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Lancaster County establishes Agricultural Preserve Board
BYCURTHARLER
LANCASTER The
in caster County Com
ussioners Wednesday
issed unanimously a
leasure establishing a
bounty Agricultural
leserve Board.
The action means a
oluntary deed restriction
rogram can begin in
everal townships almost
nmediately. Such a
rogram could preserve as
any as 54,839 acres of
irmland on 877 farms in
ight Lancaster County
iwnsbips.
The Board is an advisory
ody whose major role will
First Lady Ginny Thornburgh, right, receives a Ukranian egg from Penn
sylvania Egg Promotion Specialist, Vicky Wass. Looking on are PDA Secretary
Penrose Hallowed and Eggatha.
Airport, zoning leaves
Lebanon farmers up in air
BY SHEILA MILLER
CAMPBELLTOWN - “If
> farmer wants to expand bis
arm, he has to buy more
ml If a man wants to
apand an airport, he should
five to buy more land too,”
ftnmented Joe Eckenrode,
i South Londonderry
township farmer.
His statement was made
Wednesday evening at a
pecial hearing called by the
township Board of Super*
be the establishment and
administration of a volun
tary deed restriction
program. Under the current
proposal, deed restrictions
may be reviewed alter 25
years or in case of extreme
hardship.
The nine member
Agricultural Preserve Board
consists of representatives
of the form community, the
financial world, developers,
and an ex officio member
from the county com
missioners.
See story on page A 20 for
names and backgrounds on
the appointees..
Board members will serve
visors. The meeting was held
in order to get public
opinions on a petition by a
local airport to amend the
zoning regulations.
Charles and Ada Reigle,
owners of a private airport
located just south of
Palmyra, Lebanon County,
filed a petition last Fall with
the township and county to
revise the 1975 zoning of
South Londonderry Town
ship
In this issue
SECTION A: Editorials, 10; Solanco Young Far
mers, 16; Franklin Guernsey awards, 17; Berics horse
expo, 26; Incredible Easter eggs, 34.
SECTION B: Chester-Delaware Farmers’
Association, 2; Tulpehocken FFA, 4; Lebanon 4-H, 5.
SECTION C: Homestead notes, 2; Joyce Bupp’s
column, 9; Oregon Dairy expands, 16; Chester DHIA,
19; Lancaster DHIA, 29; Dairy Pipeline, 32; Grassland
FFA, 41; Pequea FFA, 42; Garden Spot FFA, 44.
SECTION D: North Lebanon FFA, 2; Restricted
chemicals, 4; Adams DHIA, 10; Montgomery DHIA,
11; The Milk Check, 15; Farm Talk, 18; Dauphin 4-H,
20; Blair DHIA, 22.
LancsstM* Famine, Satantay, April 5,19t0
four year terms. To allow
staggered terms, two
members each were ap
pointed to one, two, three
and four year terms.
County Commissioner
James E. Huber will hold the
ex officio spot.
Hog prices drop to $29
BY SHEILA MILLER
LANCASTER - Hogmen
watched in despair for the
past four week’s as their hog
prices took a nose-dive
According to the Reigles,
when the township was
zoned, the airport was
ignored. By a 1972 State law,
the airport should have been
zoned AP-1 rather than
(Turn to Page ABO)
It’s a frustrating time to buy a farm
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
LITITZ Fanning and
County , Commissioner
Jean Mowery objected to the
short notice given her as to
which members would serve
which terms.
But she added that the
appointment of the board
had' been delayed long
Producers despair at bottomless market
toward the bottom.
According to Lloyd
Hoover, hog salesman for
Dunlap’s at the Lancaster
Stockyards, the prices
dropped about $3 to $3.50
from the beginning of last
week to Saturday. This was
only a small part of the $7 to
$9 drop that has knocked the
legs out from under the hog
market in the past three to
four weeks.
Hogmen who saw a
glimmer of hope in this
week’s prices should not get
too ecstatic;. Tvlonday’s
market, said Hoover,
showed a" slight and v.cry
temporary increase, with
the market 50 cents to 75
cents higher.
This little spurt was the
, result of the severe weather
conditions in the West which
meant fewer hogs were
going to market. There was
more interest in the ones
that did make it to the
auction block from the
buyers at the sales. Hoover
said.
Why the slump in hog
prices? Hoover said he feels
it is the result of over supply
and over production by hog
producers.
“Consumers haven’t been
buying much pork. They’re
walking around worrying
about the economy and
giving themselves stomach
ulcers—if they don’t eat,
they won’t be buying pork,”
he said.
Even with the drop in
prices, Hoover said hog
producers are still sending
Seller-buyer cooperation needed
frustration seem to go band
in hand.
The weather, rising
production costs coupled
with falling markets and
temperamental machinery
are just some of the per
plexing problems which
have become all too com
monplace as a new decade in
agriculture begins.
But now a new factor of
frustration has been injected
into the complicated formula
of running a farm business.
Just ask anyone whd has
experienced trying to buy a
farm in recent months,
particularly a young far-
enough and proceeded to
second the motion to
nominate the Board
members.
The motion passed
unanimously.
The Board will hold its
first meeting' this Wed-
their animals "to market
which is not helping the
prices. “I guess they need
the money to pay their taxes
this tune of year, and pay the
Christmas bills that are
.coming due.”
Flooding the market with
hogs to help pay the bills is
adding to die bottle-neck
market that the hog
producers find themselves
in. Hoover pointed out the
national slaughter is running
at capacity with 375,000 hogs
The sad saga
of Lehigh stock
BY VIVIAN PAUL
ALLENTOWN - In 1970
Lehigh Valley Cooperative
Farmers preferred stock
was as good as gold, maybe
even a bit better than gold.
The dairy was in a solid
financial position and the
preferred stock was a
vigorous commodity. It was
.worth $10.6 million.
In 1955- it had been valued
at SLS million; in 1900 at $3.5
million; and in 1905 at $5.6
million. It was returning six
percent to investors at a
time when banks were
paying three to four percent.
It was even accepted by
local dealers as payment for
farm machinery.
In short, it was a solid
investment.
In 1974 the Co-op stopped
ming couple wanting to get
started.
Farm real estate
tell the same general story:
There are plenty of farms
available.
Likewise, there are plenty
of potential customers
looking to buy, both the
younger seeking their first
farm and the older looking to
expand their operation.
The big obstacle being
encountered by many of
these eager buyers centers
on the problems and
frustrations of obtaining
financing.
$7.00 Per Year
Deaday, April 9, on file fifth
floor of file' hew County
Courthouse Building at SON.
Duke Street In Lancaster.
The meeting, open to the
public, aboul(|*h(gin at 10:30
am, or right after the
(Turn to Page A2l)
per day. “Last yea we
thought we were at top
capacity with 360 thousand,”
he added.
Louis Moore, a Penn State
economist, referred to the
March 20th Pig Crop Report
put out by USDA when he
tried to explain the current
market trends.
“The March report in
dicates the December
through February percent
sows farrowing were up
(Turn to Page A 32)
paying -dividends and the
value of the stock plum
meted.
This month the 4000
preferred shareholders will
leam whether they will
receive even a fraction of
their investment as current
Lehigh shippers vote on the
sale and liquidation of
Lehigh Valley {Cooperative
Farmers.
Some of the stockholders
are disinterested business
people, some are schools,
some are churches. But
many are part of the
agricultural community
and, more specifically part
of the Lehigh family.
Prior to 1974, all Lehigh
shippers participated in a
retain program. Royce
_ (Turn to Page A 36)
One member of the farm
real estate community put it
bluntly and rather harshly,
but it illustrates the depth of
frustration being ex
perienced:
“It seems like they’re
trying to see just how dif
ficult they can make it to buy
a farm,” he said.
In any event in the present
era of tight money policies
being exerted from the
federal level down, mor
tgage funds have dried up
faster and more deeply than
a mid-summer drought.
(Turn to Page A 33)