District Responds To Heavy Stormwater, Erosion Complaints ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) A combination of very heavy rains and soils already waterlogged Cram heavy snow and a wet spring have caused soil erosion and silt deposits in many fields, backyards, md roads in the county. As a result, the Lancaster Coun ty Conservation District has answered more than a 100 com plaints from concerned homeow ners and farm neighbors about silt and soil on properties and toads. Although conservation plans have beat designed and imple mented to take care of 10-year type of storm events, the county has already experienced some 25- and SO-year storm events. Simply put, those kinds of sudden downpours, ranging from 2.S inches to 3 inches of rain in an hour or less, happen, on average, every 25 to SO years. But one recent downpour near Kirkwood was a 100-year event, depositing more than three inches of rain in an hour. “When you get three inches of rain in an hour, especially in fields that are newly tilled, you might get erosion, even with the best of ter races,” said Don Robinson, mana ger of the district Conservation practices work well, in place with good crop cover, for 10-year events. “We have been inundated with calls from homeowners complain ing about the water,” said Robin son. “Half of die calls have been related to stormwater.” ¥Let Your Crops Dine On Alpine Th» Company That OHara You High Quality Plant Food J At Compatltiva Prioas " Talk To Us About Seed Banded Plant Food And Foliar Feeding Place Phosphorus Where It Does Most Good (Seed Banded) 6-24-6 9-18-9 3-18-18 5-15-15 Check Early Order & Quantity Price Zimmerman Lime & Fertilizer, Inc. (717) 733-7674 235 W. Burkholder Dr. Litlte, PA 17543 Problem Water? Odor? Bad Taste? Stains? Iron? Manganese? Mineral Buildup? Color? 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Under the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law, landowners must comply with regard to any type of “earth-moving” activities. A far mer is exempt from any permits in plowing and tilling, but must com ply in the event of "an accelerated erosion problem impacting the waters of the commonwealth” as defined by the streams law. Lancaster is one of seven coun ties with a Level 3 enforcement authority. This means they can assess fines if farmers don’t com ply with die conservation plan. The district office wants farmers to realize that they will endeavor in every way to work with fanners “to help implement a conservation plan to prevent storm erosion events from happening in the future,” said Robinson. Farmers should be aware, according to Robinson, that cost sharing is available to implement a plan. Cost-share can rake care of up to 75 percent of the total costs. Robinson said he received a call earlier this week from a farmer complaining that even though another farmer, who works upslope, has a conservation plan, stormwater caused gullies in the neighbor’s field. If the two fanners work together, both can solve the problem, and both could qualify for cost-sharing. A few farmers, said Robinson, are becoming belligerent and just won’t comply. After a time, the district may be forced to exercise their Level 3 authority and level fines which can amount from a Boar Tops $975 STATE yCOLLEGE (Centre Co.) An individual boar from a “record-setting” pen of boars returned the .top price of the day during last week’a Pennsylvania Performance-Tested Boar Sale at the Ag Arena during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days. The top-indexing individual boar sold to Kenneth Jones of Dan ville for $975. The lot #3 boar from the same pen sold for the third highest price of the evening sale, selected by James Mathis for $675. The second highest-selling boar was the Yorkshire from Keith Bard’s pen, selected by Charles Hall for $775. According to Glenn Eberly, director of the Meat Animal Evalu ation Center, there was a releadve ly modest, soggy crowd in atten dance (several inches of rain fell during the day and evening). ‘The sale started off with a tes tament to the value of performance testing,” said Eberly. ‘The top- Are You Prepared. few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars, said Robinson. Some of the problems, in fields that never had erosion problems before, are die result of an aggra vated condition caused by heavy snows, followed by heavy rains in the spring, and then even more pin in die summer. On many farms, (here are less hay fields and grain cover crops to help cover and indexing pen of boars that had been consigned by Charles and Mark Hall of Julian were sons of the top individual indexing boor they had purchased in last year's Performance-Tested Boar Sale.” The 12 Yorkshire boars sold averaged $519. The six Dutocs averaged $421. The top-selling Duroc was the lot #l2 boar, bred by James Parlett The boar was purchased by Kenneth Jones of Danville for $550. The second highest selling Duroc was the lot #4 boar consigned by Smith’s Hog Farm. This highest gaining and indexing Duroc sold to Rattles nake Ml Farm OVERWEIGHT? TIRED OF TRYING THE “DIET OF THE WEEK?" WE CAN HELPI Stop throwing away your hard earned money with gimmicks and start a new, healthful lifestyle by ordering our LIFESTYLE INSTRUCTIONS the easiest way to lose weight and keep it off. Youll be able to eat well, fell better and enjoy all around better health! 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For mere information about the swine testing programs, contact Glenn Eberly, Director, Meat Ani mal Evaluation Center, 651 Fox Hollow RtL, State College, PA 16803, (814) 238-2527 or (814) 865-5857 to leave a message or
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