Farmers

The United States is calling the bluff of the European Community by throwing the U.S. treasury against treasuries of the European nations. It is a battle that neither can really afford to continue at length, but it's the heavy ammunition that U.S. agriculture has needed to combat cheap imports and high subsidies from its foreign competitors. Through the passage of the 1985 Farm Bill, the United States has placed the European Community countries on notice that this nation plans to fight unfair trading tactics.

State planning officials are scheduled to meet with New Jersey farmers today in Atlantic City to talk about a proposed master plan for statewide development that farmers fear could reduce the value of agricultural land throughout the Garden State. James Gilbert, chairman of the State Planning Commission, and John Epling, director of the New Jersey Office of State Planning, will take part in the discussion when the 73d annual New Jersey Agricultural Convention begins at 10 a.m. at the Showboat Hotel, Casino & Bowling Center.

In the predawn fog of an April morning last year, armed federal agents fanned out across darkened Lancaster County pastures in search of contraband. Months of investigation had led to this point. Strong evidence suggested that Rainbow Acres - a small Amish farm just outside Kinzers - served as the hub of a large-scale smuggling operation responsible for shipping hundreds of gallons of illicit product across state lines. After sweeping past dozing cattle and roosters waiting to crow, the agents finally found what they had come for: dozens of coolers filled with unpasteurized milk.

In 1988, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a $100 million farmland preservation program. Three of the farmer-legislators who designed and sponsored the program are among its largest beneficiaries: Rep. John E. Barley (R., Lancaster) has received $1.4 million for two farms whose development rights his family sold through the program. Barley ranks among the top 10 recipients of money in the effort, which has rewarded a total of 1,219 farms. Rep. Arthur D. Hershey (R., Chester)

It's farmer's market season once again, and Bob Pierson is zipping around the edges of Rittenhouse Square this Saturday morning long before any customers arrive, helping farmers hoist their white tents, moving folding tables and heavy coolers, counting heads, and ticking off the minutes till the eight-year-old market reopens, like it's the Kentucky Derby or something. On the dot of 9, Pierson shouts, "OK, we're ready to sell! We're open!" Within a half-hour, the sidewalks around the square are bustling with walkers, runners, and shoppers loaded up with babies, dogs, and canvas bags, many stopping to sample teeny squares of goat cheese or dabs of homemade hummus from the very farmers and artisans who made it. As head of Farm to City, which runs this and 15 other farmer's markets in Philadelphia and the suburbs, Pierson is in his element, which is to say smack dab in the forefront — and middle — of the local food movement in Philadelphia.

Next time you're biking through the countryside and see a farmer tilling his field, or you stop to watch horses or cattle grazing, consider the fact that farms are more than just pretty pictures. The complicated farm economy that ranges from the farmer in the field to the equipment supplier, the cattle breeder, mushroom grower, and veterinarian remains second only to tourism as the most productive component of Pennsylvania's economic existence. Historically, farmers have adopted new technology and environmental regulations that bring along neighbor-friendly benefits, even before new neighbors appear on the horizon.

Against a backdrop of uneasy coexistence between farmers and suburbanites, Pennsylvania reached a milestone Tuesday with the passage of ACRE (Agriculture, Communities and Rural Environment). House Bill 1646, which awaits Gov. Rendell's signature, avoids the potential political influences cited by Richard Grossman in his June 23 commentary. Although the measure maintains the overall authority of municipalities, it emphasizes that they may not adopt ordinances exceeding the strictness of state law. It no longer gives an appointed Agricultural Review Board the power to review such law, shifting it instead to the courts.

From where he stands, Roger Kumpel can catch a glimpse of where the grass is greener. Or at least where the land it grows on is worth a lot more. Kumpel's farm on Pemberton Road just east of Route 206 is three-quarters of a mile inside the Pinelands. "Only by a small distance, we were caught in the trap," said Kumpel, 58, whose family tends about 550 acres of grain and vegetable crops. He was among roughly 1,000 farmers whose equity shriveled overnight when their land was restricted from development with the creation of the 1.1 million-acre Pinelands National Reserve in 1979.

Chester County swine farmers are taking precautions so that a highly infectious animal virus centered mainly in Lancaster County does not travel across the county line. Cheryl Fairbairn, Chester County agricultural/livestock agent, said the virus, swine pseudorabies, had "absolutely no effect on pork for human consumption. " The disease affects hogs, and they can transmit it to other animals. "Where it becomes an economic disaster is when it gets into breeding swine herds," Fairbairn said.

Five days a week, Henry Licciardello auctions 60 varieties of fruits and vegetables by the truckload at the Vineland Produce Cooperative near here, but now he was trying to sell broccoli rab, saxophone squash and kale at $9 per overflowing bushel basket. The event was yesterday's annual Vineland/Jersey Fresh Festival, which organizers hoped would draw 10,000 people to look over a sampling of the $44 million worth of bruise-free peaches, bright red tomatoes and other produce that will leave here this year for markets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York, Canada and even Florida.

It's farmer's market season once again, and Bob Pierson is zipping around the edges of Rittenhouse Square this Saturday morning long before any customers arrive, helping farmers hoist their white tents, moving folding tables and heavy coolers, counting heads, and ticking off the minutes till the eight-year-old market reopens, like it's the Kentucky Derby or something. On the dot of 9, Pierson shouts, "OK, we're ready to sell! We're open!" Within a half-hour, the sidewalks around the square are bustling with walkers, runners, and shoppers loaded up with babies, dogs, and canvas bags, many stopping to sample teeny squares of goat cheese or dabs of homemade hummus from the very farmers and artisans who made it. As head of Farm to City, which runs this and 15 other farmer's markets in Philadelphia and the suburbs, Pierson is in his element, which is to say smack dab in the forefront — and middle — of the local food movement in Philadelphia.

2 medium garlic cloves, sliced thin 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon of salt or more to taste 1 pound green beans, cleaned and trimmed   1. Put olive oil, garlic, and salt into shallow serving dish and mix. 2. Put beans into boiling water for 6 minutes (important to time this). 3. Drain well and put into serving dish. Turn the beans in the olive oil mix until they are well coated. Taste for salt and adjust if needed. From kitchen of Giuliana and Bob Pierson Per serving (based on 8)

1 quart ripe strawberries 2 tablespoons maple syrup or other sweetener 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1. Wash, hull, and cut strawberries into 3 or 4 pieces each. 2. Add lemon juice and maple syrup. Mix gently. From the kitchen of Giuliana and Bob Pierson Per serving (based on 6): 49 calories, 1 gram protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams sugar, trace fat, no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

2 apples 2 pears 1 pint blueberries 2 nectarines 2 peaches 1/4 to 1/3 cantaloupe or honeydew melon Juice and zest from one lemon   1. Wash tree fruit and berries; peel peaches and pears. 2. Cut fruit (except berries) into small pieces about ½ to ¾ inch long and combine in a bowl. 3. Add lemon zest and mix thoroughly. Add lemon juice so its acidity is balanced with the natural sweetness of the fruit. From the kitchen of Giuliana and Bob Pierson Per serving: 110 calories, 1 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 20 grams sugar, trace fat, no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.

WASHINGTON - Farmers markets are a popular source of reasonably priced fresh produce, but across the country many accept only cash or checks - a big problem for low-income shoppers using food stamps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying to change that. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan this week announced a $4 million grant for states to help implement wireless technology that will allow more farmers markets to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or food stamps.

A Burlington County farmer who damaged the habitat of a federally protected turtle species by clearing several rows of trees on his 140-acre North Hanover Township farm was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to a year's probation. James Durr, who is deputy mayor of the township, pleaded guilty in January to harassing endangered bog turtles in 2005. He removed the trees along Turtle Creek, upland from the habitat, and didn't think his actions would affect the turtles, he said.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic of sorts sweeping across America's farmland. It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as drought, rising fuel and feed prices, or crop-eating pests. The country's farmers and ranchers are getting older and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. New Mexico has the highest average age of farmers and ranchers of any state at nearly 60 years old, and neighboring Arizona and Texas aren't far behind.

When he drives up and down Lancaster Avenue, Steve Bajus sees banks and drugstores, restaurants and retail shops, gas stations, and car dealers. What he doesn't see is fresh food. "There's a void," said Bajus, who owns commercial properties all along the Main Line. So he got the idea to put a farmer's market in the space that used to be Borders Books in the Rosemont Square shopping center until it went out of business last year. "They did a great job there. . . . It's unfortunate," he said of the company's collapse.