Pennsylvania Farm Bureau National Legislative Tour Set CAMP HILL (Cumberland Co.) —Pennsylvania farmers will be meeting with their congress men and U.S. senators to discuss the need for action on priority farm concerns during Pennsylva nia Farm Bureau’s Washington Tour, March 5 - 6. About 200 farmers will be tra veling from across the stale to par ticipate in the annual event The farmers, who are members of county farm bureau national legis lative committees, will be meeting face-to-face with their elected rep resentatives to express their con cerns. “We will be recommending Congressional action based on policies developed by the grass roots membership of our organiza tion,” said PFB President Guy Donaldson of Adams County. Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is an independent non-government al, voluntary organization which represents 26,625 farm and rural families in 54 county units. It is a part of the nation’s largest general farm organization, the 4.7-million member American Farm Bureau Federation. Among the top national issues concerning Farm Bureau mem bers are budget reform and tax re lief. Farm Bureau policy strongly supports a constitutional amend ment to balance the federal government and bring govern ment spending under control. An amendment passed the House last session but failed in the Senate by County Ass’n I tod Name I loward Wnshinglon Carroll Frederick Carroll. I Inward one vote. New legislation has been introduced and will be voted on soon in the House and Senate. Farm Bureau urges passage of the amendment which would ban de ficit spending unless three-fifths of the members of Congress vote otherwise. “Congress has not bal anced a federal budget on its own since 1969. Interest on the federal debt now consumes 20 percent of tax revenues money that could be better spent on essential government programs or for pro growth tax cuts,” said Donaldson. The current capital gains lax hurts agriculture and other busi nesses that rely on intensive in vestments in property and equip ment in order to operate. Most capital gains in agriculture are due to inflation. Farmland is held an average of over 28 years during which time the price level in the U.S. more than quadruples. As a result, farmers pay huge capital gains tax bills on inflationary rather than teal —increases in the value of their investments. Farm Bureau wants the 28 percent capi tal gains tax rate reduced to below 15 percent or, even better, elimin ated altogether. “A capital gains cut would spur economic growth and create jobs,” Donaldson said. Over 99 percent of all farms in the U.S. are family-operated. “Current estate taxes make it diffi cult to pass the family farm from one generation to the next,” Don aldson said. “Present laws often moil HERDS ECM BY BREED AYRSHIRE David & James Patrick Ralph W Shank Flint Mill Fann Vales-Pnde R-Lyn fann Edgewood Farms Inc force the sale of part of the family farm in order to pay the estate tax es.” Farm Bureau policy calls for increasing the estate tax exemp tion from the current $600,000 level to $2 million and indexing it for inflation. In calculating estate taxes, farmland should be as sessed at its agricultural, rather than its market value. “We also believe estate taxes should be de ferred until the farm is sold out side the family,” Donaldson said. Agriculture lias been accused of being the major culprit in the non point source pollution of rivers and streams. Since non-point pol lution doesn’t come from any place specific like a factory smokestack or a sewage plant pipe, it’s difficult to pinpoint its exact source. Other sources, such as stream bank erosion, runoff from urban development, storm water runoff or wildlife waste cannot be distinguished from agri cultural sources. “Farmers have already taken positive steps to re duce nonpoint source pollution,” Donaldson said. “Soil erosion rates have been-reduced by 24 per cent over the last 10 years.” Soil erosion on 36.5 million acres en rolled in the Conservation Reserve Program has been cut by 90 per cent As Congress moves to re write the Clean Water Act, Farm Bureau wants to make sure the new law includes better methods to determine the extent of differ Maryland DHIA (Continued from Page A2O) fil 7 *SX 6 10^ SM) ent sources of pollution, as well as accurate ways to evaluate the ef fectiveness of farm conservation practices. Future Clean Water pro grams should rely on voluntary cooperation rather than strict regu latory enforcement and should provide information, technical as sistance and adequate cost-sharing funds to help farmers implement conservation practices. The Clean Water Act also con tains the basis for wetlands regula tions which have been expanded far beyond the original intent of the 1972 law by regulatory agen cies and the courts. "The current wetlands policy has become a re strictive land-use policy affecting mostly private property owners,” said Donaldson. Congress has never defined "wetlands” in law. Federal agen cies have expanded, without pub lic input, the interpretation of what constitutes wetlands. They are now regulating many areas that never have water on the surface and, in fact, are dry. Farm Bureau wants Congress to take responsi bility for deciding the national Dublin Hills Swiss Frederick Carroll Garsllyn Brown Swiss Cecil Joy and 1 out Crothers K Sunt <k lud) Mood I redenck Credent k I ir Ihoine-B Montgomery Rndell C Be,ill & Sons Bells Delight t ami Carroll Dwayne & Minam Bell Frederick I rcy ricnnng & Basslcr Washington Carroll Ry.m Bell County Ass’n Mt Ararat Farms Cecil Keith Dixon Kent John & Win Schncb'ly Washington England Famis Inc Cecil William B Mcssix 111 Queen Anne’s Level Square Associates Queen Anne’s Dogwood Lane Farm Kent Anov.idale Guernsey s Frederick County Ass’n Herd Name Carroll Queen Acres Jerseys Washington Michael Forsythe Garrett Paul &, Naomi Peterslieim Frederick Gaywinds Farm Carroll Ash & Be.ir Kent P Thomas Mason Cecil I 01-Je So F.irm 2 Carroll Maryl.ind Sunset View Carroll Mayer's Sloncy Point Frederick J.mcssa Jerseys Lancaster Faming, Saturday, March 1, IM7-A2l Classified ads! L_PAY OFF! ,JJ lIICII HERDS K( M ItY 11RKH) KKOWN SWISS HIGH HERDS KCIM BY BREED GUERNSEY lIICII HERDS ECM BY BREED JERSEY wetlands policy. “Laws and regu lations governing wetlands should be written so that an average per son can recognize a wetland,” Donaldson said. A ban preventing die Occupa tional Safety and Health Adminis tration (OSHA) from issuing rules on workplace ergonomic injuries expired last October. “The Ergo nomic Protection Standard has re ceived little attention so far in farm circles,” said Donaldson, “But it could become the most costly regulation ever to hit agri culture.” As defined by OSHA, an ergonomic hazard is any activity that causes fatigue or discomfort in workers. “That could be almost any manual activity in farming.” Donaldson said, “Farmers will be forced to double their labor force to meet ergonomic requirements. Complaints of fatigue or sore muscles would be enough to trig ger OSHA enforcement.” Farm Bureau wants Congress to delay OSHA’s ergonomics rule until there is a scientific consensus on the cause and remedies for ergo nomic injuries. LCM o*> -> OS 7 OS (I S‘) 0 SO 0 h<LM SO 6 4S 4 UM (il ') M 4
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