A3O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 1,2003 ' Group Adds Muscle To Farmland Preservation RYAN ROBINSON Special to Lancaster Farming LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) Armed with a fresh poll that shows Lancaster County resi dents overwhelmingly support saving farms from development, a private group is launching a major new effort to preserve many more farms here. The Oxford Foundation Inc. in Strasburg hopes to strengthen existing local preservation groups by tapping national sources for millions of dollars in funding. “Our desire is to pick up the pace of farmland preservation,” said Marilyn Ware, secretary of Oxford Foundation’s board of di rectors. The county’s efforts “be long on a national stage.” Ware called current farmland preserva tion work by the county Agricul tural Preserve Board and the pri vate, nonprofit Lancaster Farmland Trust “superb.” But with the continued pressure of new housing and business devel opment, those groups are not pre serving enough farms fast enough, she said. Most residents polled random ly recently by Susquehanna Poll ing and Research Inc. agree with Power Expo Nov. 12-13 HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Power Expo 2003 (Land scape, Nursery, and Turf Power Equipment Expo) will debut Nov. 12-13, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. Organizers expect to draw up to 4,000 attendees, among them landscape contractors and nurs ery owners, highway/park main tenance personnel, municipali ties, school districts, and a whole host of other prospective buyers. Visit the PLNA Website at www.plna.com or call (800) 898-3411. •A program to help producers maximize quality, health and value •Gives buyers greater confidence in the health of cattle purchased through LMA Member Livestock Markets •Industry-wide calf vaccination/preventive health program that provides greater market-to-market uniformity •Meets consumer demand for safe, wholesome beef her. Of the 359 registered voters polled, a large majority said that they are concerned about the loss of farmland (88 percent) and that more protection of farmland is needed (79 percent). Most resi dents (66 percent) said the pace of growth and development is too fast, and commissioners should increase efforts to preserve farm land (61 percent). The Oxford Foundation pres ented the findings of the poll to county commissioners and some commissioner candidates. Ware asked commissioners to approve a new $5O million to $lOO million bond issue to pay for preserving farms a move favored by near ly six out of 10 people who were polled. Approving a new bond issue would show that the local com mitment to farmland preserva tion remains strong, Ware said. The move would strengthen the county’s chances of receiving ad ditional federal matching money. Exactly how much federal money may be available for local preser vation is not yet known, but Ox ford Foundation Director Philip Calhoun thinks it will be “sub stantial.” The show will host exhibitor's, comprised of equipment compa nies and suppliers to the land scape, nursery, and turf indus tries. Other highlights of Power Expo 2003 will be the first dem onstration area in Pennsylvania, a Power Equipment Rodeo, and hands-on education. For a com : plete line-up of events, visit www.plna.com. Exhibit booth space is still available for Power Expo 2003. For more information, contact Linda Weiss at (800) 898-3411 or Iweiss@plna.com. “We are hoping to create a na tional momentum,” said June Mengel, who will be working part time with the Oxford Founda tion. “On a small scale, it would be millions, and we would hope to expand that.” The Oxford Foundation will work to make that opportunity happen. It is also seeking funds from The Conservation Fund, the Ameri can Farmland Trust, the Nation al Geographic Society, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “We’re all in some way on the same team,” Ware said, adding that the Oxford Foundation is committing to three years of work with the initiative. The call for funds from national sources is not falling on deaf ears. “What place in the country is farmland more important to the economy and identity than Lan caster County,” asked Ed McMa hon, vice president for programs with The Conservation Fund, which is based out side Washington. “It is known throughout Ameri- ca. If we cannot save farm- land in Lancaster County, than where can we save it?” “We think Lancaster County could serve as a model for other counties in Pennsylvania,” McMahon said. Local preservationists were obviously happy with the news of a possibility of additional funding. ‘I think it is wonderful,” said Rich Doenges, Agricultural Pre serve Board director. “We have a significant unmet need from owners of farm land. “The support has been very good from the com missioners, but we need more to get a chance to get into this backlog that we have.” So far, SIS farms total- A /wa t£\ LIVESTOCK MMKETIMi AMOCWTIOH Middleburg Livestock Auction Middleburg, PA 17842 For information on the LMA-VACC program visit www.lmaweb.com ing 45,348 acres have been pre served by the Agricultural Pre serve Board. In addition, nine farms, amounting to 762 acres, have been approved for preserva tion, but the transactions have not yet been settled, Doenges said. The Lancaster Farmland Trust has also preserved more than 10,000 acres here. Commissioner Chairman Paul Thibault ac knowledged that, with funds generated by a 1999 bond soon running out, the Oxford Founda tion’s call for a new bond issue “comes at an opportune mo ment.” But, Thibault said, “I really haven’t formed any opinion on it yet. We have to get new money if we’re going to continue (farm land preservation) at any pace. It comes down to the age-old ques tion of how to pay for it.” I DANGER Beware of the potential molds and mycotoxins in the com and soybeans because of our recent rains. We can purge your grain for quality feed Mold experts agree, and it has been locally proven, a flame roaster can effectively destroy molds and reduce toxins to safe levels. GET THE FACTS... STOP MOLD PROBLEMS NOW! Schnupp's Grain Roasting, Inc. 416 Union Rd., Lebanon, PA 17046 1-800-452-4004 717-865-6611 David N. Groff 262 Pawling Rd., Lewisburg, PA 17837 570-568-1420 iwiiSrtfitMiiiiiiiiiiiiihi* Mill jgPy'BM OOP @ IT OOP H i '**■ V. /I™" \ BONDIOLI FULL LCNE h & RAVESI pro • Constan Velocity • Slip Clutches • Shear Yoke • Complet Shafts • All Com PAUL B. ZIMMERMAN, INC. | 50 Woodcorner Rd.,Lititz, PA 17543 i 1 Mile West of Ephrata lupsj 717-738-7350 HARDWARE ■ FARM SUPPLIES • CRANE SERVICE Commissioners approved a special $25 million bond issue for farmland preservation in 1999. Doenges said he expects funds from the bond will be extin guished by the end of this year. Mengel admitted it will be a chal lenge to pull together the funding sources needed to preserve as much of the county’s 300,000 ag riculturally-zoned acres as possi ble. The Oxford Foundation is a private family foundation dedi cated to promoting excellence in health, human services, educa tion, early childhood develop ment, historic and environmental preservation, arts and culture, and public policy planning. Editor’s note: This story origi nally appeared in a slightly differ ent version in the Oct. 22 Lan caster New Era. New Era staff writers Tim Mekeel and Patricia Poist contributed to this report. HOURS Mon . Thurs , Fn 7-8 30 Tues , Wed 7-5 30 Sat 7-4 00 a
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