—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 2,1970
10
COMMENTS By DIETER KRIEG, EDITOR j
Positive attitude deserves praise
Sitting here at my video display
terminal (instead of a typewriter) is a
happy occasion tonight - despite the
late hour. I’ve just concluded a series
of interviews with several Penn
sylvania dairymen, discussing with
them their thoughts on marketing.
Apparently, to my pleasant surprise,
a good many farmers are taking the
sales of their products very seriously.
What impresses me is that none of
the dairymen I talked to are taking
their market for granted.
That’s good news.
It's good news because the
agricultural community has generally
been plagued with a lack of en
thusiasm and concern for
product once it's m the bulk tankT"
crate, or bin. The emphasis has
always been (and still is) on
production while anything beyond
that is generally never fully accepted
as a part of the farming business.
LONGEST
RACE
Lesson for December 3, 1978
Background Scripture:
Genesis 12:1-9
Isaiah 55; Hebrews 1:1,2;
Luke4:U-21; 15:4-10.
Devotional Reading:
Isaiah 41:8-10.
TO PREPARE VEHICLES
FOR WINTER
Cars and trucks should get
a good checkup before real
cold weather arrives. Hie
recent snow storm, with the
first hazardous driving
conditions of the fall, found
too many cars without snow
tires, or without good tread.
Tire chains are seldom used
today by the average driver;
however, good snow tires are
needed and will make safer
driving for everyone. Bat
teries should be full and in
RURAL ROUTE
i Tom Armsrroni
<A
his poem, “The
lion,” Theodore
:e says;
loaning from God’s the
st race of ail.”
ially, despite our
;nt complaints about
jing able to find God in
our own experience, the
hardest thing is not to find
God but to keep him from
finding us. From our limited
perspective, we think of our
search for God, but, despite
the reality of that search, an
even greater reality is God’s
ceaseless quest for us. Job’s
cry, “O that I knew where I
might find him?” is
legitimate, but only a
distorted perspective on the
good condition; corroded
terminals cause too much
trouble on many cars. Anti
freeze in both the radiator
needed. The muffler and
tailpipe will rust out and
allow toxic fumes to enter
the car, have them checked
in addition to the most recent
inspection on older cars.
Finally, carry a snow shovel,
dry sand, and a tow chain or
rope. Extra boots and heavy
clothing in the car might also
be needed in case of getting
stranded on the road.
TO IDENTIFY
HERD REPLACEMENTS
Both dairy and livestock
producers who are keeping
young stock for herd
replacements, or for sale,
should be sure to identify
&
The Dairylea situation:
Evidently, the tide is turning.
Members of Dairylea Cooperative,
Inc. stand as proof of that statement.
I, for one, rejoice in their convictions
and actions. As an observer and
editor, it’s easy for me to say that. It
isn't costing me a penny to write
these words and I have nothing at
stake in Dairylea or any other
cooperative.
Members of Dairylea, however,
couldn’t just give verbal support to
their capitalization plan which is
intended to give their cooperative a
strong financial footing. They had to
give their vote of confidence in the
form of cash. There’s no denying that
it hurt. An easier route may have
been to just quit and go elsewhere,
but the great majority of them
decided to stay with their bargaining
and marketing unit- Dairylea.
My hat is off to those dairy farmers
IS THERE ANY
THING- IN THIS
ITORC TMATS NOT
IMPORTED?
EfilAIL
Polish
HAMS
total picture in which the
seeking God is discovered in
his persistent quest for us.
Seek The Lord
Thus, when the Prophet
Isaiah says, “Seek the Lord
while he may be found, and
call upon him while he is
near,” he is urging the
people of Israel, not to go out
to find a hiding God, but to
turn and be found by the God
who is seeking them. It was
the seeking God who came to
Abraham saying, “Go from
your country and your
kindred and your father’s
house to the land that I will
show you” (Genesis 12:1). In
fact, throughout the whole
Old and New Testaments one
each calf soon after birth. If
a calf is worth raising, it is
worth proper identity in the
herd. In the dairy production
programs permanent tags
and identification is
required. Many kinds of ear
tags are available at
nominal costs. Producers
should use these before there
is any chance of lost
parentage. Tattoos and
branding are other forms of
permanent identification.
Good herd management
suggests good calf records
and prompt identification.
TO PROTECT
FARM MACHINERY
Winter weather is very
hard on farm machinery. As
we travel throughout the
county, we still see too many
pieces of machinery sitting
and I wish them and their
cooperative the best of luck
In going along with the
capitalization plan, the membership
is investing in the security of a future
milk market. As one dairyman stated.
‘‘lt's awful nice to know that
somebody is going to pick that
tankful of milk up every day.” He
knows he wouldn’t have that kind of
security with many private handlers
Hundreds of dairymen found that out
the hard way last Winter and Spring
when their dealers simply shut them
off when they had more milk than
they needed.
