sustainable food and farming systems
TRANSCRIPT
Serving the Community of Sustainable Farmers, Consumers and Businesses Throughout Pennsylvania and Beyond
Number 88 January/February 2011
Newsletter of thePennsylvaniaAssociation
for Sustainable Agriculture
PassagesSustainable Food and Farming Systems
PASA’s 20th Annual
Farming for the
Future ConferencePASA’s signature event — the Farm-
ing for the Future Conference was a
success in early February. Widely
regarded as the best sustainable
agriculture gathering in the East,
this diverse 4-day spectacular
brought together an audience of
over 2,000 from 31 states and 2
countries. Those in attendance
included over 242 scholarship recip-
ients, as well as over 900 farmers.
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Cover photos (clockwise from top left)
Leslie Zuck of PA Certified Organic & Common Ground Organic Farm puts onher farmer hat to teach a packed househow to trellis vegetables.
PASA Founder Tim Bowser gets somelaughs for his introduction of returningkeynoter Wes Jackson of The Land Institute.
Engines revved up for the Tractor Safety & Maintenance pre-conference track heldat Penn State’s Ag Arena.
Future Farmers felt farm friends for fun!PASA member Phylleri Ball leads the creative crew.
Attendees of the Soil Management &Assessment pre-conference track get acloser look at the building block of a healthy farm.
Passages STAFF & OFFICEEditor: Michele Gauger
BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident: Kim Seeley, Bradford County
Vice President: Rita Resick, Somerset CountySecretary: Mary Barbercheck, Centre County
Treasurer: Louise Schorn Smith, Chester CountyJerry Brunetti, Northampton County
Melanie Dietrich Cochran, Cumberland CountyJennifer Halpin, Cumberland County
John Hopkins, Columbia CountyJohn Jamison, Westmoreland County
Don Kretschmann, Beaver CountyChristopher Lent, Luzerne County
Jeff Mattocks, Dauphin CountySusan Miller, Chester County
Jamie Moore, Allegheny CountyBrian Moyer, Berks County
At-Large Board MembersDavid Bingaman, Dauphin County
Stephanie Ritchie, Maryland
PASA STAFFPASA HeadquartersPhone: 814-349-9856
Brian SnyderExecutive Director
Lauren SmithDirector of [email protected]
Carrie GillespieDevelopment [email protected]
Jean NajjarAuction Associate
Kristin HoyConference Manager/
BFBL Centre County Chapter Coordinator [email protected]
Michele GaugerDirector of Membership
Ted PaladaMember Communications Assistant
Rebecca RobertsonFarm Based Education Coordinator
Lisa DiefenbachHuman Resources Manager
Amy TaylorOffice & Conference Development Assistant
Susan Beal, DVMAg Science Advisor
Dan ZettleBookkeeping [email protected]
Matt SoccioInformation Technology Consultant
Community Outreach
Hannah SmithCommunity Outreach Coordinator
Southeast Regional OfficePhone: 610-458-5700
Marilyn AnthonySoutheast Regional Director
Denise SheehanMember Services Associate
Western Regional OfficePhone: 412-365-2985
Leah SmithMember Services Manager
Alissa MatthewsProgram Assistant for Marketing
Contributing Writers & Photographers
Lisa Diefenbach, Sarah Graham, Zach Hawkins, Kristin Hoy,Michelle Isham, Alissa Matthews, Brian Moyer, Kim Seeley, Lau-ren Smith, Leah Smith, Brian Snyder.
Conference Photo Credit: Pat Little
Note to our Readers — If you are moving, please contactPASA to update your mailing address. Several of our publica-tions are sent via bulk mail service, which is not forwarded viathe USPS. Contact [email protected] or call 814-349-9856 to make an update.
Do you have a great article idea for Passages? — Want toshare a farming practice with members? We’d love to hearfrom you. Please contact the newsletter staff at [email protected].
Reproduction of Newsletter Material — please contact thePASA office before reprinting or distributing materials con-tained in this newsletter.
Deadline for March/April 2011 Issue: March 11, 2011
Advertising Sales: Ted PaladaPASA office, [email protected]
Layout: C Factor
Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable AgricultureP.O. Box 419
Millheim PA 16854-0419Phone: (814) 349-9856 • Fax: (814) 349-9840
www.pasafarming.org
PASA’s Mission is…Promoting profitable farms which produce healthy food for
all people while respecting the natural environment.
PASA is an organization as diverse as the Pennsylvania land-scape. We are seasoned farmers who know that sustainability isnot only a concept, but a way of life. We are new farmers look-ing for the fulfillment of land stewardship. We are students andother consumers, anxious to understand our food systems andthe choices that must be made. We are families and children,who hold the future of farming in our hands. This is an organi-zation that is growing in its voice on behalf of farmers in Penn-sylvania and beyond. Our mission is achieved, one voice, onefarm, one strengthened community at a time.
Find Us on Facebook — Friend Us on Our New Facebook Page!
PASA is an Equal Opportunity Service Provider and Employer. Some grant fundingcomes from the USDA and complaints of discrimination should be sent to: USDAOffice of Civil Rights, Washington, DC 20250-9410.
Passages is printed on recycled paper
January/February 2011
3 PASA Plans Alfred Walker Institute
4 Conference Review
6 Director’s Corner
7 PASA Board Perspective
8 Conference Photos
13 Fundraising Update
14 Regional Marketing
16 Community Outreach
17 Food Alliance
18 PASA News
19 Membership Update
20 Miller’s Orchard
22 Farmer Profile: Green Meadow Farm
24 Understanding Federal Poultry Exemptions
27 The Grapevine
28 Classified Ads/Employment
30 Calendar
31 Membership Form
32 2011 Farming for the FutureConference Sponsors
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Promoting Farmer-to-Farmer Learning and Independent Research
During the recent conference PASA announced plans forthe Alfred Walker Institute for Agrarian Innovation
and Leadership. The Institute will function under the auspicesof PASA and initially encompass our existing educational pro-grams, which currently include on-farm field days, intensivelearning programs and one of the largest annual conferencesfocused on sustainable agriculture in the United States. Overtime, we plan a significant expansion of such services to ourmembers and others.
“It’s not our intention to ‘reinvent the wheel’ with theInstitute by attempting to operate independently of other edu-cational and research institutions in Pennsylvania, but to part-ner with them to provide an outlet for the good work they aredoing as well — something we have been noted for all throughthe two decades since the founding of the organization,” saidPASA Executive Director Brian Snyder. He added, “Throughthese critical programs, and the endowment we will puttogether, PASA’s core programs will never be in doubt in theyears ahead.”
The idea for the Institute began when husband-and-wifePASA members Connie Wenger and Al Walker noticed a lackof “farmer driven” educational initiatives operating independ-ent of government, universities and industry.
“We had a lot of knowledge to make decisions that otherpeople didn’t,” said Wenger, “and we saw so many farmersdesperately in need of education, so that when somebodydrives down their driveway with the next panacea or cure-allthey can make some assessment of it.”
After Walker’s untimely death in December 2008 fromcancer, Wenger approached Mr. Snyder with the idea to cre-ate an endowment fund to support the ongoing education offarmers. Snyder and Director of Development Lauren Smithconvened a planning committee, working from a list of namesWalker gave his wife before his death.
The list was comprised of some of the topleaders in Pennsylvania’s sustainable agricul-ture community: Mike Brownback (SpiralPath Farm), Jerry Brunetti (Agri-Dynam-ics), Bob Eberly (Eberly Poultry), Tina Ellor(Phillips Mushroom Farms), Edie and DavidGriffiths (Seven Stars Farm), Ned MacArthur
to address the practical needs of farmers through on-farmresearch and education, policy development and youth pro-gramming, with a special focus on farmer-to-farmer learning.
“Farmers in general — whether conventional, sustainableor organic — all need to sit in a room and share their ideas andsee what other people are doing,” said Wenger. “This is a wayfor farmers themselves to direct farming, and make farmingwhat it ought to be.”
The Walker Institute is named in honor of Wenger’s latehusband, a highly respected chemist who worked for DuPontand would work on technical reports for Pennsylvania Certi-fied Organic and the Organic Materials Review Institute overhis lunch hour. He was always focused on bringing farmers theexpertise they could ill-afford to gain elsewhere. The Institutein his honor will be built around the needs of farmers, high-lighting exemplary work being done in sustainable agriculture.It will also focus on providing tools and inspiration to the nextgeneration of farmers.
Ms. Wenger had a special reason for wanting to support aproject like this. “I almost couldn’t finish [college] because Iwas running out of money,” said Wenger. She explained howthe university chaplain found her a room in the house of a pro-fessor and his wife. After three months, Wenger approachedthem to ask the price of rent. Instead of requesting payment,they asked her to provide help for someone else in the future.
Wenger said, “When I told my husband this story when wegot married, he said, “Absolutely. That’s what we’ll do.” n
PASA Plans Alfred Walker Institute
(Natural Dairy Products Corporation), Dave Mattocks (Fer-trell Company), Reuben Stoltzfus (Lancaster Ag Products),Roman Stoltzfoos (Spring Wood Farm) and Emily BrownRosen (USDA National Organics Program).
The committee prepared a plan for programming that aims
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ple, soil, animals, communities) the waythey would want to be treated.
Mary-Howell commented, “Mostpeople invest vast amounts of time andeffort worrying about things they cannotcontrol. The lure of this is understand-able, because then when bad things hap-pen, they will never be your fault orresponsibility! But, it is far more valuableto invest your time, effort, and passioninto where you truly can have an impact
Sustainable Ag Leadership Award
This year’s Sustainable Ag LeadershipAward winners, Mary-Howell and KlaasMartens of Lakeview Organic Grainbased in Penn Yan, New York, plantedtheir first organic crop in 1992 (the yearof PASA’s first conference), a single fieldof wheat. Today they farm nearly 1,400acres of organic corn, soybeans, spelt,wheat, barley, oats, triticale, red kidneybeans and hay in addition to operating asuccessful seed and feed business.
“We do what we love to do,” saidMary-Howell Martens, who noted theimportance of building lasting relation-ships in their work. Writing in PASA’snewsletter Passages in 2008, the Martensdescribe an early encounter with sustain-able farming when talking with a groupof organic farmers near Pittsburgh: “theconcept really caught our imaginationbecause creating balanced cooperativepartnerships between farms and buyers,based on mutual respect, made so muchsense, long before the term ‘locavore’became popular.”
In their award acceptance speech, theMartens shared their philosophies regard-ing sustainability, as they highlightedtheir dedication to treating others (peo-
— the people and needs nearby. If every-one was committed to making the worlda more secure, happier, and fairer placefor just 10 people at any given time —and that includes providing good foodfor them, can you imagine how muchbetter the world would be?”
To learn more about the Martens andLakeview Organic Grain, visit lake-vieworganicgrain.com
Sustainable Ag Business Leader Award
Ned MacArthur, with his well-knownbrand Natural by Nature based in WestGrove, PA, is this year’s winner of theSustainable Ag Business Leader Award. “Ijust have always been farming,” saidMacArthur, who grew up on a farm,chasing his neighbors’ tractors until hewas old enough to drive one himself, andmilking dairy cows through high school.In 1994, MacArthur founded NaturalDairy Products Corporation with hisfather and four organic dairy farmers inLancaster County, PA, and established asystem to produce grass-fed organic milkindependent of the conventional, vol-ume-based milk industry.
“It’s the biggest honor I’ve ever got-ten,” said MacArthur of the award. “Ithink that the whole idea of getting thisaward is a reflection on the people whohelp me run the company, and my fam-ily. And the farmers — the farmers and Ihave stuck together through thick andthin.”
PASA-bilities Leadership Award Series
Every year we hear from numerous conference participants, both old and
new, in written evaluations and letters received following the conference that
people want to hear more from some of the true experts sitting with them in
the audience. The Farming for the Future Conference is one of the few events
held anywhere each year that is literally packed with sustainable leaders from
throughout Pennsylvania and, indeed, all across the country.
So, in celebrating the 20th anniversary of this amazing event, we brought a
new innovation to our conference this year that will take advantage of some of
the seasoned “star power” we enjoy among our members and close friends. In
the closing plenary session on Saturday we featured not one, but two speakers
who shared the platform as this year’s winners of our Sustainable Ag Leadership
Award as well as the Sustainable Ag Business Leader Award! These awards
honor those individuals and businesses that are the most notable sustainable
ag leaders and promoters in Pennsylvania and beyond.
According to executive director Brian Snyder, “The PASA community is filled
with leaders in sustainable agriculture. We’ve been giving these awards all
along, but this year, we’re bringing them into the spotlight.”
Mary-Howell and Klaas Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain in Penn Yan, New York were recipients ofPASA’s Sustainable Ag Leadership Award.
continued next page
Arias M. Brownback Scholarship recipient Julie Wahlenmayer shareswhat the conference means to her at dinner on Friday night. Thescholarship fund assisted over 67 individuals.
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recharged with the wisdom shared —there is certainly more to learn in a life-time than we have time for,” commentedMacArthur in his acceptance speech. “Iam truly honored by this recognition.”
To understand Ned’s philosophy, youneed to only look to Natural by Nature’smission statement, “To promote and sup-port organic farming and the sustainableuse of our natural resources. To producefoods that benefit consumers and farmersalike. To use the principles of grass based
dairy production as a means to improve thequality of our products, maximize thehealth of our cows and protect our water-sheds. To make a living for our families,based on these strongly held principles.”
To learn more about Natural byNature, visit natural-by-nature.com. n
Ned MacArthur of Natural by Nature was recipi-ent of the Sustainable Ag Business Leader Award.These awards honor those individuals and busi-nesses that are the most notable sustainable agleaders and promoters in Pennsylvania andbeyond.
PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS INCLUDE:
The Arias M. Brownback Scholarship FundArias M. Brownback was raised on his family’s farm in
western Perry County and from an early age expressed aninterest in farming. Heattended his first PASA confer-ence at the age of 18. Seeing fel-low farmers dedicated tosustainable practices was a greatinspiration to Arias. In hishonor, PASA established theArias M. Brownback MemorialScholarship Fund. Formed in2001, this memorial fund isintended to aid young and/or
developing farmers in reaching their full potential by help-ing them attend the Farming for the Future conference.The scholarship expresses PASA’s commitment to provid-ing educational opportunities for those wishing to learnsustainable agriculture techniques and methods regardlessof financial circumstances. PASA would like to thank allwho have contributed to the fund, furthering this vision
and dream. Through the generosity of our members andconference attendees, the Brownback Scholarship Fundcontinues to grow. This year, the scholarship fundawarded full or partial conference fees to 67 individuals(up from 56 last year).
Additional Conference FundingThe conference welcomed 120 individual farmers who
received funding support from the Southeast PA Agricul-ture Industry Partnership, an initiative of the ChesterCounty Workforce Investment Board and the ChesterCounty Economic Development Council (CCEDC), withgrant funds received from the Pennsylvania Department ofLabor and Industry. PASA would like to thank theCCEDC for providing funds targeted towards SoutheastPennsylvania farmers.
Each year we learn of more agencies and individualsoffering their own financial support to attendees, are hereare a few we wanted to acknowledge this year — the PennState School of Education supported 5 students; PASA’sWorkShare program benefited 32 individuals; FRESH-FARM Markets offered a $500 scholarship; and the His-toric Lewes Farmers Market in Delaware offered five $500scholarships.
Preston Boop
Tim Bowser
Terra & Mike Brownback
Hope & Roy Brubaker
Jerry Brunetti
Herbert Cole
Past Sustainable Ag Business Award Winners
Sustainable Ag Leadership Award Winners
Scholarships Support Many to Attend the Conference
Moie & Jim Crawford
Ron Gargasz
Sheri & Steve Groff
Paul Keene
Kim Miller
Anne & Eric Nordell
Cass Peterson & Ward Sinclair
Robert Rodale
Joel Salatin
Lucy & Roman Stoltzfoos
Kim Tait
Linda & Don Weaver
big Burrito Restaurant Group
East End Food Cooperative
The Fertrell Company
Kimberton Whole Foods
Lady Moon Farms
White Dog Café
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Change, it seems, is indeed relentless.It’s an idea that has the power to swingelections, first one way, then the other,and it’s a concept that most of the agri-cultural community absolutely worships,even to its own detriment. In fact, we aretold, time and time again, that if we resistsuch change, we have become the ene-mies — dangerous activists who wish toreturn agriculture to the days of 40 acresand a mule.
Aside from the fact that I would givemy left arm (I am right-handed) for fortyacres and a mule if offered it today, I amleft wondering just how inevitable all thechanges we have seen, and that mygrandfather witnessed going back nearlya hundred years, actually were, andwhether we are doomed to experiencingever-more-rapid change in the yearsahead as well.
For many people, the term “change” issynonymous with “progress.” But to me,the thought of experiencing some kind ofprogression implies that conscious,informed decisions are being made.Heck, there might even be some “wis-dom” involved in such a process! What Ilearned from my grandfather is thatchange for its own sake, coming withoutgood information, wisdom and consciouschoices, can in fact be quite…beastly.
When we look around today and seenot only the tragedy that has affected somany of our dairy farms, but also thespecter of new weeds carrying the samepesticide resistance as had been engi-neered into the crops they inhabit, thecontinuous loss of nutritional density incommoditized foods, the degradation ofsoils and sensitive watersheds by over-application of manure and synthetic fer-tilizers, just to name a few ill effects of theindustrial age in agriculture, it rapidlybecomes apparent that the beast hasbefallen us.
Against this kind of ongoing changewe must resist. But we must also repairmuch of the damage that has alreadybeen done. In the Bible, the word“repent” means literally to “turn back”— and it’s considered a good thing. n
changes in American agriculture and theway food typically arrives at our dinnertables. I recently had cause to think aboutthis sphere of change as well, especiallywith the passing just before Christmas ofmy grandfather at the age of ninety-eight.
He had been a farmer when I was veryyoung — a “sharecropper” (though heintensely hated that term) — until ahouse fire brought a sudden change offortune. After that he held local politicaloffice, and also worked for the USDA asan enumerator of agricultural statistics. Ispent much of my youth riding aroundwith him, all over northern Indiana, aswe collected data and generally becamewitnesses to the tremendous changes thatwere taking place in rural areas.
As we sat at kitchen tables, or under ashade tree, at each farmer’s house, firstexplaining “why the hell governmentneeds this information anyway,” then lis-tening to their stories of woe, my grand-father would listen thoughtfully, writingdown the facts he was sent there to col-lect, and then narrate to me between suchvisits the other impending changes hesaw coming.
He had in fact seen it coming for quitesome time. As a young man himself heworked on a wheat harvesting crew inwestern Kansas, laboring from sun-up tosundown to “feed the beast,” which onlyincidentally meant the massive threshingmachines of the day. Even then he couldsee that all the small operators were onborrowed time, because “efficiency” wasthe name of the game and the lives ofmen such as his were only means to thatend. His own body badly “bent” (as hedescribed it to me) and nearly broken, hehopped a freight train back east to theKansas City area, healed, got married,and kept moving east to Indiana, wherefarming was still done in a relatively sanefashion.
I was born when my grandfather wasforty-five years old, and forty-five yearsafter that I was living here in Pennsylva-nia, continuing his path back east, wherefarming was still done in a reasonableway. Since that time, however, I’ve seenthe number of dairy farms here plummetby more than a third, and so many farmssold off for development of some kindthat I realize it has just taken the effi-ciency “beast” of the Midwest most of acentury to fully make its arrival here in
A nother political season has passed,and once again “change” is a key
word on the lips of the victors. If you’relike me, you may still be shaking yourhead, trying to understand just howquickly and intensively that term came tomean completely different things withinsuch a short span of time. But then we’repretty used to it by now.
The recent passing of the fiftiethanniversary of President Kennedy’sfamous inaugural speech (“Ask not whatyour country can do for you…”)reminded me that, with this as one of myearliest childhood memories, folks in mygeneration have not really experienced atime in our lives when you might say“things were stable.”
Kennedy’s first speech as presidentwas soon followed by another, promisingto get us to the moon within a decade,then came problems with Cuba, culmi-nating in the Cuban Missile Crisis, andjust a year later we grieved as a nation tohear of the murder of our still-new presi-dent. From there the political scene hasbeen plagued by change, brought on byworld events, domestic scandals, culturalevolution and nothing short of a revolu-tion in the way such news is delivered tous on a daily basis.
Throughout this time we have alsowitnessed continuous and unprecedented
By Brian Snyder, Executive Director
The Change of a Lifetime
In the Bible, the word “repent”means literally to “turn back” —and it’s considered a good thing.
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rebuilding our culture as our founderstwenty years ago. We are at the front ofthe local food movement, providing thetruly safe, healthy food that nourisheschildren, while it rebuilds our communi-ties.
In this past year we have shown whowe are, what we believe in, and how com-mitted we are to sustainable food pro-duction. Together we lead the awakeningabout the need for local, diversified, self-sustaining communities. Collectively weshare knowledge, implement strategies,foster networks and cooperatives, andcreate permanent, sustainable opportuni-ties for our children and grandchildren.
I feel that our most important contri-bution to future generations will be thenecessity to continually define anddefend, when necessary, the kind of cul-ture we envision that will sustain ourplanet. Corporations with unsustainablebusiness plans have hijacked our culturefor many decades. The creed is simple. Itis called domination. Obscene profitsalways trump community prosperity.
Currently, two fiercely debated topicsinvolve the worlds’ culture. They areabout food and energy supplies — bothof which are under scrutiny in our Mid-Atlantic region.
Recent deregulation of geneticallymodified alfalfa by the US Departmentof Agriculture is a blatant attack onorganic farming. Multitudes of Americanfarmers and eaters have voiced oppositionto this ruling. Yet corporate lobbyingbought the souls of elected Americanofficials and rejected democratic process.
The questions and answers to worldenergy demands are disturbing. It is obvi-ous from our history of energy explo-ration, including coal, oil, and now deepshale gas that the humans in control for-get we must live in our own waste stream.We must have energy to survive, but itmust not come at a speed of exploitation,unable to be scrutinized.
Currently we have an energy industrywith a dark, oppressive culture. Billionshave been made at the expense of inno-cent landowners with deviant leasingcontracts, which hold people hostage touncertainty. Truth and honesty are rare.
I will be quick to change my mind if Isee the culture improve. I encouragewealthy energy executives to solve water
PASA
Bo
ard
Per
spec
tive step in line behind the production agri-
culture experts. We were creating a divi-sion among farmers. Step down, be quiet,and let modern science feed the world.Get on the technology train, even if it ismoving so fast we don’t know where weare going. Modern agriculture will feedthe world. Unfortunately, as we all know,without adding a healthy culture it does-n’t.
For those of you who are from thatera, I ask you to think about where youwere, and how you fit in to the food cul-ture back then. I will share that in theearly 1990’s, I had just escaped poisoningmy 6 year-old son with corn insecticides.I was struggling to cash flow a dairy farm,with a herd of cows that were addicted tomedicine and synthetic hormones. I wasraising feedlot steers, using the latest inenhanced growth-promoters. Simply put,I was trashing my small part of the world.I was looking for something, anything, tosave our farm.
I then took a trip to The Rodale Insti-tute in Kutztown and looked at fieldswithout chemicals. I was trying desper-ately to transition my soils from the longchemistry experiment that I had sub-jected them to, while trying to grow per-fect corn and alfalfa with all the poisonsthat had been approved by federal regula-tors in charge of such dangerous com-pounds.
I was tired, and lacked local supportnecessary to make bold changes to myconventionally trained mind. Then it allbegan to change. I went to my first PASAconference in 1996. Forever since, a newpage has been turned, with a whole excit-ing story still being written, with the helpof many of you.
For the first time in my life I learned,that farming is only sustainable if it con-nects with a healthy culture, whichrespects the natural environment whilesustaining the inhabitants. Not justhumans, but all living things.
As a young father then, and now soonto be a grandfather, I am forever indebtedto the group who organized PASA andled at the beginning. It is why it is so easyfor me to give back at a time when ourgrandchildren need to be born into a bet-ter culture, and know who they can trustto produce their food.
We come here today with the samecommon goals, ideas, and hope for
Editor’s Note: This is a reprint of Kim’sspeech given at the recent Farming for the
Future Conference in early February.
In 1992, Tim Bowser orchestrated aplanning session to bring together
freethinking farmers, educators, and sus-tainable visionaries. The result was agathering of 500 enthusiastic agriculturalrevolutionaries. This group fueled thefires of a brand new association, whichbecame PASA. As stewards of a sustain-able future, this organization identifiedand provided what was missing in thePennsylvania agricultural landscape.
I quote: “The purpose of this associa-tion will be to develop, support, and pro-mote sustainable food and farmingsystems, now and for future generationsthat are economically viable, environ-mentally sound, scientifically based andcommunity oriented.”
All of those original initiatives are stillvery active today within PASA, andongoing on some of your farms. It hasn’tbeen easy. In the beginning we were thealarmists. We were thought to be theextreme fringe, the naïve earthy folkswho don’t believe in progress. Since thebeginning, PASA has been defining whatour culture should look like. These folkswere so far ahead of their time!
Later on we would be asked to please
By Kim Seeley, PASA board president
PASA atTwenty
continued on page 26
Speaker Chris Raines demonstrates using the whole animal in pre-conferencetrack Sustainability in the Foodservice Industry.
Thursday evening’s Winter Picnic Buf-fet is a conference favorite with itsdelicious diversity. Coming throughthe line with smiles and full plates areScott Exo of Food Alliance (left), andPASA executive director Brian Snyder.
At the Friday evening banquet dinner, awards were given to outgoing PASA board members John Hopkins (left) and Don Kretschmann (far right).John and Don are leaving the board after reaching term limits. Fellow boardmember, Brian Moyer (center) made the presentation to acknowledge theiryears of work.
Central to the conference and new this year, the PASA HUB represented the variety of PASA programs. Community Outreach Coordinator Hannah Smith, pictured here, was excited to talk up the Good Food Neighborhood® to attendees.
Dave Potter of Dairy Connections and Peter Dixon of Dairy Foods Consult-ing, evaluate cheeses for faults and troubleshooting in the Advanced Cheesemaking pre-conference track.
PASA Board Member Susan Millerof Birchrun Hills Farm gives out
samples of her farmstead cheeseto attendees of the Thursday
evening tasting.
Chef Ken Stout (left) designs the fantastic conferencemeals, which feature ingredients from over 40 regionalproducers. Chef Mike Ditchfield of the Pennsylvania College of Technology brings culinary program studentsannually (one of whom is pictured here), to provide additional labor and support.
Knitters just beginning and with experience a yarn long joined together for theFriday morning Knitting Circle. Here, a novice counts his first stitches.
Whitney Scott (pictured in center) of conferencesponsor Delaware Valley College, donated all of the fresh-pressed cider for continental break-fasts — an example of Sponsors giving muchmore than financial support!
Outside of the workshops, attendees peruse the GeneralInformation area to make connections and gather potentialresources.
The PASA Mercantile was packed with custom clothing and creative giftsfor folks to purchase and show their support.
Past keynoter Elizabeth Henderson gets attendees out of their seats to bring home themessage of our food connections in a workshop on domestic Fair Trade.
Tackling the difficult issue of GMOs were some of the bestaround — Dave Mortensen, Andrew Kimbrell and ShelbyFleischer. In pre-conference tracks and workshops, confer-ence attendees had a chance to look at all sides of this issue.
Our ninth year of auction fundraising at the conference was very successful, with the BagAuction being a favorite. This “game of chance” lets many people try their luck at winning.
For a fifth year running, a beautiful exhibit of the Farmland Preserva-tion Artists gave the conference audience an opportunity to enjoyfarmland from the artist’s viewpoint. Pictured here is Holly Fritchman,one of 16 artists represented. A percentage of the show’s sales weredonated to the PASA annual fund.
Since this was PASA’s 20th annual conference, we gathered some of the impor-tant founders of the organization (left to right) Carolyn Sachs, Lamonte Garber,Jim Crawford, Bryan Petrucci, Kim Tait, Tim Bowser, Anne Nordell, Eric Nordell,Dorothy Blair and Preston Boop.
Keynoter Wes Jacksonsigns his new book, Consulting the Genius of the Place, for Conference Manager Kristin Hoy.
A unique moment in PASA history — all the past presidents of our board and also our executive directors! From left to right, Preston Boop (first board president), Kim Miller, Kim Seeley (current board president), Brian Snyder (current executive director), LamonteGarber (former interim executive director), and Tim Bowser (first executive director).
Sourdough with jam anyone? Local food aboundsat the conference. The Farmers Market Café was a popular alternative for healthy snack or lightmeal — like these baguettes from Millheim Bread Company (pictured here), which paired wonder-fully with the value-added products sold in theMarketplace by conference sponsor Tait FarmFoods (also pictured).
Sourdough with jam anyone? Local food aboundsat the conference. The Farmers Market Café was a popular alternative for healthy snack or lightmeal — like these baguettes from Millheim Bread Company (pictured here), which paired wonder-fully with the value-added products sold in theMarketplace by conference sponsor Tait FarmFoods (also pictured).
Over 60 children ages, 18 months to 12 years old, participatedin the Future Farmers’ Program. PASA thanks Jill Shankel ofMunnell Run Farm and the Penn State Sustainable Agricultureclub for their efforts to offer engaging programming.
Brooks Millerdemonstrateshands-on methodsto add value topork to get moreper animal for lesswaste.
PASA’s Annual Meetingis also part of conference
activities. This is achance for members to
hear candidates forboard of director elec-
tions, activities happen-ing in our regions, and
details of organizationalstrategic & financial
planning.
Future Farmers set upthe seed swap, a newaddition to the confer-ence. The hand-craftedsigns brought orderwith a family feel tohelp PASA membersshare their favoritevarieties.
Our ninth year of auction fundraising at the conference was very successful, with theBag Auction being a favorite. This “game of chance” event lets many people try theirluck at winning.
National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson discussed theorganization’s current situation in Pennsylvania, and invited allPASA members to help reinvigorate the Farmers Union here and inthe Mid-Atlantic region. A meeting will be held February 23rd at thePenn Stater (beginning at 1:00), with that objective in mind.
National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson discussed theorganization’s current situation in Pennsylvania, and invited allPASA members to help reinvigorate the Farmers Union here and inthe Mid-Atlantic region. A meeting will be held February 23rd at thePenn Stater (beginning at 1:00), with that objective in mind.
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PASA offered our Third Annual Lifetime Member & Permanent Business Partner Break-fast Reception during the annual conference on Friday. These dedicated members,including (from left to right), Ken & Beth Marshall; PASA board member Jamie Moore;and Allen Matthews, enjoy meeting and networking with one another.
We Salute Our Conference Volunteers
PASA staff and board would like to thank themany volunteers who helped make the 20thAnnual Farming for the Future Conference a suc-cess. Numerous volunteers are needed to puttogether the conference together throughout theyear. The Conference Committee (acknowl-edged in Passages #86) started planning in Mayby volunteering their time to develop with theconference theme, program and speakers. Thisdiverse group assures a balanced program withtop-notch experts. Then in the months leadingup to the conference, volunteers participate withstaff in a wide variety of details and tasks, tokeep everything running smoothly.
We appreciate all of the people who donatedtheir time and labor in the weeks leading up tothe conference, as well as at the conference cen-ter during the event. Below is a list of folks whodid just that, and helped the staff get the confer-ence going at the Penn Stater.
Thanks to these conference volunteers!
FRIENDS OF THE CONFERENCEBob Anderson • Marilyn & John Anthony • Ed Arnold • Mary Barbercheck •
Missy & David Barnhart • Nancy & Bob Bernhardt • Mary & Lee Bixler of Four
Oaks Farm • Linda & Tim Blakeley • Blue Rooster Farm • Tim Bowser • Jerry
Brunetti • Virginia & Mike Byers • Annmarie & Sam Cantrell • Sabine & Tom
Carey • Melanie & Mark Dietrich Cochran • Moie & Jim Crawford • Paul Dal-
rymple & Sean Wilson • Lisa & Duane Diefenbach • Robert Drescher • Patri-
cia Eagon & James Stafford • Eva & Jason Edelstein • Mike Eisenstat • Helen
& Bill Elkins • Tina Ellor • Forks Farm • Michele Gauger • Meg Gleason • Kathy
& Wes Gordon • Jenn Halpin • Dawn Hasenauer-Levan & Don Levan • Kristin
& Steve Hoy • Sukey & John Jamison • Aaron Kolb • Becky & Don
Kretschmann • David Lembeck • Gretchen Ludders • Allen Matthews Fam-
ily • Beth & Ken Marshall • Tracy & Jeff Mattocks • Maryann & Dennis
Mawhinney • Milky Way Farms • Joan Miller & Don Hess • Susan Miller •
Jamie Moore • Dave Mortensen • Holley & Brian Moyer • Ginny & Larry Mutti
• Jean & Ray Najjar • Patty Neiner & Lyn Garling • Martha Noble • Anne & Eric
Nordell • Joan & Drew Norman • Northern Tier Sustainable Meat Co-op •
Oyler Family • PSU Center for Sustainability • Rita Resick • Susan Richards &
Rob Amsterdam • Stephanie Ritchie • Anthony Rodale Family • Carolyn
Sachs • Susan & Don Sauter • Denise & Jim Sheehan • Shary & Gary Skoloff
• Lauren & Ian Smith • Leah Smith & Alberto Cirigo • Louise Schorn Smith •
Paula & Brian Snyder • Rick Stafford • Judy & Jonas Stoltzfus • Judy & Karen
Styborski • Amy Taylor & Jim Baughman • Barbara & Michael Wahler • Eliza
Walbridge • Sandra & John Walker • Debbie & Jeff Warden • Dan Zettle
Juliet Braslow
Mike Byers
Pat & Bill Callahan
Bridget Canning
Dane DiFebo
Ann Docken
Shauna & Cornelius Frantz-Deppe
Bob & Nate Gillespie
Tessa Gross
Rob Haney
Jeff Hawkins
Kira Lace Hawkins
Jillian Herschlag
Caleb Johnson
Christopher Knoblauch
Ann & BeckyKretschmann
Meagan Latimer
Warren Leitzel
Jane Lewis
Steve Marks Family
Mark Mazzochette
Eric McGowan
Ben Meese
Ray Najjar
Daniel Patton
Zoe Rubinstein
Jessie & Jordan Schiele
Kevin Spencer
Carlos Villafuerte
Bernadette Weeks
Conference CDs, DVDs and MP3s are available!Farming for the Future Keynotes and Workshops are audio recorded courtesy of:
Cocalico Audio • 187 East Church Street • Stevens, PA 17578 • Phone: (717) 336-4179Cocalico offers nearly all conference workshops and pre-conference programs on 80-minute audio CDs and MP3s. Not all recordings willbe available in MP3 format until after the conference. Not all programming is recorded. A select number of workshops are also offered onDVD. To purchase CDs or DVDs, please see the order form in your registration folder or stop by the Cocalico booth next to the PASA Con-ference Registration Desk. After the Conference, you may contact Cocalico to place additional orders.
www.pasafarming.org/trek. You will havethe option of pledging a set amount, oryou can trek vicariously with Steve &Randy by pledging by the foot — andreally be a part of the climb! We hopemany are inspired to support this incred-ible journey.
Note: Steve and Randy tabled at therecent Farming for the Future conference tocollect pledges for their climb. So far they’veraised over $2,000 for the organization. GoSteve and Randy!
As we look ahead to spring and summerand regional farmland awakening from ourPennsylvania winter, PASA staff and volun-teers are beginning to plan our third annualSummer FARM START being held Maythrough June 2011. This year, the SummerFARM START is a statewide series ofevents to kick-off and celebrate local familyfarming, with a goal of increasing awarenessof the significance of agriculture and localfood systems in our region.
Summer FARM START will give us the
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Steve and Randy have gottenactive for a good cause. Stevehas always encouraged his sonsto get outside and appreciate allthat the outdoors has to offer.In recent years he’s tried tocombine his love of the out-doors with fundraising effortsfor programs he supports. In2006 Steve and Randy bikedacross Rhode Island raisingmore than $30,000 for aNepalese eye camp. Last yearthey climbed Mt. Everest to anelevation of 15,000 feet andraised nearly $4,000 for victimsof the Haiti earthquake.
Steve and Randy are goingto incredible heights for PASA,and for this climb to be a suc-cess they’ll need the support of manysponsors and donors. Please considerpledging your support today by visiting
Inspired by PASA members’ creativityin raising funds for the organization,PASA has launched a new fundraisingtool called Ways to Give.
Ways to Give is an opportunity formembers to contribute to PASA throughtheir own unique event or promotion —whether it’s a Barn Dance or a Bake Sale,many members and supportive compa-nies are designing fundraisers that fittheir style and give back. Anyone can getinvolved in Ways to Give and if you havean idea or want to learn more, please con-tact Lauren Smith at PASA headquarters.
Our Ways to Give campaign willkick-off this year with a very special pro-motion developed by longtime PASAmember Steve Marks. Steve and his 13year-old son Randy will attempt to climbto Mt. Everest Base Camp, an elevationof 18,500 feet, to raise funds for PASA.At 13, Randy will be one of the youngestpeople to ever attempt this climb.
This TREK for PASA, starting inearly April, will be the third time that
B U I L D I N G PA S A TO G E T H E R by the Fundraising Committee
Our 2010 fundraising efforts began with Board Member Rita Resick’s
engaging appeal letter to members which asked, “There is a sustainable wave
of change sweeping over our country today — a sea change of sorts. Have
you noticed?”
Well, many people have noticed, and they are transforming their belief in
agricultural sustainability into support for PASA and our very important Annual
Fund. We achieved 93% of our goal this past year by raising $250,445 to be
directed to our education and advocacy programs.
Many thanks go out to all the organizers and participants of our 2010
fundraising efforts. We very much appreciate everyone who gave generously of
their time, talents, money, creativity and gifts — to support the PASA mission.
Together we are building PASA, and we are grateful for our thriving member-
ship that keeps the organization viable. In such a financially trying year, we
are grateful to so many of you who verified your faith in PASA’s programs and
mission by supporting these efforts with your gifts.
It is now time to look ahead again and start working for a successful 2011.
Please consider pledging your support today by visiting
www.pasafarming.org/trek.All proceeds from the Trek
will benefit PASA.
Randy (left) and Steve Marks during their Mt. Everest trek in 2010, to benefit victims of the Haiti earthquake
2011 Ways to Give Kicks offwith a TREK for PASA!
continued on page 28
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n FarmFutures ProgramMarilyn Anthony, Southeast Regional
Director describes the new land sharingprogram FarmFutures as “a blend of eBayand eHarmony.”
Initially focused on the state’s South-east region, the program will use a web-site to connect new or expanding farmerswith land trusts and private landowners.The goal is to assist aspiring sustainablegrowers by matching them with under-utilized land and the people who controlit. PASA, and program partner PA Farm-Link, began selecting participants in Jan-uary and hope to have a pilot organicvegetable farm up and running in 2011.The finished FarmFutures website shouldlaunch sometime next year.
If you are interested in applying forconsideration in this pilot stage of theland-leasing program, visit PASA’s web-site for application materials or contact
SOUTHEAST REGION
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[email protected] or 610-458-5700 x307.
n Southeast Master Class: Cheesemaking 101
Klein Farms Dairy & Creamery, Eas-ton PA (Lehigh Co). For more informa-tion visit pasafarming.org/southeast orcontact Denise Sheehan, 610-458-5700x317.
n Bike Fresh Bike Local — Chester County
Save the date for September 25, 2011.Visit www.pasafarming.org/bikefresh fordetails.
The PASA member regional groupbased in Wayne Co. is offering a four-part “Food for Thought” lecture series atthe Honesdale Public Library. Thesebegan on February 26th and here are
NORTH CENTRAL / EAST REGION
those remaining:
n Organic Raised-Bed Gardening:Getting Started March 12
Presentation by Roger Hill, TreelineFarms & Al Benner, The Old SchoolFarm & Moss Acres. 10:30am,www.waynelibraries.org for directions.
n Seed Saving 101March 19Presentation by Adrianne Picciano
a.k.a. The Dirt Diva. 10:30am,www.waynelibraries.org for directions.
n Regional Potluck GatheringMarch 20, 4pmSummerhouse Grill in Montrose(Susquehanna Co.)
A chance for members to gather, net-work & share a dish!
RSVP to Darcie Welsted, 570-396-1837. For directions, visit summerhouse-grill.com or call 570-278-2000.
Spring is a great time of year for net-working! A network can achieve a greaterimpact than is possible alone — it can bea resource for learning and a springboardfor developing a business. PASA providesmany opportunities for members to buildrelationships and connections across sec-tors of the food system through face-to-face networking opportunities such aspotlucks, workshops, and events. Thisspring, take advantage of the manyopportunities to connect to other playerswithin the food system — meet con-sumers, learn from other market man-agers, and connect with otherorganizations working to build the localfood system in Western Pennsylvania.
There are also opportunities tobecome part of on-line networks withsimilar goals. Check out http://local-foodsystems.org and find a place to meet,discuss, strategize, and develop ideas.Join a group or create one of your own inthis on-line community of farmers, non-profits, universities, businesses, and con-sumers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, andOhio.
Read on to learn about workshops,meetings, and conferences coming upsoon, and keep up-to-date on events and
WESTERN REGION opportunities on the Western Regionalwebpage: www.pasafarming.org/western-region.
Building New Markets Series:Presented by PASA and Penn StateCooperative Extension, AlleghenyCountyA series of professional development oppor-tunities for farmers interested in advancedmarketing strategies to diversify their saleschannels.
n Local Food Showcase: A Buy/Grower EventThursday, March 10Chatham University
This event showcases the finest, fresh-est local foods Western Pennsylvania hasto offer. Farmers and food purchasersinteract to find new business connectionsfor the upcoming growing season andbeyond. Come join other producers atthe premier grower/buyer networkingevent in the SW Pennsylvania region.Find customers for your farm productsby registering as a vendor!
For information & registration con-tact — Heather Mikulas, Penn StateExtension, 412-473-2540
n Understanding GAPSaturday, April 99:00am–11:00amPenn State Extension, Allegheny County OfficePittsburgh, PA 15208Registration fee: $12.00
Is GAP Certification right for you?Learn about the Good Agricultural Prac-tices Audit Verification Program, whyyou may consider this certification, andresources available should you decide tocomplete an audit. Lee Young providesan overview of what GAP is and sharesresources and templates used to preparefor the audit process. Mikal Merlinadescribes his services conducting GAPaudits.
For information & registration con-tact — Heather Mikulas, Penn StateExtension, 412-473-2540
n Farm to Table Pittsburgh 5th Annual Conference March 25 & 26
Farm to Table Pittsburgh, a programof American Healthcare Group, is aneducational program that providesopportunities for eating healthy localfood in the Southwestern Pennsylvania
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products at the festival from the NW PAMaple Producer’s Association. For moreinformation about the Taste and Tourwww.pamaple.org/ tour.html For moreinformation about the festival go to:www.edinborohistory.org
n PASA Master Class: Farmers Market Management WorkshopApril 2, 201110am–1pmVenango County Fairgrounds867 Mercer RoadFranklin, PA 16323
Learn from other market managersthe tricks of the trade — market manage-ment strategies, presentation and dis-plays, and market promotion. Bring asack lunch and take time to network withother market managers during lunch anda special break-out session. Learn aboutways to stay connected and continueyour conversations on-line!
For more information visit www.pasa-farming.org/westernregion or contactLeah at 412-365-2985
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gn 2nd Annual Edinboro Maple FestivalMarch 19 & 20
Supports Northwest PennsylvaniaMaple Association’s annual Taste andTour. Edinboro Volunteer Fire Depart-ment’s Social Hall. Maple Festivalincludes meal of pancakes, fresh farmsausage, and fresh local maple syrup.Includes local agriculture, arts and craftsvendors, live music all day. See how sap isconverted to syrup and other products.Buy your fresh syrup and value-added
Western
NorthCentral/Eastern
SouthcentralSoutheast
REGIONAL CONTACTS & DISCUSSION GROUP ADDRESSESDiscussion groups are open to PASA members only to join and discuss issues related to sustainable agriculture.
To join the group in your region, send an email to the appropriate address provided.
[email protected] Leah Smith412-365-2985 • [email protected]
[email protected] Denise Sheehan610-458-5700 x317 • [email protected]
[email protected] Jenn Halpin717-243-5996 • [email protected]
NorthCentral/[email protected] Leah Tewksbury570-437-2620 • [email protected]
Out of State discussion group addresses:
States North and East of [email protected]
States South and West of [email protected]
region. Thisyear, the theme“Eat Local andHealthy All YearRound” inspiresattendees tothink beyondsummer’sbounty of fruits
and vegetables and explore all the sea-sonal, healthy foods that are availablethroughout the year. The conference fea-tures an interesting panel of speakers,including author Cody Holmes, present-ing, “Ranching Full-Time on ThreeHours a Day” and Sally Fallon of theWeston A. Price Foundation present-ing “Traditional Diets and Raw Milk”.There are many opportunities for PASAmembers to get involved at the 5thAnnual Conference held at the David L.Lawrence Convention Center in Down-town Pittsburgh. Register to attend as aparticipant or a vendor! Volunteer for ashift at the PASA table and promote yourproducts! Exhibit for free at the Fridaynight Food Tasting- sample your foodproducts and connect with customers.For more information about Farm toTable visit http://farmtotablepa.com/conference. To learn more about volun-teering at the PASA table contact theWestern Regional Office at [email protected] or 412-365-2985.
Visit PASA online at www.pasafarming.org
n Fayette & Greene CountiesFay-Penn Economic DevelopmentCouncilChapter CoordinatorsBob [email protected] x227orJessica [email protected] x222(New chapter in 2010)
n Greater Lehigh ValleyNurture Nature CenterChapter CoordinatorLynn [email protected] or [email protected] Berks, Lehigh and Northampton Counties
n Lancaster CountyLocal Steering Committee, with the assistance of the Local EconomyCenter, Franklin & Marshall CollegeChapter CoordinatorLinda Aleci 717-291-4293 or [email protected]
n Northeast Region The University of Scranton Small Business Development CenterChapter CoordinatorMaria Montenegro 570-941-7588 or [email protected]: Lisa Hall 570-941-7588 [email protected] Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike andWayne Counties
n Northern TierChapter CoordinatorNorthern Tier Cultural [email protected] Bradford, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and WyomingCounties
n PhiladelphiaFair FoodChapter CoordinatorsChristina [email protected] x106orAnn [email protected] x101
n South Central Cheryl BurnsChapter [email protected] Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin,Franklin, Lebanon, Juniata, Perry andYork Counties
PENNSYLVANIA BUY FRESH BUYLOCAL® How to Plug In
The Pennsylvania Buy Fresh Buy Local® program has been celebrating the
abundance found in our Commonwealth since 2002, with the aim of mak-
ing it easier for Pennsylvania consumers to find, choose and appreciate
great local foods…and to support the farmers and lands which produce
them. Currently there are 13 active chapters in Pennsylvania. We create
local food guides (both in print and online) and organize events (such as
farms tours or tastings), among other activities. To learn more about
what's going on in your region, contact one of the local chapter coordi-
nators listed below. For information on Buy Fresh Buy Local® chapters and
activities outside of PA, visit FoodRoutes.org.
n Southeastern Pennsylvania(including Chester County’s Chapter)Chapter CoordinatorsDenise [email protected] x317orMarilyn [email protected] x305Serving Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties
n Valleys of the Susquehanna(including Centre County’s Chapter)Chapter CoordinatorKristin [email protected] x11Serving Centre, Clinton, Columbia,Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumber-land, Snyder and Union Counties
n Western PennsylvaniaPASAChapter Coordinatorfor Southwest PA:[email protected] Northwest PA:[email protected] Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver,Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest,Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer,Somerset, Venango, Warren, Washingtonand Westmoreland Counties
n York CountyYork County Agriculture BusinessCouncilChapter CoordinatorBrandi [email protected]
n Statewide Program CoordinationContact:[email protected] website support contact:[email protected]
Buy Fresh Buy Local® chapters in Penn-sylvania are coordinated by the Penn-sylvania Association for SustainableAgriculture, on behalf of their nationalpartner, FoodRoutes Network. Toexplore your region's food system fur-ther, hear about upcoming events andfind more ways to get involved, pleasevisit our website —www.buylocapa.org — or contact oneof the folks listed above.
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What is Buy Fresh Buy Local®?Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) is a national marketing cam-
paign coordinated by FoodRoutes Network (foodroutes.org)to connect consumers with locally grown foods. They coordi-nate BFBL chapters all across the country, in states includingCalifornia, Iowa, New York, New Jersey and many others.PASA is working with FoodRoutes to coordinate 13 existingchapters in Pennsylvania. Several of these regional chapters arecoordinated by PASA members and nonprofit associates. Ifyou are interested in learning more, contact the chapter repre-sentative in your area (see box at right).
BFBL is a marketing resource for farms and food businessesto showcase their products to consumers via buylocalpa.organd utilizing the BFBL logo on various marketing pieces, socustomers can begin identifying what is produced locally.
What is the Good Food Neighborhood™?A vibrant local foods community depends on informed,
involved eaters as it does on responsible growers and robustmarkets. Noticing a need for a membership for a broad con-sumer audience, while utilizing resources PASA had alreadybeen building with our BFBL chapters, The Good FoodNeighborhood™ (GFN) was developed in 2009.
GFN is a membership program offered via buylocalpa.orgto connect the community of eaters, growers and various busi-nesses. Current PASA members living in Pennsylvania areinvited to join the program — and others may elect to join(GFN) instead of full PASA membership. As a GFN member,you will receive seasonal product updates; a e-subscription toEaters Digest, the monthly newsletter of good food news inPA; a seat at our Community Table, where you can connectwith other GFN members in your region around local foodshopping, cooking and learning; information on events andtastings in your area; and discounts on apparel in our BFBLstore. You can register today at buylocalpa.org/gfn.
Get on the map at buylocalpa.orgThousands of eager eaters each month use the map-based
search tools on our website to find local foods near them inmarkets, stores, restaurants and direct from local growers.Shouldn’t they also find your business there? Even if you haveyour own website or Internet listings elsewhere, you don’twant to turn down the additional exposure you’ll get througha profile on our site — the online home of the PennsylvaniaBuy Fresh Buy Local® program. Signing up is quick and easy:visit www.buylocalpa. org/getonthemap.
Be sure your profile is up to dateIf your business is already listed on buylocalpa.org, check to
make sure that your information has been updated and you areusing all the available tools.
Co
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ch What is Buy Fresh Buy Local®?
Making the Most of Sustainability Certification
17
Excerpted from Food Alliance Handbook
Use certification to boost brand value
• Customers buy products because oftheir brand value (e.g., quality, cost,customer service).
• Certification adds value to your brandby verifying your marketing claims.
Know your talking points• Sustainability certification claims come
with a set of attributes and benefits tohelp communicate with customers.
Train your sales and marketing staff
• Be sure they know how to promoteyour product using its environmentaland social claims credibly and effec-tively.
Peel back the eco-label for your customers
• Not all eco-labels are created equal.Educate your customers on how to crit-ically evaluate eco-labels.
Follow labeling rules and guidelines
• Ensure the certification seal is used withintegrity. Be specific, avoid ambiguityand never overstate the scope of theclaim. All of Food Alliance’s marketingmaterials have been developed in con-junction with the Federal Trade Com-mission’s Guides for the Use ofEnvironmental Marketing Claims.
Use the certification seal on products
• On-product labeling helps cultivatetrust with sustainability-driven con-sumers, ensuring transparency andtraceability.
Use the certification seal elsewhere too
• Every customer interaction is an oppor-tunity to build brand recognition andcustomer loyalty. To communicate andremind others what you stand for —include the certification seal on yourwebsite, brochures, proposals, email sig-nature line, press releases, advertise-ments, e-newsletters, etc.
Compose your story• Develop a concise & emotionally
appealing narrative that tells the uniquestore about your environmental andsocial responsibility. Complement itwith photos and video.
Build relationships• The sustainability-driven consumer
wants a relationship with you! Connectcustomers with the people, places andprocesses behind the production ofyour product.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
continued on page 21
At the PA Farm Show in January, PASA member & volunteer Dru Peters (left) of SunnysideFarm in York Co. was staffing our information booth, when State Senator Pat Toomey andthen PA Dept. of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding stopped by to learn more aboutPASA! Photo: Hannah Smith
PASA staff and board would like to thank the following
volunteers as of 1.24.2011
Michael AhlertBrad Berry
Tricia BornemanJill Landes
Tom MurthaJoan Norman
Henry RosenbergerCasey Spacht
Special thanks to those who helped at the Farm Shows in
York and Harrisburg
Carol AndersonAmanda Birk
Barbara CorsonBarbara & Charlie Gerlach
Amanda GraceCarl Hursh
Laurie LynchDru Peters
Lori SollenbergerJason Stoltzfus
Judy & Jonas StoltzfusChris Treichler
Roz & Jim Yannaccone
PASA staff and board would like to welcome these new
Lifetime Members as of 1.24.2011
Thomas & Teresa KisielClaire Murray, Hugh & Ann Lofting
Chris & Randy TreichlerKatherine Watt
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PASA Staff ChangesPASA would like to extend a warm
welcome to Hannah Smith, our newCommunity Outreach Coordinator.Hannah will be working part-time withthe Good Food Neighborhood programthat extends throughout Pennsylvaniaand beyond. Through her work at thePennsylvania Association of Conserva-tion Districts, Keystone Human Servicesand as an independent consultant, Hannah comes to us with a wealth ofexperience in providing educational programming, communications, out-reach and grant management, as well aspolicy advocacy.
Jean Najjar was recently promoted toAuction Associate. Congratulations toJean for her success in growing the PASAauction, launching GreenGoods and theonline auction program.
PASA
New
s
AgSquaredWashington DC
www.agsquared.com
Benjamin’s CateringBoalsburg, PA
http://benjaminscatering.com
Better HarvestFactoryville, PA
BioCycle Magazine, The JG Press Inc
Emmaus, PAwww.jgpress.com/biocycle.htm
Capital RC&DMechanicsburg PAwww.capitalrcd.org
Charles F. Patton Middle School
Kennett Square, PA
Common Wealth IncYoungstown, OH
www.resettleyoungstown.org
Cornerstone Farm VenturesNorwich, NY
www.cornerstone-farm.com
Dairy Connection IncMadison, WI
www.dairyconnection.com
Eggzy.netNew Hope, PA
www.eggzy.net
FarmStartGuelph, Ontario
www.farmstart.ca
Featherman Equipment Co.Jamesport, MO
www.featherman.net
Filtrexx FoundationGrafton OH
www.filtrexx.com
Firth Maple ProductsSpartansburg, PA
Goodness Grows MinistryNorth Lima OH
www.goodnessgrows.net
Green Gables RestaurantJennerstown, PA
www.greengablesrestaurant.com
Highland NaturalsMillersburg, OH
J.M. HatcheryNew Holland, PA
www.jmhatchery.com
Lancaster Trading House IncLancaster, PA
www.lancastertradinghouse.com
Local Food MarketplaceEugene, OR
www.localfoodmarketplace.com
Milton Hershey School AEEHershey, PA
Northeast Beginning Farming Program
Ithaca, NYwww.nebeginningfarmers.org
Ohio Employee Ownership Center
Kent OH
Oxy-BlastReedsville, PA
www.progressivealternatives.com
Penn State PressUniversity Park, PAwww.psupress.org
Penny Rock FarmHallstead, PA
Purple Mountain OrganicsTakoma Park, MD
purplemountainorganics.com
Reading Terminal Market
Philadelphia PAwww.readingterminalmarket.org
Red Wiggler Community Farm
Clarksburg MDwww.redwiggler.org
Redmond Mineral IncRedmond, UT
www.redmondnatural.com
Seed Savers ExchangeDecorah, IA
www.seedsavers.org
SF& CompanyState College, PAwww.sfc-cpa.com
Shenot Farm IncWexford PA
www.shenotfarm.com
Slow Food HarrisburgHarrisburg PA
www.slowfoodharrisburg.com
Slow Food PhiladelphiaGlenside PA
Stanley C. BierlyMillheim, PA
www.bierlygroup.com
Stoudt’s Brewery/Stoudt’s Family Farmers MarketAdamstown, PA
www.stoudts.com
Sycamore Bridge FarmVersailles, OH
VT Grass Farmers Association
Colchester, VT
P A S A S T A F F A N D B O A R D W O U L D L I K E T O W E L C O M E T H E S E N E W B U S I N E S S M E M B E R S A S O F J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 1
At the PA Farm Show in January, PASA member & volunteer Dru Peters (left) of SunnysideFarm in York Co. was staffing our information booth, when State Senator Pat Toomey andthen PA Dept. of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding stopped by to learn more aboutPASA! Photo: Hannah Smith
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Moving?If you are moving, please contact
PASA to update your mailing address.Several of our publications are sent viabulk mail, which is not forwarded viathe USPS. Contact [email protected] or call 814-349-9856 x25 to makean update.
PASA Membership SnapshotAs of January 24, 2011 — PASA
membership stands at 5,474 members.Broken down by PASA regions:
West = 932
Southeast = 1425
SouthCentral = 802
NorthCentral = 1278
Out of State = 1037
Membership Renewal ReminderJust a reminder to all those yet to
renew your membership for 2011 —please look at your mailing label on theback of this newsletter to recall whenyour membership expires. You canrenew online at pasafarming.net/mem-bership, call 814-349-9856 or return theform you recently received in the mail.
Membership Survey ResultsIn the fall of 2009, PASA distributed our first biannual comprehensive member
survey, and during the 2010 Farming for the Future Conference we attempted to gatheradditional responses. Data collection ended in March 2010, as written responses wereentered into our survey tool. In upcoming issues of the newsletter and on our website,we will be reporting various results of the survey — a full summary report is availableupon request.
DemographicsThe average age of PASA members who answered the survey was 48 years old, a
bit younger than the statewide average of 55.2. The average age of those identifyingthemselves as an agricultural producer was 49. Fifty-four percent of respondents werefemale, 46 percent were male. 97% of PASA members identify their race, ethnicity, origin, or background as White or Caucasian, which is similar to the 2007 US Census ofAgriculture respondents, 99% of whom were White or Caucasian.
Member OccupationsSixty-three percent of PASA members represented by the survey are agricultural
producers. About half of these producers are full time farmers and half of these are parttime farmers. PASA is a mixture of both new and established farmers. 21% of PASA members represented by the survey characterize themselves as aspiring farmers. 22% of farmers work on agricultural operations founded in the last ten years.
PASA members are also active in agriculture and food systems in a diversity of roles. 16% are agricultural educators, 11% of PASA members represented in the surveyidentify themselves as processors of value-added products, 9% as food retailers. PASAmembership also includes a significant number of individuals who participate in thelocal food system as conscientious consumers. 36% identified themselves as frequentshoppers at farmers markets and 16% are current or recent CSA subscribers.
Mem
ber
ship
Up
dat
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T A D V E R T I S E M E N T
• Materials reviews• Quarterly Organic Matters Newsletter
• Workshops and field daysContact us for a free info pack or to speak to
one of our certification specialists.
ASSURING the INTEGRITY of ORGANIC PRODUCTS
106 School Street, Suite 201 • Spring Mills PA 16875814-422-0251 • [email protected] • www.paorganic.org
20
By Michelle Isham, PASA Member
For the Peregrim family, owners ofMiller’s Orchards Farm Market, the
key to success is balancing the new withthe old. Farming the same plot of land inClarks Summit since the early 1800s, thefamily has seen its share of changes fromdairy to apiary to orchard to vegetablefarm. They are betting those years ofexperience with a new emphasis on soilmanagement and new marketing tech-niques will prove profitable.
Miller’s Orchards Farm Market sitson 120 hilly and rocky acres in north-eastern Pennsylvania. Despite the topo-graphical challenges, the farm is plantedwith apple orchards, vegetable gardens,and pastures for livestock. Husband andwife, Walter and Robin, took over thefarm in 1992. Like many farmers seekingto add additional revenue streams, theyadded a farm market, a greenhouse forstarting plants, and a bakery. Theirfreshly baked pies are well-loved in theirarea. The Peregrims also began offeringhayrides and farm tours.
Today Walter and Robin share farmmanagement duties with their son Lewisand his wife Amber. This year, Lewis’ssister Delana left a job in finance to beginworking on the farm as well. The elder
Miller’s Orchard
the word about the taste and quality oftheir products. The sustainable food mes-sage hasn’t penetrated as deeply into theirrural region of northeastern Pennsylvaniaas it has in central and southern parts ofthe state. The process of marketing isdirected as much toward selling the con-cept of sustainable foods themselves asselling Miller’s Orchard Farm Marketproduce. The Peregrims use their website to detail the difference between theirchickens and conventionally raised chick-ens. Delana has also established a pres-ence at farmers markets in the area, usingthe markets as one more venue in whichto spread the word. One advantage thatthe Peregrims have in their area is theclose-knit community that seeks to sup-port its members. Neighbors patronizetheir farm store out of a sense of loyaltyto the community.
“There’s a very strong tie in the com-munity and that’s the thing we want toleverage,” said Delana.
Growing a variety of crops helps themappeal to customers who are used to theone-stop-shopping convenience of largeretail outlets like Wal-Mart. But everynew product they introduce requiresresearch and a period of trial and errorexperimentation. In addition to thelearning curve, the family must guess cor-rectly what products people will want tobuy.
“Farming by nature is not a specializa-tion. You have to be good at a lot ofthings,” said Delana.
Before selling a new product such asfree-range chicken, the Peregrim’sresearched growing techniques and raisedexperimental flocks to perfect theirprocess. Once the processed chickenswere satisfactory, they then turned theirattention to pigs. Wary of diluting theirattention and efforts, the Peregrim’s haverefused to introduce multiple products atonce or introduce a product before theyfelt that it consistently met their stan-dard. The family is now working to per-fect grass-fed beef. As with the chickenand the pork, they won’t begin selling thebeef before it is, in Amber’s words “amaz-ing.”
“We are committed to not selling any-thing that isn’t excellent,” she said. n
Peregrim’s work together with their chil-dren to expand the community educationand farm fun aspect of the farm. Mean-while, both generations have turned theirattention to soil health, sustainability,and the livestock. Amber and Lewis arecurrently able to live on what they earnfrom the farm alone and are committedto farming as their careers.
“I grew up on a farm and my husbandgrew up on this farm. We just have it inour blood,” said Amber.
Over the last five years, Lewis hasdeveloped a special interest in soil healthand spends the off-season attending con-ferences and researching the subject.According to Delana, many of theapproaches that they are taking are sim-ply going back to the old way of doingthings. The family came to the realizationthat for them, it was as important toenrich the soil and protect the environ-ment as it was to bring in a large harvest.
“We’re making sure that what we’regrowing is full of nutrients from the soilon up,” said Amber.
“Our job on earth is not to kill every-thing that’s here. We looked at these sus-tainable practices and they reallymatched our world view,” said Delana.
Their current challenge is spreading
To learn more about Miller’s Orchards in Clarks Summit (Lackawanna Co.) visit millersorchard.com or call 570-587-3399.
21
Know the sustainability-driven customer
• Create an internal process for continually monitoringthe needs and desires of these customers.
Provide adequate information• The sustainability-driven consumer has a robust
appetite for information. Complement point-of-pur-chase materials with more detailed web-based contentso customers can access the amount of informationthat’s right for them.
Increase transparency• Demonstrate authenticity by backing up your claim.
Show results, acknowledge shortcomings and engagecustomers in the process.
If you are interested in becoming Food Alliance cer-tified, contact [email protected] or call814-349-9856. Once certified Food Alliance offers anin-depth marketing kit, which is available on their web-site at www.foodalliance.org.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Food Alliancecontinued from page 17
Upcoming Events:February 4, 6pm, First Friday in Downtown Scranton, Vin-
tage Theater, 222 Wyoming Avenue, movie clips from the filmFRESH. Local wine and food will be served. Chapter member-ship information will be displayed. Admission is free. Tote bags,hats and shirts will be for sale.
February 25, 7pm, Penn State, Hazleton Campus. TheNortheast Region Chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local and the Cen-ter for Landscape Design and Stewardship will present a screen-ing of the movie Fresh. Admission is free.
March 18, 9am–11am, The University of ScrantonEmployee Wellness Day, Scranton, Northeast Region Chapterwill have a booth and display chapter membership informationand the local food guide.
April 30, 1pm–6pm, Wine and Cheese Event, MaiolatesiWinery, 210 Green Grove Road, Scott Township. Sample localwines and cheeses at a beautiful winery. Admission is $30 andincludes a chapter membership. Admission alone is $20.00.
This chapter is launching their own website at www.BuyLo-calGreaterLehighValley.org.
GREATER LEHIGH VALLEY CHAPTER
NORTHEAST CHAPTER
Community Outreachcontinued from page 16
Buy Fresh Buy Local Chapter Updates
FOOD ALLIANCE CERTIFICATION STANDARDS INCLUDE:
• Protect and improve soil resources
• Protect and conserve water resources
• Protect and enhance biodiversity
• Conserve energy, reduce & recycle waste
• Reduce use of pesticides, and other toxic and hazardousmaterials
• Maintain transparent and sustainable food supply chains
• Support safe and fair working conditions
• No GMOs or artificial ingredients
• Ensure healthy, humane animal treatment, with no growth hormones or non-therapeutic antibiotics
• Continually improve practices
Green Meadow FarmGreen Meadow Farm
22
Farm
er P
rofi
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and are in need of someone to use or dis-pense of this waste, and that is whereGlenn stepped in and decided to use thiswaste to operate his farm. “It’s a win —win situation,” says Glenn.
The use of waste vegetable oil to heat,provide electricity to the farm, and act asa natural herbicide and fungicide hasincreased his profitability and decreasedpollution over the years.
Fertility inputs include on-site com-posting of neighborhood manures andwaste hay. Cover cropping includes useof Brassicas for harvest and weed sup-pression and insect control is accom-plished through integrated pestmanagement (IPM) and soap/vegetableoil emulsions.
For more information about GreenMeadow Farm, 130 South Mount Ver-non Road, Gap PA 17527, contact 717-442-5222 or [email protected]. n
Green Meadow owner Glenn Brendle. Hisfarm comprises six acres of gardens and 4200sq. feet of greenhouse space.
valued his ability to provide many kindsof produce within a short time frame, tai-lored weekly to their specific orders.
Brendle remembers starting out in theearly 80’s attending the farmers marketthrough the help of an Amish farmer.Experiences at the market led him tomeet key individuals and customers whowould help him create his farm and buildhis business over the years.
Glenn says in terms of price structurefor his produce he finds that it variesaccording to the needs of his customers,falling between that of traditional whole-sale pricing and retail prices.
When talking with Glenn recentlyabout what he felt was unique about hisfarm, he replied modestly, “very little”.In some ways, their farm operation issimilar to many others, but this farmstands out in its ability to conserve energyand create new ways of using alternativefarming methods and fuels to support allfacets of their work. In particular, Glennsays, “The main focus is on appropriatetechnology with lowest impact inputs.”
The restaurants he sells to have anunending supply of waste vegetable oil,
By Sarah Graham, PASA member
Glenn and Karen Brendle, owners ofGreen Meadow Farm, located in
Gap (Lancaster County) call their farmpractice philosophy “minimum impactfarming” and include methods borrowedfrom organic and sustainable practices.“Farming is a learning process, every day,every year and every season brings some-thing new,” says Glenn. Sometimes“serendipitous accidents” bring aboutnew methods, as he has discovered.
The Brendles started farming over 25years ago, and today Green Meadow iscomprised of 6 acres of gardens and4,200 square feet of greenhouses, pro-ducing specialty herbs and vegetables forrestaurants in Philadelphia and Lan-caster.
Glenn says unlike some farming oper-ations that focus on just one or twocrops, they grow over two hundred vari-eties of herbs and vegetables each year. “Irealized I had to start delivering directlyto chefs and restaurants in order to growas a farm,” he says. It became apparentthat his customers wanted variety, and
23
What is unique about your farm?
Green Meadow Farm is located on the eastern boundary of
Lancaster County near the town of Gap, Pennsylvania. The busi-
ness, originally Spring Grove Farm at a former location, is now
comprised of 6 acres of gardens and 4200 sq. ft. of greenhouses.
The focus at the farm is on growing specialty herbs and vegetables
for restaurants in Philadelphia and Lancaster. We are unique in
how we operate our farm, using minimum impact farming that
incorporates sustainable and organic methods of production. We
continually work to create new methods that meet these stan-
dards.
What do you see as some of the critical issues concerning agri-
culture today?
There are many issues facing agriculture today, some are new
issues, but many are long-term issues that need to be constantly
re-addressed. In particular, the loss of farmland is one such issue,
which coincides with the high cost and low accessibility of land to
farmers. Another common issue among many farmers is not hav-
ing enough time, and figuring out how to balance their efforts
between marketing and production to make a living, and make a
profit as well.
How has your operation evolved over the years?
Our farm continually strives to find and use methods that
reduce our impact on the land, while reducing waste and pollu-
tants. Our use of vegetable oil and its by-products for energy con-
sumption have allowed us to increase our production and lower
our costs, which has increased our profitability. Over the years we
have been able to recycle the energy we use to create other usable
forms throughout our operation. More specifically, we are finding
ways to power and heat our greenhouses to increase production
during the late winter and early spring seasons, and thus provide
some produce usually unavailable during this time of year to our
customers.
Why did you join PASA?
We joined PASA to support efforts to unite farmers together
towards a common goal of sustainable practices, while improving
our economic viability. Traditionally, farmers are independent
thinkers, so encouraging us to work together is hard work but very
important work. PASA helps by building solidarity within the farm-
ing community, uniting to work towards better practices and rep-
resenting our interests, which is vital to our ability to survive as
farmers today.
INTERVIEW WITH GLENN & KAREN BRENDLE
Farm
er P
rofi
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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By Brian Moyer,Program Coordinator – PSU Extension,
PASA Board Member & FarmerRaising and processing poultry for the
direct-to-consumer market has grown inpopularity in recent years, particularlypoultry raised on pasture. Advantagesinclude low start-up cost, fast turnaroundof product (typically eight weeks fromstart to finish), and growing popularitywith consumers interested in local, natu-ral or organic food.
The United States Department ofAgriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspec-tion Service (FSIS) is the public healthfederal agency responsible for ensuringthat the nation’s commercial supply ofmeat, poultry, and egg products is safe,wholesome, and correctly labeled andpackaged.
There are exemptions to the federalpoultry regulations that small producerscan qualify for so they can raise, slaugh-ter, and sell poultry directly from theirfarm. The exemptions can be found inFederal code 9 CFR 381.10 through381.15. We will focus on what appears tobe the three most popular exemptions forfarmers. They are the “producer grower— 1,000 or less birds per year,” “pro-ducer grower — 20,000 or less birds peryear,” and the “producer grower or otherperson (PGOP).”
A common misconception is that anexempt operation is exempt from ALLrequirements of the Poultry ProductsInspection Act (PPIA). “Exempt” meansthat certain types of poultry slaughterand processing operations qualify tooperate without:
• Daily Federal inspection• A grant of federal inspection• Continuous bird-by-bird inspection• Presence of a federal inspectorIf you intend to operate under an
exemption, you must keep two things inmind:
A person or business may slaughter orprocess poultry under an exemption ifthe operation qualifies for the exemption.
A slaughterer or processor of poultrymay not simultaneously operate undermore than one exemption during a calen-dar year.
Understanding Federal Poultry Exemptions for the Direct-To-Consumer Producer/Grower
product as product produced under anexemption from the Act, Public Law 90-492. Instead of the Federal law 90-492, aState law may be cited when the inspec-tion of the slaughter and processing ofpoultry is exempted under the authorityof a State law and the operations arereviewed by a State Agency.
Producer/Grower — 20,000 LimitExemption A poultry grower mayslaughter and process more than 1,000birds as exempt product for distributionas human food when the following eightcriteria are met [ 9 CFR §381.10(a)(5)and (b)(1) and (2) ].
Criteria: The producer/grower slaughters and
processes, on his or her own premises, nomore than 20,000 poultry, raised by himor her, in a calendar year;
The producer/grower sells, in a calen-dar year, only poultry or poultry productshe or she prepares according to the crite-ria for the Producer/Grower — 20,000Limit Exemption; he or she may not buyor sell poultry products prepared underanother exemption in the same calendaryear in which he or she claims the Pro-ducer/Grower — 20,000 Limit Exemp-tion;
The poultry products are distributedsolely by the producer/grower and onlywithin the District of Columbia or theState or Territory in which the poultryproduct is produced;
The poultry are healthy when slaugh-tered;
The slaughter and processing at theproducer/grower’s premises are con-ducted using sanitary standards, prac-tices, and procedures that producepoultry products that are sound, clean,and fit for use as human food (not adul-terated);
The producer only distributes poultryproducts he or she produced under theProducer/Grower Exemption;
The facility used to slaughter orprocess the poultry is not used to slaugh-ter or process another person’s poultryunless the Administrator of FSIS grantsan exemption [ 9 CFR 381.10b)(2)]
What follows are segments taken fromthe USDA’s guide “Guidance for Deter-mining Whether a Poultry Slaughter orProcessing Operation is Exempt fromInspection Requirements of the PoultryProducts Inspection Act.” Recently, theUSDA has recognized some inconsisten-cies in the guide and they will be updat-ing it in the near future. For the timebeing, it is still a useful resource for smallscale poultry producers.
Producer/Grower — 1,000 LimitExemption Limited provisions of the Actapply to poultry growers who slaughterno more than 1,000 poultry in a calendaryear for use as human food. A personmay slaughter and process on his or herpremises poultry that he or she raised andthey may distribute such poultry withoutmandatory inspection when the follow-ing six criteria are met [ 9 CFR§381.10(c) ].
