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Vol. 38 No. 26
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BIRD-IN-HAND (Lancaster
Co.)—Above, Gene Bare, left,
and Bob Musser fill the fertiliz
er boxes on the corn planter
Tuesday before rain In the
middle of the week interrupted
field work again. The corn
planting operation on Bare’s
farm north of Bird-in-Hand was
a no-till operation on soybean
stubble. Bare said the savings
of time and fuel from not plow
ing and cultivating the land was
tremendous, and the yields In
no-tlll planted fields In past
years have been good.
Musser, who runs the cus
tom planter with Merle Groff,
said planting started late last
week, but many fields still had
wet spots from the spring
rains. Many lime trucks and
manure spreaders got stuck in
Four Sections
the mud this spring and far
mers complain about being
three weeks behind on their
work schedule. But for Bare,
corn planting this year was
within a day of the starting date
last year.
At right, John Groff makes
an early cutting of rye for the
silos on his family farm south
of Salunga. The wet weather
makes the grass grow but
keeps many planting opera
tions at bay.
Below, Myron Rohrer, Land-
Isville Road, Manheim, works
the ground as field work began
in earnest early this week. After
the mid-week rains, the weath
er person now promises dry,
sunny days into next week.
The Pennsylvania Crop
(Turn to Page A 26)
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 8, 1993
Legislature Approves
Nutrient Management,
Governor Will Sign
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Nutrient management is here.
On Wednesday morning, the state Senate approved House Bill
100, a proposal for nutrient management, ending the years-old
struggle in the state Legislature and among special interest groups to
create a program to ensure that those who apply nutrients to the earth
are doing so in a responsible and non-polluting manner.
The 25-page law (reprinted with this article) outlines a program
whereby high-density livestock producers must create and imple
ment a plan for managing the manure produced by their operation.
The number of operations to be affected is estimated to be small,
relative to the number of farms in the state.
The law was requested by those seeking to fulfill a promise made
by Gov. Robert Casey that Pennsylvania would reduce its nutrient
load into the Chesapeake Bay by 40 percent, by 2000.
Agriculture had been selected as a first target for seeking tighter
controls because it is included among that class of suspected applica
tors of excessive nitrogen and other nutrients, and because it is an
obvious applicator of nutrients.
However, human manure, is also highly suspect as a non-point
source of excessive nutrients, because of the number of on-lot septic
systems and drainage fields, and the number of people as compared
to livestock. The proposed law directs that all nutrient sources be
researched and solutions found.
Also,j the law effectively preempts local nutrient management
ordinances, which were beginning to be passed in different sub
county municipalities and which threatened to create a statewide
hodgepodge of rules, depending on political boundaries and bent.
New 4-H Center Will Link
All County Roundups,
Other Activities
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
GUTHRIESVILLE (Chester
Co.) An attempt to bring
together all the various Chester
County 4-H shows and attract the
attention of those wanting to learn
more about 4-H is beginning to
crystalize.
That crystallization is taking
place with plans to construct a new
center, called the Romano 4-H
608 Per Copy
(Turn to Page A2B)
Center of Chester County, along
Rt. 322 north of Guthricsville and
just south of Honey Brook.
The estate and heirs of Fiorre A.
Romano of West Brandywine
Township have recently donated
15 acres of land and have allowed
the Chester County 4-H Center an
option to purchase an additional
five acres to ’create a 20-acre site
for activities.
$19.75 Per Year
(Turn to Pag* At 9)