AIQ-UncMtff Farming, Saturday, May 13, 1995
OPINION
Property Rights And
Personal Rights Interwoven
Many people in this countiy think that it is not wrong to take
private property without paying just compensation. They obvi
ously haven’t read the US Constitution. The Fifth Amendment
says that private property shall not be “taken for public use, with
out just compensation.” All across the crountiy private property
rights are being trampled by government.
In cases where the government needs all of your property for a
particular project that benefits the public, they are pretty good
about coming forth with the money, though, there are sometimes
problems over what constitutes just compensation. Marie Emery,
director of communications for the New York Fann Bureau, says
the problem comes when only part of your property is taken—
those cases where the government diminishes all, or part of the
value of your property in carrying out some aspect of the law.
It seems to us that if you own the property and a government
body takes all or part of it. or the value of your property drops
because of what the government is doing, they owe you. Endan
gered species and wetlands acts should be treated just the same as
water treatment plants and roads.
For fanners property rights arc sacred. No matter what public
good the government needs to take property for, they must pro
vide just compensation. Property rights and personal rights are so
interwoven that we see no difference. Our country’s founding
fathers knew this. Let’s hope today’s government leaders know it
also.
Western Pa. Sheep and Club Lamb
Sale. Mercer County 4-H Park,
Clean and Green information and
dropoff meeting, Farm and
Home Center, Lancaster, 7:30
p.m.
Clean and Green Educational
Seminar, Manheim Township
High School Auditorium, 8
Clean and Green Educational
Seminar, Solanco High School
Auditorium, 8 p.m.-10 p.m.
Lancaster County Honey Produc
ers Association meeting, Lan
caster Friends Meeting House.
Lancaster Envirothon Contest.
Lancaster Central Park.
Clean and Green Educational
Seminar, Centerville Middle
School Auditorium, 8 p.m.-lO
Seminar, Lancaster Mennonite
High School Auditorium, 8
p.m.-lO p.m.
Twilight Pasture Walk, Octoraro
Butler Dairy Goat Show,
Lawrence County Fairgrounds,
New Castle, thru May 21.
Clinton County Herb and Craft
Festival, Clinton County Fair
grounds, Mackeyville, 10
a.m.-6 p.m.
Alpaca Rendezvous, Bud and Gail
Stewart’s Rocky Run Alpaca
I«arm^MdvejTiMhn^Mav2L
Annual Open Horse Show to bene
fit Erie County 4-H/Youth
Development Program, Water
ford Fairgrounds.
Maryland Two-Cylinder Club
Antique Tractor Display, Route
27 and Twin Arch Rd., Airy,
Clean and Green Educational
Seminar, Penn Manor High
School Auditorium, 8 p.m.-lO
p.m.
Clean and Green dropoff meeting,
Strasburg Municipal Building,
Lancaster County Plastic Pesdcide
Container Recycling Program,
Martin’s Ag Service, 8:30
a.m.-ll:30 a.m., also June 20.
Aug. 22, and Sept. 19.
Lancaster County Plasdc Pesdcide
Container Recycling Program.
Henry B. Hoover Inc., Ephrata,
12:30 p.m.-3 p.m., also June 20
and Aug. 22.
Clean and Green Educadonal
Seminar, Elizabethtown High
School Auditorium, 8 p.m.-10
p.m.
Clean and Green dropoff meeting,
950 W. Fairway Dr., Manor
Township, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
USDA NRCS Nutrient Manage
ment Computer Program
Demonstration, Westmoreland
County Extension, 1 p.m.-3
p.m. ‘
\V >, M.t\ -4
Lancaster County Plastic Pesticide
Container Recycling Program,
(Turn to Pago A3O)
To Know
Clean and Green
Tax Savings
Tax reassessment notices have
been sent to farmers this week. The
notice you received this week
gives you the new market value for
your farm. It does not include the
Clean and Green value. These will
be mailed later.
Based on average figures, mark
et value of farmland will be around
$4,000 per acre. The maximum
value for Clean and Green farm
land is $1,220 per acre.
In Lancaster County, this means
reducing the assessed value of
your farm by approximately
$3,000 per acre. Your taxes are
determined by multiplying your
assessed value times the millage
rate.
For example, if your new tax
millage rate is 16 mills and Clean
and Green lowers your assessment
$3,000 per acre, then your tax sav
ings is $4B per acre or $4,800 on a
100-acre farm. This tax savings
will be achieved regardless of the
value assigned to buildings and
your home.
To Sign Up
For Clean
And Green
Because of computer problems
in the county assessment office,
there has been a delay in mailing
out the Act 319 or Clean and Green
values to property owners of 10
acres or more.
If you are waiting for these val
ues before you decide to sign up
for Clean and Green, you may
want to rethink your decision.
June 1,199 S is the filing dead
line for 1996 tax year. If your
application is received after June
1, your tax savings will be for the
1997 tax year and you will pay tax
es at the higher assessment value in
1996.
One important thing to remem
ber is Act 319 is an assessment law
that determines how much real
estate taxes you must pay. It allows
the county to establish a different
value for your farm by assessing
your land based on its income pro
ducing ability.
You do not need to know your
Clean and Green values for your
farm before you sign up. There
will be reduction in appraised val
ue for farmland.
The question is, "Can I accept
the split-off provisions and roll
back tax in return for the lower tax
assessment?” If yes, then sign up
now, well ahead of the June 1
deadline.
Remember, property owners
with less than 10 acres will have to
secure an Act 319 application
themselves. They will not auto
matically be receiving one. Appli
cations are available at meetings
and the extension office.
If you have any questions,
attend one of the Clean and Green
meetings scheduled in the county
or call the Lancaster County
Cooperative Extension office at
(717) 394-6851.
To Control
Birds In
Corn Fields
Each spring after corn is
planted, several growers experi
ence problems with birds eating
the com seed or birds pulling up
com plants as they emerge to eat
the com seed.
Many birds may cause the prob
lem. However, crows, starlings,
and wild geese are most often the
biggest offenders. They may
attack com starting the day it is
planted and will continue to And
com rows a good place to eat until
the sprouts are over 3 inches tall.
The total amount of damage is
very minimal. However, a field
which has attracted birds may suf
fer almost complete annihilation.
There are no registered chemi
cals which may be applied to seeds
to prevent this. Using any product
which is not labeled for bird con
trol to control birds is illegal under
iel
BY ,!BS. s E " I
SQOBSiS
sn
THE ACID TEST
May 14,1995
THE ACID TEST
May 14. 1995
Background Scripture:
II Corinthians 5
Devotional Reading:
I John 4:7-21
Recently 1 saw on television an
evangelist who assured his follow
ers that a particular project of the
group had brought “great joy to
God’s heart.” I remember thinking
that he was a lot more certain
about God’s “joy" than I would be
on that particular project
The victory that the preacher
was celebrating was over an ad
vantage that his group had gained
over another. The victory ob
viously widened the breach be
tween the two groups and greatly
increased their hostility. Without
getting into the controversy itself,
let me say simply that the ground
of contention was the subject of
prayer in the public schools.
Although I personally identi
fied with neither of the two
groups, I found it difficult to think
that this controversy, however re
solved, brought joy to God. The
end result of the controversy is
that the two groups are even more
widely polarized and each judges
the other quite harshly. Both were
equally quite certain that they
were fighting this battle for God.
DOOM & GLOOM
MORE FUN
Just because a project or move
ment is labeled "Christian,”
doesn’t mean that it necessarily is
of God. But there is an acid test we
can often apply. Paul told the
church at Corinth, “All this is'
from God who through Christ re
conciled us to himself and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation”
(5:8). The fust part, of course, we
know: God was in Christ reconcil
ing himself to us. But that’s not
the end of the matter. For not only
did Jesus have this ministry of re
conciliation, but we too. In fact,
with Christ no longer physically
present with us, God’s ministry of
reconciliation in the world today
is pretty much our responsibility.
federal pesticide laws.
According to Dr. Greg Roth,
Penn State agronomist, planting
the seed slightly deeper and ensur
ing good seed furrow closure may
help limit the problem. Crows in
particular seem to be able to locate
fields where com sprouts are easy
to pull up.
Roth suggests that scattering
water soaked grain near problem
areas to serve as an alternative feed
source may help to limit the
problem.
He also suggests that the use of
black plastic flags made of three
mil plastic measuring two feet by
three feet attached to a four foot
lath have on some occasions been
successful in discouraging geese
feeding. The flags should be distri
buted about one flag per acre
where geese have been a problem
and about one flag per five acres
where geese have not been a
problem.
Feather Prof.'s Footnote: 'The
quality of a person's life is in direct
proportion to their commitment to
excellence."
Like Jonah, many of us are not
happy with a ministry of recon
ciliation. We would rather empha
size the differences that divide us.
Jonah didn’t want the people of
Nineveh to hear his prophecies
and repent; he wanted to condemn
them. Condemnation does seem
more enjoyable. Maybe that’s
why so much of our time is spent
elevating the things that alienate
us from others. Doom and gloom
(for the other guy) is more fun
than proclaiming love and for
giveness.
OUR BEST SUBJECT
But Paul says, “In Christ God
was reconciling the world (notice,
the “world,” not just the “good
guys”) to himself, not counting
their trespasses against them ...”
(5:19). But doesn’t God realize
that counting and proclaiming the
trespasses of others is what we en
joy and do the best.
This is the all-too-human point
of view that often distorts the true
nature of the gospel, the good
guys vs. the bad guys (or the right
eous and the unrighteous, the sav
ed and the unsaved). Human be
ings have a genius for dividing
what God created to be undivided.
But Paul calls us to something
else; “From now on, therefore, we
read no one from a human point of
view ...” (5:16).
Let’s get this straight: God
doesn’t entrust to us the task of de
fending Him or guarding the por
tals of Heaven to keep the riff-raff
out He doesn’t charge us with the
duty of being a spiritual police
force; still less a righteous
thought-control constabulary.
What he charges us with is the
message of reconciliation, bring
ing people together, not dividing
them apart.
So, although we might prefer to
be warriors of God’s praetorian
guard, what He really wants us to
be is “ambassadors for Christ,
God making his appeal through
us."
The acid test, then, for discern
ing if something is Christian or
not; does it reconcile or does it
alienate?
Lancaster Panning
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by-
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stelnman Enterprise
Robert Q. Campbell General Meneger
Evetett R. Newcwanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1995 by Lancaster Farming