EAT’
sections for Passages. We hope all readers may take a look at
4
both sections, but it is intended for GROW to provide current
and practical information on topics that impact farmers such as
research, production practices and policy issues, along with topics of interest such as member profiles and interviews.
The EAT section is designed to provide current and practical
information on topics that matter to food system advocates,
businesses, organizations and backyard growers such as business
profiles, home-scale production techniques, along with seasonal
recipes and ways to support our community — and each issue
will follow a topical theme.
The success of Passages will depend on input from our readers. With that in mind, you may be invited in the coming weeks
to participate in a survey, so we can continue to modify this
publication as needed. We are also working on a better way to
share an electronic version, so members can opt out of receiving
a printed copy in the coming months.
In the meantime, we welcome article submissions and topic
suggestions; please contact [email protected] at any time to
share ideas. Happy Reading!
— Michele Spencer, Membership Director/Passages Editor
BOOk releaSe
new book documents the
rise and impact of women in
northeast agriculture
The Rise of Women Farmers
and Sustainable Agriculture
The Rise of Women Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture examines a recent cultural shift in agriculture, marked by an unprecedented number of women who have entered into farming.
“This book came out of 10 years of doing research and working closely with women farmers in Pennsylvania and in the
Northeast,” said the book’s lead author, Carolyn Sachs, Penn
State professor of rural sociology and women’s studies.
Through interviews and focus groups, Sachs and her coauthors collected hundreds of anecdotes, which are woven
throughout the book (using pseudonyms) to lend context to the
book’s themes, beginning with a discussion of barriers these
women farmers have experienced. For example, several describe
encountering resistance to the very idea that they are farmers,
as well as more tangible difficulties accessing land, labor and
financing.
Despite such challenges, the number of women entering
farming has risen substantially since the turn of this century; as
of 2012, 30 percent of all farm operators and 14 percent of all
principal farm operators in the U.S. are women. That women
farmers are creatively finding ways to work past the barriers
they encounter is clear, and is at the center of the authors’ femi-
Publisher: university of Iowa Press
Release Date: may 2016
Author: Carolyn e. sachs
Co-Authors: mary e. Barbercheck,
Kathryn Brasier, Nancy ellen Kiernan,
Anna Rachel Terman
nist agrifood systems theory,
or FAST, which Sachs said was
developed to provide a framework for understanding the
different ways that women
farm, what kind of resistance they experience and how they
might be changing the food system.
“We were so impressed with the kind of work women were
doing on farms — oftentimes with minimal resources, little capital, maybe little land — but doing creative things to try to transform the agricultural system. We felt like we needed to get their
stories out there.”
PASA would like to congratulate all the authors (some are
PASA members) on the release of this book! Look for more on
The Rise of Women Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture in an
upcoming issue of Passages.
Excerpted from Penn State Ag Sciences News 6/13/2016
ADVeRTIsemeNT
Do what you love...
love what you do.
Farming can be hot, and dirty, with hours longer than
there are in a day. And at the end of the day, you know
that this is what you were made to do.
At Farm Credit, that’s what we were made to do,
too. From our beginnings 100 years ago, we’ve been
supporting rural America with financial services that
help keep agriculture growing. We’re here to help you
be successful, so that you can keep doing what you
love. Give us a call today—we’d love to be a part of
what makes you love what you do!
5
PaSa PrOGraM NeWS & UPdaTeS
Staff Changes
Welcome to Chris
Rand, PASA’s new
Annual Giving
Manager. Chris will
be responsible for
general outreach
and fundraising
efforts to support
our membership
activities and our
redesigned annual giving program.
Chris comes to PASA with development and fundraising experience through
his time at The State Theatre as well as
other community groups. Previously, he
worked as a financial consultant and analyst in northern California and more
recently in Pennsylvania. Chris is a
founding member of Friends & Farmers
Food Cooperative in State College and
currently serves on the board of directors.
Chris lives in State College and is based in
PASA’s Millheim office.
Bethany Carter recently left PASA for
another opportunity in her field of training. We appreciate the time and energy
Bethany brought to her work on Centre
County Buy Fresh Buy Local and the
Farming for the Future Conference’s
youth programming over the past two
years. We look forward to seeing Bethany
and her growing family at local food and
farming events in the future.
The SoiL institute
PASA’s plan to advance
sustainable agriculture education
The SOIL Institute opened the Three
Rivers (Gibsonia, PA) and Delaware Valley (Kimberton, PA) Sustainability Hubs
in early March of 2016. Since then, Aaron
de Long and Katie Endicott (Delaware
Valley) and Jessy Swisher (Three Rivers)
have been visiting with many area farmers
and PASA members to build a clearer
understanding of member needs and programming interests. Planning continues
6
for a third Chesapeake Hub in South Central PA to be opened in late 2016.
The Delaware Valley and Three Rivers
Hub staff have planned a rich calendar of
Farmer-to-Farmer Exchange events at
locations throughout the state for 2016.
A total of 26 field days, workshops and
webinars have been planned for the year,
with some great events coming up this
fall on forage quality, riparian buffer
management and tractor safety. Events
are updated at pasafarming.org/ events.
Aaron de Long has been working to
grow the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship
(DGA) program in Pennsylvania. Aaron
has spoken with dozens of dairy farmers
about DGA and, so far, two dairy farmers
(Forrest Stricker and Gay Rodgers) have
been approved as Master Graziers. He has
also been actively recruiting Apprentices
for the program. Contact Aaron with
questions or visit dga-national.org.
Franklin Egan and Helen KollarMcArthur have been working to build
PASA’s Farm-Based Research network
through preliminary discussions with
pilot groups of PASA farmers. Thus far,
conversations have generated interest in
projects focused on monitoring soil health
data and management records on vegetable farms and on tracking meat yield
and production efficiencies of pasturedlivestock operations. Our research agenda
will be further developed through discussions open to all PASA farmer members
held in conjunction with our Annual
Membership meetings this October. Any
questions about Farm-Based Research can
be directed to Franklin.
Planning is well underway for the
2017 Farming for the Future Conference,
February 1–4 in State College, PA. We are
narrowing down an outstanding list of
potential speakers and workshop topics,
with many great ideas submitted through
our first ever formal Request for Proposals process. PASA’s volunteer Educational
Advisory Committee has also met several
times to help develop a practical and
thought-provoking conference program.
Questions about the conference,
including interest in joining the Education Advisory Committee, can be directed
to Kristin Hoy.
Annual Giving
Ways to Give Program
PASA members host events and promotions throughout the year to benefit the
organization. Take a look at the following
updates to see the Ways to Give Program
in action. To inquire about the Ways to
Give Program or learn about the various
ways your business can participate and
contribute to benefit PASA, contact
Chris Rand.
JoSie PorTer FArm-To-TABLe
TASTinG eVenT
Josie Porter Farm hosted its inaugural
Farm-to-Table Tasting event featuring
local foods and chefs on the farm located
in beautiful Cherry Valley on June 12. A
variety of small plates were served, featuring an assortment of fresh-from-the-farm
foods sourced from the Josie Porter Farm
and their family of growers and producers. The Farm-to-Table event raised more
than $600 for PASA!
PerryDeLL muDrun
Perrydell Farm Dairy, in conjunction with
Brown’s Orchards, Leg Up Farms and the
York Road Runners Club put on a threerace series to benefit the Shon Seeley
Legacy Fund and the Leg Up Farm Foundation. One hundred and twenty-five
enthusiastic runners braved a crisp, chilly
morning to run through forest, fields and,
of course, lots of mud! Between the three
races, The Mudrun raised $1,000 for the
Shon Seeley Legacy Fund!
eAST enD FooD CooPerATiVe —
reGiSTer rounD uP
East End Food Co-op in Pittsburgh offers
all of the products of a full-service grocery
store, but with a natural and local touch.
They will even take special orders. If you
haven’t tried this co-op, this is your
golden opportunity. During September,
you have the chance to shop at this wonderful store and benefit PASA at the same
time. At checkout, you will have the
chance to round up your purchase to the
nearest dollar, with those proceeds going
directly to PASA.
PaSa PrOGraM NeWS & UPdaTeS
PaSa’S 4TH aNNUal daIry daSH
5k & 1-MIle MeMOry Walk
All proceeds benefit the Shon Seeley Legacy Fund for Sustainable Farming Education
Join us on Saturday, September 3 to start your Labor Day weekend celebrations
with a great 5K run or walk at the Dairy Dash in Mansfield, Tioga County PA.
This event is held on an NCAA certified cross-country trail course in picturesque Lambs Creek Recreation Area. You are encouraged to bring friends, family and community groups to the 4th annual Dairy Dash.
This year, PASA is offering a special promotion of one free race entry for
groups of five or more. You can sign up online, and the discount will automatically apply at checkout. You can sign up a team, so your church or community
group can enjoy the race together. Great prizes will be awarded to top overall
finishers and top finishers by age group.
The Dairy Dash is sponsored by Milky Way Farms, Mansfield University,
Kitchen Table Consultants, Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, Hoover Hardware, The Buffalo Gang and more. Enjoy post-race food from MOM’s Organic
Produce, Organic Valley and more. Participants registering by August 19 at
5:00pm are entitled to a souvenir race day t-shirt, made in the USA.
PASA hosts this event each year as a tribute to and in memory of Shon
Seeley, who tragically lost his life in 2012. This race is a great chance to honor
Shon’s memory, and we hope to see you there! To register, visit
pasafarming.org/dairydash or call (814) 349-9856.
CSA GiVinG CHALLenGe
roLLS on
PASA’s CSA Giving Challenge raises
funds for the Arias M. Brownback
Memorial Scholarship Fund for beginning farmer education by asking Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
programs to contribute, based on CSA
share sales. Contributions will be doubled up to $10,000 thanks to a generous
match from Spiral Path Farm.
PASA sends big thanks to Spoutwood
Farm Center and Tine & Toil Farm for
rising to the challenge! They join fellow
Challenge participants Josie Porter Farm
& Cherry Valley CSA, North Mountain
Pastures and Philly
Foodworks.
The Arias M.
Brownback Memorial Scholarship
Fund was created
by the Brownback
family to inspire
and aid beginning
farmers to reach
their full potential. The fund currently
enables more than 60 beginning farmers
to attend PASA’s Farming for the Future
Conference each year.
There is still time to enroll your CSA!
Contact Becky Clawson.
PorkToBerFeST
Head to North Mountain Pastures in
Perry County on October 1 for Porktoberfest and the Highland Games. Enjoy
live music and a farm tour. Compete in
the Highland Games individually or in
teams of three, featuring the stone put,
caber toss and sheaf toss. Compete to win
prizes including pork sausage. Porktoberfest benefits the Shon Seeley Legacy Fund
for Sustainable Farming Education. This
event is open to the public, with a suggested donation. Visit northmountainpastures.com for more information.
kiTCHen TABLe ConSuLTAnTS
Kitchen Table Consultants donates to
PASA each time they take on a new farm
client, as they have since 2012. Kitchen
Table Consultants works to help farmers
and food artisans build lasting, profitable
locally-focused businesses. As Jennifer
Brodsky explains their mission, “We
enjoy working with farm and food entrepreneurs because they are passionate,
strong, independent, hard working, innovative and dedicated — their businesses
make a positive impact on the land
and our community, and we believe in
what they do.”
membership
Program
The 1LoCAL Program:
A Tool for Food Businesses
The 1LOCAL Program gives food businesses a way show customers they’re the
real deal when it comes to local food with
a self-assessment, customized infographic
report and best practices toolkit. PASA
recently hosted a webinar about this new
tool. The recording is now available on
our YouTube channel: youtube.com/pasafarming. Learn how 1LOCAL can help
your business provide customers with the
transparency they value by watching our
video tutorial. This service is free for
PASA Business level members. Contact
Becky Clawson.
7
Bumble bees feed heavily on red clover and
other species that are often present at the
edges of natural hedgerows and fields.
Stealth Fighters in the orchard —
PASA Field Day Provides Tips and Resources
for Cultivating Pollinators
Article and photos by sally scholle
I
t’s simple biology: flowering plants
require an animal, usually an insect of
some kind, to move pollen from the
male part of the flower to the female part
of the flower in order to set fruit.
Fruit growers are well aware of the
importance of efficient pollination, and
they’re also aware of declining honey bee
populations. To ensure continued adequate pollination and healthy fruit crops,
entomologists have focused research on
wild bees.
At a recent PASA education event,
participants learned about the role of wild
bees for pollination and how to enhance
habitat to encourage wild bee species to
take up residence in and around orchards.
The Xerces Society, a non-profit that
works to preserve invertebrates and their
habitat, encourages growers to implement
conservation programs that keep wild
bees around. Emily May, pollinator conservation specialist with the Xerces Society, says that most of the necessary
vitamins and minerals in our diet come
from insect-pollinated plants. And
8
although many invertebrates, such as butterflies, moths and beetles, can carry out
the task of pollination, bees are the best
pollinators. “This is because they actively
collect pollen and nectar to feed their
young,” said May. “Bees exhibit flower
constancy — they choose a flower and
tend to move among flowers of that
species.”
May says that there are nearly 4,000
different species of wild bees in the
United States. “Wild bees are important
crop pollinators,” said May. “They
improve fruit set in crops, even when
honey bees are present in high numbers.
The more diversity of bee species helps
produce more and higher quality fruits
and vegetables.”
Interactions between honey bees and
wild bees in the same orchard can influence fruit set. “Wild bees make honey
bees move more,” said May. “Honey bees
tend to get in a row in an orchard, and
move down the row in a line. When wild
bees are present and interact with honey
bees on flowers, they move between rows
and blocks. This is important to set fruit
when there are different cultivars.”
Honey bees and bumble bees are social
bees, and live in colonies where duties are
distributed among bees in the colony.
Most wild bee species are solitary — each
female makes her own nest and collects
food for her young.
Dr. Dave Biddinger, tree fruit research
entomologist at Penn State University’s
Fruit Research Center, has been involved
in pollinator research for many years. His
primary interest is solitary bees. Biddinger
and his graduate students have identified
236 wild bee species out of 360 known
species in Pennsylvania, in and around
apple orchards. Nearly 60 wild species
have been found to be actively pollinating
during bloom. Biddinger and his students
have also discovered species that have not
been previously seen in Pennsylvania.
“What makes a bee a bee?” said Biddinger. “Bees have hairs that are branched
like a feather that are designed to pick up
pollen. Most people think about just a few
bees — honey bees, bumble bees and a
couple of other small bees. But there are
actually 22,000 kinds of bees.”
Although honey bees usually come to
mind as primary crop pollinators, Biddinger says that honey bees are European
and, technically, an invasive species that
isn’t native to the United States. Biddinger
talks about the relative inefficiency of
honey bees: “If you put a honey bee in the
middle of an apple block, only about 10
percent of the pollen is actually from
apples,” he said. “They like to visit a lot of
different crops, and they will fly very long
distances. Wild bees fly only about 200
yards. That’s a limitation for big blocks,
but it’s nice if your neighbor has fire
blight and you don’t want it in your
orchard. It’s also nice because what you
spray in your orchard directly affects what
those bees are picking up.”
Biddinger says that a grower survey in
Pennsylvania revealed that over half of
apple growers no longer rely on honey
bees for pollination. “Some haven’t used
them for more than 30 years,” he said.
“Some were relying on wild honey bees,
but since those have disappeared, we can’t
rely on them any more.” Biddinger added
that bumble bees are good pollinators, but
by the time most fruit crops bloom, the
colonies have died. “As much as we like
them, there aren’t enough to do the job.
But we think pollinator strips help bum-
Biddinger cautions growers who want to bring in
bees, whether they’re honey bees or wild bees,
to obtain them from eastern sources. His concern
about exotic bees, especially honey bees brought
from the west coast, is that they are loaded with
viruses, some of which are associated with colony
collapse disorder.
ble bees because they have multiple
generations.”
Wild bees are used widely in European
orchards, especially in areas where the
rural/urban interface is a challenge. “Not
only are they efficient pollinators, you
have to pick them up and really mess
with them to get them to sting,” said
Biddinger.
Biddinger explains that Osmia
cornifrons, the Japanese orchard bee
(JOB), is a highly efficient pollinator that
was discovered by a farmer in Japan in the
1920s. The farmer noticed that certain
bees loved outbuildings that were
thatched with reeds — the perfect habitat
for a solitary bee. Local farmers and
researchers showed interest in this bee,
and today, the JOB is used for almost all
fruit pollination in that country. The JOB
was introduced to the United States in the
early 1990s, and they’ve spread westward
as far as Michigan.
“Most of the wild bees are stealth fight-
Dr. Dave Biddinger, Penn state extension tree fruit research entomologist (right) and PhD candidate sarah shugrue (left) answer
questions about the solitary bee nesting boxes placed at the edge of the pollinator strip.
9
Biddinger says that a
grower survey in
Pennsylvania revealed
that over half of apple
growers no longer rely
on honey bees for
pollination.
Bee balm (monarda) attracts many types of bees, including bumble bees, and is a suitable
plant for a man-made pollinator strip.
ers,” said Biddinger. “Osmia are like hummingbirds on speed. They visit 15 flowers
a minute, and they’re always moving.
They’re very wary of people. A honey bee
visits 50 flowers in a day and it takes at
least two visits for good pollination. A
single Japanese orchard bee can do 2,450
fruit in a day. Studies have shown that
they can double the yield of cherries.”
The JOB is well-established as a wild
species throughout Pennsylvania, and is
becoming an important pollinator species
for many growers. Adults emerge in early
spring, just about the same time as apricot
bloom. The JOB is one of several species
of mason bees, and like other mason bees,
lives a solitary life. Mason bees prefer to
nest in tunnels, which might be a hollow
reed, plant stem or a deadwood cavity.
Growers can entice JOB and other mason
bee species to take up residence near
orchards by providing artificial nests.
Most Pennsylvania orchards are established on slopes adjacent to woodlots or
fencerows. The unused area surrounding
the orchard isn’t suitable for crops, but is
perfect for pollinator habitat. Biddinger
10
wants growers to think of pollinator habitat as a steppingstone that’s located about
200 meters from where there are bees.
Growers who want to use honey bees can
continue to place hives in the interior of
the orchard and rely on native pollinators
for the outer edges. “As growers go from
large, semi-dwarf trees to high density
plantings that have to be irrigated, there
are rocky outcroppings where they can’t
plant trees,” said Biddinger. “That’s where
pollinator mixes can be established to
provide extra habitat for pollinators.”
Pollinator habitat should include food
(pollen, nectar), a safe nesting environment and refuge (protection from pesticides). While honey bees can be moved
throughout the orchard and removed
when necessary, wild bees are residents
and must be treated as such. Most farmland already includes many of the essential resources for wild bees, so the first
step is to maintain as much of the existing
habitat as possible. It’s important to have
a wide variety of trees, shrubs and flowers
to provide a source of nectar and pollen
throughout the season.
Woody plants that sustain wild bees
early in the season include serviceberry,
red maple, Eastern redbud and pussy willow. Early season flowers include white
meadowsweet (spirea), lupine, smooth
penstemon, coreopsis and ninebark. By
the time these species are finished blooming, most fruit crops are starting to blossom. Mid-season plants that help sustain
wild bees include milkweed, coneflower
and monarda. Later in the season, bees
feed on sunflowers, goldenrod, asters, JoePye weed and hyssop.
With time, growers can learn to identify wild bees in the orchard and surrounding areas. Biddinger cautions
growers who want to bring in bees,
whether they’re honey bees or wild bees,
to obtain them from eastern sources. His
concern about exotic bees, especially
honey bees brought from the west coast,
is that they are loaded with viruses, some
of which are associated with colony collapse disorder. “We have evidence that
bees are leaving the viruses at the flower
when they visit, then wild bees pick up
the virus,” he said. “We don’t know what
these viruses are doing to wild bees. They
may be asymptomatic and not cause a
problem, but it’s scary.”
Growers can obtain cost share funding
through Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) to establish and support
habitat for wild bees. Contact your local
NRCS office for more information on this
resource.
Additional Resources for growers
include Xerces Society and Penn State
Extension’s Tree Fruit Production guide.
Three Springs Fruit Farm partner Greg Wenk
hangs a pheromone trap in the orchards to
capture adult codling moths.
Pollinator Paradise:
Profile of Three Springs Fruit Farm
Photos provided by Three Springs Fruit Farm
By samantha Futhey
F
ounded in 1901, Three Springs Fruit
Farm is a seventh generation family
farm owned by the Wenk family in
Adams County, specializing in tree fruit,
vegetables and value-added products.
Their other specialty is encouraging
native pollinators and using integrated
pest management (IPM) methods to
maintain the health and integrity of their
farm. Three Springs Fruit Farm fosters a
commitment to sustainable food production, as recognized by the Food Alliance,
which certified the farm in 2010. By using
biological processes and technological
monitoring, Three Springs Fruit Farm has
become a successful example of how IPM
practices and native pollinators benefit
the farm’s viability.
Three Springs Fruit Farm pest management requires persistence and vigilance. Every Monday, Ben Wenk and his
brothers spend half the day checking
pheromone ties and tent traps in their
orchards, counting the insects trapped
and checking the leaves and fruit development. The ties act as “false females,” sending out scent signals to male pests like
oriental fruit moths or codling moths, distracting the males from real female moths.
No mating with females equals no eggs or
larvae that could impact the orchards.
Over time, the overall pest population
decreases. Ben refers to this method as
“creating false positives in the environment.” The tents function similarly but
trap adult pests, contributing to the
weekly pest scouting and monitoring.
Ben and his brothers combine on-theground monitoring with emails on pest
and weather conditions for his farm from
SkyBit, Inc. to assess potential disease or
pest problems. Three Springs Fruit Farm
“only takes action when there’s an action
to take,” resulting in smarter spraying.
For example, if they catch ten codling
moths in their tents and the morning
email from SkyBit shows 10 percent of
moths are adults, this means the other 90
percent are eggs or larvae — a sign of
potential pest outbreak and needed
action. Ben suggests that through this
combination of monitoring in the fields
and researched data, his family “can make
more responsible decisions about controlling population.”
The extra data collection and monitoring goes a long way. Pheromone mating
disruption, as Ben says, works “morning,
noon and night,” when his family is doing
other things on and off the farm. And
with less spraying and only spraying at
specific stages in the pest’s life cycle, natural predators like parasitic wasps and mite
predator Typhlodromus pyri (T. pyri) hunt
the remaining pests. With the presence of
these predators, each year the Wenks use
less pesticide and miticide, rejuvenating
the biodiversity of their farm. By working
with, not against, their beneficial insect
11
as these [native and feral bee] habitats grow,
every year the percentage of crops pollinated
increases without the Wenk family investing too
much time or energy.
community with these built-in environmental practices, they can focus their
energies on other aspects of their farm.
Parasitic wasps aren’t the only insects
that benefit from these sustainable practices. In 2010, 42 acres of the farm were
planted with a mix of wildflower and
other bee-loving plants, as part of a
National Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) program to secure habitat for
native and feral bees. Using no-till, they
planted this mix on steep hillsides and
uncultivated sections of the farm, managing these acres as bee habitats. The result
has increased the number and variety of
bee species on their farm, which pollinate
their crops and allow the Wenks to lessen
their dependence on imported honey
bees. As these habitats grow, every year
the percentage of crops pollinated
increases without the Wenk family investing too much time or energy. “Our farm
is a progression,” states Ben, asserting that
with each year of committing to these
practices, there is less work overall and
higher quality of their crops.
What advice would Ben give to farmers
wanting to implement these and other
IPM practices? “Educate yourself.” His
family promotes educational opportunities for everyone who works on the farm
in order to improve the farm. Ben refers
to his family as “winter-time educational
meeting junkies,” from attending PASA’s
Farming for the Future Conference to participating in Young Grower Alliance
Farm tours. “We’re only where we got to
by educating ourselves,” he continues,
advocating for reading books, emailing
knowledgeable people and talking to
neighbors. The philosophy of Three
Springs Fruit Farm is always strive for
improvement.
“Each year is an opportunity to do it
better,” says Ben. And each year, they do.
With the help of their diligent monitoring
and their local insect community, the
Wenks provide their region with fruits
and vegetables that benefit both people
and the environment.
Photos provided by Three Springs Fruit Farm
12
Climate Change
and Fiscal
Sustainability:
Conservation and
Risk Management
Programs
By Heather manzo, extension educator, Penn state extension
T
his article series* has tackled sustainability from the
ground up and the sky down, covering soil building and
water issues on farm. This last article in the series highlights the fiscal sustainability of farms by providing an overview
of crop insurance, conservation and risk management programs
available through the USDA.
The Farm Bill is renewed every five years in order to ostensibly reflect the changing needs of the agricultural community.
This cycle includes specialty funding for small, new, low
resourced, organic, minority and urban farms (2014 Farm Bill).
The USDA is comprised of many agencies, which are interested
in reaching these diverse types of agricultural operations in
addition to large-scale commodity operations. The goal of this
article is to provide an overview of the agencies and allocation
programs available to farming operations of all sizes and styles.
Predicting weather has always been a part of the delicate
dance of farming and the seasons. It is true that working with
nature via sustainable farming practices such as soil building,
contouring and cover crops can help increase the resiliency of a
farm in the face of a changing climate. However, farm income
can be lost by unforeseen natural disasters such as severe
storms, and prolonged weather events like drought can reduce
yields by destroying crops, land and infrastructure. Farms are
businesses, crops and livestock are the inventory, and that value
must be protected in order to allow for fiscal survival when challenging natural events occur. This is the premise for crop insurance, which is just one program available to support fiscal
sustainability.
Climate related weather events are costly and on the rise, so
much so that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) created a searchable online database known as
‘The Billion Dollar Club’ (NOAA, 2016). This resource tracks
A recent example of crop damage attributable to weather fluctuations was damage to fruit trees suffered in April. A warm march was
followed by hard frost in some areas of the state. Photo: Tara Baugher,
Penn State Extension
weather and climate related events such as super storms, winter
storms, floods and wildfires in the U.S. that cause $1 billion or
more in damage. There were ten in 2015 alone, and three of
those occurred in Pennsylvania. These ten events caused 155
deaths and economic devastation in many sectors. Climate
change scientists at Columbia University’s Earth Institute and
Tufts University are currently analyzing data to understand
what agriculture looks like in Pennsylvania under various climate change models. These models will provide farmers with
information regarding what production opportunities and natural resource intervention farmers may consider in the face of a
changing climate. An example of a climate related opportunity
uses the scenario of extended drought in California, which
would create a production deficit for green beans, opening up
the market for Pennsylvania farmers (USDA AFRI funded
Enhancing Food Security in the Northeast).
A recent example of crop damage attributable to weather
fluctuations which will likely hit home for many readers is the
damage fruit trees suffered in April 2016. A warm March was
followed by hard frost and freeze in some areas of the state.
NOAA classified the 2015–2016 winter as the warmest on
* This article is the last in a four-part series for Passages discussing how the agricultural community can better understand and address a
changing climate. PAsA was recently awarded a u.s. ePA environmental Justice grant (#96335501) for educational programs related to climate
change and agriculture. This grant supports this Passages series, several field days and webinars, and pre-conference tracks at the recent 25th
Farming for the Future Conference. Join us as we explore Farming in a Changing Climate.
13
record in the lower 48 states with the average temperature
across the U.S. 4.6 degrees F higher than the average temperature recorded in the last 100 years (NOAA, 2016). It is too early
to tell what the extent of the yield and related economic impacts
will be from this weather event. According to early estimates of
yield impact from the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension
Center in Biglerville, Adams County, fruit growers are expecting
85–90 percent of a full crop of apples, 75–80 percent of a full
crop of peaches and 50 percent of a full crop of tart cherries
(Penn State Fruit Times). Damage was most significant to apricots, plums and pears due to early dormancy breaks, with
peaches and apples fairing slightly better (Lancaster Farming).
According to the 2012 PA Ag Census, agriculture in PA is
valued at $7.4 billion annually, and $160 million of that comes
from tree products including fruit and nuts (PA Ag Census,
2012). The economic and social impact of all agricultural efforts
shapes the fabric of our communities and the landscape that
Pennsylvanians call home. This is recognized by the federal government via allocations programs designed to protect the industry, primarily through the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA). Farms and businesses wanting to apply for
federal grants and contracts simply need to obtain System for
Award Management (SAM) and Duns & Bradstreet (DUNS)
numbers, which are free via a short form and take a couple of
weeks to process. Let’s examine some of those programs.
overview of uSDA
Agencies and Selected Programs
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the
federal executive body responsible for developing and implementing policy and funding programs related to forestry, agriculture, food and farming. The following departments are under
their purview; note this is not an exhaustive list:
uSDA natural resources Conservation Service (nrCS)
The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides technical
and financial assistance to farmers by working with them on the
ground on projects that focus on conservation and the use of
technology to improve farm systems. NRCS’s mission is “helping people help the land.” Staff is available to visit farms, get to
know the farm and provide consulting on operations as well as
suggest appropriate programs. NRCS receives its budget
through an allocation system from the federal government to
each state. In Pennsylvania, NRCS has regional offices which
cover every county, and staff welcomes new relationships with
farms and a variety of other land holders.
NRCS programs often operate on an ‘in kind’ basis, meaning
that the farmer matches the award amount with equipment,
labor and other non-monetary contributions to the project. The
farm then receives payments according to an NRCS schedule at
agreed upon project milestones. There are many programs available, and when a match is not found with NRCS, there are often
resources available through the Farm Service Agency (FSA), and
farmers and landholders are encouraged to think of these sister
agencies when developing the support network for their business and to be proactive about relationship building. Some
NRCS programs of note include the following:
14
Heather manzo recently presented on farm biodiversity and climate
change at PAsA’s Farmer-to-Farmer exchange event at Harvest
Valley Farms.
Agricultural management Assistance (AmA) — The goal of
this program is to reduce risk in production by voluntarily
addressing water management, water quality and erosion control by incorporating conservation into farming operations.
Farms can have sales of over $1,000, and an implementation
cost of 75 percent up to $50,000.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) — This program
assists landowners to maintain existing conservation efforts and
adopt new conservation efforts including water, energy, soil, air
and habitat. Payments are performance based; contracts are five
years with a $200,000 cap.
Conservation innovation Grants (CiG) — As the name
implies, CIG support development and adoption of innovative
approaches and technology to improve conservation of agricultural land. This grant is flexible in that any project proposal that
ties back to that goal of improving conservation may be considered. EQIP is a funding vehicle under the CIG umbrella. Funding levels up to $75,000 per project with a 50/50 match,
therefore a total project of $150,000 can be accepted.
environmental Quality incentives Program (eQiP) —
EQIP is commonly known as the high tunnel grant because it
commonly supports high tunnel projects. The mission of this
grant is more expansive that — its goal is for farms to adopt
technology practices and planning to increase growing efficiency
through improving water and air quality, reducing erosion and
sedimentation and improving created habitat. This grant has ten
year contracts and special incentives for beginning, socially dis-
advantaged and limited resource farmers. For these categories of
growers, up to 50 percent advance on project materials/services
is possible to get the project off of the ground.
uSDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Often, if a match is not found with NRCS, the Farm Service
Agency is the next stop. FSA programs are designed to help
small farmers to access funds through its microloan and other
programs.
uSDA rural Development Agency (rD)
The role of USDA Rural Development is to improve the economy and quality of life in rural communities through economic
development, loans, grants and technical assistance for community empowerment projects.
Value Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) — Available
annually and usually announced in spring, is a funding option
for those looking to add value to farm products, expand marketing, processing and creating new market opportunities for
value-added products. Beginning, small and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers may receive priority. Planning
grants are up to $75,000 and working capital grants are up to
$250,000.
uSDA risk management Agency
The Risk Management Agency administers and operates many
programs, including all crop insurance programs through the
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC). Crop insurance
plans are sold through private insurance agencies in the private
sector. The mission of RMA is to strengthen the economic stability of agricultural producers and rural communities through
risk management tools.
There are newer crop insurance programs for small, organic,
diversified and non-traditional ag production including aquaculture and mushrooms. Insurance for these types of growers
have benefits such as exemption from administrative fees,
reduced out-of-pocket premium expenses, additional subsidy, a
higher payment schedule, and different rules for sharing the
farm’s production history. An overview of several programs in
these categories follows:
organic Crop insurance — This program provides coverage
for certified organic acreage as well as transitional acreage,
including any crop grown using organic farming practices.
Whole-Farm revenue Protection — This is a comprehensive
insurance program providing a safety net for the entire farm,
and was first available in 2015. The program is crop neutral;
anything is covered and is available in every county in the U.S.
The policy covers levels up to 85 percent of revenue and can be
combined with single crop policies.
noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (nAP) —
Crops considered uninsurable under other programs are covered under NAP when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters, excessive heat,
insect infestation and plant disease.
noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (nAP) for
underserved Farmers — Beginning, socially disadvantaged
and limited resource farms, and those farms that are organic
and sell at direct market prices are able to receive higher coverage levels than under the regular NAP program. The goal is to
level the playing field for organic and direct market farmers who
have been farming less than 10 years. Additionally the $250
service fee is waived, and policy holders enjoy a 50 percent premium reduction.
The business of farming can be just as challenging as difficult
weather conditions or pest problems. It can be worthwhile to
occasionally think of the farm in business terms. Those crops,
animals and farm products are the revenue generator necessary
to allow a farm to continue from one season to the next. Build
relationships with staff of the mentioned USDA offices and
Extension to create a network of professionals dedicated to protecting and preserving your farm.
Works Cited:
1. 2014 Farm Bill usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=farmbill
2. NoAA’s Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Table of events
ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/events
3. usDA AFRI eFsNe — agsci.psu.edu/research/food-security/research-projects/production
4. NoAA Winter 2015-2016 weather analysis ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/summaryinfo/national/201602
5. Penn state Fruit Times and email with FReC staff: extension.psu.edu/
plants/tree-fruit/news/2016/assessing-fruit-bud-survival-and-crop-potential
6. lancaster Farming: extension.psu.edu/plants/tree-fruit/news/2016/assessing-fruit-bud-survival-and-crop-potential
NRCs-minnesota uses eQuIP to create habitat for pollinators, including the monarch butterfly. Photo by Brian DeVetter (photo:
nrcs.usda.gov)
7. PA Ag Census: agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/online_Resources/
Rankings_of_market_Value/Pennsylvania/
15
JOB BOard & ClaSSIFIedS
Visit pasafarming.org/classifieds to view an updated, complete list or to post an ad. Notice: PAsA cannot ensure these opportunities are still available.
Please check with the contact for each listing for updated information. Please confirm all inquiries are legitimate before giving out any personal or payment
information; PAsA assumes no responsibility for transactions from ads.
avaIlaBle
Cut our hay and take it for free — We have
about 3 acres that need to be hayed soon. up to 8
if we find someone reliable looking to cut and take
the rest later this season. Contact Information:
email or call marty: [email protected] or (267)
253-0042.
eMPlOyMeNT
Farm manager — Allandale Farm is a vegetable
farm and plant nursery in Brookline, mA. We grow
40 acres of diversified vegetable crops and garden
plants, operate a busy farmstand/garden center
on-site, and provide educational programming
and events on the farm. We are currently seeking a
long-term relationship with a year-round Farm
manager to join our committed team and oversee
all vegetable production, CsA and wholesale operations, and farm maintenance. Responsibilities:
Hires, trains and leads a team of ~12 employees,
including field crew and assistant grower positions. oversees and executes all field work, including crop planning, tillage, planting, spraying,
harvesting, and cover cropping, both on the farm
and on additional off-site acreage. Requirements:
Five plus years experience in vegetable production
(organic preferred) in a leadership and supervisory
role. Demonstrated skill in safely operating farm
machinery. Relevant pesticide applicator and food
safety training/certificates. spanish language proficiency strongly preferred Proficient with ms office
and Google Apps. Valid driver’s license 40–60
hours/week Compensation: Competitive annual
salary with bonus opportunity Housing (single
family house; 3 bed, 1.5 bath) Four weeks paid
vacation Health care benefits Retirement plan
(after 2-years of employment) Contact Information:
Please send resume and cover letter to [email protected].
Spoutwood Farm in Glen rock, PA has an immediate need for a full-season CSA Apprentice —
This position requires a highly motivated selfstarter, eager to add knowledge and experience to
their current farming qualifications. Internship
opportunities are also available. message us for
detailed information regarding the positions and
please direct inquiries, resumes and cover letters
to spoutwood Farm. Contact Information: [email protected].
16
Wholesome Dairy Farms is seeking applicants
for the following entry-level positions — milk
Jugging Technician: Responsibilities include: Jugging, capping, and labeling milk for retail sale.
Transporting filled milk crates within the dairy
facility. loading product for deliveries -maintaining
extreme cleanliness at all times during the process.
Cleaning duties, as needed. must be able to lift at
least 50 lbs to perform duties. must be able to
maintain sanitary conditions. must be able to learn
and follow jugging procedures in order to ensure
food safety 20 hours a week, Tuesday through saturday, 6 am–10 am. Dairy kitchen Assistant:
Responsibilities include: operation of the pasteurization vat. Carrying five gallon buckets to fill vat.
Capping and labeling finished product. maintaining kitchen cleanliness. maintaining kitchen
records. must be able to lift at least 55 lbs. must be
able to maintain sanitary conditions at all times.
must be able to follow written and verbal instructions. Part time work, flexible hours. entry-Level
Barn Help: Responsibilities include: Following
feeding procedure. Handling cows with care and
respect. Cleaning barn after milking. Caring for and
feeding calves. Training to milk after competence
in other responsibilities is proven. must be able to
handle moderate physical activity. must be able to
maintain sanitary conditions while milking. must
have communication skills and be observant of
cow health. must have reliable transportation and
punctuality. Previous experience working on a
dairy NoT required. Part time work, afternoons and
weekends When responding, please specify the
position in which you are interested. Resume a
plus, but not necessary. Contact Information:
[email protected], (610) 587-4485.
We are looking for interns to camp out/live at
our small organic farm — There are so many neat
and interesting things growing, but the space is
not safe enough to be a good educational facility
or family destination. Help us improve the overall
landscape with contributions of artwork or labor in
exchange for meals and lodging. If you like pizza
and or bonfires that is a plus! Contact Information:
David at (484) 319-9619.
