—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 12. 1972
10
In a very real sense, all these problems
farmers and others are running into in
regard to residues in food, feed, air and
water is a result of "progress."
The simple truth is that most of the
trouble results from residues so minute in
quantity that they couldn't even be
measured a few years ago.
Problems stemming from DES residues
in beef livers and residues including
pesticides, various food additives, and
other products results from measurements
in terms of a few parts per million. Until
recently, it was assumed there was no
problem because such minute parts
couldn’t be measured. But sensitive new
measuring instruments have made it
possible for scientists to analyze things by
parts per million (PPM).
A recent marketing letter by H. Louis
Moore, Penn State marketing specialist,
and Max Smith, Lancaster County ag agent,
asks if we realize how small a part per
million is To put the matter in perspective,
the report makes these comparisons;
“1 penny is a part per million (PPM) of
$10,000; 1 inch is a ppm of 15.78 miles, 1
minute is a ppm of 19 years, 1 pound is a
ppm of 500 tons, 1 ounce is a ppm of 31%
tons. Pretty small isn’t it 7 ”
That’s the type of thing farmers are
dealing with when the government tells
them that DES residues in beef livers
exceed allowable limits, or pesticide
residues or other chemicals in food exceed
allowable limits It’s parts per million,
amounts so small they usually couldn't
even be measured until recent years.
In many cases, the whole thing is a lot of
noise about nothing Often, the residue
levels have never been effectively proven
to be hazardous. Some official or officials
have set an arbitrary standard and farmers
who don’t meet this standard are wrong
and subject to lots of problems
The attitude is that the farmer is wrong
until proven otherwise and the consumer
is right until proven otherwise
We’re not attempting to argue against
the situation We’re merely trying to show
how it is, and why farmers have to be a
little more careful than they ever were
before
Actually, there’s good reason to be a little
more concerned than we ever were before
about the consumer. Chalk it up to our
higher standard of living. We can afford to
be more concerned.
Also, it’s true that if we feed the con
sumer the wrong thing, he may not have a
second chance. Let the buyer beware is an
attitude which has less and less appeal—
particularly where it involves food and
drugs which directly affect the health of
the buyer. The attitude is growing that the
seller must be concerned about the impact
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly
P 0 Box 266 - Lititz, Pa 17543
Office 22 E. Mam St., Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone- Lancaster 394-3047 or Lititz 626-2191
:? Robert G Campbell, Advertising Director
Zane Wilson, Managing Editor
$ Subscription price $2 per year in Lancaster
County $3 elsewhere
Established November 4, 1955
Published every Saturday by Lan
caster Farming, Pa.
Second Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa
:> 17543
* Members of Newspapers Farm Editors
$ Assn , Pa Newspaper Publishers £
•$ Association, and National Newspaper
Association
On the PPM Economy
of his products on the health and well
being of the buyer.
Perhaps even more importantly, it’s
simply good business to put the consumer
first.
Evidence is growing that firms which can
guarantee the consumer a consistently
high quality product are the firms which
are going to survive and prosper in the
future.
Egg producers, milk producers, meat
producers, vegetable producers all need to
keep this in mind.
The consumer is king today.
King Consumer today doesn’t have the
time or inclination to pick and choose
among the various brands of eggs, milk or
meat for a quality product.
What the consumer wants, as we see it, is
the assurance that any dozen eggs he picks
up any time or anywhere is going to be of
top quality; the same for milk and meat.
Any dozen eggs which doesn’t meet the
top quality is a reflection against not only
the producer and processor, but against
the whole egg industry. Likewise,
pesticides and chemicals which are used
improperly by one egg producer is not only
a bad reflection on the particular producer,
but also on the entire egg industry and on
every farmer
The same goes for milk and meat
producers. Lack of quality at any point
endangers the industry at every point.
It's parts per million. It a million farmers
do the job perfectly, but one farmer is slip
shod, the reflection is not on the million
who are right, but the one who is wrong.
No reasonable person can say that such
an attitude is just and fair. But likewise we
believe that no farmer can justly say that
this is not a fair statement of the situation
today
Taking the situation as it is, rather than
as it ought to be, we can only advise the
agricultural industry of the very grave
need to do a much more stringent job than
it has ever attempted before to police it
self, to assure that the consumer can never
have cause to complain about the quality of
even one part per million.
As we see it, those farms and agri
business firms which take the extra care to
guarantee the consumer consistent high
quality—perfection in every part per
million —are placing themselves in a
position to reap extra rewards and stay
ahead m the race for economic survival in
the competitive farm economy.
It is probably also true that those farms
and agri-business firms which don’t take
such care are putting themselves in a
vulnerable position, as well as endangering
those who do the job right.
In a parts per million economy, the farm
community needs to be more alert and
better informed than ever before, farmers
need to do the job nght—everywhere and
all the time.
Farmers also need to work a little harder
to make sure that the pressures being
brought about by the sensitive new
measuring techniques are fair. It’s possible
to tie the farmer’s hands without helping
the consumer, possibly even hurting the
consumer by forcing lower quality food at
higher prices.
But largely it’s a matter of doing the job
better than anyone thought was necessary
just a few years ago.
NOW IS
THE TIME . .
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
To Treat for Lice and Mange
Biting and blood-sucking lice
and chorioptic mange (bam-itch)
are quite common and severe in
Pennsylvania cattle herds this
winter. The best treatment is
high pressure spraying of the
animals with Ciodrin; select a
clear, still day for spraying the
animals and wet them
thoroughly, including their heads
and lower part of the legs. Use
cold water rather than warm
water in order to prevent chilling.
Both of these infections are
spread through contact with
other animals and infestation can
get to the point where the health
of the animal is reduced. The use
of the cable-treating mechanism
is another method of treatment,
but not as quick or as thorough as
the spraying of each animal.
To Use Custom Operators
One good way to save labor and
machinery investment is to hire
custom operators to do the farm
work. By hiring both man and
machine it can be a financial
advantage. In this part of the
country small acreages may not
justify the enormous machinery
investment. In addition, custom
operators should be more
knowledgable concerning the
materials to use in spraying and
in the correct methods and time
of application. A custom operator
that spends most of his time with
his equipment doing a particular
job of harvesting or spraying
should be an expert and be very
efficient in his work. The greater
use of custom operators could be
an economy move.
TO SING
THE DAWN!
Lesson for February 13,1972
Idckgraunrf Scripture Luka 17-20-37,
21 5-3(
Davstianal Roaming 2 Timothy 4 1-1,
In nineteenth century America
between fifty and one hundred
thousand people were persuaded
that Jesus’ “Second Coming”
would take place sometime be
tween March 21, 1843 and March
21,1844. When that period passed
uneventfully, the
date was revised
to October 22,
1844. As this date
also came and
went without the
return of Christ,
many of the peo
ple in this move-
Rev. Althouse f °£? ed set *
tmg dates.
“Come back home!’’
The Christian churches have
always had difficulty with the
idea of Christ’s “Second Coming ”
The early Church obviously be
lieved that Jesus would “return”
before the passing of the genera
tion, but later had to revise this
expectation Today when we
study the words of both Jesus
and Paul on this subject, most of
us are left with a feeling of pro
found confusion It seems almost
impossible to know just what
Jesus meant by his “return” or to
calculate when that event might
be
In fact, the more we study
Jesus’ words on this subject, the
To Change the Use of Stilbestrol
Due to the seven-day with
drawing period of feeds con
taining stilbestrol before
slaughter, it is very important
that all beef and sheep feeders
follow this FDA regulation. It is
suggested that feeders might
change to a feed without
stilbestrol for the last several
weeks of the feeding period, or
separate the cattle that are going
to be sold in the next week or two,
or implant the cattle with the
stilbestrol pellet and feed a
supplement without any
stilbestrol. The profitability of
using stilbestrol in cattle rations
has been well proven over the
past 10 to 15 years. Therefore,
special managment is necessary
now if it is to be continued as an
aid to cattle and sheep produc
tion.
To Participate in
Community Decision-Making
Again we urge our farm folks to
become active in community
affairs where decisions are to be
made concerning zoning,
pesticides, pollution, and other
important subjects. With the
trend or urban folks moving into
the country changes will be made
and I feel that it is very important
that some agriculture thinking go
into making those changes and
the regulations to be followed. If
farmers will not become a part of
this community planning, then
regulations may be made that
will make it more difficult to
continue profitable farming. We
must try to get along as a com
munity and appreciate the
problems and opinions of others.
We can do this better when we
are active in the community.
more we get the impression that
he was not interested in having
us know the time, the place, or
the manner of his return What
he seems most intent about is
that we should live in readiness
and preparation for that event
regardless of when it comes The
key word in his teachings on this
subject seems always to be
“watch'”
This past summer while we
were on vacation in the Maritime
provinces of Canada, we heard
repeatedly on our car radio a
song entitled, “Come Back
Home'” Although not mentioned
by name, it was obvious that the
youthful vocalist was addressing
a heart-felt plea to Jesus to come
and put this world back in order
This is the substance of the Chris
tian faith some time, some where,
some way God will fulfill his
creative purpose and plan and
through his Son Jesus Christ the
kingdom of God will come in all
its fullness
Living by the light
Theologian Emil Brunner has
said that “Faith is indeed nothing
but living in the light of that
which is to come ”
It is the same way with getting
up in the morning’s early hours
It may be dark as we arise, but
because we know the dawn will
come, we begin to work with the
certainty that it will come Thus
a follower of Jesus Christ can live
in the midst of deep darkness
and work hopefully by the light
of the promise of Christ’s return
Someone has said “Prose can
paint evening and moonlight, but
poets are needed to sing the
dawn “That’s the challenge by
vhich we begin this Lenten sea
son come, let us sing the dawn!
(Based on outlines copyrighted by the
Division of Christian Education, National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.
Released by Community Press Service.)