Farm

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation seeks volunteers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 6, to help plant 600 trees and shrubs along a stream on the Long Delite dairy farm in Williamsport.  In the Long family for six generations, the farm is in the process of converting cropland to permanent pasture. The trees will help protect the stream that flows directly to the Potomac River from possible farm runoff. The event is suitable for adults, families and community groups. Please dress for the weather.

chrisc@herald-mail.com On one hand, an agricultural worker is a farmhand who milks cows daily, plants crops in spring and harvests in fall. Farm employees work outdoors in all kinds of weather, and have to deal with the unpredictable - an early frost, a mare suddenly going into labor, machinery breakdowns. But as crop and livestock production continues to diversify and be improved by technology, agricultural workers also might be software designers, fish farmers, genetic engineers, greenhouse workers or large animal veterinarians.

Annie's Project is a national Cooperative Extension workshop series designed to empower women who are farm owners or partners.  If you are a female farmer with a passion for business and involvement in your farm operation, this class is for you. Annie's Project will be offered this winter at Penn State Extension - Adams County in Gettysburg, Pa., on Tuesday nights from Jan. 15 to March 19.  The sessions focus on five areas of risk management...

A farm equipment safety seminar will be held Saturday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Smith's Implements, 13115 Cearfoss Pike in Hagerstown. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and advanced registration is requested by Friday. The two-hour seminar will include demonstrations and hands-on activities with tractors, weed trimmers, chain saws and power take-off safety. The seminar is a partnership of Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission, Agricultural Marketing, Smith's Implements and Nationwide Insurance.

Kenny Clopper said he'll have to go mushroom hunting with his wife from now on whether he likes it or not. At about 2 p.m. Tuesday, Clopper and his wife Barbara, saw a black bear walking across the backyard of their Ashton Road farm near Clear Spring. "My wife saw him first and she went ballistic," Clopper said. "He looked like a young male walking across the back yard. It looked like he was headed toward Hagerstown. " Clopper said the bear quickly fled when he and Barbara went out on the deck of their home and started yelling at the bear.

Kepler farm protected By DON WORTHINGTON / Staff Writer When the Civil War came raging to South Mountain in September 1862, farmers along the mountain such as the ancestors of Daniel and Helen Kepler hid their horses in the meat house to keep them hidden from marauding soldiers. During the battle, Union artillery occupied the Kepler farm's high ground, directing their fire at Rebel troops. It is also believed that Union Gen. Jesse Reno was mortally wounded on the Kepler property while reconnoitering in front of his troops.

Kids down on the farm By LAURA ERNDE laurae@herald-mail.com photo: RIC DUGAN / staff photographer SHARPSBURG - James Port, 6, got to feed a cow some hay Wednesday, but jumped back when he got slimed. continued "Ew. She got her tongue on me," the Eastern Elementary School kindergarten student said. More than 1,000 kindergartners from Washington County schools are touring the Washington County Agricultural Education Center near Sharpsburg this week, said Lori Taylor, extension educator for the Maryland Cooperative Extension.

Driving beats work on the farm By JULIE E. GREENE / Staff Writer BRUNSWICK, Md. - Robert Bealer is used to hard work. He's been a farmer all his life, said the 56-year-old Gapland area resident. But, almost two years ago Bealer took a job shuttling CSX Corp. railroad crews between their various assignments and motels to make some extra income. Instead of spending 14 hours a day out in the hot sun plowing, making hay and planting corn, Bealer now spends a lot of time waiting in an air-conditioned van. "I just appreciate the easiness of it," Bealer said.

Editor's note : This is the 119th in a series of articles about the historical and architectural treasures of Washington County "It's the best kept secret in the state!" declares South Lynn as he gazes toward The Kennedy Farm, a small log house perched on high stone foundations. This rustic cottage is a National Historic Landmark, one of only two in the county. Lynn's love affair with the little house began in 1965 when he saw a story in the Washington Star: "John Brown Hideout for Sale," with a photograph of the place and a Hagerstown dateline.

A free workshop is to be held soon for farmers interested in exploring their own cooperative opportunities. "Cooperatives: Working Together to Meet Market Demand" will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 7 at MCC Welcoming Place in Akron, Pa., in Lancaster County, and Nov. 8 at York County 4-H Center. Experts in cooperative management and start-up are to present the nuts and bolts of cooperatives, and experiences working within this model. A light breakfast and hearty lunch will emphasize local foods.

Name of business: Dan Hall State Farm Insurance Agency Owner: Dan Hall Address: 816 Virginia Ave., Hagerstown Opening date: Nov. 1, 2012 Products and services: Auto, home, life, health and mutual funds Target market: Washington County community; licensed in the state of Maryland for any needs How did you get into your business, and what motivated you to start it? I started my agency career with State Farm in 2001 as a qualified team member in an agent's office in Martinsburg, W.Va.

Smithsburg High School junior Austin Grove, a member of the school's FFA club, drove his tractor to school from his house in Leitersburg on Friday morning and spent the rest of the day showing livestock to youngsters as part of Farm Day at the school. “It was a little bit chilly this morning, but it was fun driving down the open road,” the 17-year-old said. “I've wanted to get this running (tractor) for years now for this, and I finally got the time to work on it.” The event, run by FFA students, included high school students driving tractors to school and displaying farm life to students at Smithsburg Elementary School.

The Easter Bunny made the first full pull March 17 at the Washington County Farm Bureau Pedal Tractor Pull at Valley Mall.  In the 4-7 age group, Matthew Baker took first place, followed by Darby Bittle, Kaleb Long and Madalyn Hutzell. Age group 8-11 winners were, tied for first place, Mikinzie Smallwood, Camden McCall, Nathan Baker and Raimondo Schianodicola, followed by Benjamin Rivera, Matthew Hutzell and Billy Weigle. Thanks to Theron Reed, Chris Baker and Eli Galyor for their help.  Another tractor pull will be held in July at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center.  For more information about the Washington County Farm Bureau, call David Herbst at 240-527-9622 or send an email to dlh21783@hotmail.com.

The Maryland Dairy Industry Association will honor farms across the state as part of a statewide dairy farm beautification program. This is the fifth year for the Maryland Dairy of Distinction program. So far, 25 dairy farms have received the honor. Farms nominated for the Dairy of Distinction Award will be judged during spring and summer. Winners will be announced at the February 2014 Maryland Dairy Convention. All Maryland dairy producers are invited to submit an application for the award.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture celebrated National Agriculture Week March 17 to 23 by hosting a reception to honor farmers featured in award-winning photographer Edwin Remsberg's exhibit titled “Maryland Farmers: Faces of the Land,” which is on display in the Miller Senate Office Building in Annapolis. Some 200 people - many of them lawmakers and policy experts who work in Annapolis - viewed the exhibit during the reception. The exhibit features various types of farming from across the state.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation seeks volunteers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 6, to help plant 600 trees and shrubs along a stream on the Long Delite dairy farm in Williamsport.  In the Long family for six generations, the farm is in the process of converting cropland to permanent pasture. The trees will help protect the stream that flows directly to the Potomac River from possible farm runoff. The event is suitable for adults, families and community groups. Please dress for the weather.

With the approval of Maryland's legislature, Gov. Martin O'Malley will soon sign into law new state subsidies to lure power companies to build windmill generators off the coast of Ocean City. The legislation will raise electricity bills, but the added cost is supposed to bring more jobs, cleaner air and, in the words of Gov. O'Malley, “a better, more sustainable future for our children.”  Credit the governor and state lawmakers for such high-minded goals. Unfortunately, the chief “green” benefit from the proposal will be the millions of dollars in subsidies - some explicit and others well-hidden - that will flow to the power companies and their contractors.

You can hardly pick up a newspaper or watch a news show without reading something about the environment or the ominous question: How are we going to feed 9 billion people? You will hear such buzzwords as greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration or green energy. Then there is the seeming contradiction that is the solar “farm” that is springing up along Roxbury Road and Sharpsburg Pike. Am I against solar energy? Not at all. I think it has its place, but certainly not taking up cropland or when it is so one-dimensional.

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series of profiles of local restaurant chefs. Trying to dine out on a budget? Looking for a restaurant serving healthy dishes with lots of menu choices? Try Robin's Cove at Meritus Medical Center. The restaurant at the hospital? But don't they only serve green Jell-O and applesauce? Joe Fleischman wants to change your mind about hospital food. “Everyone thinks, 'Hospital food means green Jell-O,'” said Fleischman.

The Washington County Farm Bureau is asking the community to participate in Food Check-Out Week. The canned food drive will benefit local food pantries.  During the week of Feb. 17 to 23, there will be two drop-off sites for collection of canned goods.  The first location is Misty Meadow Creamery, 14325 Misty Meadow Road in the Ringgold/Smithsburg area. For every two nonperishable canned goods dropped off, donors will receive one free scoop of ice cream, compliments of the owners of Misty Meadow Creamery.