4—Lancaster Farming. Saturday. February 18. 1967 From Where We Stand... Strength of Amcrico" “AGRICULTURE That’s the fitting theme chosen for National Future Farmers of America Week which begins today. The truth of that slogan is becoming increasingly evi dent with each passing day As Winston Churchill said nearly a generation a°p in describing the valiant defensive ef forts ot the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain, “Never before have so many owed so much to so few”, or woids to that effect. 1 hat Americans eat and live as well as they do better than any other nation on earth can, for the most part, be traced to the efforts, of the ever-decreasing farmer. Because Ameri can farmers have been willing to use all available know-how to build and ex pand their businesses, a vast agribusi ness complex has been able to develop and prosper in serving the industrious farmer. But where will tomorrow’s farmers and agricultural industry workers come from ? Fewer and fewer will come directly from the farms, because there won’t be enough farms to fill the need for experienced people. Hundreds of thousands will come through tlie voca tional agriculture departments of our high schools, that is, if the high school administrators and taxpayers are wise enough to keep vo-ag in the curriculum We have recently seen an example in one Lancaster County community where the school board and administration wanted to drop the vo-ag program be cause the number of farmers in the area was decreasing. In fact, it has been shown that the To Service Lawn Mower Even though some folks may not realize Gingench recommended that >outh committee” He also le- other®two month!, filter the board consider his co- poited that Pennsylvania is and the lawn mower will soon be needeif workei m the Penn Manoi agn- leading the nation m organized Before the glass is icady to cut, it is suggest cultuie department, Richard youth piograms ed that the mower be serviced and put into Ilackenbergei, as a replace c __ good condition If this is to be done by com ment for the year Directois iwLiiiiiNG on mercial concerns, then delaying until spring unanimously approved both ol Funk announced that he, may mean fuither delay in having the mow- Gingench’s icquests Stauffer, and county conseiva- needed By all means have the tionist Oival A Bass would *> lades 01 knives sharpened before starting 1 n NAL ME ETING pai ticipate in a community con- 0 use T r p , - . _ report “rnr c r s , i r, im - ™ —enc Duectois heard repoits from tndopendent School on e d the Easter maiket as one of the best SMITH Lancaster FARMING chaiiman Amos H Funk and aich 1 The pi '° Biam on< r times to sell eaily spring times to establish contour boaster county-, own Far.. Aaron Z Stauffer who attended ni e ehn-s S Toino prese U n?ed° n a lambs Heavier weights may he strips or straight strips on Land' - i.,i.t/. Pa 17-, vi lhe Clonal Assn of Soil Con fuf ° in& piesented at realized b* feeding the lambs that is subject to both water 22 r. .Mam h, serration Districts convention . extra gram aftei a few weeks and soil eiosion When the Phone J:''.;::,.! 1 :-; m‘/- ■sV’Vlln'd T’n l -r'i4' ,t t,culaily “impressed with the unanimously accepted by the To Conserve Soil And Water semn g of the topsoil. Liuu. Pa 17343 ° effoit being put foith by the directors Spring i P one of the best • SWCD (Continued from Page 1) ing July 1 of this yeai He and his tamily will tiavel to Veia Ciuz, Mexico, wheie he ■will seive as an agncultuial missionaiy undei a ventuie sponsoied jointly by the Evan gelical United Biethren anci PiesDvtenan Chinches P O Ro\ 2fill on i« ♦ need for agriculturally trained people in the agribusiness field is increasing at a far greater rate than the number of farmers is decreasing. The vo-ag pro- grams should actually be enlarged rather than dropped, according to the evidence It is no accident that American agriculture is the envy of the world. Our farmers have the background, the will, and the way. If they can ever ,^ ir . Ulld Scri|llur . IIA , , 5 manage to get the federal government D.«.i..n.i p-i.m.i; out of their business, they can probably It is commonly called "the even manage to feed a world which Parable of the Prodigal Son, ’ but agriculture secretary Orville Freeman says will be starving by the year 2000. pro digal. As vocational agriculture train- "Prodigal,” my dictionary de ing is vital to our future supply of fines as "Wastcfully or recklessly “agriculturalists”, FFA activities are yield vital to the vo-ag program itself. mg profusely, Composed of high school vo-ag stu- lavish,.The dents, FFA activities are designed to fuUy "extrTva help develop rural leadership and good gant m" the citizenship. Nationally, FFA has appro- squandering of ximately 450,000 members and 9000 |} is wealth m the local chapters in 50 states. Lancaster |^ s . n County has its share of these totals with Rev. Althouse was nothing nine chapters and about 400 members, compared with the lavish love Our FFA standing in the state is num- his father spent upon him. ber one, as it is in most other agricul- T ? man, the love of God can tural pursuits. Th.s is evidenced by the h a ?S “ntoi fact that county boys generally make up do seem to inn e limits beyond nearly 15 percent of the state’s Key- which their lo\e cannot or will stone Farmer Degree recipients, and S°, T * ieie are soaie people provide a substanfal share of the state iS FFA officers each year that make kne appear nn- So, when we say that Agriculture possible for men. Isn t this what makes Chnsh is the strength of America, let s also am ty unique 9 Ask the Hebrew realize that a good part of the strength about God and he will speak of of American agriculture has come, and covenant law Ask the .Moslem will continue to come, from the ranks and be will descube a God who of the Future Farmers of America. ★ ★ ★ ★ speak in the abstract terms of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. Ask the Deist and he will describe a disinterested Mobile cosnjic Ether who watches his (or more correctly its) creation from afar off. But look at Jesus Christ and wdial kind of God do we see revealed in him: the loving father whose prodigious grace is greater than our wilfull sin. Christianity has plumbed the depths of reality in this universe and tound at the bottom of it all there is di\ me, self-giving Love. The Prodigal Father Lesson for February 19. 1967 For Full Market Reports Read Lancaster Farming Now Is The Time ... By Max Smith, Lancaster County Agent Marked “Personal" Furthermore, it is a personal message. It is not in the nature of a general proclamation tacked to all the world’s telephone poles and billboards, nor even one of those envelopes that arrives in the mail addressed: "Occupant, 19 South Main Street.” Mo, the divine communication comes w itb my name on it, marked "per sonal.” He is not merely the divinity who loves mankind from afar, but the Lord who comes near to me and love ME! There is nothing of the "To whom it may concern ...” about it, but the relationship of father and son. What endurance we find mthal prodigious love! The son does not wander away from his father’s house. He wilfully decides to leave, arrogantly asking in advance for his share of the estate his father will leave at death. The broken relationship is all of the son’s making. So it is with us: it is not that we do not realize what we are doing, but that we dot Yet, when we have gone to the far country and squandered ou< free inheritance in desperate re bellion, when at last we have hil rock-bottom, then it is that fre quently we "come to ourselves." We suddenly remen l her the betted life in the fathe* ouse and realize what we h. cn up. Long Road Home So we start back, no longer as sons, for we have forsaken al( right to call him "Father.” W| return as servants, claiming nof the love we spurned, but asking mercy. Yet, as the homeland comes into view, a familiar figurl comes running down the roa4 He has been standing at the gat| and scanning the road and hi comes to greet us, not as servant! as we deserve, but as son( t Ignoring the utter illogic of it all he wraps us extravagantly in thj priceless mantle of his love and we are welcomed once more tothl Father’s house. It is we who must "come t<| ourselves” and begin the lon# road home, but it is only th| Prodigal Father whose love keep! him scanning the horizon for ui that makes it possible for us ttj return as sons. . (l«swl an iuHints rtpyrijMeJ liy (he Divhiaft* at Christian EJuratian. Nalianat C.uncil'af lb*' Churches at Chricl in tiia U. 5* A. Kalaasad Cammumty fr«» Sarviea) Go To Church Sunday