A26-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 4, 2003
Preservation Leaders
Laud Vote
RYAN ROBINSON
Special To Lancaster Farming
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) County officials and agricultural preser
vation leaders are lauding the Lancaster County Commissioners’ denial of a
land-swap deal as a victory for the farmland preservation program.
The commissioners voted unanimously to deny Ephrata Area School Dis
trict’s proposal to use 1.4 acres of the preserved David Lauver farm along
Meadow Valley Road in Ephrata Township for a secondary access drive for a
planned elementary school.
While preservationists applauded the decision, the president of the Ephrata
Area School Board called it a “slap in the face” to everyone from the school,
Ephrata Township and Ephrata Borough who spent the last three to four
years carefully planning the school.
“This has become a pure political football,” said William Funk. “I person
ally feel that this has become such an obvious political issue that has nothing
to do with educating children or the needs of addressing our growth.”
Preservation officials see it differently. The importance the decision has to
the farmland preservation effort can not be overstated, said Heidi Schellenger
of the Lancaster Farmland Trust. “My board members told me this issue was
a hill .tffiigjfepn,” Schellenger said.
Tl« cpmmissioners demonstrated that safety is the only thing that would
justify lifting an easement on preserved farmland, and even that bar is set
very high, Schellenger said.
Funk disagreed sharply. “What it does do is cater to the narrow self-inter
ests of the almost fanatical preservationists,” Funk said. “We have a supreme
disappointment with the way this went.”
The school district proposed preserving 2.8 acres from a nearby farm in ex
change for using the slice of preserved ground. “Our proposal was going to in
crease the amount of preserved land when we were done, slightly altering the
boundary of preserved land,” Funk said. “If (commissioners) truly cared
about preserving land in the county, they would have voted for it.” He also
said he can’t see how any dangerous precedent would be set in the case, as
preservationists and two of the county commissioners have argued.
“The law currently allows preserved farmland to be crossed for cellular
towers,” Funk said. “The only precedent set here would be that any time a
school district is in need of having a safe access to a
public road, it can. We are not Wal-Mart. We are not
a developer.” i
Commissioner Pete Shaub who voted with fellow
commissioners Paul Thibault and Ron Ford to block
the school district’s plan disagreed with Funk. “Our
ruling yesterday does indicate that we do take ag
preservation seriously,” Shaub said. “When we com
mit to preserving for perpetuity, then that’s what it
means, unless it is essential that a change be made.”
He said that granting the school’s right of way
would jeopardize the trust and integrity of the num
ber-one county farmland preservation program in the
country. Gene Garber, president of the county’s Agri
cultural Preserve Board, said before the vote that ap
proving the access drive plan would break the coun
ty’s “solemn promise” to Elam Lauver, who donated
the land’s easement in 1984. That would set a “terri
ble, terrible precedent” for farmland preservation, he
said.
Agricultural Preserve Board Director Rich
Doenges, speaking before the vote, said farmland
preservation would be weakened, even if a legal prece
dent wasn’t set. “Beyond the reality of the facts, it is
important how this would be perceived by the public,”
Doenges said. All three commissioners thought the
school district failed to prove that the access was the
only safe alternative for the Lincoln Elementary
School planned in Ephrata Township. The commis
sioners’ careful consideration of the request and high
bar set for safety impressed Schellenger.
“1 was going to be very upset if they allowed this
access drive and it wasn’t a safety issue,” she said.
“The two easements that have been amended (in the
past) make a nice precedent for safety. They weren’t
amended for convenience. I definitely think there
would have been that perception in this case.”
So where does Wednesday’s ruling leave the school
district, which desperately needs a new school to
house its growing number of students? Funk said offi
cials are eyeing several other routes as a possible sec
ondary access drive to the school.
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CARLOT VEAL CARCASS REPORT.
Compared to trading last week: Northeast spe
cial fed veal weak to lower at 255.00-285.00, av
erage 266 10. Demand moderate on Kght offer
ings. North Central hide-on lower at
240.00- average 242 98. Demand moder
ate on light offerings Undertone weak to lower.
VEAL CARCASS, SPECIAL FED, HOT
BASIS, FOB PRODUCTION POINTS North
east 840 head Hide-Off, 215-275 lbs
-280.0- North Central. 470 head Hide-
On, 240-500 lbs 240-245.00.
CONTRACT INFORMATION. Hot Basis.
Hide-Off (As of October 1, 2003) Contract
calves slaughtered this week. 195.00-285.00,
mostly 205.00-245.00. Packers base market
225.00- Future Contracts offered: Firm
Bottom 205.00-215.00, Firm Top 225.00-235.00.
Firm Bottom/Open Top 205 00. Firm Bottom
210.00, Split Half Top 225 00 Fixed 215.00.
• North Central - OH, IN, 11, MI & Wl.
• Northeast - MA r MD, PA, NY, NJ, DE, CT
& VT.
WEEKLY. DISTRIBUTIVE, LESS THAN
CARLOT, BAST COAST AREA VEAL CUTS
TRADE, SPECIAL FED; Market for Tuesday,
Sept. 23 Distributive special fed veal cuts
trading weak to lower on loin, rib and leg cuts.
Other cuts steady to steady to weak Movement
slow to moderate, demand light to moderate on
light to moderate offerings.
Prices per CWT: Carcass, hide off 200-250 lb
290-36000, Foresaddles 85-110 lb 240-265.00;
Kosher Foresaddles 90-110 lb 250-315.00; Hind
saddles 85-115 lb 390-440.00; Loins, regular
17-25 lb 390-440.00; Loins, 4x4 trmd 12-18 lb
750-825.00; Hotel Racks, 8 rib 15-21 lb
650-750.00, 7 nb 14-20 lb 600-800.00, 6 nb
13-17 lb 800.00-925.00; Chuck, square cut 36-47
lb 145-175.00, Shoulder, full 14-20 lb
185.00-215.00; Legs, double 70-90 lb 395-440 00,
TBS 3-piece 24-32 lb 795-950.00, BHS heel-out
27-35 lb 690-800.00; Top Round, trmd, cap-off
8-10 lb 1250-1450.00; Breast 10-12 lb 80-115.00;
Necks, bone-in 24-28 lb 145-185.00; Stew Meat,
regular 250-325.00; Boneless Trimmings
75-80% lean 75-95.00, Heavy Nature Green
Hides, per piece 36-4100.
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Central Veal Report
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October 1,200
Supplied By USDA
fk
Weekly Meat Production Under Federal Inspection
WASHINGTON, D C , Sept 26 - (USDA-NASS) - Total red meat prc
duclion under federal inspection lor the week ending Saturday. Sept ...
was estimated at 903.2 million lbs, accoidmg to the USDA's Agricultural
Maikelmg Service This was 3 7 percent lowei than a week ago and 4
pel cent lower than a year ago. Cumulative meat production loi the yeai
to date was 0 4 percent lowei computed to the pievious year
MEAT PRODUCTION (million pounds)
(excludes condemned)
Week Ending (1) Beef Calf/Veal Pork (2) Lamb/Mutton Totals (J)
27- 507 7 3 5 388 2 3 8 903 2
20-Sep-03 346 4 3 2 384 3 3 9 937 8
Change -7 I % 9 4% 1 0% -2 6% 3 7 /c
28- 5415 3 9 392 7 4 1 942 2
Change -6 2% -10 3% -11% 7 3% -4 1%
2003 YTD 19.860 8 135 6 14.127 5 139 6 34.263 5
2002 YTD 19,942 2 1370 14.157 5 153 7 34.3904
Change -0 4% -1 0% -0 2% -9 2% -0 4%
1- Previous week estimates may be reused Year ago data are actuals
2- Excludes lard
3- Totals may not add due to rounding 2003 totals are subject to revisioi
LIVESTOCK SLAUGHTER (head)
Week Ending Cattle Calves/Vealers Hogs Sheep/Lambs
27- Sep-03 681,000 19,000 1,999,000 57,000
20-Sep-03 733,000 18,000 1,981,000 60,000
Change -7 1% 5 6% 0 9% -5 0%
28- 701,000 21.000 2,028,000 63,000
Change -2 9% -9 5% -14% -9 5%
2003 YTD 26,601,000 730,000 71,543,000 2,082,000
2002 YTD 26,260,000 733,000 72,160,000 2,278,000
Change I 3% -0 4% -0 9% -8 6%
AVERAGE WEIGHTS (lbs.)
Week Ending LIVE Cattle Calves/Vealers Hogs Sheep/Lamb
27- Estimate 1229 301 261 132
20-Sep-03 Estimate 1230 295 261 131
28- Actual 1271 311 262 130
DRESSED
27- 03 Estimate 749 186 195 67
20-Sep-03 Estimate 747 181 195 66
28- Actual 111 191 195 65
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL SLAUGHTERED BY CLASS
CATTLE HOGS
Wk Ending Steers Heiters Cows Bulls/Stags Barrows/Gilts Sows Boars/Staj
13- Aug-03 49 3% 33 1% 15 7% 19% 96 4% 33% 03%
14- Aug-02 50 5% 313% 16 4% 18% 96 9% 29% 02%
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