AlB—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 22,1983
HARRISBURG Some people
wouldn’t dream of investing in a
house constructed by a fly-by-night
builder. Yet, they will place their
life’s savings in a hous' 'milt on a
floodplain.
Building in flood pi. has been
costly, reports J \ Mank,
assistant state conse uonist for
the USDA Soil C .iservation
Service in Harrisburg. An average
of $3.4 billion is lost each year to
floods. Since 1938, 20 major floods
in Pennsylvania have cost over
$5.5 billion in damages.
“This costly error affects all of
us with higher insurance, building
costs, and relief programs to flood
victims,” says Mank. “During the
19705, over $233 million was paid
out in relief money to Penn
sylvania flood victims. The ad
verse publicity of flooding can alo"
Store farm fuel for emergencies
UNIVERSITY PARK -
Availability and cost of petroleum
fuels vary. Presently, supplies are
up and prices are down, however
that may change. Farmers can
protect themselves from the fluc
tuations of the market by develop
ing a fuel storage program.
James W. Garthe, Extension
agricultural engineer at Penn
State, says farmers can do more to
help themselves if fuel prices
skyrocket and availability
becomes questionable.
Farm fuel storage is often
discouraged by common notions of
its deterioration. All fuels,
especially diesel fuel and gasoline,
change during storage. Proper
storage, however, will reduce
these undesirable changes.
The secret is to keep liquid fuels
at a uniform, cool temperature.
Chemical and biological degrada
tion of fuel is a function of
temperature; the warmer the fuel,
the faster it changes.
Generally, an underground tank
is considered best because the
ground temperature doesn’t fluc
tuate like air does. Temperature
changes cause the fuel to expand
and contract, allowing fuel vapors
to escape out the vent while air
enters the tank. With this air ex
change comes moisture, which will
condense in the tank. A uniform
temperature thus reduces
evaporation, as well as water
buildup.
Garthe adds that one trick to
reducing losses and preserving
fuel quality is to install a pressure
vacuum relief cap. These caps are
Pa. ASC leaders
learn about PIK
HARRISBURG - The Penn
sylvania ASC Committee and
Executive Director Eugene F.
Thompson of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s Agricultural
Stabilization and Conservation
Service attended a training
meeting on the Feed Grain, Wheat,
Cotton, and Rice “Payment-In-
Kind Program” this week. The
ASCS officials learned their role in
the U.S. and World Agriculture at
this conference, ASCS Ad
ministrator Everett Rank said.
About 200 farmers who serve on
the ASCS Committees plus
executive directors attended.
Secretary of Agriculture John R.
Block spoke at the opening day
conference luncheon. Other
Department officials addressed
the conferees during business
sessions of the three-day meeting.
Floodplains aren’t housing havens
give a community a bad image.
Worse, still, is the loss of human
lives. Since 1925, floods in the
United States have killed over 4,000
people.”
Flood plains are the fairly level
lands that border rivers, creeks,
and coastal waters.
Mank adds that several agencies
and organizations have flood plain
information available for the
asking. The USDA Soil Con
servation Service has people in or
assigned to almost every county in
the United States. They provide
assistance, including information
about flood plains, free of charge.
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers also has flood plain data
available. Local planning agen
cies, regional governmental
bodies, and zoning officials may
designed to open at two to three
pounds per square inch of pressure
and less than one-tenth pounds per
square inch of vacuum. By con
trolling tank pressure, vapor
losses and water intake are reduc
ed. Farm fuel suppliers sell these
caps.
Water in fuel provides an en
vironment in which certain
bacteria thrive. They consume fuel
while excreting acids and water
which degrade fuel and corrode
metal surfaces. Over time, they
can create gums which will plug
fuel filters. Bacteria are mainly a
problem in fuels stored for years
on end. A biocide, available from
fuel distributors, will kill these
bacteria Biocides are costly, but
they work.
Rather than worry about long
term fuel deterioration, Garthe
says a good rule of thumb for
storage is: first in, first out. In this
way, a farmer can maintain large
reserves, yet no fuel would be
stored for more than a few months
or a year.
“If you cannot rotate supplies
due to limitations, consider the
pressure-vacuum relief cap and a
biocide as a minimum,” Garthe
recommends.
