Lancaster farming. (Lancaster, Pa., etc.) 1955-current, May 13, 1995, Image 10
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