Vistors to the 2012 Pennsylvania Farm Show, January 7-14, were able to experience a new, innovative display that brings the farm to families. "Today's Agriculture," a 10,000 square foot exhibit, coordinated by PennAg Industries Association, on behalf of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Livestock Care and Well-Being and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, will help consumers understand more about how farmers feed a growing population, by opening the doors to modern livestock and crop production. Learn more about the exhibit.

HARRISBURG (Jan. 20) – The 2012 Pennsylvania Professional Crop Producers Conference is set for February 22–23 at the Lancaster Host and Conference Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This conference will bring together crop producers, advisors and educators to learn about some of the important topics in today’s high tech crop production in Pennsylvania.

Leading speakers from industry, universities and government have been invited to share some of the keys to success in profitable crop production. John McGillicuddy, an Iowa Crop Consultant, will be on hand for several presentations and a preconference workshop this year. He was a big hit at last year’s conference and is back by popular demand. Evelyn Browning-Garris, a noted historical climatologist who has advised everyone from Texas cattle raisers to Midwestern utilities and Canadian banks, will talk about what the coming season will bring and will shed some light on the weather for 2012 here in the Mid Atlantic region. There also will be several sessions on Precision Ag Technologies, including one withTim Norris from Ag Info Tech in Ohio.

This year the conference has a number of new features, including a preconference symposium, a spouse’s tour, an evening market simulation program and a special Advanced Equipment Technology Program. At this special program industry leaders will explain equipment innovations with some hands-on demonstrations. This will be a great opportunity to network with other crop producers and consultants on the latest strategies for producing top yields in our state.  The conference also will feature a trade show and roundtable discussion for producers on some key topics from the 2011 growing season.

The conference is sponsored by four crop commodity groups in the state:  The Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance, The Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council, The Pennsylvania Corn Growers Association and the Mid Atlantic Soybean Association in conjunction with Penn State Extension. This year’s registration has been reduced to $75 for the two-day, information-packed conference. For more information on registering, exhibiting or being a sponsor of the conference, check out the conference website at www.professionalcropproducersconference.org or call (717)635–2320.

Mid-Atlantic Farmers Feed Us, a program designed to introduce Mid-Atlantic consumers to the farmers who raise the food we all enjoy, recently launched. You are invited to explore the web site (www.farmersfeedus.org/ma) and learn more about what farmers do each and every day. You can tour farms, meet families and see for yourself how the food that ends up on your family's table is grown.

Also, residents of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., can register for a chance at one of four grand prizes of "Free Groceries for a Year!"* courtesy of a group of Mid-Atlantic farmers, at www.FarmersFeedUS.org. Upon visiting the site, consumers register by "meeting a Mid-Atlantic farmer" through a short video that shows how they produce safe, nutritious and affordable food. Consumers can register with each of the 10 featured farmers daily through April 3, the end of the
90-day program.

The Farmers Feed US web site features chicken, corn, dairy, egg, grain, hog, mushroom, soybean, vegetable and watermelon farmers from across the state, each sharing information about their farm and their family. In addition to guiding visitors through their registration for free groceries, each farmer also offers a brief online tour of their farm.

Since 1972, all Pennsylvania farms that produce or use manure must prevent manure runoff to streams and other water bodies from land application, spillage, storage overflow or leakage, and barnyard runoff. Barnyards and manure handling areas must be managed so that rainwater does not run through these areas and carry manure to streams or other water bodies.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, PennAg and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. have developed an overview of the Manure Management Manual.

Due to the delays in delivery of the study materials and the development of the Dealer manager examination, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has made the decision that there is not adequate time left this year to provide industry time to comply with this new regulation. We will begin the process of certifying dealer managers but there will be no enforcement of the Dealer manager requirement until after December 11, 2012. The fees for taking the examination and the certification fee for holding the dealer manager certification will not be charged until the beginning of the 2013 renewal period in November of 2012. 

Pesticide Dealerships that currently employ a valid commercially certified applicator can have those employees “grandfathered" as their dealer managers, if they wish, by sending the Department a request including the Dealership’s information and the applicators’ name and certification number. (Send information via fax to 717-783-3875.)

Dealerships that need to have a employee tested can take advantage of the study and testing sessions or obtain the self-study materials by contacting The Penn State Pesticide Education Program at 814-863-0263 and then testing at one of our regularly scheduled pesticide certification exam locations listed on our website at https://www.paplants.state.pa.us/PesticideApplicator/ExamSearch.aspx beginning in December. (Source: PA Department of Agriculture)

Looking for an indisputable way to designate that your operation is a biosecure area and that trespassing will notbe tolerated? Look no further! PennAg has 'Biosecure Area' signs available at a low cost. Download order form.