Matt Enright, Lancaster Farming Journalist Profile

Articles

Conservation Project Aims to Improve Water Quality in Lancaster County Streams

1 week ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

WASHINGTON BORO, Pa. — A new conservation project will help farmers improve the water quality in a small, impaired Lancaster County watershed. The Columbia-Manor River Tributaries project will target improvements to 26 miles of streams that flow into the Conejohela Flats section of the Susquehanna River. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation promoted the forthcoming effort with a May 2 tour of sites in the watershed, including Rohrer Dairy Farms.
Mifflintown Case IH Tractor Fire Cause Unknown

1 week ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

Triticale harvest at a Mifflintown dairy farm was briefly delayed by an April 30 tractor fire. Brett Reinford, who owns the Case IH 225, said the machine had been sitting in a field at Reinford Farms for 3 days, hooked up to a grain augur. “It looks like the flames started inside the cabin,” he said. “Obviously, it was a complete loss.”An official cause has not been confirmed but Reinford speculates magnification from the cab window may have started the blaze.
What to Know About Deer Fencing and How It Can Save Your Crops

1 week ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

How do you prevent deer from eating your crops? One option is fencing off those crops from the animals, but there are some things farmers should know before going that route. Tim Stark of Eckerton Hill Farm in Berks County, Pennsylvania, installed fencing over a decade ago, which cost him somewhere between $50,000 and $60,000. “I had herds of 20 deer in there,” he said, “and they ate everything. I believe I made the cost back in a year.”He recommends one material in particular.
New York FFA Celebrates 100 Years at Syracuse Gathering

2 weeks ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

To celebrate 100 years of FFA conventions in the Empire State, New York FFA has opened an Agricultural Education Hall of Fame and will induct the first honorees at its 100th state convention. FFA members will gather May 7-9 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse where the first members founded the organization — then called the Association of Young Farmers of New York — in 1926. In the beginning, there were about 60 members across three chapters.
Students Showcase Agriculture and Innovation at Delaware Valley University A-Day

2 weeks ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — Students are the teachers at A-Day. That’s been the case every year for the past 75 at Delaware Valley University in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. A-Day is actually three days, held this year from April 25-27, and it represents the state’s first official fair of the year. Students run the show, focusing on ag education and family fun. There are ponies and hayrides, milkshakes and barbecue, and a front-row seat to the university’s curriculum.
H-2A Tax Exemption, Food Residual Bills Clear Pennsylvania House Ag Committee

3 weeks ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

H-2A workers and their employers may soon be exempted from paying unemployment taxes in Pennsylvania. A bill to end the unemployment tax on guest workers was moved out of the state House Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs Wednesday. While farm workers on H-2A visas cannot collect unemployment benefits and their wages are exempt from federal unemployment tax, Pennsylvania still requires both farmers and H-2A workers to pay state unemployment tax. Rep.
New Jersey Looks to Preservation’s Future

3 weeks ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

New Jersey’s farmland preservation is changing with the times, Ag Secretary Ed Wengryn says. The State Agricultural Development Committee, which preserves farmland in the state, has developed its long-awaited new funding formula. “This will allow the SADC to compete more effectively with offers made by warehouse developers and others,” Wengryn said in an April 9 budget hearing. Next year’s funding for farmland preservation is unclear. As part of belt-tightening across state government, Gov.
Rep. Thompson Revered as Friend of Ag at Golden Plow Award Event

3 weeks ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson is the farmer’s friend. G.T.’s friends gathered Tuesday at Wasson Farm Market to celebrate the congressman’s second Golden Plow. Each year, the American Farm Bureau Federation issues the award to recognize members of Congress and Senate who advance agricultural policies and support the nation’s farmers and ranchers.
Apple Growers Facing More Cold Weather

3 weeks ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

The cold temperatures that hit the Northeast at the beginning of April are likely to come back in early May, meaning potential damage to apple crops. Drew Lerner, senior agricultural meteorologist and president of World Weather Inc., spoke April 10 in a webinar hosted by USApple. He said apple crops in the Northeast already sustained damage from recent cold weather. Areas in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York recorded low temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees April 9.
Celebrate Easter With Offerings From Local Farm Stands

1 month ago | lancasterfarming.com | Matt Enright

With Easter fast approaching, families are looking for local food for their celebrations, and farms and farm stands are stepping up. In Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, those looking for the sweeter side of Easter can stop at MD Farm Stand, where Maddie Fryer offers specialty breads, baked goods and fresh produce. “Everything is home baked, I have my own chickens,” Fryer said. Fryer started MD Farm Stand in October, beginning with a small flock of six chickens.