AlD—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 18,1981
Lancaster Farming says...
Few farm measures in recent years
have so much potential to divide the
farm community as HB 767 does
That bill proposes to eliminate
cooperative block voting on com
modity referendums.
Usually proposed laws can be seen
as pro-farm or anti-farm This one is
likely to divide farmers across
commodity groups, and to split
members of big co-ops from their
independent neighbors.
The two sides faced off for the first
time Tuesday in Harrisburg But
there will be further rounds the
House Ag Committee unanimously
voted to hold public hearings on HB
767 at a date to be determined
The measure has three goals
eliminating co-op block votes,
requiring a two-thirds majority to
pass a referendum, rather than a
simple majority; and requiring review
of all programs every three years
rather than five as now provided by
law
The first point is well taken Why
should a co-op be allowed to vote for
MAKING THE
TOMB SECURE
April 19,1981
Background Scripture:
Matthew 27:62 through
28:10.
Devotional Reading:
1 Peter 1:3-9.
If you’ve ever visited the
tomb of Abraham Lincoln in
Springfield, Illinois, you've
probably marveled, as I
NOW IS
I THE TIME
H By Jay Irwin
i Lancaster County
i Agricultural Agent
Phone 717-394-6851
'..sx ' '
To Check Alarm Systems
Many farms have alarm
systems, and unless they are
tested regularly to determine that
they will function immediately in
an emergency, they may create a
false sense of security. It is im
portant to use a test record form. It
should contain columns for en
tering the date of the test, initials
of persons performing the test, and
comments. An alarm system
should be tested at a specific tune,
at least once a week
The completed forms should be
filed for insurance purposes. If the
system is not designed to operate
under farm conditions, the chances
for malfunction are increased.
Dust and dander, fertilizers and
chemicals, gases and vapors are
all problems that can cause
malfunctions on most alarm
systems which use electro
mechanical components Also,
an individual?
One dairy co-op, in defending the
practice, said if there is something
wrong with block voting, then there
is something wrong with the entire
representative system of govern
ment
They note “modified block voting”
allows a co-op member to vote
against the co-op position
There is a hidden flaw in the
argument While individuals do vote
for persons to administer or initiate
programs, nowhere does our
government provide for selling,
willing or otherwise passing along
one’s vote on an individual mem
bership basis
A father can't cast votes for his
family Democrats who miss an
election don’t see their ballot
automatically cast for the party
platform
Some nations levy heavy fines
against those who don’t vote The
American way always has been to
penalize a non-voter by eliminating
any say in the issue
have, at the sheer
massiveness of that struc
ture. The guide told us that
the reason for this was that,
when the martyred
President was laid to rest
there, it was feared that
attempts would be made to
desecrate the tomb or even
to steal the body So the tomb
was built in massive con
crete to discourage any
attempts upon President
Lincoln’s final resting place.
There was a somewhat
different motive behind the
Pharisees’ request that
Pilate have the tomb of
Jesus securely guarded.
They were afraid, not that
someone would try to
desecrate it, but that his
I
power surges and lightning can be
most damaging.
To Check Water Supplies
Your water supply should be
checked at least once a year for
nitrates and bacteria Nitrates can
get into ground water from several
sources - from a septic field, a
barnyard or feed lot, silage
seepage or from nitrogen fertilizer
on surrounding cropland. Nitrogen
can travel farther through the soil
than bacteria, with the likelihood
that more wells may be polluted
with nitrates than with bacteria
And, nitrates can be dangerous
Nitrogen in drinking water
reduces the ability of the blood to
carry oxygen and causes symp
toms of oxygen deficiency in
people and animals If your
drinking water hasn’t been
checked within the last year, then
do it now. Also if you notice any
changes in your water, such as an
One farmer, one vote
disciples would spirit away
the body of Jesus.
“Therefore,” they
demanded, “order the
sepulcher to be made secure
until the third day, lest his
disciples go and steal him
away, and tell the people,
‘He has risen from the dead,’
and the last fraud will be
worse than the first. ’ ’ ’
Make It As Secure As You
Can
Pilate’s response is as
grudging as had been Jus
condemnation of Jesus at the
insistance ot the crown.
