Alo—Lancaster Famine, Satarday, August 30,15t0 Lancaster Farmingf says... Act 442, the open spaces act passed 12 years ago, is in need of some revision There is no quarrel with the basic intent of the legislation which allows any county in Pennsylvania ‘‘to preserve, acquire and hold land for open space use ” But an updating of Act 442 is needed in light of recent efforts to provide incentive payments to farmers under a Voluntary Deed Restriction Program Such action, although instigated in Lancaster County, would have state wide impact, as required by law A meeting on the subject is scheduled by the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board for September 5 at 10 a m in the County Commissioner's room on the fifth floor of the new County Courthouse A high-powered group will be on hand to discuss to Act 442 which would lay a firm legal foundation for such a move Ex pected to be in attendance are Cmur. _ sham, >v TESTING GOD Lesson for August 31, 1980 Background Scripture Malachi Devotional Reading Psalms 51; 1-12 The one thing none of TO BECOME INVOLVED More restrictions for agriculture seem to be developing by the dozen I fear that too many of these are the result of city folks moving to the country m the past decade or more These folks want the opportunity of living in the country but do not realize the important of food production I’d strongly urge that all farmers take a firm stand in these instances RURAL ROUTE / y X.V' At k uwx ■*T i ' 8 3 = We need to update Act 442 wants to do these days is to put God to the test. Even if he invites us to do so, we are not likely to accept the offer. For one thing, we have been led to believe that one should not test God Didn’t Jesus say to Satan, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God 9 ” Doesn’t it indicate a lack of faith to call upon God to prove himself 9 A test seems so arrogant, so irreverent a Yet we cannot escape the fact that there are passages in the Bible where God clearly invites people to do just that. This is what he is saying, for example, m and “fight for your rights” Some of the recently publicized regulations in certain townships are definitely against future agriculture and food production I find it hard to believe that good-thinking public officials will continue to support such restrictions I’d urge all farmers to take an active part in making these restrictions, and at the moment, be very forceful in changing any regulations that will hamper efficient agriculture in the future. TO FERTILIZE ALFALFA The fall of the year, the after the removal of the last Agriculture Secretary Penrose Hallowell, representatives of Penn sylvania Farmers’ Association, state Grange, Association of Township Supervisors, the League of Women Voters, and the state In tergovernmental Council It shouldn't seem unreasonable to expect a good turnout of farmers, too, for the Friday morning meeting The proposed amendments would cover several areas First, the designation of ag districts would become a primary responsibility of the ag preserve board, with the right to do so falling to a county planning commission only if no such board exists in that county A second change would allow a county the option to buy or not to buy a parcel of land At present Act 442 says counties “shall be required to acquire," a provision which could cost a lot of money if not changed Under current law a hearing would have tn be held on every parcel Malachi. “ ..thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts” (3.10). Robbing God We need to get the picture: through Malachi God has accused his people of rob bing him “But you say, ‘How are we robbing thee 7 ’” and the answer: “In your tithes and offerings,” (3:3:8). The people have been holding back in their obligations to the temple The reason is not just a miserly attitude, but a fear that, if they give too much, they will not have enough for their own needs God knows this and he puts cutting, is a good tune to top dress existing alfalfa stands The application of a phosphorus-potash fertilizer m the fall will strengthen the alfalfa roots and result in higher yields next summer Nitrogen should not be needed on establishment alfalfa stands Some growers will top-dress with fertilizer in the fall and again after the removal of the first cutting in the spring This should result in maximum yields with a healthy stand When alfalfa plants are well fed and treated for msect injury, they should be able to stand (C, 98C. Ti.' ) % ,<s . & i (* //U By Tom Armstrong , brought into an ag district Another change would allow whole blocks of land to be accepted at a single hearing One immediate benefactor from this change could be the proposed Eplv-ata ag preserve with 5000 acres of land on many farms Another change would sort out multi-county jurisdiction in big ag districts But the meat of the proposal comes in additions to Section 5 of Act 442 Under the proposed changes, a county specifically is allowed to acquire land