A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 9, 1994 GAY BROWNLEE Somerset Co. Correspondent BERLIN (Somerset Co.) Three directors of the Somerset County Holstein Club whose terms were set to expire this year. Chester-Delaware Farmers Hold Spring Meeting VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff WEST i FALLOWFIELD (Chester Co.) About 80 of the 751 members of the Chester-Delaware Farm Bureau attended the orga nization’s 41st annual spring banquet meeting Thursday night at the West Fallowfield Christian School to share fellowship and recognize some of the support provided by members and political leaders. The Chester-Delaware group is comprised of a mixture of representatives of farming activities, especially mushroom growers and horse enthu siasts, in addition to dairy, livestock and poultry producers. The affiliate of the state Farm Bureau has yet to officially adopt its new name, but is using it until the fall meeting, when it annually conducts its business meeting and reviews proposals. The purpose of the spring meeting, according to Barclay Hoopes, president of the Chester-Delaware FB, is to inform the members about the associa tion’s current programs and services. It is not a poli cy development meeting. Similar spring banquets across the state are like wise held at this time because it is prior to spring field work and after the organization’s national and state legislative tours. During the tours, representa tives of county and state affiliates visit with elected representatives to voice concerns. The Chester-Delaware group is especially con cerned with local tax reform, being in an area which has received heavy pressure from urbanization that has increased land values because of commuters. The commuters who work in high salary areas have brought to recently rural areas an ability to pay more for real estate than locally employed residents. That alone has resulted in an increase in local real estate taxes. In addition, the increase in residential growth has also increased the demand for services and has increased local taxes. On Thursday, the Chester-Delaware group pre sented an award to state Rep. James Gerlach, R- Coates ville, for his efforts in sponsoring state House Bill 2202. The proposed legislation calls for local tax reform and would enable local taxing authori ties, in municipalities beneath a certain level of population, to tax income or use a local sales tax, as an alternative to taxing real estate. For agriculturalists, especially, taxing real estate is burdensome because it does not reflect an ability to pay, but rather is considered a tax on investment. Deriving more local tax revenues from income would lessen the burden on those with high real estate investment, but low margin, while allowing more of the share of local taxes to come from com muters with higher income. The move is seen as a more equitable method of taxing on ability to pay for services rendered. As the situation currently exists, studies have shown that agricultural landowners receive less in local services than they pay in taxes, while residen tial developments receive more in services than they pay in taxes. Gerlach, in his second term as representative, is also a member of the Chester County Agricultural Devleopment Council. Colin Johnston, a veterinarian at New Bolton Center and secretary of the Chester-Delaware County Farm Bureau, made the award presentation and cited Gerlach for his strength in character for being willing to cross political party lines for agricultural interests.” Gerlach’s proposal passed the Democratically controlled House of Representatives by a vote of 177-19. The group also recognized work done by Ray Pickering, who is executive director fo the Chester County Agricultural Land Preservation Board. According to Johnston and Hoopes, the local association is proud of the efforts of community leaders to establish and see through an aggressive farmland preservation program. In that respect, the group also recognized Patricia have all been reelected to three year terms. They are Jeff Hille gass, Berlin, Harry Mosholder, Rockwood and David Stahl, Somerset. Directors whose terms expire in State Rep. Art Hershey discusses legislative actions with members of the Chester-Delaware Farm Bureau. lENECA -1995 are Greg Coleman, Rock wood; Dan Kimmel, Boswell and Willard Maust, Meyeirsdale. Those ending in 1996 are Mike Countryman, Berlin; Jane Smiley, Berlin and Mike Stutzman, Safety Concerns “I {I > :nhi'rpr<\n plmtu hii> and new r lay tanmdman main»is (\tster fa tmndls hnixf saatafy nuath ki m mme* A»r }vu, mm f“* Environmental Impact Hi m' 1 h,ttn> hwi‘ uht uiujuutl uWliu’’V>th (hr iht, Pf’w’hr, <4 \>rmiUtu'n »u m' i-10 tUi’H inn’. \Mi >'W’‘ht< -Hjkrti'r /* Ifirtil-Jll.t f's* A. (wi m iw iOflu i i « M * ts*m* Uwttf < wnvp*»> Mr-m. fc « * of mtumi-ulhge pmikes t>y prowling unmatched eoutmi of nmmm<\ mtuwm s umvvnns and uhtegruln. 4 / / / / f i i \ \ \ \ \ \ \ MMHn \ \ \ s s sible folks stayed home instead of traveling anywhere. But March weather is unpre dictable. So when some vagary of the season took the sunny temper ature to a balmy 70 degrees on banquet day, not a soul was com plaining. The doors of the local fire hall were thrown open and overhead fans switched on to whirr with the intruding robin’s cheep. Youth awards were presented by Jane Smiley and Ben Miller, president of the Somerset Co. Junior Holstein Club. The county two-yr, old winner for milk, fat and protein was Nick Hunsbergcr’s BJ-Line Winken Roseann at 2-08, 27.066 M, 908 F and 910 P. Second place two-yr. old for milk and protein was Michele Countryman’s Lansdown Dazzler Satin. 1-11, 24.727 M, 796 P. Two-yr. old in second place for fat was Antrim-Spring Insp Reina owned by Justin Hillegass, 884 F. Three-yr. old Somerset Co. winner for milk, fat and protein, owned by Kirsten Miller, was ** **' if,#,.-*#/"* V N, "Sh nfc