Farm Tour scheduled for Pa. Dutch Country

WARWICK-The Town of Warwick, in cooperation with Shepstone Management of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, will be sponsoring a farm tour in the Pennsylvania Dutch country of Southeastern Pennsylvania. The Thursday, Aug. 12 tour, is intended to show local farmers and civic leaders farming operations that have successfully diversified in order to remain viable in today's marketplace. The tour will leave the Pine Island Fire House promptly at 6:15 a.m. and will return at approximately 8 p.m. Travel will be on a comfortable air-conditioned motor coach that includes bathroom facilities. Destinations will include the Leola Produce Auction, which is a 6-day per week produce auction, one of the first such Amish auctions. It does over $7 million annually in sales. After visiting the auction they will lunch at Shady Maple Smorgasbord, an enormous operation run by the Mennonite community. Next stop is Cherry Crest Farm & Amazing Maize Maze, one of the most successful agri-tourism ventures in the country. They offer a full range of agri-tainment as well as team building programs. The last stop will be at the Brown Cow Country Market, which includes a mini-dairy processing facility, robotic milking, a farm store, and ancillary activities to capture added-value sales. Last year Shepstone Management completed an Agricultural Business Retention and Expansion Plan for the Town of Warwick. The plan contains many suggestions on initiatives that would assist farmers in enhancing their businesses. The plan can be reviewed on-line at www.shepstone.net/warwick. Thanks to Warwick Partnership for a Quality Communities Committee underwriting a portion of the transportation, the tour cost is $25 per person, which covers transportation and fees at the venues. For reservations or further information contact Councilman Leonard M. DeBuck at 258-4139, 120 D