Alo—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 10,1982
Finding a substitute for food, farmers
I couldn’t believe my eyes for the second could also have a ricochet-affect on other milk
time this year as I flipped through the news sales quite inadvertently,
releases sent to us by the Penn State Ex- Why does Extension feel it’s necessary to
tension Service. The first time I was aghast at advocate substituting and cutting corners- in
the reading material they sent out was about any food department meat, dairy, grains,
five months ago. And it was quite a shock to fruits or vegetables? Better they recommend
me, since they’re usually an excellent source of substitutes for home video games, gas
health, farm and food information. guzzling cars, extravagant vacations, motor
At that time and against my better homes, and the other thousands of luxury,
judgement, I decided to overlook their grand non-essential items consumers spend money
faux pas in hopes that it'was merely a freak on every day.
blunder, and the embarassed writer would We expect this kind of cheap food
never make the same mistake twice. propaganda from consumer advocate groups,
Instead of being red-faced however, it’s now but not from Extension the folks who should
apparent the staff writer is unappalled and understand well the serious economic
ready to repeat the previous act of indiscretion dilemma facing American farmers. Funding for
by churning out more anti-meat, Egtensiqii's existence is channeled down
stories. Department of Agriculture
Although I was irritated by their Febru^?r-nftraarae Agency that provides the subsidies
release entitled “Try Meat Substitutes for a and price supports needed to keep farmers in
Change of Pace” in which the Extension writer business.
typed out reasons why stand-ins for meats are It is apparent the Extension news personnel
both economical and nutritious, plus a list of are taking their cues from their boss,
"hearty, inexpensive meatless dishes," I was Secretary of Agriculture John Block who just
furious when I read a release sent out the last recently led a U.S. delegation to the eighth
day of June Dairy Month which outlined how ministerial meeting of the World Food Council
consumers can "cut their milk bills.’’ in Acapulco, Mexico. The representatives of
Amazing, isn’t it? Last month Secretary of the 36-member countries reviewed major
-Agriculture Penrose Hallowell announced international food and hunger issues at the
farmers turned down a program to educate meeting, including greater efforts to overcome
consumers on the benefits of drinking more hunger through national food strategies
milk, and at the same time Penn State was
preparing a story to educate consumers on
how to pare down milk bills.
Written to be used as a public service an
nouncement on the radio, the release advised
parents not to deny their kids the “nutrition
packed food” milk but to keep the budget
balanced by purchasing nonfat dry milk.
Sure, you might say, milk's milk. Whether
they drink it after it’s been dried or straight
from the pasteurizer, it doesn’t matter as long
as they gulp it down by the gallons.
But pushing dry milk consumption now
doesn't help dairy farmers move their fluid
milk into the marketplace instead of federal.
warehouses as production continues high
after a record spring flush. Isn’t it more
economical to all concerned for consumers to
buy the product that requires the least
processing? So why push a product that costs
more to take out the water when the consumer
will just put it back later? n
If any radio stations do use
release, it’s doubtful whether there will beii
run on dry milk at the local grocery store.
Why? Because consumers will remember that
nonfat dry milk “may cause noses to wrinkle, it
you remember the dry milk of old with its
cooked flavor and undissolved particles."
Ugh. Who wants to take a swallow of milk
after hearing that? Even though the release
does go on to disclaim the old dry milk
reputation, bringing up bad memories is one
sure-fired way to kill a sale of dry milk and it
e
NOW IS THE TIME
To Be Aware of Summer Water
Needs of Poultry
We know that hot weather in
creases the water consumption in
our systems; well laying hens need
a good water and nutrient supply
during hot summer months also.
It’s important to keep hens as cool
as conditions permit during hot
weather. Furnish plenty of cool,
high quality water and expect the
Off-the
So m&mg
By Sheila Miller, Editor
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717-394-6851
hens to spend more time drinking
and less time eating.
Make a special effort to avoid
stressing or exciting your chickens
in hot weather and provide good
ventilation with all fans clean and
running properly.
Keep in mind that chickens have
no sweat glands, but cool them
selves through respiration from
their combs and wattles. Birds
.3S&%sZfK£r,
The U.S. national food strategy has always
been “cheap at all cost.” And so our farm
economy continues to slip under the weight of
feeding the world’s hungry.
