IL.2SNt.IO Farm Show fever, it’s contagious Features it’s a family affair .. .A2l Dorset breeder's flock .. .A 26 Master Farmer wives ...B2 Guernseys and goats .. .810 About the vegetable soup .. .818 Show ring practice ...822 Agri-business award .. .D 2 Commercial exhibitors . ...DA This year’s schedule .. .D4O Nibble Pa.’s best . ..ElO One girl’s baby beef .. -El6 Toast to the wine industry ...E2O Walker introduces federal Farmland Preservation Act WASHINGTON, D.C. - The opening day of the 96th Congress found Pennsylvania’s Congressman Bob Walker (R-16th) introducing legislation that could be of prime importance to agriculture on the national scope. Called the Farmland Preser vation Act of 1963, Walker’s proposal which was introduced Monday, calls for a system of incentives for farmland preser vation which would be written into the tax code in the form of an exemption from capital gains taxes for farmland owners who agree not to use or permit their Five Sections ' ‘‘Pennsylvania Agriculture We’re Growing Better" is the theme of this year’s 67th Annual Pennsylvania Farm Show which will open its doors to the public tomorrow. Two years ago Gov. Dick Thornburgh and First Lady Ginny Thornburgh joined Secretary of Agriculture Penrose Hatioweii in unveiling the state’s ag logo. Here the Governor and Sec. Hallowell proudly present Pa. agriculture’s and Farm Show’s motto. land to be used for any purpose other than farming. The capital gains tax exemption would be available to any owner of farmland who sells the property with a deed restriction limiting the farmland’s future use to agriculture. “Farmland is one of our nation’s richest natural resources, yet each year over 3 million acres of land are lost to the encroachment of industry and urbanization. Southcentral Pennsylvania is recognized as the world’s garden spot for its rich fertile sou. Our local area is also recognized for its outstanding leadership in Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 8,1983 providing new solutions to the problem of farmland loss. My legislation is entirely compatible with the ongoing local and state efforts in our area of Pennsylvania in keeping land in agricultural production," Walker commented as he submitted his proposal following the swearing-in ceremonies. “I believe this proposal is a sensible approach to farmland preservation. It assures that the goal of farmland preservation can be served on the basis of individual landowner initiative, not on the (Turn to Page A 18) HARRISBURG—Hie unmistakable feeling is bade. Across the state, folks are beginning to catch “Farm Show Fever.” For the next week all roads will lead to Harrisburg as the Keystone state honors its number one industry—agriculture. . Almost a million Pennsylvanians are employed in ag-related jobs, which meet the market needs of the Northeast. Last year, the state’s fanners topped the $3.3 billion mark in gross farm receipts. This week Lancaster Farming offers a look at Farm Show, past, present, and future. Meet the people and livestock that contribute to the ongoing success of Farm Show. This special issue also includes a map and a schedule of events to help you plan your week. For your convenience, a special Farm Show feature index appears on the front page. So, sit bade and relax with our page by page preparation of the 87th annual Pa. Farm Show. Robins, daffodils and dandelions, recently reported in southeastern Pennsylvania, have heralded the existence of an unusually mild winter. For some reason, it’s possible that Mother Nature may blow her big chance for the 67th annual Penn sylvania Farm Show.-Farm Show just isn’t Farm Show without cold snowy weather and sloppy roads. But no one’s complaining. The question is how will the mild weather affect this year’s “farmer fiesta.” In the past, wintery conditions failed to inhibit visitors from attending. Attendance has grown so much over the years that by 1976, when a (Turn to Page A2B) Fires raze six Mason-Dixon Line barns YORK In the wake of Tuesday’s six bam fires that sent more than a dozen rural volunteer fire companies battling blazes in York and Baltimore, Maryland counties, farm owners and rural residents are planning a telephone blitz of their neighbors at the first sign of flames. According to Trooper James Boyle, investigator at the York State Police barracks for the fire marshall’s office, rural residents must look out for one another as suspected arsons continue to flare up along the Mason-Dixon border. He also suggests that bam owners place screening material over $7.50 per year i bam windows facing the road to prevent incendiary devices from being tossed into buildings. “Someone’s going to get shot; that’s the only way it’ll be stop ped," flatly sighs a weary John Gray 111 of Freeland, Md. An original stone-foundation bank barn owned by Gray, located along Keeney Mill Road in nor thern Baltimore County, was the fifth in the series of a half-dozen suspected arsons in little more than two hours time that kept area skies glowing red early Tuesday morning. Estimates of Gray’s damages (Turn to Page A 32)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers