Ohioans Concerned About Large-Scale Livestock Farms
COLUMBUS, Ohio More
than 70 percent of Ohioans who
say they are familiar with issues
pertaining to large-scale poultry
and livestock facilities are con
cerned that the farms pose a
threat to Ohio’s water and stream
quality.
According to an Ohio State
University survey of about 4,000
Ohioans conducted last summer,
one-third or 1,267 respondents
said they were familiar with the
issues. Of those, 71 percent
agreed or strongly agreed with
the statement, “Large-scale poul
try and livestock facilities pose a
serious threat to water and
stream quality in Ohio.” In addi
tion, 59 percent agreed or strong
ly agreed that the facilities “are a
threat to rural quality of life.”
Jeff Sharp, assistant professor
of rural sociology in the Depart
ment of Human and Community
Resource Development and one
of the lead investigators of the
survey, presented initial findings
of the study at a conference on
Thursday, Dec. 12. Sharp also re
ported that the large scale-poul
try and livestock issue currently
Second Lancaster County Farm Has Easements Sold Through IPA Plan
Total Of Five PA Properties Participate In IPAs This Year
MOUNT JOY (Lancaster Co.)
A 110-acre crop farm in Mount
Joy, East Donegal Township, be
comes the second in Lancaster
County and the fifth in the state
to have an easement sold under
the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture’s Installment Pur
chase Agreement (IPA) plan.
Under the IPA plan, farmers
National Junior Hereford Association
2002 Job Interview Award winners, from left, Brett But
ler, Linde Wilson, Megan Marks, Kristi Bishop, Amanda
Marks and Margeaux Firestine.
2002 Pride of the Nation and Scrapbook Award win
ners, from left, Pam Melton, Amanda Marks, Stephen
Rader, Texas, and Margeaux Firestme, Emilie Miller, Mor
gan Firestine, Pennsylvania.
appears to be a regional issue in
the state, with nearly 56 percent
of central Ohioans and 43 per
cent of northwest Ohioans report
ing they were familiar with the
issue compared to 25 percent of
northeastemers and 27 percent of
southwestemers indicating they
were familiar with the issues.
Not surprisingly, respondents’
views of the livestock issue and
other agricultural issues is often
colored by how closely linked
they are to farming, Sharp said.
For example, people with farm
ing parents or grandparents tend
to be more trusting of farmers
and generally have more positive
attitudes toward agriculture,
Sharp said.
In all, 29 percent of the re
spondents had parents who at
one time owned or operated a
farm, and 49 percent had grand
parents who had a farm, Shaip
said. However, that connection to
farming through family history
was much more likely for older
respondents. The implication is
that the strength of support and
good will of Ohioans toward agri
culture could diminish as that
generation dies off unless agricul
can gain better tax advantages
when selling their easements, by
deferring all or part of the pur
chase price and the resulting cap
ital gains taxes for up to 30 years.
Since the program was
launched in Pennsylvania in
early 2002, five properties have
participated in IPAs: two in Lan
caster County, and one each in
Chester, Butler, and Wyoming
ture finds new ways to develop
links between nonfarmers and
farming, he said.
“One of the messages to be
drawn from this research is that,
yes, indeed Ohio is an agricultur
al state with many Ohioans hav
ing farming roots, but we also see
that agriculture is changing and
some of that change can be con
troversial because it isn’t consis
tent with the way it used to be,”
Sharp said.
One part of the survey focused
on the level of concern over large
scale poultry and livestock farms.
In all, 21 percent of all of the re
spondents were “very concerned”
and 28 percent were “not at all
concerned” about them, with the
majority of respondents “some
what concerned.” However, of
those who indicated they were fa
miliar with the issues regarding
large livestock facilities, concern
was higher with 34 percent indi
cating they were “very con
cerned,” compared with only 14
percent being “very concerned”
who were not familiar with the is
sues.
Those who said they were fa
miliar with large-scale livestock
counties.
Located on Trout Run Road,
the Mount Joy farm has been
owned by Franklin and Joanne
Zink since 1965. Throughout that
time the Zinks have leased the
property to various farmers, the
most recent of whom is using the
property to grow com, soybeans
and wheat.
The Zinks
originally
Convention
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
Members of the National
Junior Hereford Associa
tion (NJHA) assembled in
Kansas City, Mo., Oct.
25-27 to celebrate “The
Places You’ll Go” during
the 2002 PRIDE Conven
tion. PRIDE, the “Pro
gram for Reaching Indi
viduals Determined to
Excel” featured the NJHA
annual meeting and elec
tion of officers along with
leadership and motivation
al workshops.
Throughout the week
end, juniors competed in
several contests to build
their communication and
marketing skills. Contest
winners and outstanding
juniors and junior state or
ganizations were recog
nized at the awards lun
cheon at Kansas City’s
Hereford House. Following
is a list of regional contest
winners.
PRIDE of the Nation
Award Small State;
Pennsylvania. Large State:
Texas.
Job Interview Contest
third place senior: Mar
g e a u x
Firestine, Womelsdorf.
Scrapbook Award: 3.
Pennsylvania.
State Sweepstakes
Award: 2. Pennsylvania.
Photography: Emilie
Miller, Womelsdorf.
farm issues were asked additional
questions, including those that re
vealed strong concern about
water quality and rural quality of
life. In addition, 59 percent of
these respondents indicated they
felt large-scale livestock farms
positively contribute to Ohio’s
economy. Also, 48 percent said
they felt increased regulation
over the farms is needed, but the
surveys were conducted during a
time when the rules governing
Ohio’s large livestock farms was
in the midst of change. The Ohio
Department of Agriculture now
oversees the farms under a new
set of regulations that went into
effect in August.
Several factors were found to
be associated with greater con
cern among respondents about
the rural quality of life and envi
ronmental impacts, Sharp said.
Concern was found to be higher
among those living in a county
with higher livestock sales and
among those having a more posi
tive attitude toward an agrarian
way of life. Factors associated
with lower concern among re
spondents included having par
ents who have owned or operated
chased the land because it is ad
jacent to another property they
own a 72-acre parcel on which
Mrs. Zink operated the Donegal
Mills museum and restaurant
complex for many years.
A local developer, Mr. Zink
had no interest in selling the farm
property for development use. “I
really wanted to preserve the
land,” he says. “It’s been such a
wonderful thing to have this
farmland, and we wanted to keep
it that way.”
pur-
M PUBLIC AUCTION
THURS., JAN. 16, 2003
DRAFT HORSES,
MILKING & FARM EQUIPMENT
DIRECTIONS: From Oxford take 10 South to Barnsley Chrome Rd. Stay
left, go to Media Rd. Turn left go to first road right (Mt. Olivet Rd.) to sale
on right.
9:00 AM
7 Head DRAFT HORSES 7 Head
Prince - 7 yr. old dapple gray gelding.
Jmk Works anywhere in all farm machinery.
Bert - 6 yr. old sorrel mare. IBfe
Off side & jockey stick broke.
Works in all farm machinery. Lots of snap.
\ W 5 Head of smooth mouth draft horses. J
Broke to all farm machinery. Ready for work.
HORSE RELATED ITEMS: 7 set front gear; 7 bridles; 12 collars; jockey
sticks; check lines; 1,2, 3,4, 5,6, 7& 8 Horse hitch; 3 set rope & pulley for
tandem hitch.
MILKING EQUIPMENT: 4 DeLaval milker units with Bio claws; 75 lb.
bucket; Bender milker washer; milk strainer
FARM EQUIPMENT: New Holland 311 baler w/2 cyl. Wisconsin engine
(good condition); New Holland mower w/4 cyl. Wisconsin engine &
hydraulics; 401 New Holland crimper; Nichelson tedder; New Holland 256
Rol-A-Bar rake; 42 ft. Speed King elevator, good condition; 26 ft. King-
Wyse elevator; 16 ft. flat bed wagon; 2 way White Horse plow; Paul B.
Zimmerman field sprayer w/200 gal. tank (good condition); 1000 gal. tan
dem axle; Black Rock liquid manure spreader; 1 row McCormick; Deering
com binder w/Long loader (good condition); No. 17 New Idea manure
spreader; High clearance produce sprayer; 8 ft. log land roller; 9 ft. culti
packer; 2 auto turn fore carts; 8 ft. Blank liquid manure pump; 12 ft. 3 sec
tion spring tooth harrow; 16 ft. flat bed wagon w/com sides & com chute;
24 K.B.A. disc; 2 section 8 ft. spring tooth harrow; McCormick Deering 1
row 1 horse binder; Blank 1 row cultivator; 275 gal. tank; 14 pcs. 16 in. wide
x 5 ft. long gutter grates; 12 volt Gandy Applicator; 8 ft. feeder w/hay rack;
round bale feeder
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS: 2000 psi pressure washer w/6.5HP Honda
engine; 4 cyl. Wisconsin engine w/Hobart Welder engine, runs welder, sells
as is; 2 12-volt fencers; 6000 tobacco lath; 2 Minnich tobacco presses; 10
lath Lazy Susan Lath holder; silage cart; grain cart; shovels; brooms; forks;
scrapers
A few miscellaneous household goods &
2 wagon loads of misc. small items.
Terms by Jacob F. & Hannah G. Stoltzfus
340 Mt. Olivet Rd„ Oxford, PA 19363
Cash or Honorable PA Check Only
All Announcements Sale Day Take Precedence Over All Advertising.
MJt Not Responsible for Accidents MJk
JhK, Food on Premises Jft
i 'TjT 3 Pi Auctioneer: Mel Hoover AU-003111-L
* U 717-354-8397 Home or 717-354-6431 Barn *•
a farm, having a higher trust in
farmers, and living near a large
livestock facility. “That last item
seems counter-intuitive, but it
may be that there are a large
number of Ohioans living near
livestock farms who have not had
any troubles, after controlling for
other possible factors that might
influence their attitudes,” Sharp
said.
Sharp said the survey also
found that 59 percent of re
spondents said they trusted Ohio
farmers to protect the environ
ment. However, 29 percent of
those respondents were “unde
cided” on that issue. “Although
we are not able to determine the
trend without data from more
than one year, I am concerned
that the trend may be negative
and that agriculture may begin to
lose some of the social capital
that leads nonfarmers to trust
farmers to do the right thing,”
Sharp said. Increased education
about agriculture and more net
working between farmers and
nonfarmers may be one way of
reducing concern about agricul
tural practices and building trust
of farmers.
He says the state’s IPA option
made the decision attractive from
a financial standpoint, both for
the couple and their heirs. “In
stead of taking a lump sum pay
ment upfront, we’ll receive tax
free interest each year, which will
provide us with tax advantages,”
he says. “When we’re gone, our
four children will start to receive
tax-free interest that can help
supplement their incomes.”
9:00 AM