AlO-Lancaster FanrtngjSaturday; November Ivlfgr *
OPINION
Your Right To Farm
You may not know it, but you have the right to farm in Pen
nsylvania. According to Act 133, better known as the “Right To
Farm” law, the Commonwealth declares support of agriculture
and limits the circumstances under which your farming operation
may be subject to nuisance suits and ordinances.
To accomplish this purpose, the law says every municipality is
to encourage the continuity, development and viability of agri
cultural operations within its jurisdiction. In addition, every mun
icipality that defines or prohibits a public nuisance shall exclude
from the definition of such nuisance any normal agricultural
activities.
Another section of the bill says that if you are lawfully con
ducting your operation according to normal practices for good
farming for more than one year, no one can move into your area
and bring nuisance action against your operation as long as what
your doing i» what you have always done in the past. A new or
expanded operation has the same nuisance action protection as
older operations. After one year of operation the new or expanded
operation also has Act 133 protection.
Fred Wertz in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
legal division says the law is a “self-implementing law.” This
means that if it applies to your situation, you can use it to protect
your operation without further action by the legislature or the
courts.
Of course, you can’t break any other laws,--for example pol
lute streams or cause a public health hazard. But if one of your'
urban neighbors doesn’t like the smell of your animals, check Act
133 before responding to a nuisance complaint. While common
sense dictcates that you be as accommodating as possible to your
urban neighbors, you really do have the right to farm in
Pennsylvania.
Fann Calendar /^/
Saturday, November 11
Cumberland County Society of
Farm Women 50th annual con
vention, Mariposa Ballroom,
Best Western Inn, Carlisle,
10:00 a.m.
Chester County Farm-City tour,
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; for bro-
chure. call 215/696-3500.
Sire Power annual meeting, Tioga
County fairgrounds, Whitney
ville, 7:30 p.m.
Monday, November 13
Lebanon County farm-city week;
runs through November 16, call
Jodi Loose at 7 for
information.
Pennsylvania Farmers Association
annual meeting, Hershey
Lodge & Convention Center,
Hershey; runs through Novem
ber 15.
Tuesday, November 14
Lancaster County Holstein Club
banquet. Country Table
Restaurant, Ml Joy, 6:45 p.m.
Franklin County Horticulture
Association executive board
meeting, Franklin County
Extension office, 7:00 p.m.
Forage alternatives for surviving
winter of 1990 meeting. Family
Heritage Restaurant, Franconi
a, 7:30 p.m.
Lancaster Farming
EttatoKthtd 10SS
PubSahsd Evary Saturday
Ephrata Raviaw BuHding
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
pr
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
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Rotart G. CampMl Ganaral Mmgar
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Westmoreland County bain meet
ing. Hotter Dairy, Kecksburg.
8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 15
Fish Farming Conference, Berks
County Ag Center, Leesport,
9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; make
reservations by November 6 at
717/334-6271.
Thursday, November 16
Berks County 4-H recognition
night, Berks County 4-H Com
munity Center, Leesport, 6:30
p.m.
Lebanon County annual farm-city
banquet, Kenbroojc Bible
Camp, between Lebanon and
1 Fredericksburg, 7:00 p.m.
ADADC District 3 meeting, Cnad
lelight, Ellcnsburg, N.Y., 7:30
p.m.
Environmental Challenges in the
’9os seminar, Adams Mark
Hotel. Philadelphia: runs
through November 17. Call
Richard Kampf at
215/597-9072 for information.
Friday, November 17
Bucks County- DHIA/Holstein
Club banquet, St Matthews
Lutheran Church, Kellers
Church, 7:00 p.m.
Berks County' DHIA/Holstein
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NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Control Winter
Alfalfa Weeds
Winter weeds in our alfalfa
fields are every bit as predictable
as summer weeds are in com and
soybeans.
Colder weather is here and hay
fields are dormant We now have a
choice to use different herbicides,
dependmg hugely on the kinds of
weeds present that need to be
knocked out The most commonly
found winter annuals at this time
include duckweed and the four
mustard weeds - shepherds purse,
pepperweed, pennycress and yel
low rocket Also, expect to see
seedlings of other weeds plus
some old tough perennials, too. It
pays to know your weeds present
before selecting the herbicide.
Check the “Agronomy Guide”
and READ THE LABEL on the
container or package. There are
directions and limitations to get
the job done right...in the next six
weeks.
T« Repair Machinery
Daring The Winter
Meat of die outside field work
is finished for this year. I also
Readers Write
To The Editor:
The Downstatc Milk Producers
Co-op from Orange County, N.
Y„ in the Lower Hudson Valley,
has gone on record as opposing
the use of BST.
In a September 21, 1989 meet
ing Downstates’ 18 producers
(who sell 30 million pounds oi
milk annually) voted unanimously
to stand against the use of BST
and to publicly state our position.
Here in the Hudson Valley we
arc keenly aware of the economic
devastation brought to the apple
growers and processors of the reg
ion by the “Alar scare.” Almost a
year later they are still experienc
ing a market that has yet to recov
er, leaving a number of businesses
near bankruptcy. Those who argue
in favor of BST say that as a natur
al hormone it would not hurt con
sumer confidence in our milk pro
ducts. We feel that using BST will
be viewed as tampering with a
product we promote as “pure and
wholesome.” Therefore, we con
clude that a “consumer backlash”
is not only possible but likely.
We. die dairy farmers of this
(Turn to Pago AM)
td either see
AN OPTOMETRIST
ABOCJT SOME
READING GLASSES..
know tliat every farm has machin
ery that needs repair and service.
If you are planning to have this
done at your machinery dealer, it
would be wise to contact him in
the near future so it’s on his work
schedule. I’m aware of the spring
rush next March and April; and I
know your local serviceman will
appreciate the work during the fall
and into the long winter days. It
can also save time in case parts
need to be ordered to complete the
job. The objective is to be plan
ning for this repair work now.
Have it done so your machinery is
ready to go early next spring.
To Be Aware Of
Anti-Freeze Poisoning
In Dogs
An increasing number of people
are doing their own truck, car and
tractor maintenance. This may
include draining and changing the
anti-freczc. If you are among this
group of home mechanics, a word
of warning is advised.
Dogs find the sweet flavor of
anti-freczc solutions very tasty. So
beware! Ethylene glycol, a chief
ingredient in anti-freeze, is
extremely toxic to dogs, causing
severe kidney damage. Never
leave open containers of automo-
Hi Av*mN i /. A I TMO I ’ '■ f
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sn
WHAT’S THE USE?
Naveaahar 12,1M9
Background Scriptnrc:
Revelation 7.
Devotional Reading:
Zechariah 6:1-8.,
Back into the 1960’* and on
into the ’7os, one of the popular
admonitions was “Keep die faith,
baby!” I hadn’t head those words
for quite a few years until a few
days ago when I heard someone
shout it to a friend as a passing
greeting. Almost immediately
someone behind me muttered,
“Oh yeah, what’s the point?”
When I looked around to see who
it was, I saw a scowling man who,
although we didn’t know each
other, apparendy felt obligated to
explain his outburst: “With every
thing going to hell in a hand
basket, what are we supposed to
have faith in?” It was a statement
rather than a question and, before I
had a chance to respond, he turned
and walked away.
GREAT TRIBULATION
Actually, I pretty well knew
what he mqant, I can understand
why people today become disillu
sioned and despondent Why more
people don’t commit suicide after
reading the morning newspaper or
watching the evening news, I
don’t know! No matter how good
you may feel upon waking on any
given morning, there is always
sufficient bad news to ruin any
one’s day!
mpg
live coolant lying where a dog
might find and drink from them. If
your car, truck or tractor leaks
coolant or the radiator Overflows
onto the driveway, clean the spill
and dispose of die soaked towels
properly, so your own or your
neighbor’s dog cannot inadver
tendy harm itself.
To Order Small
Fruit Plants Early
This may strike you as prema
ture, but this is a good time to
order small fruit plants for next
spring. Although you won’t put
them in the ground until April,
you should be flipping through
catalogs now. Ordering early
assures you of a wide selection of
the best varieties. Companies
begin filling orders with their best
stock...if you delay you could be
stuck with what’s left over. Order
ing early also means you’ll get
your strawberries or raspberries or
whatever at the best time to plant.
So, dig out those catalogs
now...get your order in...and be
prepared for delicious fruit from
your plan tings.
The Cooperative Extension
Service is an affirmative action,
equal opportunity educational
institution.
Of course, we need to be
reminded that our newspapers tell
us only part of the story: they are
focused on the “bad news” about
life, because that’s what sells
newspapers and keeps people
watching television. But there is
also some “good news” that can
put the “bad news” in proper per
spective. And tins is why we need
to “keep iie fiaidi,” for that faith Is
founded on ike “good news” df
God in Jesus Christ.
What’s ftp uscjn toefrkig Hie
faith? The nMur of Reveiaban
giyps m law very good a—in.
For one fling, he lets u 4 that in his
ecstatic vision he was assured that
God has a plan and puipose for
both the universe and human
kind. That is particularly “good
news” for us when it seems that
the world and all of us in it are out
of control like a driverless car
careening down a steep hill. In his
vision, the destructive forces were
prohibited from destroying the
world until God’s people had been
“sealed” for salvation. Our earth,
even our solar system, will some
day come to an end. but the faith
we “keep” assures us that God’s
plan for our salvation takes prece
dence over that destruction.
OUT OF TRIBULATION
Secondly, the writer of Revela
tion gives us the “good news” that
our own tribulation is not the last
word. In his vision, he is assured,
“These are they who have come
out of great tribulation... They
shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more...and God will
wipe away every tear from their
eyes” (7:14-17).
So, because we keep the “good
news” and “bad news” in perspec
tive, we know what’s the use in
keeping the faith.
(Band on copyrighted Outline* produced by
■be Committee on the Unifonn Serin end need
by permiarion. Releieed by Community * Sob
uiben hue)
op SEE A DOCTOR
ABOUT HAVING VOUR
ARMS EXTENDED/