Buchanan FFA Dairy Judging Team
Wins Hoard’s Contest For 2nd Year
The dairy judging team of the Conococheague CE FFA Chapter at James Buchanan
High School in Mercersburg won first place in the FFA/Ag Ed Division in the Hoard’s
Dairyman Judging Contest for the second consecutive year. The team members are,
from left, front row, Brittany Beck, 15; Shaina Martin, 16; Meagan Meyers, 18; Aaron
Horst, 16; John Fisher, 16; Alecia Martin, 18; Micah Meyers, 18; Greta Moyer, 17; and
Sheena Wingert, 16. Middle row: Desiree Robinson, 161; Chassidy Myers, 17; Jason
Stoner, 16; Pete Morgan, 18; Allison Holland, 15; Abby Stoner, 18; and Emilee Seville,
18. Third row: Janine Smith, 18; Hedi Crouse, 15; Jennifer Snider, 14; Joni Stanton, 16;
Nicole Soler, 16; Valerie Walls, 16; Lindsey Norton, 16; and Ashley Brown, 15. Back row:
Lisa Shaw, adviser and dairy judging coach; Charity Yeager, 16; Ann Heckman, 18;
Aimee Heckman, 17; Allison Heckman, 15; Kevin Stahl, 17; Robert Sanders, 17; and Jed
Yeatts, 15.
Tax Plan Includes Significant Savings
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Farm families would reap signifi
cant tax savings under President
Bush’s Jobs and Economic
Growth Plan, Agriculture Secre
tary Ann M. Veneman said dur
ing a Tax Day news conference
with House Agriculture Commit'
tee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Va.
“Tax Day is an appropriate
time to highlight the President’s
plan, which would save farm
families $4 billion in taxes for
2003,” said Veneman. “Through
his plan, the President hopes that
by the next tax day, millions of
Americans will be able
to keep more of their
own money to invest
and spend.”
Veneman said that
under the President’s
plan, 85 percent of
farm and ranch fami
lies would see some
benefit. The savings
include $2.3 billion
from accelerating re
ductions in income-tax
rates, marriage penal
ty relief and the in
creased child credit;
$1.3 billion from elimi
nating the double tax
ation of dividends; and
additional savings
from increased small
business expensing,
making 90 percent of
all farm machinery
and equipment tax de
ductible. The result is
significant saving for
individual families
across the country.
For example, a farm
family of four has an
adjusted gross income
of $BO,OOO, including
$37,500 in on-farm in
come and $2,200 in
taxable dividends on
which corporate taxes
were already paid.
Under the current tax
law, this family would
face an estimated $9,866 in feder
al income taxes, before credits.
The current child tax credit
would reduce the family’s federal
income taxes' to $8,666.
Under the President’s propos
al, their taxable income would
fall from $59,850 to $56,100, and
this family would face federal in
come taxes, after credits, of
$5,735. After paying their federal
self-employment tax, this family
would benefit from total federal
tax savings of 21 percent, or
$2,931.
If the same family makes a
large farm machinery purchase
in 2003 and expenses an addi
tional $48,500 in the first year
under the President’s proposed
tax changes, they would have a
total federal tax liability of zero,
and would receive a refund of
part of the child credit.
In another example, a family
of four with an adjusted gross in
come of $40,000, including
$5,000 in on-farm income and
$3OO in taxable dividends, would
have their total federal tax bur
den reduced by 62 percent, or
$1,178.
Lancaster County
Pasture Walks Set
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
The Lancaster County Gra
ziers and Lancaster County Ex
tension have announced the first
pasture walks of the season.
All of these pasture walks will
take place from 10 a.m. until 1:30
p.m. They afford graziers the op
portunity to learn from each
other by hearing and observing
what other folks are doing. Please
pack a lunch, unless otherwise
noted. Drinks will be provided by
the host farm.
The following pasture walks
have been set:
• May 8 Green Meadows
Farm, John K. Fisher and family,
2661 W. Eby Road, Bird in
Hand. From Rt. 30 take Rt. 340
east toward Bird in Hand, turn
left on Mt. Sidney Rd, right on
Horseshoe Rd, and left on W.
Eby Road. Farm is 1.5 miles on
left.) The Fisher family grazes 35
Jersey cows on 40 acres. The op
eration is certified organic, with a
wholly forage-based ration for
the milking cows.
• May 28 Garber Dairy
Farm, Herb, Mark, and Joel
Garber, 2167 Bossier Rd., Eliza
bethtown (717) 367-2141. (From
283 West, take Rheems/
Elizabethtown exit, go left to
light at Harrisburg Pike/Rt. 230.
Go straight across and stay on
Cloverleaf/Colebrook Rd. Take
right onto Bossier Rd. Farm is on
right past Bossier Mennonite
Church.) The Garbers run 140
cows on more than 80 acres of
pasture and more than 200 acres
of cropland. They use a TMR in
conjunction with pasture for the
Pa. Ag Republicans Set 2003 Agenda.
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The executive committee
of the Pennsylvania Ag Republi
cans met recently to set the 2003
agenda for the organization.
Mike Firestine, chairman, re
viewed the 2002 election. Though
the Republican Party did not win
the Governor’s office, many Re
publicans were returned to the
state legislature with gains in the
majority in the House of Repre
sentatives and also gains in the
number of members of Congress.
Dan Haywood, political direc
tor for the State Republican
Committee, addressed the group
on the importance of the state ju
dicial races.
milk herd. Lunch provided by
Rohrer’s Seeds and Homestead
Nutrition.
• June 19 Arden Landis
Farm, 667 Puseyville Rd, Kirk
wood (717) 529-6644 (Located
two miles south of the Solanco
Fairgrounds at the junction of Rt.
472 and Puseyville Rd.) The
Landis family runs a seasonal or
ganic dairy, with 90 cows on 120
acres. They have been grazing for
ten years. They are using shades,
and have some Italian ryegrass
test plots on the farm for you to
view.
• July 17 John S. Glick
Farm, 2285 W. Elizabethtown
Rd., Marietta (717) 665-2010.
(From Rt. 283, take Manheim/
Mt. Joy Exit, turn right on Rt.
772, left on Brenneman Rd., left
on Colebrook Rd., and left on
Elizabethtown Rd. to farm on
left.) The Glick family grazes 55
cows on more than 40 acres of
mixed pastures with shades.
They are working to maximize
production with limited acreasge
and inputs, using 20 paddocks
and feeding a grain mix to the
cattle.
Reservations are appreciated
they will help the host farm
make necessary arrangements.
For more information and to reg
ister, contact the Lancaster
County Extension Office at (717)
394-6851. For biosecurity rea
sons, all who attend are encour
aged to wear clean clothes and
boots, and stay out of feeding and
young stock areas.
The Pennsylvania Ag Republi
cans will make special efforts to
get the judicial candidates into*
rural communities and to have
them available to meet the rural'
and agricultural people.
-The annual chicken barbecue *
will take place at the VFW
grounds, Rocksprings, Aug. 20,
during Ag Progress Day with an
iced tea social at §:3O p.m. and
dinner at 6 p.m. An auction to
raise money for campaign funds
will follow the dinner.
To become a member of the
Pennsylvania Ag Republicans or
for additional information con
tact Mike Firestine at (717)
274-6906.
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