11 Yfcl?rjl'v?..nni(mr.l , i3^r3fi6j
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Marvin, our hired man, had just
climbed up to the silo a few minutes
ago to throw a pile of silage down for
the cows. Each forkful of feed came
down with a burst of air and a loud
thump. The entire barn smelled of
fresh silage as I came walking by with
hands and arms still dripping wet
from washing the bulk tank.
Suddenly an idea struck me. There
were at least a half dozen straw bales
stacked up by the wall, and the pile of
silage wasn't very high yet. I ran for
the bales and tossed them over the
top of the row of stanchions. Next I
grabbed a pitchfork and leveled the
silage, stepping back quickly each
time as I heard another forkful come
down from about 45 feet up.
I began to stack the straw bales up
against the wall, one on top of the
other, directly under the chute. Once
that was done, I occupied myself with
some other chores for a few minutes,
anxiously awaiting the climax of this
prank.
Marvin tossed the silage down with
regularity. The sounds of it hitting the
bottom were muffled and I thought he
might be able to tell something
wasn’t in order below. But he didn’t,
and the column of silage went higher
and higher into the chute.
After a little while I went outside
and pretended to be in a state of
Farm Commentary
A visit to the Midwest is an
educational experience in more ways
than one. To see thousands of acres
of corn-is one thing and really
nothing new. But to see the crops
harvested with the efficiency and
speed which was demonstrated at
the Ag Progress Show is over
whelming. Judged by what was seen
in Illinois this past week, I came away
with a feeling that agriculture has
advanced as much or more in the
past 10 years (or even five) as it did
in the previous 50.
American agriculture certainly has
a lot of muscle to it when it comes to
producing food for Americans and the
rest of the world's people. It’s almost
awesome.
I left Illinois impressed with the
size and efficiency of the equipment
that's used out there, and the amount
of grain l that is in this country,
because it must be remembered that
even a 1,000 acre farm in the Mid
west isn't a drop in the barrel con
sidering how much farming takes
place in America.
The question arises; What are we
going to do with all of those crops?
Seeing the situation in the Midwest
adds a new twist to the sales to
Russia controversy.
Midwestern gram farmers want
immediate sales to Russia. Although I
continue to hold my position of op-
LIFE
on the farm
panic "Hey, Marv," I yelled, "you've
got enough silage down here for a
month' It’s at least half way up the
chute."
Marvin replied with a loud and
clear “Oh, it is not."
"Yes, it is, Marv, you stop and see
for yourself," I hollered back.
There was a moment of silence as I
struggled to keep from laughing out
loud. When I heard Marvin begin to
laugh, I burst out laughing too. In
between the chuckles he shouted
down a few names which can’t be
printed, and then he just sighed as he
waited to be rescued. The chute was
the only way down.
Anyone who has ever plugged a
chute full of silage knows that it packs
itself pretty tight so I must admit I
had quite a time of clearing it. I was
glad I didn’t let it go any higher than it
was because standing under the
chute and trying to knock the silage
loose wasn’t much fun, and if a big
amount of it came down at one time, I
sure did know it.
But it was worth it. It had been a
slow day anyway and the gag livened
things up a little.
“You got to have some fun
sometime,” Marvin often said, and it
was occasional incidents like these
which made work fun instead of a
chore. Isn’t that right, Marv?
All rights reserved by Dieter Kneg
By Dieter Krieg
position to such sales unless several
strings are attached, it’s not hard to
see why they, want such export sales.
They’re needed. Gram farmers were
asked to go all out in production by
the U.S. government, have done so,
and a potential market was wiped out
by actions in Washington. The federal
government.is now accused of having
broken a promise, and of attempting
to use American grain as leverage in
foreign policy, somewhat similar,,
perhaps, to what the Arabs have done
with their oil. But the latter is
doubtful.
While sympathizing with the
feelings of gram producers, who need
to make a living by selling gram for
profit: I, also sympathize with the
people behind the Iron Curtain who
need a life with the freedoms and
liberties we Americans take for
granted.
The need for exporting American
gram is clear we have more than
we can use. In considering Russia for
gram sales, however, my position
continues to be that any deals with
the communists should yield not only
additional profits to American far
mers, but additional freedoms for the
people the communist system en
slaves.
We must not forget the atrocities
Russia has committed, instigated,
and condoned over the years, nor the
threat they have made of burying us.
By Dieter Krieg
WHEN GOD SAYS
“GO!”
Lcmod for October 5.1175
Background Scripture:
Genesis 11:25 through 12:20.
Devotional Reading:
Hebrews 11:8-16.
If God were to come to you
today and in a dream or
vision say to you: "I want
you to sell your house and go
to an island in the South
Pacific where I will make
you prosperous and
prominent," how would you
likely respond?
Well, I don’t have to be all
that psychic to suppose how
most of us would respond. It
would go something like
this:
First, we would probably
dismiss God’s call as an
overactive imagination,
since people don’t believe
much in dreams and visions
anymore.
Some other
time, Lord
Secondly, if we did take the
call seriously, we would say,
“But God, surely you don’t
mean for me to leave my
family circle.” Family ties
are too strong for many of us
to sever, even if it is God who
is calling us.
Thirdly, we might also
say, “But I can’t leave the
USA and live in a country I
hardly even know.” After
all, we are accustomed to a
certain way of life, certain
living standards, con
veniences and services that
would hardly be available
anywhere else.
