Alo—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Way 30,1981 Getting along with city transplants How well do you get along with your nonfarm neighbors? This may seem like a strange question, but ac cording to the recent National Agricultural Lands Study, by USDA and the President’s Council on Environmental Quality, farmers may be faced with getting along with an expected 62-75 percent in crease in suburban population by the year 2000.. The study also confessed that "the government con tributes, sometimes inad vertently, to the conversion of farmland and noted a number of federal programs with the primary purpose of en couraging or aiding rural development." The study also reported the unfortunate reality that many farmers are pulling up stakes and moving away from their city-transplant neighbors rather than trying to cope with the tensions arising from increasing numbers of non farm people living close to farms. Many farmers are running away from local ordinances that bridle farming activities with rules about when, where and how to dry corn, spread manure, locate out-buildmgs, and the list goes on and on. As the farmers vacate, new residents of Half-Acre Haven run for local political offices and relax on sun decks as their remaining farm neighbor sprays herbicide on newly planted corn or harvests grain with chaff and husks perhaps drifting onto a landscaped yard. Suddenly, the newcomer to country-living decides something must be done to prevent the farmer from using those ‘deadly’ sprays so close to the home, and littering the lawn with corn fodder (even ■===—===— NOW IS THE TIME To Be Aware of New Imputed Interest Rates The uncertainty as to when the 1 new (higher) imputed interest rates that apply to deferred payments and installment sales agreements that failed to specify any rate of interest (or a very low interest rate) has now been cleared up. After June 30, unless the stated interest rate for an installment sales is at least 9% simple interest, the imputed rate will be 10% compounded semi-annually. This means that a 6% simple interest rate on an installment sale is and will continue to be accepted Off the Sounding By Sheila Miller, Editor though enough stalks from the field somehow found their way to the front yard light pole to camouflage it for Halloween). To help to make the country life ‘safer’ and more like their former abodes in the city, the transplants decide there should be better services and facilities for the township residents like parks, mini buses, bike trails, street lights, sewer and water, and countless other ‘necessities' fora civilized world. It’s not that these suburban luxuries are bad for country residents, it’s just that they wind up meaning higher property taxes and guess who owns the largest lan dholdings and winds' up footing the greatest per centage of the bill for these leisure-time and safety benefits? As in everything, there are exceptions to all rules for there are communities where suburban residents welcome the hard, sometimes aromatic, country life, and never raise a complaint. They respect the work of the farmer and even volunteer to help out when there’s hay to get in and a storm brewing over the mountain. Where is this utopia, some farmers might ask. instead of the cooperative suburban neighbor, they cope with folks who stomp down the alfalfa when their children lose a ball in the hayfield and continue to 'search and destroy’ even after the farmer entreats them to stop. Fact. Or, how about the farmer who chased young children of a neighboring development out of his pasture field where he had some bulls grazing with steers. The children had somehow relocated the fencing and were teasing the By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agriculture Agent Phone 717-394-6851 by the IRS through June 30. It is also indicated that while certain “commonly controlled businesses” may be subject to higher imputed rates, the 9% minimum rate will be sufficient on sales of property between family members after July 1 when the new regulations become effective. To Check Sprayer Calibration The sprayer is a piece of equiment that is used quite heavily from spring till fall. Many com plaints of poor chemical per formance can be traced to poor sprayer performance. This is often due to poor calibration. Calibration Board Peepin’ at the ? %) farm (fadf) picture cattle. Were the parents thankful the farmer probably saved their children’s lives? No, as a matter of fact, he received threatening telephone calls not to harass the kids. And what did the parents do to the young boys caught building a ‘green fortress’ out of corn stalks yanked out row after row in the middle of a field? One boy was punished by having to volunteer his time during an afternoon’s hay making, while the other boy got off with a verbal reprimand. Unbelievable yes, but these things happen when people who are unfamiliar with farming and livestock move next door. Some of the costly problems facing farmers are being solved through legislation such as the Ag Areas Bill designed to prevent nuisance laws from being passed and to allow ag districts to be formed. Perhaps legislators should pass a law requiring all new country residents to take a ’short’ course in farming so they have a better un derstanding of the investment of time, labor and money that each farmer has in fields, livestock, and buildings. Qr, perhaps this ‘education’ is up to the farmers we’ve got the most to lose if we think ignoring our new neighbors will make them go away. A mutual respect for each other and each other's property will go a long way in coping with the growing number of people moving to the country. Besides, how much farther can we run? simply means to apply a known amount of spray mixture to a known area. There are several methods used to calibrate a sprayer. The sim plest is to travel over a selected area (about one-tenth acre) to determine the amount of water applied. Measure off a strip that provides a known area. For example a 21-% foot boom traveling over a 200 foot course provides one-tenth acre. One-tenth acre for a 28 foot boom is 154 feet. Next, fill the sprayer tank with (Turn to Page Al 2) ARE YOU BLEEDING? May 31,1981 Background Scripture: Hebrews 10 through 13; Devotional Reading: John 17:1-11. The other day was one of the tunes when it seemed, as the old saying goes, “1 shoulda stood in bed.” It was one of those days when, if something could go wrong it did. After experiencing blow after blow, I concluded that nothing else would go wrong because I had had more than my share of woe for the month in one day. “It wouldn’t be fair for God to let anything else happen,” I told myself. Later, on reflection, I realized how stupid that reasoning is. Where did I ever get this idea about “my share”? What ever made me fall back upon what is “fair”? Whoever assured me that I would be asked to suffer just so much as a Christian and no more? Yes, things certainly did go wrong that day, but, despite everything, I had not been given a cross. And that, not a waterbed, is what Christ has promised us. “If any man would follow me, let him take up his cross...” Consider Him I should have not been so sur prised myself for, as a pastor, I have heard very much the same thing from people over the years who have protested having more than their “share” of troubles, Farm Calendar Today, May 30 Bainbridge Mayfest, 4-9 p.m., Nissley Vineyards, Rt. 441, near Bainbridge. Monday, June 1 Dairy Sanitation Conference, starts at noon, continues through June 4, 1.0. Keller Conference Bldg., Penn State. Tuesday, June 2 -Cedar Crest Young Fanners 17th annual banquet, 7 p.m., Schaefferstown Fire Hall. Franklin County Conservation District monthly meeting, 7:30 p.m.. County Administration Bldg., Chambersburg. Wednesday, Junes Lancaster Conservation District HAV haws * (?• I Are you sure that you’re supposed to rotate the tires the way you do on the car? implying that God was not exactly being “fair” with them. I have reminded them that Christ promises us a cross and we need to consider what he himself endured for us. As Hebrews puts it, “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted” (12:3). We have just been through an Easter season that reminds us once again that the victory of the resurrection morning comes only through the agony of Good Friday and the sorrow of Holy Saturday. And, when you get right down to it, don’t most of us tend to over dramatize our sufferings a bit? Yes, 1 had a bad day, but it was all a matter of perspective. At the end of that rough day I still enjoyed excellent health, I still was married to a wonderful wife, I was still employed doing the things I enjoy doing, a flip of the wrist would still turn on the record player and bring me Bach or Chopin, I still was a citizen of the USA, and on ad infinitum. As bad things seemed to be that day, the writer of Hebrews, had I turned to him, would have brought me up short with his reminder: “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (12:4)! For the Moment Perhaps when we think that life has been particularly unfair we need to ask ourselves, “Yes, but are you bleeding?” Are we suf fering anything that is as terrible as the cross? Are we really suf fering, or just pouting because things haven’t just gone our way? The key is often one of per spective, taking the long viewpoint. As Hebrews puts it: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (12:11). Board meeting, 7:30 p.m., Farm & Home Center. Friday, June 5 Delmarva Chicken Festival, Princess Anne, Md., concludes tomorrow. Saturday, June 6 Mason-Dixon Polled Hereford Field Day, Stony Run Farm, Arthurdale, W. Va. Pa. Sheep Field Day & Per formance tested' ram sale, 10 a.m., Meat Evaluation Center, Penn State. Sale at 2 p.m. Strawberry Festival, Blevins Fruit Farm, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Stewart stown, rain date on June 13. fOVtflifffr
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