El2-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 10, 1996 MATURE MANAGEMENT ISSUES NEED ATTENTION AND CARE Charles Abdalla Associate Professor Agricultural Economics In addition to the latest technol ogy and market trends, poultry producers must stay attuned to the changes occurring in communities in which they operate and live. Increasingly, being a viable and profitable business will depend on the acceptance of production prac tices by neighbors and local jurisdictions. A key potential area of conflict is manure management As prob lems encountered by egg produc ers over flies in several southeast ern Pennsylvania communities have demonstrated, such conflicts can be disruptive and costly both to the farming and non farming community. Efforts to head off such prob lems before they occur or address them in a direct manner when they do occur will help individual pro ducers as well as the Pennsylvania poultry industry as a whole. The rural landscape is chang ing. Mote people are moving into the state’s rural areas. Much of this population growth has taken place in counties that are leading producers of agricultural com modities. Agriculture is also changing, as producers specialize and increase the size of enterprises to remain profitable. This is parti cularly true in southeastern and southcentral Pennsylvania, where much of the intensive poultry and livestock production occurs near suburbs and urban centers. The proximity of people and Enjoy The Many Benefits of A FOND on YOUR PROPERTY Enhance your Pond with a POND FOUNTAIN Adds beauty Aerates Water Attracts Wildlife Helpful in reducing algae & pond scum. Also available: Colored lights, wiring, nozzles or fountain heads, Benseal to plug leaky ponds. We Also Install & Sell Pond Liners by the square yard Call for Details - € COCALICO EQUIP. co.^BHBDT FARM DRAINAGE & EXCAVATING \ C / 323 REINHOLDS RD., DENVER, PA 17517 Ph: 717-336-3808 \/ 717-738-3794 v F«x: 717-336-3809 • animals increases tensions and, in some cases, leads to intense con flict over certain aspects of mod em animal production. Debate usually centers on manure man agement issues such as water con tamination, offensive odors, and insects. However, the underlying “sense of unease” that some non farming residents have includes traffic and safety issues, demands on local services, and changes in the rural landscape that accompa nies a more industrialized agriculture. How change and conflict is handled affects the viability of agriculture in rural communities. Conflict can often catch local decision-makers off-guard. They may be unprepared to deal with the complex issues that can arise and be uncomfortable with the intensity of the exchanges. Deci sions to adopt “quick-fix” ordi nances under the strain of healed conflict may yield results that no one wants or that are simply unworkable. Conflicts over manure and related problems from animal agriculture can have significant costs. Penn State Entomologist Charlie Pitts and I have worked in communities where excessive fly hatches have occurred near laying houses. We found that neighbors and local leaders spend much effort trying to investigate a prob lem’s causes and solutions, in addition to the inconvenience and costs to deal with the pests themselves. Since nuisance issues are not any one agency’s responsibility, residents become frustrated when help is inadequate. Angry and frustrated citizens are likely to - Increased Property Value - Fire Protection - Livestock Watering - Recreation/Conservation • Irrigation mount a campaign against the facility that is die “presumed” source of the problem. If civil liti gation occurs, legal expenses may be significant and local people will lose control over the outcome. Finally, conflicts can disrupt community relationships. Dis agreements can pit farmer against farmer and neighbor against neighbor. The tom social fabric of a community may never be fully repaired. One way to reduce or avoid conflict is for farmers and non farmers to take action before con flicts develop. From a poultry pro ducer’s standpoint, a proactive approach might involve greater attention and care to management and disposal of manure (with the help pf extension specialists and county agents) to reduce fly or other problems. In addition, pro ducers might locate new facilities with greater consideration of where residential growth in their community has or will occur. An essential ingredient to a proactive approach is a willing ness to take steps to keep and build relations with neighbors and the community as it changes. Another Penn State agricultural economist, Tim Kelsey, and I asked 36 farmers who were active in building good neighbor rela tions what advice they would offer to others. The responses included “get to know your neighbors,” “be a good neighbor yourself,” “just use common sense (when decid ing when to spread manure),” “make your farm attractive,” “you don’t solve anything by being hard or arrogant," and “be active in your community.” (A copy of ABOVEGROUND AND UNDERGROUND TANKS FROM 185 TO 50,000 GALLON CAPACITY STANDARD BASEMENT OIL STORAGE TANKS Approx. . 275 HOWARD E. GROFF CO. Art Additional 1% DISCOUNT Is Cash Money or Certified Check the publication based on inter views with these farmers, “Good Neighbor Relations: Advice And Tips From Other Fanners.” will be available from county extension offices in September.) When conflicts arise, the issues may be addressed in ways that reduce the risk of dividing the community. Penn State Coopera tive Extension offers assistance in helping to resolve conflict over agriculture, land use, and natural resources issues. One particularly useful method of working through conflict is called the collaborative conflict resolution approach. It is based on the notion that all parties involved in the conflict, meeting in a respectful and open environment, often can develop new and mutu ally acceptable ways of resolving a conflict By working together, not just finger pointing, new ideas and ways of dealing with the prob lem can be generated. Developing the trust needed to work together is an initial crucial step. This approach offers the potential for greater understand ing between farmers and non farmers and the promise of finding new solutions that satisfy every one’s interest. It requires honest communication among the con cerned groups and a willingness to look at things in new ways. The collaborative approach to resolving community conflicts has been used to address several con flicts related to animal agriculture. So far results have been good, especially for improving commu nication among producers and concerned residents and helping the concerned parties arrive at a TOUGHTANK BASEMENT OIL STORAGE TANKS Approx. “LIGHT DUTY” SKID TANKS ALSO AVAILABLE: • Double Wall “Light Duty” Skid Tanks • Double Wall Fireguard™ Tanks • Petro-Hoppers • Dike Tanks Fuel Oil, and Gasoline 111 E. State Street, Quarryville, PA 17566 Phone: 717-786-2166 or 800-717-2166 offered if paid by 27"x44y< *x6o* 275 Mon.-Fri. 8 AM - i PM more accurate and thorough defin ition of the problem. For example, Penn State Cooperative Extension has helped to organize a problem-solving committee made up of local lead ers, producers, and residents in Codorus Township (York Coun ty), to identify and clarify con cerns and work toward common goals. In order to better under stand concerns about fly problems that prompted an ordinance last year, the group is studying the nature of disposal of manure from laying houses on farm fields and the location of any fly problems. Extension is helping the group monitor fly traps that will measure the areas of higfißM fly popula tions. The results of the fly moni toring should lead to greater agreement about the source of the problem. This improved problem definition should allow technical resources and expertise to be mere closely targeted to appropriate sol utions for producers with'ftanure management problems. The infor mation should also help local offi cials to resolve the issues and make mote informed choices and tradeoffs. For more information about Penn State Cooperative Exten sion’s efforts in educating about agricultural, natural resources, and land use conflicts, contact me at 112 Armsby Building, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, (814) 86S-2562. * 6186.00 Hor.
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