10 —Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 22,1978 [T EDITORIAL COMMENTS By dieter krieg, editor Agriculture put before public’s eye Agribusiness can and does speak for farmers, thereby providing them with a public relations service which the farmers are reluctant to un dertake on their own Whether it’s a full-page newspaper ad designed to stimulate public awareness of the importance of agriculture, a bumper sticker, or television documentary, a number of our most important agribusinesses are spending significant sums of money in order to tell the profound story of American agriculture This week, for example, the Massey-Ferguson people presented an outstanding one-hour program on the nation’s wheat harvest It was a “farmer’s story," but it was one which any viewer should have found fascinating Produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation, and directed by Tim Slessor (who won acclaim as one of the producers of the Alistair Cooke series on America), Massey-Ferguson purchased the television rights for North America and is showing the documentary all over the continent Granted, the Massey-Ferguson people hope to make points for TO BE ASHAMED OF THISTLE CONTROL The local press has given 'derable exposure to the ;ence of Canada Thistles Junng the past week; this noxious weed has matured and the seeds are blowing over most of the county There’s little doubt that all land owners are guilty of not making a special effort to reduce the thistle popula tion I’m aware of a number of farmers that fail to pre vent thistles from going to SOMETHING MUST GO! Lesson for July 23, 1978 Background Scripture: Acts 18 18-19:41 Devotional Reading: 2 Corinthians 10:3-8 Sonethmg would have to go’ There could be no doubt RURAL ROUTE BBC and MF combined for good PR the bdine time they are telling a j, important story which generally doesn’t get told The beneficiaries of such public relations efforts are not just the stockholders of M-F The farmer is a better understood in dividual as a result of such cam paigns, and the consuming public is more informed That’s important Entitled “Yellow Trail from Texas,” the Massey-Ferguson sponsored program aired locally on Wednesday, 7pm, over Channel 8, Lancaster It followed the NBC Nightly News program, which could mean that the viewing audience may have been very sizable According to Massey-Ferguson's general marketing communications manager, Bill Kelsey, this week marked the second time that the program was shown on Canadian and U S television stations For those who missed seeing it, a brief summary might be in order Following a suggestion from Massey-Ferguson, the BBC sent a filming crew to the nation’s wheat belt in 1975 They stayed for the duration of the season, following the combines from Texas to Canada Their mission was to tell of a harvest, seed; also. I’m sure that the highway system needs to do a better job on their right-of ways. Finally, why doesn’t every tarmer and land owner decide to prevent all thistles from maturing next year; it can be done by mow ing or spraying with a weed killer. Why tolerate such a nuisance 7 TORECONGIZETHE VALUE OF FARM AND HOME SAFETY The week of July 25 to July 31 has been declared Na- about that. Christianity was bad for business and there seemed to be no ground for compromise. The setting for the above scenario was Ephesus a free city on the Aegean coast of what is today the nation of Turkey. The “business” was that of making miniature silver shrines of the goddess Ar temis, the patroness of the Ephesians who had built her a temple that was one of the seven wonders of the world The business was apparently a thriving enterprise among the silversmiths of that city The Way The “Christianity” that was “bad for business” was tional Farm Safety Week As m former years, this means very little to most of us because we feel that we are careful and accidents will not happen to us. However, this is not always true; they can hap pen to any of us. We suggest that the above week be a time when all farmers and home-makers evaluate their daily practices and eliminate careless habits and hazards. Farm machinery has replaced the missionary enterprise of the Apostle Paul and Silas and the growing faith was known to many as simply “The Way.” Wherever Paul and Silas went preaching and teaching the Good News of Jesus Christ there was ferment, uph ;aval and opposition. Luke seems to understand it somewhat in Acts 19:23 when he says: “About that time there arose no little stir concerning the Way ” To be sure, with riots, imprisonment, beatings and organized opposition it can safely be said that “there was no little stir”' The spokesman for the silversmiths of Ephesus was PffAWBl ONLY ffi WHEN T Mf people involved, the problems and triumphs The BBC retained full control of the project, says Kelsey Artistically filmed and presented, the documentary was a thrill to see After all, how many of us have had the opportunity to follow the annual combine trek in real life 7 Brilliantly colorful scenes of sunrises and sunsets