Fourthly, we might say to
God, “But, Lord, I’m too old
for this sort of tiling; that’s
the kind of thing you ought to
ask of a young man.” No
doubt about it, we reach an
age where it seems there is
less and less adaptability left
in us and we look to the
familiar for our security.
Of course, these are all
responses which Abraham
could have made when he
received his call from God.
His family wak well -
established in Haran. His
whole clan lived there and in
those days the clan was
much more important than
family ties are now.
Abraham also could have
protested that he did not
want to leave his adopted
homeland for a strange place
about which he knew little.
He too could have questioned
whether the vision was
authentic.
Some other place
If anyone ever had reason
to refuse on the grounds of
advanced age, Abraham
could have. The writer of
Genesis tells us that
“Abraham was seventy-five
years old when he departed
from Haran” (12:4).
Seventy-five years old! That
must be a mistake. That is
well past the age when most
people think they still have a
contribution to make. Surely
God was mixed-up, had the
wrong man!
And, when at last
Abraham and his party
reached Canaan, they might
have been justified in
protesting that they had been
sent to the wrong place. As
the writer of Genesis tells
us: “At that time the
Canaanites were in the land”
(12:6). That would have been
the point at which many of us
To Fertilize
Alfalfa Stand
Fall is one of the good
times to topdress the alfalfa
field for improved yields
next summer. After the
removal of the last cutting, is
a very good time. If not any
crop is to be taken from now
on, then the phosphorus
potash fertilizer may be
applied at any lime. Since
alfalfa plants are heavy
feeders of both phosphorus
and potash, these elements
should be replaced once to
twice each season. Ap
plications of three to five
hundred pounds of an 0-15-30
or 0-20-20 are very common
and should strengthen the
plant roots. Recent weather
conditions have not been
very good for taking the last
cutting; some good growers
will no wait until after a
killing frost to remove the
final cutting; some stubble
or re-growth is preferred in
order to hold the snow on the
field during the winter
months.
To Use Testing
Services
Fall is a good time of the
year to do both soil and
forage testing. Many crop
producers will be collecting
their soil samples before the
weather turns cold in order
to know their fertilizer needs
by the end of the year. This
will permit early ordering
and planning for the 1976
growing season. Soils tested
this fall will reflect the lime
and fertilizer needs just as
accurate as those collected
next spring. Also, better
service may be experienced
at the testing laboratory by
not waiting until the “spring
rush”. Here at the beginning
of the winter feeding
program would be an ex
cellent time to learn the true
feeding value of both the hay
and silage supplies. More
efficient feed rations may be
developed when the real
nutrient value of the
roughages are known. These
testing services do not
“cost” money, the should
“save” money for all far
mers and producers.
To Beware of Herbicide
Residues
Recent questions at the
Extension office related to
the possibility of growing
winter grain in com ground
that has been sprayed with
atrazine for weed control
This is a difficult question to
would have thrown in the
sponge.
So Abraham was con
fronted with a challenge: to
turn around and go back
home or to put up his tent in
this strange new land.
Abraham did not waver.
Although he did not un
derstand what was before
him, “... he built there an
altar to the Lord and
pitched his tent” (12:7,8),
Later generations would
admire his faith: “By faith
Abraham obeyed when he
was called to go out to a
place which he was to
receive as an inheritance;
and he went out, not knowing
where he was to go”
(Hebrews 11:8).
When God says “Gp!”,
what do you do? ‘ *
NOW IS
THE TIME..
Mux Smith
(ounl.v Agr. Agent
Telephone
answer in general because it
depends upon the amount
applied per acre and the
amount of time and rainfall;
however, the current
practice is to use less than
two pounds per acre of
atrazine and with ample
amounts of rainfall this
season, it is possible that an
October wheat seeding can
besuccessful; the ground
should be plowed rather than
disced in preparing for the
wheat seeding; this should
reduce the danger of any
toxic residue to the small
wheat plants. If the field is to
be seeded down to clover or
alfalfa next spring or
summer, and needs lime, it
should be worked into the
toposil before the grain is
seeded this fall; this will give
time for the lime to correct
the soil acidity.
To Prepare for
Pesticide Certification
We have one year to go
until all spray applicators
using any of the restricted
materials must be certified
or licensed. October 1, 1976 is
the proposed deadline. The
average producer doing his
won spraying need only to
pass the pesticide
examination in order to be
certified; the Penn State
Correspondence Course on
Pesticides will be a help in
this respect. Application
forms for this course are
available at out Extension
Office. Commercial ap
plicators will need to pass an
examination and then secure
a license in order to qualify.
Details available.
National 4-H Week, Oc
tober 5-11, will be observed
across the United States by
over 7 million members,
550,000 volunteer leaders,
and thousands of
professional workers and
friends of 4-H. Obtain in
formation on 4-H from your
county Extension agent.
Farm
Calendar
Monday, Oct. 6
Parents Anonymous meeting
at 6:30 p.m. at the Grace
Lutheran Church in
Lancaster County.
Wednesday, Oct. 8
8-10 Manheim Farm Show •
for complete schedule see
the listing and fair in-
troduction in this issue.
8-11 Unionville Fair in
Chester County.
Thursday, Oct. 9
Lancaster County 4-H
leaders banquet at the
Farm and Home Center.
Saturday, Oct. 11
Paradise Rotary Club will
sponsor the first in a
series of travelouges at
the Conestoga Valley
School. “Alaska Ad
ventureland” will be the
first presentation at 7:30
p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 12
4-H goat show at 1:00 p.m. at
the Kimberton
Fairgrounds for youths in
Chester, Delaware and
Berks Counties.
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