OL 27 No. 17 Keystone Pork Congress poses key questions to producers by sheila Miller I CAMP HILL U was a day of decisions on Thursday as the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council met here at the Penn Hams Motor Inn tor their 4th Keystone Pork Congress. For many of the stale’s pork producers, the first decision of the dJJcame early in the morning as iiljf debated about the 10 inches of snow that fell the night before and whether the drive to the Congress would be a slip-sliding experience. Those who braved the highways FFA chapters begin national observance LANCASTER - As another National FFA Week begins today, it’s evident the "future” is still very much a part of the Future riers of America, you doubt it, consider two' separate but similar situations involving FFA members in two different parts of Pennsylvania. In their individual ways, they’re - helping to shape not only their own futures, ' but also that - of agriculture, as are. their nearly hall-million fellow FFA’ers hcriifs the nation. ‘ ' This week, a 17ryear-oltt member Bradford reverses Clean and P f y. • Green asspssjnent increase V BY JANE BRESEE Staff Correspondent TOWANDA - The Bradford County Board of \ Assessment reversed their decision to raise use values tor those enrolled under the Clean and Green Act, last Friday. The decision came after protest was made by several farm groups, including the Bradford-Sulhvan County Fanners' Association, the Bradford County Grange, and the Bradford ’County Forest Lan downers Association. Although the Board ot Assessment had raised the figures according to the recommendation data received from the Depart ment ot Agriculture, landowners claimed that the figures were too lugh tor the Bradford County area. The 82 percent increase in forest land assessment from $4O per acre to $73 per acre, .was deemed, particularly unfair by the-groups. f After meeting with Department • Agriculture officials in amsburg recently, Bradford County Commissioner Bill Gannon learned that the recommended use values were based on average statistics compiled from 1974-1979, ana that the information lagged behind current use values. He also learned some oi the use value figures were not based upon specific Bradford county in formation.. , , ~ 1 •* t c i 1 i were in store for a day of in formative sessions, two rooms of commercial exhibitors who were ready and anxious to tell their ‘success’ stories, and an evening * marked with honors. The state’s hog producers look part in an opinion poll during the morning session as Dr. Max Van Huskirk, Jr., chief veterinarian with the slate’s Bureau of Animal Industry, called for a show ot hands concerning proposed regulations which would involve the state’s swine industry. The ot the Manheim FFA was named to the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board' Thus, Michael Pflieger, R 4, Manheim, is becoming part of one of the most important future v concerns of agriculture - the preservation of farmland. And w Snyder County, 16-year old Keif ol the Middleburg if deeply involved in the shaping and his- family’s da^rytpgf For Ken’s story, ’ As Week' again J |Tgr^fageA27) Chairman of the Bradford County Commissioners, Francis Obugtas, promised in the recent Board of Assessment meeting that a committee of representatives from the county farm and lan downer groups will be formed and also will include representatives from borough councils, township supervisors, school boards, and the Soil Conservation Service to study use values and make recom mendations before any future increase in use values is ever at tempted. 1 ' The Bradford. County Assessor’s office will be sending notices to the 4,000 enrollees under Clean and Green within a three-month period changing the values back to their former level, it was announced. Bradford County experienced a total- reassessment in 1977, a traumatic period for all property, and land owners who had not been reassessed for a period of 16 years. Because of the radical increase in valuation, Bradford County adopted the Clean and Green Law, in 1978, and agreed with local farmers to use the recommended use values from the Department of Agriculture’s 1974 statistics, the most current data available at that tune. The Bradford County Board of Assessment voted to raise the use valuations, in August 1981, and Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 20,1982 proposal deals with changes, in health requirements tor im portation and intrastate" tran sportation of swine. - The sum and substance of the proposed regulations provides language which would require all hugs, from feeder pigs to market hogs to breeding swine, to be marked in such a manner that the animals could be traced back to the farm ot origin at any point on their road to market. This would be accomplished through an ear tatoo, slap tatoo, or ear lag. The reason tor identification, according to the chief "veterinarian, is to be able to limit the movement ot swine within Pennsylvania to only those animals that ace known to be tree ot dangerous, contagious diseases. The big question in most minds of the pork producers was "Whose responsibilty will it be to mark the hogs?” According to Van Buskirk, the responsibility to see that every hog carcass that’s hanging in a packing plant can be traced back to the farm will rest with the licensed auction operators, packers, livestock dealers, down to the truckers who pick up hogs at the farm. At each point of transfer it will be necessary for records to be kept on where the hogs are coming from, with the seller being assigned a registered herd num ber. If the fanner doesn’t tatoo the hogs, then it will be the respon (Turnto Page A34J although the decision was printed in the local county newspaper once, the news did not tut the farming community until early m 1982. All who were affected by the increase expressed sentiments that they were being unfairly singled out to pay more taxes while at the same time other tax payers’ assessments had not been raised. Many reacted by calling _ and writing the Board ot Assessment, and the assessor’s otfice to object. IMPCO District 7 reaffirms milkerendum yes vote BY DONNA TOMMELLEO MT.- JOY Officials trom Inter Stale Milk Producers’ Cooperative met with District 7 members, Thursday, to reattirm the co-op’s support ot the milkerendum. In other action during the annual District 7 meeting, members voted in officers tor the 1982 season. "Let’s show the public and especially the federal government that we are interested in moving our product in the market,” em phasized District 7 director Daniel Marlin. "Unless we producers gel in back ot it (milkerendumj and Pennsylvania’s 1982 All-American Pork Producer is Lebanon County’s Charles Bomgardner. Bomgardner received a free trip and accomodations to the National Pork Congress to be held March 9-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana from Diamond-Shamrock’s Tim Stalker. Looking on approvingly is Marlene Bomgardner. Inside This Week’s... The annual meeting of the Lancaster County Extension was a double treat for participants hearing Dean Smith of Penn State and electing five new directors... 826. Gearing up for their annual PA Holstein Association meeting next week are Holstein breeders all over the state. Find stories on these bovine black and whites on pages. . . D 2, Dl6, and 822. RAMP phase-out could mean 40 less SCS technicians in Pennsylvania... A 32. support it, we'll not get the ad vertising we need,” he added. Marlin also expressed concern over the trimmed Commodity Credit Corporation budget as approved m the 1981 Farm Bill. He explained that it the CCC is not properly funded to move surplus milk trom the market, then there is afways a chance that the market will disappear. "We are certain that it we put more money into advertising we can sell more milk,” Martin ad ded. i’o help erase some ol the con (Turnto Page A2B) $7.50 per year Home and Youth Homestead Notes, B 2; Home on the Range, B 6; Gardening corner, B 8; Kid’s Korner, BIO; 4-H news, Bll; Farm Women Societies, B 12; FFA, B 28; Jr. Holstein members vie tor title. 822. Columns Editorials, AIO; Now is the time, AU); Ida's Notebook, B 5; Ladies, have you heard? B 17; On being a tarm wile, BIO; Brockett’s Ag Advice, D