VOL. 31 No. 29
‘Century’ Farm Owner Supports Ag Preservation
By Everett Newawanger
Managing Editor
WASHINGTON BORO-“Grou
nd pollution is what I’m most
worried about,” said Martin
Heisey, 131 OonerviOe Hoad.
“Pollution not only from housing
development sources but also from
forced concentration of animals on
fewer acres as a result of land
taken out of agriculture. That’s one
reason why I have become- in
terested in the ag land preser
vation movement.”
This semi-retired farmer, Martin Heisey, who spent a
lifetime growing vegetables still plants some of his famous
Washington Boro tomatoes each year. Heisey has recently
become interested in ag preservation since his, “Century”
farm has become threatened by a land development project
on the adjoining farm.
Settlement Reached in Suit
BY KATHY GILL
Cumberland Co. Correspondent
FORT LAUDERDALE-A
settlement has been reached
between USDA and the nation’s
cattlemen, according to Charles
Shaw of ASCS.
In remarks made here Monday
at the Second Annual U.S. Dairy
F orum, Shaw indicated that the
National Cattlemens Association is
dropping its court case against
USDA in exchange for several
concessions.
USDA has agreed to perform a
survey to determine how many
cows, heifers and calves have been
slaughtered since the buyout
program began, on a month-by
month basis. In addition, USDA
will ask fanners what their future
sales patterns will be.
In addition, USDA will allow
participants to move from the first
termination period to either the
second or third, should they
volunteer to do so. Such action will
not result in. any additional
payments.
Moreover, not more than one
third of the animals scheduled for
movement in the first period may
be shifted in any given state.
Finally, 50 percent of all the
animals in the U.S. must remain in
the first period.
Shaw said that congress had
mandated heavy culling for the
fust and third periods, with em
phasis on the first. The rationale
was to have a quick effect on
commodity credit corporation
purchases.
Finally, congress has asked
Four Sections
A century farm owner, Heisey
has deeds that date back to 1848.
His grandfather owned the Manor
Township farm plus a part of a
neighboring farm. And his father
made his living on the 30 acres of
fertile soil along the Susquehanna
River where temperatures are
moderated by the river’s waters
and an altitude that is under 350
feet above sea level. That makes
this farm land the lowest in altitide
in Lancaster County.
“My wife and I also raised our
USDA to identify which
manufacturing or processing
plants dairy termination program
participants ship milk to. Then,
USDA has been directed to monitor
CCC purchases from those
manufacturing plants, Shaw-said.
David Norman Maps Goals for Jersey Club
BY GINGER SECRIST MYERS
Adams Co. Correspondent
LIBERTY David Norman,
Normandell Farm, Liberty, is the
newly elected president of the
Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle Club.
Chernobyl
Update
BY MARTHA J. GEHRINGER
HARRISBURG Traces of
radioactive iodine, iodine 131, were
detected in milk samples from four
areas of the state this week, but the
levels pose no threat to the human
or bovine populations.
Tests which were done on
Tuesday showed a level of 14
picocuries per liter of milk in
Pittsburgh and the Harrisburg
sample registered 6 picocuries,
according to David Mashek,
spokesman for the state Depart
ment of Environmental Resources
(DER). These readings also carry
a margin of errror of plus or minus
6 to 7 picocuries.
Thursday’s readings showed
(Turn to Page Al 7)
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 17,1986
seven children on the farm; put
them through school and had a
good living pff the land by doing
hand work,” he said. Semi-retired
now Mr. & Mrs. Heisey rent out
their farm that lies next to a newly
proposed housing development out
in the middle of rolling farm
country where no sewer and water
exists to accommodate such a
development.
This recent proposal to the
zoning board awoke Heisey and
some of his neighbors to the need
for ag preservation in their own
farm community. “We need to hold
out acres of the best farm land
from development," Heisey said.
“I don’t mean a fanner can’t sell
off a lot to his son or build a
retirement home on his land; I
mean mass development. Mass
development brings mass
pollution," he said.
According to the Lancaster
County Agricultural Preserve
Board, retaining the best land for
Rabies Marches
Northeast
BY JACK HUBLEY
HARRISBURG Rabies con
tinues its advance through Penn
sylvania, with twice as many cases
reported this year as during the
same period in 1985.
According to Department of
Health epidemiologist, Dr. Bobby
Jones, 180 confirmed cases were
documented as of Monday, com
pared to 95 last year. “We started
seeing cases picking up in October
and November of last year,” said
Jones, who could offer no ex
planation for the increase.
Raccoons remain the leading
carriers in the current epidemic,
(Turn to Page A3B)
Norman took over the reins of the
organization last month at its
annual meeting in MeadviUe.
This soft-spoken, third
generation Jersey breeder has
some definite goals and
aspirations for one of the largest
state Jersey organizations in the
nation.
David and his brother Ernest are
currently building on the herd
established by their father,
Howard, and his brother Claude.
The elder brothers established
the herd on the home farm which
was purchased by their father in
1905. They expanded the original
five acre, 12 grade Jersey cow
operation, to over 500 acres and an
all registered Jersey herd.
Thirty cows was the maximum
number milked on the farm until
1957 when an additional 23 stalls
were added to the existing bank
bam. In two years, these ad
ditional stalls were filled with cows
from their breeding program.
Setting high goals and striving to
attain them is a trait David credits
to learning from his parents,
Howard Norman and the late
Dorothy Norman.
(Turn to Page A 36)
agriculture while accommodating
anticipated development growth is
the result of sound land use
planning. The Lancaster County
Commissioners have adopted such
a plan to guide and direct future
development. This plan calls for
Avian Flu Quarantine
Order Amended
HARRISBURG - The Penn
sylvania Department of
Agriculture has amended its avian
influenza quarantine order to
conditionally permit the sale of
live birds at Pennsylvania
livestock auctions and to remove '
all restrictions upon the exhibition
of live poultry, according to state
Agriculture Secretary Richard E.
Grubb.
“The department has deter
mined that live poultry can >be
safely marketed at livestock
auctions if appropriate SjpjfcMiy
precautions are exercised andihe
movements' of live poultry are
monitored by the department for
signs of disease,” said Dr. Max A
Vanßuskirk, director of the
department’s Bureau of Animal
Industry, in a letter to the state’s
livestock and poultry auction
operators.
The amendments, which become
effective today, establish
provisions for maintenance of
strict sanitary conditions for cages
and other equipment used to
transport poultry to Pennsylvania
livestock auctions. Sale at auction
may only occur, “if the livestock
auction agrees to accept respon
sibility to maintain such cages,
crates, coops and other con
veyances in a sanitary condition
and agrees to allow random in-
Newly elected Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle Club President,
David Norman, poses with a Vermonter daughter who scored
88 percent with records to 13,200 pounds of milk and 660
pounds of
$8.50 per Year
the preservation of 278,000 acres of
prime farm land or about 45% of
Lancaster County. To help ac
complish this a deed restriction
program has been inaugurated to
preserve the most productive farm
(Turn to Page A 39)
spection of live poultry marketed
at UvestUfck auctions for signs of
contagious disease,” the letter
continued.
A section of the amendment also
addresses the removal of all
restrictions upon the exhibition of
live poultry at fairs and shows.
“Adherence to strict sanitary
procedures plus required health
certification for entries are im
portant safeguards for these ac
tivities,” said Vanßuskirk.
The department imposed its
avian flu quarantine order on Feb
5, following detection of avian
influenza virus In live bird in
terstate marketing channels. The
department is conducting ongoing
statewide surveillance of com
mercial poultry flocks to detect
avian influenza.
“Pennsylvania is continuing to
work with surrounding states to
insure that avian influenza is not
reintroduced into the com
monwealth,” Grubb said. “These
efforts should serve as a clear
signal to our trading partners that
the Pennsylvania poultry industry
will not live with avian influenza,”
he added.
The last flock of Pensylvania
poultry known to be affected by the
HSN2 avian influenza virus was
depopulated on April 16.