Chester/Delaware County Farm Bu DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff BLUE BALL (Lancaster Co.) The Chester/Delaware County Farm Bureau reported a record number of members this year, along with several hundred new members joining from the west ern half of Philadelphia County. President Bob Hewitt said that the group’s 1,337 members from Chester and Delware counties represent “an all-time high.” New members from Philadelphia bring the total to 1,689. Bob Yamall Jr., vice president, spoke about the cooperation with Philadelphia County to about 100 members at the annual spring banquet Wednesday eve ning at Shady Maple Smorgas bord. Yarnall noted that the Phila delphia school system includes the largest FFA chapter in the country at the WB Saul High School Of Agricultural Sciences. As a Farm Bureau representa tive, Yamall met recently with state legislators in Philadelphia. “They were open to us,” Yar nall said of the urban representa tives. “It was the first time Farm Bureau really made inroads to speaking with them about the is sues.” Yamall said the Farm Bu reau’s association with Philadel phia-area lawmakers includes promoting AgTti the Classroom initiatives and urban farm and landscape projects within the city. Regional Director Ed Buss called the decision to integrate part of Philadelphia into the Farm Bureau a “bold move.” Buss also said the Pennsylva nia Farm Bureau is working to bring a “mobile ag science lab” SPRING AGLIME APPLICATION Don’t put it off, Put it on. • If you need aglime, you can’t afford to farm without it. • Martin’s quality aglime will effect your soil pH immediately after application Call now for delivery Martin Limestone Inc. Blue Ball, PA (800) 233-0205 (717) 354-1370 Marlin LIMESTONE David Hodge into the state to enhance agricul tural learning in schools. Maryland is already using such a lab, referred to by Buss as a “portable classroom” contained in a large travel trailer. Initial cost of the rolling ag laboratory is between $30,000 and $35,000, with annual mainte nance costs of about $30,000, according to Buss. Buss said that fees collected from Maryland school districts generate nearly enough income to pay for operation of the lab, which is used to help meet new requirements for the Ag In the Classroom Program. Other reports at the banquet included updates from the local, regional, and state Farm Bureau scene. David Hodge, apple grower and a county Farm Bureau direc tor, said he participated in a re cent legislative trip to Harrisburg to lobby for agricultural concerns with Rep. James Gerlach (R-44). “The budget is definitely a concern for us,” Hodge said. “There’s a disproportionate amount of agriculture to be cut from the proposed (Pennsylva nia) budget.” Hodge said the Farm Bureau is asking for permanent removal of the state’s “death tax” on inheri tances. At this point, the tax is to be phased out in steps, but is scheduled to return in 2010. The Farm Bureau is also asking state lawmakers to set up a plan to spread tax payments over five years to ease burdens on farmers in years they record a profit, Hodge said. Reasonably priced medical in surance and stricter regulations on imported milk protein concen trates (MFCs) are other issues being pushed by the Farm Bu reau. Donald “Buster” Needham said he represented the Farm Bu reau at an April 1 meeting with Chester County commissioners. 1 “One of the issues we all have at heart is water,” Needham said. “The other is land preservation.” Director Sally Kolb said the tie is strong between the farming community and Chester County officials. “The cooperation agriculture Donald “Buster” Needham Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 26, 2003-A3l Sally Kolb has had in this county has been phenomenal,” she said. At the state level, Kolb noted that the Farm Bureau is working on a new version of last year’s Senate Bill 1413, legislation that was designed to give farmers more leverage in dealing with township regulations. The bill failed to pass in the Pennsylvania House of representatives last fall. “Hopefully, this year we will have wording that will allow the bill to pass,” she said. Farm Bureau is also seeking property tax reform in the state. That is “by no means a simple problem to solve,” Kolb said. She said the Farm Bureau’s hope is that “we will come to gether on a plan that we can live with a little better than the one we have right now.” Tim Art, a local farm manage ment specialist, urged farmers to We Salute Our faming Industry rts Growth find ways to make the most of risk management opportunities. He gave the example of one local dairy farmer who last fall signed a cheese contract with his milk cooperative and is receiving about $1 more per hundred weight over the current price on half of the milk he produces. Art also told farmers to be aware of an increasing govern ment attention to tax returns. “As our clients put it, the IRS is back in the auditing he said. Others on hand at the banquet included state Rep. Art Hershey, whose district includes parts of Chester and Lancaster counties. Hershey said he was “encour aged” at a recent ag forum in which Dennis Wolff, Pennsylva nia secretary of ag designee and Kathleen McGinty, acting secre tary of environmental protection, spoke together “about solving nu trient management problems based on science rather than emotion.” Take Your Best Shot at Controlling Weeds in Soybeans Controlling weeds in Roundup Ready* soybeans isn’t as simple as running your sprayer mto the field one time with a post application of glyphosate Rate cutting and repetitive use of glyphosate may be leading to poor weed control or even the development of tolerance or resistance to glyphosate That’s why we recommend a tank mix of 0 3 ounces of Firstßate* herbicide with labeled rates of a glyphosate product like Glyphomax* Plus herbicide Applying this proven combination early post while weeds are within labeled rates will easily control existing weeds and provide residual control to stop later-emerging weeds from becoming established This simple, one-pass tank-mix program - winch we call BestShot' - will deliver improved control of mormngglorv. giant and common ragweed, huger velvctleat cocklebur and sunflower It also offers • Residual control and improved contact control •The ability to reduce glvphosate rates based on weed species and weed size xt application • Competitive value to glvphosatc-onh sprays • Excellent crop sxfetv Adding a residual thennstn. like Firstßite allow s \ou to widen vour appbc mon window R itlicr than waiting until canopv to ipplv glyphosacc von tan lut weeds cirber when they are simllci and more manageable Tliat means less competition tor emerging soybeans, unproved stands and higher yields Tins tank-mix program will consistently debver sharper and more c onsistent weed control than glyphosate alone To oftset the added cost of the Best Shot program, vou only need to improve soybean yields 1 to 2 bushels The payback also includes cleaner fields For more information about using Firstßate and Glypbomav Plus foi nnpioved soybean weed control, see vout local ag ictailei AgroSciences *’ ,M Irak mirks ol Dow lit hßoundup kt. k)\ i i u uisuini ol Moikuh > v nij im AK\i\suiJ mil follow hUI Jm < tinm Bob Yarnall Jr.
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