Agricultural Survey Under Way In Chester County
EXTON (Chester Co.) Agri
cultural landowners throughout
Chester County have received
survey forms from the Chester
County Development Council
and the Chester County 2020
Trust that will provide valuable
information on the business of
agriculture in the county and
offer insights in ways to promote
farming as an economic industry
in the county.
“This survey is vital for the fu
ture of agriculture in Chester
County, one of our most impor
tant industries,” Gary Smith, ex
ecutive director of the Chester
County Development Council,
said. “We’re urging everyone
who receives this survey to fill it
out and return it.”
Chester County and many
other areas in the region are los
ing valuable agricultural land to
office parks, residential develop
ments and shopping centers. The
loss is keenly felt among tradi
tional dairy, hay and livestock
farmers as increasing operation
costs and falling commodity
prices are forcing farmers out of
business and off their land.
“Many county residents per
ceive this change only as a loss of
open space and rural vistas,”
David Davis, president of the
Chester County 2020 Trust said,
“There is also a significant eco
nomic loss. Farming in Chester
County is a significant economi
cally valuable industry. We need
to understand more about the
economics of the county’s farm
ing.”
The Development Council and
2020 Trust have joined together
to complete a comprehensive
study of agricultural in Chester
County. Funding for the study
was provided by the Develop
ment Council, the 2020 Trust
and Commonwealth money se
cured by Pennsylvania Senator
James Gerlach of Chester Coun
ty.
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The project’s goals are to iden
tify public policies and economic
policies that can help recognize,
measure and promote economi
cally viable agriculture in Chester
County. Also, the study should
identify ways to build on the land
preservation programs of public
and private organizations that al
ready exist in the county. Anoth
er goal is to identify those public
and private agencies, trade or
ganizations and other groups
who can champion innovative
projects and programs.
In Chester County, more than
36 percent of the county’s total
acreage is active farming (more
than 176,000 acres). There are
approximately 1,750 farms, aver
aging about 101 acres, including
350 commercial dairy farms.
More than 35 percent of the
county’s farm acreage is in crop
production. Because of fertile
soil, favorable climate, and ad
vanced farming practices, Chest
er County ranks #1 in Pennsylva
nia in crop yield. Chester County
also ranks #1 in cash receipts for
the sale of agricultural crops and
#2 in cash receipts from the sale
of livestock and livestock prod
ucts.
The project has been divided
into thee phases. The first is the
data gathering, the second is
drafting policy and the final
phase is the public briefings and
presentations to create concrete
projects and programs that stake
holders in the agriculture com
munity can participate.
Gene Bazan, a consultant from
State College, is coordinating the
program, which has been en
dorsed by the Chester-Delaware
County Farm Bureau, The
Chester County Agriculture De
velopment Council and The
Chester County Agriculture
Lands Preservation Board. Mem
bers of the Agricultural Advisory
Board of the project include:
Kevin M. Baer, program coordi
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nator, Chester County Agricul
tural Development Council and
Chester County Agricultural
Land Preservation Board; Diana
C. Hoopes, program assistant,
and Chester County Agricultural
Development Council and Chest
er County Agricultural Land
Preservation Board; Scott Mcln
tyre of LF Lambert Spawn Com
Dairy Groups Ask For Hearing
CLEVELAND, Ohio Conti
nental Daily Products, Inc.,
Dairy Farmers of America, Mich
igan Milk Producers Association,
and Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc.
have requested that the USDA
hold an emergency public hear
ing to consider proposals to
amend the pool plant and pro
ducer milk provisions and the
method of calculating partial
payments in the Mideast Milk
Marketing Order.
Interested parties may obtain a
copy of the proposals from the
market administrator’s Office at
the following address: Market
Administrator, P.O. Box 30128,
Cleveland, OH 44130, Telephone
(440) 826-3220.
These proposals have not yet
been approved for inclusion in a
Notice of Hearing. Before decid
ing whether a hearing should be
conducted to consider amending
the Mideast Order, the Depart
ment is providing interested par
ties an opportunities to submit
additional proposals.
The proposals should be
mailed by Aug. 10 to: Deputy
Administrator, USDA/AMS/
Dairy Programs, Room 2968-S,
P.O. Box 96456, Washington,
D.C. 20090-6456.
Each proposal should be ac
companied by a brief but compre
hensive statement on the need to
amend the Mideast Order. The
statements will be used in decid
ing what proposal should be con-
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pany of CoatesviUe; Sam Cantrell
of Maysie’s Farm Conservation
Center: David Davis, president of
the Chester County 2020 Trust
and chair of the Agriculture
Study Advisory Board, Peter
Hausmann of Terramics Proper
ty Company; Joyce Hershey,
chair of the Agricultural Devel
opment Committee; Dr. Henry
Jordan of Claneil Enterprises;
sidered if a hearing to amend the
order is to be conducted.
If a hearing is called to consid
er requests to amend the provi
sions of the Mideast Order, only
those proposals included in the
hearing notice will be heard.
However, appropriate modifica
tions of the proposals included in
the hearing notice may be consid
ered at the hearing.
Actions under the federal milk
order program are subject to the
“Regulatory Flexibility Act.”
This Act seeks to ensure that,
within the statutory authority of
a program, the regulatory and in
formational requirements are tai
lored to the size and nature of
small businesses. For the purpose
of the federal order program, a
small business will be considered
as one which is independently
owned and operated and which is
not dominant in its field of opera
tion. Most persons subject to a
milk order are considered as a
small business. Accordingly, in
terested persons are invited to
submit hearing proposals that
would cany out the intent of the
“Regulatory Flexibility Act.”
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William P. Moore of Walmoore
Holsteins, Inc.; Molly Morrison of
the Natural Lands Trust; Gary
Smith, executive director of the
Chester County Development
Council; Cheryl Fairbairn, exten
sion agent of the Chester County
Cooperative Extension; and
Henry Thome, president and
CEO of Downingtown National
Bank.
If the USDA concludes that a
hearing should be conducted, all
known interested persons will be
mailed a copy of the hearing no
tice. Anyone who desires to pres
ent evidence on proposals set
forth in the hearing notice will
have an opportunity to do so at
the hearing.
Once a hearing notice is issued
and until the issuance of a final
decision, USDA employees in
volved in the decisional process
may not discuss the merits of a
proceeding on an ex parte basis
with any persons having an inter
est in the proceeding. For this
purpose, the market administra
tor and his staff are considered to
be involved in the decisional pro
cess. Thus, it is suggested that
any discussions that you may
wish to have with USDA person
nel regarding hearing proposals
be initiated soon. Procedural
matters may be discussed at any
time.
If you have any questions con
cerning the filing of the proposals
or desire a copy of the present
order, please contact the market
administrator’s office at (440)
826-3220.
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