Correspondent
TROY — On a bright and warm June 19, the Bradford/Sullivan Farm Bureau held its meeting in the historic Troy Sale Barn.
Doors opened at 9 a.m. and members and guests enjoyed a small vendor’s fair with local businesses, such as Mill Street Treats of Sylvania and Julie Perry’s Handspun Yarn of Towanda, as well as representation from the Bradford County Conservation District, Bradford County Dairy Promotion Board, and Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation. Also in attendance were Rep. Clint Owlett and Rep. Tina Pickett, along with Bradford County Commissioner Darryl Miller. Approximately 100 people were in attendance.
The meeting began with a speech by Athens FFA Advisor and Ag teacher Dave Steinfelt. Steinfelt, originally of Cowanesque Valley, reflected on his 19 years of teaching Agricultural Science classes and advising the Athens FFA chapter.
“When I started we had about 35-40 kids in the Ag program and since then at our height, we have over 100. Now, I have a co-teacher to help with the numbers,” Steinfelt said, motioning to several of his members, along with his co-advisor Sarabeth Alderfer. Steinfelt also introduced Canton FFA Advisor Tom Hojnowski to be recognized for his achievements.
Hojnowski had just returned from the Pennsylvania State FFA Convention, where he had been awarded the prestigious Golden Owl Award.
The Golden Owl is a recognition of an advisor in the state who went above and beyond to help their students succeed.
Hojnowski talked about his own agricultural background, telling how his personal work ethic and drive had been formed by working on dairy farms in his youth, though he hadn’t had the chance to join an Ag program like FFA while he was growing up.
Upon receiving his degree in Geology, Hojnowski had been teaching Earth Science in Canton and farming his own plot of land in Alba. The Canton School Board had asked him to restart and lead the Ag program that had been discontinued in Canton for some time.
Hojnowski and Steinfelt both recalled that in the early days of their tenures, neither of them had sought out working with other local FFA chapters, such as Troy and Northeast Bradford. Both advisors touted the support of their respective communities as well as organizations, such as the Conservation District and Farm Bureau for providing them with support throughout the years.
The advisors then called Cheyenne Bastion-Brown up to the stage. Bastion-Brown, a 2020 graduate of Canton, had just spent the last year serving as Treasurer of the Pennsylvania FFA.
Bastion-Brown spoke on how she had been motivated to tryout for FFA state office, a grueling process, by listening to Jenna Harnish speak at a meeting of the Farm Bureau. Bastion-Brown, as noted by both advisors, is the 9th representative from Bradford County to serve as a state officer in the last 15 years, which is quite an achievement, considering the relatively small population and small chapter sizes of Bradford County compared to the rest of the state.
The new Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Chief Administrative Officer, Mike Stolitca, was introduced. A native of Westmoreland County, “But don’t hold that against me,” Stolitca has significant experience in Ag marketing and sales and an Ag Economics degree from Penn State. Stolitca impressed upon the crowd his desire to increase membership and help current members adapt to changing markets and culture surrounding farmers.
Stolitca was followed by PFB Vice President Chris Hoffman who echoed Stolitca’s comments on changing markets. Hoffman highlighted a conversation he had recently held with the President of Hatfield Pork, noting that the market had changed such that now pork butt was in higher demand than bacon. Hoffman reiterated that he wished PFB to be a voice to the community to help people understand farmers and their struggles.
After the speeches, members passed a voiced vote to change the bylaws to membership dues. The fee for full voting membership is now $100 and a lower rank membership is Friend of Farm Bureau Member at $75. Another voice vote added a second vice president position at the leadership of the Bradford/Sullivan Farm Bureau.
Clint Owlett then addressed the crowd, remarking that the Farm Bureau is one of the most respected presences in Harrisburg, saying “In our caucus, when we get a new bill, one of the first things we have to ask is ‘What does Farm Bureau think of this?’”
Owlett extolled the efforts of Farm Bureau and its member farmers for their tireless work. Owlett was echoed in his statements by Commissioner Miller and Representative Pickett, who both noted that outsized role agriculture plays in Bradford County and the role PFB plays in helping farmers succeed.
Following the meeting was a lunch catered by Vinnies II with milk and chocolate milk provided by the Bradford County Dairy Princess, who led the crowd in a Milk Toast to farmers of dairy animals and other disciplines. Lunch was followed by an invocation by Doug Graybill and a reciting of the pledge of allegiance, with adjournment shortly after.