10— Lancaster Farmlni. Saturday. July 19.1975 Farm Commentary Life on the farm EDITOR'S NOTE: The Life on the farm columns were originated ten months ago in Centre County by the author. Their purpose was, and still is. to give people in town a better un derstanding of what farm life is like. It is widely read throughout Central Pennsylvania by farmers as well as town folks, and now appears in three newspapers. By Dieter Krieg "Life on the farm,” said the young man somewhat sheepishly as he slowly shook his head and fixed his eyes on the dusty feed room floor. "To me, life on the farm is dreaming of not being here,” he continued, grinning as he spoke. Striking some cobwebs and dust away from the window, he stared at the buildings and premises. For a moment there was silence, and then he shuffled his feet as he sheepishly resumed the conversation. “My mind is every place but here,” he began, again shaking his large head, topped by a mass of dark, curly hair. “There’s always something that needs at tention, and this place is so im practical I've made up my mind I’m not going to spend the rest of my life doing this," he exclaimed. Standing well over six feet tall, and weighing nearly 200 pounds, the powerfully-built young man was not physically tired of the work, but suffering from a lack of interest and enthusiasm for the career he once thought would be best for him. His life, apparently, had been nothing but long hours of work on the farm from early in the morning until late at night, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Life on the farm is not always pleasant. A young man may have a date lined up with his favorite girl, and then find out he has to cancel it American farmer shortchanged again With American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts drifting around in outer space, shaking hanes in a big show of so-called “detente” - little is being said to aggravate this new condition in politics except by a few men such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn. I choose to agree with the famed Soviet author who has done much to expose the tyranny of communism. White the outer-space adventure currently taking place is certainly an achievement and newsworthy, it does not ring in a new era of freedom and peace as some newspaper headlines and TV commentators indicate. We can hope that it would, but realistic thinkers and observers can't put much faith in anything that has strings from Moscow attached to it. Moscow’s record in keeping promises is so low that if it were translated into money-borrowing By: Dieter Krieg because the vacuum pump broke down and milking time will be delayed by an hour or two. Or a group of heifers got out and ran through the neighbor's garden. Now he has to go after them, stomping through the mud, and getting scratched by thorns and barbed wire. He gets back to the house too late to be able to plan anything for the evening. The frustrations of life on the farm can be numerous. They never cease. And they come at times when you least expect them, and when you just can't afford to lose a minute of your time. Over a period of time these frustrations naturally take their toll, especially on the young dairyman who is overburdened with work and responsibilities and shortchanged on other aspects of his life. The young man who inspired me to write this episode of "Life on the farm" has had as much interest and enthusiasm in the dairy business as anyone I ever knew, and continues doing his work in that field with an impressive record of achievements. It is probably true that every person, regardless of his profession, faces moments when he is convinced the “grass is greener on the other side of the fence.” For the young man on the farm, such moments may occur with a little more frequency as he leaves to do the milking while his friends spend a weekend at the shore. Taking the frustrations of farm life and the farmer’s view of life in town into consideration, it's not hard to understand how or why a young man can sheepishly say; "To me, life on the farm is dreaming of not being here." Such instances are sad and un fortunate, but part of the true picture of life on the farm. credibility at the neighborhood bank, the communists wouldn’t be allowed to go in the door. There is no reason to believe that this has changed. Most people have learned to judge people by their actions, not by their outward gestures which seem< friendly enough at first, but turn destructives every opportunity. For some unknown reason the American government has never learned this lesson about communist regimes. The notoriety of the Russian wheat deal in 1972 has not been forgotten, but here we are, selling them some more this year As might be expected, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture has told worried consumers that the gram deal of 1975 will not have the detrimental effect it had in 1972 Whether it will or not is something we’ll find out later. I expect it go the route of campaign promises - and (Continued on Pace 13) WHEN THE GOINGj IS HARD Ltiion for July 20, lI7S Background Scripture; John 18:12*15; Romans 8:28, 27; Galatians S: 18-28. Devotional Reading; ICorinthiana 2: 8-16. A woman went to a psychiatrist because she felt she was suffering from an inferiority complex. After examining her, the psychiatrist said, “Madam, I find that you do not have an inferiority complex; you are simply inferior!” To some degree, this is true of all of us. We feel inadequate in the face of some trial and, in fact, we are inadequate! We find that we are not strong enough or patient enough. The challenge is too great for us. He Is able! Yet, although we can acknowledge our own per sonal inadequacy, we still have not called upon all our resources. There is still the power of God by which we become more than adequate for the challenge before us. As Paul says it, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Philip pians 4: 13.) Note that Paul does not say that he can “do all things” by himself, but only “in him who strengthens me.” Abraham Lincoln said much the same thing when, as President-Elect, be said goodbye to his neighbors in Springfield, Illinois, and left for Washington: “Without the assistance of that Divine Being, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail.” Yes, let sickness come, let trouble surround me let sorrow enter my life, let tradgedy strike me, let friends and loved ones fail me, let enemies threaten me - and I am not able! But God is! By his power, I can see through whatever life may send me. This was Paul’s ex perience. In writing the church at Corinth (where he probacy had more trouble than any other single place), he sets forth the record of God’s adequacy; We are afficted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed, (2 Corinthians 4: 8,9) Enlarging tiie end result John Ellis Large, who used to be the Pastor of the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City, was once asked to read the Christmas story from the Bible on a major network television show. During the rehersal, Dr. Large was asked to do his reading. Accustomed to speaking in a very large cathedral-like church, Dr. Large read the story in his normal preaching voice, which was quite loud. Also, accustomed to having his pulpit almost a full city block from those seated in the last pew, his gestures were somewhat exaggerated. Thus, while he was in the midst of his reading, he heard the director’s voice break in: “Pardon my breaking in on you, Dr. Large, but you don’t have to strain your vocal chords. ** :•; li 11 Hi I', To Practice Good Sanitation The wet weather in recent weeks has made it very difficult to maintain good sanitary conditions about many farm homesteads; this might mean cleaning and scraping more often. However, it is necessary in order to keep down the By population and to keep sanitary conditions. The image that farmers make on their urban neighbors is very important these days and a producer that is sincerely trying to do the very best job might not get reported to the Environmental authorities as readily as some others. Good management and good farming practices, which includes sanitation, will boost the respect of the farmer in the community and may keep him from being reported on some minor objection. To Provide Salt and Minerals One of the good practices in any kind of livestock production is to provide free access to salt and minerals so the animals will be con tent and drink maximum amounts of water. The practice of mixing these items in the feed is satisfactory as part of the need, but may not meet the needs of all animals. The salt should be separate from the minerals and both of them should be in the loose form rather than in blocks. Some animals may not be able to get enough of these elements from the block before their tongue gets sore. Water intake is very important in hot weather and for efficient gains of milk production. Producers should be sure that all animals have all they want at all times. Farm Calendar Saturday, July 19 Western Pa. Junior Angus Show at the Mercer County 4-H Park in Mercer. Lancaster County 4-H Horse Show at the Lancaster Riding Club. Tuesday, July 22 Chester Co. Holstein Field Day at the Harry Troop’s farm south of Your unaided voice doesn’t have to reach from Manhattan to Los Angeles, nor is it necessary for you to gesture in so exaggerated fashion.” He paused, then added; “You see, the Director is completely equipped to magnify both your words and your actions as needed. If you will just quietly communicate. I’ll take care of enlarging the end result.” Dr. Large said that these words not only helped him with the television program, but also in life as well. Too often he had tried to meet challenges by himself. He needed to be reminded that when the going gets hard, God can magnify our resources and by his power enlarge the end result. NOW IS THE TIME.. . I Max Smith County Agr, Agent Telephone :191-«HSI To Mark Wet Spots Since rainfall haa been more than normal thia summer, we hear of farmers with wet areas and with crops that are suffering from poor drainage; this is quite evident on many farms as we drive throughout the county. The installation of farm drain tile in these areas might be a good practice and will permit better yields in the future. The important suggestion at this time is to mark these areas now when they are wet, so they can be properly tiled next fall or spring to take out the surplus water. If land is level, or i t there are seepage areas, to the extent that crops are not doing good this year it would indicate that drain tile are needed for top yields. Assistance is available from the Soil Conservation Ser vice or from our Extension Service to give advice in this work. To Prepare For Com Crop Indications reflect a very good corn crop in the marking and already we are aware of fanners who are planning extra corn cribs or drying facilities. The making of com into silage is one of the very best ways to preserve a maximum amount of feed nutrients per acre. However, if silage is not needed, then other means of drying or storage may be needed. Corn is a very important crop in most areas either as feed or as a cash crop. Proper storage in order to maintain quality is good farm management. Prices at harvest time are still very uncertain but com is a very important feed and food crop both in this country and in export transactions. Plans for proper storage are in order. CochranviUe at 10:00 a.m. Lancaster County Con servation Field Day and plowing contest at the farm of Howard Long, Columbia Rl. Rain date July 24. Thursday, July 24 Manheim Young Farmers fishing trip. Friday, July 25 Holstein Barn meetings, Arthur Wenger’s farm, 1:15 p.m., Donald Eby’s 8:00 p.m. Monday, July 28 Manheim Young Farmers field meeting program on the mechanics of corn hybrids. Tuesday, July 29 Lancaster County 4-H Dairy Shows. Editor’s Quote Book Advice; it’s more fun to give than to receive. beginning Pat H. Cod
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