BY MARGIE FUSCO
Cambria County Correspondent
LATROBE - The land has been
good to the Kemerer family. And
the Kemerers are trying to be good
to their land. Roy and Thelma
Kemerer raised six children on the
110-acre farm they bought in 1949
in R.D. 3 Latrobe, and they’re
proud of the results. That’s why
they were chosen to host the
Pennsylvania Ayrshire Field Day,
held on July 19.
Slightly more than a year ago,
Roy and his son and partner Rick
knew they needed a better way to
handle manure for their mixed
Holstein and Ayrshire herd. They
began studying systems and
talking to professionals who could
advise them on their options.
The Kemerers went with a
bottom-fed manure pit, served by a
Butter ram pump that Rick likes to
call “the sausage stuffer.” As
visitors viewed the system, the
Kemerers explained the details.
Noting that the pump is as im-
Farm Pollution:
BY MARGIE FUSCO
Cambria County Correspondent
LATROBE - Farm pollution
must be handled with common
sense, according to Royal Knep
per, Southwest regional sales
director for the Pennsylvania
Farmers Association. Knepper
was the featured speaker at the
Pennsylvania Ayrshire Field Day,
held July 19 in Westmoreland
Wes Gordon, Westmoreland County Soil Conservation representative (left), with Roy
and Rick Kemerer, explained Kemerer's new manure system to the crowd at the recent
Ayrshire Field Day. The pit for this system is in the background.
Westmoreland Farmers
BY MARGIE FUSCO on kswdisc video presentation
Cambria Co. Correspondent «“t accompanies the computer
PLEASANT UNITY “I’m a P™^ 3 " l Fr y« bjmK The ts*
farmer, not a bookkeeper,” Frank Program. f rea f ted the U.S
—tj— B down from “■ acrs itfsfsJS
Ralph Frye has to laugh. It’s not tried «» Ertensten Ser
that Frye, a Westmoreland County vice in Westmoreland County,
farmer from Pleasant Unity, “M thc program catches on, I
doesn’t like Frank. It’s just that understand there will be a library
he’s already heard the same story ° f ««“ to count y
four times this morning. a^ nt She P pard -, P ™ grams
“Frank” is an actor appearing hel P farmers select cr °P s «
cash flow plan prior to entering this data into the computer.
New Manure System Fits Kemerer’s Needs
portant as the choice of system,
Roy told the crowd, “The pump
can cost more than the pit.” In
Roy’s case, the pump cost slightly
more than $6,000.
Rick admitted that the
Kemerers had some unexpected
prompting to make their decision.
Not only were they concerned
about the environment; they were
also tired of the wear and tear on
their equipment from hauling
manure. Rick said before in
stalling the new system he had to
i haul to a field about a half-mile
away in a wet culvert. This past
spring he got a tractor caught in
the mud there and tore out the
transmission. He admitted, “The
cost of fixing the tractor was the
same as the cost of the pit.”
The new system, operational
since April, can clean the barn in
16 minutes and is capable of
handling up to 60 tons of manure
per acre, more than twice what the
current herd produces.
Wes Gordon, Westmoreland
County.
Knepper pointed to an ap
proaching crisis in the insurance
industry over pollution liability
settlements. “PFA offers liability
insurance coverage for pollution,”
he explained, but added that one of
the organization’s four insurance
carriers recently dropped its
program and the other firms may
follow suit. If so, farmers will be
County Soil Conservation Service
representative who worked with
Rick and Roy on their system, told
the audience that the Kemerers
made some key decisions before
purchasing their system. He
suggested that farmers facing the
same change should consider: the
type of bedding currently in use
and whether you want to change if
necessary; any future plans for
herd expansion, which should be
planned into the new system now;
what you like or dislike about your
current system; and when you
prefer to do your manure
spreading.
Gordon added that a system is
only as good as its maintenance
and that systems such as the
Kemerer’s must be emptied. He
suggested that the audience return
to the farm in a year and see the
system again to properly evaluate
it.
The Kemerers agreed, and noted
that they could have installed a
gravity flow system but would
Handle With
facing a buy-back situation that
will incur much higher premiums.
Although PFA is pursuing the
need for lawmakers to set liability
settlement limits, the organization
according to Knepper is equally
concerned with educating farmers
to handle their pollutants more
appropriately. Knepper reminded
the audience that the Resource
Conservation Recovery Act
Compute With New VSDA Program
work out their taxes, compile
business paperwork, and even
identify troublesome weeds.
The cash flow planning program,
tested in Westmoreland County,
was presented to a dozen farmers,
three lenders, and the county
extension agents for use and
evaluation over a one-month
period.
Frye found the program helpful.
“I never ran a cash flow before,
but I can see from this that I should
run one,” he admits. With a
medium-sized dairy operation,
Frye found a lot of similarities
between his and “Frank’s”
problems. Frye notes that the
video accompaniment to the
program made it much more in
teresting. “If someone just tells
you, ‘You should do a cash flow,’
you probably won’t. This program
gives me more of a feeling for it,
makes it less scary. It doesn’t
seem as difficult now.”
Sheppard agrees. “I’ve had
people with no computer ex
perience at all use this program
easily. It teaches you a boring
subject in an interesting way.”
The program is divided into two
parts. During the first session, the
participant learns about cash flow
planning from the computer, the
was installed with his new manure system.
have had to eliminate their bed- that the pump can handle manure
ding, a choice they refused. Under from the heifer bam. He points out
the current system, Rick says, thait there is no buildup problem if
their use of straw bedding has been they alternate manure from the
cut in half, from six or more bales feed trough area with manure
a day to three. He is also pleased from the rest of the bam.
‘Common Sense 9
(RCRA) makes it illegal to dump
waste including farm chemicals
and fuels, and the Comprehensive
Environmental Response Con
servation Liability Act (CERCLA)
provides not only a superfund for
rapid cleanup of pollution
problems but also a stepped-up
process for taking action against
polluters.
“That means a farmer who’s
driving home with a year’s supply
of chemicals and wrecks his truck
is liable for legal action if the
chemicals spill,” Knepper said. He
explained that PFA’s insurance
coverage extends to “sudden and
accidental” pollution but does not
cover long-term pollution such as
manure seepage. He added that
even though insurances do not
consider seepage as “sudden,” the
court system does, and a farmer
with manure seepage problems
can be prosecuted under the law.
One insurer, in dropping its
pollution liability coverage, wrote
that “every farmer and rancher is
a potential polluter” and that it
was abandoning its coverage
because cleanup and settlement
costs “have grown to beyond
comprehension.”
Knepper urged his audience to
take measures on their own farms
and within groups to eliminate
pollution problems. Among his
suggestions:
) V
Gary Sheppard (left), Westmoreland County Extension
Agent, instructs Ralph Frye, dairy farmer from Pleasant
Unity, in using the computer.
video, and a workbook. During the their two-year-old dairy operation
second session, the participant is more profitable. “We’ve done a lot
supposed to run his or her actual almost by accident,” Jane says,
cash flow plan, using the program, noting that Jerry’s hobby of
Jerry and Jane Schimpf of R.D. raising turkeys has turned into a
4, Somerset were particularly profitable sales venture,
interested in the second half of the “It’s been too hard to plan
program. Already familiar with between the shots in the arm we
computers, they came looking for get with turkey and hog sales,”
some specific answers for making (Turn t# Paf#
Inspect your manure facilities
regularly. Keep them well
maintained, fenced and posted
with signs at manure pits and
lagoons, and padlocked at manure
tanks.
Apply chemicals only as
directed on the packaging. Then
dispose of the remaining
chemicals and the packaging
properly.
Consider weather and wind
conditions before spreading
manure, burning brush, or ap
plying chemicals.
Protect streams from ex
cessive cattle use by controlling
usage and by maintaining your
stream fencing.
Dispose of oil and farm fuels
properly. Do not dump them on
your property, even in small
amounts.
Have your soil tested *o be
sure you use only the chemicals
you need.
Consult your Soil Con
' servation Service representative
and other knowledgable
professionals. Then follow their
advice.
Support policies that will help
define and limit insurance claim
settlements.
Discuss pollution safety
precautions in groups.
Use common sense, always.