Farmers Union Urges Completion Of New Farm Bill WASHINGTON, D.C. Dur ing a Capitol Hill news confer ence and in letters to senators, the National Farmers Union (NFU) board of directors recently urged farm bill completion to re duce the need for another year of emergency ad hoc programs. “If a farm bill is delayed an other year, producers will not only need to rely on emergency Walk-In • Catalog • Web Sales - www.farmerboyag.com Call or email us today for a FREE catalog. TOLL FREE -1-800-845-3374 • 717 866-7565 tv<i. Cows see the life.. HERCULITE Heavy Duty Black-Out Tunnel, Dairy & Poultry Curtains The experts, engineers and veterinarians agree - the best building is a naturally ventilated building. 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The Federal Agriculture Im provement and Reform Act of 1996 provided no safety net for agricultural producers to cushion the erratic swings in the market. In answer to depressed commodi ty prices, declining market op portunities and increased pro duction costs. Congress has approved billions of dollars in economic assistance for the past five years. Agricultural Heaters 40,000 to 225,000 BTU The most efficient Heater on the Market at the: See us at the KEYSTONE FARM SHOW Building #5 BROODER HEAT UNITS !%> FARMER BOV Af. 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The NFU board was joined by representa tives of American Farm Bureau Federation and 30 other farm groups. */re USD A Announces $384 Million In Funding WASHINGTON, D.C. Agri culture Secretary Ann M. Vene man recently announced the re lease of more than $384 million to 41 states and Puerto Rico to help rural communities improve public schools, invest in road im provement projects, and strengthen forest stewardship programs. “Investing in schools and edu cation, particularly in our rural communities, is a high priority for this Administration,” said Ve neman. “These funds will allow local communities valuable re sources so they can determine their needs and make the proper investments to help our children and strengthen rural areas.” Veneman, who was joined by Sen. Larry Craig, Idaho; Sen. Ron Wyden, Ore.; and Sen. Gor don Smith, Ore., at a press con ference announcing the funds, said many states will benefit from this program, which was author ized as part of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-De termination Act. Oregon will re ceive $154 million; California, $65 million; Idaho, nearly $23 million; and Washington, ap proximately $44 million. Veneman announced that over the next six years, USDA, through the Forest Service, will provide another $l.l billion for schools and rural communities in addition to the $384 million re leased Thursday. These pay ments are the first issued under the new legislation, which returns dollars to states with national for ests. “This historic legislation helps provide important solutions to some of the challenges facing rural communities,” she said. “States and local counties will make the decision on how the USDA Conservation Program To Protect N.Y. Drinking Water WASHINGTON, D.C. Agri culture Secretary Ann M. Vene man recently announced that the USDA is partnering with the city of Syracuse, N.Y., to safeguard the city’s drinking water through a $900,000 Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. The program’s focus is the Skaneateles Lake, one of the 11 Finger Lakes of central New York and the source of unfiltered drinking water for the 240,000 residents of Syracuse. “This conservation program will preserve the lake’s purity, benefiting local residents, tourists and the farming community,” said Veneman. The Syracuse CREP will pay farmers to remove from agricul tural production up to 1,000 acres of cropland or marginal BUSINESS PAGE APPEARS IN SECTION D See the latest in equipment and material news, promotions and new hires, and burgeoning ag ventures on the b* . ness news page located in Section D this issue! | Randall G. Renninger Certified Public Accountant Specializing in agriculture and construction industries “We help business people discover ways to cut costs, save taxes, and be more profitable” Call about our FREE seminars I 535 W. Orange Street, Lancaster, PA 17603 I • (717)299-6480 ♦ Fax (717)299-6390 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 29, 2001-A3l dollars will be spent. For exam ple, they can buy new books, re pair or expand schools or hire more teachers to help improve the education opportunities for our nation’s children.” Based on legislation passed in 1908,25 percent of Forest Service revenues from timber sales, graz ing, recreation, some mineral use fees and other land use receipts go to states that host national for ests. However, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-De termination Act of 2000 gave counties the option of staying with the traditional payment plan or choosing a predictable payment based on the average of the state’s three highest pay ments between fiscal years 1986 and 1999. Nationwide, counties have seen a significant drop in pay ments over the last decade under the traditional plan due to the significant decline in timber har vesting on national forests. The 2000 legislation stabilizes pay ment levels near to their historic high for six years. About 75 per cent of the 700-plus counties elected to use the new formula, thus receiving increased funding. In addition, the new legislation authorizes local resource advisory committees to give communities choice in funding forestry stew ardship projects. To date, 49 re source advisory committees have been established. Counties that receive $lOO,OOO or more under the new legislation are required to allocate 15 to 20 percent of their funding for in vestments in county projects or for forest projects that implement stewardship objectives to en hance forest ecosystems or both. pastureland that feed the lake. The program will reimburse pro ducers for installing and restor ing riparian buffers that keep sediment, nutrients and pollu tants from entering the lake. The buffers will protect water quality and provide wildlife habitat for a wide ai ray of wildlife species, like trout and pheasant. Through these and other efforts the city is taking, Syracuse hopes to be able to continue to comply with safe drinking water standards while avoiding building a costly filtra tion system. The total cost of the program is expected to reach $900,000 over 15 years. Of that amount, $650,000 will come from USDA and $250,000 from the city of Syracuse. i WfcW^»i
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