State Farm Bureau Lauds Reform Of Legal System CAMP HILL (Cumberland Co.) The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau hailed passage of legisla tion by the General Assembly last week which reforms Pennsylva nia’s legal system to discourage the pursuit of “lawsuit lottery” by attorneys. “Reform of our civil justice system has been a priority goal of our organization for many years,” said Guy Donaldson, president of the statewide farm organization. “The system en couraging ‘lawsuit lottery’ has meant only one thing to our farmers higher costs of doing business. Passage of this legisla tion is the best thing to happen to our state’s legal system in 50 years.” Grange Urges Congress To “Wake-Up,” Pass Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage WASHINGTON, D.C. Par ticipants in the National Grange’s annual Legislative Fly- In took out a full-page advertise ment in the Capitol Hill newspa per, Roll Call, last week with an image of a rooster and the head line “Rural America Says: Wake Up! Pass Medicare Rx Coverage Now!” Signed by 16 of the National Grange’s most influential state legislative leaders, the ad re minded Congress that one out of A Comfortable Cow Is A Productive Cow Maximize Your Cows' Productivity With.. The Comfort Zone Tie Stall V Higher neck rail improves ease of standing, eating, and drinking ■>/ Available in top quality 304 stainless steel or galvanized steel V Perfect for new or remodeled facilities For Additional Cow Comfort, Bring the Pasture Indoors With... Most durable top PM Plus provides an extra Ijnv cover on the ’ layer of cushioning JPjfIQKIB 1 Kl"H market The rubber-filled cow mattress system that provides the resilience of natural turf. Peleriheim f $ Cow Mallronoi 117 Christiana Pifae, Christiana, PA 17509 6lO-593-2242 m Serving DE, MD, N|, PA and Western NV for 8 years. The General Assembly has ap proved Senate Bill 1089, the Fair Share Act, which'Gov. Schweiker has pledged to sign. The legisla tion reforms Pennsylvania’s “joint and several liability” sys tem whereby each defendant found liable in a civil lawsuit is responsible for paying the hill amount of a verdict. “Under joint and several liabil ity, a defendant found to be only one percent responsible could be held liable for 100 percent of the damages,” said Donaldson. “The system encourages a type of law suit abuse known as ‘lawsuit lot tery’ whereby personal injury at torneys go after defendants with ‘deep pockets’ seeking huge awards no matter how much at fault the defendant actually was. three older Americans has no prescription drug coverage and that this dangerous reality has an enormous impact on rural Amer icans. “For rural Americans, quality medical care and access to med icine are basically one and the same, thus rural seniors are espe cially at risk,” said Leroy Wat son, the National Grange’s legis lative affairs director. “The message in Roll Call says that ex actly.” The multi-celled mattress will not tear, stretch, deform, or lose its shape “‘Lawsuit lottery’ impacts farmers directly through higher business insurance costs, and also indirectly when a manufacturer’s higher liability costs are reflected in higher purchase prices for their products. It also increases tax burdens because of the addi tional insurance governments must carry for self-protection.” The Fair Share Act replaces joint and several liability with a proportional liability system. De fendants would have to be found to be 60 percent or more respon sible in order for joint and several liability to apply. The legislation maintains exceptions for negli gence due to fraud and intention al acts, or involving environ mental hazards and alcohol related accidents. The one out of three older Americans without prescription coverage is a statistic that is a devastating reality, and the ad served to remind Congress and policy makers that this problem cannot be solved by risky drug importation plans or one-size fits-all approaches. The National Grange called on Congress to act now by enacting coverage legisla tion that provides seniors with choice, options, access and quali ty- Lancaster Farming Check oyi our Website www.lancasterfarmina.com MOW 4407 ROUND BALERS • Simple to operate • Dual twine tie system M&W is offering their dealers special pricing incentives now through July 31, 2002. Contact your local dealer for more details today! BEQInc Keefers Service Center Dayton Equipment Inc Rexroad Equipment Moms International Inc Waynesboro PA Leon.WV Harrisonburg. VA Bruceton Mills, WV Everett, PA Bull international Greenbrier Tractor Inc Northeast Dist /Equip J E Andrews & Sons C H Waltz Sons Washington, PA Lewisburg.WV Clifford, PA Espyville PA Cogan Station, PA Eckroth Equipment Hines Equipment Hertzier Farm & Feed Inc Orefield PA Altoona, PA Powhatan VA Newßmgold PA Cresson PA FROM AT LTD M&W is a registered trademark of Alamo Group Inc Com Weed Control Field Meetings Set WEST LEROY (Bradford Co.) A pair of field meetings are scheduled at the Leßoydale Farm near West Leroy to help com producers evaluate several newer herbicide products for use in field com. A series of herbicide plots have been established at the farm to help with the demonstra tion and evaluation of these products. The farm is owned and managed by Owen, Paul, and Jon Brackman. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 2 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. A second meeting which some producers may find more convenient is scheduled for Wednesday, July 3 from 12:30 till 2 p.m. There is no registration re quirement and visitors can choose either time. It is anticipat ed the meeting will be worth one core and two category 01 updat ed credits. The plots will help visitors compare costs, application tim ings, and the effectiveness of the various pre-emergent and post emergent materials. Growers will then be able to determine how well the various programs might Pennsylvania Farmers Union Offers Improvements To SB 1413 MIFFLINTOWN (Juniata Co.) Pennsylvania Farmers Union is calling state Senate Bill 1413 a “Band-Aid approach” to addressing concerns with non family farm operations. PFU President Larry Breech said his organization is concerned that the amendment to the 1982 Right-to-Farm Law hinders mu nicipalities from protecting its citizens and communities. Breech said PFU also questions whether the 1982 law (P.L. 454, No. 133) adequately protects Pennsylva nia’s family farms and commu nities. “Pennsylvania Farmers Union stands ready to develop solutions that are in the best interest of our family farmers and our rural communities," Breech said. “Ag riculture has changed dramati cally in the last few years, and we need to be progressive in updat ing the relevance of our laws and regulations.” Breech offered several solu tions to restore competition in ag- (T2OD2 Alamo Group Inc Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 29, 2002-A3l Manufacturers Suggested List Price Starting $16,749* • Enclosed bale chamber • 4' wide x 4' diameter bale Excludes Freight Delivery A Setup An Alamo Group Company 1020 South Sangamon Avenue Gibson City, Illinois 60916 1-877-408-1297 FAX 1-877-408-1298 www mw-gearcom fit into their own com production enterprise. Penn State Cooperative Exten sion is sponsoring the meeting being hosted by Brackmans. The farm is located on Rt. 414 about five miles east of Canton. The field site is located just west of the farm buildings on the south side of Rt. 414. Signs will be post ed from Rt. 414. Switchel and other refreshments will be pro vided by Terry Lutz, SULBRA Crop Management Association. Another key part of the meet ing will be a discussion about using the appropriate gloves for handling pesticides. Many times growers aren’t certain which glove material is appropriate for the material being handled. Ex amples of the many glove types will be available to see and com pare. Participants interested in ob taining update credits should bring their restricted-use pesti cide certificate to the meeting. Any questions about the program can be directed to Mark Madden at the Sullivan County extension office at (570) 928-8941. riculture, enforce social and envi ronmental responsibility and protect family and rural commu nities. To ensure adequate com petition in agricultural markets, PFU recommends a ban on cor porate ownership of livestock held more than 14 days prior to slaughter and production con tracts that ensure fairness and openness. The family farm organization also supports: provisions to re duce or eliminate ammonia, am monium or nitrate losses; regula tions to control odor and particulate emissions; priorities to address water rights, availabil ity and utilization; and science based guidelines on where large scale farming operations may be built. PFU also seeks provisions that require an agricultural cor poration to be responsible for ma nure management and potential property devaluation as a result of its operation. At A lesson well learned... Lancaster Farming’s classified ads get results!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers