Recently I was elected to be the president of our county Farm Bureau. In our newsletter the president writes a message to the membership. The following is my first letter addressing the membership on a forward vision for the Chester / Delaware County Farm Bureau. 2021 is rapidly coming to…

Farming Through Failure ~ When Mother Nature kills a corn crop Hurricane Ida hit Pennsylvania on September 1st with historic rains and wind events. You may remember the storm for the flooding it caused in Center City Philadelphia where people were seen the next day floating down some of the…

This week’s Friday on the Farm is taking a detour to the RULE XVIII Commencement. I had the privilege to speak to our class and those in attendance. My speech and challenge to the class is below. Class, it is an honor to have the privilege to address you and…

71st PA Farm Bureau Annual Meeting ~ Leadership In Action On November 15–17 members of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau met in Hershey Pennsylvania to do our most important function of the year: debate the policies which guide PFB lobbying efforts. The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is one of the most powerfully…

Friday On The Farm ~ 8/27/2021 “Find the off switch” August is our slowest month on the farm. Crop management has just about wrapped up. We do some crop scouting in the morning and some maintenance to start preparing for harvest but in all its our time to try and…

The Other End Of The Dairy Cycle ~ CHEESE!! Few foods inspire dedication quite like cheese. Turophiles; that’s the word for people who love cheese. Can I tell you a secret? I’m not one of them. Animals make me happy. I respect farmers. I enjoy cooking. I am from Pennsylvania…

Farm Transition to the Next Generation ~ Stephanie Shirk Is farm ownership really in the plan for my future? To be honest, it’s been a big unknown despite many who know me assuming “yes” it would be.

In-suring a Future for Agriculture Woman bring crucial skills to the success of agriculture. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, 36% of U.S. farmers are women but the role of women in agriculture goes far beyond primary farm owner and operator. While women are equally capable of decision making…

The Struggles of the Dairy Industry Just like with any industry, the Dairy industry has seen their fair share of difficulties. It ranges from milk prices, how much the farmer gets paid for their product, having enough highly skilled employees, to inflation of resources needed to keep our animals happy…