Granted, it needs to be said that
no dairy cooperative in the Northeast
is without some form of problems at
the present time. And it’s true that
some dairymen could possibly get a
better deal by shipping their milk to
private handlers. But, as was evident
earlier this year, what happens when
does not discover anyone
who found God because he
went searching for him -
unless, of course, God was
first searching for him.
Even Jesus, although he
was long anticipated, was
not so much sought for as he
was one who went seeking.
Thus, in the synagogue in
Nazareth, he proclaimed:
“The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he has
annointed me to preach good
news to the poor. He has sent
me to proclaim release to the
captives and recovery of
sight to the blind, to set at
liberty those who are op
pressed, to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord”
(Luke4:lB,l9).
out behind the buildings or
still in the fields. This is poor
farm management and is
costing the owner money.
shortens the life of the
equipment. Machinery costs
are very high and weather
protection is one way to
reduce the cost of replacing
very often. Separate
machinery sheds are
suggested in order to keep
everything from being
stored in the main barn.
Good care and maintenance
is needed to lengthen the life
of all farm machinery.
TO INSPECT
VENTILATION SYSTEMS
Colder weather may bring
more ventilations problems
to many dairy and livestock
producers. Most buildings
Tom Armstrong
By
you get the notice that you no longer
have a market?
The answer to that question isn't
as simple as some would expect or
hope^
That's because milk marketing
isn’t all that simple. Many dairymen
learned last Spring and even as
recently as yesterday, I’m sure, that
they can’t just offer their milk
anywhere. Somebody has to be
willing to take it.
I couldn't resist asking some of th«jj)
Dairylea members if they had any
reservations about supporting the
capitalization plan. Yes, some had
Had t'hey considered leaving the
cooperative? Again, some had. A few
did, infadt.
“I stayed with Dairylea because we
could not’fmd another market," said
one Union County dairy farmer who
has 70 milking cows. He added that
(Turn to Page 34)
The Lost Sheep
When Jesus told one of his
artful parables to com
municate the nature of God,
' he painted the picture of a
good shepherd who, leaving
his flock, goes “after the
missing one until he finds it”
(Luke 15:4). If we find God it
is because he seeks us‘. As
C.S. Lewis put is in his
spiritual autobiography,
Surprised By Joy r
Amiable agnostics will
talk cheerfully about “man’s
search for God.” To
me...they might as well have
talked about the mouse’s
search for the cat.
Even in the great parable
are full of livestock at this
time of the year. Signs of
condensation of water drops
on walls or ceilings means
that either more insulation.
or more ventilation, is
needed. When the warm,
moisture-laden air of the
bam meets a cold surface,
condensation will occur.
Extra insulation and more
Farm Calendar 9
Sunday, Dec. 3
Ontelaunee Grange Hall
breakfast, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 4
York County Holstein board
meeting, 8 p.m. at
Production Credit Office.
Tuesday, Dec. 5
Red Rose DKIA banquet,
Good’n Plenty
Restaurant, Smoketown,
11:45 a.m.
Penn’s Agri-Women board
and committee chairmen
meeting, 10 am. at the
home of Mrs. Ethel
Gross, Manchester.
Solanco Young Farmers
meeting, 7:30 p.m. at the
high school.
Farm equipment dealers’
banquet, Good’n Plenty
Restaurant, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 6
Monthly meeting of the
Hunterdon County, N.J.
Board of Agriculture, at
of ‘‘The Prodigal Son” the
repentant son returning
home finds his father looking
for him even while he is
some distance away. The son
begins the long journey
back, but even before he
makes that decision, the
father is scanning the
horizon It is in that light tlaf
Isaiah counsels; “Let
return to the Lord, that he
may have mercy on him, and
to our God, for he hrill
abundantly pardon” (Isaiah
55:7).
i To attempt to run from
God is indeed “the longest
race of all,” until we turn to
him to find our Father and
be found in him.
ventilation should correct
this problem. Dripping walls
and ceilings gives poor
condition for the health of
the herd (and the owner); in
addition, it will rot the
structure and require
replacement materials.
Operators are urged to
check their buildings as
colder weather arrives.
the Extension Center, 8
p.m. Speaker: Earl
Tindall, A Look at the
Corn and Soybean
Market.”
Lancaster County Con
servation District
directors meeting, 7:30
p.m. at the Farm and
Home Center.
Thursday, Dec. 7
Adams County annual DHIA
awards banquet, Barlow
Fire Hall.
Friday, Dec. 8
Pennsylvania Egg
Marketing Association,
Ladies Night, 7 p.m. at
the Treadway Resort Inn.
Saturday, Dec. 9
National Young Farmers
Educational Instil
Trip, Kansas City,
Departure from
Harrisburg at 8:15 a.m.
Return Dec. 13,9:33 p.m.