Farm Group Leaders Back Rendell Plan To Cut Property Taxes
DAVE LEFEYER
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Pennsylvania Farm Bu
reau, State Grange, and PennAg
Industries stand behind the key
provisions of Gov. Ed Rendell’s
plan to cut property taxes, in
crease education funding, and
stimulate economic growth for
agriculture.
Joining Rendell and Agricul
ture Secretary Dennis Wolff at a
press conference Tuesday in the
Governor’s Reception Room at
the Capitol were Guy Donaldson,
Marketing Workshop
Set At Simple Gifts Farm
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.)
Producers and beginning fanners
who would like to improve their
marketing and production skills.
are invited to attend a Pennsylva
nia Farm Link sponsored meet
ing at Simple Gifts Farm June 25
from 6 to 9 p.m.
Jonathan Weaver-Kreider, the
operator of a 70-member Com
munity Supported Agriculture
(CSA) will provide information
on how to start a CSA, marketing
strategies and production prac
tices he uses, and a tour of the
farm.
CSA or Subscription farming
is essentially grower contracting
and can be applied to any type of
farm. The producer “contracts”
with the consumer to provide a
specific type of product during a
specific time period, and with a
specific delivery date.
Weaver-Kreider completed a
master degree in agroecology,
worked as an integrated pest
management scout, and did in
ternships on other organic vege
table operations before starting
his own farm on rented ground.
He continued to grow the opera
tion to its current three acres size
and hopes to purchase his own
Congressman To Speak
At Farm Bureau Picnic
CAMP HILL (Cumberland
Co.) FARMER, the Pennsylva
nia Farm Bureau’s political ac
tion committee will host a picnic
Sunday, June 22, at Indian Echo
Caverns, Hummelstown.
Congressman Tim Holden will
be speaking at 2:00 p.m. Holden
will address the US farm econo
my and what is being done in
Washington to boost farm profit
ability.
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Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
(PFB) president; Bob Gueldner,
president of PennAg Industries;
and Betsy Huber, Pennsylvania
Grange master.
Calling the state’s property tax
system an “inequitable burden
for our members,” Donaldson
said Rendell’s plan to reduce
property taxes is the beginning of
a fairer tax system for the state’s
farmers.
“Although Governor Rendell’s
plan affects only a portion of
farm property, it’s an important
first step,” Donaldson said.
farm in the near future. Informa
tion on marketing trends and tips
for developing subscription/CSA
markets will be included.
To get to Simple Gifts Farm,
take the Columbia Exit (Rt. 441)
off of Rt. 30. Travel south on Rt.
441 through Columbia. Watch
for signs for 441 in Columbia be
cause it makes two turns. Travel
South about 3 miles to Washing
ton Boro where Rt. 441 intersects
Rt. 999. Pass straight through
this intersection and continue
about 500 feet and go straight
into the farm lane. A small Sim
ple Gifts sign is at the entrance.
There is a stone bam and white
house.
Contact Farm Link at (717)
664-7077 or email at pafarm
link@redrose.net by June 23 to
let them know of your planned
attendance and for additional in
formation on other marketing
events. The meeting is offered
free of charge.
Farm Link will sponsor anoth
er marketing meeting on value
added marketing on September
13,2003 in Kutztown to assist be
ginners and others who want to
improve their marketing ability.
The event is open to the public.
There is a pig roast and barbeque
lunch at 1:00 p.m. The cost to at
tend is $25.00 per person or
$40.00 per couple. Children ages
2-17 are $lO.OO. A group rate will
be offered to any Farm Bureau
member who wishes to tour the
caves. Deadline to purchase tick
ets is June 15. To reserve a place
at the picnic, call Keith Oellig at
(717) 469-0180 or Allen Shissler
at (717) 944-3690.
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Donaldson’s approval was off
set by his concern that funds for
rural school will continue to be
shortchanged under the new
plan.
“Many rural school districts do
not have the tax base to support
adequate operations,” he said.
“Farm Bureau has advocated in
creasing the state’s portion of
public school funding to 50 per
cent.
“We also welcome an econom
ic stimulus plan that targets in
vestment in rural Pennsylvania,”
Donaldson said. “The new pro
Dairy Technology Society Honors O’Hara
WESTMINSTER, Md. The
Dairy Technology Society of
Maryland and the District of Co
lumbia recently recognized long
time member Allen O’Hara with
its Distinguished Service Award.
The award is the society’s
highest honor and was estab
lished in 1972 to recognize a per
son who has made significant
contributions to the dairy indus
try. O’Hara is the 19th honoree
and was recognized for his more
than 25 years of service and dedi
cation to Maryland’s dairy indus
try.
O’Hara is the assistant general
manager for Maryland & Virgin
ia Milk Producers, where he has
worked for more than 25 years.
O’Hara is responsible for all
member service functions, includ
ing field and administrative serv
ices and communications. His
area of responsibility also in
cludes Maryland & Virginia’s
Over-Order Premium Increased To $1.65
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Pennsylvania Milk Mar
keting Board Chairman Boyd E.
Wolff recently announced that
board members voted to increase
the current over-order premium
of $1.55 to $1.65 per one hundred
pounds of milk. The over-order
premium is paid on Class I (bot
tled) milk produced, processed,
and sold within the common
wealth. The $1.65 will be in effect
from July 1 through Dec. 31. The
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posal to make more low-interest
loans available will help farmers
update or expand their opera
tions to remain competitive.”
Gueldner and Huber also en
dorsed the plan to cut taxes for
farm and homeowners.
According to Huber, the pro
posed property tax cuts will
mean an average saving of $387
per property owner across the
state, including homesteads and
farmsteads.
Property taxes have increased
55 percent in the past ten years,
she noted.
Allen O’Hara
manufacturing plant in Laurel,
Md., and the equipment supply
warehouse in Frederick, Md.
Throughout his career, O’Hara
has been involved in a number of
current over-order premium of
$1.55 is due to expire June 30,
2003.
This action is the result of a
hearing conducted May 22. The
hearing took place in response to
a petition submitted to the board
by the Pennsylvania Farm Bu
reau, and a petition submitted by
Dairylea Cooperative, Dairy
Marketing Services, and the
Northeast Council of Dairy
Farmers of America.
Testimony presented at the
Gueldner spoke of the chal
lenges faced by farmers across
the state, including low commod
ity prices and recent drought.
“Agriculture will follow (the
decline) of the steel and coal in
dustries if not given an economic
boost,” Gueldner said.
He suggested that the Pennsyl
vania Department of Agriculture
work together with the Depart
ment of Community and Eco
nomic Development to create
economic incentives.
“As the number one industry
(agriculture) goes, so goes the
state,” he said.
dairy and agricultural organiza
tions. He was active in the Mary
land Council of Farmer Coopera
tives for about 20 years and
served as president of both the
Maryland Agricultural Education
Foundation and the Dairy Tech
nology Society of Maryland and
the District of Columbia.
O’Hara is a graduate of the
University of Maryland and was
raised on a dairy farm in Freder
ick, Md. O’Hara and his wife,
Janice, have four children and
are active in their church.
Founded in 1938 by Dr. Walter
England, the Dairy Technology
Society of Maryland and the Dis
trict of Columbia promotes good
fellowship and mutual under
standing among dairy industry
professionals, and provides an
open forum for dairy science re
lated information and topics of
interest to members and students,
pursuing careers within the in
dustry.
hearing recommended varying
levels of the over-order premium
and varying lengths of times the
premium should be effective. The
board determined that the dis
parity in the recommended over
order premium levels and the dis
parity in the recommended time
the premium should be effective
were indicative of a certain
amount of flux or uncertainty in
the market.
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