a ken last week by representatives of Lancaster bounty agricultural agencies and groups, the X)WAMP consultant, and the Department of ■nvironmental Resources. The tour was designed o show to government officials just what has ilready been accomplished in conservation {radices of these projects. A total of 17 epresentatives from various agencies were on the our. Trimble’s manure pond is 12 feet deep and has a paved slope going into it for the purpose of manur e removal. The ramp has a 15 per cent dope to it. Asked if he has any complaints about his manure pond at all', the dairyman thought for a moment and then disclosed that his pond collects a good bit of rain water at times. Robert Kauffman, whose farm is home for 83 milk cows, Ult . two manure storage areas and a slat dam between Tfiem,oThe facility was designed by specialists at Penn State, and it is said to be tbe only one of its kind east of Minnesota. The idea behind the two separate Said to be the first manure storage system of its kind east of the Mississippi River, this one on the Robert Kauffman farm, Peach Bottom, has two distinct areas. In the foreground is the area where manure is deposited from the feeding area. The solids spread out and gradually drift towards the "slat dam” shown in the center right half of the picture. The solids stop here, but the liquids are allowed to go through to a second collecting area about 40 feet downhill. The liquids follow a con- storage areas is that liquids are separated from the solid portion. As cn the Greider farm, soil conservation practices were pointed out to the visitors at both the Trimble and Kauffman farms. The tour progressed so favorably that a fourth farm was added to the program late in the day. That was an earthen bank system with spray irrigation distribution on the Dave Young farm, also of Peach Bottom. 'Kelso, who was instrumental in organizing the event, expressed satisfaction with the way the tour was handled and received. Lancaster Farming. Saturday, Dec. 4.1976 Crete path to the “pond." The advantages of this type of a system are that the solids can easily be loaded and hauled with conventional equipment The liquids are drawn out of the pond about once a year. Kauffman has 83 milk cows on his 157 acre farm and completed this manure storage system just a few months ago. It handles almost all of the manure from the herd, as well as water from the milk house. They were impressed LANCASTER - Tom Kelso prevent possible pollution of. of the Lancaster County streams. Planning Commission The tour was conducted described the recent visits to prior to the Thanksgiving dairy farms “a great tour” holiday and included visits to which succeeded in showing four farms, engineering consultants and “The purpose was to have DER’ representatives just it be an educational tool for what agriculture is doing to tContmued on Page 24] 21
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers