Now is a good time of year to test your home for radon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. The only way to know if you have a radon problem in your home is to test.

Testing homes for elevated levels of radon is simple and inexpensive. Radon test kits can be purchased at local hardware and home improvement stores or directly from radon testing companies. Many are priced under $25.00. Radon problems can be fixed by qualified contractors for a cost similar to that of many common home repairs such as painting or having a new water heater installed (anywhere from $800 to about $2,500).

In-depth radon information is available at the EPA Radon Home Page: < a href="http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/index.html" target="_blank">www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/index.html; at the PA DEP Radon homepage: http://www.dep.state.pa.us/brp/Radon_Division/Radon_Homepage.htm; or by calling the Radon Division Hotline at 1-800-237-2366.

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Understanding forest taxes can save forest landowners money. There are numerous tax incentives and tools that are often unknown not only to landowners but their advisers such as accountants, attorneys and forestry consultants. On Monday, November 10th, Penn State's School of Forest Resources will be hosting a one-day workshop on forest taxes at the Cumberland County Extension Office. The workshop will be led by Dr. Michael Jacobson, an associate professor and extension specialist in the School of Forest Resources. He has over 12 years of experience formally educating the forestry community on these issues. He will be assisted by Lloyd Casey who has decades of experience teaching forest taxes.

The objective of the workshop is to provide clients with knowledge of key up-to-date aspects of forest taxes that will affect their businesses. The forest tax workshop is geared toward accountants and financial advisers. However, anyone involved in owning, managing or advising on timberland management would find this workshop useful. Specific topics covered in the tax workshop include: cost basis, passive losses, operating and management expenses, capital gains on timber sales, depreciation methods, cost-sharing expenses, reforestation expenses, casualty losses, conservation easements, estate planning, and Pennsylvania inheritance taxes.

The Forest Tax workshop will take place on Monday, November 10th, at the Cumberland County Extension starting at 8 A.M. and concluding at 4:00 P.M. Cost for the workshop is $95 per person which includes breaks, lunch, and course materials. To get to the new Cumberland County Extension Office at 310 Allen Road, Carlisle, take I-81 south to exit 44 (Plainfield Exit), turn right toward SR 11. The office is about 1/4 mile on the right, across from Sheetz in the County Administrative Annex Building. For more information on the workshop and registration contact Mike Powell at the Penn State School of Forest Resources at 814-863-1113 (email: mjp175@psu.edu) or George Hurd at the Franklin County Extension Office at 717/263-9226 (email: grh5@psu.edu).

This article is a basic overview of the changes made in FHA insured mortgages that went into effect October 1, 2008.

As most of you know, ALL forms of seller funded down payment assistance, such as Nehemiah, Genesis, or Ameridream, can no longer be used. FHA did an audit of their mortgages and found that an unacceptable percentage of their defaults were coming from the mortgages in these programs. What you may not have known, however, is that other avenues of down payment assistance, either from a qualified family member or from an employer, are still allowed.

FHA also made changes in their mortgage insurance structure. Instead of a 1.5% upfront premium, it is now 1.75%. And the monthly mortgage insurance factor went to .55%. These increases are due to increased risk and therefore higher costs for insurance for a loan. Along with this increase in the mortgage insurance factors, is a .5% increase in the buyer’s total contribution. Previously, it was 3%. The buyer’s total contribution to the transaction must equal 3.5% of the purchase price.

Finally, FHA increased its loan limits, but only in certain areas. In the areas we live and work, the limit for a single-family home in Washington County is $377,500 and for Franklin County it is $271,050.


Gabe Fortmann
Relationship Manager
MetLife Home Loans
Office: 800-237-2065

In July of this year, President Bush signed a major housing bill into law. Part of this bill created a new, temporary tax credit to help first-time homebuyers. This $7,500 tax credit will be available for those who purchase a principle residence on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009. A first time buyer is considered a person who has not owned a primary residence in the last three years.

There are several requirements in applying for this credit. The first is that it is income based. You must have a modified adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 if you are single and less than $150,000 for a couple. Secondly, it is for a primary residence only. Thirdly, and very importantly, if financing is obtained by means of a tax-exempt bond-related financing program (PHFA in PA or CDA in MD) offered by a state housing agency, then the purchaser is not eligible for the tax credit. And fourthly, unlike most other tax credits, this incentive must be paid back. Anyone who claims the credit will pay it back at $500 a year (roughly) over the next 15 years. This $500 will come out of any future federal refunds you would receive. If you sell your home before the incentive has been repaid, then you will owe the remainder from the proceeds of the sale.

If you meet these qualifications, then you will be making an interest free – which means 0% - loan to yourself.

Gabe Fortmann, Relationship Manager
MetLife Home Loans
Office: 800-237-2065

This article is believed accurate based on available information. As with any tax law, check with a tax advisor before using this provision.

Conditions are very good for rust to show up on our lawns this fall. We have seen some in the summer, but now with the cool nights, we will have more dew creating a better environment for rust spores to develop. You will know you have rust when you see a red powder on your shoes or on your lawn mower. If it is severe, you may see an orange look to your lawn or see an orange cloud of spores as you mow.

Rust tends to develop on turf that has not been well fertilized and growing well. It is not a fungus that will do much more than cosmetic damage to your lawn and generally you don't need to use a fungicide to control it unless it is severe.

In mild cases of rust, you can apply a lawn grade fertilizer so you apply at least one pound - one and one-half pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. For most turf type fertilizers that you will find, this means three to five pounds of fertilizer per 1,000 square feet. This will stimulate the grass to grow out of the disease. Usually perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass are the most susceptible. If you have a severe case of rust, you can control it with one or two applications of chlorothalonil (Daconil).

On Saturday, September 13th, from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM, the Cumberland Woodland Owners’ Association is sponsoring a Timber Harvest Management Tour at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Zachary Roeder, Service Forester for the PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry, will lead the tour of a recent 83 acre timber harvest conducted in the state forest. The tour will show sustainable timber harvest techniques such as improvement cuttings, overstory removal, residual tree planning and the development of log landings and how those practices will effect forest regeneration. You do not have to be a member of the association to attend. There is no cost to attend the tour and registration is not required.

To get to Pine Grove Furnace State Park from the north, take I-81 to Exit 37 and then travel south on PA 233 for eight miles. Once at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, turn left at the stop sign on Pine Grove Road and go two miles to the Laurel Lake day use area parking lot. The group will meet at the Laurel Lake day use parking lot by Cold Spring Road.

To get to Pine Grove Furnace State Park from the south, take Rt. 30 to Caledonia State Park, travel north on PA 233 for fifteen miles. Once at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, stay to the right at the PA 233 and Pine Grove Road split and then travel two miles on Pine Grove Road to the Laurel Lake day use area parking lot. The group will meet at the Laurel Lake day use parking lot by Cold Spring Road.

The Cumberland Woodland Owners Association is an organization of forestland owners and others interested in forestry issues in south central Pennsylvania. For more information about the association or the September 13th tour, contact George Hurd at Penn State Cooperative Extension at 717/263-9226.

Rust on our lawn grasses is starting to show up this fall. You can notice on the grass blades, but most people will first notice it when they walk over the lawn and get the rust spores stuck to their shoes. When it is severe, it can make your turf have a yellow orange appearance.

Most turfgrass species are susceptible to rust diseases. Usually environmental stress such as drought, low nitrogen levels and heavy dew in the morning will contribute to the disease.

If you notice rust in your lawn and you haven't added any fertilizer to your lawn this year, you should make your fall application now by applying one to one and one-half pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in the form of a turf-type fertilizer. That will usually help the grass compete against the fungus. If you have a severe disease outbreak and the fertilizer does not give you control, you can use a fungicide such as chlorothalonil (Daconil) or thiophanate-methyl (Clearys 3336) to the areas that are showing the rust.

Does your property include a farm or open fields? Are you uncertain how to begin better managing it for wildlife? Would you like to establish grasslands or improve your grassland habitat for wildlife? Are you unsure what techniques to use? Are you currently managing your property for wildlife but want to do even more? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then assistance may be available to you through the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Private Land Owner Assistance Program.

Through this program PGC Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologists provide free assistance to help landowners better manage their property for wildlife diversity. The focus of this program is on creating or maintaining habitat for the state's 88 bird and mammal species of concern. Although the program's focus is on species of concern, a wide variety of species stand to benefit from these habitat recommendations.

The regional Wildlife Diversity Biologists meet with interested property owners to develop wildlife management recommendations for improving wildlife habitat based on the biologist's findings and the landowner's management goals. There is no charge for participating in the program, nor is there a public access requirement. Biologists will follow-up their planning effort by checking with participating landowners if they have questions or need additional direction.

If you would like more information on the Private Land Owner Assistance Program, please contact the Game Commission's Southcentral RWD Biologist, Jamie Flickinger, at 717-486-5948. Flickinger also can be reached through the Game Commission Southcentral Region Office at 814-643-1831 or mail to 8627 William Penn Highway, Huntingdon, PA 16652.

You can also learn more about the program by attending a landowner workshop on Grassland Conservation being held on Thursday, June 19th from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm at the Eisenhower National Historic Site which is located at 250 Eisenhower Farm Drive, in Gettysburg, PA. The meeting is being sponsored by the PA Game Commission, Audubon Pennsylvania and the USDA NRCS. Registration is required. To register or for more information, contact Jamie Flickinger, at 717-486-5948.

With the wet weather this spring it is important to discuss artillery fungus and how you can prevent /control it. Artillery fungus is a very small fungus that can live in mulch that can form a sticky mass of spores about one-tenth of an inch across. It shoots this mass of spores up into the air toward the light or a reflective surface, which can be your house or your car if it is parked in the wrong area. We know that the fungus grows better and produces more spores during wet years. This has certainly been one of those springs.

The black mass of spores is easy to spot on the siding of your house and very difficult to remove, so we want to take measures to prevent it in the first place. Research has been done on artillery fungus and it seems if you disturb the present mulch and add some new mulch each year, you are less likely to have the fungus grow. If you want to be sure you never have to deal with it, then you should remove the present mulch out several feet from the house and replace it with either stone or large nugget sized mulch that will stay dry and breaks down very slowly.

There is no easy way to remove the black spots on the siding of your house. They have a hard covering and stick very tightly to the surface. There was a procedure that I found that was said to work, but I never tried it nor has it been researched, but it was passed along by a researcher at Penn State. Use Cinnamon Ice Scope mouthwash and a paper towel to start to remove the stain and then rub the spot with Crest Multicare Whitening Fresh Mint toothpaste to finish removing the spot. This was a solution from a 10th grader in Gainesville, Virginia. If you try this, do a spot first and see how it works and if it does any damage to your siding before you do the whole side of your house.