Al2—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, August 14,1982
OUR READERS WRITE,
AND OTHER OPINIONS
Saving our farmland
America’s position as world
leader in agricultural productivity
has never been questioned. Our
farmers continue to produce food
and fiber with an efficiency that is
unprecedented in human history.
Today’s farm operators possess
the knowledge and highly technical
skills to meet the food production
challenges of the nation and world
for years to come.
Despite my optimism for the
future and my confidence in
America’s farmers, I am deeply
concerned by the rate at which our
prime farmland is being converted
to other uses. Secretary of
Agriculture John Block has called
this problem “a crisis in the
making”. Indeed, with perhaps
three million acres of precious
farmland lost every year, our
farmers may eventually find
themselves hard-pressed to meet
world demand for U.S.
agricultural products which could
increase by 80 percint during the
next 20 years. If current trends
continue, several states, including
New York, Florida, West Virginia,
New Hampshire, and Rhode
Island, may lose much of their
farmland during that same time
period.
Having lived in an area adjacent
to a large city, I have witnessed a
creeping urban expansion which
has resulted in an irreversible loss
of fertile farmland to housing
developments and highways. As a
former local government official, I
believe that state and local leaders
working with the cooperation of
private landowners have
traditionally been best able to deal
with the conflicting goals of urban
development and agricultural land
use and preservation.
The most often used approach in
preserving land for agriculture has
been zoning. This approach has
sometimes proved to be too
restrictive and has often resulted
in an unfair reduction of the value
of a farmer’s land.
In New York, state, the
agricultural district law is*
designed to ease the pressure of
development on prime farmland.
It provides that farmers may join
agricultural districts, which
protect their land from excessive
property taxation and grants other
important protections against
urban and encroachment.
Recently, Long Island’s Suffolk
County tried a new program called
Purchase of Development Rights
(PDR). Under this program, a
farmer may voluntarily sell the
development rights of his far
mland to the county. In return, the
county pays the farmer the dif
ference between the development
or market value and the lower
farm value of the land. The farmer
may then continue to farm, and his
property taxes will be per
manently based on die lower
agricultural value.
WHATEVER
HERD YOU HAVE
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This program has shown a great
deal of promise. A major
drawback, however, has been the
inability of a single county to meet
the high cost. In New Jersey, a
large majority of the voters felt
this issue was important enough to
pass a |5O million bond issue to find
their PDR program.
In addition to programs of this
type, the federal government can
play a supporting role in preser
ving farmland by offering
educational, technical, and
financial assistance to interested
local governments. Conflicting
federal policies have often con
tributed to the loss of valuable
farmland. President Reagan is
currently working to implement a
provision of the 1981 Farm Bill
requiring all federal agencies to
review and change (if possible)
any programs that contribute to
farmland conversion.
Perhaps more important than
any single .policy in keeping
agricultural land in the hands of
our nation’s farmers, though, is the
necessity to restore this country’s
economic health so that farmers
can stay in business. Federal tax
credits and other incentives may
be necessary to help farmers
withstand the financial pressures
of enroaching urban development.
American has been blessed with
an abundance of fertile land, but it
is not without limit. If we take
action now, a crisis can be avoided
and we can ensure that future
generations will be able to share in
the abundance that flows from our
American agricultural system.
Sen. Alfonse M. D’Amato
R, New York
Farm Calendar
I (Continued from Page AlO)
Crawford County, continues
through Saturday.
Elk County Fair, Kersey, con
tinues through Saturday.
Harford Fair, Susquehanna
County, continues through
Saturday.
Lawrence County Fair, New
Castle, continues through
Saturday.
Perry County Fair, Newport,
continues through Saturday.
Venago County Fair, Franklin,
continues through Saturday.
Pa. Shorthorn Show, Lawrence
County Fairgrounds.
New Jersey Holstein Show, 9 a.m.,
Warren County Fairgrounds,
Harmony.
District FFA Dairy Show, Kutz
town Fairgrounds.
Franklin'County 4-H Beef Show,
5:45 p.m., Chambersburg Rod&
Gun Club.
Wednesday, Aug. 18
University of Md. Crops & Soil
Field Day, 9 a.m., Wye
Research Center, Eastern
Shored
Migrant & Seasonal Farm Workers
Meeting for Growers, 7:30 p.m.,
Sheraton Inn, Et. 13, south of
Gettysburg.
Montgomery County 4-H Dairy
Show, 4-H Center, Lansdale.
Plowing Contest, 11:30 a.m.,
Meisenhelder Farm, Dover,
York' County.' State Contest
begins at Ip.m.
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Allen Township County Fair,
Northampton, continues
through Saturday.
Dawson Grange Fair, Fayette
worth the effort and time to visit
with your creditors, claims
Chester D. Hughes, Extension
livestock Agent.
Your new strawberry patch
should be pushing runner plants by
the dozen at this time of the
summer. It is a good idea to apply
another shot of fertilizer to these
new plants during August. A
fertilizer of nitrogen only, or one
high in nitrogen is best.
The objective is to encourage
more runner plants and to develop
strong runner plants;' these will
help increase the yield next
summer. Also, weeds must be
controlled at all times in order to
have healthy strawberry plants.
The earlier in the summer we can
get the runner plants to take root,
the better they will become
established and yield next year.
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(Turn to Page A 39)
Now is
the Time
(Continued from Page A 10)
To Fertilize Strawberries
ires August 31st
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