Library of. Agriculture Y XO7 Pattoe Bldgi ISOO2 v VoL 19 No. 31 'Three educators about to embark on a program unique to the state and possibly the country -discuss,? their pla^%or^bfem^ Hjpkletpwn Alternative School, seen in thebackground, will open its doors Crowds Show Up for Tax ReMef Meetings dose to 200 people turned; out for, a farm tax meeting 'Tuesday night at Owen J. Roberts High School. This was the first of three meetings this week to help farmers and other Chester County landowners learn more about Pennsylvania Act 515 provisions. Act 515 allows municipalities to grant preferential tax treatment to fanners and other open space land owners. In order to qualify for a lower tax rate in 1975, Chester County landowners must apply for relief by July 1 of this year. Associate Chester County agent Glenn Shirk made the complex subject of Act 515 more understandable with charts, graphs, clear ex planations, and a few words In This Issue FARM CALENDAR 10 Markets 2-4 Saleßegister 39 Farmers Almanac 6 Classified Ads 41 Editorials 10 Homestead Notes 26 Home onthe Range 29 Organic living " 16 Thoughts in Passing 21 Farm Youth Calendar 34 Firm Women Calendar 32 Chester C. FFA Officers 22 Chester C. Dairy Princess 20 Co. Dairy Pageant 31 Growin&DegreeDays 39 to the first 75 students. Or. Robert Herr, school supervisor, is pointing out the future location of crop test plots tp the school’s two academic teachers, Stanley Smith, center, and Gordon Gingrich, -v j- - , x of encouragement. Landowners in counties which have' adopted the Act 515 provisions can be .con sidered for tax relief. However, not all counties have adopted the measure: Chester County 'did so because the entire county was reassessed last year, a ‘ move which means higher In Lebanon Co. , .. Ruth Miller Named New Dairy Princess Ruth L. Miller, _ 20, daughter, of Mr. and Mrs. Roy F. Miller, Myerstown, was selected as the 19? i Lebanon County Dairy Princess pt the annual banquet and pageant held Thursday evening, June 13, at the Mt. Zion Fire Hall. Ruth graduated from Eastern Lebanon County High School and is also a graduate of the Licensed Practical Nursing'Program at the Lebanon Vo-Tech School. She was active in 4-H work and is presently em ployed as an L.P.N. by-the E.C.C. Retirement Village in Myerstown. Ruth’s parents own 55 Holstein cows. .. The runner-up title went to Sharon Bomberger, 18, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, June 15,1974 -tax bills in 1975 for all lan downers. Many- counties haven’t adopted Act 515 because House'Bill 1056 is still pending in the Penn sylvania Senate. HB 1056 is the preferential tax measure which grew out of.the suc cess, of the so-called Clean ‘ and Green constitutional [Continued on Pane 8] Mark H. Bomberger, RDI, Lebanon. Sharon graduated from Cedar Crest High School and is presently a sophomore at West Chester State College, majoring in elementary education 'with a music concentration. ’ Sharon has also been active in 4-H, holding many offices and attended the National Congress in. Chicago. Sharon also comes from a Holstein farm. The 1974 Miss Congeniality Award was captured by Mary Ann Heist, 17, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herman K. Heist of BDI, Lebanon. Mary Ann is a graduate of Cedar Crest High School and llontmued on Pace 25) First of its Kind . . . Hinkletown Alternative School to Open Sept. What may <rdl be the first school of its kind in the country win open Its doors in September. Hie Hinkletown Alternative School, part of Lancaster County’s Garden Spot School District, will accept 75 students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades during its first year of operation. Students wUI have a varied program of academic training along with a strong vocational emphasis. According to Dr. Robert Herr, who will be the school’s supervisor, the alternative school program is geared to the educational needs of conservative far mers - mostly members of |bc plain sects - in |he eastern portion of Lancaster the introduction to a program'prepired 'ior tile school, Herr explains the rationale for alternative education in his school district The intent of the school, he says, is to reach “ ... children who are members of the conservative Mennonite and Amish faiths, which constitute an im portant segment of our community. Because of their - Ruth Miller (center) the 1974 Lebanon County Dairy Princess, is shown with runner-up, Sharon religious beliefs and their desire to maintain their by. ,these beliefs, they have par ticularly resisted sending their children to public secondary schools. “At one time, most of these children attended public school through the eighth grade. As the kindergarten through sixth, followed by seventh through twelfth grade pattern developed, FARM TRENDS Plummeting Prices Hurt Area Farmers Egg, hog and tattle prices have zoomed downward in the past few weeks, and local farmers are hurting. Eggs at 32-cents and live beef prices under $36. a hundredweight are sure to sting many producers where it hurts the most - in the bank accounts. The only thing keeping some farmers solvent is the fact that last year was one of the best ever for farm in come. High feed costs make the problem even worse. High retail meat prices, which cause consumer resistance, are also taking their toll. [Continued on Page 25] Bomberger (right) and Donna Bennetch the 1973 Lebanon County Dairy Princess. $2.00 Per Year many continued to attend through grade six and then transferred to a parochial school. Here they either completed eighth grade and attended , a ‘three-hour school’ until becoming 15 years of age, or stopped -schooling atage 15 on a farm or domestic permit.” In the report, Herr pointed out that the parochial schools are limited to a basic I Continued on Page 24] by Dick Wanner
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