Vol. 17 No. 49
Next year’s board of directors for the
Lancaster County Farmers Association are
shown here after the group’s annual
meeting last Friday night at the Harvest
Drive Motel. Seated, left to right, are:
Jessie Balmer, Nathan Stoltzfus, James
Lancaster County Farmers
Assoc. Fates on Policies
The Lancaster County Far
mers’ Association held their 20th
annual meeting and banquet last
Friday night at the Harvest Drive
Motel near Intercourse. Hun
dreds of members were on hand
to vote on new directors and
policy matters, and to hear
Penrose Halowell, Pennsylvania
director of the Farmers’ Home
Administration.
County agent Max Smith spoke
briefly to the group. A business
session and committee reports
/ere also included in the
meeting. The speaker for the
evening was introduced by
Chester Heim, the legislative
director for the Pennsylvania
Farmers Association.
In his speech, Hallowell spoke
about the work being done by the
FHA to help long-time farmers as
well as those who are just getting
into farming. He also discussed
Umer Explains
ECI Incidents
Price reporting for the egg
industry has been a hotly debated
item in the past few years.
Earlier this year, Egg
Clearinghouse, Inc., Durham,
N.H., seemed to be on the verge
of leading the industry to a new
price discovery system. ECI
proposed a three-man pricing
committee which would confer
twice a week to set the market.
One member of the committee
was to represent producers, one
was to represent marketers, and
the prospects for the passage of
legislation which would require
farmland to be taxed according
to use rather than market value.
During the meeting, the
members voted (Hi some two
dozen policy recommendations
which had been drafted by small
committee meetings earlier in
the year. All the committee
recommendations were approved
by the members.
The policy recommendations
included items on labor, such as a
prohibition on farm worker
strikes dining harvest, and an
exemption from minimum wage
laws for handicapped persons.
There were several recom
mendations pertaining to milk
prices and marketing. Taxes
were mentioned several times,
and there were a few mentions of
schools.
the third was to be a disinterested
party. This third was perhaps the
key to the committee’s success.
Frank Umer was the one man
who, most of the industry felt,
should be that third member.
In August, Urner had ten
tatively said he would serve on
the committee. In September he
backed out. Urner explained the
reasons for his actions at a recent
meeting of the Pennsylvania Egg
(Continued On Page 33)
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 28, 1972
Hess, Earl Newcomer. Roger Thome and
Ellis Mentzer. Standing: James Garber,
John Myer, Robert Kauffman, Donald
Hershey, James Shertzer, Ivan Yost and
William Guhl. Not present for the photo
was Mrs. Jesse Wood.
Members voted to recommend
the abolition of teacher tenure,
and the adoption of a state-wide
school building code.
Directors elected for a two
year term were: Earl New
comer, Washington Boro Rl;
Jessie Balmer, Lititz R 4; Ellis
Mentzer, New Holland R 2;
James A. Hess, Quarryville R 2;
Nathan Stoltzfus, Gap R 2; and
Roger Thome, Elizabethtown R 3.
Hold-over directors elected last
year are: William Guhl, Oxford
R 2; Ivan Yost, Christiana Rl;
Donald Hershey, Manheim R 2;
Robert Kauffman, Elizabethtown
Rl; John Garber, Mt. Joy R 2;
James Shertzer, Millport Rd.,
Lancaster; and Mrs. Jesse Wood,
Nottingham R 2.
New officers for the association
will be elected at a directors
meeting scheduled for the near
future.
Farm Calendar
Silver Spurs 4-H Horse and Pony
Club trail ride, Circle-T
Ranch, Stevens, October 28-
29.
9:30 a.m. - Chester County Ex
tension sewing course, Men’s
Knit Jackets, St. James
Episcopal Church,
Downingtown.
Turn Clocks Back Sunday
Daylight saving time will come
to an official end on Sunday at 2
a.m., at which time we will turn
the clock back one hour. Stan
dard time will continue until
April 29, 1973.
Saturday, October 28
Tuesday, October 31
(Continued On Page 13)
Fulton Grange
Votes to Oppose
Co. Home Rule
County administrator Ben
Weaver was the featured speaker
at a lively meeting of the Fulton
Grange on Monday night. Weaver
discussed the pros and cons of the
home rule issue as it might affect
rural areas of Lancaster County
The county will vote on
November 7 to determine
whether or not a study com
mission will be established to
examine a home rule charter for
the county.
“We’re not going to be voting to
change the county government,”
Weaver said, “we’re just going to
vote on whether or not we want a
study commission.”
At a business session following
Weaver’s speech, the Grange
members voted to go on record as
opposing home mile for Lancaster
County.
Weaver urged everyone to vote
for the commission, and said that
he was an advocate of home rule.
He pointed out that the study
commission could decide home
rule was not a good idea for the
county, and the matter would
then be dropped. Another
possibility, he said, is that the
commission will draft a home
rule charter. This charter would
then have to be placed on the
ballot in a regular election. At
that time, the voters could turn
down home rule no matter what
the commission recommended.
As the meeting went on, it
became increasingly clear that
most of the Grange members
there were against home rule.
Grange member and former
state representative Norman
Wood said that home rule
throughout the state would result
County administrator Ben Weaver faced a polite but
skeptical crowd at an open meeting on home rule conducted
by the Fulton Grange on Monday night, in a business session
following Weaver’s speech, members voted to oppose home
rule for Lancaster County.
$2.00 Per Year
in chaotic county government
Direction from Harrisburg, he
maintained was a more efficient
and fair way of determining the
forms of county governments.
Charles McSparran, another
Grange member, said he felt that
a vote for the study commission
(Continued On Page 13)
Names Sought
For Outstanding
Young Farmer
The Quarryville Jaycees are
accepting nominations for
Outstanding Young Farmer. Men
under the age of 35 may be
nominated by businesses,
associates, or an entrant himself.
There is no cost in making a
nomination or entering the
competition.
The 1971 Outstanding Young
Farmer, P. Robert Wenger of
Quarryville Rl, was entered in
state competition last year and
placed fourth. The state winner
receives the use of a 1973
Chevrolet pickup for one year
and is entered in national com
petition.
Last year a number of local
feed and farm equipment dealers
made nominations for the Out
standing Young Farmer.
Entries will be accepted from
the Solanco and Lampeter-
Strasburg school districts.
Parties interested im making
nominations should call 786-7786
or 786-2879 after 5:00 P.M. by
November 4th.