“You have a guaid of
soldiers; go make it as
secure as you can' ” Perhaps
all the Pharisees wanted was_
permission to post their own
off-color, an unusual flavor or even
an odor than be sure to have it
tested immediately. Remember,
these samples should be taken to
the lab in either a container
provided by the lab or a sterilized
bottle.
The highly intense agriculture
demands the use of many types of
pesticides. They are used for
various farm, orchard and garden
crops. It is important to know that
every container or package of
pesticide carries detailed in
struction on how to mix and apply
the material. These instructions
should be followed closely. It is
also extremely important to apply
the spray at the proper time. In
case of fruit trees, the weather has
pushed them along very fast, and
unless the grower was on the job, it
may be too late for some of the
sprays We urge prompt and
careful attention to applying the
proper spray at the right time Too
late will not control the problem
and may injure the leaves
It is always later than we think
when weed control practices must
be considered m early springtime
All weeds have their own clever
ways of getting a headstart on us
Farm pond weeds become active
in their growth long before we can
see them This is especially true of
Although many good commodity
programs became possible becuase
of block voting, the danger of abuse
is real
The ‘modified’ provision places a
burden on dissenters that doesn’t
even fall on those too lazy to vote
Why assume a farmer is for
something unless otherwise stated?
Why not assume the farmer opposes
the issue unless willing to stand up
and fight for it 7 A farmer needs the
right not to vote without turning his
say over to a hired hand
If a co-op wants to mobilize its
membership, let its leaders give
talks, make mailings, lobby
lawmakers
The voting percentage also will be
a hot issue.
Tallying some commodity checkoff
votes almost requires an expert in
statistics or mathematical
manipulation
“If a majority of producers
representing two-thirds of the
production, or two-thirds of the
producers with a majority ’’
guards, for Matthew tells us,
“So they went and made the
sepulcher secure by sealing
the stone and setting a
guard.” They made it as
secure as they could.
But they could not make it
as secure as they wanted,
for, when the two Mary’s
came to the tomb on Sunday
morning, they found that the
tomb had not been able to
hold their Lord. Jesus was
risen!
In all probability the
luckless soldiers sent to
guard that tomb were
severely reprimanded,
probably even punished, for
what happened at that tomb.
It was the very thing they
were sent there to prevent.
To Apply Sprays
To Consider Farm
Pond Weed Control
(Turn to Page Al 2)
BY CURT HARLER, EDITOR
But it was not the soldiers’
fault for what happened. For
any other person that tomb
would have been secure
enough. But it was the power
of God himself they were
trying to imprison and there
is no way they could have
kept the Christ in his tomb.
No tomb, no guard, no power
on earth could have kept
Jesus from the victory of the
resurrection.
Where He Used To Be
The two Mary’s weie
shown the tomb by the
angels so that they would
know that Christ had arisen:
‘ Come see the place where
he lay.” For a few short
hours the tomb nad held the
body of Jesus, but now
HAV HAWS
I don’t think we’ll be adding any more poultry
houses this year. With our recent heavy expansion,
I’m losing about all the money I can afford for
awhile.
Confusing? What ever happened
to good old American majority rule 7
Sure, a lot of poor programs have
been voted in because a majority
voted for them U.S Presidents are
elected with the votes of only 25%0f
the nation's population But majority
rule wins
The current measure would
require a simple two-thirds vote But
rather than this constitutional quota
to pass or defeat a program, let's
stick to simple majority rule
Program review after the first
three years will give a prompt
redress if enough farmers feel a
measure is a mistake After that, why
not maintain the five year review
period to save the taxpayers money
and allow the program to flow
smoothly 7
Make no mistake, we
promotion, if done properly
Any farmer who may be asked to
vote m a checkoff program should
make his feelings known at the
upcoming hearings After all, what
good is an unused vote 7
nothing could contain him
any longer. They tried to
make his tomb secure, but
they coulon’t do it. And
neither can we, although we
sometimes try.
One of the motivations that
lay behind the rise of Gothic
architecture m the Middle
Ages was the belief that the
Romanesque architecture
dwelt too much upon the
suffering, dying Jesus and
not enough on the risen,
living Christ. So we have
often unconsciously at
tempted to entomb Christ in
our churches, our creeds,
our theologies making
them as secure as we can,
but fading because. “He is
not here, for he has risen...!”
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