Legislative roundup
(Continued from Page Al)
state mental institutions.
The move was a step by Mrs.
O’Bannon to get her
department out of the far
ming business.
But Thomas and Secretary
of Agriculture Penrose
Hallowell are anxious to see
the farms transferred to
HallowelTs department. A
lands management bill now
firmly lodged m the House
Appropriations Committee
would make that transfer by
legislative mandate. The
transfer could also be ac
complished with a decree
from the Governor.
While nothing seems clear
at the moment, Thomas did
say he still hopes to get the
move made before the
livestock is sold from the
farms, and before the em
ployees are furloughed. The
farm managers are
scheduled to meet next week
with Department of
Agriculture officials. The
meeting was called not so
much to decide a course of
action, as to give Agriculture
some insight into how the
farms are being managed
now.
Senate passes
alien bill
On Tuesday, the Senate
unanimously passed HB
1778, a measure that would
prevent the buymg of more
than 100 acres of Penn
sylvania farmland by any
one foreign individual or
corporation. The bill,
previously passed by the
House, was sent to Governor
Thornburgh for his ap
proval.
While there is no apparent
Pennsylvania land grab
underway by foreign buyers,
the bill’s sponsors felt a need
for some protection just in
case. Some two dozen other
states have already enacted
similar legislation.
You get more than money,
you get the services of a friend
at Hamilton Bank.
Hamilton Bank believes that
agriculture is the backbone of
America that the family farm is the
cornerstone of agriculture in our
area That’s why one of the bank's
primary objectives is to serve - and
help preserve - the family farm
That’s why Hamilton Bank has
developed an entire range of
financing, credit, trust and estate
services And our Hamilton Bank
manager extends these services -
right to your home
You probably know your Hamilton
Bank Manager already - he's a
neighbor, a friend He knows that
with the value of farm production
Edith Schroeder (center), Manager Hellam Office, observing Robert L & Ruth M Lehman, Wnghtsville
60,000 bird layer operation
Nominations
still unconfirmed
What the Senate didn’t do
last week was vote yea or
nay on a number of guber
natorial appointees, among
them George Brumbach, the
man the administration
wants to head up the Penn
sylvania Milk Marketing
Board.
Brumbach’s name, along
with dozens of others, is on
the Senate calendar for next
week, but no assurances of
any confirmations are
forthcoming.
Milk security
hits Senate floor
The milk security fund
bill, a measure that has been
hashed and rehashed on the
Hill for months, came out of
the Senate Ag Committee on
Tuesday, and is on the
calendar for a first reading
next week.
Capital stock bill
It looked for a while like
the House may have gotten
around to the capital stock
franchise tax bill last week,
rising every year the need for capital
goes up with it And the need for
sound financial planning rises, too
He’ll sit down with you, in your home,
and discuss the full range of services
that we’ve designed to help you meet
your obligations now, and help you
increase what you have to pass on to
the next generation
Your Hamilton Bank manager will
work with you in a relationship of
mutual trust, and help keep your
family farm secure and productive
If you believe that agriculture is still
the backbone of America, talk to your
friend at Hamilton Bank You’ll find he
feels the same way
s "«-
but other business pushed
the measure to a back
burner.
The bill, mtroduced by
Rep. Noah Wenger, would
exempt family farm cor
porations from the capital
stock franchise tax, which
exacts one-percent of the
value of that stock annually
from its holders.
Wenger points out the
obvious hardship this can
impose on our small family
farm corporations and is
convinced that the existence
of the tax is a hindrance to
the formation of farm cor
porations. He’s hoping the
bill will come up for final
passage m the House this
coming week.
x
V
HAMILTON
BANK
Formerly National Central Bank
D #3, processing the eggs from their
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 22,1980—A17
Maryland looks
hard at RCA
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Lt.
Gov. Samuel Bogley urged
about 25 representatives of
government agencies, civic
and environmental groups
last week to take a hard look
at U.S. Department of
Agriculture proposals to
revamp its resource conser
vation programs.
Bogley made his com
ments about new program
proposals for dealing with
resource problems of na
tional concern at a public
meeting in Annapolis. The
proposals are the result of a
comprehensive survey of the
nation’s soil, water and
related resources conducted
under the 1977 Resources
Conservation Act.
Noting that USDA conser
vation programs have tradi-
tionaUy been administered
through soil conservation
districts and local stabiliza
tion committees to meet
local priorities and con
cerns, Bogley said “The key
to this whole process is the
question of who should deter
mine what resources are
worth saving. A national
committee sitting in
Washington, D.C., 'or the
people who live and work on
the land?
“If USDA is gomg to
redirect funds to the most
severe problems, Maryland
will undoubtedly rank low.
We have great strides in con
serving and protecting
Maryland’s resources, but
conservation is a constant
care proposition. Help in
maintaining agricultural
productivity and en
vironmental quality is as im
portant m Maryland as
anywhere else in the na
tion,” Bogley said.
Vernon Foster, farmer
and chairman of the State
Soil Conservation Commit
tee, echoed Bogley. “We
have done a good job in
Maryland m resource con
servation. According to the
RCA survey, it- looks like
they want to put emphasis
where there’s the most need
-where they haven’t done the
job.
“We don’t have enough
technical people to do what
we need to do now,” Foster
continued. “If the RCA
survey says we need more
help in other parts of the
country, it looks like
Marylanders will be getting
even less money for conser
vation programs. ’ ’
Willma Reeves, citizen
member of the Agricultural
Stabilization and Conserva
tion State Committee, said
that USDA’s proposals
seemed to ignore the rights
of landowners.
According to Gerald R.
Calhoun, state conserva
tionist for USDA’s Soil Con
servation Service, RCA data
and proposals can be review
ed at local SCS and soil con
servation district offices.
Signed written* comments
may be sent to: RCA
Response Analysis Center,
P.O. Box 888, Athens, Ga.
30603. The deadline is March
28.
( 25* 1
taaS!S^NEC!>ng
MEMO
HAY,
STRAW &
EAR CORN
SALE
EVERY MONDAY
At 11A.M.
NEW HOLLAND SALES
STABLES, INC.
Phone 717-354-4341
Lloyd H Kreider, Auct