Irishtown Acres Welcomes Legislators, Aides to Farm

Carol Ann Gregg
Western Pa. Correspondent

GROVE CITY, Pa. — Steve and Joe Paxton, owners of Irishtown Acres, escorted legislators, county commissioners, aides and fellow farmers around their farm while they explained how it operated with the help of 11 employees and their families. Mercer County Farm Bureau Legislative Tour brought the legislators to the farm. The farmers have met with the legislators in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. and wanted to share their farming operations with them.

The first Paxtons came to this location to farm in 1809, 200 years ago. Each generation has added to the operation and helped it grow and prosper.

The morning of the tour, 403 Jersey cows were milked in about two hours. Jerseys have been a long tradition in the family.

Over the years the Paxtons have been able to improve their internal herd growth, evidenced by the herd’s increasing numbers and quality. This has also allowed them to market their quality genetics through the sale of calf and heifers to other Jersey dairy producers.

Steve is especially proud that they have sold several bulls to A.I. Studs. This shows the apparent quality of the cattle raised on this operation.

At each stop on the farm the brothers, described what when into the decision to buy equipment or build a building.

“We have invested about $1 million in facilities and equipment over the last seven years,” Joe said.

Though the current economic down turn has hit them as it has all dairy producers, the Paxtons say they are in for the long haul, but realize there will be some who will leave the industry.

“Mercer County is a good place to be in farming. We have access to machinery dealers, veterinarians — the infrastructure we need,” Troy Hill, president of Mercer County Farm Bureau said.

“If we just had the Lancaster County soils…” Steve Paxton added.

After the walking tour through the various barns and facilities. The guests were treated to a picnic lunch and time to talk issues with their guests.

Henry Karki, a state board member if Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, explained some of the issues that are of concern to Farm Bureau and area farmers.

Currently, the passage of the state budget is high on farmers’ list of concerns, he said.

Senator Bob Robbins (R-50), said that with the current economic pressures on the state budget, “There should be no increase in taxes and no new expenditures.”

The legislators were questioned about the tolling of Interstate 80.

Representative Mark Longietti (D-7). The representatives and senators in the districts along the Interstate 80 corridor remain committed to keeping the highway toll-free.

National issues of concern to farmers include the Cap and Trade legislation and health care reform. Formost in the minds of the dairy producers is the length and depth of the dairy crisis across the country and the impact this will have on agriculture in the United States and locally.

Attending the event was Mercer County Commissioners Ken Amman and John Lechner, Betty Fischer, representing Representative Michele Brooks (R-17) and Caitlin O’Conner represented U.S. Senator Arlen Specter.