AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 1, 1997 OPINION Homestead Exemption: Vote On Tuesday In the primary election this coming week, November 4, far mers have a real reason to vote. The stage is set for property tax reform, which is of special significance to farmers who have a great part of their equity tied up in their farmstead. The Homestead Exemption will appear on Pennsylvania bal lots as “Joint Resolution 1997-1,” and according to Guy Donald son, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, property tax reform will be a dead issue for a long time to come if this resolu tion is turned down. If passed, it will amend the state constitution to permit enact ment of legislation exempting a portion of a home’s assessed property value from taxation. It would pave the way for town ships, boroughs and cities, school districts, and counties, to reduce taxes on residential property. The exemption would not change a home’s market value. For farmers, passage of the Homestead Exemption is especial ly critical. It has been documented that farmers pay a dispropor tionate share of property taxes because of the land and buildings needed to operate their businesses. To make matters worse, prop erty taxes keep increasing. They shot up an average of 108 per cent in Pennsylvania from 1984 to 1994. While the proposed exemption would apply only to a taxpayer’s home, we strongly believe it should be and will be expanded by the General Assemb ly to include buildings on the home farm. That would bring a large measure of tax relief to farmers. If you want to see the opportunity for your property taxes to be lowered, you will need to go to the polls on Tuesday and vote. Without a “yes” vote, tax reform in Pennsylvania cannot begin. The issue is now up to you. Identifying Trees In Winter Work shop, Pa. College of Technolo gy Earth Science Center, Mont gomery, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Estate Planning Workshop For Farmers, Back Mountain Reg ional Land Trust, Shavertown, Logs to Lumber Workshop, Scaun Wayne County Cooperative Extension Meeting, Joey C’s, Meadville. Dairy-MAP Consultant Work shop, Leola Family Restaurant, Leola, 10a.m.-4p.m..alsoNov. 24. Wednesday. N<n ember 5 Dairy Practices Council 1997 Annual Conference, Harrisburg East Holiday Inn, thru Nov. 7. Farm Construction and Facilities Symposium, Rockingham County Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Annual Meeting of Pa. Assocation of County Agricultural Agents, Atherton, State College. Md. and Va. Milk Producers Cooperative local district meet- Sheraton Berkshire, 6 p.m. Bradford County Cooperative Extension meeting. East Smith field Fire Hall. 7:45 p.m, S' i * S ❖ Farm Calendars Lancaster Farmland Trust Ban quet, Country Table Restaur ant, Mount Joy, 6:30 p.m. Wayne County Holstein Annual Meeting, Belmont Comers Fire Hall. Belmont, 7:45 p.m. (Turn to Pago A3S) Editor: I recently read an article in the October 11, 1997 issue of your paper, written by Joyce Bupp. The article pertained to the “Steam-O- Rama” show held near Windsor, Pa. The lady stated that the “Shep pard” diesel tractor was the only one ever manufactured in York county. To start with, only about half of the tractor was actually built by Sheppard, mainly the engine, frame and maybe the steering mechanism. Other com ponents were bought from compa nies located outside of York coun ty. In the past the following com panies built their entire tractor in York county: C.H.A. Dissinger & Bros. Co., Wrightsvillc, Pa.; A.B. Farquhar Co., York, Pa.; Flin chbaugh Mfg. Co., York, Pa.; Henry, Millard & Henry Co., York, Pa. The readers of your fine paper are entitled to accurate informa- To Check Corn Harvest- Reducing harvesting losses is one sure way to improve profits, according to Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension Agronomy Agent Experts agree that no matter how well the com bine is adjusted or operated, field losses will occur An acceptable loss is consid ered to be three per cent An aver age of 5 kernels per square foot with a 120 bushel per acre yield or 8 kernels per square foot with a 175 bushel per acre yield would be equal to a three per cent field loss. On average, 1 5 kernels per square foot is equal to one bushel per acre loss Take a walk through your fields now and determine what the average kernels per square foot is This should be done across the en tire width of one combine pass at several locations in the field Then determine the reason for the losses and make corrections for next year y. X. Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension Agronomy Agent, reminds us mice and other rodents take a heavy toll on com stored as ear corn in wooden and metal corn cribs The corn crib provides an ideal habitat for these rodents It pro vides sheltered nesting areas out of the cold winter weather along with an endless food supply. The con trol of mice and rats under these conditions is very difficult How- ❖ Farm Forum ♦ tion. By doing some research by the writer, this mistake would have been averted. I would hope that sometime soon, that you would publish a corrected article. I would appreciate a letter some time from your office. The writer also failed to men tion original toy “Sheppard” Diesel tractors which were on dis play. I showed one of my own, which was purchased at the Pen nsylvania Farm Show in 1949 or SO. It is in almost original condi tion and is quite valuable. I look forward to reading your paper which represents a lot of work. Oscar Streaker, Jr. Sykesvillc, Md. P.S. The source of my information concerning the tractor manufac turers is the “Encyclopedia of American Farm Tractors” by C.H. Wcndel. *l*l ing Losses To Control Rodents ever, there are several things you can do to help keep rodent popula tions down First, traps may be used to monitor the extent of the prob lem Trapping alone will do little to eliminate the problem Second, screening where ever possible to exclude rodents will also help to keep numbers m con trol. When a severe problems ex ists. the commercial use of track ing powder has been the most ef fective means of eradication. Make sure you read and follow all the label directions when using pesti cides To Care For Older Horses If you own older horses, make sure they are in good physical condition before winter sets in, according to Chester Hughes, Lancaster County Extension Live stock Agent Older horses are not efficient as they once were in di gesting food During cold weather, these horses need extra energy to WHAT, ME CELEBRATE? November 2, 1997 WHAT, ME CELEBRATE? November 2, 1997 Background Scripture: Ezra 6 Devotional Reading: Psalms 126:1-6 I truly regret that, with all that I have learned about following Je sus Christ over these many years, I have still not learned to celebrate as much or as deeply as is justified by God’s providence and neces sary for my own well-being. I’m learning, but it is not easy for me. I understand the reasons for my difficulty in learning to celebrate. In my childhood and youth, the concept of “celebration’’ was rare ly, if ever, mentioned in con nection with worship. Worship tended to be somber and serious. Even if we sang celebratory hymns, we often managed to sing them with as little joy as possible. Somehow or other I got the idea that sobriety was worshipful; joy was not no matter what the Bible said. I was also raised in a culture where people practiced a tight control over their emotions, parti cularly the most positive ones. I hope I am not unfairly depicting the Pennsylvania “Dutch” (Ger mans) as essentially somber peo ple. It was as if they permitted themselves too much joy, life would come and snatch it away. A hearty laugh seemed an invitation to disaster. EXCESS/OVERCONTROL Later, when I saw some people give themselves over to abandon during their services, I was utterly frightened and revolted. I remem ber hearing people speak of these people as “getting happy” and the' suggestion was that we couldn’t have that. Their emotional excess es seemed to justify my emotional overcontrol. All of this talk about my strug gle with celebration is for the pur pose of encouraging you to take a good look at your own life. Is joy ous celebration a part of your spir ituality? If so. good for you! And, if not or if not and much as you keep warm. So, have them gam weight and get in good condition before winter. A horse is in good condition when you cannot see its ribs and have to apply slight pressure to feel the ribs as you move your hand over them. Older horses need high quality soft hay Legume hays are better than grass hays because they pro vide more energy, protein, vita mins and minerals. If your older horse is not in good condition feed it three to six pounds of gram or commercial feed daily. If the horse is too thin, yon may need to feed it greater amounts If you feed more than six pounds of gram, feed twice a day A pellet feed may help if the horse has a chewing problem A vitamin and mineral supplement also may help an aged horse Feather Prof, 's Footnote "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your mind off your goals." think it ought to be, then why not; And that brings me to another reason why some of us do not celebrate very much in our Chris tian discipleship. Lack of celebra tion, I have come to believe, is the result of a wrong focus of our spiritual consciousness. When we focus on ourselves exclusively, we cannot help but become som ber in the light of our failures, sins, disappointments and ob stacles. But, when we spend a suf ficient amount of our attention, not on our problems but God’s graces what God is doing in and around us we cannot help but celebrate. I would celebrate more often and more deeply if I concentrated less on my own needs and wants and more on the love and mercy of God. How about you? TIME TO CELEBRATE The exiled people of Judah had a terrible experience. Carried far away from their homeland, their monarchy destroyed and their temple in ruins, the people were aliens in a strange land. One could understand if the predominant key of their religion had become a somber one. But, now the temple was rebuilt; everything had come together to fulfill the prophecies that had seemed so fanciful. It was a time for a celebration and the celebration needed to be no less deep and wide as the sorrow had been. “And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, cele brated the dedication of the house of God with joy” (6:16). The time of sad songs and desperate prayers was over. Even their observance of the Passover was a celebration. “And they kept the feast of un leavened bread seven days with joy; for the Lord had made them joyful ~ .” (6:22). Life is an experience of both the solemn and the joyful. Like every thing else, our spiritual lives and particularly our worship must strike a healthy balance. For me, that means taking more time to celebrate. And you? Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St Ephrata, PA 17522 -by- Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Stemman Enterprise Robert G. Campbell General Manager Everett R. Newswanger Managing Edltoi Copyright 1997 by Lancaster Farming
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers