Family Farm

Drive west from Hagerstown on Broadfording Road and you will be treated to wonderful views of the farms and fields that make up the pastoral countryside. This corridor, like many back roads across our county, reminds us of our agrian roots and our agricultural heart. As you make this trek, you cross St. Paul Road and drop down a hill and around a corner which opens up to Ernst Grain and Livestock Farm sitting to your north. This family farm was recently recognized by the Maryland Department of Agriculture for its stewardship of this farm.

by Kevin G. Gilbert / staff photographer see the enlargement Outlet mall crops up on family's farm Charles Barkdoll's red brick house is boxed in by Interstate 70 on one side, the increasingly busy Sharpsburg Pike in front and the soon-to-be-built Prime Retail shopping center to the rear. It is a far cry from the way it was seven decades ago when his family moved to the property from Chewsville. Back then, there was no shopping center. There was no interstate highway.

Farmers from all over Maryland came to Frederick this past Monday to tell state officials what they need to continue their way of life. Because this and other meetings will help Gov. Robert Ehrlich develop policy recommendations, it's important that farmers participate and try to speak with one voice. That will be difficult, of course, because farmers who raise chickens have different issues than milk producers. But all have some things in common. The first is insurance.

You have read many articles over the years in this spot about keeping farms in Washington County. We have discussed farm profitability, the importance of agriculture to the community and other topics. Today, we will be discussing transitioning the farm to the next generation. This topic is not as simple as it sounds, but if we are going to have old farmers, we have got to get the young farmers on the farm. In most cases, this is a twofold process - transferring the business and transferring the property.

marlob@herald-mail.com KEEDYSVILLE - When Austin Flook and his bride, JoAnne, came to live on Felfoot Farm in 1955, they were the third generation to farm the historic site, which was carved out of a 1737 land grant. "Our son Dwayne Flook is fourth generation and his son, Logan Flook, will be the fifth," Austin Flook said. So it's perhaps no wonder that the Flooks were honored with a Century Farm designation recently for their commitment to farming and leadership in preserving agricultural land at the family farm along Dogstreet Road east of Keedysville.

On Saturday, families will offer an alternative take on what it means to pull together. Washington County Tractor Pullers Association is hosting a pulling event with the East Coast Pullers, the local division of the national Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, at the Washington County Agricultural Center south of Hagerstown. But during the event, brothers will go against brothers, husbands will go against wives, and sons and daughters will go head-to-head with their parents in an effort to spend quality time.

In loving memory of Charles Eugene “Gene” Wiles, we celebrate his 12 years on this Earth. Born Nov. 1, 1998, Gene was the son of Bradley Lynn Wiles and Cathy Sue (Martin) Wiles of Hagerstown, Md. He is survived by Charles Austin Wiles and Martha Jean (Pryor) Wiles, paternal grandparents of Boonsboro, Md.; Arlan Eugene Martin and Doris Louise (Shafer) Martin, maternal grandparents of Hagerstown; Alta Elizabeth Martin, maternal great-grandmother of Hagerstown; two sisters, Tessa Elaine Wiles and Macayla Gracelyn Wiles, both of Hagerstown; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

George Richard Armstrong, 85, of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Thursday, July 8, 2010, at his home. A memorial service and reception will be Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the family farm. Arrangements are by Brown Funeral Home, Martinsburg.

James "Jim" Reeder grew up on a farm near Boonsboro on Amos Reeder Road, named for his father who was a Washington County commissioner. History was important to Jim, known as James by his mother, sister and sister's family. So much so that he invested a lot of time in preserving local history through the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum. Jim also became known as "Pappy" once his first grandchild, Tara, was born. Jim's grandfather was called "Pap," and when Jim's daughter, Vicki, asked what he would like to be called, Jim chose Pappy.

Garland "Mule" Clinton Bartgis, 79, of Hedgesville, W.Va., died Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010, at his family farm. The family will receive friends Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Tomahawk Christian Church. Services will be Friday at 2 p.m. at the church with Pastor Chris Butler officiating. Military graveside services will be in Tomahawk Cemetery. Arrangements by Brown Funeral Home, Martinsburg, W.Va.

A Franklin County, Pa., business leader with humble beginnings recently won an industry award for his accomplishments. Dave George, of D.L. George & Sons, started his career five decades ago in a ramshackle building on his family's farm. He is the latest recipient of the Franklin County Area Development Corp.'s Zane A. Miller award. “I never expected to be more than a two-man operation, or when my sons came along be a three- or four-man operation,” George said. Today, D.L. George & Sons employs 250 people in three segments - construction, trucking and manufacturing.

Ron Ingram's retirement from Frostburg State University's downtown Hagerstown location at the end of May marks the end of an almost 42-year career in education. “It's been real rewarding. I've seen the whole spectrum,” said Ingram, 62. For nine years, the Washington County native helped students earn their master's degrees in teaching. Prior to that, he was a teacher and principal at various Washington County public elementary and middle schools. He taught at Sharpsburg Elementary and Western Heights Middle School, then was principal at Potomac Heights Elementary, Fountain Rock Elementary and Smithsburg Elementary.

Three small businesses in the Eastern Panhandle were recognized in June in local ceremonies as recipients of the 2012 U.S. Small Business Administration's West Virginia Small Business Week awards program. They also were honored at the annual awards celebration May 30 at the Waterfront Hotel in Morgantown, W.Va. • 2012 Entrepreneurial Success Award: Michael P. and Peter M. McKechnie, Mountain View Solar, Berkeley Springs, W.Va. Mountain View Solar is owned by Michael P. McKechnie, president, and Peter M. McKechnie, vice president.

The Maryland Farm Bureau has announced the hiring of Michael Amoss as a regional director in field services, covering Howard, Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties.  Amoss grew up on a family farm in Harford County, Md., and recently graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics. His farm bureau roots run deep as he has been involved in the Maryland Farm Bureau Young Farmer program, worked at the Maryland State Fair as a U-Learn Farm coordinator and a Dairy Bar manager, and interned with Maryland Farm Bureau assisting in the government relations and field services areas.

Kathleen Virginia (Smith) Newcomer, 96, of Benevola, Md., passed peacefully from this life, Sunday, June 17, 2012, at Somerford House Assisted Living in Hagerstown. Born June 12, 1916, in Mapleville, Md., she was the daughter of the late Harry Mumma Smith and Sadie Estelle Cline, and stepdaughter of J. William Stine. Kathleen was a 1935 graduate of Boonsboro High School, where she worked as a secretary for three years after graduation. On Nov. 23, 1938, she was married to Richard H. Newcomer, and they lived on and farmed the Newcomer family farm at Benevola.

We are quite sure Shakespeare was thinking of our Mother when he said, "Though she is but little, she is fierce. " Tiny in stature, she was mighty in life and left to all who were blessed to know and love her, a mighty legacy. Betty Fairbourn of Hagerstown, Maryland, died peacefully, May 28th early in the morning on one of her favorite holidays - Memorial Day. Having been blessed with a long, full, healthy life she amazed her friends and family with the strength and dignity she displayed as she went through several major health issues over the course of a few short weeks.

Irving A. "Bob" Toms, 83, of Ridenour Road, Smithsburg, Md., passed away May 14, 2012, at Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown. Born April 7, 1929, in Foxville, Md., he was the son of the late Henry C. and Velma R. (Lewis) Toms. He attended Foxville area schools. He was a member of the South Mountain Rod and Gun Club of Smithsburg and the National Rifle Association. He worked on the family farm and was retired from Moore's Business Forms of Thurmont, Md. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Esther V. (Tracey)

William C. Meyers of Hondo, Texas, was born in Hagerstown, Md., on Nov. 15, 1928. He passed away April 27, 2012, in San Antonio at the age of 83. He was raised on the family farm at the edge of Hagerstown, where he attended Antietam Street School and Hagerstown High School, Class of 1946. He continued his education at the University of Maryland. He was employed by the Maryland Cooperative Milk Producers Association, followed by a 30-year career with Economics Laboratories, and retired to Hondo in 1999.

Robert Warren Cline II, 58, of Hagerstown, died Wednesday, April 25, 2012, at his home. Born Aug. 28, 1953, in Hagerstown, he was the son of the late Robert W. Sr. and Grace (Mercereau) Cline. Robert was a 1971 graduate of South Hagerstown High School and a 1975 graduate of Western Maryland College, where he received a degree in economics. Before owning his own accounting business, he worked for more than 15 years in the family farm implement business, ET Cline & Sons. Rob was a member of the Williamsport Red Men Tribe No. 84. He also volunteered at Hagerstown Community College for more than 20 years as an assistant coach, and was inducted into the HCC Sports Hall of Fame.

With spring, tractors return to the fields and with them arrives a fading conflict of contrasting lifestyles - the slow, rural pace of our agricultural heritage up against a rat race of harried people who are so busy that a few minutes spent behind a piece of farm machinery can send them around the bend. We say the conflict is fading because the rats are winning. Agriculture is becoming a large-scale industry in sprawling complexes, while the storied family farm is in danger of extinction.