and designate it for agricultural use A county ag preserve board would be given broad powers to advise the county which land should be designated for farming, and would be empowered to hire staff or con sultants as necessary to implement procedures adopted by the county commissioners The changes include a section which guarantees ‘right to farm’ the challenge to them clearly: “Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food m my house; and thereby put me to the test, .if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down tor you an overflowing blessing” (3:10). Their problems, therefore, is not one of greed, but of a lack of faith and trust in God If they trusted God to supply their needs, they would not hesitate to pay their tithes for they would know that God would not fail to provide for them Is that not still a factor m management and weather adversities Alfalfa plants are heavy feeders or both phosphorus and potash Unless these elements are replaced each year, the plants will suffer and the yield will be disappointing TO BEWARE OFSILO GAS This is not a new suggestion but continues to be very timely and very important. Silage making timely and very important Silage making time is at hand when many tons of corn will go mto our silos This is one of the best methods of harvesting the com crop in order to get the maximum feed nutrients With our huge I NOTICED by curt harler, editor financing God’s work’ We are limited in our generosity by our fear of not havmg enough for ourselves and that fear is the direct result of failing to trust God and accept his own promises that he will provide for us Many churchs today, in a tune call for an expanded mission and witness, rather than a reduced one, are finding, not only that they cannot expand their urograms, but must continue to cut back and pare down their present program. We ascribe this situation to the predicted “hard tunes” that are just around the comer, but it is tower silos the danger of poisonous gases becomes more important. All farmers are urged to discuss this hazard with their employees and all members of the family.ese gases can develop from one day to 14 days after the silo is filled Most of these gases have a chlorine-laundry bleach odor and irritate the eyes and respiratory system Some are yellow and some are colorless Don’t take any chances-warn all members of the family of this danger Never enter a partly filled silo without running the blower. These gases are heavier than air and will come down the silo chute and into the bam. Don’t be careless around recently filled silos. TO ADD INSULATION The higher cost of fuel wil] continue to be a problem for many of us. I’m aware of some folks changing from one type to fuel to another because of the lower current costs, this might give some relief for a tune but costs of other fuels will no doubt go up with greater demand T his idea of liberal in privileges for farmers within such an ag district In a section which will corral groups like the state Highway Department and Public Utilities Commission, an amendment requires “it shall be the policy of all Commonwealth agencies to en courage the maintenance of viable farming in agricultural districts " The revisions would also require such bureaucracies to modifyw procedures and regulations to en sure continued farming in an ag district Such changes may be bad news for land speculators, eminent domain fans, and farmers planning to sell out to developers But the farmer who wants to till his ground knowing his grandchildren will have the same opportunity should welcome the ideas proposed for revising Act 442 The state legislature should waste no time in passing the needed amendments not the tunes that are deficient, but our faith. Testing God So, no matter how hard it is for us to digest it, there are tunes when God us to test him not to his love, but our faith! We go through the motions of asking, but he knows we don’t really believe that he will answer and provide for us. Thus, his invitation to test is a challenge to start acting as if we believed and trusted m him. Unless we put ouryown faith to the test, the windows of heaven will remain closed. sulation will reduce the need of all types of fuel. Now that we are here m the peuod between hot weather and cold weather, might be a good tune ™ evaluate your insulation needs In most cases extra insulation will be cheaper than continued high fuel consumption. Many of our buildings were constructed before the energy crunch; therefore, additional in sulation is definitely needed. Before cold weather arrives it might be a good economy move to check your in sulation conditions in order to reduce all types of fuel consumption. Farm Calendar Today, August 30 Second Pa Deer Assn Meeting, 9 a.m., Keller Conference Center, Penn State Juniata County Fair, con- tinues through September 6, Port Royal ™ Southeast District Dairy Show (Turn to Page Al 2)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers