"ilk --£M6 I , / alkHits-i ,unwm? A It— Lancastor Farming, Sanrday, Dacambar 24, tftt Md, State Police list farm security WESTMINSTER, Md. - In the wake of the recent theft of some $lOO,OOO jki bull semen from farms in Carroll County, Maryland State Police have devised some im portant security measures to help safeguard such valuable property. With such a high value and an easy market for stolen semen, both in this country and abroad, the Groups support ag cargo decision WASHINGTON, D.C. - Farm commodity and agribusiness associations have filed with the U.S. District Court here a joint “friend of the court” brief sup porting an Administration decision not to apply “cargo preference” provisions to the government’s farm export “blended credit” program, according to Gary D. Myers, president, The Fertilizer Institute, one of the petitioning organizations. The group action, Myers said, responds to a suit filed by U.S. maritime interests seeking to PFA asks drilling bill CLEARFIELD Legislation which would strengthen en vironmental safeguards in gas and oil well drilling should be clarified to protect farmers from unfair liabilities, according to the Penn sylvania Farmers’ Association (PFA). Russell Orner, of Rl, Rockton, a spokesman for the statewide farm organization, told a hearing of the House Conservation Committee in Clearfield that PFA endorses the overall anti-pollution goals of H.B. 302 and 570 but recommends amendments to protect land owners from clean-up costs if they weren’t responsible for the damages. PFA recommends that the definition of a liable gas or oil well owner contained in the House bills be amended to exempt landowners who did not participate or incur costs in the drilling/extraction operation and who had no control over the drilling or extraction operation. Under the proposed legislation, PFA believes that landowners who bought or inherited land with Md . issues hay directory ANNAPOLIS, Md. If you are a farmer, you may need extra hay and straw to get your livestock through this winter. If you are a contractor, you probably need a lot of straw for berms. If you keep horses, you always need hay and straw...and, if you are a gardener, you might be looking for mulch material these days. One common problem for all of the above is the tight supply of hay and straw caused by the drought of 1983. This is where the Marketing Services Section of the Maryland Department of Agriculture may help. Thomas Butler of MDA has just compiled a statewide directory of some 63 Maryland farmers in 17 counties who have supplies of hay and straw for sale. You can secure a copy of the directory by sending a 20-cent postage stamp and your complete address to: Hay and Straw Directory, Marketing Services Section, Maryland Department of Agriculture, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. Maryland State Police emphasize that special concern should be shown by farmers to secure this valuable property. To heljp farmers, the Crime Prevention Unit and Criminal Section of the Westminster Barrack of the Maryland State Police have developed a four-point program for the security of items such as semen. require that 50 percent of such farm exports be moved in U.S. flag vessels. The suit, filed Oct. 14 by the Transportation Institute and Seafarers International Union, holds that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “blended credit” farm export program is subject to provisions of the 1954 Cargo Preference Act, a contention with which the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, and the U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture and Transportation disagree. "The problem,” says Myers, “is ♦Xnt o>«»n»wif»e to use of cost) v it S. abandoned uncapped oil or gas wells would be liable for the costs of plugging them which could total several thousands of dollars each. The Citizens Advisory Council of the Department of Environmental Resources believes there may be as many as 500,000 abandoned oil and gas well in Pennsylvania. In addition, under the definition of liable owner contained in the House legislation, a farmer who receives just a small consideration for drilling rights, such as fuel for residential use, would also be liable for the costs of plugging wells or restoring drilling sites. With changes to protect farmers who have no control or substantial interest in drilling operations, PFA teeent mmenti In- w&ke' These four points, which each farmer is urged to review and implement in the overall security program of the farm, include: (1) Record Keeping - As in any business, proper inventory control is essential. Keeping proper records of semen supplies, recording stock numbers, making periodic checks of supplies (twice weekly is suggested), and noting shipping for ‘blended credit’ ag exports would scuttle the program’s objective of boosting U.S. farm product shipments abroad, and do4ittle to assist U.S. maritime interests. ’ ’ The USDA export program “blends” Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) loan guaran tees to countries purchasing U.S. farm products with a second program that allows CCC loans at minimum or no interest rates. “Use of U.S. flag ships fpr farm exports tacks on an added 100 to changes supports passage of H.B. 302 and H.B. 570. Omer told committee members, “The maintenance of environmental quality and safety in oil and gas well drilling and extraction operations is important to Pennsylvania agriculture, as many wells presently exist on our state’s farmland. Slipshod operations polluting surrounding water supplies and land not only can financially ruin a farmer’s business but also can destroy the scenic beauty in rural areas. We recognize that much more com prehensive legislation is needed than that existing under present law to regulate the potentially adverse effects of pollution in oil and gas well operations.” and reporting any unexplained losses are important. (2) Operation I.D. Operation Identification (marking of valuables) is an important part of a resident and community security program, and so should it be with the farm. Proper identification marks and labeling of cannisters and tanks not only discourages 300 percent to the cost of such shipments, a cost that totally negates toe edge which toe blended .credit program now gives U.S. farm commodities in the world market,” Myers contended. The added shipping cost would be prohibitive for other farm products, such as poultry, as well, he said. Currently, he added, the blended credit program is stimulating $1.75 billion in added agricultural ex ports, an essential boost to the U.S. agricultural economy. Each $1 billion in ag exports results in employment of 30,000 Americans, he said. “Application of cargo preference to these exports would destroy the program, and the benefits to agriculture and* the overall economy,” he added. Other organizations sponsoring the petition are American Soybean Association, Florida Phosphate Council, Grain Sorghum Producers Assn., National Association of Wheat Growers, National Broiler Council, National Corn Growers Assn., National Cotton Council of America, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Forest Products Assn., National Grain Trade Council, National Grange, National Soybean Processors Assn., National Sunflower Assn., North American Export Grain Assn., Protein Grain Products international, Rice Millers Assn., and Terminal Elevator Grain Merchants Assn. plan theft, it aids in recovery and prosecution. Markings can be made by electric engravers, stamps, etc. with the farmer’s driver’s license number being the preferred marking. (3) Secure Area - In the home, a resident can set up what is called a “security closet”. A place where a closet in the home or farm building is turned into a place for valuables by installation of a solid door, deadlock and pinned hinges. The fanner realizes that a farm is one of the hardest things to secure, but if one area is set aside and that area is adequately secured, it can be a storage closet for the farmer’s valuables. The room or building should be of good construction (that which discourages forced entry). If needed, steel rods can be welded to form a jail construction for added security. Proper dead bolt locks, pinned hinges, and solid doors should be instidled. This adds to the time and noise needed for thtf criminal to break in, and the criminal is always worried about time and noise. (4) Employee Checks - In a lot of cases, a fanner will only have a few trusted and longstanding employees. But in some cases, a farmer will have transient em ployees and special care must be taken in keeping them from sen sitive areas of security. You should do some background checking of references they give to insure that you are not placing your farm assets in the hands of someone not worthy of your trust. If a farmer will take the time to address these four areas of security, State Police say, he will not only lessen the opportunity for himself to become a victim, but he will have peace of mind to know that what he has worked for all his life is secure. More detailed information or information on other farm security should be sought by contacting the local law enforcement agency crime prevention unit.
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