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Christian Byler
Christian is a dairy farmer from Harrison Valley, Potter County. He has a partnership with Lehman's Dairy, and along with producing milk, he also raises heifers for the farm. As a herdsman, Christian specializes in artificial insemination breeding, pregnancy checks, and running heavy equipment. He spends much of his time working in the field, raising crops for his cows and to sell.
Christian enjoys running, especially in local road races, as well as training horses. He is a Youth Group Leader at Valley Christian Church and the YF&R County Chairperson for Tioga/Potter. He enjoys his work with the YF&R State Committee and looks forward to increasing involvement in the program on the county level. |
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Rick and Dana Empet
Rick & Dana live on a dairy farm in Susquehanna County. They have two children - Alex, 2, and a newborn, Chelsea. Dana works as a Dairy Replacement Specialist with Land O Lakes Feed. Rick works full-time on the farm as a dairy farmer. He owns approximately 180 head with 80 milking cows, consisting of mainly Holsteins and jerseys. As well, Rick crops over 400 acres for grass and corn silage. Rick serves on the County Extension Board and DHIA Board.
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Jason & Sally Haggerty
Jason and Sally live in Erie County in North East Township. They both work with Sally's parents in the farming and business operations. Jason works with Sally's dad and brother-in-law in operating their 300-acre grape farm. They raise several varieties of grapes, Concord and Niagara for Welch's, also Fredonia and Catawba for local wineries. Sally works as an Assistant Office/Sales Manager in the family-owned business where they sell short-line farm equipment and outdoor wood boilers. Clover Hill Farms was established in 1949 and the business was added in 1972 making Jason and Sally the third generation to work on the farm. They love what they do and hope that someday their 3-year-old son, Connor, will want to carry on the family tradition.
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Dave & Shannon Kimmel
Dave works at his family farm with his brother and father. The farm is a 164 acre dairy operation. In addition, they farm approximately 750 acres for the feeding of their livestock as well as for selling to others. A personal goal for Dave is to be able to form a partnership with his younger brother, Mike, to take ownership of the farm currently owned by his parents, Bob and Doris Kimmel. He believes being involved with Pa Farm Bureau will help give him the tools to achieve this. In addition, with his experiences, he looks forward to sharing and exchanging information with other young farmers in the county. The hope is to build a strong mentoring program and broaden agriculture awareness. In his spare time, he serves as a Borough Councilman and, also, an Indiana County Board member for PA Farm Bureau. Shannon has a career with S & T Bank, a regional bank manager, in western Pennsylvania headquartered in Indiana. She has been with the bank for 13 years and currently is a Mortgage Loan Consultant. In addition, she serves as a member of the Indiana County Dairy Promotion Committee, elder and choir member at her local church.
They reside in Plumville, Indiana County with one daughter, Sidney.
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Ed & Colleen Livingston
Ed & Colleen live on an 82-acre farm in Dover, that they bought from Ed’s aunt and uncle, who previously owned it for 50 years. They farm 350 acres where they harvest wheat, hay and corn. They also have about 70 beef cows with Ed’s brother, Tim, and their father. Also, they sell corn stoves and bag the corn for the stoves.
Ed works away three days a week at Growmarx FS, which is a fertilizer plant. Colleen works away from the farm four days a week as a dental assistant at Dr. Kelly Hollis’ office.
They do not have any kids, but have two dogs that they consider their kids.
As State YF&R Committee members, their emphasis is on recruiting younger members into the Farm Bureau organization. There is a need not only for young farmers working in the industry, but also for the younger generation to take on more leadership roles.
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Chris, Shawnna, Maddie and Gage Lupini
Chris is the third generation in Lupini Farms. We farm about 1,400 acres in Columbia and Luzerne County. They grow corn, snap beans, wheat, soybeans and potatoes. Their corn, soybeans and wheat are sold to various mills. Their snap beans and a few of our potatoes are contracted to Hanover Foods in Centre Hall, PA. The bulk of their potatoes are contracted to Wise Foods in Berwick, PA. Chris runs the day to day operations of the farm with two full-time employees. Shawnna does the bookkeeping, helps some in the fields and runs Maddie and Gage to all of their sports. Maddie is eight and plays softball for Central Columbia. She also swims for the Central Columbia swim team. Gage is five and plays t-ball. He also swims for the Central Columbia swim team. |
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Mathew Meals, Chairperson
Matt is a 2003 graduate of the State University of New York. He earned a BT in Agricultural Business and started farming in the Fall of 2006. Matt farms hay, corn, and soybeans on 220 acres. He was elected to the Cumberland County Farm Bureau Board of Directors in the Fall of 2005.
Matt’s goal is to have YF&R step up and fill the gap between the farming community and the non-farm community. As well, Matt intends to build a log cabin home overlooking his acreage and hopes to share his home with a companion who enjoys agriculture, just as much as he does.
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Sandy and Howard Reyburn
Howard is a dairy farmer in Chester County and serves on the Chester County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. Sandy is a registered nurse and works in the pediatric wing of a local hospital. They both enjoy attending YF&R events and recognizing young leaders in their county. |
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Rodney Schrock
Rodney lives on a farm in Somerset County. Along with growing corn and soybeans, Rodney is heavily involved in the coal-mining industry. Rodney enjoys running kiddie tractor pulls for the children of YF&R members, and hopes that the events will be an attraction for more young farmers to join their county YF&R Committee. |
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Seth Ulmer
Seth owns a farm in Lock Haven, Clinton County. He oversees a crop and vegetable rotation on the farm, including corn, cucumbers, and beans. Seth is an active member of the Clinton County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, as well as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association. Seth would like to see more young farmers becoming involved in governmental affairs and aware of the leadership opportunities available to them. |
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Duke Whiting
Duke is an auctioneer from Lawrence County. Duke’s family is involved in raising beef cattle for their butcher shop. As well, Duke’s family owns a catering company, which is highly recognized in the county. Duke enjoys his time with the State YF&R Committee and would like to see more activity happening between young farmers in his local area. |
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