VOL. 31 No. 37 Four Sections
National Farm Leader Says
Get Into Farming Now
BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
CAMPHILL The new
president of the American Farm
Bureau Federation told news
reporters this week that he
believes farm prices have bot
tomed out. Speaking at a news
conference here that was called by
the Pennsylvania Farmers
Association, Dean Klechner said
that while we will not likely see
prices as high as in the peak back
in the 70s, we will see farming
becoming profitable again.
“I see this as the most opportune
tune for young people to get into
farmmg-the most opportune time
we’ve seen in many years,”
Klechner said. “With the
depressed prices, machinery can
be bought with 30 cents on the
Lancaster Farmer Stops Developers With As Preserve
BY SUZANNE KEENE
WILLOW STREET - The
building business is booming in
Lancaster County. Where corn and
wheat once grew, residential
developments, office buildings and
parking lots now stand.
But thanks to a gift from Ben
jamin and Ruth Kendig of Willow
Street, 56 acres of prime farmland
will remain in fanning forever.
The Kendigs have donated the
development rights to their farm to
the Lancaster County Agricultural
Preserve Board. A perpetual deed
restriction has been placed on the
farm, ensuring that the land will
always be used for agricultural
purposes.
‘‘The Kendig family is honored
with the board’s decision to accept
OPINION
More Than Crabgrass
In the current issue of a major
national magazine, the County
Cooperative Extension Service
offices are listed number eight in a
list of “Uncle Sam’s ten worst
taxpayer npoffs”. The writer, a so
called top expert on government
waste, suggests that about all
county agents do for farmers these
days is dispense information about
how to eliminate crab grass.
We suppose this expert thinks he
can pick on our county agents
because only 2.2% of the nation’s
Population are farmers But he
doesn t seem to understand that
while we may be few in number,
°ur efficiency, technology and the
sweat of our brow produces an
unprecedented abundance of food
supply
The benefits to the nation and the
dollar and land rental in many
areas is low enough for the young
farmer to rent and make a profit.
It’s much better to get into
something when the cycle is at the
bottom,” he said. “Then you can
get in and ride it up instead of
getting in at the top and trying to
maintain a continuing profit. Even
college students for the first time
m many years say that they can
see possibilities in farming. Like
many of my fellow farmers, I
bought some land and have locked
in some debt that limits me now.
But if you can start now with a
clean debt load, you have a great
opportunity to begin farming,” the
national farm leader said.
Sharing the platform with
Klechner was PFA state president,
Keith Eckel. Eckel said we don’t
the preservation deed restriction,”
said JoAnne Myers, the Kendig’s
daughter who initiated inquiries
about preserving the farm on her
parent’s behalf.
She said her parent’s decision
about the farm was made partly
out of concern about development
pressure. “It’s getting too com
mercialized in this area.
Everything is building up,” she
noted.
Another 30 acres were not ac
cepted into the program because
they were was already zoned
residential/commercial Mrs.
Myers said.
Because the Kendig farm is
located in an area under intense
development pressure, the
family’s donation is especially
world are immeasurable. How
much is it worth for city experts
not to need to go to bed hungry. We
suppose the elimination of crab
grass has a lot to do with producing
an abundant supply of cheap food.
At least Extension, working in
cooperation with other agencies
and with ag industry, helps to
maintain the economic viability of
local agriculture and helps to keep
it competitive with agriculture in
other parts of the country and in
other countries.
In working with farmers, Ex
tension is not serving just 2 2% of
the national population. By helping
to improve the efficiency of local
agricultural production it is ser
ving the remaining 97% of the
population that is very dependent
(Turn to PageAlO)
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 12,1986
expect the buyout program to
reduce milk production over the
long term. “We as an organization
were against the buyout program
from the beginning. But on the
positive side because of the dairy
farmers who have financed a huge
dairy promotion program, we have
seen a dramatic increase in retail
sales of milk and other dairy
products. We have shown that milk
can compete with other beverages
in the market place. While most of
the promotion has been generic in
nature, individual companies are
making large investments in brand
advertising. And the ice cream
industry has joined the milk
marketing boards with $6 million
of complimentary promotion of ice
(Turn to Page A 34)
A perpetual preservation deed restriction on the Kendig farm near Willow Street
guarantees that it will always remain in agriculture.
important to the land preservation
effort in the county.
“It is one of the most significant
in the deed restriction program,”
preserve board administrator Alan
Musselman said.
The Kendig farm is located off
Route 272, just south of Willow
Valley, a rapidly expanding
commercial complex. Last fall, a
new housing development, Man
chester Village, was started across
the road. The land is close to water
and sewer hookups; it is ripe for
development. “The development
pressure is very intense,”
Musselman stressed.
The land has a fair market value
of $557,600, while the ag use value
is substantially less at $334,600.
The difference between the values,
or the deed restriction value of the
farm, is $223,000 or $3,982 per acre.
Any way you look at it, the Ken
dig's gift was a generous one.
However, Musselman cautioned,
“This is not what can be expected
as a deed restriction value on other
farms.”
An average deed restriction
value of land in this area would be
$l,OOO an acre, Musselman said.
“The location and circumstances
of this property are unique,” he
continued, explaining why the
Kendig’s property was valued so
Farm Bureau President Dean Kleckner speaks at press
conference. Keith Eckel, President, PFA, (seated) also
participated.
much higher.
The Kendig farm preservation
deed restriction includes some
unique historic preservation
provisions which will protect the
two homes on the property. One is
the John Kendig Mansion, a If
room Victorian-style home built in
the late 1800’s. The large home
features 12-inch walls, original
Irish Dairy Cooperation
Withdraws Georgia Plans
WASHINGTON D.C. -
Masstock International withdrew
plans to build a 10,000 cow dairy in
Georgia in response to the Senate
Finance Bill. The recently adopted
tax legilation denied the cor
poration from using tax exempt
bonds to finance the construction.
Both, the entire Senate Finance
Bill and the House bill caused the
Irish corporation to reconsider
their building plans, Robert
Frederick of the National Grange
explained.
The House bill, sponsored by
fony Coelho, D-Calif., prohibits
milk to be sold as Class 1 or Class 2
if the dairy is foreign owned and
Fr nnr ._, $8.50 per Year/
marble fireplaces in almost every
room and original woodwork. Mrs.
Myers said her great grandfather
built the home for about $20,000
somewhere between 1874 and 1886.
The other, smaller home on the
property, dates back even further
to the period between 1711 and
1798, she said. The two-story log
(Turn to Page A 39)
financed by Industrial Develop
ment Bonds.
The Senate bill removed the tax
sheltering possibilities which
allowed Masstock to take ad
vantage of the system. This
legislation was intended to force
the international dairy corporation
to make it in the marketplac e like
any other farmer
Many agriculture groups were
highly critical ol this venture
-\mong them was the Grange "We
are pleased with our legislative
accomplishment which has
stopped Masstock International
from building in the US" said
Charles Wismer. Pennsylvania
State Grange Master