AlO-Lmcttlw Farming, Saturday, May 20, 1995
OPINION
To Stay In Farming ,
Act 319, commonly called Clean and Green, has come into
play all across Pennsylvania where local governments have
reassessed agricultrual land. Usually, these reassesment values
are based on what the land is worth for development rather than
the value based on what the land will produce for agricultural
purposes.
This week, reassessment notices have been mailed in Lancas
ter County. And as one local reporter wrote, “farmers panicked.”
Not only did they receive word that their reassessments had
increased farm values by “sometimes staggering amounts,” the
deadline to apply for Clean and Green relief was set for June 1.
This gave farmers about two weeks right in the middle of spring
planting to make decisions that can have eternal consequences for
the future of the farm.
Due to the work of Jane Balmer, Lancaster County Farm
Bureau president, several precedents were found to extend the
June 1 application deadline. Susquehanna County Commission
ers in 1993 successfully petioned the courts for a deadline exten
sion for the Clean and Green Act. Centre County later succeeded
in the same type of petition. So the stage is set in Lancaster Coun
ty court at 9 a.m. Monday for the same type of extension. We
hope this will happen.
The Clean and Green Act does give production farmers a more
realistic tax burden in relation to farm income. If you have 10
acres or produce more than $2,000 worth of agricultural products,
you likly should apply for the relief. It’s true, if you want to
change the use of the farm later, the would-have-been taxes at the
development rates will needed to be paid for the last seven years,
along with six percent interest. The difference between the Clean
and Green value of the best ag land in Lancaster County of $ 1,220
and the $4,000 to $6,000 or higher value of land for development
would not likely keep a developer from buying the farm. But it is
a pile of money that will need to be considered.
As for the story going around that in the Clean and Green you
must allow the public on your property at will, we have clarified
this fear to our satisfaction. There are three classifications of land
that can be placed under the Clean and Green Act as follows: (A.)
production agricultural land as defined above; (B.) land that has
the capability of being farmed but is not in active production; and
(C.) forest reserve areas for the growth of trees.
According to John Bell, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s legal
representative, only the “B” catagory (land that has the capability
of being farmed but is not in active production) would need to be
opened to the public under the Clean and Green Act.
On another note, in Lancaster County the best soils in Clean
and Green are assessed at $1,220 per acre and in neighboring
counties the same soil type is assessed at less than half this value.
Because of this fact, there may be legal grounds to contest Lan
caster County’s assessed per acre value. Maybe if a fanner would
have been part of the assessment committee, we could have
avoided this glaring discrepancy.
Even so, the reassessment value of your farm is only half of the
equation. Reassessment by law may not increase the county’s tot
al tax take by more than five percent in the first year. The main
feature of reassessment is to redistribute taxes according to the
market value of each of the properties in the county. So the
reduced millage rates will really determine your new total tax
bill. Some property owners will pay less in taxes under the new
reassessment.
But if you consider everything, and you plan to stay in the busi
ness of fanning for some time into the future, you will likely need
sign up for Clean and Green.
Saturday Mas 20
Butler Dairy Goat Show,
Lawrence County Fairgrounds,
New Castle, thru May 21.
Clinton County Herb and Craft
Festival, Clinton County Fair
grounds, Mackeyvillc, 10
a.m .-6 p.m.
Alpaca Rendezvous, Bud and Gail
Stewart’s Rocky Run Alpaca
Farm.-Malvern. (hru.Mav 21.
Sign Up
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,
To Harvest
High Quality
Alfalfa
High quality alfalfa is valuable
in the ration of high-producing
cows. However, there is more to
quality than just the protein con
tent of the feed.
Cows also need a certain
amount of effective fiber for the
rumen to function normally. Early
bud and pre-bud alfalfa is high in
protein but deficient in fiber. In the
bloom stage, protein levels decline
and fiber levels increase. When
alfalfa is beyond the early bloom
stage, fiber levels become high
enough to the point where they
start to reduce digestibility and dry
matter intakes.
In view of this, the optimum
time to harvest alfalfa is around the
late bud stage. However, in spring
you may not have good drying
conditions at that precise stage of
maturity. In that case, a better
guideline might be to cut the crop
in May at the beginning of a predi
cated break in the weather ngard
less of stage of maturity even if
you have to let the com planter sit
idle for a few days. It may be the
only good break in weather you
receive for the next few weeks.
Thus, you will enjoy knowing that
you harvested the first cutting at a
young stage of maturity, hopefully
without a lot of tain damagq, and
the second cutting is growing as
you finish your com planting. In
the meantime, you have set your
self up for an extra cutting for the
season.
Remember, if the first cutting
was removed at a very young stage
of maturity, the next cutting should
come into bloom in order to main
tain the vigor of the stand.
To Control
Prickly Redroot
Many farmers are experiencing
a preponderance of prickly red
roots in their pastures and sacrifice
lots.
According to Glenn Shirk,
extension dairy agent, one way to
control this pesky weed along
with some other bothersome
weeds such as thistles, horsenee-
Seminar, Penn Manor High
School Auditorium, 8 p.m.-lO
p.m. .
Clean and Green dropoff meeting,
Strasburg Municipal Building,
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lehigh Valley Horse Council
meeting, Alista B. Arabians,
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 Plastic Pesticide
Container Recycling Program,
(Turn to Pago A3O)
ties, buttercups, etc. is to apply
a herbicide such as Ally in late
spring to early summer.
Ally will also kill legumes.
However, the legumes may be re
established a year latter after the
weeds are under control and the
herbicide residue is gone.
As always, when applying pesti
cides, read the label and follow all
instructions including weeds and
crops the pesticide is labeled for,
withdrawal times, and personal
protective clothing required.
To Run
Productive Meetings
Every week I attend more meet
ings than I care to count. Many are
very productive while a few leave
something to be desired.
I have learned to keep meetings
productive. Organizers should
keep meetings on a fast track, leav
ing time for group interaction. This
helps to develop understanding
and builds support for what will
need to be done after the meeting is
over.
Some ideas on how to get more
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SBSILS
THE REAL REASON WE
DON'T SHARE
May 21, 1995
The Real Reason
We Don’t Share
May 21. 1995
Background Scripture:
II Corinthians 8 through 9
Devotional Reading:
Matthew 25,:31-41
I have frequently deluded my
self that I would be happy to share
more with others if I had more. It
is a harmless exercise because
there is not the remotest chance of
such a windfall. So, satisfied that I
would foe heroically generous, I
get a lot of satisfaction over what I
would do if circumstances were to
change.
But then Paul persuades me that
abundance of giving is not tied to
the abundance of having. He
points to the Macedonians, “for in
a severe test of affliction their
abundance of joy and their
extreme poverty have overflowed
in a wealth of liberality on their
part.” The Macedonians could
have claimed exemption from the
collection: they were poor and in
affliction. Nevertheless, they
managed “a wealth of liberality”
that overflowed. Not only did they
give generously, but they had
begged Paul “earnestly for the
favor of taking part in the relief of
the saints” (8:4).
So their exemplary example
was not in their means, but in
themselves. Their concern for
others flowed out of their “abun
dance of joy” that prevailed
despite their circumstances. Their
situation did not have to change
before they could be generous.
And neither does ours!
First, Themselves
So, if we are not limited by our
means, why are we not more
generous? First, we do not giv,e of
our means because we do not actu
ally commit ourselves to Christ
We tend to forget that basically,
what Christ wants of us is not vot
es of memberships, but disciple
ship, living as he did. “First they
gave themselves...”
The second reason is that we
don’t really have faith in God. The
failure to share is really a failure to
trust in God. We do not share
more, because we believe we do
not have enough to share. That is
done per meeting minute:
• Prepare a written agenda. Dis
tributing an agenda in advance
gives people time to prepare for the
meeting. Also, an agenda helps
you set a time table for the
meeting.
• Follow the agenda. Check off
the items as they are completed.
Note comments and ideas.
• Start and stop on time. Starting
on time is a simple courtesy to
those who are punctual. It also
gives full amount of time to the
agenda. Finishing on time takes
discipline. An agenda and firm
ending dme keeps the meeting
moving and productive.
• Discourage repetition of com
ments. Reach consensus and move
on to another point
• Generate clear outcomes and
assignments. At the end of the
meeting, review tasks identified by
the group and make assignments to
people to work on these tasks.
Feather Prof.’s Footnote: "Do
not wait for extraordinary oppor
tunities. Seize common occasions
and make them great."
really a denial of what God has
already done for us. The Macedo
nians had comparatively little, but
they rejoiced over what they did
have, an “abundance of joy.” By
comparison, the Corinthians had
considerably more, but failing to
recognize and appreciate their
abundance, they didn’t have the
joy.
Joy is what God provides for us
makes all the difference in the
quality of our lives. A study of
Japanese men with cancer found
that those who were thankful for
the time they had left had better
chances for survival than those
disturbed over the time that was
gone. To accept God’s gifts with
out thankful joy is the greatest
poverty of all.
Enough and Mpre
Holding back in sharing also
means that we don’t trust God to
provide for us. Giving, says Paul,
is accompanied by a promise;
“And God is able to provide you
with every blessing in abundance,
so that you may always have
enough of everything and may
provide in abundance for every
good work” (9:8). Although
nagged by the fear that we won’t
have enough, he assures us; “He
who supplies seed to the sower
and bread for food will supply and
multiply your resources...” (9:10).
If we believe this promise, how
can we not share with those in
need? We don’t have to wait for
better circumstances. We can give
generously now and trust God to
supply us with that we need.
That’s the key: do I trust God to
keep his promise? The answer is
not a “yes” or “no” but a generous
response to someone in need. And
what about you? Do you trust God
enough to go out on a limb for
others? Yes, there is a risk in all
this. “He who sows sparingly will
also reap sparingly and he who
sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully” (9:6). Trust in God
enables us to give generously and
also reap bountifully. What we get
in the long run is not restricted to
what we keep for ourselves, but
what we share with others.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
IE. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stalnman Entarpriao
Robert a Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newewanoer MeneobiQ EJttor
Copyright 10S6 by Lancaster Faming