Controversial Topics Discussed at Listening Session

CHRIS TORRES
Staff Writer

EPHRATA, Pa. — The second of eight agriculture listening sessions was held here Friday afternoon, March 16, with issues hot enough to melt the ice and snow that made area roadways slick.

Nearly 100 people showed up at Four Seasons Produce to talk about issues effecting the agriculture community in the Lancaster County area.

Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-36), chairman of the state’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, organized the listening sessions as a way to garner opinions on the latest ag issues in the state. He was joined by Committee Vice Chairman Mike Waugh (R-28) and Rep. Tom Creighton (R-37)

The first listening session, held Feb. 21 in Philadelphia, focused on social and economic issues affecting the state’s largest city.

Friday’s session focused on more controversial issues such as the environment, “right to farm” laws, health insurance, and proposed changes to the state’s dog law.

Bernie Morrissey of Morrissey Insurance said Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposed $2 million cut to the state’s crop insurance program in this year’s budget would hurt farmers’ ability to insure their crops for the future. “If we can give a million to PHEAA (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency) and they have spent it on recreation, we can surely give it to the farms,” Morrissey said. “I’m saying, rearrange your priorities.”

John Shenk, a farmer from the Philadelphia area, said high health insurance costs could hinder farmland preservation efforts in the southeast part of the state. Shenk said he spends nearly 20 percent of his net income paying for health insurance. “I think anything you can do in regards to these types of issues will be helpful to us,” he said.

Betsy Huber, Pennsylvania State Grange Master (president), said officials should look into using land preserved in the state’s Conservation Preserve Enhancement Program (CREP) as a source for researching cellulosic ethanol.

Russell Jones, a dog kennel owner in Chester County, said proposed changes to the state’s dog laws would hurt law-abiding kennel owners and said the changes are all part of a bigger agenda being pushed by animal rights activist groups. “We want you to know that there is an agenda that you should be aware of,” he said. “None of these regulations cover abuses. We’re concerned about the direction this is heading.”

Most of the meeting was focused on environmental regulation and how some feel it is putting farmers out of business.

Jim Adams, president of Wenger’s Feed Mill, testified he was concerned about farmers’ abilities to grow and prosper because of environmental regulations. Adams said conflicting laws and high fees have created a “spider web” of bureaucracy that makes it almost impossible for farmers to expand their operations. He added the state’s ACRE (Agriculture, Communities and Rural Environment) law, which was passed to challenge strict local ordinances to protect farmer’s rights, needs to be overhauled to better address local problems.

“The farmers at this point are being hindered with their future expansion opportunities,” said Lamonte Garber, agricultural consultant with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. He added that farmers need more access to grants and other funding to develop environmental management plans and urged communities to work better with farmers to create a better understanding between the two. “(Farmers) are not the bad guy on this,” Garber said. “The community needs to recognize that.”

Dan Gard, past president of Manheim Young Farmers and an area manager with Monsanto Dairy, said the future of agriculture in Pennsylvania may be a grim one if environment regulations are not relaxed. He pointed to a farm he worked with in Adams County whom he said spent $50,000 on fees just to expand their dairy operation. “Pennsylvania is regulating agriculture out of business,” he said, adding the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) should be in charge of the farm permit process rather than the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Brubaker said the input received at the listening sessions will go a long way into setting the committee’s agenda this year. Six more sessions are planned with locations in the Pittsburgh area, Reading, and the northwest part of the state.

“Each person who spoke with us today offered information that will help us build an agenda that truly meets the needs of agriculture and rural populations,” Brubaker said in a press statement. “Judging by the variety of people who testified, it is clear that agriculture affects everyone on some level.”