All—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 20,1980
Farmers protest
(Continued from Page Al)
pesticide derivitives or
heavy metal content.
“We haven’t asked for an
analysis of the pesticides
and metals primarily
because this waste water
comes from food processing.
As far as the fruit is con
cerned, the ag department
takes care of that,” he ad
ded.
According to Penn State’s
Robert Cunningham, a soils
expert, DER should have an
analysis of the heavy metals
that might be present
because they could interfere
with crops grown on
irrigated land.
“Cadmium and lead, or
any nonessential elements
have shown in the past that
they could be accumulated
in fruit. Once cadmium
enters the food chain, it’s
difficult to get out.
“If food that contains this
element is eaten over long
periods of time, it has been
shown to interfere with the
body’s metabolic processes,
causing a syndrome liver
disease,” Cunningham
explained.
Theoretically, he said, it
would be possible for the
elements to concentrate in
the plant’s wash water, and
then be taken up by the trees
and fruit after the water is
sprayed on the land.
If there are no heavy
metals, virus, disease or
pesticides present in the
water, Cunningham com
mented, the spreading of the
waste water on the soil
would be beneficial to crop
production.
However he noted the rate
of application would have to
be strictly monitored.
“If the water is acidic, the
irrigation process would
make the soils more acid
making it essential to apply
more lime.
“And care would have to
be taken not to saturate the
sod. This would lead to water
logged soils that would
drown the trees; and there
would be a problem with the
water channeling and
running off the sloping land
rather than soaking in.”
As far as ground water
contamination goes, the
Penn State professor noted
that studies have proven that
when there is 3 to 4 feet of
soil for the water to filter
through, there is little
chance of contamination.
“In graduate student
studies here at the univer
sity, we’ve looked at ap
plication rates of 1-2 inches
and have found that 1 inch
applied during the growing
season is optimum for the
soil and safety.
“You have to understand
that with a 1 inch application
rate, you are adding 30
inches of water to the soil in
addition to the 40 inches of
normal rainfall.
“In our studies, we have
found that after 5 to 10 years
of application at this rate,
the soils show evidence of
wetness.
“I personally don’t see
anything wrong with
irrigating the fruit
processing water as long as
there are no contaminants in
the process I wouldn’t
imagine there would be
because we’re talking about
products used for food.
“Spreading the water on
the soil will allow crops to
use the nutrients in the
water, while the organic
matter in it will improve the
soil’s tilth.
“I think these organic
wastes should be encouraged
to be spread on the land
we can’t keep them in one
little barrel,” Cunningham
concluded.
One Adams County farmer
who has been fanning land
owned by Knouse Foods
which has been irrigated for
the past 15 years claims that
the artificial water on the
land is “terrific”.
Stanley Wolfe has been
fanning the Knouse land for
the past six years. He
commented that the 34-38
inches of artificial water
that was sprayed on his com
fields this year has made the
difference between his yield
of about 80 bushels to the
acre of almost perfect com
to the county’s average of 6-
15 bushels to the acre.
Wolfe noted, however, that
before he was farming the
land there were problems.
“The runoff was terrible'—
cattle wouldn’t drink the
water in the local streams.”
Ail this change.;, a,
because he started planting
com on the fields. “The com
pulled the water out of the
ground. I’d be leery of
putting it on land unless it
was corned to take out the
moisture.”
Wolfe explained the 50
acres of irrigated land he’s
farming is an Arendtsville
silt loam. He said he plows it
one year and chisels it the
next in order to break up the
ground so that the water can
soak in.
He also noted there are
diversions on the land to
carry most of the water that
runs off back to a holding
pond where it is stored.
Wolfe admitted they “over
did it” last year when they
applied 50 inches of artificial
water during a naturally wet
year. That was just too
much, he said.
As far as what’s in the
water, Wolfe said it’s “in
dustrial waste water” which
he believes contains in
secticides. He noted that
DER works with Knouse
Foods on the application.
According to Roger
Spragu£, he and the 300
citizens who have signed a
petition against the proposed
irrigation {dan in Franklin
Township are aware of the
Knouse Foods irrigation
fields. However they remain
concerned about the con
tamination of Mummasburg
Run which flows into Marsh
Creek, the water supply for
the Borough of Gettysburg.
“The company processes
food until January and
February. What will happen
when they irrigate their
waste water on frozen
ground? And what about
times when the rainfall is
excessive?”
ChevrM
Ortho
FERTILIZERS^
Helping the World Grow Better
Sprague voiced his ap
prehensions when he
remarked he’s heard some
rumors that the Knouse
Food waste water program
was not doing well. “What I
hear doesn’t make me more
confident in the Musselman
plan.”
When Kenneth Lawver ot
the Pet Milk company was
asked about their proposed
irrigation plan at the
Musselman plant,- he said
“We have no information
available on the irrigation.
And we don’t care to have
any information published
until our application is
completed.” -
Before DER approves the
permit application, there
will be a public hearing, said
Jim Donato. He added that it
has not been scheduled at the
present time because the
application was not com
plete.
Sprague commented that
the permit hearing would
allow the public to take issue
with the proposed plans if
there were not adequate
precautions to control
pollution and odor. He said
the protest group’s attorney
has discussed the
possibilities of requiring the
company to file a bond.
Representing the group is
Harrisburg attorney
Michael Davis, also the legal
representative of the York
County organization OUCH
(Opposing Unnecessary
Chemical Hazards), citizens
fighting a chemical dump
neat 1 Seven Valleys.
“We would prefer the
processing plant upgrade its
filtration system to the point
where the waste water can
be discharged right into the
creek at the Biglerville
plant,” saidSprague.
He compared the 240,000
gallons per day of waste
water involved in the
Musselman plant to a
Just one preplant trip over the field with it, and you can forget
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comparable amount handled
by Holly Milk Cooperative’s*
processing plant where he
ships his milk.
“DER required us to
upgrade our treatment of
waste water so that we can
discharge into the stream at
the milk plant,” he said.
“The latest estimates show
that the plant with
modifications will run just
under |1 million. That’s what
it will cost Musselman to
pump their water from
Biglerville to Arendtsville
and then irrigate it.”
Seminar in horse
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Some novel concepts on
understanding the anatomy
of horses will be presented
this evening at a seminar on
the University of Maryland
campus in College Park.
The speaker will be James
R. Rooney, DVM, of New
Castle, Del. His topic will be
“Biomechanics of the Horse
Normal and Abnormal.”
Dr. Rooney is a veterinary
pathologist for ICI
Americas, Inc., at
Wilmington, Del./ and an
adjunct professor at the New
Bolton center of the
University of Penn
sylvania’s School of
Veterinary Medicine near
Kennett Square, Pa.
His appearance is being
sponsored by the
Cooperative Extension
Service at the University of
Maryland and the Maryland
Farriers Association. The
meeting will run from 7:30 to
9:3b p.m. in the Fire
Fighters room at the Center
of Adult Education on the
western edge of the College
Park campus.
All interested persons are
invited to attend, according
to Dr. Edwin E. Goodwin,
Extension horse specialist at
the University of Maryland.
NIPEC 21-7-14
eilsted fertilizer
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lete wheat
replant fertility
:om
program.
PH: 717-299-2571
In closing Sprague said,
“We don’t know what
getting into ... but we h. Je
a right to know as residents
just what Musselman’s plans
are and what type of impact
they will have on us and our
farms.
“I’ve done a lot of soul
searching when asked how I
would feel if Musselman had
to close down because of this
issue. I’m sure I don’t want
to see that happen. But, I
think it’s been proven, we
don’t need' industry regar
dless of what.”
anatomy tonight
There will be a $4
registration fee, payable at
the door.
Dr. Goodwin noted that the
guest speaker’s inquisitive
mind and vast experience
have put him in the spotlight
of progressive L J
sometimes controversial
concepts. His presentation is
expected to be a critical,
analytical and indepth study
of how horses are built and
how they move. It will'also'
cover stress location and
degree, performance,
soundness and unsoundness.
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