—Lancaster Farming. Saturday, March 8. 1975
10
Farm Commentary
by Dick Wanner
Dairy Health Problem
Like many speakers. Jane
Alexander started on a light note at
.ancaster County Dairy Day on
Tuesday afternoon But Penn
sylvania's Deputy Secretary of
Agriculture stopped smiling when she
oegan talking about herd health And
her voice shook, it seemed to us,
when she got to the subject of Lan
caster County herd health
"The Department of Agriculture's
funds for animal indemnification are
just about wiped out because of dairy
cow condemnations," she told the
audience "There’s a chance that
we're going to have to depopulate a
Lancaster County herd of 180 cows
Indemnification money doesn’t last
long when you're dealing with that
kind of problem ”
Later in the day, we talked to Dr
Everett Denlmger, the Lancaster
County veterinarian who heads up
the Department of Agriculture's
Bureau of Animal Industries He told
us that there are ten quarantined
herds in Lancaster County Five of
those, including the one Mrs
Alexander referred to, are restricted
because of brucellosis Three are
quarantined for para-TB, and two for
Dr Denlmger said that there are
presently 19 herds quarantined with
brucellosis in _the entire state, up
from just seven a year ago And he
said that his department has noted
an increase in the number of
brucellosis vaccinations being carried
out in the past six months
Is Lancaster County a hotbed of
dairy disease, we asked Dr
Denlmger “We’re keeping a close
watch on the county, but considering
the number of cows here, I don’t think
the percentage is any higher than it is
in the rest of the state We’re con
cerned now because we don’t want it
Unemployment
Lou Moore, in his speech to a group
of Lancaster County poultrymen on
Thursday night, started off with a
story about a man who threw a bull
across a fence. Happily, though, the
bull throwing story was not in any
way symbolic of the content of
Moore’s speech.
We had second thoughts, though,
when Moore said out-of-work
vacationers were so thick in Florida
this year that state policemen were
standing on the highways asking
southbound tourists to turn around
and go home Moore's credibility was
rescued by the corroborating
testimony of a member of the
audience who'd just returned from
the Sunshine State
This curious anomaly of hard times
in America, Moore said, was brought
From the Mail
One thing we like about our
readers is their candor One new
subscriber this week told us he
decided to subscribe after coming
across a copy of the paper in
somebody's garbage can For his
sake, we hope the paper wasn’t
wrapped around anything before he
decided to read it
Another new reader was
to become a real problem ”
Dr Denlmger said the condition
here is aggravated by free stall barns
with dirt floors, the vast number of Background Scripture:
dairy cattle locally and the swapping Hebrews 2:10 through 5:14.
back and forth of cows between &;•“•?.*! . =
neighbors, friends and relatives Somewhere I have heard it
In the large herd with 180 animals, said that "the wounded
some 50 cows have been removed so healer” is often best able to
far An unconfirmed report said that heal the brokeness of others
.... , , A physician who has ex
the herd was healthy a short while penenced disease personally
ago The owner sold about 20 head is more likely to be effective
into an out-of-state herd, then in bringing recovery to his
brought them back some months patients. A counselor who
later The cows did not have up-to- I 1!* 8 P ers ° na, ly hadto work
...... . . . . through momentous
date health certificates when they problems of his own is more
were brought back, and they were not hk e ly to be helpful in
quarantined when they rejoined the asSishng others to work
herd They brought brucellosis back through theirs.
with them and infected their herd- Another’s moccasins
t If we are to help other
, , ... .. . , people, we must be able to
In her speech. Mrs Alexander said understand them. And m
that the department is considering order to understand them we
some changes in the regulations ought to be able to put
concerning indemnity funds The o . u r s^ v f s in their place. An
..... .. . old Indian saying tells us
thrust of her message was that that we cannot rightly judge
dairymen whose herds became in- another man until we have
fected through carelessness might walked ten miles in his
not be able to get indemnity moccasins "
The message is clear There’s a Following this philosophy,
dairy health problem m Lancaster 1"
~ ~ , , problem-solving with people
County Certainly, 10 infected herds IS a device called “role
out of 2000 is no epidemic, but it is playing.” People are asked
cause for alarm Dairymen must be to a ct out in an impromptu
extremelv careful about bringing new ma n_ner the "role” of
co r : n,o h the ' h r ; h r d r co : s
only be bought if they have valid oth er person “from the in
health certificates, and even then side.” For example, a
they should be kept separate from mother and daughter ex
the rest of the herd for 30 days periencing conflict over
Under any circumstances, sending kf i,
x , * i 1L , ® regulations may be asked to
an entire herd to the butcher cannot “reverse their roles ” the
be a pleasant experience But if, mother trying to act the role
through carelessness, a farmer loses of the daughter and the
his right to collect indemnity for daa |hter assuming the role
infected cows, the experience could ° ften f reat
, , , , understanding comes from
be more than unplesant It could be these experiments and
disastrous relationships are healed.
Another reason for the
healing power of the
“wounded healer” is the
greater likelihood that we
will respond favorably to
someone who has “been
where we are.” The com
forting attempts of someone
who has personally known
grief are usually more
convincing to us. This is why
rehabilitated handicapped
people are sent to try to help
others with disabilities, why
“ex-cons” are often sent to
work with prison inmates,
and former mental patients
sent back to mental health
facilities to work with the
emotionally disturbed.
Tempted as-we are
It is also for these same
reasons that the Epistle to
the Hebrews exalts Jesus as
our exalted “high priest.” As
the writer puts it:
For we have not a high
pnect who is unable to
symphathize with
weaknesses, but one who in
every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet
without sin. (Hebrews 4:1)
This is a crucial teaching,
for some people think of
Jesus in such exalted terms
that he is seen as personally
irrelevant. Dwelling on his
perfection and divinity,
some people feel that a
person so removed from the
common temptations and
experiences of men could
hardly be of much help. How,
they reason, could the Son of
God know what it means to
Blues?
about by unemployment com
pensation which actually boosted the
take home pay of many who lost jobs
because of the double-barreled
assault on the economy by both in
flation and recession Some workers
are drawing as much as 95 percent of
their base wages Since unem
ployment payments aren't taxed,
these workers are getting more than
they were getting as wage earners
“So a lot of these people weren’t
especially hurt financially And they
figured since they had the free time,
they might as well go to Florida And
when they got there, they ran mto a
lot of people who were still working
The people who have jobs this year
figured they’d better take their
vacations and go to Florida while they
can still afford it "
troduced to the paper by his chicken
salesman And this week for the first
time, we’ll be sending a paper to
Hangover Farm in Bangor, Pa And
oh, yes, a special welcome this week
to new subscriber Richard A Rohrer,
Kodiak, Alaska Richard, we un
derstand, has discovered a great way
to make frozen strawberries He just
leaves ’em on the vine until August 1
THE WOUNDED
HEALER
Lesion (or March *.1*75
** * S
%
1
pT
a
To Spray for Garlic
Pastures infected with
wild garlic should be
sprayed during March for
best control. The application
of 2-4, D (Ester form) before
the clover starts to grow
should keep the wild garlic
plants from maturing. The
goal is to spray and kill the
garlic plants when they arc
small. loiter in the spring the
garlic plants will be harder
to kill and any clover in the
pasture will be injured. Wild
garlic is a major milk flavor
problem on many dairy
farms and effort should be
made no to eradicate the
weed.
To Withhold DES
Hormone
I have recently been in- nuts. I’m referring to spring
formed that as of March 16, oats, pastures, and new
1975, cattle feeders will have seedings, of alfalfa. All of
to certify that slaughter these should be seeded just
cattle have not been fed any as quickly as the ground is
stilbestrol hormone (DESi dry enough. In this area
for at least 14 days, spring oats must be seeded
Therefore, cattle feeders by the first week in April if
need to respect this any decent yield is expected;
regulation and feed their they need maximum growth
cattle accordingly. This a nd maturity before hot
same regulation was in ef- weather arrives. The
feet about two years ago, but grasses and alfalfa need to
was discontinued when get as much growth and root
sufficient evidence was not development as possible
available. The restriction before the weather turns hot
was imposed“becausetif the —and dryr-Ail materials and
danger of residue in the meat equipment should stand
tissues. Feeders should ready to plant at the earliest'
check with their marketing opportunity. ~
concern. .
Farm
Calendar
Tuesday, March 11
5:30 a.m. - Lancaster County
Holstein Assoc, annual
tour. Buses leave from
Farm and Home Center.
Return Wednesday.
Wednesday, March 12
1975 4-H Expo, Park City
Mall, Lancaster. Con-
tinues through March 15.
7:30 p.m. - Home vegetable
gardening meeting,
Lancaster Farm and
Home Center.
7:30 p.m. - Chester Co. dairy
meeting on sire sum
maries and evaluations.
Central Chester Co. Vo
Ag School, Lincoln High-
way, East of Coatesville.
7:30 p.m. - Garden Spot adult
farmer meeting on farm
taxes, Hinkletown
Alternative School.
struggle against life’s
temptations’ How could a
man of so many miracles
know what it means to be
hungry, helpless, or gnef
stncken’
Still, that is what the
writer of Hebrews is telling
us. Just as the human priest
must be understanding and
merciful because of his own
weaknesses, so God’s great
high priest, Jesus Christ, has
shared the full limitations of
our humanity, even dying on
a cross in abject pain and
rejection.
With that kind of
“wounded healer,” says
Hebrews; “Let us then with
confidence draw near to the
throne of grace, that we may
receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of
need ‘
NOW IS
THE TIME...
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 31M-WSI
To Protect Pastures
Grazing areas arc very
soft and muddy this time of
the year. Livestock should
not be allowed to run on the
area because they will tramp
holes in the sod and retard
spring growth. Grass plants
should be fertilized within
the next month and given a
chance to get several inches
of growth before being
grazed. A pasture that is
given good care in the spring
should produce more forage
for the rest of the season.
To Seed Early
some crops will do better
when seeded just as*early in
the spring as weather per-
Thursday, March 13 j|
9:30 a.m. - Farm estate'
planning seminar.
Timbers Restaurant,-
Quakertown.
6.30 p.m. - Lancaster County"
Conservation District
annual banquet. Good ’n
Plenty Restaurant.
7:30 p.m. - Workshop on
farm transfers and
partnerships, Lancaster
Farm and Home Center.
7:30 p.m. - Elizabethtown
Young Farmer
machinery meeting, E-
Town H.S ag classroom.
Friday, March 14
9:30 a.m - Farm estate
planning seminar,
Holiday Inn, Lionville.
6-45 p.m. - Manheim FFA
banquet, Manheim
Central H.S. cafeteria
Monday, March 17
7 30 p.m. - Lancaster County
goat meeting. Dr. Samuel
Guss, speaker, Lancaster
Farm and Home Center.
Tuesday, March 18
9:30 a.m. - Farm financial
management clinic,
Lancaster Farm and
Home Center. Continues
trhough Wednesday.
10:10 a.m. - Montgomery
County Dairy Day,
Collegeville Inn.
FOR MORE THAN A
QUARTER-CENTURY
A MODERN-DAY JOHNNY
APPLESEED HAS BEEN
AT WORK IN MICHIGAN.
DENNIS MADISION GROWS
TREE SEEDLINGS IN HIS
SPARE TIME, OFFERS
READY-TO PLANT TREES
TO HOMES, COLLEGES,
CITY PARKS, INDIVIDUALS
IN A SIX-CITY ARFA.
”1 HE ONLY WAY WE GET
FRESH AIR TO BREATHE
IS BECAUSE WE HAVE
TREES", HE SAYS.