ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
GAP (Lancaster Co.) At
last week’s farm estate transfer
workshop here, Tim Fritz, Penn
State farm management agent,
had this observation;
If the business fails, the “farm
will not survive,” he told about
74 farm landowners and estate
transfer industry representa
tives.
Fritz spoke at the Pennsylva
nia Farm Link Passing On the
Farm Workshop at the Gap
Diner, Gap.
Though reasons for a farm’s
failure can be many, farms still
struggling can benefit from the
experiences of others.
Fritz pointed out that in 1999,
40 percent of all farm income in
the U.S. was derived from gov
ernment programs. “We in He
East are not taking advantage of
that,” he said, for reasons that
vary from a “pride issue,” Fritz
said, to other concerns.
But in an era of a strong na
tional economy, a tight labor
supply, persistent drought,
cheap feed prices, and urban
pressures, it becomes “real
tough to compete in commodity
markets,” Fritz said.
If farmers don’t take advan
tage of niche marketing oppor
tunities, “we’re going to be
struggling,” said Fritz. Those
opportunities include organic
dairies (producers who are re
ceiving about $l9-$2O per hun
dredweight for milk) or growing
other commodities besides grain
and hay. A creative enough
mind, he said, will make it work.
Fritz emphasized goal
making over the short and long
term to ensure farm survivabil
ity. When it comes to farm
estate transfers, the same pro
cess applies. Plan and put it on
paper to see if it works.
“It’s cheaper to rip up paper
D Wemstock DVM
A major mission of the
Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic
Laboratory System is to certify
health and diagnose disease in
livestock. For small ruminants
such as sheep, goats and
camelids (llamas, vicunas and
alpacas) this means providing
diagnostic tests required for
health papers for sale, export or
exhibition. It can also mean
assisting in the diagnosis of dis
ease in a herd or flock that is
experiencing health problems
Dairy goat herds may be cer
tified and accredited as free of
brucellosis and tuberculosis.
Testing tor brucellosis requires
an accredited veterinarian to
collect and submit blood sam
ples. Testing animals for tuber
culosis requires intradermal
injection of a small amount of
tuberculin followed by evalua
tion of the site for a reaction at
48 hours after injection. While
not required, these tests are rec
ommended for commercial herds
selling milk or livestock.
Testing requirements for sale
or exhibition of sheep, goats and
camelids varies depending upon
the destination of the animals.
Each state, show or country has
its own rules. It is important to
Financial, Other Advisers
Can Help Transfer Farm
than concrete,” said Fritz. Every
generation proves how hard it is
to farm, though Fritz believes
that farmers can be great pro
duction people, he said, and
“great financial representa
tives.”
Gary Smith, executive direc
tor of the Chester County Devel
opment Council, reviewed some
ways to obtain loans for next
generation farmers.
Smith said the council pro
vides 45 different loan programs
to county businesses, and the
council wants to “bring into
play the farming industry,” he
said.
Farming is a $377 million in
dustry in Chester County, with
175,363 acres of farmland.
Other business generates about
$2 billion in the county. And
those other industries can obtain
tax-exempt financing so why
shouldn’t farms?
The Next Generation Farmer
Loan Program, Smith noted,
provides that opportunity. The
tax-exempt financing program
provides first-time farmers with
a way to purchase land, farm
equipment, farm buildings, and
breeding livestock.
Those eligible include new or
beginning farmers who are per
manent residents of Pennsylva
nia, at least 18 years old, with a
net worth less than $200,000.
The borrower must not have had
any prior ownership interest in a
substantial amount of land (19
acres maximum for either Ches
ter or Lancaster counties). Land
to be financed can include ag
land, ag improvements, depreci
able property, and purchase
from related persons. A maxi
mum of $250,000 per borrower
can be borrowed. (A maximum
of $62,500 per borrower is avail
able for used equipment).
The program applies to farm
Animal Health and Diagnostic Services for Small
Ruminants at the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic
Laboratory System
investigate the regulations will
in advance of movement of the
animals to allow time for test
ing. Submission of samples two
weeks in advance may be
required for tests that are not
routinely performed by the
Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic
Laboratory System and must be
sent to referral laboratories.
Serologic testing of blood
samples for the presence of anti
bodies to specific agents can be a
valuable tool for diagnosis of dis
ease Animals exposed to disease
causing agents usually develop
antibodies to the bacteria or
virus. Caprine Arthritis and
Encephalitis Virus in goats
causes enlarged joints in older
goats and paralysis and death in
young kids. Ovine Progressive
Pneumonia Virus in sheep can
cause severe pneumonia in older
sheep. Chlamydia and other
agents can cause abortion in
sheep. Chronic wasting from
Johne’s disease caused by
Mycobacterium paratuberculosis
is also a significant concern in
goats and sheep. Antibodies to
all these agents and others can
be detected in blood samples and
can aid in the diagnosis.
Other samples may also be
submitted. Fecal samples can be
ers throughout Pennsylvania,
which has about 19,973 farmers
age 55 or over, 10,136 farmers
age 65 and over, and only 5,469
farmers age 35 or under.
For more information about
the program, contact Smith at
(610)363-6110.
Communication is the key to
beginning a farm transfer.
Gerald Phillips, senior loan
officer with Keystone Farm
Credit, Quarryville branch, said
that he remembers as a child
watching his dad and grandfa
ther in the tobacco stripping
room. During the winter, they
would simply work on the to
bacco and “never a word was
said,” said Phillips. “They never
really talked about anything.”
Communication, said Phil
lips, can save a lot. It’s import
ant to communicate well with an
ag lender, because if there is a
failure to communicate the
proper information, “we’ll find
out if you did,’’ said Phillips.
“There arc ways.”
But the key is proper plan
ning and “don’t take any finan
cial move you aren’t’
comfortable with,” Phillips said.
“Delay decisions until the part
ners and spouse are comfortable
with it.”
And make time for leisure ac
tivities, because farming can
easily be a 24-hour, seven-day-a
week occupation.
Phillips said that Keystone
Farm Credit is combining with
the several regional associations
to form a combined association,
Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, with
headquarters in Westminster,
Md. The cooperative lender re
turns profits to the members,
and all borrowers are members.
The largest lending branch of
the federal government is the
Farm Service Agency (FSA),
providing farm ownership pro-
evaluated for the presence ot
parasites or pathogenic bacteria.
Milk may be cultured for bacte
ria in cases of mastitis. A fetus
with the accompanying placenta
is the best sample for diagnosis
of abortion. Whole animals may
be submitted for necropsy evalu
ation, especially when animals
are insured or when may ani
mals are dying. Tissue samples
may be submitted for microscop
ic evaluation, isolation of bacte
ria or viruses and testing for
toxic compounds Feed or other
substances may also be submit-
Direct Marketing Methods Are
Used by Southwestern PA Farmers
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co) -
Producers and beginning farmers
who would like to learn about direct
marketing methods used by south
western Pennsylvania farmers are
invited to attend a Pennsylvania Farm
Link-sponsored meeting at the
Cambria County Extension Office,
April 13 from 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Farmers will discuss how they
grams.
According to Richard Crouse,
the FSA makes and guarantees
loans to beginning farmers who
can’t qualify for conventional
loans because of insufficient net
worth or established farmers
who have suffered financial set
backs from natural disasters.
Working out of Lancaster
County, Crouse said that Lan
caster has more loans “than all
other counties combined,” he
said.
Turnaround time is about
three weeks for loan approval.
For new farmers, the chal
lenges are coming up with a
farm plan and establishing some
kind of record keeping. This is
all done to establish financial
credit integrity, he noted.
There are several require
ments for the loan program, in
cluding having soil conservation
and nutrient management
plans, adequate training in part
nership with Penn State Exten
sion Service, and other
requirements.
The program can no longer
refinance mortgage debt.
For more information, con
tact your local FSA.
Kevin Baer, coordinator of
the Chester County Agriculture
Land Preservation Program,
noted that established farmers
can provide the financing
needed for the younger genera
tion through farmland preserva
tion.
The program pays an amount
per acre, depending on several
factors, to buy development
rights.
To qualify, the farm must be
located in an agriculture secur
ity area consisting of 500 or
more acres; be contiguous acre
age of least 50 acres in size (or at
least 10 acres in size if it is used
for a crop unique to the area or
contiguous to a property that
ted for toxicology testing.
When animal health prob
lems occur, it is strongly recom
mended to work with a local vet
erinarian. The veterinarian
needs to evaluate animals, man
agement practices and the farm
set up in order to collect the
proper samples for submission.
The veterinarian is then essen
tial for interpretation of test
results and designing a treat
ment and prevention program
specific to the situation. Field
investigation veterinarians at
Penn State University and
have gained an economic advantage
m the marketplace by selling directly
to consumers.
Doyle Freeman of the Penn’s
Corner Alliance will explain how
they formed a marketing alliance that
cooperatively markets producers’
products at retail prices to chefs m the
Pittsburgh area. Selling through
farmer’s markets and community
has a perpetual conservation
easement in place); have at least
SO percent of the soils available
for ag production and of classes
I-IV; and contain the greater of
50 percent or 10 acres of har
vested cropland or grazing land.
The average price per acre in
the county, from 1990 until now,
was $3,900. Current average
price is $4,200 per acre (the cap,
already paid for an area east of
West Chester, was $lO,OOO per
acre).
There were 77 applicants in
1999, Baer said. Though still
processing, approval of 18 prop
erties was expected.
The first step toward preserv
ing farmland under the county’s
program is to enroll in the town
ship’s ag security area. Sept. 1
each year is the deadline for the
easement program application.
It takes 2-3 months to rank all
the farms, said Baer. Typically
the county receives from 65-70
applications.
Those who choose not to pre
serve can be setting up a dismal
future for farming.
“If we let it get away from us,
it’s gone,” said Suzanne Lam
born, a landowner who spoke at
the workshop.
She recently sold land devel
opment rights te her property,
and is selling the land to dairy
man Bryan and Patricia Huff,
Nottingham.
Selling development rights is
one tool to ensure that farming
can continue.
Bryan Huff also spoke at the
workshop. He said that he
sought out the expertise of all
the program speakers and their
organizations when entering the
business.
Huff said there are 155 acres
on the farm, with 105-110 till
able. He installed an addition to
the bam with 32 tiestalls. He
milks 72 head of Jerseys and is
beginning to graze his herd.
University of Pennsylvania are
available to work with local vet
erinarians and livestock owners
if requested.
The goal of the Pennsylvania
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory
System is to promote animal
health and support agriculture
in Pennsylvania. Please contact
one of the laboratories at the
Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture, Pennsylvania State
University or University of
Pennsylvania for more detailed
and complete information.
supported agriculture (CSA) groups
will be reviewed by Chris Wise and
John Flavmger.
Information on marketing trends
and tips for developing markets will
be included in the meeting. To com
plete the evening, Farm Link will
offer information on their services
and a preview of upcoming activities
and events.