Members

Leadership Team

Greg Lott - Co-Chairperson

Greg is a fourth-generation apple grower from Adams County, Pennsylvania. Following six years in the engineering field, Greg returned to his family's fruit farm in 2021 as an Operations Manager. His responsibilities include managing crews, planning and delegating daily tasks, monitoring the apple crop, and facilitating on-farm projects. In his free time, Greg enjoys skiing, hiking, and spending time with his wife and their husky.

Nathan Filak  - Co-Chairperson

Nathan has been in the fruit growing industry since graduating from high school in 2021. He is now a farm manager at Shaw Orchards on the PA/MD Line. Here he helps with IPM applications, managing crews during harvest seasons, planting crops, and any projects that need addressed. When not on the orchard, Nathan loves to be involved in his community with the local fish and game club as their secretary and with the local fire department. Nathan also enjoys being outdoors, hunting, and shooting 3D archery.

Katie Epstein - Treasurer

Katie has spent many years working with growers in York, Adams and surrounding counties through her employment with Horizon Farm Credit where she has been since 2008 after graduating from Cornell University. Katie currently serves as the Senior Vice President, Ag Lending for the Farm Credit association. When not involved with Horizon responsibilities or volunteering with the many local organizations she is involved with she enjoys spending time with her family, including her husband and their three children.

Team Leaders

Workshops & Speaking Engagements (Transition Planning)--Nettie Baugher, Ryan Callahan, Sarah Zost, Adam Baugher, Katie Epstein, Hallie Butler Van Horn

Tours (Sharing Diversification & Marketing Ideas, Exploring Innovations)--Nettie Baugher, Adam Baugher, Corey McCleaf, Andrew Schwalm, Chris Lerew, Kade Wallace

Service Work (Farm Show, Support for Nicaraguan Young Growers)-- Corey McCleaf, Katlyn Robertson, Ben Lerew, Matt Strite, Maggie Travis

Leadership Development (US Apple; Serving on Association Boards)--Mark Boyer, Julie Bolyard, Ben Keim, Marshall Saunders, Mattie Leid, Adam Voll, Philip Glaize

Professional Development (Connecting with SHAP Extension Committee and industry representatives for support of experiential learning opportunities)--Clair Kauffman, Ben Lerew, Katie Epstein

Horticulture Student Support (SHAP Scholarship)--Bob Hricko, Sidney Kuhn, Wayne Hollabaugh, Ben Keim, Eric Haller, Jen Baugher, Carolyn McQuiston, Sara Hricko, Steve Johnston, Don Seifrit

Liaisons

State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania (SHAP) -- Corey McCleaf

Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association – Adam Voll

YGA of Virginia -- Philip Glaize

Maryland Horticultural Society -- Hallie Butler Van Horn

US Apple -- Mark Boyer

IFTA -- Jen Baugher Benton

Penn State Extension

Don Seifrit

Don Seifrit is a Young Grower/Tree Fruit Extension Educator based out of Berks County. He worked alongside Extension IPM and horticulture professionals at the University of Delaware before coming to Penn State. Don earned his Master's degree studying ways to improve watermelon production and is passionate about improving and growing the agriculture industry through research and outreach.

Daniel E. Weber

Daniel is a Commercial Tree Fruit Extension Educator based in the Gettysburg/Adams County office. He earned his doctorate at the University of Illinois where he focused on small fruit breeding and improvement using genomic sequencing and analysis tools. Before seeing the light and pursuing horticulture, he was a computer science nerd and did a bunch of weird computer graphics stuff for the Beckman Institute. He and his wife Janet come from the cornlands of Illinois, where it is impossible to get lost because the roads are straight and run N-S/E-W.

Tara Baugher

From its beginning in 2005, YGA has been a valued network for extending Penn State's horticulture Extension programs to the specialty crop industry.  Assisting young growers in transitioning to horticultural systems that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable through tours, in-depth workshops, and field trials is a truly meaningful part of an extension educator's role.

Young growers are invited to contact Tara Baugher if you have suggestions for the YGA website.