Agriculture 2022

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2—Lewistown, PA

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The Sentinel

­Lewistown, PA—3

AGRICULTURE

Local man behind new rabbit, cavy breeding club Lightfoot breeds, raises show quality animals in Ferguson Valley

By TYLER RUPERT Sentinel reporter trupert@lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — Jason Lightfoot owns and operates Deere Run Rabbitry with his wife Liz and his two children Gabe and Rebecca. The family raises multiple breeds of rabbits but focuses mainly on Argente Brun and New Zealand breeds. They currently house approximately 85 rabbits in Ferguson Valley.

The Lightfoots breed, raise and sell these rabbits for multiple reasons. They breed with a heavy focus on genetics and all rabbits are pedigree quality. New Zealand rabbits take 9 months to grow to the 10-pound marker but it only takes about eight weeks to grow to five pounds.

The high quality rabbits are sold to other breeders for their genetic qualities. Other high quality rabbits are sold for show.

“Though they might not win every show, they are sure to do very well,” Lightfoot said.

Other pedigree rabbits less than show quality, five pounds or more, may be sold to a meat market in the Harrisburg area. Some are sold to individuals as pets.

Liz Lightfoot recently won National Sweepstakes points as the top breeder of Argente rabbits in the nation.

“Our family is very proud of the achievement,” Liz Lightfoot said.

In January Lightfoot started the Juniata Valley Rabbit and Cavy Breeders Club. The purpose of the club is to bring knowledge of the American Rabbit Breeders Association and American Cavy Breeders Association to the local community and to teach individuals how to raise

Sentinel photo by TYLER RUPERT

Jason Lightfoot of Deere Run Rabbitry shows off two of his rabbits. On the left is New Zealand breed Ozzy and on the right is Argente Brun breed Scarlet O’Hare. Lightfoot owns and operates Deere Run Rabbitry with his wife Liz and his two children Gabe and Rebecca. The family raises multiple breeds of rabbits but focuses mainly on Argente Brun and New Zealand breeds. They currently house approximately 85 rabbits in Ferguson Valley.

rabbits and cavies. and care for rabbits and cavies.

The family is involved with 4-H The club plans to do this by reaching out to local individuals who are and assists with rabbit shows at the interested in breeding and raising Mifflin County Youth Fair.

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The Sentinel

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

AGRICULTURE

East Juniata Elem. students tour Academy ag program RIGHT: Fifth and sixth grade East Juniata Elementary students, from left, Elisia Lopez, Aubrie Price, Haven Smith, Brianna Brubaker and Cali Wagner prepare for a brief welding display shortly before an opportunity to explore the farm equipment used by the Agriculture program during a tour of the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology on March 10.

BELOW: Fifth and sixth grade East Juniata Elementary students, from left, Brianna Brubaker, Aubrie Price, Elisia Lopez, Haven Smith and Cali Wagner, tour the Agriculture program at the Academy. Students learn veterinary skills like administering medication and applying leg cast wraps.

Sentinel photos by TYLER RUPERT

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The Sentinel

­Lewistown, PA—5

AGRICULTURE

East Juniata Elem. students tour Academy ag program RIGHT: FFA Reporter Mikalla Hooper and Secretary Mattie Jenkins teach fifth and sixth grade East Juniata Elementary students how to identify different types of feed and how they are made during a tour of the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology’s Agriculture program on March 10. The EJES students are from left, Elisia Lopez, Aubrie Price, Brianna Brubaker, Cali Wagner and Haven Smith.

BELOW: Fifth and sixth grade East Juniata Elementary students got to explore farm equipment after a short welding display. Cali Wagner checks out the front end loader.

Sentinel photos by TYLER RUPERT

March 28th thru April 2nd

The Sentinel

6—Lewistown, PA

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

AGRICULTURE

Soil health field day set for April 21 MIDDLEBURG — The Snyder County Conservation District will hold a Soil Health Field Day from 9 a.m. to noon April 21 at the Middlecreek Valley Antique Association grounds, 758 Old Colony Road, Selinsgrove.

There is no cost.

Farmers will learn about: How their farm’s “soil herd” can work for them.

Improved soil health can minimize soil and nutrient losses.

Growing crops and cov-

ers are your soils’ solar panels that benefit future crops.

How better soil health can improve soil water infiltration.

No-tilling will work for vegetable and vine row crops.

A rainfall simulator will show farmers how different soil conditions effect soil runoff and soil infiltration. A Penn State soil professor will guide attendees what to look for underneath the soil surface. A no-till transplant-

er is scheduled to appear during the event.

Topics will be presented

by SCCD staff and members of the Pennsylvania Soil Health Coalition, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Stroud Water Research Center, Penn State Extension, and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

This event will be held rain or shine. Register by April 18 by calling (570) 837-3000 ext. 5 or emailing agtech@snydercd.org.

Juniata County Dairy Miss shares milk facts, stuffed shells recipe Hi! I’m Ella Zimmerman and I am a Juniata County Dairy Miss. A lot of my favorite foods are dairy products. Chocolate milk, cheese, and ice cream are my favorites.

It’s a good thing I live in a state that is one of the top 10 milk producing states! During the past three years, Pennsylvania’s milk production has been steadily increasing, despite a decline in the total number of cows in the Commonwealth.

In 2020, the state’s total milk production was 10.276 billion pounds, up 1.7% compared to 2019 with 8,000 less cows.

I hope you enjoy these Directions Cook jumbo shells as stuffed shells which contains lots of yummy directed on box; allow to cool. cheeses.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, ricotta cheese, Stuffed Shells mozzarella cheese and egg. Mix well. Add seaBy Ella Zimmerman sonings to taste.

Cover bottom of 9x13 Ingredients Jumbo shells (20-24) baking dish with spaghet1—8 oz cream cheese ti sauce.

Generously fill shells 1—32 oz ricotta with cheese mixture. cheese 1—8 oz bag of mozza- Place in baking dish.

Pour remaining sparella cheese ghetti sauce over shells.

1 egg Seasonings to taste Rinse out jar and pour (oregano, garlic powder, sauce/water on top.

Cover with aluminum onion powder) Large jar of spaghetti foil.

Bake at 350 degrees sauce for an hour.

Dairy ambassador recipe

1 stick butter, melted

My name is Paige Troyer and I am the daughter of Eli and Terri Troyer. I am a 2021-2022 Dairy Ambassador.

I would say my favorite promotion is going to Headstart with the little kids because I just like being around little kids and seeing their faces light up when someone walks in.

My memorable moment is when I get to be around my dairy court laughing and having fun. I play soccer and basketball, and enjoy the culinary arts class at the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology this school year.

Here is a recipe for ice cream cake.

Nearly everyone loves ice cream and it helps us get our three servings of dairy every day.

Mix pudding with o n e c u p milk, then a d d to ice cream.

Place in two 8-byPaige Troyer 8-inch pans, freeze.

Crush crackers and mix with melted ICE CREAM CAKE butter.

1 half gallon vanilla ice cream, softened Remove ice cream from pans and 2 boxes instant coconut pudding place one on a platter. Top with crack1 cup milk ers. Place other layer of ice cream on 1 stack Ritz crackers top.

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AGRICULTURE

Juniata County Dairy Promotion seeking princess candidates MIFFLINTOWN — The Juniata County Dairy Promotion Committee is seeking members to serve on the 2022-2023 Juniata County Dairy Princess Court.

Qualified young women and men engage in a year of service through the Dairy Promotion Program on behalf of Juniata County’s dairy industry.

In the state of Pennsylvania, approximately 300 youth with dairy industry connections publicly represent dairy foods and farmers while learning career and communication skills through promotion events and training at the county and state level.

Serving as a diary promoter is an honor and an education — equally beneficial to the individual, the industry and the dairy consumer.

Candidates must be a resident of Juniata County, connected somehow to the dairy industry and have a desire to promote the industry.

A Princess candidate must be at least 16 years of age by July 1 and not reach her 24th birthday Submitted photo

by Dec. 31. She must be The 2021-22 Juniata County Dairy Promotion court. single, never married, have no children and must not marry or become pregnant The Juniata County support and help with the during her reign.

Dairy Promotion Commit- planning of promotions. tee is also seeking junior The crowning of the 222 representatives who should 2022-2023 Juniata CounServing as a diary be between the ages of 4 ty Dairy Princess will take and 16. Deadline for subplace at the Walker Grange, promoter is an mitting applications is May 1, 2022. The committee Mexico, Pa. , on May 22. honor and an For more information is also seeking interested education contact committee chairpeople to serve on the Juniata County Dairy Pro- person Karen Shearer at motion Committee to lend (717) 527-2221.

222

­Lewistown, PA—7

The Sentinel

8—Lewistown, PA

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

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Wednesday, March 23, 2022

­Lewistown, PA—9

AGRICULTURE

Biosecurity alert: Avian Influenza virus detected

UNIVERSITY PARK — The avian Influenza virus has been detected in migratory birds in several states.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a devastating poultry disease. When infected, most poultry die and if they do not die, they become seriously ill. The natural reservoir for HPAI are migratory waterfowl.

Unlike poultry, when waterfowl are infected with HPAI they do not always develop symptoms. In other words, infected waterfowl continue traveling from state to state during the migratory period. It is via migration that waterfowl contaminated with the HPAI virus have already arrived in the United States from other parts of the world.

Surveillance services have confirmed that HPAI contaminated waterfowl have been detected in Maryland, Virgin-

ia, South Carolina and North Carolina. While the HPAI virus has not been detected in commercial poultry yet, the presence of the virus in the environment poses an imminent risk for poultry.

The Penn State Poultry Extension Team urges poultry owners (commercial and backyard) to increase their biosecurity measures.

Please consider that the HPAI virus can remain viaable in the fecal matter of contaminated wild birds for weeks during the cold season. If you encounter contaminated fecal matter, the virus can easily attach to shoes and clothes, ending up on your poultry farm.

In addition to your regular biosecurity plan, make sure to follow these recommendations: • Keep p o u l t r y away from wild birds (ideally keep poultry inside buildings until the virus is

no longer detected in wild birds) is sick or if you see an abnormal Pennsylvania Department of Ag• Clean any feed spillages that number of birds dying, call the riculture at (717) 772-2852. may have occurred to discourage the presence of wild birds on your premises • Use dedicated clothing and footwear to service your poultry • Keep visitors to a minimum.

If you suspect your flock

It is via migration that waterfowl contaminated with the HPAI virus have already arrived in the United States from other parts of the world.

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The Sentinel

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

AGRICULTURE

Goot Essa offers unique blend of locally-made cheeses

By SARAH HURLBURT Sentinel correspondent HOWARD — John Esh like so many other small dairy farmers had to make a change if he wanted to keep the family farm. He knew he needed to find a niche market.

“That is where we started with the cheese,” Esh said. “Cheese is something that I have loved since I was a small child. My mother would always talk about how I loved a good sharp cheddar. So, we were looking at what can we make that is special, starting with a good quality milk, and cheese is what came to mind and that is how we got started.”

Esh shared that in the beginning he partnered with a cheese maker from Lancaster. It was in these early years mentored by this experienced cheese maker that Esh learned the art and chemistry of making cheese. It took about six years for the business to really begin to develop a name and experience growth but through that process Goot Essa cheese was born.

As Goot Essa began to grow some restaurant owners had started reaching out to Esh asking him to build a cave so that he could supply them with local made European style cheese rather than the restaurants having to import them.

“So we thought let’s see what it would involve to build a cave, and lo and behold we built a cave and it worked,” Esh said.

“We started out as a coop with some other memSentinel photo by SARAH HURLBURT bers but then we had a couBatches of Goot Essa’s soft cheeses sit in storage, waiting to be packaged for custom- ple hurdles, and they lost ers such as restaurants and wineries. the interest, but we still

maintain the cooperative structure mentality,” Esh explained.

Esh is the sole proprietor but added, “We cooperatively work with four other farms to purchase their milk. My wife and I and our family provide all the cow’s milk from our farm, and we purchase milk from the three Amish sheep farms and one goat farm that we work with.”

The desire to create a variety of cheese came from the interest of the restaurants and wineries to be able to offer unique and delicious cheese boards to their customers.

“We have 19 different cheeses, and they are all different from each other,” Esh said. “The goat and

the sheep do offer some complexity in ways that we cannot get from the cow.”

He said Goot Essa is set apart by two things.

“The cave and the European style cheeses, most of the Pennsylvania cheese makers are not making European style cheeses,” Esh said. “The European style with the natural rind is quite unique.”

The other thing that sets them apart is the amount of variety.

“The things we hear quite a bit when I am at restaurants is that they did not expect to find this amount of cheese from one source,” Esh said. “I find See Cheese / Page 11

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Wednesday, March 23, 2022

­Lewistown, PA—11

AGRICULTURE

Cheese Continued from Page 10

people’s favorite cheeses varies quite a bit with location.

Geographically the urban areas here in the East Coast will tend to gravitate towards the soft bloomy rind goat cheese, the Marn Vom Berge. The more rural areas of Central Pa. tend to like the sharp cheddar and the goat gouda. The goat gouda is a bit of a stretch for some because they have not had a goat cheese before. But this one is quite mild and yet it has a level of complexity.

“The Der Mutterschaf, is also a milder sheep milk cheese, has an excellent texture, and it does have a nice tang. There is in my opinion still too many

folks here in the central Pa. area who have never tried sheep milk or goat milk cheeses and may be pleasantly surprised if they would choose to try some.”

Over the last 20 years Goot Essa has grown into a well-known name, Esh said.

“The growth came gradually and with time. Last year during the pandemic the 70 restaurants that we had been working with dried up to five almost overnight with the shutdowns,” Esh said. “That was a slam that really hit us hard.”

The one thing that sustained Goot Essa during the pandemic was their gift assortments.

“The gift assortment market grew dramatically for us last December,” Esh said. “That along with the wineries doing well made

up for the loss we had with the restaurants.”

After visiting this farm touring the cheese caves and enjoying a tasting that was offered this cheese will always be on the list of essential grocery items.

The attention to detail and passion this family has for cheese making was inspiring and a joy to experience.

For anyone interested in visiting the store for a tasting to experience the wonderful world of cheese that they have to offer, Goot Essa is located at 351 Wise Road, Howard PA. For more information about upcoming events and locations where Goot Essa products can be purchased or to purchase gift Sentinel photos by SARAH HURLBURT boxes, visit the website ABOVE: Blue cheese sits on a shelf going through the aging process. (https://gootessacheese. com), Facebook or find BOTTOM LEFT: European style cheese wheels are an item sought after by many Pennsylvania restaurants as an alternative to imported cheese. them on Instagram.

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12—Lewistown, PA

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

AGRICULTURE

Centre Markets service connects local farmers with community

By SARAH HURLBURT Sentinel correspondent

SPRING MILLS — Centre Markets LLC director Sabine Carey shares her passion for the local food movement by offering a service to local farmers and chefs that helps connect them to consumers.

“Our main service is really making it easy for our local community to connect to their local farmers and to buy from them.”

Carey said, “Even folks that are really committed to it can’t always make it to the farmers market, or they don’t know where to find these farmers. And through Centre Markets, they find a one-stop-shop showcasing over 35 farmers and chefs.”

Centre Markets seeks to build community and relationships between consumers and local food producers.

Carey said, “It seems like the role that we are starting to fill is for folks that are just starting out that are still trying to figure out their marketing and getting their foot in the door. We are technically a food hub, and we are an aggregator. We bag the orders and hand them off to the consumer with a smile.”

Rather than have the consumer or farmers pay for all the costs involved, Centre Markets split the cost to keep it fair while offering a valuable service to both.

All employees of Centre Markets are paid a fair wage for their roles.

“It’s a little bit unique because people expect the organization to be a non-profit, and they expect our folks to be volunteers.”

Carey shared, “But they are not, and I feel really good about that. A sustainable local food system should not have to rely on volunteer labor, and we do like to be able to cover our costs.”

While there are organizations locally doing similar things with more wholesale-oriented farmers, Centre Markets focuses on helping new entrepreneurs and smaller farmers be noticed by consumers and find markets for their products.

Carey said, “I am all about working directly with small farms, and I really enjoy working with ones that are just starting out and helping them.”

Currently, Centre Markets is also working toward expanding local access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) so that recipients will have improved access to local produce at farmers’ markets.

Centre Markets takes the stress out of finding local food suppliers and is an alternative to farmers’ markets for those whose schedule does not allow them to attend.

Centre Markets offers a wide selection of unique locally grown and produced food products and fully prepared meals made

Photo submitted

Sabine Carey, director of Centre Markets LLC offers service to build community and relationships between consumers and local food producers.

by local chefs with local ingredients.

Consumers can shop directly with Centre Markets and place their orders online at centremarkets.com.

Customers can pick up orders at designated spots on Saturdays. If consumers live within allotted distances, delivery is also available for an extra fee.

Farmers or local chefs looking to work with Centre Markets to sell their

goods can also contact Carey for more information on the website under the contact us link.

Carey said, “I am passionate about helping to create farmers and community connections. Through Centre Markets we are able to support small local farms and producers, help them to overcome common barriers and allow them access to a larger marketplace.”

Visit The Sentinel online at: www.lewistownsentinel.com

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

The Sentinel

­Lewistown, PA—13

AGRICULTURE

Belleville farmer honored with annual PAES award The Pennsylvania Agronomic Education Society awarded their “Member of The Year” award for 2022 on Jan. 20 to Kenneth E. Glick of Union Mill Division of Chemgro in Belleville.

Ken is a lifelong resident of Mifflin County, having been born on the farm that his father, Dwight Glick farmed. Four generations of Ken’s family, including his grandfather Amos, his father Dwight, Ken, and now his son Adam, farmed the family farm.

He took an early interest in agriculture when working with his grandfather Nelson

Glick, on his small farm adjacent to where Ken lived.

Ken helped caponize chickens, pick apples and with other farm tasks. He later worked on other farms in the valley during his school years.

Ken began his agronomic career in 1977 at Union Mill after completing high school. He began his career as a spray truck driver, working up through the ranks to his current position of manager at Union Mill.

He has always worked hard to expand his industry and agronomic knowledge.

Ken was also one of the early leaders in supporting

and earning his CCA when the program was first introduced. He has served on the PAES board and on various other industry committees over the years.

Ken is also active in his church where he served on the elder board and held other positions over the years.

Ken is an avid deer and turkey hunter and a huge Pittsburgh Steeler fan. He enjoys spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He credits his wife, Janet, and their two children, Angela and Adam, for their support through all the long hours he was away from home working.

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The Sentinel

14—Lewistown, PA

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

AGRICULTURE

Lovetwo Eat Farm Store is home to local goods

By SARAH HURLBURT

Sentinel correspondent EAST WATERFORD — After struggling to keep up with his dairy farm as many other farmers have, Daniel Love, a fourth-generation farmer in Juniata Valley, took an offer to sell his dairy herd he could not pass up.

“We were a totally closed dairy herd, so genetics were very important to us,” Love said.

In 2018, a more prominent dairy farmer offered to buy all his cows, seeing the value of what the Love farm had built with their dairy herd.

Later, another farmer bought his robotic milking system, and after the struggle of letting go of what had sustained his family for

four generations, he chose to sell both.

Love is an alumnus of Penn State University and has been very active in advocating for local farmers.

He followed the example of his grandfather, who ignited his passion for helping other farmers succeed, and he found ways to keep his farm sustainable.

He serves on the Penn State Extension board and has served as State vice president of the FFA. As he considered what to do with the family farm after the sale of the dairy herd, he continued to raise some cattle for meat sales.

But after encountering difficulties with finding buyers for whole or halves of beef in earlier years while he was milking, he decided to go a different direction and started Lovetwo Eat Farm Store.

A barn fire then destroyed his facilities in August 2020 and interrupted his growing animals.

Starting with just a few freezers in his shop, he began having locally raised beef, some still from his farm and some from friends, butchered at a local FDA-approved facility and selling it in the smaller amounts that customers needed and could afford.

Love’s idea caught on, and some friends inquired about placing some of their products in his shop, and this series of events began the Lovetwo Eat Farm Store.

Love’s 1,500 plus square foot workshop transformed into a store full of goods from local farmers and artisans.

“My goal is a triple win; the first is can the customer win at buying here. I say

the customer wins because they are buying local, fresh, and quality goods. The best part is they win price-wise too. I am not looking to be the cheapest. Sometimes you have to pay for quality. The second win is, does the farmer win. I think they are; depending on the time of year, we have about ten different farm families or artisans that are contributing to this. And they are starting to say the money is starting to make a difference. The third win is the store has to benefit, or we can’t stay in business. We find the cash flow can be very tight, and it can be very difficult, but we are finding Lovetwo Eat Farm Store is profitable. It is going through a lot of growing pains but, that is with any business.”

Love said the COVID-19 pandemic increased sales,

reduce pathogens, and reduce solid wastes. Anaerobic digesters are also called “anaerobic digestion systems“, “biodigesters” or simply “digesters.”

Reinford Farms, located in Mifflintown, began its journey when Steve and Gina Reinford started with 57 cows in 1991. The farm has grown into a family operation. The Reinfords and their sons, Brett, Chad and Drew along with a team of employees manage around 1,400 acres of crop farming and an 800cow dairy operation.

As any dairy farmer knows it comes with great challenges and is a difficult operation to maintain in today’s agricultural industry.

“The volatility of the diary and crop prices and then considering the un-

predictability of weather means for a lot of uncertainty,” Reinford said.

The family has used various forms of risk management and diversification over the years to keep the farm sustainable financially.

“We try to think opportunistically when we diversify,” he said. “We look at what the farm is doing and look for commonalities in other business before we diversify into something non-farm related.”

After sharing the idea of bringing the digester technology to the farm with his father they decided it was something they wanted to try and proceeded with getting everything into place. The Reinfords began using the digester on their farm in 2008.

The digester technolo-

gy offers a way for dairy farms with 350 cows or more to generate renewable electricity and limit odors. Brett shared, “Since we installed our first digester, we have recycled over 90,000 tons of food waste. Seventy percent of what goes into our digester is dairy cow manure from our farm. The remaining 30% of volume is food waste. The food waste we receive is usually from food manufacturers and distribution centers all over Pennsylvania.”

The Reinfords also have a de-packaging machine that separates the packaging, which is also sent for recycling, from the organic food waste material.

The digester recycles the food waste and captures

and they were the busiest they had seen the store since it had opened.

The farm store sells all cuts of locally grown beef and pork, locally made products, including soaps, candles, crafts, syrups, milk, cheeses, meats, ice cream, yogurt and more.

They are also now servicing numerous wholesale accounts, including local stores, event centers and food trucks.

For customers interested in visiting an active farm, the farm raises many different animals, including water buffalo (Theo), sheep, goats, a miniature horse, Angus, and donkeys.

Love offers family-fun days at the farm, farm tours,

painting events, educational events, and many more to come in the future.

Visit www.ilovetwoeat. com to learn more about the farm store. This location at 417 Smokey Hollow Road, East Waterford, provides updates on Facebook. Email lovetwoeat@pa.net or call (717) 734-3335 for more information.

Lovetwo Eat Farm Store is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store operates on the honor system if customers are paying with cash. They can accommodate those using EBT or credit cards; someone from the farm needs to help with those transactions.

Mifflintown farmer rethinks sustainability for family farm

By SARAH HURLBURT Sentinel correspondent MIFFLINTOWN — During a college biology class Brett Reinford was motivated by a professor that was challenging the students to think and live more sustainably. He began to have inspiration about how his family farm could implement more sustainable practices into their processes.

He researched ideas and came across the anaerobic digester technology.

According to the epa.gov website “Anaerobic digesters are built systems (lagoons or tanks) where anaerobic digestion takes place. Anaerobic digesters manage organic wastes, produce gas and digested materials, minimize odors,

See Digester / Page 15

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Wednesday, March 23, 2022

­Lewistown, PA—15

AGRICULTURE

Does solar energy pose a real threat to the farming industry?

By WAYNE CAMPBELL

Pennsylvania State Grange At the 2022 PA Farm Show, the Pennsylvania State Grange presented an informative program on solar energy generation as it relates to farming. The panel presented thought-provoking insights on whether or not factory-scale production of solar energy can coexist with production farming.

Enhancing use of alternative energy is a positive goal for this General Assembly to pursue. Solar energy is a prime example of energy generation with less of a climate footprint.

However, the Pennsylvania State Grange urges the General Assembly to develop a framework for this mass-produced alternative energy.

Digester Continued from Page 14

the methane it produces to generate electricity. The digester on the Reinford farm produces about 500 KWh. They net meter the power which means they sell it back to the grid and buy back what they need. The farm generates enough power for about 400 to 500 houses.

“Generally, when digesters are installed on farms, they produce more power than the farm needs,” Reinford said.

We believe that Pennsylvania should not pick winners and losers. Our state is blessed with multiple sources of energy.

Increasing energy output from solar energy generation should not put people out of work who have jobs with fossil fuels and natural gas extraction as these industries are huge economic drivers in Pennsylvania and should also be encouraged. Legislators should not pick sides and suggest that there is only one energy solution worth pursuing. If the Covid Pandemic taught us nothing else, it certainly reminded us to not put all our eggs in one basket.

The food shortages during the last two years stand as a testimony to that.

Given growing interest by energy companies to “harvest” solar ener-

gy from farms, we urge the General Assembly to be out in front on this issue before the regulatory environment becomes a confusing and a conflicting minefield. The first question is who regulates large-scale solar energy development. Is it the Public Utility Commission?

Is it the Federal Government? Is it local zoning?

Should the Department of Agriculture or the Department of Environmental Protection have some say over approvals for these massive solar energy factories? Investors and farmers need clarity because regulatory uncertainty can doom a project.

The second question and possibly the most important is how to decide where to put these facilities. Currently it seems that energy companies prefer to devel-

“The bigger the farm the more power that can be produced. More and more farms are installing these digesters, in the United States there are close to 300 digesters in operation.

“We wouldn’t have imagined a dozen years ago we would be doing something like this. The one thing about waste is there is always going to be more. It is a recession proof business, and it is a critical component to our farm’s bottom line.”

One individual may not be able to make a difference in protecting our environment.

However,

when each individual realizes they are part of a larger connected whole and all of humanity begins working together, just as it collectively caused damage to the planet, it can begin to heal and protect it. Like the Reinfords we can all find a way to help.

“The environment, after all, is where we all meet, where we all have mutual interest. It is one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.”

Lady Bird Johnson, First Lady of the United States (1963-69).

op farmland. as this is usually flat or gentle sloping land that makes it more cost-effective.

The problem comes with the threat of the loss of productive farmland from what is in essence a solar energy factory. Pennsylvania is the nation’s leader in farmland protection and preservation. The Growing Greener Program and Farm Preservation in PA has kept farmland safe from commercial or residential development for many years. These success stories must not be compromised by trading food security for energy security. The General Assembly will have to decide how we can have both.

The Pennsylvania State Grange suggests having

energy companies document why reclaimed mine land or brownfields cannot be used instead of farmland. Secondly, we feel installations should not take farmland out of production unless another type of agriculture (grazing or specialty crops) can still take place. Lastly solar energy facilities should be installed in areas verified by conservation districts as not adding pollution to our streams.

A few other questions we feel also must be addressed are whether farm-generated solar energy can be shared with surrounding communities or be bypassed. Will there be indemnification for removing the solar installation if the energy company

becomes insolvent?

During our panel discussion at the Farm Show, it was disclosed there are approximately 420 possible solar farm projects being proposed in Pennsylvania right now, which would take roughly 80,000 acres of land to construct. While solar energy has the potential to be an alternative energy generation, it is important to carefully consider how its use of solar facilities can hurt Pennsylvania’s agricultural heritage.

••• Wayne Campbell is president of the Pennsylvania State Grange, which advocates for the needs of farmers and rural communities in the Commonwealth.

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