Lancaster County Ag Industry Celebrates Leadership, Looks to the Future

Dave Lefever
Editor

EAST EARL, Pa. — “Innovative and environmentally conscious” dairy farmer/businessman Luke Brubaker received the George C. Delp Award, a highlight of a gathering of about 550 people from the Lancaster County ag community last Thursday evening, Nov. 19.

The owner of Brubaker Farms, Mount Joy, Pa., accepted the award from the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry during the Chamber’s agriculture industry banquet here at Shady Maple Banquet and Conference Center.

The annual gathering celebrates the county’s agriculture, which continues to thrive, despite challenges on all sides, from low milk prices to increasing regulation. But complacency about the future of farming is not in the plan, according to Gary Willier, the Chamber’s ag services manager.

“Our focus is to go from being a viable agriculture to a vibrant and growing agriculture,” Willier said during his recap of the Chamber’s agricultural activities over the past year.

Steve Hershey of Hershey Bros. Dairy, Manheim, presented the Delp Award, given each year to a Lancaster countian who has made a significant personal contribution to the agricultural community and exemplifies an outstanding dedication and commitment to preserving and enhancing agriculture in the county.

Brubaker Farms is owned by Luke and Barbara Brubaker, in partnership with their two sons, Mike and Tony. The farm was purchased by Luke’s father in 1929 and housed eight dairy cows at that time. In the 1960s, Luke and his brother purchased the farm, which by then was home to 18 cows. In the early 1990s, Brubaker’s brother sold his interest in the farm to Luke and his two sons and, at the time of partnership, the dairy operation consisted of 200 cows. The farm is now home to 750 dairy cows and 600 young stock as well as a 48,000-bird broiler operation.

“Brubaker is not only a successful business leader, but is also innovative and environmentally-conscious in his business practices,” Hershey said. “His most recent project was a manure digester.”

The digester generates enough electricity to sell back to the local utility company, producing enough electricity to supply approximately 150-200 homes a day.

Brubaker also has a conservation plan developed for his farm in order to address any soil loss concerns relating to his farming practices.

Hershey referred to Brubaker as “a leader in the local community and on state agricultural issues.”

In addition to being a member of the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board, Brubaker serves on the Chamber’s agriculture committee, and has served various other agricultural organizations, including the Lancaster County Farm and Home Foundation as a board member and president, the Lancaster County Farm Service Agency as chairman, the Lancaster County Farmland Trust as trustee, and the Environmental Resource Coordinators for Lancaster and surrounding counties as chairman.

Brubaker has also served as chairman of the East Donegal Township board of supervisors, and as a member of the township’s planning commission.

He has received numerous honors and recognition for his hard work and dedication to the agriculture community, including winning the 2001 Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholder Pacesetter Award, being nominated for the U.S. Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year Award by the Pennsylvania secretary of agriculture, and receiving the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer Award.

Funds for Ag Education
Dan Heller, chair of the Lancaster County Center of Excellence in Production Agriculture, presented a $20,000 check on behalf of the center to Tonya Wible, director of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s mobile ag ed science lab program.

Farm Bureau has four labs that travel around the state with a mission to teach kids about agriculture. “Our goal is to reach every school across the state,” Wible said.

The $20,000, directed through the county’s Workforce Investment Board, will help promote the use of the ag lab program in Lancaster County schools.

Heller also spoke about other work of the Center of Excellence in Production Agriculture, which is supported in part by the Chamber.

One highlight of the year was the launch of a new online farm calendar in partnership with Lancaster Farming at the center’s Web site keeplancastercountyfarming.com.

The calendar posts hundreds of upcoming agricultural events from around the region, and is also available at www.lancasterfarming.com.

Longstanding Farms Recognized
Lancaster County Extension Director Leon Ressler introduced Century and Bicentennial Farm families. Acting Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding was on hand to recognize them.

Loren and Kyra Fry of Colonial Manor Farm in Manor Township accepted the Bicentennial honor for their farm, which first came into the family in 1741. The eighth generation is now living on the farm.

Accepting Century Farm honors were Farley and Michele Fry, Reinholds. Their farm has been in the family since 1812.

Both farms are in production, rented out to neighboring farmers.

The evening concluded with some lighthearted entertainment by Re-Creation USA, a youthful song and dance troupe based in Port Trevorton, Pa. One member of the eight-person group — Carrie Mellinger — hails from a dairy farm in Ronks, Lancaster County.