tmsmt ~ CTZTUOTStnf JU. OPINION (Contlnued from Page A 10) or he can decide if he wants to raise fruits or vegetables, raise or ganic commodities, or start a new or expand an existing, animal/ poultry operation in order to in crease profits, stay in business, and pass the farm on to the next generation. That is a choice that should be left to the farmer, not to local government. Should local government be al lowed to break the law just because “there is a lot of heat in the kitch en” when local citizens descend on the township meeting and demand that they do something to stop the installation of a finishing floor for swine or stop someone who has plans to expand a dairy operation in the township? You and I are expected to obey the laws of the land, and there are plenty of them. Agriculture and ag ribusiness are very heavily regulat ed too. There are requirements for nutrient management plans, con- IT'S gotta 85901 T i"l 'I,!, t ,( ,j\ I A Perfect Combination-Garst* IT Hybrids & LIGHTNING* Herbicide LIDHTj/INB Want top yields? Plant Garst® IT® hybrids. These proven performers have H«.iciotUrc^iELb~^ —* helped make Garst the leading supplier of corn hybrids for use in the ' CLEARFIELD* Production System. When used together, Garst IT hybrids and LIGHTNING® herbicide expand your weed control options, improve crop safety, and offer protection from adverse weather conditions. Plus, Garst IT hybrids yield like bin-busters! That's just what you'd expect from a seed industry innovator. For proven corn technology, It’s Gotta Be Garst! See your local Garst Guy, or call toll-free: 1-888-GO-GARST www.garstseed.com servation plans, erosion and sedi ment control plans, water quality permits, and on and on. It has been said that there are two million laws on the books to enforce the Ten Commandments. And if agricul ture has to obey all of the laws, why should local government be exempt? What Senate Bill 1413 does is re state the original purpose of the Right to Farm Act and then goes one step further. It states that if the local government ignores the stat ute and adopts a frivolous or oner ous ordinance and is then taken to court by the agricultural commu nity, and the agricultural commu nity prevails, the court may award legal costs to the agricultural com munity. But you know the legislation even goes further and provides that if the township prevails in court, that the court may award costs to the township. And in that case the agricultural community would pay the local governments costs. Senate Bill 1413 cuts both ways. 848461/IT 11 1 O.is - .KM What is unfair about that? First of all, a local government is only vulnerable if it ignores the Right to Farm Act and someone is so ag grieved that they take them to court. There are a number of cur rent instances where it is felt that local governments have adopted il legal ordinances, but the agricul tural community can not afford to take them to court. I suspect that will continue to be the case. Also, in what other situation would you be allowed to break a law on a regular basis and be left unchallenged? Or if you break the law and are taken to court, but the court determines that you are inno cent and orders the police depart ment to pay your legal and court costs? Let me assure your readers that the solution offered in Senate Bill 1413 to the current dilemma facing agriculture is not an unfair one to local governments or their tax-pay ing citizens. To the contrary, it may be the best option available to them. Agriculture is not the only indus try that is having difficulty with the local governments. And if all of those industries which have problems with local government unite, the solutions, which are de veloped by such a coalition, could be unfair to local governments rather than the reasonable and fair approach offered in Senate Bill 1413. 836Z1T 11 I ),i\ ( iRM Garsf GOMMltnmt • Perforaiaac* • TwMology 92002 ADVANTA USA, Inc Gant* and IT* art rtgitiarad trademarks of AOVANTA USA. Inc {•) the unique CLEARFIELD symbol and CLEARFIELD art trademarks and LIGHTNING » a registered trademark of BASF (Continued from Page A 10) bear, coyote, raptors (hawks and owls), small wildcats (bob, lynx), turkey, crow, vulture and raven, fishers, whereas the grouse varies widely by season as do most spe cies. DairyCOPs Workshop Nov. 18 ADAMSTOWN (Lancaster Co.) Dairy producers can par ticipate in a hands-on workshop to examine how to produce 100 pounds of milk. Penn State Dairy Alliance and Nutrient Solutions in Agriculture have scheduled a DairyCOPS workshop Monday, Nov. 18, from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m., in conjunction with the upcoming Farming with Technology Conference at Weav er’s Banquet Hall in Adamstown. DairyCOPs (Dairy Cost of Production System) is a comput er spreadsheet developed by Brad Hilty, information management specialist with Penn State Dairy Alliance pro gram. The spreadsheet compiles finan- 8350YG1 in- n.i\ ' 11!m Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 9, 2002-A27 ♦ Farm Forum ♦ l972—The Original A The largest POURED SOLID CONCRETE , » Imm .li s lif . STORAGE SYSTEM SPECIALISTS START WITH THE BEST! A poured solid concrete basement weighs about 50 lbs more per cubic foot' Far denser What's more, poured solid concrete walls are monolithic.. there are no pints' This is why laboratory tests show poured, solid concrete base ments have many times the flexural and compressive strength to withstand the side and down pressures caused by earth, wind, water and building loads and the material density to resist water penetration Best of all, thanks to modern and efficient construction tech niques, poured, solid concrete basements are competitively priced Solid Concrete For: Manure Pit Walls • House Foundation Walls Hog House Walls • Silage Pit Walls Barnyard Walls * Cistern Walls Chicken House Walls • Concrete Decks Retaining Walls • Concrete Pit Tops ■ m m 243 Miller Road 1 Balmer Bros. Akron, pa 17501 (717) 733-0353 CONCRETE WORKS, INC. 6 so a m .3 so pm Invest in Quality - It will last a lifetime. (717) 859-2074 Pennsylvania seems to lead all other states in wildlife or free roaming animal death by motor vehicle. Muskrats, pheasants, quail, woodcock, and mice seem in low numbers. Eagle, elk. Mountain Lions, bats, beaver are rarely killed. Please drive carefully, defen sively and be alert. Drivers must look forward always while mov ing forward. Herbert C. Jordan Osceola Mills dal and production data from a dairy farm and calculates the farm’s accrual cost of producing 100 pounds of milk. A grant from the Northeast Center for Risk Management Ed ucation will subsidize 50 percent of the cost, so producers will pay only $35. There is a $l2 charge for additional people from the same farm. Producers interested in participating in this program should call the Dairy Alliance Of fice at (888) 373-PADA. For ad ditional information, call the Dairy Alliance Office or e-mail bhilty@psu.edu.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers