Dl4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 14,1981
New Castle County, Delaware,
farmers face a real moral
dilemma when it comes to their
attitudes about a new landfill
No one wants a landfill, or dump
as we used to call them, in the
neighborhood And no one can
blame the residents of southern
New Castle county for not wanting
one m their neighborhood The
suggestion of several sites simply
involves more people in the battle
and poses a threat to more citizens
After the hearings are all held
and the last citizen has been heard,
it looks as though the Delaware
Solid Waste Authority has the
power to do whatever it wants to do
anyway But maybe it s better that
this gov emmental agency post its
shopping list and then let the
outcry begin
In that way. perhaps it can find
the one least objectionable site and
then develop it
But that s still not going to solve
the problem, at least for those
farmers and other concerned
citizens who must coexist with it If
we assume the Solid Waste
Authority will listen to all of the
pros and cons and then make the
best possible decision and pay a
fair market price for the selected
site, do opponents still have an
argument 9
Ag Secretary pushes
positive letter
support
HARRISBURG -
State Agriculture
Secretary Penrose
Hallowell Tuesday
u r ged Pennsylvania
milk producers in
Federal Order areas to
continue their use of the
“Positive Letter” in
1981 to support milk
promotion programs
Hallowell said, “It is
vital that present milk
promotion programs in
the state be continued
Questions have been
raised concerning the
effects of a statewide
milk marketing order,
but until such a
program is in place,
producers should
continue to participate
in existing promotion
programs ”
He noted producei m
Federal Order 2 must
renew their positive
letters for another year
beginning in April.
Milk producers in
Pennsylvania’s other
DON'T
BE
SLOW
Coll Now To Place Your
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Ph: 717-394-3047 or 717-626-1164
Farm
Talk
Jerry Webb
They probably do, but if they do,
they must admit that the old
argument that a farmer has the
right to do anything he wants with
his land just doesn’t hold up For
whatever he does with that land
that isn t a traditional use upsets
someone
Maybe he wants to buy junk cars
and start a salvage yard, or maybe
build mushroom houses, or how
about a camp for juvenile
delinquents 9
A landfill is just one of many
objectionable uses for agricultural
land-one that a lot of agricultural
folks can rally around, especially
when the fill ingredients come
from an urban area
Most farmers seem to take the
position that they do have the right
to use their land just about as they
see fit If that means selling off
some lots for housing, that’s okay
But as we’ve already seen
throughout Delaware, that kind of
strip development causes
problems for other farmers
If they decide to develop a swine
feeding operation that draws flies
and smells bad, then they create
problems for the entire area, and
so some agency of the government
steps in and reminds them of the
rights of others. And maybe that’s
part of the key to this whole land
use problem
two Federal Orders are
urged to remain with
their promotional
programs, especially in
view of anticipated
record surpluses this
spring
Hallowell noted the
actual date at which the
proposed Pennsylvania
Milk Marketing
Program may take
effect is uncertain The
process of drafting,
public hearings and a
referendum must be
completed before such
an order could be
adopted for the in
dustry.
“Budgeting and
planning for the Federal
Order areas for 1981
have been based on the
continued support of
Pennsylvania dairy
men Producers should
continue to support
these agencies to
prevent disruption of
existing programs,”
Hallowell said
Maybe a farmer has the right to
do whatever he wants with his land
as long as that use doesn t in
terfere with the rights of other
people, and if it does, maybe his
rights aren’t paramount
Taking that a step farther, if a
government agency-m this case
the Solid Waste Authonty-is
willing to pay for a parcel of land,
that property then belongs to the
agency
Do neighbors still have the right
to object just as they would have
objected to a smelly hog house 7
And does the landowner, simply
because it’s a government agency,
have the right to ignore these
objections any more than a private
individual would 7
Obviously, Wilmington’s waste
has to go somewhere and it
probably costs less to put it in a
landfill in southern New Castle
County than anywhere else But is
that the only criteria, and are those
sites selected by the agency the
only possibilities, or are those just
the ones that it thinks are best 7
Maybe someone has a better
idea
Every tune there’s talk about
farmland being used for something
besides farming, there’s a great
hue and cry about the loss of
agricultural productivity and yet
farmers still want to maintain the
right to sell their own farmland for
residential development.
Is it any more harmful to
agriculture to devote a few hun
dred acres to the solution of an
urban disposal problem than it is to
allow hundreds and hundreds of
acres to be gobbled up for
dwellings and farmettes for urban
people who would like to live in the
country’
PUBLIC SALE
Valuable Modem Horse Drawn Farm Machinery
3 Big Smooth Mouth Sorrel Work Horses
10 Ton Ear Com, 500 Bales Good Quality
Mostly Alfalfa Hay, Dairy Equipment, Etc.
On Farm 15 miles N. of Danville, Pa.,
Vz mile W. of White Hall along Rt. 44
(Montour Co.).
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19
starting 11 A. M.
1951 Farmall M Tractor on steel w/belt puliy
6 PTO; 2-14.9x38” Rubber Tires; Oliver 2-14”
Trailer Plows w/radex bottoms; J.D. 28 Disc
(10’) double disc; N.I 3231 row picker on steel,
only used less than 150 acres; McD. Com
Binder w/engine mount, used less than 100
acres; wagon loader for binder; McD. 7 & 12A
Ensilage Cutters; McD 9 ground driven 7’
trailer regular gear mower on steel, nice; N I.
Crimper w/engine mount & carts on steel; N H
56 Rake on steel; N.H Super 68 Baler on steel
w/recently Overhauled Wise 2 cyl engine; 16’
farm wagon, J D. 10’ Lime Drill; Cross 34 A P
Elevator as is, N.I 206 Spreader for parts;
McD. 9 Mower for parts, Quantity of scrap
farm machinery; parts of ACIOO combine;
Autoturn & Tandem Hitch Truck Carts,
Campbell-Houser 3 to 5 h.p 2 stage air com
pressor, Burdex 200 amp welder, DeutzF2L9l2
w/28 h p. diesel power unit, only 2 years old;
12V Diesel Battery, 2 Wise. VE-4 engines, 1
w/reduction gear, other reduction gear; 3 B. &
S gas motors up to 10 hp.; Quantity of
firewood; Peight 18 can milk cooler w/S S
interior; Lehigh 11302 3 hp. Cooling Com
pressor; DeLaval 75 vacuum pump, Rheem 30
ga gas water heater; Can Rack; S.S Milk
Strainer & twin wash vats, Silage cart & fork;
Cow kickers; Stewart Air Clippers; 4 sets work
harness, collars, bridles; yokes; Hitches up to
7 horse; small items, etc
Owners
BENUEL S. & ANNIE Z. STOLTZFUS
Auct Max Fraley & Son,
546-6631
Lunch Available. Bus coming from Lancaster
Co contact Jacob B Stoitzfus, Box 327,
Christiana, Pa 17509 before 2-13-81 Free
transportation for $lOO or more purchase
It seems to me the loss of an acre
of farmland is a net loss to
agriculture regardless of the use.
And if farmers object to landfills
because they use farmland, they
must also object to rural
residences because of pollution,
nuisance or other factors the same
way they might object to some
other nonagncultural use that
causes a specific problem, then at
least they’re being consistent.
I suspect southern New Castle
County is going to get a landfill
SCS president suggests
water conservation
LEBANON A leading State
conservation official called for
communities and landowners to
consider all possible ways of
returning waste water to the land
to recharge declining ground
water levels.
George Wolff of Lebanon County,
President of the Pennsylvania
Association of Conservation
Districts, pointed out that the more
land is paved over and the more
home and agricultural wastes are
piped away, the quicker the area
will feel the effects of a drought
Community officials and lan
downers must be innovative in
finding ways to safely return waste
water to the land
Spray irrigation of sewage ef
fluent has been proven to be
feasible by experiments at Penn
State Caution must be used
regarding hazardous chemicals,
added Wolff, but this can be
handled through monitoring and
regulation
SAVAGE-LEIGH SALE
On the farm located on Schaeffer Road near Germantown, m
Montgomery Co., Md. Take the Germantown exit off 1-270 and go
west 2 miles to Clopper Road, turn right and go 500 yds., turn left
and follow Schaeffer Road 2 miles to farm.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27
11:00 A.M.
65 HEAD OF REGISTERED HOLSTEINS SELLING 65
47 Cows 7 Close Bred Heifers
11 Calves
Tested for Interstate Shipment
Examined for Pregnancy
THIS ATTRACTIVE LINE-UP SELLS
From left to right:
GPB4 Astronaut dtr with 19,380 M and 671 F, dam VGB7 with 23.580 M and
735 F
VG Elevation dtr bed to Jemmi, dam VG.
A Conductor dtr. with 16,590 M and 590 F as a 2-yr. old, dam has 703 F
VG grand dtr of Kate with!B,6loMand7o2F
Elevation dtr. (should go VG) with 17,470 M and 656 F as a 2-yr. old.
Grand dtr of Bootmaker with 18,490 M and 359 F bred to Conductor
A Northcroft Admiral Citation dtr. sells fresh.
SHOW CALVES SELL:
A fancy Astronaut dtr born September ‘BO (Sr calf)
Zion Meadows Admiral dtr. born September ‘BO (Sr calf)
Shardale Arlmda Chief Jemmi dtr. bom December (Int. calf)
Glendell Arlmda Chief dtr born December (Int. calf)
The herd will be classified before the sale. Many animals sold in previous
Savage-Leigh sales have proven to be sound, profitable investments for
their new owners.
Semen selling; 30 units of Paclamar Astronaut
Sale Manager:
REMSBURG SALE SERVICE
Jefferson, Maryland 21755
Phone-301-473-8214
whether it wants one or not. It’s
more a matter of site selection and
price per acre. The county has
posted its list of possibilities, and
now it’s up to the citizens to advise
it as to the one least-objectionable
location
Area farmers will no doubt have
a lot to say during this process I
just hope they remain consistent in
their attitudes so as not to confuse
folks even more in the whole area
of farmland preservation
Spray irrigation can also be used
to return animal waste to the soil
and at the same time increase crop
productivity. Wolff recommended
that farmers with large numers of
bvestock develop an animal waste
management system to assure
proper and full utilization ►
Technical assistance is available
through county conservation
districts and cooperating agencies
such as the Soil Conservation
Service and the Cooperative Ex
tension Service Financial cost
share help is available through the
Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation Service
Wolff summed it up with a
personal observation “Two years
ago sewers were installed in the
area near my farm All this waste
water is piped out of the neigh
borhood, and now people are
having wells go dry that never
went dry before, not even in the
five-year drought of the 1960 s
Sale in heated tent.
For catalogs contact:
Owners:
SAVAGE-LEIGH FARM
Boyds, Maryland 20720
Phone-301-253-4423