B6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 12,1980
Fertilizer, conservation, fuel tax
highlight Grange legislative meeting
HARRISBURG - When
the State Grange legislative
and agricultural committees
met Tuesday in Harrisburg,
fertilizer law, conservation,
and the proposed fuel tax
change were among the
prime topics of con
sideration.
Agriculture Secretary
Penrose Hallowell told
Grangers that the state
Fertilizer Advisory Com
mittee is scheduled to meet
April 25. The Committee, to
large extent, is made up of
fertilizer dealers.
Hallowell said the group
will examine the effect of the
current Fertilzier Law. He
said the law is one of the
strictest in the state. But, he
added, the Department will
enforce the law and if
changes are needed, they
will have to come from the
legislature.
He said a couple of com
panies are upset with the
provisions of the law. One
firm owes upwards of $60,000
m fmes and they are going to
court to fight the fmes.
These firms say the
Department’s methods of
sampling are not accurate.
“There is no justification
to me that their claims are
based m fact,” Hallowell
said.
He said if the Grangers
were to tour some of the
plants in question they could
see how mistakes could
happen
The biggest problem is
with bulk blendeid fertilizer,
he said. In general, he said,
ammoniated fertilizer
comes accurately labeled.
Liquids, too, give little
trouble.
Problems generally come
with blends which often are
made with a front end loader
and simple scales.
He said the Department
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will continue to check
wherever possible.
Hallowell also urged
farmers to vaccinate heifers
for Brucellosis. He said
about 80 percent of all
heifers in the state now are
vaccinated.
Pennsylvania currently
has eight herds quarantined
because of Brucellosis.
He said the ag budget for
1980, the third presented, was
for the same dollars as last
year. But, of course, this
represents a cutback in
actual funds available.
He told Grangers a
noxious weed law is in the
legislature. He said it will
establish guidelines for
identifying noxious weeds.
Hallowell said his new
Chief of Market Services
would be John Scott, former
master of both the Penn
sylvania and the National
Granges.
Soil Conservation Ser
vice’s Bruce Holbrook said
his organization is at
tempting to develop a state
conservation plan.
That plan for the State
Conservation Committee
will outline objectives for the
next five years.
At present, a conservation
evaluation is being
distributed to local groups
asking imput and evaluation
of the conservation situation
m four areas: soil, land,
water, and people.
He said questions on
preservation of agricultural
land bring almost as many
different ideas as there are
responses. But, he noted, all
segments seem to agree
there is a problem.
He said the plan is only a
schedule of efforts and ideas
for the next five year’s work.
He said SCS is seeking no
new laws m this area.
Among problems raised by
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the Grange committee
members was protection of
on-farm water supplies from
deep wells, contamination,
and gas drillers.
Concern was voiced about
proper strip mine
regulations and recovery
programs.
The suggestion was raised
that the state, through
Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation, and the
state farms, should lead the
way in conservation rather
than being a contributor to
many of the conservation
problems suffered around
the state.
Holbrook said SCS hopes to
have a document ready by
summertime to clarify its
goals.
Tom Usidek of the Penn
sylvania Department of
Transportation outlined the
proposed new gas tax
regulations.
He said PennDOT has lost
$6O million in revenue
Club congress held
in Delaware County
Fifty-five 4-H members,
leaders, and parents par
ticipated in the first annual
Delaware County 4-H Club
Congress recently, ac
cording to Keith Bryan,
President of 4-H Teen
Council.
They represented 11 clubs
from throughout the county.
The purpose of the meeting
was to teach proper
parliamentary procedure so
that 4-H clubs in the county
can become better organized
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because of reduced fuel
consumption. He also said
the highway use has in
creased and along with it,
the wear and tear on road
surfaces.
He said PennDOT is
promoting a program which
would apply a flat five cent
per gallon tax on retail fuel
sales. Added to that would be
a six percent tax.
As the price of fuel went up
25 cents a gallon, one-half
cent would be taken off the
flat rate. Eventually, at
about $2.50 per gallon retail
cost for fuel, there would be
only the six percent charge
and no flat rate.
Most important to far
mers, the tax would be
applied only at the retail
level. Farm fuel tanks are
considered wholesale level.
As a result, farmers would
not have to pay the tax m the
first place as they do today,
so there would be no
paperwork for the refund.
and accomplish more.
Improving the club business
meeting, including
recreation in the meeting,
and using member
demonstrations as a
teaching tool were also
stressed at the club
congress.
Jimmy Short, Havertown,
gave a demonstration on
pyramids and a slide set,
“The 4-H Meeting - A
Teaching Tool” was
presented by Jackie Brown.
AGWAY
I®)
Usidek based his appeal on
the idea that the change
represents “more than a tax
hike for PennDOT ... we’re
talking about the vitality of
Pennsylvania.”
He said without the tax
changes there would be road
and bridge weight limits
imposed, and speed limits on
Interstate highways could
drop to 45 or 35 mph to make
them safe.
Also hit are the truckers.
The tax package includes
increased license fees for
both inter-state and intra
state travel.
PennDOT still wants to
return roads to the local
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municipalities. Usidek said
the state would give the
roads back m tip-top con
dition.
The state also will bargain
with individual
municipalities which feel
they need more or less
money to maintain a road or
which wants to accept a road
in poor condition and fix it
itself.
Usidek said the average
increase m cost under the
new proposal would be about
$l5 to a typical motorist who
drives 15,000 miles a year m
a vehicle averagmg 15 mpg.
By raising mpg from 15 to
17, the motorist could save
that $l5 a year, he added.
The Grangers also met
with several state legislators
at their dinner Tuesday
night.
Earlier in the day they
toured the manure
generating facility at Mason-
Dixon Farms near Get
tysburg.—CH
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