Lucas Brownback is sitting on a cash crop.
“We’ve been preparing and hoping for a year like this—we just wish it wasn’t under these circumstances,” said Brownback, a second-generation farmer who co-owns and operates Perry County’s 300-acre Spiral Path Farm with his brother, Will. Continue reading Agriculture Restructure: Farmers shift gears amid the pandemic
“Public enemy number one” is how Shannon Powers refers to the spotted lanternfly.
Powers, press secretary for Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture, said the invading insect is an $18 billion threat to the state’s economy—specifically products and jobs related to the grape, apple, hops and hardwood industries.
And April is when the spotted lanternfly hatches. Continue reading Unwelcome in Our Woods
Life is sweet in the Mack family. That’s because Jacki and Hal Mack’s business, Dawg Gone Bees, is based on one vital product–honey. Continue reading Operation Pollination
Emma Lower laughs when asked if agriculture is in her family’s DNA. The 33-year-old is a fifth-generation co-manager of Boyer Nurseries & Orchards in Biglerville.
“There are farmers on both sides of my family,” she says. “We have a healthy love for growing plants and quality fruit–it runs deep.” Continue reading All in the Family
“We married our family’s two passions together,” says Kevin Knoiuse, business manager at Thirsty Farmer. “Farming–and blending that with a love of craft beer. Thirsty Farmer is centered around agriculture and who we are.” Continue reading Thirsty Farmer Brew Works: An Authentic Adams County Experience
Apples have been at the core of Adams County’s economy for decades. Today, the cash crop is a key ingredient in the revival of a beverage that’s as American as apple pie itself. Continue reading Branching Out
A connection to nature–that’s just one catalyst behind a resurgence in gardening, especially community gardening. Continue reading Gardening for Community Good
Some of Curt Musselman’s fondest childhood memories include time spent grading eggs with his grandmother or opening the gate for the sheep on his grandparents’ Fairfield farm. Today, he’s the seventh generation owner of the 125-acre farm including a picturesque barn built partially with stones cleared from the property in 1830. “The Musselman Barn–this is the reason why I’ve gotten involved in barn preservation,” he says. Continue reading These Old Barns
Adams County’s orchards are among the most prized, technology-driven acres worldwide. Continue reading Orchard Innovations
Karen Hendricks 