HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
State Agriculture Secretary
Boyd E. Wolff has announced the
funding of 43 projects under the
third round of the Agriculture and
Rural Youth Organization Grant
Program. The grants were made
available to organizations that
benefit youth in the common
wealth such as 4-H and FFA.
“We’re very pleased to con
tinue supporting the youth grant
program,” Wolff said. “Every area
of the slate was represented in this
round of funding.”
The organizations were able to
apply for direct grants of up to
$2,500 and matching grants of up
to $ 15,000. Direct grants will be
used to fund educational projects,
programs, seminars, or field trips,
and matching grants will be used
to fund capital projects and equip
ment purchases.
The State Agriculture and Rural
Youth Development Board
selected seven matching grant and
36 direct grant recipients from 91
eligible applicants. The counties,
recipients, their locations, the
amounts of the awards, and the
use of funds are as follows:
Matching Grants
Berks County:
• Tulpehocken Area FFA,
Bemville, $660, develop an agri
cultural environmental study area.
Bradford County
• Northeast Bradford FFA,
Rome, $8,934.52, construct a
greenhouse.
• Rainbow Riders Riding for
the Handicapped, Troy, $15,000,
erect a handicapped riding
facility.
Bucks County:
• Upper Bucks County AVTS -
FFA Club, Perkasie, $3,000, con-
Advertisement
In Another Set-Back,
BELLAIRE (Lancaster/
Dauphin Cos.) Plans for a
major hog operation to be built on
a 122-acre farm located next to the
Village of Bellaire may have to be
reconsidered now that its building
permit has been revoked and
neighbors are turning up the heat
The site of the proposed
5,400-hog (1,800 sows, 100 boars,
3,500 piglets) feeder operation
lies along the banks of the Conew
ago Creek at Mapledale and Bel
laire Roads, near the point where
Dauphin, Lancaster and Lebanon
Counties meet.
At its Feb. 9th monthly meet
ing, the Conewago Township
(Dauphin Co.) Board of Supervi
sors voted unanimously to revoke
the building permit for construc
tion of two new hog buildings and
a 3.5 million gallon manure stor
age system. TTic permit had been
granted last fall to MACH 3 Part
nership, owner of the property.
MACH 3 is comprised of four
Lebanon County investors,
including Leon G. Hoover, Presi
dent of Fanner Boy Ag, Inc. of
Myerstown. White Oak Mills, Inc.
of Elizabethtown has agreed to
obtain the animals, provide the
feed and run the operation except
for the manure management and
application. MACH 3 plans to
spray-irrigate much of the manure
on 82 acres at the site and haul
away the rest.
The Conewago Twp. Supervi
sors, one of whom is a full-time
farmer, took the unusual step of
revoking the building permit
Ag Program
struct a growhouse for the horti
culture program.
• Quakertown 4-H Club,
Quakertown, $5,000, develop a
rural/urban learning center.
Chester County
• Pulaski Middle School, Ches
ter, $7,500, construct a green
house.
Lebanon County:
• Northern Lebanon FFA, Fre
dericksburg, $2,500, build an agri
cultural learning laboratory.
Direct Grants
Adams County:
•.Battlefield FFA, Gettysburg,
$2,500, fund a conservation
school project.
Beaver County:
• Blackhawk School District/
Blackhawk FFA, $2,440, develop
an organic recycling system.
Bedford County;
• Northern Bedford County
High School FFA, Loysburg,
$2,497.50, develop an agricultural
video learning program.
Berks County:
• Kutztown FFA, Kutztown,
$2,433, develop an agricultural
science workshop.
• Tulpehocken Area FFA,
$2,500, purchase agricultural sci
ence laboratory equipment.
• Twin Valley FAA (Berks/
Chester Counties), Elverson,
52,500, develop an agricultural lit
eracy program.
Bradford County;
• Rainbow Riders Riding for
the Handicapped, Troy, $2,000,
purchase a two wheeled cart with
access for driver in a wheelchair.
Bucks County;
• Delaware Valley College
FFA, Doylestown, $2,000, Pre
sent an agricultural Career Day
program.
because MACH 3 had failed to
provide evidence that it met at
least three conditions attached to
its Land Development Plan
approved last August that are
required prior to commencement
of the operation. In passing the
resolution to revoke (he permit,
the Board also directed the Town
ship Solicitor to immediately
notify MACH 3 and ask them for
an explanation. The Board dec
lared the hog project to be “a high
priority item” and said an officer
would be assigned to have it regu
larly monitored.
Conditions attached to MACH
3’s Land Development Plan
included a requirement that at
least 300 acres be “available on a
continuing basis” for manure
application, compliance with Dau
phin Co. Soil Conservation Dis
trict recommendations and those
of the Conservation District of any
county in which the manure is
applied, weekly monitoring and
recording of discharge from the
manure storage outflow pipe, test
ing of the Conewago Creek every
three months, soil testing every
three-years, annua) notification of
where manure is to be applied, and
submission of the manure storage
facility design to the Federal SCS
Office.
The Bellaire site has been criti
cized by residents in the immedi
ate vicinity, all of whom are on
well water, as well as those in Eli
zabethtown Borough, situated
three miles south. Conewago
Creek, a high quality stream
which flows into the Susquehanna
River, supplies Elizabethtown
Paid for by the Concerned Citizens of Bellaire Area, Paul J. Liskcy Jr., Chairman
Releases Youth Grants
• Bucks County 4-H, Doyles
town, $2,500, develop a “lending
box” service for 4-H projects.
Butler County;
• Butler County 4-H Tractor
Club/Butler County 4-H Develop
ment Committee, Butler, $l,OOO,
develop a farm safety program.
Centre County:
• Students for the Responsible
Use of Animals, University Park,
$2,500, develop and distribute
educational materials.
• Penns Valley area FFA,
Spring Mills, $2,400, construct an
environmental trails project.
Chester County:
* Pulaski Middle School Gar
den Based Science and Communi
ty Servic.e Project, Chester,
$2,500, purchase a self-contained
portable growing unit.
Clarion County:
• Clarion County 4-H Develop
ment Committee, Clarion, $2,500,
develop a series of day camp
opportunities.
• Clarion-Armstrong-Indiana
Tractor Safety, Clarion, $2,500,
provide volunteer training for
farm safety.
Crawford County:
• Conneaut Valley FFA, Con
neautville, $2,500. initiate a
hydroponic/aquaculture system
for the agriculture classes at Con
neaut Valley High School.
Cumberland County:
• Cumberland County 4-H
Development Fund, Carlisle,
$2,500, fund an agriculture camp.
Dauphin County:
• Pennsylvania Family Farm
Foundation, Harrisburg, $2,500,
fund a youth leadership program.
• Pennsylvania State Grange
Junior Grange, Harrisburg,
$3,500, prepare and implement
Hog Venture Loses Building Permit
residents up to half of their public
water.
About 100 homes are located
within three quarters of a mile of
MACH 3’s Bellaire farm. The loc
al residents are concerned not only
about groundwater contamination
but also that the quantity of water
needed for the hog operation
could cause their well levels to
drop significantly.
It is common knowledge that
MACH 3’s site, which contains a
100-year floodplain, frequently
floods during heavy rains and
spring thaws. The land percolates
poorly and it contains eight under
ground tile drain lines which flow
directly into the adjoining Creek
and related tributaries that run
through the land.
A group of about 35 local resi
dents have formed a group. Con
cerned Citizens of Bellaire Area,
which has been meeting regularly
since last summer. In addition to
the water problems, they are also
worried that the operation will
result in putrid odors. Many of
these residents are farmers, retired
farmers or were raised on farms.
However, they see this as a “hog
factory” which will spew out pun
gent odors that would never be
permitted from a manufacturing
plant. Paul J. Liskey, Jr., Chair
man of the group, says that the
operaUon is “fraught with envir
onmental nsks which make it
wholly inappropriate for this loca
tion.” The Concerned Citizens are
also troubled by the possibility
that fly populations could become
intolerable. They also note that
high decibel readings from the
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, February 26, 1994-C5
Rural-Urban Family Organization
or the Junior Grangers statewide.
• Pennsylvania Association
FFA, Inc., Harrisburg, $2,500,
provide statewide leadership con
ferences for FFA members.
• Halifax Area FFA, Halifax,
$7OO, sponsor a series of safety
demonstrations.
• Pennsylvania State Grange
Youth Development, Harrisburg,
$2,500, develop youth leadership
workshops.
Delaware County:
• Delaware County 4-H, Media,
$2,500, purchase experimental
learning materials.
Erie County:
• North East School District,
North East, $2,497.54, Purchase
greenhouse equipment.
Huntingdon County:
• Standing Stone FFA, Hun
tingdon, $2,426, beekeeping
project.
Indiana County:
• Indiana County 4-H Develop
ment Fund, Indiana, $3,347, spon
sor an “Animal Awakenings” 4-H
day camp.
Lancaster County:
• Cloister FFA, Ephrata,
$2,500, purchase laboratory
equipment and related materials.
• Grassland FFA, New Hol
land, $2,500, establish a Floral
Arrangement laboratory and a
Retail Marketing Workshop.
MILK.
IT DOES A
BODY good:
hog bam fans could be highly irri
tating to anyone sensitive to such
noise within a I’A mile radius. .
Mr. Liskey claims that he and
his neighbors are not “just raising
the ‘NIMBY’ flag (Not In My
Back Yard).” He says that “it is
plainly irresponsible to place an
operation like this in low-lying,
flood-prone land along the banks
of a high quality stream located
just a few miles hum a significant
public water source. An operation
like this belongs on high ground,
away from streams and rivers and
away from population centers.”
Members of Concerned Citi
zens of Bellaire have vowed to
fully exercise their legal rights.
They have been soliciting support
from the entire neighborhood,
encouraging everyone to have
their wells tested and to consider
having their properties appraised
prior to the commencement of the
hog operation. Nothing that pollu
tion laws, particularly those asso
ciated with Waterways, oftlimes
cast a wide net, the group suggests
that area farmers who participate
in the project, either in accepting
the manure or co-owning the pigs,
might be liable for damages. The
group recently retained as its
environmental counsel Eugene E.
Dice, former chief litigator of the
DER.
Leaders of the Concerned Citi
zens of Bellaire Area met in Janu
ary with Lebanon Attorney
George Christianson, one of the
MACH 3 Partners, to convey their
concerns with the project and urg
ing MACH to implement all pos
sible means to minimize the
Lebanon County:
• Cedar Crest FFA, Lebanon,
$2,500, develop an educational
agriscience laboratory.
McKean County:
• Bradford Area FFA, Brad
ford, $2,500, forest management
and logging safety workshops.
Montgomery County:
• Montgomery County 4-H.
Creamery, $3,500, conduct youth
animal science day camps.
Northumberland County:
• Northumberland County 4-H
Development Council, Shamokin,
$2,358.39, develop a program for
the reduction/reuse/recycling of
trash.
Somerset County:
• Berlin Brothersvalley FFA,
Berlin, $2,199.85, develop an
agricultural mechanics safety
program.
Southwestern Counties:
• Southwest Region 4-H Prog
ram Development Committee,
Greensburg, $2,500, Sponsor an
agricultural and animal science
camp for youth in 9 southwestern
counties.
Tioga County:
• Northern Tioga School Dis
trict, Elkland, $2,500, conduct the
Dale Carnegie self-enhancement
program for students.
Warren County;
• Warren County Cooperative
Extension, Warren, $2,500, pro
vide educational sessions related
to careers in the forest industry.
potential odor, water and noise
problems associated with the
proposed venture. Although
MACH 3 is considering a two
stage lagoon system in place of the
single lagoon, with only second
stage liquids being spray irrigated
on site, the citizens group was told
that the Partnership is unwilling to
purchase a manure digester which
has been proven to both control
odors and produce energy. At this
meeting the group suggested it
would be willing to buy the land
for 30% over the price MACH 3
paid for it a year and a half earlier,
but this proposal was rejected.
Representatives of the citizens
group also met earlier this month
with John Wagner, President of
White Oak Mills. Tliey expressed
disappointment that the Company
rejoined the venture after Mr.
Wagner stated last summer that
White Oak Mills was severing its
involvement with this particular
operation.
Mr. Liskey is quick to point out
that Concerned Citizens of Bel
laire Area “supports traditional
family farms and responsible agri
business.” He says that the group
has received a great deal of sup
port from farmers who consider
the MACH operation a threat to
the traditional family farm and an
abuse of the exemptions from
DER permitting granted to the
agriculture ventures. Persons
wanting more information may
call or write Liskey at (717)
367-5088, 665 Koser Rd., Eli
zabethtown, PA 17022. The next
meeting of the group will be
March 10th.