Vol. 48 No. 50 Wachovia To Drop Ag Lending Fate Of Many Farm Loans Unclear DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) Wachovia, one of the biggest ag lenders in the area, recently announced it will be getting out of the farm loan business in Pennsylvania and Delaware. “We’re going to be exiting what we call our agrifinance Corn Harvest Aid Comes Through DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff GORDONVILLE (Lancaster Co.) The majority of the silage com crop has been harvested in Lancaster and Chester counties, thanks to a coordinated aid effort put on by disaster workers and Penn State extension. Tropical Storm Isabel had cre ated a major dilemma for farm ers when winds flattened corn fields throughout the area. Amish and other horse farmers were es pecially in need because “it was impossible to harvest a lot of the com with a com binder,” said David Hoover, Com Harvest Aid coordinator based in Gordonville. Agriculture, Environmental Leaders Launch Water Planning Act DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff LOGANVILLE (York Co.) Stan Brown believes in smart water planning. He wants to be sure there will be enough of the essential commodity to go around in the future. “ For those of us in productive agriculture, there’s one certainty and that’s the uncertainty of Sheep and their exhibitors model classy wool fashion at KILE Lead ‘Line competition. Winners in the senior divi sion, from left, are Katye Nolte, first, and Melana Lovell, second. Turn to page B 2 to find out more about this and the Make-lt-With-Wool event. Photo by Lou Ann Good, food and family features editor www.lancasterfarming.com portfolio,” said Jan Armfield, Wachovia regional president. Low farm commodity prices and the high risk of agriculture loans are the main reasons Arm field gave for the divestment. According to Armfield, the bulk of the bank’s ag lending business in the area is made up of clients who generate $3 million to Amish bishops decided to per mit custom operators to harvest com on Amish farms. The Com Harvest Aid office set about mak PDA Hosts Second Ag Ed Workshop, Issues Forum CHARLENE M. SHUPP Lancaster Farming Staff HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) More than 230 people gathered here at the Farm Show Complex Thursday to participate in the second quarterly Agricul ture Issues Forum. weather,” said the longtime or chardist and owner of Brown’s Orchard and Farm Market in Loganville. Throughout the past 10 years, droughts have been coming to the region on an almost regular basis. Increasing competition for water in many areas, including this part of southern York County, makes the need for water resource plan- Five Sections $l5 million in annual revenues. That porfolio will be open to bids from other lending institutions to purchase either whole or piece meal within the year. “I would hope that we’re out of (the porfolio) in six to 12 months,” Armfield said. (Turn to Page A 27) ing sure fanners in need were connected with custom harvest- (Turn to Page A 26) With the many concerns facing Pennsylvania agriculture, the Pennsylvania Department of Ag riculture (PDA) sponsors this forum to bring information about issues to the general public, but (Turn to Page A 26) ning even more urgent. And as Brown pointed out, “You can’t manufacture artificial water.” Brown hosted top officials from the Pennsylvania depart ments of agriculture (PDA) and environmental protection (DEP) at his farm market Monday to address the topic of water and what a recently updated water plan will mean to farmers and other business operators. Dennis Wolff, secretary of ag riculture, and Kathleen McGinty, secretary of environmental pro- Manheim Farm Show caps a season-long list of fairs we cover at Lancaster Farming. During Manheim Farm Show Tuesday, Seth Reifsnyder, second from left, exhibits his grand champion steer. From left, Tom Geibney, judge; Reifsnyder; Diana Lynn Orley; Mrs. Walter Heistand; and Alicia Geib, Manheim Alternate Farm Show Queen. See inside for more farm show coverage. Story is on page A2B. Photo by Charlene Shupp Saturday, October 11,2003 This issue includes the fall Lancaster Farming Boarder & Trainer, our comprehensive section on the horse industry! Included: information on proper rid ing trails, lessons from a popular farrier, proper feeding of horses, information from a horse “den tist,” round pen training, and tips from a harness maker. Articles about horse care and a calendar of horse show and meeting events round out the sec tion. tection, said the Water Resources Planning Act (Act 220 of 2002) will help farmers and others safe guard their water supply and protect the environment. Under the Act, operations using more than 10,000 gallons of water per day, averaged over a 30-day period, are required to register their water withdrawal rates with DEP. For one exam ple, a 200-cow dairy with replace ment stock uses roughly 10,000 gallons a day, according to Wolff. Preregistration forms, specify ing whether users are required to $37.00 Per Year $l.OO Per Copy register and whether they prefer registering by paper or on the DEP Website, are to be sub- (Turn to Page A 24) Inside The Farmer ✓ KILE Lead Line page 82. ✓ Manheim Dairy Show page A 37. ✓ KILE Angus Show page D 4.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers