VERNON ACHENBACH, JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. A
delegation of executives and
elected leaders of Agway traveled
to the nation’s capitol recently for
two days of meeting with new
members of Congress.
According to Richard K.
Arnold, Agway director of corpo
rate communications, the contin
gent of leaders made the trip in
order to brief members on agricul
tural issues and the cooperative’s
policies.
The group consisted of the
executive board of Agway
President Charlie Saul, Agway
Board of Directors Chairman
Ralph Heffner, and others from the
cooperative. Their efforts were
especially directed at federal-level
~ We Salute Our Pennsylvania Dairymen ~
You're The Cream Of The Crop!
In southeastern PA...
Keystone Farm Credit, ACA
1-800-477-9947
In western PA...
Penn West Farm Credit, ACA
1-800-998-5557
t=J
Agway Leaders
representatives from the
Northeast.
According to Saul, the group
met and had lunch with Deputy
Secretary of Agriculture Rich
Rovinger, met with Senate majori
ty leader George Mitchel, and Rep.
Walsh from New York, a member
of the House Agricultural Appro
priations Committee, and Rep.
Tim Holden from Pennsylvania,
the only Northeast member of the
House Agriculture Committee;
and also met with 30 other
representatives.
“We got around pretty well, all
of us here,” said Saul during a tele
phone interview.
“Some of the key issues we
talked about were food safety,
water quality, the proposed BTU
tax on energy products ... wet-
Farm Credit in Pennsylvania
IftRMCRCDrFfc
Nobody knows thefield better.
ae
In northern PA...
Northeastern Farm Credit, ACA
1-800-326-9507
In south central PA...
York Farm Credit, ACA
1-800-673-2416
Meet With Federal Officials
lands, the DcLaney Amendment,
pesticides, and the fact that the
farm programs were being chal
lenged to the tune of about $3 bil
lion less spending.” he said.
He said dial Agway opposes the
proposed BTU tax. He said that
early estimates were that the BTU
tax would raise the cost of using
burnable fuel about $6OO million
to farmers.
“Fortunately, the House Ways
and Means Committee, reduced
that somewhat, down to $440 mil
lion, by exempting on-farm (fuel)
and diesel from the supplemental
part of that tax, but that’s still leav
ing a lot of challenge and cost to
agriculture out there,” he said.
Saul said the Agway group told
the representatives that the
cooperative sought voluntary com
pliance instead of regulated com
pliance. the use of “Integrated
Crop Management,” its use, edu
cation, and research and technical
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 5, 1993-A35
assistance.
“We supported certified crop
advisors, we talk about risk
benefit analysis and regulation
rather than extremes of any degree,
and we talked about a reasonable
definition of wetlands,” he said.
Heffner said that on the Delaney
Cause, “It looks like we’re going
to get progress made on that. The
real question is timing, whether
it’ll be done quite as quickly as we
in agriculture would like to see it
done, so we don’t have this jockey
ing with regards to some of the
minor uses pesticides in the Sec
tion 18 approvals that we’ve had.
“It looks pretty good. We got a
lot of support there, but the chal
lenge is when the leadership is
going to move the bill that we are
interested in,” Heffner said.
“Also on the subject of minor
use pesticides, there seems to be...
good reception that this is an issue
that needs some objective attention
applied to it,” he said.
Saul said. “The point we were
trying to make is that agriculture
has been a good thing for this
country, both in its exporting of
products and feeding its people...
but the bends in legislation, which
continue to seem to be negative to
production agriculture, are starting
to show up in the performance of
the industry, and starting to show
up in its ability to be competitive
and we were just seeking their sup
port in a more positive approach to
legislation affecting agriculture.”
Key To
Farming
(Continued from Pago A 32)
“so I’ll know where it is when I
need it.” The neighbor was really
impressed that Lynn would have
that kind of neighborly attitude.”
Some things you must live with if you have
urban neighbors. With development comes
changes in the underground water systems.
The Royers think because springs woe dis
turbed in the development, their cellar now is
sometimes flooded. And machinery on the
roads is always a problem. Motorists don’t
like slow moving wagons and farm equip
ment Sometimes grass clippings and worse
get thrown in the alflafa field. Com fields
sometimes become a cover crop for
marijuana.
But the Royers know they have accom
plished their neighborly mission when these
neighbors ask them about things they hear
about the farm from the news media. A neigh
bor recently asked Rhelda if it was true that
with BST you gave the cow a daily injection.
And she asked if the Royers were going to use
BST. Rhelda assured her that their cows did
well enough without giving them a shot
Another neighbor was concerned about the
welfare of the cows and calves, and Rhelda
was able to assure the neighbor that their ani
mals were well cared for and got all the exer
cise they needed. “It pleases me when the
neighbors think enough of us to ask us ques
tions about the farm.” Rhelda said. “The news
media doesn’t always get things straight. And
we are glad we can answer their questions.”
Whenever a new neighbor moves in, the
Royers try to make them welcome and tell
them they are the farmers in the lane. “If they
realize you are not frustrated but you mean
business, they don’t give you much trouble,”
Rhelda said. “Sending the police to their front
door before you talk to them doesn’t work.
“We have a lot of pals among the neighbors
at the end of our lane. Each year I try to send
the nicest Christmas card I can tlnd and thank
them for helping us to keep our farm beauti
ful. Many of these neighbors idolize this farm.
If you take pride in your own property, it rubs
off on them,” Rhelda said.
Need Your
Farm Buildings
Painted?
Let us give you a price!
Write: Daniel’s Painting
637-A Georgetown Rd.
RonkS, PA 17572
(or leave message)
(717) 687-8262
Spray on and
Brush in Painting