A34—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 19,1981
HARRISBURG This Tuesday
the Right to Farm bill climbed one
more step on the legislative ladder
to becoming law. With a vote of
179-2, House Bill 1823 was passed
by the House of Representatives in
its last week of sessions before the
close of 1981.
Introduced by Lancaster
County’s Rep. Noah Wenger on
Sept. 22, 1981, HB 1823 is designed
to protect “agricultural operations
from nuisance suits and or
dinances.”’
The three-page bill states that
“when n’onagncultural land uses
extend into agricultural areas,
agricultural operations often
become the subject of nuisance
suits and ordinances. As a result,
agricultural operations are
sometimes forced to cease
operations. Many . others are
discouraged from making in
vestments in farm improvements.
"It is the purpose of this act to
reduce the loss to ’be Com
monwealth of its agricultural
resources by limiting the cir
cumstances under which
agricultural operations may be
subject matter of nuisnace suits
and ordinances.”
The' bill spells out that no
nuisance action can be brought
against a farm which has been
operating for at least one year and
where the conditions of cir
cumstances complained of have
existed for the most part un
changed since the operation was
established, and that the farm is
operating normally.
It further notes that if an
operation is expanded and the
expanded facility has been in
operation for one year or more
prior to the complaint, the farmer
is protected, as long as the fanner
YORK CALCIUM
The Economical Replacement
For Oyster Shells
YORK CALCIUM CHIPS
Ca 39%
Mg Less than 1 %
• YORK CALCIUM CHIPS are an easily utilized
source of supplemental Calcium to produce
harder egg shell
• Mixes uniformly with the feed
• Uniformly consumed by the birds
• Soft Gray “Chips” - Look for them in your feed
ALL THIS AT LESS THAN
Vs THE COST OF SHELLS!
‘Right to Farm’ bill passes House
is abiding by the rest of the state’s
regulations, such as the Clean
Streams Law.
The bill had received the
blessmg of the House Agricultural
and Rural Affairs Committee on
October 28 with a « nte ot 20-2. In
this week’s full-House action, the
two ‘no’ votes were cast by Pitt
sburgh’s Rep. Ivan Itkm and
Montgomery County’s Rep. Robert
Heber.-
Commenting on the • o votes
cast against this bill, Rep. Wenger
pointed out Rep. Reber went, on
record after the official roll call
(Continued from Page Al)
bill is very grave, indeed,” warned
Senator Jesse Helms, Chairman of
the Senate Committee on
Agriculture Nutrition and
Forestry.
Helms reported that in the ab
sence of a Farm Bill, all farm
programs would revert to per
manent legislative authorities of
1938 and 1949. It has been
estimated that returning to this
original legislation for farm
programs would cost more than
double the estimated cost of the
1981 Farm Bill.
“Without approval of this Farm
Bill the nations’s farm policies will
be thrown into confusion and the
impact upon the farm economy
will be extremely adverse,” said
Helms, .
The bill includes four-year price
support programs for wheat, feed
grain, dairy products, cotton, rice,
peanuts, soybeans; sugar and
wool. A one-year extension of the
CHIPS
YOU MAKE THE CHOICE
saying he had inadvertantly voted
•no’ but had wanted to vote ‘yes.’
This was recorded in the written
journal of the legislative session,
however the vote stood at 179-2.
From here, HB 1823 moves to the
Senate, with action expected early
in 1982. Wenger stated he was
.optimistic that ,the bill would
receive fair consideration from the
Senate and reported that the
Senate Agricultural Committee
chairman has said he’d be
"pleased to put it on next year’s
agenda.”
Farm Bill
food stamp program is included as
well as gram reserve programs,
soil conservation incentives,
protection, for farmers against
export embargoes, and programs
for agricultural research, ex
tension and teaching.
Major savings between the
Senate and House bills were ac
* complished through a scaled down
dairy program and revised target
prices.
The bill sets milk price supports
at not less than $13.10 per hun
dredweight for fiscal 1982. In 1983,
1984 and 1985, the mmimums would
be $13.25, $14.00 and $14.60 if
surplus purchases during the year
are projected at more than $1
billion, the minimum would be 70
percent of parity."
The support would rise to 75
percent of parity if- projected
surplus purchases are less than 4
billion pounds of milk in 1983, 3.5
billion in 1984 and 2.69 billion for
1985. •
e&islative Roundu.
The bill also directs the
OR
According to Wenger, HB 1823 is
just one of the ongoing needs for
programs to encourage farmland
preservation in Pennsylvania.
In other action on the Hill,
Senate Bills 919-920, which exempt
farm manure tacihties from
real estate taxes, were split this
week. The Senate concurred with
the House amendments on SB 920,
however, they held SB 919 in
conference committee until the
new year.
House Bill 327, which would
require a bill of sale to prove
ownership when Christmas trees
Secretary of Agriculture to report
on the strengths and weaknesses of
existing and possible new
programs for controlling milk
surplus, including a review of
.the impact of government
programs on regional supplies.
The Conference Committee report
recommended that the President
establish a limit on casein imports.
Feed grain target prices,
another major difference between
the Senate and House version, sets
com prices at not less than $2.70
per bushel on the 1982 crop and
$2.86 for 1983, $3.03 for 1984 and
$3.18 for 1985.
Price support loan rates for com
would be not less that $2.55 per
bushel from 1982-85. Regulations
on set-aside- or direct acreage
limitations as a condition of price
support, on use of paid-diversion
programs, on disaster payments
and on similar provisions would be
the same for-wheat.
The Secretary would be required
to provide target price protection
for gram sorghum and oats’. Price
support loans' for gram sorghum,
OYSTER SHELLS
Ca ..,39%
Mg. 7%
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL
FEED DEALER & START
SAVING sss!
& SUPPLY CO.
Roosevelt Ave. Ext, York, PA 17405
YORK STONE
are cut, transported or sold, will
remainin the House Ag Committee
over the holidays. Vice chairman
Noah Wenger pointed out there
were "some problems in the en
forcement sections” of the bill.
And, the long-awaited House Bill
1351 that would declare milk to be
the state’s official beverage will
have to wait until next year for
further action. Although it was
passed by the House last May,
Rep. Joseph Gneco’s bill was
returned to the Senate Ag Com
mittee.
barley and oats would be set at
"fair and reasonable” levels tied
to the level for com.
Conferees urged the Secretary to
consider, as in the case of wheat,
offering an increased loan rate to
any producer who enrolls in a
future set-aside or acreage
reduction program.
At press time the 1981 Farm Bill
bad not reached the White House
for the President’s signiture.
In other legislative action, the
Senate recently approved the
presidential nominations of W.
Proctor Scarboro of Zebulon, N.C.,
and Ralph Ball of Sterling, Kansas
to be members of the Federal
Farm Credit Board of the Farm
Credit Administration.
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