Livestock Farm manager — Year Round Position,
Doylestown, PA on 300-acre farm raising grass-fed
Red Angus, Cheviot sheep, Duroc pigs, boar goats
& chickens is looking for an experienced person to
run the entire farm. No housing available. This is a
full time career position. Contact Information:
James, (215) 817-0713.
executive Chef — The Pearlstone Center seeks a
creative, experienced, committed, and team-playing executive Chef for a unique opportunity. Pearlstone is much more than a conference center. We
are committed to community partnerships, holistic
integration, balanced aesthetics, and sustainability,
which we want to shine through all aspects of our
Culinary Program. To apply: send your resume with
two professional references and cover letter in an
email, with “executive Chef” in the subject line.
Contact Information: [email protected].
Glynwood seeks a dynamic Site manager for
the Hudson Valley Farm Business incubator —
This position is responsible for managing property
and agricultural uses at Glynwood’s Hudson Valley
Farm Business Incubator site. The Hudson Valley
Farm Business Incubator provides access to land,
housing, shared equipment and infrastructure,
farm and business mentoring, and low-interest
capital to start-up farm businesses. The site manager will train and assist incubator program participants, as a part of the Farmer Training team.
Residence in a private 1-bedroom apartment on
the incubator site in New Paltz, NY is a required
condition of employment. send cover letter and
resume, in pdf format, along with three professional references to Isabel lopatin, Director of
Administration & Technology with “site manager”
in the subject line. Contact Information:
[email protected].
D&V organics is looking for an intern/apprentice for our farm in Swedesboro, nJ — (just over
the river from Philadelphia). We grow a mix of vegetables, marketing through our 24 week CsA, farmers markets and wholesale. Contact Information:
Derek, derek@dandvorganics.
60 acre biodynamic/organic/sustainable farm in
kentucky needs help with mowing/farm chores
— 20 hours a week max in return for free housing
in rustic off grid private home. Contact Information: mary Hand at (502) 648-1244 or
[email protected].
Director, Penn Farm — the Director performs the
vital function of leading the Penn Farm initiative
for the organization. Director, Penn Farm will be
responsible for land management, farm partner
development and oversight, fund development,
and implementation of the program area’s strategic plan. Contact Information: mary Roth, executive Director: [email protected].
JOB BOard & ClaSSIFIedS
rodale inc. is currently seeking an organic
Farm manager based at their Working Tree
Center in emmaus, PA — The Working Tree Center, originally called the Rodale experimental Farm,
is the site where Rodale Inc. founder J. I. Rodale
popularized organic and sustainable farming
methods. J. I. is responsible for the move towards
natural foods and natural products in the united
states. We are looking for visionary a farmer to
continue this pioneering work. Contact Information: [email protected] or visit
rodale.com for the full job description.
The midwest organic and Sustainable education Services (moSeS) has launched a national
search for its next executive Director — moses
is seeking a dynamic, seasoned leader who is an
effective communicator, skilled manager, and successful fund raiser to guide the organization further along our path of success and respected
standing in the organic community. Ideally, the
incoming director will have a personal or professional connection to organic/sustainable farming
in order to understand the concerns of our constituents and credibly represent the organization.
Contact Information: The full job announcement:
mosesorganic.org or contact our Transition Consultant, margaret Donohoe: [email protected] or (408) 979-0572.
FOr Sale
Appalachian Country House on 1+ Acres with
Growing Space for ‘Shrooms — $182,900. Contemporary country home in union County on
wooded lot with the best water around. Grow forest mushrooms and/or use the two 2-car garages
and outdoor buildings for production and processing. The water is the ultimate resource. Close to 5
Farmers markets. site and setting about the
Appalachian Valleys and Ridges and offer hardwood options for heating. solar siting is a plus!
This home is surrounded by thousands of family
farm acreage. use as second home, artist retreat,
fly fishing camp, downsize property or mushroom
production, with endless water. Contact Information: F. eyster, 570 837-9145, [email protected].
Laying Hens — Full beaked- approx 1 year old.
We have approx 250 hens that have been laying
since November 2015 available. Currently laying
rate approx 85% — $7.00 each or buy them all for
$5.00 each. Contact Information: [email protected].
2006 kubota BX23 w/Loader & Backhoe —
$2500.00. 4WD, Clean. It has a loader, backhoe and
belly mower. Good Condition. Delivery available.
Price: $2500. Contact Information: Call/text (612)
213-4184.
Pastured Poultry Coop — layers — large size —
$1250.00. up for sale is one mobile laying hen set
up complete with nest boxes. The coop is built on
a mobile home frame and is approx 12’x48’ We
have comfortably held 400 birds and it could probably handle closer to 500. The floor is 1”x1” square
mesh so the manure falls thru. Nest boxes are rollaway style. Has outdoor Christmas lights strung up
inside on a timer for winter use (worked great) This
has worked great for us. First $1,250.00 cash takes
it. Buyer must remove/haul- a one ton pickup handles this just fine, but be mindful it is very long and
someone with experience hauling big trailers
should be driving this. It could also be loaded on a
flatbed if you choose to go that route. 250 hens
that have been laying for 6 months are also available to go with it for $6.00/each. These birds are
laying @ 85%, have full beaks, and have been fed
certified organic feed. Contact Information:
[email protected].
9 Acre Farmette in Forest County — $128,000.
Currently in Certified organic production. 9 acres
of prime farmland, bordering the Allegheny River
and the Allegheny National Forest. 2 Bedroom Cottage. 100+ fruit trees, 100s of raspberry bushes.
Priced below appraised value. Currently leasing
adjacent 10 acres. Contact Information: (814) 3039663 or [email protected].
Heritage Breed Piglets in oxford, nJ — $125.00.
We have extra piglets from our spring litters ready
to be weaned, 8 weeks old. sows are Berk/Tamworth/ Gos and boar is a large Black. Hardy
piglets farrowed outside in run-in sheds, now living in a mixed woods/pasture. We feed an organically grown feed ration that is soy and Gmo free.
Contact Information: meredith
[email protected].
Purebred Berkshire butcher hogs for sale — $4
per pound plus processing. Will deliver to our local
butcher shop for you, and let you handle the cutting orders. Weights may vary between 150-300
pounds each. one hampshire cross barrow that
looks to be a great lard hog that weighs over 300#.
Raised on pasture, finished in pasture with feeder.
They’re living the hoggy life and lovin’ it. Contact
Information: [email protected].
Land wanted in Bucks County, PA or Hunterdon
County, nJ — Female farmer with 20yrs+ experience looking for 10 +/- acres to rent/lease with
open and wooded acreage. Contact Information
[email protected].
Vegetable grower seeking small land lease —
seeking ¼ acre–5 acres for intensive vegetable
growing within an hour of Philadelphia. Contact
Information: [email protected]
Land for Lease — 11 acres of farmland about 12
miles and 20 minutes drive from downtown
louisville, KY across the ohio River in
suburban/rural southern Indiana. our land has
been fallow for about 65 years. Before that, no
chemicals, Gmos or any other non-organic techniques were used in crop production. It sits on a
local thoroughfare with about 650 ft. of frontage.
Also included on the land is a 900 sq. ft. 2Br house
with a workroom/ walk-out basement, covered
carport, garden and a small creek. There used to
be a chicken/goat coop that was torn down, but
the foundation remains for rebuilding. We are
open to longer-term leases as we would like our
land utilized the way it used to be instead of
turned into housing plots. Considering the surrounding higher-end neighbors, it could very easily be developed into a CsA. Contact Information:
scott at [email protected].
96+/- acres land, tillable, woodlands in Washingtonville, PA — Real estate auction on saturday, August 13th at Route 254 Washingtonville, PA
17884 Derry Twp, Columbia County at 9:00Am
(auction held on site) Contact: Dustin C. snyder
529 North state street, millville, PA 17846, (570)
546-2231, dustinsnyderauctioneer.com, [email protected] license #AY-002123.
72+/- acres land, tillable, woodlands & out
buildings in Bloomsburg, PA — Real estate auction on saturday, August 27th at 299 Dahl Road
Bloomsburg, PA 17815 Hemlock Twp at 12:00Pm
(auction held on site). Contact: Dustin C. snyder
529 North state street, millville, PA 17846, (570)
546-2231, dustinsnyderauctioneer.com, [email protected] license #AY-002123.
WaNTed
laNd avaIlaBle/WaNTed
100 +/- acres, crop field, woodlands in Paxinos,
PA — Real estate auction on saturday, August 6th
at Pine Hill Road, Paxinos, PA 17860
shamokin/Rockefeller Twp Northumberland
County at 10:00Am. Contact: Dustin C. snyder 529
North state street, millville, PA 17846, (570) 5462231, dustinsnyderauctioneer.com, dustinsnyderauctioneer @gmail.com license #AY-002123.
seeking employment with a salad green operation.
I have farming and greenhouse experience. Contact Information: [email protected] or (215) 4367048.
17
UPCOMING eveNTS
JUly
Saturday, July 23
Quiet Creek Herb Farm —
earthen Building
When: 9:00am–1:00pm
Where: Quiet Creek Herb Farm,
Brookville, PA
About: explore the joy of playing in the
mud including an earthen oven construction, firing, and pizza making.
Saturday, July 23
PASA education event
Grazing management in a
Changing Climate
Where: Walnut Hill Farm,
sharpsville, PA
About: examine strategies to get you
through the heat of summer, including
drought tolerant pasture species selection, as well as specific grazing management practices that help build soil
health and forage quality.
Saturday, July 23
Farmer’s Fork Dinner Series:
412 Food rescue
When: 6:00–9:00pm
Where: The Ferderber Farm,
Valencia, PA
About: The Farmer’s Fork dinner series
includes live local music, cocktails by
Wigle Whiskey, beer by local breweries,
wine by Narcisi Winery, and one of Pittsburgh’s most creative chefs at the helm.
Sunday, July 24
Taste: A Celebration
of Local Farms & Food
When: Noon–4:00pm
Where: 101 Founders Way,
Bethlehem, PA
About: Come meet lehigh Valley’s
dedicated farmers, purchase the freshest locally grown food available, participate in many free, fun-filled activities
and discover how people across the
region are working to bring fresh, local
food to your table.
Thursday–Friday, July 28 & 29
PASA’s 2nd Annual Summer
Conference: Living roots
24/7/365
When: Thursday, 7/28: 4:00–8:00pm
(Dinner included); Friday, 7/29:
7:30am–5pm (Coffee, snacks and lunch
included)
Where: Grange Fairgrounds,
Centre Hall, PA
About: PAsA’s summer Conference will
offer practical soil health insights for
both experienced and beginning farmers, with particular relevance for diversified vegetable and dairy farmers.
18
Thursday–Friday, July 28 & 29
energypath 2016
Saturday, August 6
Home Pizzeria
Tuesday–Thursday, August 16–18
Penn State’s Ag Progress Days
When: Times TBD
Where: Penn stater Hotel & Conference
Center, state College, PA
About: Register today for the midAtlantic region’s largest sustainable
energy conference attracting industry
professionals, policymakers and academia throughout the region and across
the united states.
When: 10:00am–Noon
Where: oylers organic Farm,
Biglerville, PA
About: learn how to make a yummy
homemade pizza complete with toppings, and go home with rising dough
ready to be completed and baked.
When: Tuesday 9:00am–5:00pm;
Wednesday 9:00am–8:00pm; Thursday
9:00am–4:00pm
Where: Russell e. larson Agricultural
Research Center, Pennsylvania
Furnace, PA
About: Ag Progress Days at Penn state,
held annually during three days in
August, is Pennsylvania’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition.
Saturday, July 30
Let’s Preserve
When: 10:00am–Noon
Biglerville, PA
About: learn to preserve food safely
and correctly in this hands-on class
where you will explore the basics of
home canning and practice your canning skills as a beginner or experienced
preserver.
Sunday–Saturday,
July 31–August 6
Buy Fresh Buy Local® Centre
County — Local Foods Week
When: Business hours of participating
operations
Where: Various locations throughout
Centre County
About: This event is under development. Details will be available on the
PAsA website soon.
aUGUST
Wednesday, August 3
Pasture Walk
When: 8:30am-4:00pm
Where: organic Grass Dairy Farm &
Green Heron Growers, sherman, NY
About: Walk these two adjoining farms
and hear experts in their fields.
Advanced registration required. lunch
provided, including 100 percent grassfed beef burgers.
Wednesday, August 3
Summer Farm evening:
manoff market Gardens
When: 6:00–7:00pm
Where: 3157 Comfort Road,
New Hope, PA
About: Bucks County Foodshed
Alliance and Bucks County chapter of
Buy Fresh Buy local® announce the
2016 series of popular farm evenings
that introduce consumers to the local
small-scale producers who put the
freshest foods onto our tables via direct
sales, community-supported agriculture
operations (CsAs), farmers’ markets,
farm stands and other venues.
Saturday, August 6
Centre County Farm Tour
Where: Various locations throughout
Centre County
PAsA website soon.
Sunday, August 7
Scything Workshop
Where: Groundswell’s Incubator Farm
(at ecoVilliage), Ithaca, NY
About: spend the morning making an
adjustable Austrian-style scythe to take
home. In the afternoon, practice proper
techniques for mowing and caring for
scythes. (offered by Groundswell and
Wolftree Farm.)
Sunday, August 7
Farm yarn
When: 4:00–6:00pm
Where: Forest & main Brewery,
Ambler, PA
About: Join the PAsA Delaware Valley
Hub to share your best farm stories with
fellow farmers and non-farmers alike in
this event modeled after "The moth
Radio Hour."
Tuesday, August 9
Penn State — Spring 2016
introduction to organic
Vegetable Production for
Beginning Farmers
When: 5:00–8:00pm
Where: emmaus, PA
About: The seed Farm is offering
training for those going from vegetable
gardening to production for profit.
Saturday, August 20
PASA education event
Grazing Dairy Cows Health &
Genetics: Beyond the Basics
Where: Douglassville, PA
PAsA website soon.
Saturday, August 20
rodale institute —
Preserving the Harvest
Where: Kutztown, PA
About: learn how to simmer, sauce,
can, pickle and freeze your harvest now,
for a little bit of sunshine this winter.
Saturday, August 20
Contra Potluck and Dance
When: 2:00–6:00pm
Brookville, PA
About: Kick up your heels and enjoy an
old-fashioned contra dance and potluck
meal. Bring two dishes to share and a
donation for the band and caller. Table
service and beverages will be provided.
Saturday, August 20
2016 Summer Harvest Dinner
When: 5:00–8:00pm
Biglerville, PA
About: enjoy a casual dinner featuring
local, organic product made from
scratch and served buffet style outside,
overlooking our farm. local entertainment will be provided.
Friday–Sunday, August 12–14
noFA Summer Conference:
Cultivating The organic
Grassroots movement
Saturday, August 20
Franktuary
When: starts at 9:50am each day
Where: u mass, Amherst, mA
About: You may learn as much across a
lunch table as you will at workshops;
solve your most pressing challenge in a
chance discussion with a stranger; or
create the spark that is going to be your
next big idea.
When: 6:00–9:00pm
Valencia, PA
UPCOMING eveNTS
Tuesday, August 23
Penn State — Spring 2016
introduction to organic
Vegetable Production for
Beginning Farmers
When: 5:00–8:00pm
Where: emmaus, PA
About: The seed Farm is offering
training for those going from vegetable
gardening to production for profit.
Friday–Saturday, August 26–27
rodale institute — Growing
with Healthy Soil Biology
When: Friday 9:00am–5:00pm;
saturday 9:00am–Noon
Where: Kutztown, PA
About: learn about the relationships
between soil biology and healthy soil
and the roles of management practices
in soil health.
Saturday, August 27
Herbal Preparations
Where: Kutztown, PA
About: In this hands-on class learn how
to make gorgeous herbal skincare products from plants that you grow yourself
or buy from reputable sources.
SePTeMBer
Saturday, September 3
PASA’s 4th Annual Dairy Dash
5k & 1-mile memory Walk
When: 9:00am–Noon
Where: lambs Creek Recreation Area,
mansfield, PA
About: All proceeds benefit the shon
seeley legacy Fund for sustainable
Farming education.
FallFest
Brookville, PA
About: learn how to bring in the fall
harvest with activities on herbs, flowers,
plants, soaps, teas and more.
Wednesday–Friday,
September 7–9
united States Trout Farmers
Association — Fall meeting &
Penn Aqua Farming the Future
with an optimistic View
When: starts at 9:35am
Where: Historic Hotel Bethlehem,
Bethlehem, PA
About: Trade show, Industry leading
Presenters, & Tours focusing on the Fish
Hatchery Industry.
organic Pioneer Awards
When: 6:00–10:00pm
Where: Kutztown, PA
About: The organic Pioneer Awards is a
chance to recognize a research scientist,
farmer and business who are leading
the movement toward an organic
planet. The evening includes a farm-totable dinner featuring fresh ingredients
sourced directly from our 333-acre, certified organic farm.
Tuesday–Wednesday,
September 13–14
Penn State extension —
Are you Crazy:
retail Farm market Bus Tour
When: Tuesday 7:00am–
Wednesday 6:00pm
Where: Northern PA / NY Finger lakes
About: Join Penn state extension for
their 20th annual “Are You Crazy? Retail
Farm market Bus Tour” to explore some
of the premier farm markets in Northern
Pennsylvania and the Finger lakes
region of New York.
8th Annual organic Apple
Festival
Where: Kutztown, PA
About: Rodale Institute is proud to
offer the option for families to pick their
own apples in our organic orchard. We
will provide the baskets (free to use in
the orchard or purchase to keep), apple
pickers, and carts. There will also be
plenty of delicious organic treats, live
music, and activities for children.
Tuesday–Thursday, Sept. 20–22
Penn State — Cultured Dairy
Products Short Course
When: Tuesday 7:30am–7:00pm;
Wednesday 8:00am–5:30pm;
Thursday 8:00am–5:00pm
Where: university Park, PA
About: This course begins with an
overview of cultured product processing, dairy ingredients, and starter
cultures. These principles are applied
in lectures on the manufacture of
buttermilk, cottage cheese, cream
cheese, sour cream, yogurt, Greek-style
yogurt, cultured milk drinks, and novel
products.
Friday, September 16
Community Health Talk —
unrefined Sweets:
How to get delicious,
nutrient-dense desserts
Friday–Sunday, September 23–25
maine organic Farmers
and Gardeners Association
(moFGA) — Common Ground
Country Fair
When: 6:00–8:00pm
Where: mansfield, PA
About: This is one in a series of free
community health talks to be held at
Bellows Health systems.
When: Gates open at 9:00am each day.
Where: unity, me
About: Vendors are open until 6:00pm
on Friday and saturday and 5:00pm on
sunday.
Whole Grain Breads
Friday–Sunday, September 23–25
PASA Stage & info Booth
at mother earth news Fair
When: 6:00–9:00pm
Brookville, PA
About: Don’t miss attending the
Whole Grain Bread making and Herbal
Butter making Class to learn the secrets
of adding nutritional bread into your
family’s diet.
Farm market Tour &
Cooking Class
When: Gettysburg's Farmer's market
About: Join local chefs for a colorful
walk through Gettysburg’s Farmer’s
market, where they will show you how
to shop like a chef as part of savor Gettysburg Food Tour’s “Farm market Tour
& Cooking Class.” Then it’s on to the
kitchen for a hands-on cooking class.
When: Friday Noon–7:00pm;
saturday 9:00am–7:00pm
sunday 9:00am–5:00pm
Where: seven springs mountain Resort,
seven springs, PA 15622
About: Visit the PAsA stage and Information Booth at this event showcasing
more than 150 workshops and dozens
of other regional and national
exhibitors that feature sustainable
lifestyle products and services.
Spak Brothers
When: 6:00–9:00pm
Valencia, PA
Herbal Soap making
When: 6:00–9:00pm
Brookville, PA
About: learn how to mold, cut, scent
and color soap. Take home 1 bar and
Rusty’s soap book all for $35, which
includes refreshments.
Save THe daTeS
PASA’s Annual meetings
Join PAsA’s Board of Directors and
staff at one of our four regional
Annual meetings this october!
Dates will be as follows, and times
and locations will be announced
on the website soon:
saturday, october 1
saturday, october 8
saturday, october 15
saturday, october 22
each meeting will include a shared
potluck lunch, site tour and review
of PAsA’s activities for the last fiscal year, as well as a chance to
meet candidates running for our
Board of Directors.
These meetings are an excellent opportunity for current PAsA
members to introduce family,
friends or colleagues to our network. We look forward to seeing
you there!
February 1–4, 2017
PASA’s 26th Annual
Farming for the Future
Conference
Where: Penn stater Hotel & Conference Center, state College, PA
About: This event is under development. Details will be available
on the PAsA website soon.
This is a condensed listing of PASA events, as well as those hosted by
our members/partner organizations.
Comprehensive listings, including costs and registration details can
be found at pasafarming.org/events.
19
INTervIeW
PASA Talk:
Franklin Egan shares thoughts on
programs, progress and finding
peace at the end of the day
Franklin egan
Director of education for PAsA
Worked at PAsA since June 2015
Resides in Boalsburg, PA (Centre County)
in your role as Director of education, some goals involve
developing a rigorous farmer training program, enhancing farmer-to-farmer learning networks and building a
platform for on-farm research. Talk about these goals and
the progress you’ve seen in your first year with PASA.
It’s been a tremendous year at PASA. I think we have such a
great team of people here and, in the year since I’ve been here,
we’ve taken some really ambitious but general ideas and started
to put some real detail and some real life into them. For farmer
training and development, we’ve formed a partnership with the
Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA), which is the only formal
and registered apprenticeship program for farm management in
the country.
It’s really inspired by our colleagues in Wisconsin that have
built this program and the potential it offers to create a very
clear and professional training pathway for dairy farmers. So
we’re working now to establish that in Pennsylvania. I think it
has great potential in Pennsylvania because of the number of
dairy farms we have and also the need to do more dairy farming
on grass and grazing as opposed to a confinement model.
We’re also interested — further out — in thinking about how
to adapt that formal apprenticeship model to other types of
farming, for instance, diversified vegetable production, which so
many PASA farmers are involved in at one scale or another.
How does your background in science impact your work
with PASA and some of the programs you are developing?
Our Farm-Based Research Program is something that really,
really excites me about the work here at the SOIL Institute, having come from a science background. I spent about six years
working at Penn State and two at the USDA Agricultural
Research Service before coming here.
I think we’ve started to hone in on a kind of unique take on
farm-based research. Our plan is that it’s going to be geared
around record keeping and benchmarking of a farm’s overall
20
sustainability performance — that means helping PASA farmers
get organized about the records they take, about their production, their yields, their inputs, their labor costs, their energy use,
their impact on soil and water and their stewardship of those
resources. [I see] PASA as an organization that helps to organize
that information and give it back to the farmer in a meaningful
way, so they can set benchmarks for continued progress year
after year and also learn from their peers.
Even bigger, I think, we hope that data will be something that
really bolsters PASA’s work as a marketing and advocacy organization. If we can have data, with hard research and hard numbers, that really speaks to the great work our farmers are doing
in feeding people and taking care of the land, it will make us an
even more powerful and effective marketing and advocacy
organization that helps to further grow the sustainable food
movement.
That’s a long-term, very ambitious project. This summer
2016 and this fall we’ve been organizing some pilot groups of
vegetable farmers and livestock farmers mainly, at this stage, to
get some ideas going and to start to refine some protocols.
What motivates you to do you do the work you do?
For me, I’m just really excited and motivated to help PASA
farmers succeed and to hopefully provide research and education resources that make their job easier. The best part of my
job, by far, is getting to go out and visit PASA farmers and talk
to them and see a little bit about the amazing things they do to
both produce food and be effective stewards of the land resource
they work on. It’s always really inspiring to see these amazing
farms in action, and I think with the SOIL Institute, we’re really
looking to provide a system that, for new farmers, helps them
begin a career in farming and, for experienced farmers, will
make it easier for them to continue to refine their skills and
share their knowledge with other farmers.
INTervIeW
What do you want people to know about farming, food,
the environment or anything regarding your work that
may be overlooked or that is not being taken as seriously
as it should be?
I think it’s taken for granted on a larger societal level that young
people, particularly in this country, don’t want to be involved in
farming, and that’s why we continue to go down a pathway of
larger farms that are more mechanized and more reliant on
inputs and so forth, maybe not realizing the huge amount of
enthusiasm there is if we could provide the right pathways and
the right resources for young people to be involved in farming.
I don’t know if I’m still a young person (laughs), but I feel
like my background resonates with a lot of PASA members and
people I’ve talked to. I grew up in a city with really no connection at all to agriculture and became very curious about farming,
first as a college student and then as a farm worker on vegetable
farms in Wisconsin and New York. I was just thrilled to be part
of the sustainable food movement. I’ve talked with lots of young
people who share that feeling and aspiration.
At the same time, being involved at Penn State as a
scientist and getting to go to national and international science
conferences and sometimes interact with companies and farmers from the big ag world, you sort of, from that side of things,
sense that young people are running from farming as fast as they
can. I think that’s actually not the case if you look at it a little
differently.
How would you propose getting more young people
involved in farming or opening doors to resources that
can foster their involvement?
I hope programs, like the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship, that
help to offer a formal training and career development pathway
are part of the solution. That’s something we’re investing in here
at PASA. I think it’s very challenging because so much research
and science and economic development over the past century
has been invested into taking people out of food production,
Franklin enjoys reading, gardening and spending time outdoors and with his family.
Two of his favorite books are Oryx and Crake by margaret
Atwood and Ecological Economics by Herman e. Daly.
Franklin’s favorite places to be outdoors include Bear meadows in Rothrock state Forest near his home in Boalsburg and
Kettle Creek Gorge and Angel Falls in Hughesville, PA.
He enjoys the musical stylings of Bob Dylan and lucinda
Williams, among other musicians.
Fun Fact: Franklin was raised in Philadelphia near the Fairmount Park system, which is one of the world’s largest urban
parks. As a child, he spent many hours in the Wissahickon section of the park.
Bonus Fun Fact: Franklin also grew up listening to classical
music with his father and played the piano for many years.
Beethoven is another one of his favorite musicians!
Franklin speaks to attendees at the fall 2015 Field Day: “Adapting to
Climate Change by Building soil Health.”
and I think we’re just learning now — through direct marketing,
through local marketing, through marketing channels like
organic that provide extra value for proper stewardship of the
land — we’re learning how to enable farmers to keep more of
the value of the food they produce. I think that trend really has a
lot of potential to keep farming at a human scale that requires
human managers of the land, and we’ll need to cultivate young
farmers.
With all this talk of sustainable farming, what’s your
favorite thing to grow in your own garden?
I really like to grow collard greens. I think they’re such a great
workhorse vegetable. I find that they rarely have problems and
keep producing all season long. It’s a great, nutritious thing to
grow.
What’s your favorite food, from your own garden or
elsewhere?
I don’t know (laughs); I’m very omnivorous. I’m not picky. I’m
usually hungry, and I like to eat anything that’s fresh and wholesome and particularly made by myself or friends and family.
name a location or activity that gives you peace and
restores your faith in the world.
Could always use more of that (laughs). You know, working in
the garden is really something that gives me some peace, or just
working on my house and spending time with my family. My
daughter is a year and a half and is just starting to enjoy spending time outside with us, so that is something that gives me a lot
of joy. pasafarming.org/soil
21
Pennsylvania
Association for
Non Profit org
u s Postage
PAID
state College, PA
Permit No 33
Po Box 419 • millheim, PA 16854-0419
memBerSHiP eXPirATion DATe reminDer:
A reminder to our members that your annual membership expiration date is printed above your mailing address (see above). You can renew your
membership any time at pasafarming.org/join, using the form in this newsletter or by calling 814-349-9856.
Fighting Garden Pests
without resorting to
Backyard Chemical
Warfare
Spotlight on apoidea apiary:
Beyond the Business of Beekeeping
enticing Butterflies
& Bees to the ‘Burbs:
evolution of an Aspiring
Pollinator Gardener
eat
Volume 24 • Issue 121 Summer 2016
Passages
Pennsylvania
Association for
PASA’s 2nd Annual Summer Conference
Living Roots 24/7/365
Featuring Steve Groff
This event will feature leading no-till farmer and cover
crop-innovator Steve Groff
(Cover Crop Coaching), as
well as a team of soil health
experts and knowledgeable
sponsors. PASA’s Summer
Conference will offer practical soil health insights for
both experienced and beginning farmers, with particular
relevance for diversified vegetable and dairy farmers.
daTe/TIMe
Thursday, July 28
from 4:00-8:00pm
(Dinner included)
Friday, July 29
from 7:30am–5:00pm
(Coffee, snacks and
lunch included)
lOCaTION
Building 13, West Potter st
Grange Campgrounds
Centre Hall, PA 16828
2
COST
Friday:
$60 members
$75 Non-members
Thursday:
Add-on $25 per person
For more information:
pasafarming.org/sumcon
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Thank you to Our Sponsors
Organic Valley / CROPP Cooperative
Agri-Dynamics
MidAtlantic Farm Credit / AgChoice
King’s AgriSeeds
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
Simple Soil Solutions
Thorvin
PaSabilities Scholarship Fund Sponsor
• Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative
IN THIS ISSUe
Passages is a publication of the Pennsylvania Association for sustainable Agriculture (PAsA). The eAT section is designed to provide current and
practical information on topics that matter to food system advocates, businesses, organizations and home-scale growers such as business profiles, and production techniques, along with seasonal recipes and ways to support our community.
7
PASA news
4
Message from the Interim Executive Director
Ted LeBow talks about PASA’s future and the role of
humans as pollinators.
Flip it! — Be sure to check the GROW (G) section on the other
side for the following PASA News:
4G Message from the Board
Scott Case, Chair of the Board of Directors, introduces PASA’s Interim Executive Director and outlines plans for the Executive Director search.
4G Letter from the Editor
Editor, Michele Spencer, talks about the new format,
goals, and future plans for Passages.
6G PASA Program News & Updates
PASA welcomes a new Annual Giving Manager, the
SOIL Institute continues to expand and educate, businesses raise money for PASA through the Ways to
Give Program and the 4th Annual Dairy Dash is on!
Enticing Butterflies and Bees to the ’Burbs:
Evolution of an Aspiring Pollinator Gardener
A backyard gardener learns to incorporate pollinator
friendly native plants, starting from the ground up.
9
Native Plants Provide Benefits and Beauty
Native plants provide better habitat for native insects,
including pollinators — resources for native plants in PA.
10 Spotlight on Apoidea Apiary:
Founder and beekeeper, Christina Joy Neumann, talks
about her “studio + apiary of creative engagement
focused on developing deeper understanding of ecological
balances…”
12 Featured Seasonal Recipe:
Roseaceae Compote
This honey-sweetened compote is made with simple
ingredients inspired by the Rose Family, Roseaceae.
Departments
13 Volunteer & Give
Learn about PASA’s rewarding programs and how you
can contribute to fostering sustainable agriculture.
Features
5
Fighting Garden Pests without Resorting
to Backyard Chemical Warfare
With effort and creativity, you can protect your prize
garden, feed family and friends with the harvest, and
maybe even win a ribbon at this year’s fair, all without
compromising any personal ethics.
on the Cover
The snetsinger Butterfly
Garden at Tom Tudek
memorial Park in state
College, PA. This diverse
ecosystem hosts more
than 30 resident species
of butterflies, and some
90 species of native
plants serve as caterpillar
hosts and provide nectar
for adult butterflies.
14 Join the PASA Family
Your contributions make it possible for PASA to provide
innovative education, marketing and advocacy programs,
enabling viable farming systems that provide healthy food
to our communities.
15 Welcome, New Members!
PASA loves to welcome new members to the family.
Check out the people and businesses who have joined
since April.
Flip it! — Be sure to check the GROW (G) section on the other
side for the following PASA Departments:
16G Job Board & Classifieds
18G Upcoming Events
See article on page 7
3
FrOM THe dIreCTOr
A message from Ted LeBow, interim executive Director
As I temporarily take over the
reins here at PASA as Interim
Executive Director, I wanted to
say a few words about the future
that our community is heading
towards.
I find it fitting that the theme
of this Passages issue is on pollinators. It’s a good metaphor for what
we as a community need to be
doing right now — furthering the
cross pollination of ideas, information and insight.
At PASA, we have been focused on a major internal transition over the past couple of years. The goal has been to be in the
best possible position to provide the initiatives that will both
facilitate and promote sustainable food systems. Now, the first
fruits of this transition are emerging.
Our latest initiative, the SOIL Institute (Strategic Outreach
for Innovation and Leadership), gives farmers access to the education, training and on-farm research they need today to run
and develop the sustainable farms of tomorrow. Part of this
process includes collaboration among farmers as well as educational programming and outreach that will bring together consumers, farmers, businesses and organizations, so they can
network and exchange ideas about locally sourced foods and
sustainable agriculture.
It is one of our biggest, boldest steps to date.
But, while the progress is exciting, there is much still to do,
and to do it there is an underlying call to action that we need to
keep in mind.
For our community and PASA to grow and have a real
impact, each of us needs to see ourselves as human pollinators
— catalysts for change, innovation and learning. I’m not just
talking about the PASA farmers, but all of our members — the
small businesses, the organizations, the backyard gardeners, the
friends and the donors. The strength of our sustainable farming
ADVeRTIsemeNT
4
network and its ability to drive innovation depend on this unity,
collaboration and the healthy exchange of ideas.
It is how we got this far, and it is what will propel us into a
healthy future. Over the years, we have built a vibrant network
that not only provides internal support and education to its
members but also reaches out to the communities at large. This
came about even against impossible odds and in the face of
numerous obstacles that have challenged our ideals.
Whether it is legislation, new technologies, lack of public
awareness or the threat of alternative approaches, the only way
to keep this community and the ideals that drive it flourishing is
through continued education, unity and collaboration. The lasting power of connecting people and pollinating each other
through healthy thought, discussion and action are what will
ultimately help us to stay true to our vision of sustainable farming systems, healthy food and a clean environment. I am confident the PASA community will pollinate the farmers that will
feed us in the future.
— Ted LeBow, Interim Executive Director
ADVeRTIsemeNT
every gardener’s nemesis,
a garden slug.
Fighting Garden Pests without
resorting to Backyard Chemical Warfare
Article and photos by Jamie oberdick
S
o you head out to your garden, feeling proud of your efforts and looking forward to a spring, summer
and fall of delicious fresh food from the
produce section that’s in your very own
backyard or neighborhood community
garden. But, your heart sinks just a little
— you have garden pests.
Oh no! Leaves and/or vegetables are
full of holes or, to your horror, entire
sections of plants are just gone. So,
what to do — do you have to resort to
chemical warfare?
The good news is you don’t have to
douse your garden with commercial nonorganic pesticides. All you need is some
effort and creativity, and you can protect
your prize garden, feed family and friends
with the harvest, and maybe even win a
ribbon at this year’s fair, all without compromising any personal ethics.
You really can fight an organic fight
with the six-legged (or multi-legged or
no-legged) creatures in your garden.
Slugs, cabbage worms, aphids, Japanese
beetles, flea beetles, tomato hornworms,
cucumber beetles, etc. all can do a number on your garden, from chewing holes
in the leaves to spreading disease (I’ve lost
cucumber plants to disease spread by
cucumber beetles). The initial bit of
advice for the organic gardener is being
vigilant. If at all possible, do a daily check
of your garden for anything that seems
unusual, such as yellowing leaves, missing
leaves, holes, etc.
If you see anything unusual, check
around the plants to see if you can find
any pests, and then identify them. I recommend taking a photo of the insect and
researching it online if you can’t figure
out what bug you are looking at. Once
you do, then you take the next steps to
stop the attack on your garden.
The easiest solution for many insects is
hand picking. Take a small bucket or plastic cup of soapy water out to the garden,
and drop slugs, Japanese beetles, stink
bugs, tomato hornworms and other larger
pests into the water to kill them.
Other insects, such as flea beetles,
cucumber beetles, aphids, etc. are too
small and numerous for hand control, so
in this case, you can use a homemade
organic pesticide. There seem to be hundreds of recipes online, but I’ve found the
ones on Mother Earth News to be effective. When using homemade stuff, keep in
mind there may be some trial and error in
finding one that works best for your garden. Plus, you need to reapply any homemade treatment after a rain.
If you don’t feel like making your own,
there are plenty of organic pesticides on
the market. Anything with pyrethrum, a
natural insecticide made from a type of
chrysanthemum, works well. Neem oil,
which doubles as a fungicide, works well
against a variety of pests as well. There are
also dry application organic pesticides,
such as diatomaceous earth and even talcum powder that both instantly kill pests
and prevent them from returning.
A very important point to remember
is the fact that organic doesn’t equal perfectly safe, so keep any pesticide out of the
reach of pets and children. Remember,
some deadly poisons like ricin are 100
percent organic. And whatever you spray,
make sure you apply any pesticide at
times when it is not windy and in the
evening to cut down as much as possible
on collateral damage such as killing
pollinators.
If you don’t want to use any pesticides,
you can encourage predators to help you.
Unless they nest on your house, don’t kill
off wasps. They are an effective predator
against a variety of insects. Also, if you
don’t like snakes, get over it — garter
5
snakes can wipe out a population of slugs
and hornworms. Frogs and toads are garden friends, and if you have chickens or
ducks, they can be very effective pest
predators. Finally, insects such as assassin
bugs, praying mantises and ladybugs
really are good at keeping bad bugs in
check.
Other pesticide-free insect prevention
includes rotating crops to prevent disease
and pests like nematodes from establishing themselves, and ensuring all plant
debris is removed from the garden at the
end of the season. A variety of pests can
overwinter in plant matter, as can certain
diseases. You can also use floating row
covers that cover the ground around the
plants and are great for preventing flea
beetle attacks.
Finally, don’t throw away any veggies
with some insect holes in them. Believe it
or not, new research indicates that these
may be more nutritious!
Damage to potato leaves by flea beetles, and if you look closely, you can see the culprits.
ADVeRTIsemeNT
6
ADVeRTIsemeNT
enticing Butterflies
and Bees to the ’Burbs:
Evolution of an Aspiring
Pollinator Gardener
Article and photos by mary Janzen
Slow Start
I got my first — and present — small yard in a suburban
development at age 35, having previously been a renter. The
yard was a freshly graded blank canvas. I was totally clueless
about plant selection.
I took a community class on growing perennials and
learned some good fundamentals — sun vs. shade, consideration of size, shape, and color, and planning for blooms
throughout the season.
I always had in my head that I wanted a yard that is “good
for wildlife,” but had no concrete grasp of what that might
entail. Various times, I went to a nursery and asked about
plants good for wildlife, but for the most part, their expertise
in this area did not seem to far outstrip my own.
Nevertheless, by hit and miss, by four years ago, I had
planted a handful of plants beneficial to pollinators.
young Cousin Lights a Spark
That was when the middle school-aged son of my cousin visited from several hours away. He was so enthusiastic about
butterflies, and timed his visit with his dad to attend a pollinator event at the Snetsinger Butterfly Garden in Tudek Park
in Ferguson Township where I reside, a suburb of State College. I had no idea such a garden existed in my own town.
They had to explain to me where it was.
I learned that not only does this pollinator paradise exist,
but that local experts conducted a series of free in-garden
talks for anyone who showed up. I attended as many of these
as I could and learned a great deal.
It turns out the importance of attracting and helping pollinators goes way beyond “butterflies are pretty.” Butterfly/
moth population is an indicator of general environmental
health, as these fragile creatures are the first to suffer when a
natural habitat breaks down.
While honey bees, native to Europe, get lots of press, the
numerous species of native bees actually do a hefty job of
pollinating not only native plants but also human food crops.
Lifelong Learning
During my now-boosted information quest, a book was
highly recommended, Bringing Nature Home by scientist
Douglas Tallamy. This was one of the most eye-opening
books I have ever read and it has had a lasting impact on my
gardening practices.
Now that I had caught the pollinator gardening “bug,”
I sought out other opportunities to learn more in the Centre
Region. I was able to attend free native plant and pollinator
talks at events including the Shaver’s Creek Native Plant
Festival, Centre County Master Gardener Garden Fair and
Plant Sale and Ag Progress Days.
As a person who loves to conduct research, I discovered
a number of valuable online resources. One I consult repeatedly is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native
Plant Database. You enter the name of a plant and get a
photo, characteristics, list of states it is native to, species it is
a host of, and value to bees.
The Xerces Society provides downloadable regional pollinator-friendly plant lists. They also publish books on pollinator conservation.
The Butterflies and Moths of North America website provides regional checklists and a profile of each species.
native Plant Sources (the Hard Part)
Annual regional plant sales: The top source of native pollinator-friendly plants I have found — which I always greatly
anticipate — is a series of annual sales held on consecutive
May Saturdays by several different organizations in my area.
Many natives are featured, the plants are in good shape since
they have not been shipped anywhere, and you can talk to
the growers in person and learn more about the plants.
nurseries: I have discovered that all the nurseries in my
area carry at least some native plants, although I have alltoo-frequently met with frustration when I learn about a
plant that’s beneficial and then can’t find it sold anywhere.
7
When I purchase a native plant, I make sure to say, “Thank you
so much for carrying native plants!”
online/mail order: Ironically, in many cases, I find that the
only source of pollinator-friendly plants native to Pennsylvania
that I have been seeking is to order from out-of-state specialized
nurseries.
Current Goal: Become a
Certifiable, er, Certified Pollinator Gardener
Various programs exist to put gardeners on the right track with
creating a pollinator-friendly yard through a certification
process.
Closest to my home is the Penn State Ag Sciences Pollinator
Garden Certification program. That’s what I’ve been striving
toward the last several years, by gradually converting areas of
turfgrass to native plantings. I believe I have met the criteria to
be certified, but I keep thinking I can make a better showing.
For now, future certification is my motivational “carrot.”
To avoid becoming overwhelmed with making your yard pollinator-friendly, I recommend my gradual approach of de-grassing and planting a small, manageable patch each year.
In the words of a leading lawn care company’s junk mail that
I clipped out — evidently meant as a dire warning — “Something other than grass may be emerging from your lawn.”
A calico aster I first discovered as a tiny volunteer in my lawn and
transplanted to a flower bed. It is a fall-blooming magnet for native
bees that lasts until early November.
opposite page: A light bulb moment for me was reading that I could
plant favored nectar plants of an adult butterfly close to its caterpillar
host plant on which it would deposit eggs, such as these swamp
milkweeds and two types of blazing stars planted together to entice
monarchs.
A tiger swallowtail feeds on Joe-Pye weed, a tall midsummer-blooming
nectar plant that also attracts other butterflies such as monarchs and
spring azures, as well as bees.
BeST PraCTICeS
• Plan for blooms from spring through
fall.
• Plant both caterpillar host plants and
nectar plants.
• Group plants of the same color, so
pollinators can spot them from above.
• Provide a shallow water source.
• Delay leaf cleanup and cutting down
flower stalks till spring.
• Avoid pesticides.
My TOP 10 NaTIve FlOWerS
• anise hyssop
• blazing star
• calico aster
• cardinal flower
• coneflower
• goldenrod
• Joe-Pye weed
• milkweed
• mountain mint
• wild bergamot
BraNCH OUT BeyONd FlOWerS
Who knew that trees support the most
butterfly and moth species, compared to
flowers? Not the former unenlightened
me. Trees native to the northeast that
support the most pollinator species are
oak, willow and cherry.
8
native Plants Provide Benefits and Beauty
The native Link — According to the
Pennsylvania Native Plant Society, it’s not
about just planting natives. It is about
maintaining and preserving ecological
balance — a balance that has been interrupted by development of all sorts. It is
about a nursery industry that has reduced
the regional plant palette to a small number of mostly non-native plants. The
advantage these non-natives offered was
that they had no pests here. The disadvantage is that they had no pests here. They
provide no habitat or food for native
insects including pollinators.
Native plants are adapted to local conditions and often easier to grow and less
susceptible to challenging conditions than
non-native plants. Easier can mean less
watering, less fertilizing, and — when you
trade a spot of grass for a native ground
cover — less mowing and leaf blowing.
Native plants are also essential links in
the life cycle of many insects, birds, and
other animals. The more native plants in
your yard, neighborhood and community,
the healthier your ecosystem, and the
more likely you’ll attract birds and
wildlife to your yard.
Getting Started — Swap out some of
those ornamental plants with native
plants. You don’t have to go completely
native. Just including a few natives into
your landscape will help the ecology.
Follow the 3:2:1 principal — 3 perennials, 2 bushes, 1 tree — and you are well on
your way to helping the ecology.
Tips — Replace a forsythia with a Spicebush (Lindera benzoin). It gets yellow
flowers in the spring and red berries in
the fall, and is the only plant the Spicebush Swallowtail will lay eggs on. Instead
of a flowering crabapple tree, plant a service berry (Amelanchier arborea or laevis).
It gets white flowers early spring and
berries in the fall.
All in all, natives can be less demanding of resources — Mother Earth’s and
yours!
What’s Happening with Pollinators and
Why Should We Care?
The Facts on Pollinators
According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)…
• Bees, bats, birds, and other pollinators, increase global food production
by 87 percent.
• 80 percent of all flowering plant
species (i.e., one third of the world’s
food crops) reproduce with the help of
pollinator animals like bees, butterflies, birds, and more.
• Crops that depend on pollinators
include tomatoes, pepper, strawberries, coffee, apples, carrots, almonds,
cocoa, and thousands of others.
• Threats to pollinator populations
include land-use change and pesticide
use to monoculture agriculture and
climate change.
• Pollinator populations are declining
worldwide.
• Without pollinators, most plants
could not produce fruits and seeds,
and agricultural biodiversity would
suffer.
How you can Help
According to the U.S. Forest Service,
individuals can help by…
• Planting native species. Pollinators
have evolved alongside native plants,
so they are best adapted to feed on
these species. Non-native plants often
don’t have enough nectar or pollen.
• Avoiding the use of chemicals. Use
compost as a natural fertilizer, weed
by hand, and look for non-chemical
treatment methods to take care of pest
infestations.
Did you know?
• Insects are the main course for 99 percent of Pennsylvania’s native terrestrial
bird babies.
• An oak tree can support more than five
times as many species of moths and butterflies, among other insects, compared
to a Bradford Pear — a common ornamental non-native.
• Follow the 3:2:1 principal — 3 perennials, 2 bushes, 1 tree — and you are well
on your way to helping the ecology!
This information was provided by the
PA Native Plant Society, an all volunteer,
member-based non-profit organization
advocating conservation of native plants
and their habitats and promoting the
increased use of native plants in the
landscape. More information and a list
of sources for obtaining native plants
is available on the website:
panativeplantsociety.org
• Providing a welcoming environment. When planting your garden,
arrange each species in large patches
so that pollinators can forage more
efficiently. Avoid the use of weed
cloth or heavy mulch, as many native
bee species nest underground. Provide
habitat for pollinators by making piles
of branches to attach chrysalises or
cocoons. Leave stumps, rotting logs,
and fallen organic material for nesting
bees. Let dead or dying trees remain
standing for woodpeckers.
• Educating your community. Share
what you know about pollinator
health and encourage schools, businesses, and public parks to make their
green spaces pollinator-friendly.
Source:
Furbank, L. and Nierenberg, D. (2016, June
14). Protecting Pollinators Around the
World. Retrieved June 30, 2016, from
http://foodtank.com/news/2016/06/protecting-pollinators-around-the-world
9
Spotlight on Apoidea Apiary:
An interview with Christina Joy Neumann, RA LEED AP: founder +
beekeeper, apoidea apiary llc
Christina Joy Neumann, founder of
Apoidea Apiary, refers to her business as
“a studio + apiary of creative engagement
focused on developing deeper understanding of ecological balances required to provide diverse feed and shelter to beneficial
bee species.”
During our attempts to catch up with
Christina for this interview, the 30–60
hives she manages in the Pittsburgh area
were keeping her buzzing. Lucky for us, she
was able to take time between running the
business and caring for her hives to answer
some questions about what she does and
why she does it.
it’s all in the (superfamily) name
According to Christina, “The name
apoidea was chosen for the apiary as this
word is the scientific name for the entire
diverse bee superfamily, reflecting our
desire to be inclusive of all bee species
that benefit humans and the natural
world in which we live.”
She points out that, to date, entomologists have documented more than 22,000
bees in nine distinct families: Andrenidae,
Apidae, Colletidae, Dasypodaidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, Meganomiidae,
Melittidae, Stenotritidae.
“While the honey bee (Apis mellifera)
is of utmost importance to industrial agriculture, credit should be due to many
other native bees (and pollinators, for that
matter) that also provide services to both
cultivated crops and the broader ecology.
For instance, studies of the Blue Orchard
Mason Bee (Osmia lignaria) done in netted orchards show that 250 female
orchard mason bees can pollinate apples
as effectively as 50,000 honey bees.”
Christina puts her niece to work at her primary urban apiary located in Cherry City at
a house that’s been in her family for five generations. Photo by Richard Neumann
10
True art of the honey bee
Apoidea specializes in “artisanal honey
products,” including infusions made with
organic herbs such as lavender and rose-
mary. The quality of her products is
reflected in Christina’s passion for bees
and the crafting of honey. In 2015, with
Christina’s Rosemary Infused Dark
Knotweed Honey, Apoidea won a Good
Food Award and was one of only 12
apiaries from almost 1,500 entries in the
inaugural honey category to win via
blind tasting.
“Honey bees are true artisans who delicately craft seasonal floral nectars to make
honey. Apoidea seeks to deepen understanding of this amazing process cultivated by deep mutualism between flora +
bee and bee + beekeeper,” says Christina.
But, she points out, there is more to her
business than keeping up with the bees.
A beekeeping business and beyond
“Running Apoidea means not just being
an urban beekeeper managing 30–60
hives in metro Pittsburgh but also coordinating raw honey processing, infusing,
bottling, labeling, sales and any design
work needed for the website or products.
The herbal honey is solar and renewableenergy infused to keep good control of
herb intensity. The tags on our glass Muth
For instance, studies of the Blue Orchard Mason
Bee (Osmia lignaria) done in netted orchards show
that 250 female orchard mason bees can pollinate
apples as effectively as 50,000 honey bees.
jar products are all meticulously beaded
and hung on the bottles by hand.”
Above all her duties, Christina’s focus
remains on the health of her hives and
ensuring the bees have the food they need
for survival.
“We are about as small batch as it gets
right now, processing 2,000–4,000 pounds
of honey annually. This business is not
simply about selling honey as a commodity. It is about using the wonderful sensory nature of honey as a starting point to
create appreciation and deeper love for
bee species. Once empathy is created, it is
much easier for people to see the value in
making land-use decisions that benefit
bees at many scales, from small residential
backyard native flower patches to munici-
pal parklands and school recreation
zones.”
in the beginning…
Perhaps surprisingly, Christina did not
start out as a beekeeper. She attended
Carnegie Mellon University, where she
studied architecture with a focus in sustainable design. In 2003, as a result of
winning a young architects award, she
received the opportunity to work with
Janine Benyus, co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute and author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.
From there, Christina’s focus shifted.
“My investigations were in keystone
species, which are creatures that provide
such essential services to a healthy ecol-
ADVeRTIsemeNT
• Bike tours and pickups at Apoidea Apiary are encouraged during daylight hours. Those who come to the apiary on bike get a 10 percent discount.
• As Apoidea Apiary grows, Christina is actively seeking
and interviewing interns with an interest in sustainable
apiary management and marketing for the fall of 2016.
Contact Christina at [email protected].
• You can keep up with Christina and her beekeeping
adventures by following teeteebeezie on Instagram!
11
ogy that the systems would fail without
their presence,” she says. “I studied coral,
termites and bees. The bees won out as
longer-term design mentors because they
just were the best at making delicious
food that we humans enjoy. So, my connection to bees began from the perspective of their important role as pollinators,
but my love of the miraculous nature of
honey crafting became a passion.”
From 2008–2009, Christina worked
as a commercial beekeeper with the Volcano Island Honey Company on the Big
Island of Hawaii, where she was able put
her combined education in architecture,
sustainable design and biomimicry to
good use.
“As it turned out, I was a great fit for
this QAI [Quality Assurance International] organic certified apiary that kept
around 300-400 hives and worked in all
aspects of running an apiary with a more
holistic sustainability focus, from beekeeping to bottling,” says Christina.
“Honey crafting takes a lot of dedication
and patience, so having mentors both in
Western Pennsylvania and Hawaii that
have worked in the field for 30–40 years
has been invaluable knowledge.”
on climate and the constant
of change
One thing that’s apparent is there’s
never a dull moment for Christina and
her bees. “My favorite thing about being
a beekeeper is that constant sense of
wonder created on a daily basis when
working with these plant and insect creatures,” she says. “I try to convey these
little notes of amazement in frequent
posts to Instagram.”
She is particularly focused on continuing to develop her knowledge around the
correlation between bloom timing and
hive activity, especially in the weeks leading up to “peak swarm season” in the
spring. “Knowing how to anticipate these
natural cycles after years of experience
helps keep the hives as calm and productive as possible through many varying
seasonal conditions.”
Such natural cycles aren’t the only
elements adding layers of complexity to
her work. “The unpredictability of climate
change is definitely making it more
important to pay attention to what constitutes ‘average’ or ‘normal’ seasonal conditions, as well, to predict bee management
timing,” she said.
But all these challenges and variables
only serve to fuel Christina’s passion.
“In general, when it comes to constantly
learning to identify plants and bees, the
natural world is one big quiz game to me,
and I am not sure how anyone can be
bored with life who sees it that way.”
If Christina could stress one point
about Apoidea Apiary to the population
at large, it would be with regard to its
deeper purpose and meaning.
“Apoidea’s symbol is a blue bee on a
lotus,” she says. “This symbol is a representation of the ‘nectar-born’ creation
god, Vishnu, dating back in Hindu
mythological record to the Rig-Veda
(2000–3000 B.C.E.). Per The Sacred Bee
[in Ancient Times and Folklore] by Hilda
Ransome, ‘the lotus flower is an ancient
symbol of life, of resurrection, of Nature,
whose power slumbers until the warmth
and light of the sun calls it to life.’ In general, bees and flora have been an evolutionary co-creative force in ecological
diversity for over 90–100 million years.”
Apoidea is a working urban apiary that
can be visited by appointment, usually on
Thursdays or Fridays.
apoidea-apiary.com
roseaceae Compote
This honey-sweetened compote is made with simple ingredients inspired by the Rose Family, Roseaceae. This plant family
includes many of our common staple crops that are heavily dependent upon bees for good fruit-set including peaches, raspberries, blackberries, apricots, loquats, apples, pears, quinces, plums, cherries, strawberries, almonds and rose hips. The ingredients
in this recipe should be locally available in Pennsylvania around mid-July. Recipe and photo provided by Christina Joy Neumann.
ingredients
1½ Tbsp Apoidea’s damiana rose elixir infused honey
2 cups ripe organic peaches in natural juices
1 cup ripe organic raspberries and/or blackberries
seeds scraped from one vanilla bean
instructions
Place honey, vanilla bean seeds, fruit and natural fruit juices in a small
saucepan and bring to medium heat.
once starting to bubble, lower the heat and mash the fruit to blend
with the honey.
Continue cooking over medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes. stir often
to prevent burn on the sides or bottom of pan.
Remove from heat and transfer to a clean jar or container to cool
thoroughly. store in the fridge for up to 4 days. serve chilled or
reheated depending upon preference.
This compote pairs well with mid-summer brunch or dessert foods such
as scones, greek yogurt, chocolate waffles, ice cream, etc.
12
vOlUNTeer & GIve
PASA recognizes how important our volunteer base is to
our operations, and we invite you to get involved! We often
need volunteers at events, in our various offices, aiding with
special events and more. If you want to learn more about
any of the opportunities listed below, visit
pasafarming.org/get-involved or call 814-349-9856.
Volunteer your skills and time
Whether you are able to help with PASA events, general office
work or have a professional skill or service you would like to
offer, volunteering your time is one of the best ways to learn
more about PASA and to get to know our staff and members.
Promote your business through the
Ways to Give Program
PASA’s Ways to Give Program provides opportunities for businesses and organizations to promote their business while
actively supporting PASA. Some organizations have donated a
percentage of sales during a promotional period, while others
have hosted events that integrate fun activities and sustainable
farming. In a variety of ways as unique and creative as the
organization itself, many have helped PASA through the Ways
to Give Program, raising awareness of both their culture of giving and the issues around sustainable agriculture. These events
help to promote participating organizations and offer great
experiences to their supporters. Read about the Ways to Give
Program in action in PASA Program News & Updates on page 6
of the Grow section of this publication.
Sponsor a fundraiser or event
Join the Good Food neighborhood®
PASA’s Good Food Neighborhood is a growing community of
people who care about sustainable food systems. Whether
searching for local foods, attending local events, buying directly
from a local farmer or market or getting involved in food policy/advocacy, the entire community’s involvement in the local
foods movement is vital to the sustainability of farms. All are
welcome to be part of this community.
make a contribution and
become part of the PASA family
Your contributions make it possible for PASA to provide innovative education, marketing and advocacy programs to our
members and the general public, enabling viable farming systems that provide healthy food to our communities. PASA’s
Annual Giving structure is intended to be inclusive and reduce
barriers, so all contributors have a meaningful role within the
organization. You may visit the website or use the form on page
14 of this publication to become a member, extend your membership or simply make a financial contribution.
Help build the SoiL institute
to enhance research and education
PASA’s SOIL Institute (Strategic Outreach for Innovation and
Leadership) involves three core elements: Farmer Training and
Development, Farmer-to-Farmer Exchange and Farm-Based
Research. For nearly 25 years, PASA has led the way in organizing efforts to meaningfully improve food systems. To bring real
change, we need to train a new generation of farmers, advance
innovative practices for better farmland stewardship and effectively communicate our achievements to customers, neighbors
and policymakers. With the dual intention of improving agricultural soils while growing a community of innovators and leaders
for a sustainable future, the SOIL Institute seeks to increase
PASA’s impact toward a better and healthier state of agriculture.
Sponsorship support is critical to PASA core programs and special events. It affords the luxury of executing top-quality events
by helping to underwrite expenses. Sponsorship is available for a
wide range of PASA events, including the annual Farming for
the Future Conference, Farm-Based Education and much more,
with options growing annually.
Leave an agricultural legacy
through Planned Giving & Bequests
There are a variety of ways to make a lasting contribution
toward strong regional farms and agriculture and to ensure
healthy, local food for generations to come. You can make a
financial commitment from your will, living trust or other estate
plans. A bequest translates your commitment to conservation
into a lasting legacy.
Contribute to the Scholarship or Legacy fund
Consider lending extra support to these two PASA funds. Arias
M. Brownback Scholarship Fund enables young and beginning
farmers to attend the annual Farming for the Future Conference.
Shon Seeley Legacy Fund for Sustainable Farming Education
supports educational programs on dairy and beef farming, grazing, value-added processing and more.
Contribute to Passages
PASA is seeking professional writing, photography and
original artwork to ensure Passages continues to be a
formative journal in the field of sustainable agriculture,
benefitting members and readers of varied backgrounds
and geographic locations. If you feel you have a contribution to make in the form of an idea for content or a future
submission of your work, please send an email introduction, along with your ideas for contributing and two to
three samples of your work to [email protected].
We look forward to hearing from you!
13
Annual Giving Form
make a Contribution & Become Part of the PASA Family
Please complete and return this portion to: PAsA, Po Box 419 millheim, PA 16854
or join online at pasafarming.org/join
Giving Levels
Primary Contact Information
For Households (including individuals, families, farm families)
Supporter
Name
contribution of $1 or more
Company/Farm
$25
$50
$100
other ....................... $ —
$250
Address
Full Member
Select one:
Home
Work
$50
$100
$250
other ..................... $ —
$500
Lifetime Member
State
ZIP
contribution of $1,400 or more
$1400
City
other ...................................................................... $ —
For Businesses
Farm Business Member
County
Phone
Select one:
Home
Work
Mobile
Email
$100
$200
$350
$500
other ................... $ —
$500
other ................... $ —
Web Address
Non-Profit Business Member
$150
$200
$350
For-Profit Business Member
About You
Are you farming?
YES
NO If yes, how many acres?
$200
$300
$400
$500
other ................... $ —
Permanent Business Partner
How did you learn about PASA?
What best describes you?
contribution of $3,000 or more
$3,000
other .................................................................... $ —
Additional Special Fund Contributions
Arias M. Brownback Scholarship Fund ............................. $ —
Shon Seeley Legacy Fund ..................................................... $ —
TOTAL
$
For Supporter & Full Memberships — list names & emails of those in your
household, including children (ages 14–26).
Please use additional paper to list names.
PASA Mission Statement: Promoting profitable farms that produce healthy
food for all people while respecting the natural environment. By becoming a
member of PASA, you are agreeing to support PASA in this endeavor.
Card No.
Additional Members
For Businesses — list names & emails of employees, interns & apprentices.
Payment Information
Check enclosed Payable to PASA
Aspiring Grower
Beginning Grower
Experienced Grower
Food/Ag Business or Organization
Consumer
Credit Card Complete below
Visa
Name
Email
Name
MC
Disc
Email
CVV Code
Exp. Date
Billing ZIP Code
Name
Cardholder Name
Email
Signature
14
PASA is a registered 501(c)3 organization and contributions are tax exempt. The official registration and financial
information of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
WelCOMe, NeW PaSa MeMBerS
PASA’s Staff and Board of Directors would like to welcome the following new members who joined from late April to June 23, 2016.
neW BuSineSS
LeVeL memBerS
Blackberry Hills Farm
Clearville, PA
Border Springs Farm
Patrick Springs, VA
Four Paws Farm
& Vineyard
West Decatur, PA
French Creek Organic
Cider Orchard LLC
West Chester, PA
Jubilee Hilltop Ranch
Roaring Spring, PA
Nectar Restaurant
Berwyn, PA
Mary & Christian Faranda
Hollsopple, PA
Keelboat Farms LLC
McDonald, PA
Ohio Ecological Food &
Farm Association
Columbus, OH
Robin Rex
Bloomsburg, PA
Lamppost Farm
Columbiana, OH
Philly Foodworks
Philadelphia, PA
Buena Vista Farms
Winfield, PA
Friends & Farmers
Cooperative
State College, PA
Liberty Hill Farm
Halifax, PA
Centric Bank
Harrisburg, PA
Harvest Valley Farms
Valencia, PA
Mad Dog Farm
Bloomsburg, PA
Hoffman Appalachian
Farm
Saint Marys, PA
Meadowburn Farm
Shreveport, LA
neW FuLL LeVeL
memBerS
National Sustainable
Agriculture Coalition
Washington, D.C.
Emily Daggett
Quincy, MA
Della Terra Italian Bistro
Harmony, PA
Dove Song Dairy
Bernville, PA
Janoski Farms Inc.
Clinton, PA
Fair Shake Environmental
Legal Services
Pittsburgh, PA
Wolf Environmental
Beaver Falls, PA
Jeff Edmunds
State College, PA
neW SuPPorTer
LeVeL memBerS
Robert Blasscyk
Pitman, NJ
Weichuan Dong
Kent, OH
Rebecca & Larry Flahart
Bethlehem, PA
Robin Harlan
Aaronsburg, PA
ADVeRTIsemeNT
15

Summer 2016

Transcription

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