Just 1704 Pa. crop acres are held by foreigners
HARRISBURG State
Agriculture Secretary
Penrose Hallowell Friday
announced that preliminary
reports show foreign land
ownership in the Com
monwealth is minimal.
“The Department has
been receiving information
on foreign land ownership in
Pennsylvania through the
Foreign Land Investment
Disclosure Act, initiated by
LONG JOHN
BALMER
INSULATION
R.D.5, Box 369
Manheim, PA
(717)665-4132
Congress in 1978. It requires
foreign persons or cor
porations with foreign ties
(five percent or greater
foreign interest) to report
their specific holdings to the
USDA,” he said.
“To date, our information
shows 0.03 percent or 1704
acres of Pennsylvania's six
million acres of crop and
pasture land is foreign
owned. The statewide pic-
■ Structure
• Fully Insured
• Free Estimates
We Can Do The Job Now
ture shows 0.53 percent or
154,041 acres of the state’s
total 28.9 million acres is
owned by five percent or
greater foreign interests,”
Hallowell said.
Under the law, foreign
persons or corporations with
foreign ties owning U.S.
agriculture land as of
February 1, 1979, were
required to file a report with
the USDA’s Agricultural
Stabilization and Con
servation Service office by
last August. Those who have
not reported land holdings
are now in a penalty status.
Failure to report, or filing
late reports or misleading
reports, can result in
penalties up to 25 percent of
the fair market value of the
owner’s interest in
agricultural land. Those who
acquired or disposed of U.S.
agricultural land after
February 1 must file within
90 days of purchase.
Hallowell noted the law
defines agricultural land as
all land used for agriculture,
forestry or timber
production.
“This includes land being
used for agriculture when
purchased, as well as land
converted to agricultural use
after purchase,” he said.
Tracts smaller than one
acre, which produce less
than $lOOO worth of gross
agricultural sales a year are
exempt from the act.
“It is vital for foreign land
owners to report their
holdings to the USDA,”
Hallowell said. “The
penalties can be severe if the
foreign owner chooses to
disregard the law.”
Hallowell also noted that
USDA calls for
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Assistant Secretary of
Agriculture Bobby Smith
has called for the naming of
a panel of experts to study
the need for testing imported
horses for equine
piroplasmosis.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Animal and
Plant Health Inspection
Service had published a
notice in the April 27, 1979
Federal Register proposing
that the equine
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 23,1980—D29
House Bill 1778 has been
unanimously voted out of the
State Senate Agriculture and
Rural Affairs Committee
and awaits Senate aonroval.
“The bill would limit alien
ownership of agricultural
land in Pennsylvania to 100
acres. All aliens would also
have to report their
agricultural land holdings to
the State Agriculture
Secretary.
“Although our present
information shows a large
portion of foreign owned
piroplasmosis testing be
dropped.
“But much controversy
has been expressed relative
to the pros and cons of such
action,” Smith said.
“Therefore, before any
final action is taken, a panel
will be selected to hold a
public meeting on the
proposal,” he said.
“The objective of the
meeting is to obtain more
information relative to the
seriousness of the disease
and the impacts of removing
land in Pennsylvania is not
prime agricultural land,
much of this land does in
clude Pennsylvania’s
natural resources - timber,
mineral rights and natural
gas.
“The study of foreign land
ownership in the Com
monwealth is deserving of
our attention. It is one of the
many steps we are taking at
the Department to support
the family farm and Penn
sylvania agriculture as a
whole,” said Hallowed.
study
the test requirements from
the regulation.”
Francis J. Mulhem, ad
ministrator of the animal
and plant health agency,
said the USDA is par
ticularly interested in
receiving information from
scientific experts who have
had first-hand experience
with the disease, both in the
U.S. and abroad.
Equine pnoplasmosis is
caused by a tick-born
microscopic parasite that
destroys red blood cells.
Although the disease rarely
is fatal and some infected
horses may never show
symptoms, it can weaken
horses through anemia and
liver damage.
Anyone interested in
further information may
contact David Herrick,
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture,
6505 Belcrest Road. Room
817, Hyattsville, Md. 20782.
Phone 301/436-8530.
TRACTOR DRIVEf
ALTERNATORS
15,000 thru 75,000
watts A.C. POWER
SPECIAL FEATURES
Continuous duty alternator
ratings
□ Long life 1,800 R PM
alternator operation
□ Five-year warranty
□ Lease purchase plan
□ All copper wired and wound
□ High surge capacity for
electee motor starting
□ Instantaneous voltage build
up even after long storage
peiods
□ Affordably priced
LEE WEAVER
R0180X34
Mifflintown, PA
17059
717-436-2326
HIRAM STOLTZFUS
Harrington, OE
19952
302-422-3208
302-398-8458