Vanishing Acres: (Continued from Pag* A 24) property come from nearby Allen town and Philadelphia. His proper ty is conveniently located for resi dents who want to commute from the big-city jobs and high-paying businesses in the northern and western suburbs of Philadelphia. Seipt has difficulty moving his equipment during the day because of the high amount of residential traffic. Freddy-Hills Farms is within 35 minutes of Philadelphia’s Interna tional Airport, within easy access Joe Stahl admits that the fly issue is the ‘greatest challenge 1 for farmers . of the Blue Route and the state turnpike. However, Seipt has learned to live with and profit from the amount of residents by con structing an entertainment com plex on his farm, which includes two miniature golf courses and batting cages. (More about Seipt later on in the series.) b) 1956, Jacob Stahl and family moved to the farm once owned by Ira Landis, Stahl’s father-in-law. Stahl said that prior to the Landis Leon Ressler, Lancaster County ag envi ronment agent, considers the Fritz farm a ‘classic example of urban pressure against the farm . ‘lt doesn*t get any worse than that* otitis mt-TH KICK ROHRER BRAND SOYBEANS • True line variety which matures similar to Williams 82 but has more yield punch. • Very good emerger that gets off to a fast start • Good standability • Tolerance to phytophthora root rot • Is superior under stress conditions type that grows to a good height. High yielding pure line variety in the early group IV maturity class Rohrer 4010 is a medium bush type soybean grows to medium height, and has excellent standability Has very good disease resistance Goes well in either drilled or wide rows. Surrounded By Development, Homes Retirement Community development which borders his farm, there was concern the retire ment community was “too far out inthecountry,’’ said Jacob. A rela tive told him, “the farm is too far way, there is no bus service, people won’t want to come out here. Now lode where we’re at—we’re right against the development” Within the past six years, two large developments have taken up most of the space on the farm’s western edge. On the eastern edge of the farm, the Landis Homes Retirement Community was built up. There are housing develop ments on the western edge of the Stahl farm. For Tim Fritz, “easy access" has defined the hundreds of houses that have sprouted up in the deve lopments just off Lincoln High way. It is this “easy access" to several department stores, includ ing a Wal-Mart now under con struction about a mile from the farm, that has appealed to the TOWN AND COUNTRY POURED WALLS • Manure Pits sTU • Retaining Walls vjft • House Basements • • Trench Silo Walls (215) 593-5794 Ask For Ike Cash Discount Savings on Delivery For your convenience calls received Mon.-Sat. until 9:00 pm 1-800-724-3277 Serving PA, MD, Delmarva A NJ ihs ■oot lant ly pi <1 Leon Ressler, ag environmental agent, considers the Fritz farm, pictured here, a “classic example of urban pressure against the farm.” Notice how close new housing Is, on left, to bum buildings. “It doesn’t get any worse than that,” said Ressler. homeowners. A plethora of fast food restaurants, convenience stores, car dealerships, and enter tainment complexes are within a half mile of the farm. But the close proximity of houses, some within only 100 feet of manure windrows, creates spe cial challenges for Fritz. Leon Ressler, Lancaster County ag environment agent, considers Farmers Face Tough Decisions * } vV '* ■i <v *• * *. * * V the Fritz farm a “classic example of urban pressure against the farm. “It doesn’t get any worse than that,’’ said Ressler. “But there are plenty more fanners that have to deal with development right next to their fields.’’ For Fred Selpt, co-owner of Freddy-Hill Farms in Land sdale, the residents who surround his property come from nearby Allentown and Philadelphia. His property Is conve niently located for residents who want to commute from the big-city Jobs and high-paying businesses in the northern and western suburbs of Philadelphia. Fairs Attract Millions ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Lewis R. Riley has announced that during 1994, more than 2.1 million peo ple attended Maryland’s county fairs, the Maryland State Fair, community shows, and r. wide variety of animal agricultural shows. “We are now coming into our heavy fair and show season for 1995. Once again, wc can expect more than two million people to come to these events and learn about agriculture while they are having fun. The recent Dclmarva Chicken Festival in Federalsburg, Md., was extremely successful, and I expect the county fairs held across the state will continue to be UmcMfcr Farming, Saturday, July 15, II&A2S v '' :r ,v *>4 . - ' : '•<''* ' U * *■ 4 *•* V' * Md. Agriculture Editor's Note: In part two of the series, Lancaster Fanning examines steadily growing urban/rural problems. Also, what are the special challenges —and fascinating ways farmers have learned to adapt—to living close to development? extremely popular. All of these events are tremendous opportuni ties for our state’s agricultural industry to meet and talk to its customers,” Riley said. During 1994, some 58,000 exhibitors participated in these fairs with more than 155,000 exhi bits. The Maryland Agricultural Fair Board, working through the Maryland Department of Agricul ture, supports these shows and each year produces a comprehen sive fair and show schedule. The 1995 Fair and Show Schedule may be obtained from the Mary land Department of Agriculture, Marketing Services, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401., (410) 841-5770. V-Vv .•
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers