AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 10,1989 OPINION KEEP FARMLAND UNDER THE PLOW The Commonwealth court now has ruled that the Agricultural Land Condemnation Approval Board has the authority to make judgment on eminent domain proceedings that would swipe ag land out of an ag security area. Since this was the first test case of Act 43, the Farmland Preservation Act, the ruling was especially important. The court could have taken a broad view of the Northwestern Lehigh School District’s attempt to take 24 acres out of an ag security area to build a new school. If that had hap pened, the court’s view would have said that school boards are covered by Pennsylvania School Code and not by ALCAB. And the State’s Ag kind Preservation program would have been worthless. But as the ruling came down. ALCAB has been specifically given the right by the state legislature to limit the power of eme nent domain pursuant to the state’s policy of preserving ag sec urity areas. That’s good news for those who want to keep their farms in agriculture but had the fear that even if they put them in an ag security area, any local or state government body could have come along and condemned the land at will. Now, unless the State Supreme Court overturns the ruling, the precedent has been set to make the state’s farmland preservation policy effective. And it gives some hope to those who think that the powers of eminent domain are now often abused by local governing bodies for uses the law never intended. As for Raymond Snyder, who is 85-years old and his wife Elma Snyder, who is 90-years old, the potato rows remain 1,100 feet long instead of 200 feet long, and the state farmland preser vation act with provision for ag security areas remains a viable way to keep farmland under the plow instead of under development. Farm Calendar /^/ Saturday, June 10 Franklin County Dairy Princess pageant, Kauffman’s Com munity Center, Kauffman Sta tion, 7:00 p.m. Adams County Dairy Princess pageant, Biglerville High School, Biglerville, 7:30 p.m. Western Maryland 4-H/FFA • spring show, Hagerstown Speedway, Hagerstown. Monday, June 12 Eastern Junior Simmental Associ- ation meeting, Springfield, Ohio; runs through June 15, Dubois Gateway Fair, fairgrounds, l Dubois; runs through June 17'. Venango County Shec & Wool Growers Wool Pool, Carl Gacis by farm. Grove City, 8:00 a.m. to noon. Tuesday, June 13 Capital Regional Small Fruit Grouwers meeting, Fimk Brothers, Wasington Boro, 6:30 p.m. American Veal Association con vention, Sheraton-Lancaster Golf & Conference Center. Lancaster; runs through June 14. FFA Activities Week; runs through June 15. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A SMnmtn Entwprfe*. Robert G. Campbell __ Geneml Manager Everett R. Nawiwangbr * Managing Editor CwiilfM IMS W Lanuatr Para** . . . ~ ground, then the tank should be Wednesday, June 14 located at least 40 feet away from Wa ™' e iPw ty Woql p °°£ Frai * any building. Small amounts can Machek farm, east of Pleasant stored in approved safety Mount, 8:00 a.m. to noon. Be sure to d j so Cumberland Cooperative Wool is no of mix f Poo!, Cariisle fairgrounds. Car- Diesd fud and gasoline us( xr !• i P*™ l . . be kept away from flame or heat NauonalConventionof die Amen- Strictly enforce N 0 SMOK inG can Jersey Cattle Club. Stouffer rules Always rcfud outdoors (Tum to Pago A 26) where vapors cannot accumulate. |* FARM FORUM our readers write •Editor, As the American Veal Associa tion (A.V.A.) arrives in Lancaster, PA for its 1989 nadonal conven tion, the welfare of calves in “fan cy” veal operations is sure to be questioned, and with good reason. Not only does basic common sense tell up that veal calves would be healthier and happier without being pdnfined in veal crates, but sciepdfic research has substan tiated this claim. In U.S.D.A. funded research. Dr. Ted Friend and associates at Texas A & M University found that calves confined in stalls typi cal of today’s veal creates suffered a state of “chronic stress” while UNCLE" OTIS), KWET XXJ J EVER TAKEN 'A < MILK BATW Before ? 'Oaf. ' NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin 'Lancaster County Agriculture Agent To Keep Pesticide Records Today’s battle with insects, fungus, rodents and weeds requires the use of many different chemicals. It is important to keep an accurate record of any chemi cal used. This would include the date, name of material, application rate, field number and even the direction the wind is blowing. This might save a lot of trouble and loss of income in case there is some question. Many food items are being checked by Food and Drug rep resentatives for pesticide residues. It is possible to find residues even where the producer followed reg ulations and every recommended practice. Your records would be very important in these cases. In any event, always follow label instructions. To Handle Gasoline and Diesel Fuel With Respect We use a lot of gasoline and diesel fuels on our farms and when they are not handled properly, they can be a source of a serious fire. Gasoline should be stored in an underground tank. When it is necessary to store it above calves in more spacious hutches and yards did not Stress levels were measured physiologically through adrenal and hormonal testing. (This research is detailed in' the “Journal of Animal Sci- ence”’Vo. 60, No. 5.1985.) When hutch calves were switched with stall calves, there was a reversal in adrenal function, supporting the contention that housing' directly influenced stress levels. Dr. Friend’s research also con cluded thdt close confinement adversely effected overall produc tivity and that calves confined in crates required five times as much medication as calves kept in open (Turn to Pago A 27) WELL, I'VE NEVER SOAKED DOWN MV oars ides wm MILK BEFORE... **" ’■’WT If you spill some fuel, wipe it up before starting an engine. Storing any fuels in glass jugs or bottles is inviting trouble. It is also dangerous to use them to start burning trash, leaves, barbecue pits or stoves. Gasoline should not be used as a cleaning or degreas ing .agent During this busy sea son, take time to be safe. To Encourage Water Consumption hi the managing of any type of livestock or poultry it is very important to obtain maximum water consumption. Some animals such as a heavy producing milk cow will drink 30 gallons of water per day. All animals should have a free access to water at all times. In the summer the water should be as cool as possible, and in the winter warmed water will increase con sumption. Open troughs might be covered unless the water is flow ing through them. One way to encourage good water intake is to provide access to loose salt and minerals. These items will not only help water con sumption but will balance the ration and help promote more complete digestibility. During warm, humid weather, we humans drink more liquids. Livestock and y i Hr l AVVKEfU E W Al EHOT.t WHEN GOD SAYS “SHOUT!” June 11,1989 Background Scripture: Devotional Reading: Is this any way to capture a city? “You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days...and on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times...as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat” (Joshua 6:3-5)! I know of no reference to any one having ever tried this tactic either before or after Joshua. On the surface, we can see that it might well be “great theatre,” but lousy military science. IT WON’T WORK The writer doesn’t give us any indication of how the people of Israel reacted. Surely there must have been some in their midst who said, “This is a crazy idea; it won’t work! ’ That is what I would say if I woe in a comparable situation today. Wouldn’t you? Obviously, however, there are times when God calls us to follow paths that are totally different from the paths upon which human reason would direct us. There are times when we must remember that “...as the heavens are higher *S2!B!L3 Sfl/ Joshua 6 Isaiah 2:1-11 BUT OVER THE YEARS. I'VE SURE ) SOAKED DOWN MV IN SIDES... \ poultry will do the same when given the chance. This is good management and will increase efficiency in production. To Care For Your Lawn Nearly everyone likes to have a good, attractive green la wit around their home. Also, a nice lawn feels good underfoot, and makes your home cooler during the summer. Many homeowners could have a better lawn if they did not mow so closely. Cutting too short weakens the grass, gives it a poor color, and allows weeds, especial ly crabgrass to take over. Since most homeowners can’t get around to mowing more than once a week, they should mow higher than most people presently do. A good height for Kentucky Bluegrass and fine leaf fescue is VA to 2 inches. Bunch-type gras ses, such as tall fescue, should be cut 2 to 3 inches in height To learn how high your mower is set place the mown on the driveway or bam floor and measure the dis tance from the cutting edge to the pavement or floor. The/Cooperative Extension is an affirmative action, equal op portunity educational institution. than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8). GOD’S HIGHER THOUGHTS As Christians, we value very highly the power of reason which we regard as God’s gift to us. When Jesus says, “Love one another as I have loved you,” I not only receive that teaching on the strength of his authority, but also my powers of reason tell me it is true. At the same time, however, not everything either in life in general or in particular can be com prehended with the powers of rea son. There are times when life takes us beyond the limits of rea son into a region where only faith can guide us. There are times when I simply cannot understand how God’s way can possibly work, but I must strive to follow it anyway. So it was with the people of Israel under Joshua before the city of Jericho. His instructions seemed totally useless, but the time had come for the people of Israel to trust'God and follow him in faith. Sometimes, when reason tells us that nothing will make the walls come tumbling down, God commands us to “Shoutl” or something else that seems equally inappropriate—and that is exactly what we need to do. (NOTE: Mr. Althouse's new book, What You Need Is What You're Got — Finding, Developing and Using Your Inner Resources, has just been published by Samuel Weiser, Inc. If not available locally, you can order it autographed for SIOSS from New Dimensions Center, First United Methodist Church, Ross <£ Harwood Streets, Dallas, TX 75201.) (Based on copyrighted Outlines produced by the Committee on the Uniform Series and used by permission. Released by Community A Sub urban Press.)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers