,o—Lancaster Farming. Saturday. Fib. 8.1975
1
Farm Commentary
Rail Situation Becoming Bleaker
"There are going to be widespread
rail abandonments in the Northeast. I
feel it in my bones," we were told this
week by Donald Parke, executive
vice-president of PennAg Industries,
an organization composed mostly of
Pennsylvania feed and fertilizer
dealers, and headquartered in
Ephrata. On Tuesday of this week,
Parke was a participant in a rail study
conference organized by Adams
County Agent Thomas .Piper. Piper
organized the meeting to probe the
potential problems of rail aban
donment m and around Adams
County.
At the meeting, Parke talked about
the problem of abandonments from
the viewpoint of the shipper. "The
railroads are talking about shutting
down miles and miles of branch
lines," Parke said. "These are the
very lines that are most important to
the farmers and the feed dealers in
Pennsylvania. These are the lines
that bring in the bulk feed
ingredients and the fertilizers. Take
these lines away, and you increase
the costs to the dealers and to the
Our telephone interview with
Gerald Charles, publicity chairman
for the Perry County NFO affiliate,
started off a bit chilly on Friday
morning, but seemed to warm up a bit
toward the end.
“If you’re going to call us militants, I
don’t want to talk to you," Charles
said. “If you’re not going to call us
militants, then I’ll talk."
Charles, a dairyman from Liverpool,
had taken umbrage at a remark by
this writer in a recent issue of Lan
caster Farming which alluded to
calves being slaughtered by “militant
NFO members in the Midwest." We
had made reference in that story to a
photo which appeared some weeks
ago in national media, showing a
farmer, cigar clenched between his
teeth, a pistol in his hand, blowing the
brains out of a Holstein calf. The
photo caption said the gun-weilder
was an NFO member.
“That was not an NFO member,"
Charles said. “Our president, Oren
Lee Staley, did not authorize those
actions, he does not approve of them,
and neither do we NFO members
here in Perry and Dauphin Counties
approve of shooting calves. We just
want to make a better living, and we
think we can do that with the help of
Of Golf Courses and Hunger
“Cruel and misleading” is how Ed
Wheeler, president of The Fertilizer
Institute, labels suggestions that non
farm use of fertilizer in the U.S
diverts substantial supplies from
agriculture of underdeveloped
countries Wheeler says such
suggestions have raised expectations
far beyond abilities to provide
financing or delivery to emerging
nations.
Robert Steiner, a fertilizer coor
dinator for the UN Food and
Agriculture Organizations, says it is
unrealistic to talk about fertilizer
being taken from golf courses in
America to supply farmers in
developing nations. “What are
by Dick Wanner
The Accusing Finger
farmers. There’s no way that trucks
can compete with the cost of hauling
materials like bulk soy by train."
One impact of a loss of rail service
could be that some mills will no
longer be able to afford the
ingredients for custom mixing. "Some
mills do mix up special formulations
using the gram from their farmer
customers. That kind of service just
won’t be available, though, if the mills
can’t buy the bulk soy to go with the
grains."
Parke said he has proposed a
complete turnaround in the approach
to the nation's rail problems. And it
includes keeping a lot of the branch
lines open. "It's just not necessary to
shut down branch lines," he com
mented. “We’re going to have
economic turmoil for years along
abandoned lines. It’s not worth it,
because the branch lines contribute
very little to the deficits which the
railroads are running up.”
“But I must admit, I’m not very
hopeful. I think we’re going to see
abandonments.”
the NFO, which is strictly a
bargaining agent for farm products.”
It is not the purpose of this
newspaper or this writer to speak
either for or against any farm
organization. Lancaster Farming’s
bias is for the farmer and for the land.
We support those people and
organizations who work for farmers
and farming. We applaud efforts to
bring the farmer’s story before the
general public.
But we cannot condone acts of
violence aimed at shocking the public
into awareness of farm problems.
Shooting calves in a field, over an
open trench, is a violent act. It
debases agriculture. Our recent
comments on that action were sin
cere.
At the same time, we would not
want to damage any group which did
not actively participate in those acts
of violence. Certainly, the local NFO
members have never to our
knowledge engaged in militant ac
tions like those that have charac
terized some Midwestern farm
groups. Nor would we want to
wrongfully blame the national NFO
organization for acts it did not con
done.
needed are funds from wealthier
countries to secure fertilizer
deliveries and to help pay shipping
charges”
“Quite simply, the emerging
nations are broke,” notes Wheeler.
“Their treasuries are bare, caused
primarily by the unreasonable prices
they are forced to pay for oil. High oil
prices in turn have greatly con
tributed to high fertilizer prices.”
About 3.5 per cent of U.S. fertilizer
consumption goes into non-farm use
Besides lawn and golf courses these
uses include vegetable gardens,
public park and playground main
tenance, highway shoulder con
struction and airport runway de-icing.
ON BEINvi
“CHOSEN”
Lesion for February •. 1175
Background Scripture:
Corinthians 8; Ephesians
4:11-16; Titus 3:8-14; James
2:14-17; 1 Peter 2:0.
Devotional Reading:
Isaiah 1:10-17.
"Congratulations, you
have been chosen....!”
Those are exciting words,
for everyone wants to be
chosen, to win recognition, to
be singled out for some honor
or privilege. We like the
honor and we also covet the
privileges that come to
thosen who are "chosen." If
someone regards us as
“special,” we usually
receive “special” treatment
too.
This is the way the people
of Israel sometimes felt
about being God’s chosen
people.” Singled-out by God
as “special,” they gloried in
their status and their ex
pectations of the advantages
that status would bring
them.
“A Chosen Race”
To a degree, they were
correct: God has chosen
them and set them apart as
something “special.” Of all
the peoples of the world they
were set apart. But what the
people of Israel overlooked
was the purpose behind this
“special” status. God had
chosen them, not to give
them status, but a task! The
whole purpose of his
selection was that he had
something for than to do.
To besure, being “chosen”
by God was still an honor.
But much more than the
honor was the responsibility
it carried with it. The man
who wins an election is, in a
sense, “honored” by the
electorate, but after the
victory celebration has died
away, the person who has
been “chosen” is expected to
render public service. In a
like manner, winning a place
on the basketball team is an
honor, but it is also a great
responsibility and much is
expected of the person who
has been “chosen.”.
This is what the writer of I
Peter is saying to the New
Testament churches:
“... you are a chosen
race ... that you may
declare the wonderful deeds
of him who called you out of
darkness in to his marvelous
light.” (I Peter 2:9).
They were “chosen”
because God had a job for
them to do. Being “chosen”
means being a service to
render for God. With the
honor there went a
responsibility and they could
not be God’s “chosen
people” unless they were
equally willing to work for
him. As the old spiritual puts
it; “ ... If you can’t bear the
cross, Then you can’t wear
the crown.”
True Excellence
In writing his second letter
to Corinth, Paul reminded
the Corinthians that as God’s
“special” people, they were
therefore responsible for
responding to the needs of
their fellow-Christians in
Jerusalem. They had a good
reputation for their faith,
their knowledge, and their
love, but Paul was calling
upon them to match this
status with generosity
towards those in need:
“... as you excel in
I ~ ' NOW IS |
* THE TIME... I
I
To Borrow
With Caution
Credit is a very important
item in most farm
operations, but there is a
limit as to the amount that
should be borrowed; this will
vary from farm to farm and
in many cases, is based upon
the management ability of
the farmer. Caution is
needed because production
costs are expected to rise
while farm income may not.
There will be some farmers
who will find themselves
greatly over extended, if the
increase in most costs
continue to exceed advances
in farm product prices.
Considerable planning on
repayment ability in line
with adequate cash flow will
be necessary, if farmers are
to remain in a solid financial
position.
To Beware
Of Johnsongrass
This agressive weed needs
far more attention than some
farmers are willing to give,
according to a recent
speaker at a forage meeting.
It is growing in many parts
of Lancaster County and
many neighboring areas. It
is a tall-growing grass,
resembling the appearance
of sudan grass or sorghum,
and is very difficult to
control. Several years ago,
some concerns were selling a
sorghum grass that was too
closely related to John
songrass. Farmers who now
have patches of John
songrass should be- making
some plans to eradicate the
weed in the next few years. If
left uncontrolled, it will take
over the field and no other
crop can survive.
Farm Calendar Dairy Day in Montgomery
Co., CollegeviUe Inn -
10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, February 11
Dairy Meeting 4 for the
Ephrata Adult Farmer’s
program at the Ephrata
Area High School at 7:45
p.m.
Annual Dinner meeting of
the Lancaster County
Agriculture Extension
Association at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 12
Direct Marketing for Jug
Milk dealers at the Farm
and Home Center 1:00 -
3:00 p.m.
Public NFO meeting at the
Band Room Halifax Area
High School 8:00 p.m. -
Dauphin Co.
ig - in faith, in ut-
terance, in knowledge, in all
earnestness, and in your love
for us - see that you excel in
this gracious work also.” (2
Cor. 8:7).
Paul knew that if people
really had the faith they
claimed to have, they would
also have a compassionate
heart towards others. James
also stressed this idea:
“What does it profit, my
brethren, if a man says he
has faith but has not
works?”
Let the “chosen” people of
God rejoice in their election
by the Lord, iJut let them
also just as enthusiastically
accept the task he puts in
their hands.
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 3M4SSI
To Transfer Silage
Dairy and livestock
producers who have silage
stored in trench or bunker
silos, and who plan to
transfer the material into an
upright silo for automotive
feeding, should be making
plans to do this work before
warm weather arrives.
Silage transferred when
temperatures are below or
near freezing, will have less
heating and will be in better
condition than if done when
temperatures are above SO
degrees. The job should be
done as quickly as possible,
and there is not any need of
applying water or other
materials. If any form of
synthetic protein (urea or
anhyrous ammonia) was not
added last fall, it should not
be added when the silage is
transferred. This same thing
is true about ground
limestone for cattle feeding.
These materials should have
been added when the forage
was ensiled, and not at the
time of the transfer into an
upright silo.
To Control
Run-off Water
The spring months usually
bring rain and in some years
extra water because of
melting snow. In the case of
feedlots and barnyards, it is
important that this run-off
water be directed to sod
covered land, or to a catch
basin. Diversion ditches may
have to be made to prevent
this water from running into
a public stream or out upon a
public highway. One way to
prevent being reported to the
Department of En
vironmental Resources, is to
stop water pollution before it
occurs. Planning for proper
run-off and waste disposal is
very much in order.
Thursday, February 13
Manheim Young Farmers
Hog management
meeting at the Manheim
High School.
E-Town Young Farmers
meeting at the E-Town
High School Tax
Management program
7:30 p.m.
Farm Estate Planning and
Wills meeting at 7:30
p.m., Lancaster Farm
and Home Center.
Atlantic Breeder’s Co-op
meeting at the
Quarryville Methodist
Church 7:00 p.m.
Friday, February 14
Computer Workshop of
cattle breeders, at the
Lancaster Farm and
Home Center.
Monday, February 17
Swine Management Meeting
at the Lancaster Farm
and Home Center 7:30
p.m.
Tuesday, February 18
Ephrata Adult Farmer’s
monthly meeting at the
Ephrata Area High
School ag classroom 7:45
p.m.
Manheim Young Farmer’s
hog management
meeting at the Manheim
School.
Crops Day at Lancaster
Farm & Home Center
9:00 a.m. - 3 pjn.