Farming is not a charity at least not based
on the amount of taxes farmers pay to support
middle-class America’s share of the nation’s
budget deficit. Farmers need to receive full
value for their product so that they can recoup
their costs. Processors, too, should tack on
their costs, and so on down the line. By the
time the consumers put food into their basket,
the cost of producing these life-sustaining
nutrients should be summed. And, you can bet
it won't be cheap
Instead, farmers are forced into
"missionary” status and will continue to carry
the load of feeding the other 97 percent of the
U.S population and the rest of the world until
the "burden of bills" overwhelms them.
Until their "dying" day. they
into continuing the struggle to survive by
fleeting profits which are quickly stripped
away as packers and processors recoil from
the sting of paving the farmers a better price,
and consume j boycott higher-priced meats,
milk, vegetables, and fruit.
Extension radio announcements and news
releases are quick to find substitutes for
meats and slimmer budgets for milk, when
they should be advocating “fatter” budgets for
food and farmers. There’s just no' substitute
for them.
Board
cannot stand continuous high
temperatures and high humidity.
Let’s do all we can to keep the
birds comfortable during hot
weather.
To Be Aware of Feeding
New Grain
The barley harvest is underway
and some farmers may be con-
(Turn to Page Aid)
YOUR RIGHT TO
BE ANGRY
July 11,1982
Background Scripture:
Acts 6:1 through 8:4.
Devotional Reading:
Philippians 1:19-26.
Stephen bad every right to be
angry.
He was simply trying to do his
job as a follower of Jesus Chnst. It
was not his intention to become
involved in a dispute of any kind.
He had been chosen to help in
distributing equitably the goods to
the whole congregation of Christ’s
disciples. He also spent much of his
time as a teacher of "The Way,” as
Christianity was called in those
days.
But, as so often happens in life,
some people, it appears, had taken
a disliking to him. For one thing,
when they disputed with him about
Christ, Stephen always prevailed
in his point of view. The writer of
Adi S' tells us: - “they could not
withstand the wisdom and the,-
Spirit with which he spoke." Worst
of all, as they saw it, this upstart
was a Greek. Where did he get all
his authority to teach the Gospel?
They Secretly
Instigated Men
So, they determined to get him
out of their hair. Having failed to
best him to his face, they chose to
plot behind his back, starting
rumors - that eventually would
finish him. If the plot sounds
somewhat familiar, it is just
because so much of the affairs of
life are conducted on that same
OUR READERS WRITE,
AND OTHER OPINIONS
To the pure, all things are pure
I hasten to defend Lancaster
Fanning’s pictures and article on
pages C 2 and C 4 of the June 12
issue.
All 4-H children and Future
HAV HAWS
jselc.
“They want to know whether you’ll be wanting eggs or milk for
breakfast."
level.'They not like him and
they were determined to "get”
him. Who could blame Stephen if
he-had -been bitter' or even
outraged?'After all, it hadn’t been
the first time he had been insulted.
Even when he had been chosen for
special work in the Christian
community, there were some
impression-'that the Apostles
considered the work he was to
perform as beneath them: "It is
not right that we should give up
preaching the word of God to serve
tables.”
How should Stephen react to all
of this? You and ! might counsel
him to get back at ids enemies in
some way, to try to embarrass'
them or start a rumor campaign
about them. Somehow, Stephen
needs to find a way to get even.
Brethren, Hear Me
But Stephen wasn’t looking to get
“even” with his enemies. Instead
of hitting back at them,he realized
that, if be was to be faithful to
Christ, be would have to rise above
vindictiveness. Although he had
every right to "blast” his critics
and turn the tables on them, he
chose to win them over instead of
subjecting them to defeat.
It was a worthy goal, hut it didn’t
seem to work. After teaching and
appealing to their consciences, he
found that it was all in vain. They
■ didn’t want to understand him, and
■sthey were doing all ui their power
to tnake sure that' there would be
no meeting of minds.
At this moment, Stephen, 1-
believe, could have gone either
way. -He might easily have
denounced them for their hardness ,
of hearts' and pronounced a
scathing judgement upon them. *
Instead, Stephen decided there
was only one way to cope with their
haired against him: he would bless '
them, just .as Jesus had done when
men* had done their worst to him.
"Lord, do not hold this sin against
them.”
Fanners are well aware of the
necessity for this type of vefser
’ vice. As a cattle and sheep
producer, my husband was most
I &
iWi
)r
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