Tour aims to enlighten legislators on farm issues
Courtesy of Lisa Wherry
Preparing for its annual tour with elected officials on Wednesday, the Washington County Farm Bureau has elected to focus on three local agrarian issues: wildlife crop damage, erratic broadband service and water runoffs.
As if operating a farm during a long, hot, dry summer weren’t daunting enough.
“We do the tours to make our legislators aware of the challenges we are dealing with,” said Lisa Wherry, president of the county farm bureau and a family sheep farmer in the Scenery Hill neighborhood of North Bethlehem Township.
“We don’t want to address a ton of topics, but we talk about current issues with the legislators and let them see for themselves” – which could lead to legislative assistance.
Wherry and bureau board members select a different farm to tour each year. “In the past, we’ve toured dairies, sheep farms … different commodities that farmers do. Don Carter and his family in Hickory have done it a couple of times.
“We’re the ones who are up to date on what the issues are,” Wherry said. The board invites elected officials from Southwestern Pennsylvania and the media to join them for the two-hour event, which is not open to the public.
Pols from Washington and Allegheny counties, and possibly Fayette, are expected to participate.
The board chose Jim Lindley’s spread in Scenery Hill, where he raises corn and soybeans. Lindley’s farm, according to Wherry, has been wracked by crop damage from wildlife.
“Last year, Jim said he lost $20,000 because of it. It’s mainly been deer. They’re wiping us out,” she said. Deer also are annihilating our hay, which is a crop, too. Coyotes are creating another problem.”
Wherry said farmers can file damage claims with their insurance companies, “but the insurance companies will drop us.”
Carter said the county bureau will address the deer population issue specifically at a meeting Sept. 6 in the 4-H Building at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
Broadband service is another problem facing residents in this corner of the commonwealth, she said. “We don’t have very good conductivity in some areas of Washington County. We don’t have huge unpopulated areas, but there are some dead areas, especially where we live.
“It also costs more to have broadband there. Farmers have to pay more for equipment for broadband.”
Water runoffs will be the third focal point of the tour. “We’re trying to hold them at bay,” Wherry said.
Washington is one of many county farm bureaus across the state that conduct tours. “It’s very important to do these tours,” Wherry said. “We want to keep officials in the right frame of mind so they’re not overtaxing farmers.”
To be a farmer is to love the land, but regulations make it tougher to farm. That’s why we have farm boards, so others understand that what we are doing is important.”
That is the prevailing attitude in North Bethlehem, according to Wherry. “The township supervisors are keeping farming alive here. Farmers can farm here.”