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Title: Extension Agent, Sustainable Agriculture/Farm Management
Organization: PSCE Mercer County
State: Pennsylvania
E-mail: gwm6@psu.edu
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Gary Micsky is working with three cooperators in Mercer county
PA who are conducting ginseng, goldenseal, mushroom, and improved
sugar maple trials.
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Gary's first cooperator is Kerry Prince. Kerry is a part time farmer
and a private forest owner, who works full time for the NRCS, raises
sheep, and manages a fruit orchard. Kerry has established both ginseng
and goldenseal trials.
Gary is also working with a full time farmer, Russell
Taylor, on a ginseng trial (see photo at right). Russell raises soybeans
and corn. He got involved with the ginseng trial because he is looking
for ways to diversify his operation and increase his income.
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Russell Taylor (left)
and
Gary Micsky (right)
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Left to right: Gary
Micsky, Bradley, Alta,
and Bob Stallsmith |
Bob and Bradley Stallsmith are a father and son team of cooperators
who have established an improved sugar maple trial. Bob and his wife
have retired and turned their farm over to their son Bradley to manage.
The Stallsmith's (photo on the left) also rent out part of their land
to other farmers who grow corn and beans on it. Bradley is interested
in reforesting some marginal forest land and in establishing a sugar
bush. It was this interest and a desire to learn more about agroforestry
that interested the Stallsmiths in this program.
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In addition to his work with Penn State Cooperative
Extension, Gary runs a small farm, that includes some forested land,
and is active in the Pennsylvania Private Forest Owners Association.
He has established ginseng, mushroom, improved sugar maple, and crop
tree management trials on his own land (see photo at right).
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Gary and his family
are posing in their mushroom trial.
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