it ing, incasi OPINION Shall The Tax Laws Be Changed? The tax reform referendum that comes up for a vote in the Pennsylvania primary next Tuesday has generated heated dis cussion. Sometimes more heat than light has been generated. And while most of the farm organizations have officially sup ported the reform, the discussions still leave questions in the minds of voters. This is partly true because proponents of both sides of the issue quote possible figures of how much more or less a family in a sample situation will pay. One side says a fami ly in Lehigh County that makes $30,000 annually would pay about 12 percent less in local taxes under the reforms. And the other side says that same family would pay 17 percent more. The Gov. Robert P. Casey administration, who developed the reforms and pushed them through the legislative process, says a positive response will shift the burden of taxes away from the property owner to a more equitable taxation on income of those able to pay. Opponents say the proposed changes in tax structure simply opens die way for local governments to increase taxes later. But both sides seem to agree that no one can really know what will happen. There arc just too many local variables. Certainly, it would seem that a farm owner who is “rich in land” but “poor in cash” would benefit. We have said for a long time that fanners pay more than their share of taxes for local services more needed by town people. But along with the local income tax, the reform also provides for a local sales tax. So, does this mean the fanner who rents or share crops his farai will pay more taxes than he did before? That will be in the hands of the local government. But first, the voters will have their say. The question on the ballot will be as follows: “Shall Article VII, Sec. 28, of the Pen nsylvania Constitution be amended to allow for legislation which would require or permit local government units to reduce residential real estate tax rates to the extent of additional revenues obtained from personal income taxes, while keeping all other changes in real estate tax rates uniform.” Confused or not, the vote is in your hands. Farm Calendar Saturday, May 13 Beekeeping Short Course. Town send Hall, University of Dela ware, Newark, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Western Pennsylvania Sheep & Lamb Club Sale, Mercer Coun ty 4-H Park, Mercer. 6:00 p.m. New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival, Hillsborough County 4-H Youth Center, New Bos ton, N.H.; runs through May 14. Christmas Tree Growers Short Course, Cook College, New Brunswick, N.J.; for more information, call 201/932-9271 or 201/932-8993. Monday, May 15 Pennsylvania Dairy Sanitarians & Lab Analysis Conference, Penn State, University Park; runs through May 17. Tuesday, May 16 Fayette County 4-H dairy goat meeting, Fayette County fair grounds, Uniontown, 7:30 p.m. Virginia Poultry Festival, Rock ingham County Fairgrounds, Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A SMnmtn Entofprkt Robert G. Campbell General Manager Everett R. Newtwanger Managing Editor c«n*i|M iaa Lawa Faminf Harrisonburg; runs through May 20. Wednesday, May 17 Food for profit seminar, Penn State Great Valley Graduate Center, Malvern, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; call Margaret Malehom at 717/249-7220 for information. RCMA informational meeting, Wayne County Extension meeting room, Honesdale, 8:00 pan. Thursday, May 18 Food for profit seminar, Lancaster Farm & Home Center, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; call Margaret Malehom at 717/249-7220 for information. Nockamixon Watershed water quality workshop. Regional Park Office IV, Nockamixon State Park, 3 Mile Run Rd., 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; for more i n f o r m'a t i o n, call 215/345-7577. RCMA informational meeting, Schuylkill County Extension (Turn to Pago A 43) r l*z+l3>=2 e t r x VJT + 3 A * \3'/<fK 3* ■t* 3 (,373 * VT23 * 'S7+ V/*’ x = 2.7^3^S X 127.13 = Rt- B x +IW * X fl23= + [ M irzi -17 V +■ H3£. Z3<? A f /2/3.7V-*lf V/ r 7y% * 7* + axo-C l -i;i«tVxl3-BgE f G9otCaPP& * JBH mm NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin •Lancaster County Agriculture Agent To Be Aware Of Corn Insects With the increased trend toward no-till com planting or minimum tillage, we can expect more prob lems with com insects. Past exper ience shows this. We urge com growers to inspect their field fre quently to observe any feeding on small plants. You can have cut worms, stalk borers and army worms at any time feeding on the com plant. The Agronomy Guide lists several materials for the con trol of cutworms and armyworms, including Sevin, Furadan, Lors ban. Pounce or Dylox. The stalk borer is very difficult to control because they work inside the com FARM FORUM OUR READERS WRITE Editor; While I endorse staff writer Pat Purcell’s call for farmers to “get all the facts” in her May 6 article “Tax Reform Referendum—Get All the Facts,” several misleading statements and omissions in her article seem to defeat her intended objectives. In order for farmers to truly get all of the facts about the tax reform proposal. Act 145, a number of corrections and clarifi cations to her article are necessary. First, it must be pointed out that the entire portion of a farm used by the owner-farmer or a family member as a primary residence should be entitled to the 25% resi dential real property tax reduction, -not just the farm house and the land. Act 145 would define a “farm residence” eligible for resi dential realty tax treatment as the real property. i.e land and build ings, of a farm used for residential purposes and includes land used in the commercial production of crops, livestock and livestock pro ducts. Only that portion of the farm that is utilized for processing or retail merchandising of pro ducts produced on the farm, a pro cessing plant or a retail farm market, is not subject to residen tial realty tax treatment All crop land on the farm will receive the tax break, regardless of whether the crops are marketed through a retail farm market. Secondly, while any statute passed by the General Assembly can be subject to state constitu tional challenge, the real focus should be the likelihood of such challenge’s success. You must understand that our courts impose (Turn to Pago A 42) m stalk. Flea beetles are another insect that may feed on small com leaves; they create small holes in the leaves but seldom do extensive damage. Sevin can be used to eli minate these small insects, if it is serious enough. Keep an eye on the com field for the first several weeks and avoid serious insect injury. Always follow label direc tions when using any pesticide. To Continue Forage Feeding Dairymen and beef cattle pro ducers should continue to feed some dry matter while the animals are on pasture. The feeding of hay or silage, when the cattle are turned out to pasture will result in more uniform production. Also, keeping some dry matter in the ration will help prevent serious scouring and bloating. Some producers provide this forage by way of a portable hay bunk in die pasture area. The ani mals should consume some of the dry forage along with lush spring pasture. The hay should be fed early in the day, before the herd goes to the new pasture. Later in the season the stored hay or silage will continue to be useful when growth slows down due to dry weather and high temperatures. To Read The Label I am sure you have heard this WHEN YOU GET WHERE YOU’RE GOING May 14,1989 Background Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16. Devotional Reading: John 17:20-26. In workshops, seminars, clas ses, sermons, and counseling ses sions, my wife, Valere, and I over the years have never'tired of ask ing; “When you get where you’re going, where will you be?” It is a leading question that often is very provocative for people willing to do a little soul-searching. Some people'answer “I’m not going anywhere any more." They assume they arc going nowhere in life, that they’re standing still. But the fact is, we’re always moving in some direction. From the moment of conception we are moving on a course that carries us through life to death.and we trust, to something beyond. There may be times when we might want to stop the world and get off, but life moves on, even when we think we are standing still. NO LONGER CHILDREN So, the question is not are we going somewhere, but rather: when you get where you’re going, where will you be? You are going somewhere in life, to be sure, but is it where you intend to go? Is the direction in which you arc moving suggestion before, however, it is still very important to all farmers and gardeners. Every pesticide carries a label with directions; this should be read and followed during the application of the material. Don’t make the mistake of applying the material in error. The labels are required by law and should be respected by the user. Serious losses may occur if the directions are not followed. Materials should always be kept in their original container and stored in a separate place under padlock. To Do Spring Pruning Many plants and Wshes require some corrective pruning to improve their appearance, to hold them to desirable size, and to remove damaged and weakened sections. There is a time to prune and a time not to prune, and this varies from plant to plant A good time for pruning spring flowering plants is after they’ve bloomed and before they start forming next year’s flowering buds. Pruning soon after flowering also gives more time for new growth to cover up that newly-pruned look. The Penn State Cooperative Extension is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educational institution. the direction that will take you where you want to go? Actually, none of us are created to stand still in life. We are created to grow and develop, not just in the beginning of life, but through to the very end. Paul says, “we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (4:15). Too many Christian adults assume that they’ve done all the growing that’s expected of them. “How much more growing am I supposed to do?” some of them have questioned me. I can’t improve upon Paul’s answer to the church at Ephesus: “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of die full ness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children...” (4:13,14). MANY GIFTS, ONE SOURCE What is true of us as individual Christians is also true of us as con gregations: we are not finished , learning and growing until we are fulfilling his plan and purpose as a church: “to equip the saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity oLthc faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (4:12.13). I’ve pastorcd a number of fine congregations, but I’ve never found a church that no longer needed to grow and deve lop in the Lord, that discovered and used all of its God-given spir itual gifts or that had learned to ' manifest at all times the ideal of “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all” (4:5). Until we reach that destina tion, we need to make sure we know where we’re going. (Bued on copyrighted Outlines produced by the Committee on the Uniform Series and used by permission. Released by Community ft Sub* urban Press,)
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