A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 1,2003 Agriculture Services Coordinator ■ I iff C tfnmu tit <S /»u/hs(»t E-mail blandis@lcci com Hjil^Hk. THE CHAMBER’S AGRICULTURE SERVICES PROGRAM OF ACTION As a member of our local agri culture community, you are most likely aware of some of the vari ous ag-related activities initiated by The Lancaster Chamber throughout the year. The activi ties of the Agriculture Services Program are directed by The Chamber’s Agriculture Commit tee. The foundation for these ef forts are The Chamber’s three goals - member services, advoca cy, and community leadership. How do these goals shape the ini tiatives you hear about through out the year? Read on to learn more. As a member of The Chamber, what member services are avail able to enhance your agri-busi ness? The agricultural program provides many member benefits from educational opportunities to enhance your business skills to various networking events. The Chamber offers a discounted membership rate for farmers, which may be an additional in centive. The Lancaster Chamber is one of the only chambers in the coun try to employ a full-time agricul ture services staff person. There is an annual farm business sym posium focused for the more pro gressive farmers, which offers a reduced rate for members. There is also an annual agriculture in dustry banquet which draws more than 700 people from the ag industry. This event offers a reduced rate for members and provides a celebration for the ag industry, a featured keynote speaker, and many networking opportunities. Another member ship benefit is a speaker's bureau w hich is available on various top ics in agriculture. When looking at The Cham ber’s second goal, advocacy, we have several initiatives and proj ects to meet this goal. To provide a better understanding of the farming community, we have planned a new legislative farm tour for Lancaster County offi cials. The ag program is also looking to hold an educational event for township officials and develop correspondence with townships on agricultural issues in an effort to bridge the under standing of farming. The Cham ber will lobby and take positions on key issues of interest to agri- Passing On The Farm Workshop March 20 YORK (York Co.) Planning for your successor, or someone to take over your farm, is the most important task you need to com plete if you want your farm to survive into the next generation. Yet, according to some recent statistics, many farm families have not identified a successor for their family business or even talked to family members about what will happen to the farm when they die. To assist you in this process, Pennsylvania Farm Link and Penn State Extension will hold a culture as recommended by the Ag Committee. Communication is essential in The Chamber’s ef forts to advocate for a healthy business and agriculture environ ment. It is important that our members bring to our attention challenges they are facing so we can assist to what ever degree possible. The Chamber’s third goal, community leadership, relates to many of the overall goals of the agriculture program. In its awareness building activities, our agriculture program demon strates its leadership role in the community. One particular event that speaks greatly to community leadership is Family Farm Days. This annual three- day event, planned this year on June 17-19, provides a free educational and fun family event on a modern dairy farm. The typical attend ance is more than 10,000 people, all of whom receive a personal tour of the farm operation and enjoy many of the aspects of the farm. Another aspect of commu nity leadership is the voice The Chamber provides to the public about the importance of agricul ture and more specifically the benefits that agriculture plays to our community. To build com munity understanding of our in dustry’s significance, The Cham ber developed a Lancaster County Farming Facts brochure which provides a clear illustra tion and is available free at The Chamber. To develop our future leaders in our community. The Chamber hosts an annual FFA and 4-H ag ricultural program focused on ca reer development in agriculture. And lastly, the overall role the Agriculture Committee plays in helping to unify the agriculture community and focus on long term issues of importance to the economic climate of agriculture in Lancaster County speaks to community leadership. If you’re not a member of The Chamber and you value the serv ices and voice we are providing to the farming industry, you may want to consider becoming in volved in The Chamber and join ing as a member. For more in formation on The Chamber’s Agriculture Services Program or on membership, contact Brent Landis, agriculture services coor dinator at (717) 397-3531, ext. 134, or blandis@lcci.com. Passing On the Farm Workshop at the York County Extension Office at 112 Pleasant Acres Road, York, March 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Farmers seeking ideas for suc cessfully passing their farm to family members, or those inter ested in locating interested, unre lated farmers to take over an op eration, should attend. Beginning farmers are also urged to partici pate to glean ideas for building their businesses. Topics covered will include: •Bringing the next generation into the farm business. Rendell Administration Announces $4O Million Commitment to Pennsylvania’s Nation-Leading Preservation Program 36 Farms Preserved at February Meeting HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Pennsylvania will contin ue to be the farmland preserva tion leader among states. Agri culture Secretary Designee Dennis C Wolff announced re cently that the State Agricultural Land Preservation Board voted to commit $4O million to Penn sylvania’s nationleading farm land preservation program. “We must take every step to preserve Pennsylvania’s rich agri cultural heritage,” said Secretary Wolff. “Today, our State Agri cultural Land Preservation Board committed $4O million to pre serving agriculture’s foundation, our farmland. To further our preservation effort across Penn sylvania, county farmland preser vation boards have committed a record-breaking $25.6 million.” Farm Bureau Urges More Action On Farm Damage By Elk NORTH BEND (Clinton Co.) Using a portion of elk hunting license proceeds for an indemnity fund for farms where elk cause crop damage were among the recommendations offered by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau dur ing a public hearing here by the state House Majority Policy Committee. Jerry Barnett, a Potter County farmer and a member of Pennsyl vania Farm Bureau’s State Wild life Advisory Committee, testified before the committee. “In the past decade, and more notably in the last four years, many farmers and landowners have experienced property and crop damage due to the quickly expanding Pennsylvania elk pop ulation,” Barnett said. “Farmers Wolff Joins Gov. Rendell, State Lawmakers In Recognizing National FFA Week PHILADELPHIA Agricul ture Secretary Dennis C Wolff joined Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell at W.B. Saul High School in Philadelphia last week to recognize National FFA Week and Pennsylvania’s pride in its FFA program. “Pennsylvania agriculture has a very bright future,” said Gov. Rendell. “The young men and women in blue and gold continue to lead the way in agriculture. For 75 years they have stood for progress, vision, and change al ways prepared to take on the •Business planning for a farm transfer. •Financing for new farmers. •Crop insurance. •Estate planning and legal im plications. •Farmland preservation. The workshop will conclude with a panel of local farmers dis cussing how they transferred their own farms. Lunch is on your own. Reser vations are required by March 18. Please contact Pennsylvania Farm Link at (717) 664-7077 to register and for additional in formation. “Pennsylvania can be proud of the leadership role we have in farmland preservation. Our pro gram continues to provide an ex ample for other states to follow,” noted Secretary Wolff. The State Agricultural Land Preservation Board continued its farmland preservation success story with the preservation of 36 farms totaling 3,683 acres at the February meeting. This brings the total number of farms pre served since the inception of the farmland preservation program in 1989 to 2,109 farms and 249,840 acres. The State Agricultural Land Preservation Board purchases the development rights, referred to as easements, to preserve Pennsyl vania’s prime farmland. Current ly, there are 53 counties partici- know they will experience some crop loss from wildlife such as deer, raccoons, and geese. Farm ers should not be expected, how ever, to accept losses free of charge resulting from an animal that was transplanted into his ag ricultural range without his knowledge or input.” Barnett also said farmers re port as much crop and property damage caused by tourists and trespassers as by the elk. Solutions recommended by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau in clude: •A study to determine the effi ciency and effectiveness of using some proceeds from the state lot tery and the sale of elk licenses to compensate farmers for elk dam age. •Continued use and expansion challenge and embrace the op portunities of agriculture.” “Agriculture education pro grams have played a vital role in shaping agriculture and our com monwealth,” said Agriculture Secretary Dennis C Wolff. “The students that participate in this curriculum gain valuable lifelong skills that prepare them to be productive citizens of our society by building leadership, fellow ship, scholarship, and teamwork skills.” During the visit at W.B. Saul, Rendell and Wolff met with the FFA state officer team and mem bers of the Philadelphia FFA Chapter at W.B. Saul. With more than 8,000 mem bers across Pennsylvania, FFA is one of the largest intra-curricular youth organizations in the state, providing high school students with the opportunity to build en during skills through the FFA motto, “Learning to do, doing to leam, earning to live, living to serve.” Lancaster Farming Check out our Website! ww paling in the farmland preservation program. The Department of Agricul ture administers the Installment Purchase Agreement Program (IPA) to assist farmers in plan ning easement purchases. This program allows landowners to defer capital gains taxes, thereby allowing county preservation programs to use funding for pres ervation of other farms. Clair Neal of West Sadsbury Town ship, Chester County was ac cepted into the IPA program at the February meeting. To further assist in preserving productive agricultural land, the Department of Agriculture oper ates the Land Trust Reimburse ment Program. This program has helped preserve 3,063 acres ap proved in eight trusts. of an elk hunting season as a wildlife management tool. •Prohibition of the Game Commission from further reloca tion of elk unless the relocation is on to fenced state game lands. •Study and action by the Gen eral Assembly to address the in creasing occurrence of trespass and private property rights in fringements caused by elk tour ists. While Farm Bureau praised ef forts by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Department of Conservation and Natural Re sources through a six- point plan to address nuisance elk com plaints and educate tourists, Barnett said such programs do not address the long- term prob lems associated with elk and property damage. Wolff noted that FFA and ag ricultural education provide a strong foundation for the youth of America and the future of the food, fiber, and natural resource systems. The third largest FFA chapter in the nation is W.B. Saul High School in Philadelphia. Chartered in 1929, Pennsylva nia FFA has over 142 chapters statewide. Nationally, FFA is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The Department of Agricul ture invited the Pennsylvania FFA to locate its administrative office at the department last year. In addition, the Pennsylvania legislature has provided $104,000 to support the FFA Foundation, allowing FFA members to partic ipate in state and national educa tional events. To learn more about Pennsyl vania FFA visit their homepage at www.paffa.state.pa.us or con tact Mike Brammer, Pennsylva nia FFA Executive Manager, at (717) 705-9551. lancast ‘armina.ci
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