Dear PSPA Member,
The new year for The Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture is almost upon us! I am your new President for this year and for those I have not met, I offer a brief introduction. I am a retired R&D executive and now a farmer. Our family is the owner and operator of the Walton-Myers Farm, LLC in Chester County, PA. Formerly a dairy farm, it now features a herd of Belted Galloway beef cattle and produces hay for feed and mushroom compost. I look forward to meeting all of you over the coming months and would welcome any visits to do a “pasture walk” on our farm. We are just a mile west of the Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center.
I want to make special acknowledgement of our members who are providing support to the Society. Walter Wurster has served us well as treasurer for many years and has just retired. He will continue to support the organization as assistant treasurer. Our new treasurer is Michael Fournier, a long-time member and, previously, assistant treasurer. Michael McGrath continues to serve as secretary and his good work in bringing our communications and information online is bearing fruit.
We have an excellent program planned for the coming year with outstanding speakers. The underlying theme for our programs is Sustainability, Conservation and Innovation. Our world is facing a growing population with limits on arable land and potable water. Food security will be an ongoing challenge for the world.
We will start the season with “The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture in the United States. Building Strategies for Climate Resilience”, by Dr. Jerry Hatfield, Director of the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, Ames Iowa. The date of this meeting will be September 6th and I encourage your attendance. Why not bring a guest? This will be a good meeting to introduce our Society to potential new members.
Half of our 2018-1019 meetings are scheduled at the Union League in Philadelphia with others located at the University of Pennsylvania, Chester County as well as Lancaster County PA. We are also experimenting by planning a two-day meeting at the Penn State Agriculture College at State College, Pa. It will be an exciting year and your support and participation are encouraged.
Sincerely,
Mark B. Myers, Ph.D.
President, Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture