Western Pa. organic growers receiving top PASA award
MILLHEIM, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) will present its Sustainable Ag Leader Award and Sustainable Ag Business Leadership Award to Becky and Don Kretschmann, of Kretschmann Farm, and Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative, respectively.
The awards will be presented at PASA’s 22nd annual Farming for the Future Conference Feb. 6-9 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, Pa.
Kretschmanns. Becky and Don Kretschmann of Kretschmann Farm in Rochester, Pa. (Beaver County), winner of the Sustainable Ag Leadership Award, have been providing Pittsburgh area customers with organically grown produce and fruits since 1972.
Their current 80-acre farm supports a 1,300 member Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation.
Co-op. Jeff Taylor, general manager of the Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative located in Hustontown (Fulton County), will accept the Sustainable Ag Business Leader Award.
TOG began in 1998 when a group of neighboring organic fruit and vegetable farmers discussed the possibility of joining forces in the marketing of their products. By working together, they could coordinate crop production to complement one another rather than compete. And they could enjoy economies of scale in shipping and selling.
The business is owned by the farmers it serves.
Hear from winners
The award winners will share their stories as they address a plenary session at 10:15 a.m. Feb. 9. They will be joined by main plenary speaker, Ben Hewitt, author of The Town that Food Saved, Making Supper Safe and his upcoming book, SAVED: How to Break the Spell of Money, Live Well, and Change the World.
To learn more about the Farming for the Future Conference, and to register online, visit pasafarming.org/conference.
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