Alo—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 28,1981 Lancaster Farming says... There’ll be another change this weekend m Lancaster County agriculture Max Smith is retiring Change is no stranger to Penn sylvania’s Senior County Agent Change has been Max’s constant companion since he began extension work in 1937 in Lancaster County Max Smith has seen change from three perspectives in the 44 years he served the farmers of Lancaster County He has been an agent of change he has watched changes occur around him, he has reacted to changes in his business Sunday at the Lancaster Bible College several hundred of his friends will gather for a testimonial to honor Max Smith and the work he has done The young Smith was graduated from Hickory Vocational High and from Penn State He served a stint with Production Ci edit, but shortly thereafter moved east to Lancaster County Washington County’s loss A GOOD OFFENSE March 29,1981 Background Scripture: Matthew 24:36 through 25:46. Devotional Reading Joshua 24 16-24. NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agricultural Agent Phone 717-394-6851 TO CHECK VENTILATION SYSTEMS We are into the season of the year that ventilation is very im portant. The fans in the poultry houses and dairy barns have been working hard through the winter months. They have accumulated dust on the louvers and screens and developed loose belts, so they are less efficient - in other words they are not moving as much air as they are rated. This is a good tune to go through your buildings and clean the fan blades, louvers and screens. Tighten the fan belts and be sure to check the inlet screens. Many tunes, in our poultry houses, we’re not getting air circulation because the air cannot enter the building. So, clean the screens to prevent air restriction. Also, check the thermostat to make certain it’s working properly. A thermostat stuck m the “on” position could Change kept Max live and lively was Lancaster's gam One of his first jobs in the County was to help members of the Red Rose 4-H Baby beef club In over four decades, he never quit working with the County's youth In that time he trained the exhibitors of 16 Farm Show grand champs and 15 reserves On the way, Max started annual tours for both beef and swine producers He personally helped survey and flag many county farm ponds, drainage ditches and diversion terraces He introduced Dairy Day in 1950, organized the County Swine Association in 1954, started livestock clinics in 1964, and got the Cattle Feeders’ Day rolling in 1970 The completion of the Farm and Home Center stands as one of the major accomplishments of his career His work was recognized in his selection as one of the nation’s top 10 county agents in 1956, USDA’s In professional football these days it is commonly accepted that it is the defense that wins the games. Whether or not that will hold up to all tests, I don’t know But it is obvious that a team with a poor defense is par ticularly vulnerable. At the same time there are many areas of life where another “The best defense is a good offense ” It seems to me that this is particularly true of the Christian’s concern for the judgment of God. We may best defend ourselves in that judgment by a positive life of com mitment to God’s service cause chilling to poultry and livestock. Poor ventilation can cause health problems in poultry houses and “off” flavored milk in dairy barns. TO PLAN FOR OATS PLANTING I know some farmers are con sidering the use of feed oats for planting this spring. This could be a mistake. Feed oats may contain quackgrass, bindweed and other weed seeds. Planting feed oats will generally result in lower yields. Any weed seeds planted will be a problem tor years to come. Keep in mind that high quality seed is the smallest part of producing a crop. So, saving a few cents by using inferior or weedy seed doesn’t make much sense On the other hand, home grown seed of varieties proven successful on the farm can be cleaned, treated and planted if the ger mination is 80 percent or better. (Turn to Page Al 2) Lamps Without Oil So it is also with the coining of the kmdgom of heaven As we indicated last week, our best posture is not one of defending ourselves against that day, but being about our God-given tasks to live and preach the Gospel. This is essentially the message of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. Their best defense against the coming of the bridegroom, was not an excuse for their tardiness, but a lamp full of oil held in readiness. What was the essential difference between the wise and foolish virgins at the HAV HAWS 1 “Quit complaining. Once in 10 years I ask you to help rearrange the furniture. Every year, you go out and rotate the crops and I never say a word.” Superior Service Award in 1957, the Distinguished Service Award from his peers in 1961, numerous ex tension service awards, the state’s master educator award m 1977, and most recently, his being named livestock man of the year in 1979 Max Smith, in his 1216 columns done for Lancaster Farming, has been a weekly change agent for farmers thoughout our readership area He has seen change occur about him, change such as the loss of farmland —he was powerless to stop Many times he publicly decried the loss of farms in Lancaster County and neighboring areas He made an exception to the politically neuter positions taken by most county agents to support ac tively the cause of land use planning and conservation of our prime and prized soil resources More than anything, Max Smith had to change himself in order to stay wedding feast 9 It was not that the wise virgins were inherently “better” than the foolish ones. They all had the same chances and op portunities. The foolish virgins were lacking, not because they hadn’t been able to find oil for their lamps, but in that they had failed to do what they could do- “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with them.” Lamps without oil are like lives without purpose, like potentialities without commitment, like living in the present as if there were £L —I BY CURT HAULER, EDITOR no future The wise virgins had their eyes fixed upon the matter of greatest im portance, the future return of the bridegroom and the need to meet him with burning lamps The foolish virgins probably, like Scarlet O’Hara, assumed there would be plenty of time to think about that later. Be Prepared How many of us live our daily lives like foolish virgins? “Someday” we will think about the meaning and purpose of life. “Someday” we will give some serious thought to God’s demands upon our lives. “Someday” we will get around to being one step ahead of farming’s trends The very environment in which he works, the Farm and Home Center, is a symbol of the trends to change and moder mzation which he led He started as a county agent in an era when open-pollinated corn was not unusual He educated himself, the farmers, and the youth with whom he worked into the age of corn hybrids, into the chemical era, through the tillage revolution The 4-H steers which are so much a part of his life went from blocky purebreds to stretchy three-way crosses Youth programs and their clientele have changed Through it all, Max Smith was able to evaluate, accept, and change his ideas and still lead farmers and their children down the road to newer methods For all the farmers and farmers-to be whose lives you touched, Max, thank you Through it all, our ad miration hasn’t changed ready for our final con frontation at the throne of God There’s still lots of tune before that “someday” will come, isn’t there’ Or is there’ Whatever awaits us at the end of this earthly life, there are none of i»s who intend to arrive at that day un prepared We all want to arrive there with the best possible defense. But unless we take steps to be prepared now, we may find that it is too late for us to fill our lamps The best protection against that day is a life full of purpose and com mitment. .TODAY 1 n
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