Al6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 28,1982 < As Soil Conservation Service’s Boyd Custer completes his 600,000-plus acres of soil mapping in Lancaster County at the Amos Funk Farm, Millersvilfe, other suit-and-tied conservationists look on. With Custer, from left, are: Lancaster Conservation District Chairman Aaron Stauffer; Richard Vannoy, Lancaster maps (Continued from Page Al) soil scientists. In this most recent survey, SCS soil scientist Boyd Custer headed the auger-tptmg crews. Officially •mapping” the last acre of soil at the Funk farm in Millersville as Conestoga silt loam, Custer thanked the farmers and landowners of Lancaster County for their permission and un derstanding in allowing the soil technicians onto their land for this important project. His audience for the ceremonial mapping in cluded several state legislators, the Lancaster County com missioners, and various agency heads. Custer remarked how astronomical the task ot mapping more than 600,000 acres and 90 soil types seemed in 1976 when the First Acre ceremony was held at the Aaron Stauffer farm, Ephrata. At that tune, a goal was set to complete the mappmg in seven years. Finishing six months ahead of deadline, SCS personnel actually worked an equivalent of 20 man years to keep this soil iden tification program ahead ot schedule. Lancaster County Commissioner Jim Huber, along with Fa. Secretary of Agriculture Fenrose Hallowell, commended the efforts of all involved in the new soil survey. Hallowell noted its potential use as an important tool for preserving the county’s agricultural land. In analyzing the results ot the soil survey, soil scientist Custer Bureau of Soil and Water Conservation; George Martin, SCS ass't state soil scientist; Warren Archibald, SCS district con servationist; Lancaster Commissioner Jim Huber; Ag Secretary Penrose Hallowed; Lancaster County Agent Jay Irwin; and District Director Amos Funk. noted Lancaster County boasts 55,590 acres of Class 1 land prime agricultural soils. Un fortunately, these soils are the subject of much controversy as urban sprawl and other competing landuses vie for their control. Conservation District Chairman Aaron Stauffer commented that the county’s prune agricultural land is “growing houses” instead of crops. “With houses, our best soils go from Class 1 to un classified.” SCS State Administrator George Leo referred to the new soil survey as “the state of the art" and en couraged its use by farmers, landuse planners, housing developers, and local government officials. He noted the report will be published and available to the public in one year. Assistant State Soil Scientist George Martin reported an ac celerated effort by SCS during the past year to publish completed soil surveys. The nine reports published in 1982 bring the current list of soils reports in Pennsylvania to 40, covering 45 counties. Only two percent of the state’s soils are unmapped, and by 1986 the entire state is projected to be completely mapped, he said. Penn State soil scientist Robert Cunningham represented Dean Sam Smith at Wednesday’s ceremomes. He reminisced about the 300 soil samples he extracted from more than.3o backhoe-hewn pits carved out in Lancaster County fields. These soils were later transported back to Penn State for detailed laboratory analysis. The resulting chemical and mmeralogical information that currently is printed on paper may be available at the touch of a computer’s button within the next five years, Cunningham an nounced. USDA extends ’Bl soybean loans WASHINGTON, D.C. - Producers with 1981-crop soybeans under loan now have the option to extend their loans for an extra six months, according to Everett Rank, administrator of the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. Rank said USDA is allowing extended loans so farmers will have the option of holding their soybeans for possibly higher prices later in the year. Without this action, Rank said, farmers would be required to either sell their soybeans to repay their price support loans or would turn their crops over to USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation in lieu of repayment. | Most soybean loans ara 1 scheduled to mature duriiSs V August, September and October. Producers who extend their loans for the additional six months will be charged interest at the rate applicable to the loan. This interest rate reflects the cost to CCC of borrowing from the U.S. Treasury. All producers with 1981-crop loans in an outstanding statusare eligible to extend their loans, Rank said. Producers who wish to extend loans should contact their county Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service office. Rank said.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers