Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 12:43pm.
 Experts Urge Better Planning Chris Torres
Staff Writer EPHRATA, Pa. — Richard Snyder, a farmer from Lycoming County, has seen many ups and downs since he began farming at the age of 18. Prices have gone up, prices have gone down.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 12:38pm.
Md., Pa. Auctions Identified on Tape Natasha T. Metzler
Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) released video footage Wednesday of sick and injured livestock the group said were mistreated at auction sites and stockyards where cattle are sold for slaughter. The group released videos shot during April and May showing downed cows abandoned for hours at facilities in Maryland, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Texas. Downed cattle may pose a higher risk of contamination from E.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 12:35pm.
 Gay Brownlee
Virginia Correspondent BROADWAY, Va. — Tim Bryan, breeder of miniature Hereford cattle on Bryan Hill Farm, with his wife Debbie, can barely keep up with the demand for their registered purebred cattle on 30 acres of tumbling hills and gentle vistas, but he says the goal of selling 18 to 20 calves annually is close to being met. “It started off as a hobby,” Bryan said.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 12:25pm.
 Windmills and a Rotary Dairy Parlor Set Farm Apart Maegan Crandall
Central New York Correspondent COHOCTON, N.Y. — Contrary to what you may have heard, not all happy cows live in California. In fact, there are 860 very happy cows living large at the Lent Hill Dairy Farm.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 12:08pm.
Mary Clare Jalonick
Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Negotiators on a five-year, $300 billion farm bill say they have reached a tentative agreement on the legislation and it will be considered by the House and Senate next week. The Bush administration has objected to the bill.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 12:06pm.
 Panel Looks at the Carbon Footprint of Biofuels Tracy Sutton
Northern Editor WASHINGTON. — Biofuels — friend or foe? was the gist of a recent Farm Foundation Forum featuring three eminent supporters of biofuels here at the National Press Club. Ethanol, in particular, once considered a balm to our reliance upon foreign oil, is now being called into question as perhaps being more harmful than fossil fuels overall, when the environmental impact of growing corn and putting food and fuel into competition is considered. Ripple Effects
The U.S.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 12:01pm.
 Pennsylvania Announces Increased Bee Funding Juliana Barbassa
Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A survey of bee health released Tuesday revealed a grim picture, with 36.1 percent of the United States’ commercially managed hives lost since last year. Last year’s survey commissioned by the Apiary Inspectors of America found losses of about 32 percent. As beekeepers travel with their hives this spring to pollinate crops around the country, it’s clear the insects are buckling under the weight of new diseases, pesticide drift and old enemies like the parasitic varroa mite, said Dennis vanEngelsdorp, president of the group. This is the second year the association has measured colony deaths across the country.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 11:58am.
Chris Torres
Staff Writer Living in New Jersey, home to the nation’s highest property taxes, William Lammers never thought he would be able to afford his life’s dream: a farm.
That was until he bought a 185-acre farm in northern Berks County in March 2007. Now more than a year later, Lammers is fighting to keep his dream alive. Because of what he said is a loophole in the state’s reassessment law, his property taxes have more than tripled in his first year, leaving him with a farm he fears he won’t be able to afford and won’t be able to pass down to his two daughters. The issue revolves around how Lammers’ property, which is located in Greenwich Township, was reassessed by the Kutztown Area School District. According to an article this week in the Reading Eagle, Lammers received a letter from the school district in April 2007 which stated their intention to appeal the farm’s assessed value to the Berks County Board of Assessment Appeals. The farm had been assessed at $300,000 when he bought it, giving him a tax bill of $9,100.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 11:56am.
 Marilyn Hershey
Southeastern Pa. Correspondent OXFORD, Pa. — On Thursday, May 1, about 60 people gathered at the Jordan Banks Farm, Oxford, Pa. to celebrate the preservation of the 72-acre homestead of Dr. Evan Pugh, the first president of Penn State in 1859-1864.
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 11:46am.
 Charlene M. Shupp
Espenshade
Special Sections Editor CAMP HILL, Pa. — “Your profession, agriculture, is what drives our state economy,” said Pennsylvania State Attorney General Tom Corbett at the Grange Day Luncheon. Several hundred Grangers gathered at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel on Monday to conclude the state-long celebration of National Grange Month and to hear updates on rural issues. One of the key duties of Corbett’s office is the legal review of questionable township ordinances called through the ACRE (Agriculture Communities Rural Environment) legislation.
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