—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 19,1979
102
Mushroom growers facing pollution problem *
By LAUREL SCHAEFF
Staff Correspondent
LEESPORT Concerned
about compost run-off
caused by heavy rains, the
Berks County Farmers
Association, (BCFA)
organized a meeting May 2
with area mushroom
growers to discuss their
problems and seek possible
solutions. The meeting was
held at the Berks County
Agricultural Center, here.
Citing the problems faced
recently by growers in
Chester County where the
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) charged
several growers with
pollution of navigable
waters, BCFA president
Jack Kooker urged the area
growers to seek a solution
now, before it is too late.
As was the case with an
Avondale, Chester County,
grower who was indicted on
six counts of pollution last
year, the area growers
Discussing mushroom' growers’ problems at a recent Berks County Farmers’
Association meeting were, left to right, Chris Allen, director of natural resources
for PFA; Berks County Farmers Association president Jack Kooker; Nick
Maggiaro, mushroom grower; and Dean Heim, regional director from the
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
emphasized that their anti
pollution systems are 95 per
cent effective. “It’s only
when we get very heavy
rainfall such as two inches
within a few hours that there
are run-off problems for
which we can not control,”
they argued. Voicing the
opinion of the indicted
growers who believe they
lost their case because there
are no standards or
tolerances set up for the
mushroom industry, the
area growers are pushing for
a solution.
Also present to discuss the
mushroom growers’
problem were Chris Allen,
director of Natural
Resources of the Penn
sylvania Farmers’
Association, and Dean Heim,
regional director, Penn
sylvania Department <of
Agriculture.
Allen explained the
problems faced by livestock
producers who have
Hog producers:
If someone's offering a better price than
mine for your top-quality hogs, I don’t
know about it.”
—Dale Metzler
Livestock buyer at
Ezra W. Martin Company,
Lancaster
(717) 397-5111
Berks County *
> otiitially me same
piol .en far as run-off'"'
concerned, lu me area
growers, and displayed a
manure manual which was
drawn up as a set of
guidelines for their industry
The manual,-set up by the
livestock producers in ac
cordance with -various
regulatory agencies is a
compilation of practices and
information most farmers
know already but serves as a
guideline approved by the
Department of En
vironmental Resources and
the EPA for the producers.
Allen suggested that the
mushroom growers might be
able to compile a set of
guidelines, and if approved
by the proper authorities,
.could serve as a basis for
their industry. The booklet
would describe practices
which are affordable and
practical methods of com
posting already in use and or
newly designed which
would be acu ptable as anti
pollution practices.
Allen cautioned the
growers to review other
solutions before deciding to
compile a booklet. “It is a
very difficult task to do,” he
warned, “and once accepted
would have to be followed. ’ ’
Heim, who was in at
tendance mostly for the
purpose of listening, said,
that the Department of
Agriculture is interested in
Safety poster
contest winners
named
ELVERSON-Twm Valley
FFA Safety committee
chairman Barry Johnson
has announced the winners
of the FFA sponsored safety
poster contest at Robeson
Elementary Center.
Placing first was Kim
Ferenchick daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. John Ferenchick of
Mohnton; second'place was
awarded to Ethan Long son
of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
Long of Birdsboro; and third
was Sam Cunnius son of Mr.
and Mrs. Edward Con of
Birdsboro.
Art teacher at Robeson is
Mrs. Ruth Kurtz.
The FFA annually
sponsors this contest in the
hopes of providing fifth and
sixth grade students with p
better understanding of the
many hazards which
surround them everyday.
[ Red Tag Sale J
the mushroom growers
problems, but warned those
at the meeting not to sit
back. “Something has to be
done,” he continued, “but
don’t let it be the govern
ment that does it.”
Heim also commented
and city people
don’t know enough about
each others’ problems and
more public relations work
is needed.
“Start to solve this
Sharon Hu if dings . • •
Unusually Attractive I
in I‘nlor
. /
CALL COLLECT ia
JACK McMULLEN 717-76M863
OR WRITE SHARON METAL BUILDINGS
1500 STATE ST., CAMP HILL, PENNA. 17011
problem with only growers,”
he advised, “no one else
knows what you need or can
live with.”
Concluding the meeting
the decided to have
the Berks County Farmers’
Association mushroom
committee evaluate the
present situation and contact
the county’s 85 growers to
stress -the seventy of the
situation and question them
on the guideline issue.
in vont '