C26—Lancaster Fannins, Saturday, January 26,1980 Four ag preservation plans BY CURT HAULER CAMP HILL Provisions of Amos Funk’s proposal to preserve farm land by deed restrictions drew cautious praise and some fire at a meeting of the Pennsylvania Council of Farm Organizations. Ken Greider, Executive Director of the State Association of Township Supervisors said “with a couple of ammendments we could support H 81983.” That bill would allow municipalities to establish ag districts and would en courage placing deed restrictions on farm property to ensure it would stay in agriculture forever. But State Representative Noah Wenger, vice chair man of the House Agriculture Committee said he was opposed to any bill which was not voluntary. Funk, Greider and Wenger appeared on a panel discussion of preservation of ag land. They were joined by Deputy Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Chet Heim. Funk said he felt everyone farmers, township supervisors, legislators, the favored Governor preserving ag land. “If everyone is m favor of preserving agricultural land, why then is not more happening’” he asked. “The problem with Pennsylvania’s land use efforts to date, as I see it, is the benefits go to everyone in the state,” Funk said. He said he had been surprised and shocked when told by several friends that a number of individuals who serve on the House Agriculture Committee do not want anything to do with land use legislation because it is too controversial. “It also has been said if you scratch a farmer deep enough you will discover a land speculator,” he said, noting farmers would like to have their cake and eat it too Funk called for broad land use legislation to fit the needs of counties where urbanizing pressures are not great to those where presures are very great. Greider, representing the Township Supervisors, pointed out that between 500 and 600 townships of 1458 in the state have zonmg laws of any type He said he felt no bill would be able to fully guarantee that a given piece Booth Insulation Company Residential • Agricultural • Commercial • Industrial SPRAY ON - BLOWN IN - FOAMED IN PLACE 1167 Snapper'Dam Road Landisville, PA 17538 weighed by Council members Noah Wenger, vice chairman of the House Agriculture Committee told members of the Council of Farm Organizations he could not support any land preservation plan that was not voluntary. He was joined on the panel by Chet Heim, Kenneth Greider, and Amos Funk. of land would not be developed. He said a bill like HB 1983 could be supported by his organization. But he added the Super visors probably would not support any bill which gave a special interest group, including farmers, special treatment. Chet Heim, commenting that he is a member of the Thornburgh administration, talked the party line on land use preservation. He repeated the statement that any comprehensive land use plan must emphasize the fanner and the family farm. He said any such bill would have to reduce the farmer’s tax and allow him to realize some of the development potential of his land Heim said the ad ministration would support local control and not state dictation of land use policy. He said the Administration looked for legislation to compensate the fanner for any loss of property. He also said they wished to avoid the use of eminent domain or taking of prime farm land While a member of the Republican party, Noah Wenger had some more specific ideas to offer on his own. “I favor voluntary ag districts with individual sale of property rights “I stick with the voluntary approach since property rights are one of man’s basic rights,” Wenger said He said he supported the “THERMAL INSULATION SPECIALIST” a 717-898-2760 idea of using local money to solve local problems. “But I don’t want land use planning out of the hands of the land owner and into the hands of the planner professional planner or not,” he said. “That would be erosion of our basic constitutional rights,” Wenger said. He said he saw land preservation as a priority issue. But he added he was not about to tell young people they could not build a home m the area or tell industry it could not expand. He cited Hershey Medical Center as one case where land went out of farming. “But it was not bad,” he added. Wenger said he felt the biggest problem with far mland preservation was losing the land upon the death of the farm’s owner. He said the property may be secure in farming until the owner dies and then the tax bite hurts, forcing heirs to sell off land and perhaps abandon farming altogether He said he is supporting HB 1176 which is appraising land on its current use and not on its potential value for other reasons. Wenger spoke favorably of HB 1608, the Capitol Stock Tax exemption legislation. He said incorporation is a good way to pass the family farm from generation to generation While the stock tax makes this prohibitive at present, 1608 would exempt a farmer from the tax provisions He also said amendments to Act 319 and SB 296, recently signed mto 4 law, were valuable aids to preservation of farms The purpose of the discussion was to share ideas with members of the Pennsylvania State Council of Farm Organizations Members of the group are drawn from the leaders of all farm groups in the state The land preservation session was one of several seminars held during the Organization’s annual meeting Monday. TIRED OF CLEANING YOUR HUMIDIFIER? Change to the NRG 100 Something New and Different. Maintenance Free and Easily Installed. Comes Completely Assembled and Ready to Use. lust Attach to Your Water Supply and Plug Into 115 V. SSilil 4MBERSOLE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY COMPANY A WEDNESDAY IS m# DAIRY Hr day AT NEW HOLLAND SALES STABLES, INC. 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