were shown as the giant machines paddled their way across oceans of wheat The scenes were inspiring, especially when one considers the special patriotic sound effects later m the program It was 'truly a joy to see the show and the Massey Ferguson people, as well as the BBC filming crews and producers, deserve a hearty ap plause Dale Starks, a custom combine operator from Manchester, Okla , is the man the BBC followed from Texas to Canada Although it would be impossible to tell the complete story of the harvest tn a one-hour show, the BBC people tried to in clude as much as possible Also included in the show was a bit of history on how the nation’s Great Plains came to be the breadbasket of bull as the main causes of ac cidents in this country; I should say the operators of the machinery - not the machinery itselt. Most equipment carries the manufacturer’s direc tions for safe performance. We urge everyone to take time to live and work safely. It could save your own life, or the life of a loved one. TO PRACTICE GOOD MANAGEMENT There’s little doubt that good farm management is a man known to us as Demetrius. Although he was obviously an enemy of the Way, one can’t help but respect him as an honest and forthright opponent. He “tells it as it is.” Instead of appealing to their Patriot ism, their religious sen sibilities, Demetrius frankly states the real reason for their common concern; “Men, you know that from this business (of making silver shrines of Artemis) we have our wealth” (19:25). There is no beating around the bush, Demetrius says plainly that Paul and his mission are threatening their business. It is not a Tom Armstrong By described the evolution of the combine, noting that the old Massey- Harns Company produced the first successful self-propelled combine in 1938 The innovation was such that the U S government made a special allocation of steel to the company during World War li so that more combines could be made This editorial is not intended to endorse any particular brand of farm machinery But it is intended to point out and applaud the efforts that are being made by agribusiness for the good of American agriculture Farmers oftentimes have a weak voice and their story isn’t well known Massey-Ferguson is by no means the only company which is concerned and involved with good public relations for the farmer It is true of most any company and their efforts should not go by unnoticed or without a special thank-you All of us, especially farmers, should be grateful for the important words so many agribusinesses have to say on the farmer’s behalf It is obvious that business, particularly agribusiness, is aware of the fact that ■farmers are the very keystone of our the key to success in today’s agriculture. A farmer must manage his business, fami ly, labor, and finances. All are important to succes. Also, he must pay attention to his non-farm neighbors; they may be of little help to him in his business, but they can cause a lot of problems when poor management is evident. We are referring to the proper handling of livestock and poultry waste; this seems to be the area where matter of Artemis being in danger, but their pocket books. Handmade Gods Although Paul has probably not attacked the silversmiths by name, he has greatly hurt their business with his preaching and teaching against idols and the assertion that “gods made with hands are not gods” (19:26). This sub versive religious teaching threatens, not only the silversmiths of Ephesus but the whole economy, much of which was dependent upon the heavy tourist and pilgrim traffic to Ephesus to see the great temple of Artemis. Farm Calendar Tuesday, July 25 Lancaster County FFA hog show at Lancaster Stockyards, 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 26 Tobacco Field Day, Maryland’s Tobacco Experimental Farm, Upper Marlboro. Public meeting on con servation of soil, water, and related resources. Lancaster Farm and Home Center, 7:30 p.m. many non-farm people can cause trouble. We urge all producers to be very careful m handling this waste to keep both air and water pollution to a minimum. An operation that included the very best methods of produc tion and sanitation should i (Turn to Page 22) Demetrius made a logical appeal to the silversmiths, but it was with their emotions that they an swered, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” It was the first century equivalent of “Hooray for our side” or “My country, right or wrong -my country!” Demetrius was quite correct m his estimate of the situation. Sometimes Christianity is bad for business if that business is dependent upon something that is evil, false or harmful. Often, when the Gospel collides with our culture, something must go! Lancaster County FFA hog carcass show at Stonebndge Farm, Mt. Joy, 8:30 a.m. Board of directors meeting of the Berks County Conservation District, at the Ag Center, west of Reading, 2 p.m. Lancaster County 4-H dairy show, Solanco Fairgrounds, 9 a.m. i (Turn to Page 25)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers