Alft—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 31,1980
Lancaster Farming says...
Within the last month several more
nails were driven into the coffin
containing the image of the farmer as
the independent businessman, doing
his own thing, bothering no one and
being bothered by no one.
In Lebanon County alone, three
current cases point out how easy it is
for a farmer to lose his right to farm,
even if he is hurting nobody else.
First, there’s Kenneth Grumbine.
Today there’s a holding pond that
directs its water straight at his barn.
The project was built with the ap
proval of township officials who OK’d
a subdivision plan without even
making an on-site inspection.
Then there’s Harvey Krall, fighting
to keep a grain bin where he built it.
The bin was put up 80 feet from the
road before he was aware that his
township’s new zoning regulations
prohibited building within 100 feet of
an existing road.
Krall’s land was zoned light in
dustrial even though it has been
farmed for decades. As a result, his
A MAN LIKE THAT
Lesson for June 1, 1980
Background Scripture:
2 Kings 18 through 20;
2 Chronicles 29 through 32.
Devotional Reading:
Jeremiah 16:10-15.
TO SPRAY ALFALFA
Many first cuttings of
alfalfa will be made in the
next few weeks. The growth
is good this summer and we
hope producers can get the
crop harvested in spite of the
weather. One of the worst
enemies of the alfalfa plants
during the summer months
is leaf hoppers. This small
insect will stunt the new
growth and cause the plants
to turn yellow In most
cases, the second and third
RURAL ROUTE
The Honor Roll of kings of
Israel and Judah in the Old
Testament is very brief. Of
all the kings who occupied
these two Hebrew thrones,
few are remembered by Old
Testament writers with any
admiration or approval.
Among this elite group
was King Hezekiab (715-687
BC), the twelfth king of
Judah, son and successor of
Ahaz and father of Man
sasseh. The writer of 2 Kings
remembers Hezekiah with a
fondness that is almost
unequaled in the history of
Israel:
He trusted in the Lord the
~/C ■ '
cuttings are the most
valuable from a quality
standpoint.
In order to get maximum
.yields, the new growth
should be protected when
three to six inches high. A
sweep with your hat, or with
an insect net, will reveal the
number of leaf hoppers
present. If you get one or two
per sweep then the crop will
be damaged and need
protection. Materials such
as Cygon, Malathion, or
'HOWS THIS P
“WHV GO LITE..
1 WHEN VOD CAN
\CO WHrTE”
cJc* '
Beware the
farm does not fall under the same
regulations as farms which are in
cluded in his township’s agricultural
zones, and any building has to be
done in accordance with the in
dustrial-type regulations.
Krall’s bin is not hurting anything
or anyone. It’s located next to his
buildings. He owns the property
across the road and on either side of
the silo. The township, if it wanted to
widen the road, would have to tear
down his other buildings which are
legal because of a grandfather clause
in the law.
Next we find Herold Brandt,
fighting to stop an airport zoning
ordinance—and losing the battle to
arguments of “What harm can it do
his operation 7 ”
In fact, all of these farm families
are losing their battles.
It might be well to determine why.
For the most part, farmers voice
sympathy for their afflicted friends
but sit back, make no move to help,
God of Israel; so that there
was none likehim among all
die kings of Judah after him,
nor among those who were
before him. (2 Kings 18:5).
None Like Him
In a time when the U.S.
Presidential campaign is
heating up to a nominating
convention pitch, some of us
may be tempted to wish that
a man like Hezekiah were to
appear on the national scene
today. How great it would be
to find someone of whom we
could say, “there was none
like him among all the
Presidents of the USA after
him, nor among those who
were before him.”
Diazinon will give protec
tion.
A nice farm pond is a great
asset to any property. Many
farms have ponds but too
many of them are neglected.
A pond needs attention the
same as any other area on
the farm. If we want that
half-acre of ground, that is
covered with water, to
produce a crop of fish, or
provide recreation and fire
protection, we need to give it
some attention.
This tune of the year the
problem with algae and
weeds is very common.
Many hours of pleasant
WAV' DON'T Y' DO THE
BILKING- AND LEAVE
f HE SLOGAN WRITING-
T'MADISON AVENUE
yVs.%. Ii
TO MANAGE
FARM PONDS
By Tom Armstrong
ordinance
make no waves. They seem to forget
they will be next.
Legal counsel, usually obtained on
a limited budget, often lacks the
expertise in farm law that is found in
corporate, maritime or other
specialized legal fields.
Farmers flounder in a bureaucratic
mish-mash of laws passed by ill
advised county or township officials
who have neither background nor
training in the specialized areas
under their power.
