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,
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Somerset Holstei
Stoystown.
The election was held during
the business session that followed
dinner at the club’s annual meet
ing: rescheduled when yet another
blizzard blasted the area and sen-
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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
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