FSA Urges Crop Producers To Update Acreage, Yield Info (Continued from Page A 32) program sign-ups. If you make an appointment you will avoid long waits and the FSA staff can prepare for your visit. Question 13: Is conservation compliance a requirement for participation in this program? Answer: Participants must have and be implementing a Conservation Plan. If the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) determines there is high ly erodible land on the farm, you will be required to certify that you are following an NRCS de veloped Conservation Plan, or self-certify that you are imple menting a conservation system. FSA recommends producers re Getting Started in Farming Nothing in farming is simple. Over the last nine years I have talked to hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people who want to get started in fanning. Some grew up on family farms, but un fortunately the family farm of their youth is no longer an op tion. Others have been nudged aside by another, sometimes older sibling. Still others never Va, Agriculture RICHMOND, Va. When you want good advice, go straight to the top. Virginia farmers, growers and producers will have that opportu nity at the upcoming Virginia Agriculture Summit, a two-day conference scheduled for Tues day and Wednesday, March 4-5, in Richmond. The focus of the Summit is “Managing the Risks of Dynamic Change” and recognized authori ties will explore many of the is sues confronting the agriculture industry today. Speakers will examine where future markets will exist, agricul ture’s upcoming megatrends, en trepreneurial and value-added business development and risk management. Experts will also provide insights about coopera tive development, value-added products and grants manage ment. A panel of entrepreneurs who have found success in a variety of Lancaster n^r a T = T =s ‘ Poured I Walls • Agriculture • Commercial • Residential Call for Prices On: • NRCS approved Manure Storage Pits • Concrete • Basements • Retaining Walls Pumping • Footers • Foundation Walls Customer Satisfaction Is Our Goal Lancaster Poured Walls, Inc. 2542 Horseshoe Rd.» Lancaster, PA 17601 (717) 656-7370 » Fax (717) 656-7350 view the NRCS fact sheet on con servation compliance or discuss the contents of their plan with NRCS personnel. Question 14: What if I can’t contact a landowner or he won’t sign the forms? Answer: On April 2, all farms will be assigned a base and yield. The base will include the 7-year Production Flexibility Contract acres plus the eligible soybeans. This is considered option 2 under the program and it may not be the best option for the farm. Get ting the owner’s concurrence is your responsibility. If you are picking up new farms it is impor tant that you know how to reach the owner. You are required to have documentation of operator New Farmers, New Generation M avion Bowlan Pennsylvania Farm Link grew up on a farm, but think they would like to farm because they love working outside, with animals, with nature, etc. Just recently I spoke to a young man who grew up on a farm that had been in his family for more than 100 years. His par ents were struggling to remain profitable in a time of high taxes, low profits, and intense urban pressure. Tired of the long days Summit Scheduled For March 4-5 agricultural fields will discuss their experiences as they explore “Challenges, Opportunities and Successes.” Workshops will cover grant writing, export readiness train ing, creating a business plan, in creasing profit potential by part nering with the tourism industry and business structures. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Serv ices (VDACS), the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, and the Unit ed States Department of Agricul ture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency are sponsoring the event. The Virginia Agriculture Sum mit will take place at the Shera ton Richmond West, 6624 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virgin ia. The deadline for registration is February 7, 2003. Space is limited so register early. The reg istration fee is $5O and covers meals and breaks. A limited number of discounted rooms will be held at the hotel until Febru ary 7. ship on these farms prior to re ceipt of benefits. Participants may self certify to a conservation plan which they are using. Question 15: What can I do if some of the landowners on one of my farms will not sign? "Answer: All of the landowners on a farm must agree on a base option by April 1, 2003. If not all of the landowners will sign you may be able to have the farm re constituted. This would mean you could break that farm into multiple farms. The farms for which you can get the owner to select a base option would be able to be enrolled right away. Those you can not get signed can wait until after April Ist. On April 2nd all farms will be assigned a and low returns, they decided to sell the farm. Unfortunately, he had siblings who didn’t want to farm, but wanted the highest dol lar their parents could realize on the sale of the farm. Although the farm was sold several years ago, this young man still could not talk about it with out choking up with emotion. His dream to take over the farm was gone and he was reluctant to allow himself to even think about a future in farming. He chal lenged me, as many previous as piring farmers have, wanting to know why he should hold out any hope; it was too difficult, too hard to turn a profit, too de manding. What was unspoken, but I heard, was his desire to be a farmer. His passion for farming was unmistakable. Despite his protestations, he wanted me to tell him how it could be done. What’s the answer? As I tell peo- For additional information and to receive a registration form, contact Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, P.O. Box 27552, Richmond VA 23261 or phone (804) 290-1107, fax (804) 290-1081 or e-mail ccook@vafb.com. \ .I i Sr i f All-Plant I LIQUID PLANT FOOD 9-18-9 PLUS OTHERS! • Contains 100% white ortho phosphoric acid. Made in USA. • Non-corrosive. Won’t settle. • Top quality. Excellent service. • Newest equipment • Financially sound...and growing! Big Demand Requires More Distributors! □ I sell to farmers. How do I become your distributor? □ I’m a farmer. What’s the price? Where do I get it ? CALL or SEND FOR FACTS: Phone: 814-364-1349 ALL-PLANT LIQUID PLANT FOOD, INC. 821 State Rd. 511 N., RFD 3, Ashland, Ohio 44805 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 8, 2003-A33 base and yield. The base for a farm with no base election by the owner will be the seven year Pro duction Flexibility Contract (PFC) acres on that farm plus the eligible soybean acres. This is considered option 2 under the program. It may or may not be your best option. If the farm had no PFC acres the new base will be the eligible soybean acres only. Question 16: If I have never re ported crops before, what evi dence do I need to prove exist ence and disposition of the crop? Answer: To prove existence of the crop you may use seed re ceipts, receipts for cleaning of seed, custom work receipts, docu mentation of contract to produce a specific crop, aerial slides, doc umentation obtained and certi ple who want to get started and those who want to transfer their farms to the next generation, there is no cookie-cutter recipe. No farm, farm family, or farmer is alike. I might add that if there was a set way to get into farming, most young entrepreneurs proba bly wouldn’t like it. So what advice did I give this young man? I suggested that he learn how others have gotten started, talk to them, and learn from them. He should talk to people who have started on fami ly farms, taken over other farms from retiring farmers, or started from scratch. Try to determine and research the best strategy for his family and make decisions on what will work for him. I could provide information and guid ance, but ultimately he needed to pursue and seek out the answers. I also suggested that he attend workshops and read about others who got started in farming, and how. The ways to enter vary from starting small, with no money, and retaining an off-farm job, to borrowing money and signing production contracts. Only he could decide what was right for him. fied by another government agen cy, or third party verification. To prove disposition of the crop you may provide sales slips, docu mentation of contract to produce a specific crop, records showing the crop was fed to livestock, proof of custom harvesting, third party verification, or if unhar vested - records supporting the destruction of the crop. You may not use third party verification for proof of both existence and disposition. You should check with your local FSA Office on the information you need to get cred it for this missing acreage. Critical dates: base and yield updates ends April 1, 2003. Di rect and countercyclical pay ments program ends June 2, 2003. My observations and experi ence indicate that the more suc cessful beginners have started small and taken it one step at a time. By doing so, they were more likely to be successful and able to advance to the next step than by jumping in and trying to accomplish it all at once. Other wise, it truly can be overwhelm ing. I said, “Start with the assets that are going to give you the most return, your labor and your passion. Once you have experi ence under your belt and have learned how to manage your farm business, you can think about purchasing land. Is it pos sible to get started in farming today? Certainly!” To learn more about how to get started in farming, come to our Ninth annual New and Be ginning Farmer Workshop Satur day, March 1, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, Harris burg-Hershey off of Rt. 81. Con tact Pennsylvania Farm Link at (717) 664-7077 or e-mail us at pa farmlink@redrose.net for addi tional information and registra tion. No Longer the "Best-Kept Secret" in Agriculture Dow AgroSciem.es is working to shed the idea that we are “the best-kept secret in agnculture”We took that recent comment from a higlily reputable dealer as a compliment It was his way of saying that we are an ag company with a future, and somebody woirh doing business with He also felt the woild of ag needed to know about our growth Therefore, here are some things that have happened recently at Dow AgroSciences - things we believe make us a company worth doing business wil.i •We are launching new Keystone* and Keystone LA herbicides this season These soil-applied acetochlor and atrazine prenuxes give us the most complete, effective corn herbicide portfolio in the industry • We possess the second-largest portfolio of U S ag biotechnology patents, which has led to the recent launch of Herculex"' I lined Protection, a new, broad er-spectrum in-plant insect protection trait foi corn Also in development is a trait that will protect soung plants against corn rootworm • Our recent purchases of My cogen Seeds and Cargill Hybrid Seeds will allow the seed and crop protection divisions of our business to work closely together to make corn products - both for biotech and conventional hybrids - that produce optim.il yields • Our acquisition of Rohm &. Haas Co made us a leader in the fungicide marketplace and boosted our position in horticulture, fruits and vegetables, permanent tree crops and turf and ornamental To learn more about Dow AgtoSciences, visit our Web site at wwwdowagrocom AgroSciences * rM Tndcnurk of Dow AgruSuences LLC Herculex I bisect IhvKrUou technology b> Dow AstroSciciu.es md Pioiu.tr Hi-Bred Intem.mon.il Keystone Kevstone LA Surpiss Top Notch md FulTnne in. KderJJv Restricted Use Pesticides and air not iwulable for sale distribution or use in tht state ot New York Alwiys read and follow Libel directions www.dowagro.com
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers