—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 5,1977 10 E EDITORIAL COMMENTS By DIETER KRIEG, EDITOR j Preserving good farmland (Continued from Page 1) he replied in a recent interview “All development is at the expense of agriculture ’’ If we’re going to attempt to minimize this expense, then it's time to make continued and profound efforts to that end Smith acknowledges that developments may be nice as far as the tax structure is concerned, but it’s bad for farmers. At stake in this development craze which is swallowing up some portions of Lancaster County and other areas, is a way of life and some of the best farmland around Many are being denied the opportunity to farm or continue farming That’s a crime Sure, there is other land left which can be farmed But too many people are forgetting that the major'ty of those acres need irrigation, special drainage, and years of cultivation. Even then they may never compare with the rich acres being pulled out of agriculture by developers On the other side of this predicament, we can't condemn the farmer who elects to sell his property The environment and Background Scripture: Luke 10:13-17; Devotional Reading: Mark 2:23 through The indignant 3:6 official artist was busy at his It is because people fail to TO PROTECT FARM MACHINERY machinery to stay outside all winter is not practicing good farm management. Weather, including ram and snow, is the main enemy of farm machinery; when the implement gets wet, rust sets in, and soon the item is doomed for a shorter life. When the work is done for any special piece of machinery, it should be stored in the dry. We suggest a pole shed or a separate machinery shed rather than the mam bam. Losses will be RURAL ROUTE Today i'o like you to set SOME OF THE MACHINERY READY FOR WINTER . . . easel while a prominent woman posed for her por trait. “Mind now,” she called to the artist, “make sure you do me justice.” “Madame,” he replied, “it is not justice you need, but mercy!” ' So do we all, although often we do not realize it. Ironically, it often seems that it is the righteous man who asks for mercy, while unrighteous - who often does not know he isn’t righteous - demands justice! God grant that we may never be judged with justice, for what we need is mercy. less in case of fire. A close dition to income tax Rats and mice are still a away. A poison bait program inspection of the machine reporting. We suggest that threat to farm buildings, to should be included out of the cleaning greasing, ai the replacing of broken or worn parts is suggested. Don’t allow your machinery dollars to depreciate more rapidly out in the weather this winter. TO USE FARM TO USE FARM RECORDS FOR PLANNING The end of the calendar year is approaching and many crop enterprises are coming to a close. Good farm records are very essential for many purposes, in ad- THE MOWER, HAY CONDITIONER, BALER, CORN PLANTER ..THEY CAN AU BE GOTTEN READY. \ © circumstances in which he lives oftentimes put him into a pressure cooker Tempting offers are always being made by real estate agents The sight of developments creeping in on all sides has got to be frustrating Putting up with disrespectful trailbike riders in an unharvested field must take an awful lot of patience to “hang on” even if the land has been in your family for generations There are numerous other pressures too Non-farm neighbors eventually start complaining about Despite all the news and talk about Pennsylvania’s budget crisis, not too many of us think about it long enough to allow it to hit home It undoubtedly hits home in a number of ways, but one segment of the sorry situation which strikes us profoundly is Penn State University The state-funded institution of higher learning has been a servant to recognize that they them selves need mercy that they are often so unmerciful to others. The story of the in dignant ruler of the synagogue in Luke is a good illustration. There are three principal characters: the ruler, Jesus, and a woman who has been unable to stand straight for eighteen years. Seeing this bent and afflicted woman, Jesus felt im mediate compassion for her and called her to him. “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity,” he says, as he lays his hands upon her. Although she had been crippled for eighteen long and painful years, we are told: “and immediately she was made straight...” the recoi and the farm busmess so that better decisions can be made for the future. When records are considered on past per formance of a particular enterprise, they should give some direction to expansion, or decreasing the volume of this part of farming. Time spent “pushing the pencil” this fall and winter might result in a better farming operation next year. TO ERADICATE RODENT INFESTATION Penn State needs your support By Tom Armstrong manure odors or noisy tractors or blowing debris from a nearby field Then there are taxes to contend with and .insurance premiums, etc It seems like the farmer can’t win if he hangs on under such circumstances After having read an editorial on this same subject a few weeks ago, a farmer approached me to ask "How long do we hang on 7" I wish I knew If I did, however, I'd be reluctant to advertise it, since each individual situation depends on so many variables But a common denominator for all of us is to join in efforts which will make the general public aware of the consequences if good farmland continues to erode away Pennsylvania’s agriculture since its founding in 1855 It's not just a facility for resident education, but serves many other functions as well. A few are; The Cooperative Ex tension Service, 4-H programs, DHIA testing, research, meat animal evaluation, soil testing, forage analysis, correspondence courses, and many more What a wonderful and moving scene it is! One can hardly help sharing the joy she experienced and the satisfaction felt by Jesus and his followers. Either “Halleluia!” or “Whoopee!" would seem more than appropriate under the cir cumstances. But into this joyous scene there enters a dark, angry cloud: “...the ruler of the synagogue, indignant- because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people: ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day’ ” (13:14). Right but wrong Well, he was right, wasn’t the financial situation; with colder weather on the way many of these rodents will be coming into farm buildings for the winter. We suggest that nesting places be eliminated so they will not set up house-keeping. A good “clean-up” program is the place to start, so they wiH have fewer places to hide and to make nests. Also, the concreting of broken floors and walks, and the “poin ting” of foundations and stone walls will keep them Granted, many efforts are already being made m that direction, and in some areas there has been noticeable success m curbing developments But we need more efforts anyway lest we have the famed Garden Spot and many other garden spots turned into “gardens of developments” and so-called dustnal parks ” We’ll take a closer look at this issue in upcoming weeks Chances are that if you’re con nected with agriculture in some way, you’ve got a stake in PSU’s future and vice versa And it’s in your in terest to keep the institution healthy and respectable in every way Penn State is reportedly borrowing $9 million per month to keep its doors open The interest rates on he? According to the religious laws of Israel there was to be no labor at all on the sabbath. The sabbath was to be kept sacronsanct. After all, there are six days on which we can work. Surely after waiting eighteen years to be healed, there would be nothing wrong in waiting one more day!. The ruler of the synagogue was certainly in the right. He had the religious laws on his side and all authorities would have agreed with him. Yet, despite all this “rightness,” he was wrong! He was wrong because he put rules before people, livestock. Rodents are wasteful, destructive, fire hazards, and can bring disease and infection to the farm. Don’t put up with them this winter. " TOCONTROL LIVESTOCK PARASITES Body lice on the outisde and stomach worms on the inside make it difficult for any animal to produce ef ficiently. We urge that dairymen and all livestock men check their animals for these problems here at the Farm Calendar Today, Nov. 5 Adams County Farm-City banquet, 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7:30 p.m., dance afterwards, at Carroll Valley. Keystone International Livestock Exposition begins m Harrisburg, continues through Friday. See this issue for details. Chester County 4-H dairy banquet, Christiana Fire Hall, 7 p.m. (Continued on Page 37) traditions before human needs, reason before com passion and “being right” before being merciful. In a few words Jesus devastated his “rightness”, reminding him and the whole congregation that, if it was acceptable to help a poor beast on the sabbath as an act of mercy, how much more it is acceptable to help a human being. What all of us need is not justice, but mercy. beginning of the winter feeding season. Many feeder calves brought in local dairy farms have included cattle for several generations and the worm problem has in creased. We urge some attention to controlling parasites in order to realize greater profits. The local veterinarian can help determine the type of in ternal parasites and suggest treatment. Monday, Nov. 7 Fifth annual Dairy Seminar on feeding and health, 6:15 p.m. at the Quality Courts Inn, west of Lancaster on Route 30. Tuesday, Nov. 8 Lancaster County Holstein Breeders annual meeting, 6:45 p.m. at Indian Springs Golf Club, 949 Church Street, Landisville. (Continued on Page 14) “in-
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