Farm*Bureau Applauds Land Rights Decision
WASHINGTON, D.C. The
American Farm Bureau Federa
tion recently hailed a Supreme
Court decision stating that land
owners are entitled to seek com
pensation when they are forbid
den by government from
realizing their property’s full eco
nomic potential.
“The court’s decision is a con
siderable victory for landowners
and the fight many have been
forced to wage against govern
ment attempts to block landown
er takings claims,” said Ameri
can Farm Bureau Federation
President Bob Stallman. “The
court weakened troublesome
obstacles to landowner takings
claims and expressed dissatisfac
tion with existing rules that hin
der ‘partial takings’ claims.”
AFBF and the Rhode Island
Farm Bureau filed an amicus
brief supporting landowner An
thony Palazzolo who was pre
vented from developing land by
the state’s Coastal Resources
Management Council. Palazzolo
bought 18 acres in 1959, with the
long-term plan to build 74 homes.
In 1978, Palazzolo changed title
USDA Announces $5.7 Million In Business Development Grants
WASHINGTON, D.C. On
Tuesday-the USDA announced
48 applications, totaling $5.7 mil
lion, have been selected as final
ists for rural business grant fund
ing consideration.
The funds will be used to fa
cilitate the development of small
and emerging private business
enterprises and provide technical
assistance, training, and planning
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of his land from his single share
holder corporation to himself in
dividually.
Despite several attempts to sat
isfy the council’s rulings, the
state repeatedly rejected Palazzo
lo’s amended plans for more than
four decades. When he ultimately
sought compensation for his loss,
the state court rejected his claim,
citing the change of title, and
claiming his property had not
WARSAW, Poland Russia is
teetering on the brink of a large-scale
potato crisis ignited by the same vir
ulent, fungal-like pathogen, Phytoph
thora infestans, more commonly
called late blight, that was responsi
ble for the 19th century Irish potato
famine.
But there is hope in the form of a
blight-resistant potato variety, New
York 121, which Cornell University
scientists have provided to Russia for
testing in the hopes of preventing
activities for economic develop
ment in 24 states.
The applicants selected repre
sent 47 public bodies, private
nonprofit corporations and feder
ally recognized Indian tribes who
will use the funds to assist some
of America’s more distressed
rural areas. Distressed areas
identified include federally desig-
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lost its entire value.
“Rejecting this landowner’s
best efforts to comply with the
coastal council’s changing de
mands clearly devalued the prop
erty,” said Stallman. “The coun
cil’s action effectively limited the
use of the bulk of the land solely
to a public wildlife refuge, with
out file public bearing any ex
pense.
“Farm Bureau was also ex
food shortages. Cornell’s CEEM pro
gram is the only non-Russian group
actively trying to resolve the Russian
potato problems.
Annually, Russia loses 4 million
tons of potato, more than 10 percent
of total production, because of late
blight. Virulent strains of the patho
gen are now spreading to important
potato-producing areas in Russia
and to central and eastern Europe.
The late blight threat is still very
important and even critical in some
nated rural Enterprise Commu
nities and Empowerment Zones
(EC/EZ), Rural Economic Area
Partnership (REAP) zones, and
Native American Tribes and trib
al organizations.
Grant funding has been made
available through the Rural Busi
ness Enterprise Grant (RBEG)
and Rural Business Opportuni
ties Grant (RBOG) programs.
tremely troubled by the state’s
rules changes due to a ‘paper
change’ in ownership. Such ac
tions occur frequently when farm
families transfer land ownership
to assure that their land stays in
farming and under their family’s
control. The Supreme Court re
jected the state court’s ruling that
would have deprived heirs and
successors of any right to file a
compensation claim.”
regions, said Alexei V. Filippov, of
the All Russian Institute of Phytopa
thology, addressing a group of 58 in
ternational agricultural researchers
from 12 countries at the Collabora
tive Research on Potato Late Blight
workshop in Poland.
The scientists meeting in Warsaw
said that New York 121 is not a sil
ver bullet to solve all of Russia’s agri
cultural woes, but is a small, early
step toward sustainability and mod
ernization of a system that has long
been at the mercy of pestilence.
which are administered by the
Rural Business-Cooperative
Service, an agency within USDA
Rural Development.
The 24 states and their funding
levels include Alaska, $70,000;
Arkansas, $390,810; California,
$621,974; Georgia, $85,190; Flori
da, $327,863; Idaho, $85,000; Illi
nois, $252,100; Kentucky,
$375,000; Maine, $148,180; Mis
sissippi, $336,500; Missouri,
$253,655; Montana, $113,000;
New Mexico, $97,300; North Car
olina, $300,000; North Dakota,
$50,000; Oklahoma, $146,900;
Oregon, $80,000; South Carolina,
$578,500; South Dakota,
$113,600; Tennessee, $36,000;
West Virginia, $90,000; Washing
ton, $430,988; Wisconsin,
$694,910; and Vermont, $25,909.
USDA serves as the lead feder
al entity for rural development
needs and administers program
assistance through three agen
cies: Rural Housing Service,
Rural Business-Cooperative
Service, and Rural Utilities Serv
ice.
Historic Schaefferstown 1
llth Annual
Antique & Classic Tractor Show
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9:00-ll'30 Acquaintance Time " I
12 Noon Parade Saturday, July 14
1:00-3:00 Tractor Contests 9.00-11-30 Tractor Contests
3:00-5:00 Weigh-in 12 Noon Parade and Award Presentations
4:00 Tractor Pull 1:00 Kids Pedal Tractor Pull (For Candy)
—\ 1:30 Miscellaneous Tractor Activities
\ Special Entertainment Q^Ndpc,
\ Saturday 2:00 p.m. (On Stage)
3 Music: The Holt Twins and Family op ENsat £
—"Featuring Special Antique Instruments 2:00 PMro!i. f>OAY
Storytelling: Lewis Everlme 00 p m
Food Stand Open Both Days
Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 'till ??? Saturday; 8:00 a.m.-3:00 pm.
Admission $3.00 Children under 12 admitted free
\ Alexander Schaeffer Farm: Route 501 - South
of Red Light in Schaefferstown
For More Information
Call 717-866-2618 or 717-866-2055 or 717-949-2444 -
f ss>
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171
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mt
While the court remanded the
case back to Rhode Island to de
termine whether there was a det
rimental economic impact on
Palazzolo’s investment potential,
Stallman said the organization
will continue to monitor the case
and support Palazzolo’s right to
fair compensation.
“Farm Bureau members hope
the Rhode Island courts award a
fair compensation to Mr. Palazol
lo, taking into account the four
decades of expenses and frustra
tions he has endured in attempt
ing to follow the council’s proce
dures,” Stallman said.
“When government restricts
the use of private property to cre
ate a public benefit, then the
landowner should be compensat
ed.”
The court also ruled in Palaz
zolo’s favor merely by consid
ering the case because the state
claimed he should have pursued
other procedural options before
litigation was necessary. Accord
ing to Stallman, the council’s
constant delaying tactics resulted
prevented the property owner
from achieving his land’s full
economic potential.
More information on USDA
Rural Development can be ob
tained by visillrig’USDA’s Web
site at http://
www.rurdev.usda.gov/. A list of
individual loan recipients being
considered for funding can be
found at http;//
www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/
newsroom/news.htm.
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