By not keeping abreast of current
legislation and political affairs,
farmers hand over to such people
their right to be a part of the decision
making process.
As a result, farmers find them
selves victims of poorly drafted
ordinances, laws written without the
farmer in mind.
Then they discover the hardest
fact of all: once a farmer is entangled
m a legal battle, it’s too late to do
anything about a lousy law. The
battle must be fought under the
Of course, we’d iiKe a man
like that for President but
would we vote for him?
Would we, really?
I’m not so sure. King
Hezekiah was a deeply
spiritual man who was in
strumental in reforming the
religious practices of this
nation. In a never-ending
effort to “keep up with the
times” and their enemies,
the people of Judah had
allowed their religious life to
wander far from its roots.
The temple worship had
fallen on hard times. The
people probably felt they
were too sophisticated for
that. The morals and ethics
swimming, boating, or
fishing are ruined because of
the mass of algae or weeds.
Numerous chemicals can be
used to control these plants
but first, a permit should be
obtained from the Penn
sylvania Fish Commission.
Application blanks for this
permit are available from
any Extension Office, or
from the local Pennsylvania
Fish Commission
patrolman. A good pond
requires management.
TO KEEP
PESTICIDE RECORDS
This is not the first tune I
have suggested the im
portance of keeping ac
curate records of the
BY CURT HARLER, EDITOR I
of the people seemed' to be
more in harmony with those
of their enemies and pagan
neighbors. In the midst of all
this, Hezekiah came, calling
them to return to their
religious heritage.
Not Since Solomon
And the people responded,
so that for the reign of
Hezekiah, at least, there was
a reformation in the faith of
Judah. And the writer of 2
Chronicles would write of
these days: “So there was
great joy in Jerusalem, for
since the time of Solomon,
the son of David, king of
Israel, there had been
nothing like this in
pesticide treatment on
livestock and crops. Record
blanks are available from
our Extension Office for this
purpose. These records may
not be important as long as
all products are properly
used, and there are no fin
dings of excess residues.
However, if a certain food
or feed product is found to
carry excessive spray
materials, then the records
may be your major defense.
We have known instances
where the farmer had to rely
on his records to prove that
he used the materials
properly. Without written
records, your verbal
statements will not hold up.
In the first place, be sure to
use all materials according
to the label. Secondly, keep
an accurate record of the
date, amount, and on what
the materials were used
Don’t ignore the importance
of good records
TO PROTECT YOUR OWN
Livestock and poultry
diseases continue to be a
threat to many local far
mers I still feel that in too
many cases the farmer
brings the infection home to
his own animals Are you
careful about the footwear
other guy's rules.
Farmers long have prided
themselves on their independence,
patriotism and religious ideals. They
sit around like lone ducks, passive,
waiting to be devoured by houses,
industry and government officials
who haven’t the common sense to
think about where they might get
their next meal.
Just because farm leaders, farm
organizations and the farm press
always recite the litany of praise on
how important farmers are (and they
are important), doesn’t mean the
rest of the world feels that way. %
Each farmer in every county
should set aside one evening a
month to attend township meetings.
Farm groups should have special
committees whose responsibility
would be to attend county sessions
It’d be a real eye-opener for any
grower who hasn’t attended such
meetings. And 12 nights a year are a
lot less hassle than 12 weeks or
months spent in a losing court battle.
Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles
30:26).
But is that the kind of
leadership we want? Are we
sure we want someone who
is deeply spiritual, someone
who honestly seeks the will
of God (not the will of the
special interests and
hies) m plotting the natioW
course? Would we support a
pious President or would we
join those who mock a pubhc
figure who takes seriously
his religious faith?
Each of us must answer
those questions for our
selves, but I strongly suspect
the “wheeler-dealer” would
win in a landslide.
worn when attending the
public stock yards or sales
bams? Most of these places
are an outlet for animals
with some infection; the
chances of picking up these
organisms on your boots or
shoes are very great. Even
though the public places £>)
often disinfected, there is
still danger of infection. We
urge farmers to be very
careful with their sanitary
habits. The same is true
when using public trucks to
transport animals; be sure
they are clean and well
disinfected, Don’t be guilty
of bringing home infection to
your own animals.
Farm
Calendar
Saturday, May 31
Farm emergency seminar;
9 30 a.m , Halifax High
School
Cecil County Breeders Fair,
Fair Hill, Maryland
Sunday, June 1
IT’S DAIRY MONTH' #
Tribute to Glenn Ellen
berger, Ag Hall,
Allentown Fair Grounds,
(Turn to PageAlS)
«*V «<** "i]')
( V
-/I