Criteria:The poultry grower slaughters no
more than 1,000 healthy birds of his orher own raising in a calendar year for dis-tribution as human food;
The poultry grower does not engagein buying or selling poultry productsother than those produced from poultryraised on his or her own farm;
The slaughter and processing are con-ducted under sanitary standards, prac-tices, and procedures that producepoultry products that are sound, clean,and fit for human food (not adulterated);
The producer keeps records necessaryfor the effective enforcement of the Act [9 CFR 381.175 ]; and
The poultry products do not move incommerce.
Note: Commerce means the exchangeor transportation of poultry productsbetween States, U.S. territories (Guam,Virgin Islands of the United States, andAmerican Samoa), and the District ofColumbia [ 9CFR §381.1(b) ].
6. The shipping containers bear: a. the producer’s name, b. the producer’s address, and c. the statement, Exempt P.L. 90-492. “Exempt P.L. 90-492” identifies the
25
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
The shipping containers, when dis-tributed in intrastate commerce (insteadof the required features of a label ofinspected product) bear:
• producer’s name, • producer’s address, and • the statement, Exempt P.L. 90-492.
Producer/Grower 20,000 LimitExemption Notes:
The producer/grower may sell,intrastate, the poultry products he or sheprepares to other businesses for resale asmeat or meals, including a distributor,hotel, restaurant, retail store, institution,or small enterprise when the product isproduced under a Federal or a Stateexemption.
FSIS has determined that when agrower producing poultry under the Pro-ducer/Grower Exemption rents slaugh-tering or processing equipment and
operates such equipment on his or herpremises, he or she is not disqualified forthe Producer/Grower Exemption. In thissituation, the grower is not required torequest an exemption from the Adminis-trator of FSIS. However, the slaughter orprocessing unit may not be used toslaughter or process another person’spoultry while it is on the renter’s prem-ises.
Producer/Grower or Other Person(PGOP) Exemption The term “Pro-ducer/Grower or Other Person” (PGOP)refers to a single entity, which may be:
(1) A poultry grower who slaughtersand processes poultry that he or sheraised for sale directly to household con-sumers, restaurants, hotels, and boardinghouses to be used in those homes anddining rooms for the preparation ofmeals served or sold directly to cus-
tomers. (2) A person who purchases live poul-
try from a grower and then slaughtersthese poultry and processes such poultryfor sale directly to household consumers,restaurants, hotels, and boarding housesto be served in those homes or diningrooms for the preparation of meals solddirectly to customers.
A business may slaughter and processpoultry under this exemption when thefollowing nine criteria are met [ 9 CFR§381.10(a)(6) and (b) ].
Criteria: 1. The producer/grower or other per-
son slaughters for processing and saledirectly to household consumers, restau-rants, hotels, and boarding houses for usein dining rooms or in the preparation ofmeals sold directly to customers;
continued on page 26
26
The PGOP slaughters no more than20,000 poultry in a calendar year that theproducer/grower or other person raisedor purchased are slaughtered andprocessed under this exemption;
The poultry processed by a PGOP ispoultry that the PGOP slaughtered;.
The poultry products produced underthe PGOP Exemption are distributedsolely by the manufacturer and onlywithin the State or Territory or the Dis-trict of Columbia in which the poultryproduct is produced;
The producer/grower or other persondoes not engage in the business of buyingor selling poultry or poultry productsprepared under other exemptions in thesame calendar year he or she claims theProducer/Grower Exemption;
The processing is limited to prepara-tion of poultry products from poultryslaughtered by the PGOP for distribu-tion directly to: 1) household consumers,2) restaurants, 3) hotels, and 4) boardinghouses for use in their dining rooms or inthe preparation of meals sold directly toconsumers within the jurisdiction were itis prepared;
The slaughter and processing at theproducer/grower or other person’s facilityis conducted in a manner that results inthe preparation of poultry products thatare wholesome, sound, clean, and fit forhuman food (not adulterated);
The facility used to slaughter andprocess poultry is not used to slaughter orprocess another person’s poultry unlessthe Administrator of FSIS grants anexemption [ 9 CFR 381.10b)(2) ]; and
The shipping containers, when dis-tributed in intrastate commerce, (insteadof all the required features of a label forinspected product) bear:
• the processor’s name, • the address, and • the statement, Exempt P.L. 90-492. State law, rather than Federal law,
may be cited when product is producedin accordance with requirements of aState exemption.
Producer/Grower or Other Person Exemption Notes: A business preparing poultry product
under the PGOP exemption may not
are rather complicated and can be misin-terpreted. USDA FSIS has created a fewthings to help producers understand theexemptions. First, there is a free bookletcalled “Guidance for DeterminingWhether a Poultry Slaughter or Process-ing Operation is Exempt from Inspec-tion Requirements of the PoultryProducts Inspection Act” available atwww.extension.org/ pages/Understand-ing_Poultry_Exemptions as well as ahelpful chart that can aid you in navigat-ing the exemptions. You can also listen toa recent webinar on poultry exemptionshosted by the Niche Meat ProcessorsAssociation Network (NMPAN) atwww.extension.org/pages/Archived_Niche_Meat_ Processor_Webinars.
FSIS now has an e-mail address tohelp you with your question. Go to askf-sis.custhelp.com. n
slaughter or process poultry owned byanother person.
A business preparing poultry productsunder the PGOP exemption may not sellproducts to a retail store or other pro-ducer/grower.
State health department regulationsmay apply.
Some things to consider if you arethinking about attempting to operateunder exemption from federal inspec-tion:
Give considerable thought to yourslaughter location on your farm. Howwill you handle:
• Waste water and offal? • Pest control?• Is your water tested annually?What are your local zoning regula-
tions?As you can see, poultry exemptions
quality issues affecting all citizens, insteadof endowing public universities with mil-lions of dollars for unneeded hockey are-nas for the benefit of a only a few. Ourculture can tolerate honest capitalism,but not corrupt cronyism. Clean energytoday, must keep the hills and valleys ofPennsylvania safe for citizens to live infifty years.
The recent youthful, unrest in Egyptshould wake up our political process, andserve as a warning to ignorant, arrogantand unsustainable leadership. The Egypt-ian youth are angry from years of oppres-sion. Our youth have a reason to be angryas well. Their health and future lifestyleshave been undermined with inferior foodchoices, continuing environmental con-tamination, and the accumulated debtfrom the aftermath. Our youth deserve tobe involved in choosing a sustainable cul-ture.
The young men and women I come incontact with from food networking wantbetter leadership. Just look at the impres-sive future leaders among us here today.Starting today, all of you need to becomepart of the sustainable food productionsolution. Today, you have chosen tolearn from the best and the brightest
PASA has to offer. Our Board of Direc-tors represents a diversity of agriculturefrom the entire state. Our competentstaff is your support network, represent-ing all regions. I encourage all of you, tostand, be heard, and defend the cultureyou choose. Be assured, PASA will standwith you.
In the coming year I intend to leaddiscussions with other organizations withsimilar food ideology. We must be pre-pared for more attacks on raw milk, onlocal food suppliers and on organizationslike PASA. We must be ready to standand be clear about our commitment torebuilding our Good Food Neighbor-hoods.
I pledge to you all that if I must I willfight until my strength is gone to protect,food fit for our children and grandchil-dren. Let it be known that in the comingyears, as new crises arise, our organizationwill not be quiet and fall into line, behindunsustainable leadership regarding food,fiber and energy policies. We will speakloudly and clearly, with unlimited deter-mination, as we educate our communi-ties with the highest quality knowledgeavailable, and feed our future leaders withthe healthiest food to be found. We mustinsert culture back into daily living.Together with all of you, I look forwardto that journey! n
Poultry Exemptionscontinued from page 25
PASA at Twentycontinued from page 7
27
The Grapevineby Michele Gauger
Meat CSAs and Buying ClubsNick McCann, NCAT Agriculture Marketing Specialist
Community Wind ProjectThe Saint Francis University Renewable
Energy Center was recently awarded a
grant from the USDA and the Met Ed/Pen-
elec Energy Sustainable Energy Fund to
provide reports on wind resources for
Pennsylvanian agricultural producers and
small businesses.
The lift on the electricity cap has left
farmers and rural small businesses with
rapid increases in electricity costs. Wind
turbines in areas with good resources will
help to reduce that cost, increase revenue
streams, and lower overhead.
Identification of a site’s wind resource is
In any farm business, it’s important to have multiple mar-
keting outlets in order to minimize risk and maintain a stable
income. For an increasing number of livestock producers, a
meat community-supported agriculture program (CSA) or
buying club has become a viable addition to commodity
markets or the sale barn. A meat CSA/buying club sells
whole, half, or quarter carcasses to a group of individuals in
order to:
• Minimize the time it takes to sell meat in volume.
• Sell directly to minimize consumer costs.
• Sell the whole animal, not just the high-end cuts.
• How can I start and manage a meat CSA/ buying club?
Look to church communities or your own social network
where people are already organized and familiar with each
other to develop your meat CSA/buying club customer base.
Customers are often asked to pay for their CSA/buying club
share up front. However, when the upfront cost is too high,
it is possible to market smaller portions of the carcass.
When does marketing smaller cuts become too time
intensive to both raise and market animals? This cut-off
point will be different for every business but needs to be
considered carefully.
• How do I get my animals butchered and wrapped?
The local meat locker is often a good place to find out
about getting your animals butchered and wrapped.
Depending on your area, you may have federally inspected,
state-inspected, or custom-exempt butchering plants
nearby. There are three main types of facilities:
• Federally Inspected Plant
You may resell your meat to consumers and enter into inter-
state commerce.
• State-Inspected Plant
You may resell meat to consumers, but not across state lines.
• Custom-Exempt Plant
You may deliver meat to your customers, but for legal rea-
sons your customers must pay the custom plant directly for
slaughter and cutting services. So you must sell the animal
on the hoof and the buyer must pay the processor for
butchering, cutting, and wrapping.
• Where can I find other resources about meat CSAs or
buying clubs?
Marketing Meat for Small Producers, by Arion Thiboumery,
Iowa State University Extension, and Mike Lorentz, Lorentz
Meats.
Alternative Meat Marketing Strategies, by Lauren Gwin
OSU/Niche Meat Processing Assistance Network
Local Harvest is an extensive national website of direct
marketing that makes it easy for farmers and consumers to
find each other.
CSA Center directory at Warren Wilson College.
More information and applications for the
program is available at www.francis.edu/
communitywindhome.htm or by email at
Food Desert Mapping from theNational to the NeighborhoodScale
ArcGis provides very detailed
zoomable maps on food access and
numerous related variables on their web-
site. Go to www.arcgis.com/home and
enter the words “food access” into the
search box. The first item is a supermarket
access map which shows the locations of
supermarkets relative to populations liv-
ing in poverty (the latter is available below
a certain scale). One of the links is to the
Food Atlas newly prepared by USDA’s Eco-
nomic Research Service. A direct link to
this site, which contains additional useful
data is at www.ers.usda.gov/foodatlas
Edit
or’
s C
orn
er
critical in determining feasibility of a
potential wind project. The REC will use
their systems and data to prepare wind
resource assessment reports for your spe-
cific site with detailed information. Those
with sufficient wind resources will be pro-
vided with information on choosing rep-
utable wind installers. These installers can
use our reports to help with their on-loca-
tion assessments. Those without the suffi-
cient wind resource will be advised on
other possible renewable energy sources
to utilize.
Due to the grant this service will be free
to landowners throughout Pennsylvania.
28
FOR RENT/PARTNERSHIP — Organic farmwith acreage in Dauphin Co. is available forrent or partnership, 18,000 square footgreenhouse ready to farm, bed&breakfastwith apartment and large out buildings. Itwould be great for a CSA or other adven-tures. Follow your dreams. Call Ivan @ 717-433-7700.
FOR SALE — 150 ton of spelt straw, largebales with no rain damage. Located atMillersburg, PA – Call Ivan at 717-433-7700.
FOR SALE — PCO certified organic hay, 4x4round bales, stored inside, first cutting,mixed grasses with lots of red clover, tested.$140 ton or $40/bale. Pleasant Valley OrganicFarm, Amity, PA 15311 (Washington County),PASA member. Contact [email protected] orLynn at 740 424 0446. Will help with loadingor delivery.
FOR SALE
FOR RENT / LEASE
A full and up to date listing of
classified and employment opportunities
is available at www.pasafarming.org.
tractors and equipment, feed livestock, andpossible supervision of staff/interns. Assistwith new projects, such as, farm scale com-posting to recycle local food wastes; “green”energy and building projects; and expandingfarm tours.
Qualifications: — demonstrated commit-ment to organic/sustainable/ local agricul-ture; desire to learn and to take on increasinglevels of responsibility; experience workingon a farm; ability, or willingness, to operatetractors and equipment. Desirable qualifica-tions: experience on an organic farm or grass-based livestock operation; related education;ability to do simple repairs on farm equip-ment; ability to weld, repair fencing, and dosimple carpentry; familiarity with managing:row crops, vegetables, forages, dairy, beef, orpoultry.
Salary commensurate with experienceand abilities. A house suitable for a small fam-ily and health insurance are available.
Reply with a letter of interest and resumeor a description of your background:[email protected]
Cla
ssifi
ed A
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AVAILABLE – 2 greenhouses, 2 hoophouses,garden. Housing, adjacent restaurant as basecustomer, Lehigh Valley. Contact 610-360-6926
AVAILABLE – small dairy suitable for cows,goats or sheep. All equipment plus housling.Lehigh Valley. Contact 610-360-6926
INTERN POSITION — 10 wks, 2-acre mini-intensive farm, Chester Co., housingincluded, $1,000 stipend. Contact Stephen at610-593-1996. For pictures, go towww.guineahengarden.com. To apply, e-mail [email protected]
FARM ASSISTANT MANAGER — OrganicFarm Assistant Manager — Washingtom/Bal-timore area. Started over thirty years ago, weare an established, diversified organic opera-tion on 185 acres. Primarily a value addedenterprise, we direct market most of ourproducts to consumers and other organicfarms. — We conduct on-farm research andare often involved with organic/sustainableissues at the state and national levels.
Help with daily activities: grass-basedbeef, pastured chicken and turkeys (on-farmprocessing), free range eggs, grain and veg-etable crops, forages, ground livestock feeds,and organic seed production. Duties: operate
AVAILABLE
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Visit PASA online at www.pasafarming.org
Summer FARM STARTcontinued from page 13
platform and opportunity to promote the cominggrowing season widely to local and regional mediaoutlets as well as the public. It’s a chance to remindand educate consumers that tremendous local foodis grown in every region of the state and there aremultiple ways to support our community farmersand gain access to this healthy food.
This year’s FARM START events will be heldthroughout Pennsylvania and are just beginning totake shape. We’d like to give our members theopportunity to be involved by designing your veryown event that features farming and agriculture‘your style.’ In tandem with your support, we aredeveloping a Menu of Events that will include suchthings as Tours of Cheesemaking Farmsteads, IceCream socials featuring the first strawberries ofspring, Wild Foraging Excursions, an Art on theFarm Reception and a variety of health & wellnessfocused activities. We want our events to give folksthe opportunity to see, feel, and taste the advent of the farming season. To get involved, contactLauren Smith at PASA headquarters.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Cal
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Marchn Mar 12PASA Wayne Co. Members Group —“Food for Thought” Library Series —
Honesdale Library. Organic Raised-Bed
Gardening: Getting Started, presentation
by Roger Hill, Treeline Farms & Al Benner,
The Old School Farm & Moss Acres.
10:30am, www.waynelibraries.org.
n Mar 19PASA Field Day — Sustainable Maple
Syrup Production on Any Scale. Macneal
Orchards & Sugarbush, Centre Co. For
details visit pasafarming.org/farmbasede-
ducation or call 814-349-9856 x20.
n Mar 19PASA Wayne Co. Members Group —“Food for Thought” Library Series —
Honesdale Library. Seed Saving 101,
presentation by Adrianne Picciano a.k.a.
The Dirt Diva. 10:30am, www.wayneli-
braries.org.
n Mar 19–202nd Annual Edinboro Maple Festival.
Edinboro Volunteer Fire Department’s
Social Hall 125 Meadville Street, Edin-
boro, PA. For details — www.edinboro-
history.org.
n Mar 25–26Farm to Table Pittsburgh 5th Annual
Conference. For details — http://farm-
totablepa.com/conference.
n Mar 26PASA Southeast Region Master Class:Cheesemaking 101; Klein Farms Dairy &
Creamery, Easton PA. For more informa-
tion visit www.pasafarming.org/south-
east or contact Denise at 610-458-5700.
n Mar 28–Apr 18Backyard Poultry Course, Montgomery
Co. 4-H Center. A program for small-scale
meat and egg producers. This course
covers breeds, health, nutrition, and
housing. For details: http://extension.
psu.edu/start-farming/courses/backyard-
poultry.
A full & updated calendar listing is avail-able at pasafarming.org. These listingsinclude PASA coordinated or supportedevents, as well as those we felt would beof interest to our membership.
n Mar 29Keeping Fresh Produce Safe Using GoodAgricultural Practices (GAPs) — FarmFood Safety Workshops from Penn StateCooperative Extension Contact: AndyBeck, 570-622-4225 or [email protected].
n Mar 30–Apr 1What Works 2011! Conference ExploresEntrepreneurship and Community Devel-opment. Philadelphia, PA. Sponsored byNortheast Regional Center for RuralDevelopment (NERCRD),www.nercrd.psu.edu.
n Mar 31–Apr 21Exploring the Small Farm Dream — PSU; Lehigh County Agricultural Center,4184 Dorney Park Road, Room 108 Allentown, PA. For details: http://exten-sion.psu.edu/start-farming/ courses/exploring-the-small-farm-dream-1.
Apriln Apr 2PASA Western Region Master Class:Farmers Market Management Workshop;10am–1pm, Venango County Fair-grounds, 867 Mercer Road, Franklin, PA16323. For more information visitwww.pasafarming.org/ westernregion orcontact Leah at 412-365-2985.
n Apr 15–24Edible Ecosystems Emerging: FoodForestry for the 21st Century. Join us fora nine-day forest garden design intensivewith Dave Jacke and friends! Wild Mead-ows Farm — 456 Smith Road — Schells-burg, PA 15559. Contact — Kim Walsh,[email protected] or 814-839-4962 or http://wildmeadowsfarm.com.
n Apr 16Breaking the Barriers — Access to Land,Capital and Equipment for Farm Start-ups. Delaware Valley College,Doylestown, PA. For details —http://extension.psu.edu/start-farming/courses/breaking-the-barriers-access-to-land-capital-and-equipment-for-farm-start-ups.
n Apr 30Pastured Pork Day at Owens Farm in Sun-bury, PA. Three pastured pork producersand a nutritionist will share their experi-ence on the day-to-day realities and chal-
lenges of raising pigs outdoors. Theguest speakers (all members of PASA)include Jeff Mattocks from The FertrellCo., John and Todd Hopkins from ForksFarm in Columbia Co.,Nate Thomas fromBreakaway Farms in Lancaster Co., andDavid and Caroline Owens. Preregistra-tion is required. For more information,visit www.owensfarm.com or call 570-898-6060.
n Apr 15PASA Field Day — Hands-on Urban Mar-ket Gardens: Techniques for ImprovingSustainability & Profits in Small Spaces.The Fairgreen Neighborhood Garden,Youngstown, OH. For details visit pasa-farming.org/farmbasededucation or call814-349-9856 x20.
Mayn May 9PASA Field Day — Transitioning toOrganic in an Apple OrchardO’Neill’s Orchard, Wayne Co. For detailsvisit pasafarming.org/farmbasededuca-tion or call 814-349-9856 x20.
n Mid-May –Mid-JunePASA Summer FARM STARTA statewide series of farm-themedevents will kick-off and celebrate localfamily farming and increase awarenesslocal food in the Commonwealth. Thisyear’s FARM START events will give peo-ple the opportunity to experience farms& agriculture in a variety of ways. Staytuned to pasafarming.org/farmstart.
n May 23–25PASA Intensive Learning Program —Mob Grazing with Ian Mitchell-Innes: AThree-day, Hands-on Intensive. KanangaFarm, Westmoreland Co. Registrationlimited to 50. Save $100 by registeringbefore April 15th. For details visit pasa-farming.org/farmbasededucation or call814-349-9856 x20.
Septembern Sept 25Save the Date!Bike Fresh Bike Local — Chester CountyFor details vist www.pasafarming.org/bikefresh.
Card No.
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GOOD FOOD NEIGHBORHOOD™ MEMBERSHIP
Good Food Neighborborhood MembershipPlease enter name and email address of the recipient in the field $30
Membership & Contribution Form
Please clip this application and return with payment to:PASA Membership, PO Box 419, Millheim, PA 16854
or join online at pasafarming.org
DONATIONS PAYMENT
Consider lending extra support to these two PASA funds.
The Annual Fund supports PASA’s basicoperations.
The Arias M. Brownback ScholarshipFund helps those wishing to learn aboutsustainable agriculture attend the annualconference regardless of financial position.
Contributions for Lifetime Memberships & Permanent Business Part-nerships will be managed with care, sustaining both the ongoingmemberships as well as the long-term future of PASA. There are fewthings a member or business could do to symbolize their lifelong com-mitment to sustainability than to place such confidence in the valueand viability of PASA itself.
Sustaining Lifetime Member $1,400Please complete the Family/Farm Membership field above left
Permanent Business Partner $3,000Please complete the Nonprofit/Business Membership field above left
SUBTOTAL $
PASA MEMBERSHIP LEVELS
In addition to your own membership, you may give PASA membershipto a good friend, family member, business associate or other worthyrecipient on an annual or lifetime basis…a gift that keeps on giving!
Individual $45
Family/Farm $70
Sustaining Lifetime Member $1,400
SUBTOTAL $
specialextras
Nonprofit or Business Membership ($100 or $150 Levels)Please list up to two additional people associated with your business to receive individual membership privileges.
PASA MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS
Individual $45Individual — Two Year RENEWAL Membership* (Save $10) $80
Family/Farm Please complete field at right $70Family/Farm — Two Year RENEWAL Membership* (Save $10) $130
Nonprofit Please complete field at right $100
Business Please complete field at right $150
Business Patron PASA will contact you for the 12 additional names of those to receive individual membership benefits. $500
Family/Farm or Sustaining Lifetime Membership Please list all names for this Family/Farm membership. You may include children between the ages of 14–22, and also multiple generations directly involved in the farm.
Check Payable to PASA
Credit Card Complete atright
Total amount due
$
$
$
$
GIFT MEMBERSHIP LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP &PERMANENT BUSINESS PARTNERS
Name(s)
Address
City
State ZIP+4
Telephone E-mail
PASA is a registered 501 (C) 3 organization and contributions are tax exempt. The official registration and financial infor-mation of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department ofState by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
GOOD FOOD NEIGHBORHOOD BENEFITSGood Food Neighborhood is an internet-based program
• Personalized seasonal product updates from localfood providers on buylocalpa.org.
• Insider info on food & beverage tastings, farm toursand other local food events in your neck of the woods.
• Weekly event & educational news from PASA.
• A subscription to Eaters Digest, monthly e-newsletteron good food news in Pennsylvania (and beyond).
• A seat at the Community Table, where neighbors con-nect around local food shopping, cooking and learn-ing. Our Community Table Program helps you makeLOCAL connections. Reach out to your Good FoodNeighbors to form or join a group to either discuss alocal food topic or organize a local foods activity.
• Discounts on apparel and other goods purchasedfrom the buylocalpa.org marketplace.
• The satisfaction of knowing that you are helping tosustain agriculture in your region
PASA MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
• A subscription to our bimonthly, Passages newsletter
• Discounted admission to our annual conference, field day & intensive learning programs
• Invitations to other special events, such as membershippotlucks & Harvest Celebration dinners
• Event promotion via our website & newsletter
• Free classified ad and discounted display advertising in Passages
• Voting privileges for board of director elections &bylaws
• Membership networking opportunities regionally & via PASA discussion groups
• Discounts on Buy Fresh Buy Local® partner fees (coordinated through local chapters)
• Annual membership in the Good Food Neighborhood™ program for consumers (separate online registration required)
• Assistance with Food Alliance sustainable certification(if applicable)
• The satisfaction of knowing that you are helping tosustain agriculture in your region
* Two year membership options are for cur-rent members RENEWING only!
PO Box 419 • Millheim, PA 16854-0419
PennsylvaniaAssociation forSustainable Agriculture
Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage
PAIDState College, PA
Permit No. 213
2011 Farming for the Future Conference Sponsors
PATRONS OF SUSTAINABILITY
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