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Vol. 38 No. 29
Heldel Hollow Farm near GemianavHle, in the roll
ing hills of northwestern Lehigh County. The farm took its name from Heidelberg
Township and the natural hollow In the hills where the farmstead sits. From left, Sonia
and David Fink, son Michael, and David’s father, Orrin. Photo by Andy Andnwo.
Proposed Seasonal
Farm Labor Regulations
Threaten Family Farms
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Pennsylvania fanners
could face more difficulties hiring
help if proposed laws and regula
tions for farm labor and seasonal
farm labor ate approved, accord*
ing to a lobbyist for the Pennsylva
nia Farmers Association.
Karl Brown is PFA director of
agricultural employers programs,
and, in addition to helping mem
bers understand labor laws, he
works in Harrisburg to lobby for
Qjglo Cloud Momdmy
Dairy Issue
Next Week
Lancaster Farming's annual
dairy issue will be in your bunds
next week. Again, we have special
stories and also messages from our
advertisers. Farm interviews come
from all across the area, and exper
ts write about forage and dairy
herd management
As usual, the first of our dairy
contest recipes will be published,
and our livestock, grain, and auc
tion reports and regular columns
will be in place.
Watch for next week’s special
tribute to the dairy, farmers and
agri-businesses which help pro
vide the consumer with all those
good dairy products.
. Special Note: Our office will be
Rlosed Monday, May 31, to
pbserve Memorial Day. But our
ptice will reopen for business at 8
Km. Tuesday morning.
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Four Sections
PFA’s position on labor issues.
On Thursday, Brown said that
PFA members need to be aware of
two efforts now at the state level
which would change farm labor
laws and regulations. He said the
effect would potentially drive
many typical farm family opera
tions out of business or make it
prohibitively expensive to hire
anyone to help run the farm.
The most pending problem
comes fro|p the state Department
of Environmental Resources
(DER), which has responsibility
* for ensuring certain standards for
the physical conditions of seasonal
farm labor camps.
Brown said that, because of a
1988 Man settlement stipulation
that DER signed, new regulations
now proposed by DER would open
up the legal definition of a seasonal
farm labor camp to include many
family farms where housing is
included as pan of the compensa
tion or housing is provided.
Brown said the proposed regula
tions, which were recently
approved by the Environmental
Quality Board, are mandated
through a court agreement
In 1984, on behalf of mushroom
workers, a group sued DER claim
ing that it wasn’t correctly imple
menting the provisions of the Sea
sonal Farm Labor Act DER has
had this responsibility since the
1978, When the act was passed.
In 1988, to settle the matter,
DER agreed in court documents to
create stricter regulations to ensure
proper facilities for seasonal farm
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 29,1993
Tobacco Planting Off To Slow Start
Lin other crop* this year, tobacco planting in Lancaster County is off to a slow
start. A law farmers in the Ephrata area had plants under glass, and small patches
ware planted as early as two weeks ago. Farmers who depend on plants shipped from
the South ware reported still wailing late this weak.
Several farmers started to plant from locally grown outdoor beds. In the photo, from
left, Robert, Gary, and Richard Neff ware pulling tobacco plants on one of their farms
along Sheep Lane southwest of Miilersville Thursday morning. The Neffs began to
plant on Monday, and the plante were growing fast enough to keep the planter going.
High winds Thursday drisd the fields and was hard on the newly planted tobacco.
Many farmers say they wiH reduce acres planted because of the vnprafitability of
last year's prices. The Neffs usually plant 22 to 25 acres. This year they will plant 20
acres that include three or fouraersa of Maryland type. They don't understand a mark
et that saw a range of $.50 to $1.20 last year, but two years ago they received a good
price. So they keep planting each year and take the bed years with the good years.
Photo by Evontt Nawaamngar, managing editor.
Award-Winning Alfalfa
Producer Knows Importance
Of Growing Conditions
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
GERMANSVILLE (Lehigh
Co.) —David Fink remembers last
year’s wet, cool summer, and how
much it threatened his quality
alfalfa growing on the family’s
Heidel Hollow Farm.
Six solid weeks, he said, of wet
weather lasted from July 4 until
August 10,1992. But despite deal
ing with a loss of some 40 acres
because of a related fungus dis
ease. ihizoctonia, he was still able
to get in a good three cuttings..
The farm depends on good
weather conditions, therightplant
ing times, a good seed, and quality
soil preparations to continue its
bread-and-butter business hay
making. For his farm’s efforts in
producing and promoting the
“queen of forages,’’ and for serv
ing the industry, Fink was recently
honored with the Producer Award
169 Par Copy
for the Northeast region from the
Certified Alfalfa Seed Council at
this year’s alfalfa awards program
in Appleton, Wis.
So far, this year, of the 600 acres
of hay he grows (250 acres of pure
alfalfa, 2SO acres of an alfalfa/
timothy hay mix, and 100 acres of
pure timothy), the stands look fair.
“That’s all I can say,” he told
Lancaster Farming during a
recent interview at his farm. “It
only looks fair, it doesn’t look
great.
‘ ‘We need rain,” he said, which
he soon obtained as a storm system
came through the southeastern
portion of the state. ‘ ‘This rain was
timely we needed this.”
Last year, the best forage tested
was about 20 percent protein with
a relative feed value of 160 not
(Turn to Pago A2O)
$19.75 Par Yaw
Stands fair