March 2022 - 9

down. He spends his time reading
seed magazines, tending his garden,
and playing " Manny " for his two
granddaughters, who can anticipate
learning a lot about tomato varieties, pests,
and blight in the future.
Miller gets top honor
Each year, the PVGA recognizes
an individual who had demonstrated
a noteworthy record of service and
dedication to either the state's vegetable,
potato or berry growers and/or the
association over their career. The Annual
Award and Life Membership is the
association's highest honor. The year's
award winner is David Miller of Miller
Plant Farm in York.
The award was presented by Campbell
at the banquet.
Miller was born and raised on his
family's farm and began working full
time in 1972, right after he graduated
from Dallastown High School. As a
fourth-generation farmer, he oversees
the planning, scheduling and growing of
many of the farm's produce crops. He's
been told he grows the sweetest corn
you'll ever taste, Troxell said.
In 1974, Miller married his high
school sweetheart, and they started their
own family right across the road from
his childhood home. Together, they
raised three children, two of whom are
working on the farm, and the other is an
RN/nurse manager for Wellspan York
Hospital.
While the children were young,
they spent time at the beach in the
summer and in Florida over the
winter. Sadly, he lost his wife Diane to
cancer in the summer of 2018. Since
then, he and his children, and some of
Diane's closest friends, have started a
nonprofit organization in her name. The
organization raises and donates money
for those struggling financially during
their cancer treatments. To date, the
organization has donated over $100,000.
Miller Plant Farm is a Pennsylvania
Century Farm, founded in 1912. It
grows 50 acres of vegetables and farms
approximately 200 total acres. The farm
raises about a dozen beef cattle annually.
It recently built a modern retail farm
market with 2,500 square feet of climatecontrolled
sales floor space and 11,500
square feet of retail greenhouse space. The
market and garden center are open March
through December. The garden center
offers annuals, perennials, houseplants,
succulents, trees, shrubs and vegetable
plants. During the holiday season, they
grow a popular poinsettia crop.
The farm's homegrown produce is
also available in the farm market. The
operation has been offering a community
supported agriculture program since
2012, and membership has grown to over
700 annually. It runs for 21 weeks from
mid-June through October.
Besides the retail farm market and CSA,
the farm operates a stand at York's New
Eastern Market where it sells its plants and
produce from March to December. The
farm also sells fresh produce wholesale to
several local supermarkets.
Beside the farm's production for
retail sales, it is perhaps best known
RAISING THE BAR
QUIGLEY GOLD
in the grower community for growing
approximately 1 million seedlings/
transplants for vegetable growers annually
in its 70,000 square feet of production
greenhouse space. Not only is the farm
known for quality transplants, but also for
Dave Miller's free advice about the best
varieties and production methods.
Dave Miller recently completed
18 years of service on the PVGA Board
of Directors that included two years as
president. He has joined the elite group
of past PVGA presidents who help
manage the association's Farm Show
booth besides enlisting his farm's staff to
help out each year as well. He has also
served for over 20 years on the board of
the Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing
and Research Program Board, including
a long tenure as chairman. He continues
to be a valuable leader on that board. He
is also an active member of his childhood
church and many other organizations in
his community.
Miller's free time is spent hunting on
the family farm and out West. In 2019,
Miller and his brother bought a vacation
home in Florida, and you'll find him there
fishing several times a year, However, his
favorite past time is spending time with
his five grandchildren. He makes it a point
to get to as many of their sporting events
as he can.
Troxell said Miller he would have
received the award several years ago, but
he also serves on the PVGA Leadership
and Recognition Committee that
nominates the recipients of this award
and has insisted that it would not be
proper for him to receive it. He missed the
committee meeting this year.
Resick new PVGA president
Rita Resick was elected PVGA
president by the board of directors on
Feb. 2 following the annual meeting.
Resick is the first woman to be elected
to that position. Second Vice President
Peter Flynn replaces Resick as first vice
president and Tina Forry was elected the
new second vice president.
Retiring President Brian Campbell
assumed the office of past president and
as such will remain on the Executive
Committee with the other officers and
also chair the Leadership and Recognition
Committee. VGN
Quigley Gold has a rough texture with varying
amounts of warts that make is a great addition
to fall displays. This Rupp pumpkin has round
fruit with slight ribbing has some gold flecking
and a dark handle.
XANADU
GOLD SPARK
Xanadu is part of the Nirvana
series from Crookham and
incorporates a stronger plant,
higher ear placement and
improved disease resistance while
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quality and consumer appeal.
Gold Spark a great tasting
indeterminate yellow grape from
Sakata. It provides high yields,
consistent brix throughout the
season, and excellent shelf life.
Plants display strong vigor with
medium height.
JEDI
Jedi combines jumbo fruit size
with main season maturity while
exhibiting outstanding quality
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This, US Agriseeds, pepper has
firm and very uniform fruit that
showing excellent tolerance to
checking / cracking.
RAISING THE BAR
IN QUALITY, FLAVOR, AND YIELD
Bringing you the best products in partnership with
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VGN | MARCH 2022 | 9
http://www.ruppseeds.com http://www.ruppseeds.com
March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2022