Many gasoline retailers have
gone out of business. At most clos
ed stations the tanks are still in
location. Growers might inquire if
these tanks could be leased for con
tinuous storage. Used service sta
tion tanks that are still sound are
available in most large cities and
might be purchased for relocation
on the farm.
The purpose of the Payment-In-
Kind Program is to reduce the 1983
production of grain crops and
cotton because of high carryover of
preceding years’ production.
Payment-In-Kind means that
commodities now owned by
Commodity Credit Corporation, in
the Farmer Owned Grain Reserve,
and under Price Support Loan will
be made available to farmers for
acreage taken out of production in
1983.
Pennsylvania ASC Chairman
Jesse Wood, Nottingham; Clyde
Robison, Coal Center; and Annette
Schucker, Troy, members of the
State Committee, are responsible
for ASCS policy on farm programs
in Pennsylvania.
Program details are available at
county’ offices of ASCS.
also have useful material. Some
have maps with floodprone areas
delineated.
Flood plains vary in size, shape,
origin, and description, but they all
share one simple characteristic—
from time to time they are covered
by water, states Mank.
Desirable homes!tes are pur
chased every year, with flooding
being the last possible thing on the
mind of the buyer. The problem is,
there are no guarantees.
“The big rain could come
tomorrow, next week, or maybe
100 years from now, but it will
come, warns Mank. “Flooding can
also be repetitive. Damaging
storms often occur back-to-back
during the same season.”
Another contributing factor to
flooding is changing conditions on
the land. Upstream construction of
houses, supermarkets, streets, and
parking lots can drastically alter
natural drainage patterns. The
Award Winning
CIMARRON ALFALFA
Available for Spring
also
WL 311, WL 313, WL 318,
Saranac AR, Clovers, Orchard
Grasses, Oats
TOBACCO NEEDS
• Nylon Bed Covers • Bed Fertilizer
• Cotton Hulls • Seed
BALER & BINDER TWINE
Farmers
I supply
Box 1537 215 East Fulton St.
Lancaster, PA
(717) 394-7127
WANT TO INCREASE
YOUR DAIRY INCOME?
- Over 200 Dairymen In Pa. and Md. Have -
And Are Getting 2 lbs. to 5 lbs. More Milk
Per Cow Per Day.
INTERESTED?
sealed surfaces absorb no rainfall,
so runoff is greater and takes place
faster. If the drainage system of a
downstream subdivision is not
adequate, a torrent of runoff water
can create a flood sometimes after
only moderately heavy rains.
Agencies, such as the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, the Penn
sylvania Department of En
vironmental Resources, and SCS
have spent over $1.5 billion on flood
prevention measures such as dams
and dikes.
“Community leaders often fear
that denying intense development
on a convenient flood plain will
give their locality a reputation of
slowing down normal economic
growth and discouraging new
industry and business,” Mank
observes.
“Undeveloped flood plains are
not lost to the community. They
can provide long-term benefits and
perform natural functions in water
They Supplement Their Feed With
(Liquid Energy Blend)
PENN NUTRIENTS INC.
Box 169-A, RDI, Rt. 422
Robesonia, Pa. 19551
Telephone: 215-693-5848
♦
♦
CUSTOM BUTCHERING
2635 Willow Street Pike
■RjKjf r Willow Street, PA
Tflif* 717-464-3374
We Process the Old Fashioned Way
• Pudding * Hams • Bologna
• Scrapple • Bacons • Dry Beef
♦ We also Specialize in Beef
t For Your Freezer, Sides of Pork,
X Sides of Beef.
X Freezer Lockers Now Available
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦<
LEB
Call or Write for Fast Action:
management and land use that
cannot be duplicated by man, no
matter the cost.
“For example, agriculture is a
basic use of flood plains. Most
farmers have long known the value
and limitations of flood plains for
pastures or growing crops. Parks,
sport field areas, hiking paths, and
other recreation facilities
necessary to an all around at
tractive community are ac
ceptable on floodprone land.
“Flood plains provide green
belts, open space, and natural
areas. In urban areas, they are
often all that remain of the natural
world. The City of Allentown has
turned flood plains along Jordon
and Lehigh Creeks into a beautiful
network of city parks. Using flood
plains for. paries and greenbelts
adds to the attractiveness of a
community and actually helps
contribute to a stable tax base,”
concludes Mank.
Attention
Beef & Pork Raisers
HESS’ BUTCHER SHOP