Alo—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 1,1983
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BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
Back in the mid-70's,J had the opportunity
to visit the White House on three occasions to
accompany the U.S. Farm Family of the Year
during their introductions to the President. It
was during the hectic transitional period of our
country and the visits involved three different
presidents -- Nixon, Ford and Carter.
Here are a few impressions and memories
from those visits;
Nixon -- Aloof and insincere.
Ford -- The most genuinely warm and
outgoing.
Carter - Hesitant and appeared over
whelmed by the office.
Only Ford used the Rose Garden to greet
the Farm Family and added an additional
personal touch of including other govern
mental leaders, such as the late Sen. Hubert
Humphrey.
Both Nixon and Carter stayed in the safe
confines of the Oval Office to greet and talk
with the farm family and the atmosphere was
much more formal and artificial.
During the Rose Garden session with Ford, I
moved off away from the group to get a better
angle for a photograph and happened to step
around the roped-off area. Somewhere out of
the shrubbery suddenly materialized a well
dressed young man with sun glasses and a
receiver in his ear. He didn't say a word but
firmly laid a hand on my shoulder and steered
me back where I belonged.
Probably the most lasting impression of the
visits is that of the White House Photo Press
Corps. After the initial greeting in the Oval
Office and brief discussion with the family, the
president would have the large double doors
opened and in would pour the TV, magazine
and newspaper cameramen.
Well, I have seen half-starved cattle which
were better behaved when they were first
turned loose to the feed bunk. The stiff,
solemn decorum of the Oval Office would
suddenly be turned into a shambles.
These cameramen apparently had their own
pecking order and seniority, elbows and rough
language would control their jostling for front
row positions.
Farm Calendar
Saturday, Oct. 1
Md. Polled Hereford Assn, sale,
Frederick, Md. Fairgrounds.
Show at 3 p.m.; sale at6;3o p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 2
Semi-annual meeting, Pa. Arabian
Horse Assn., Elks Country
Club, Boalsburg.
Monday, Oct. 3
Pa. International Trade Con
ference, Hershey Philadelphia
Hotel, continues tomorrow.
Annual conference, Pa. Assn, of
Conservation Districts, York,
continues through Wednesday.
Tuesday, Oct. 4
Semi-annual meeting, Pa. Farm
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In the Oval Office
Vacation Assn., Annville.
Wednesday, Oct. S
Lancaster Conservation District
meeting, 4 p.m., Farm and
Home Center.
Eastern National Livestock Show,
Timonium, Md., continues
through Saturday.
Annual meeting, Pa. Association of
. Farmer Cooperatives, Penn
State.
Christmas Tree Growers meeting,
7; 30 p.m., Student Activities
Center, Penn State Campus at
Schuylkill Haven.
Dairymen, Inc., District 7, Centre
Park Presbyterian Church,
New Park, 7 p.m.
I can still recall one big, hardened North
Dakota farmer, who just the week before had
wrestled half-wild steers during branding and
hadn't backed away one inch. But when the
camera corps stampeded into the Oval Office,
he automatically stepped back a pace in
amazement.
The Farm Family during its stay in
Washington had the use of a chauffered
stretch limousine, which was also used to take
the family to the White House.
I can recall driving through the gate into the
White House and a bunch of people flashing
cameras through the windows. Boy, were they
probably surprised when they got their film
developed and found some unknowns in their
photos rather than a world dignitary.
Another recollection is that of the luncheon
given by the Secretary of Agriculture in his
private dining room for the family. The food
there was absolutely the worst.
Highlight of the social portion of the visit was
always the evening at either Kennedy Center,
Ford's Theatre or Wolf Trap.
The Farm Family of the Year was selected
through the Farmers Home Administration.
Families who were FmHA borrowers and had
done a good job of bettering their operations
were selected on a state level and then
competed for the national honor. They would
then come to Washington for the visit with the
President, USDA officials and sightseeing,
accompanied by their state director and
representatives of the host farm machinery
company.
The program was started under the
Republicans and then disbanded after Car
ter’s first year because the Democrats didn’t
want to give ah impression of collusion bet
ween the federal government and big
business. It shows how even politics casts its
shadow on something as harmless as honoring
a farm family.
And one other observation. To get security
clearance to the White House, all you need do
is submit your Social Security number, under
which all information must be filed.
And if I can get security clearance to be in
the Oval Office, I would think most anyone
can.
Dairy refund and 1964 wheat
program meetings in York
County; 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at
Airville Chanceford
Presbyterian Church; 1:30 -
3:30 p.m. at 4-H Center at Bair;
7:30 - 9:30 p.m. at Room 105,
Dover High School.
Friday, Oct. 7
State 4-H Horse Show, Farm Show
Bldg., continues tomorrow.
International Trotting and Pacing
Pony Sale, Farm Show Com
plex.
Thursday, Oct. 6
Saturday, Oct. 8
A BAD
BARGAIN
October 2,1983
Background Scripture:
Jeremiah 2; 9-13; Romans 1:18
through 2:29.
Devotional Reading:
Romans 2:5-11
I've made my share of bad
bargains over the years. Right now
a tow car is towing away one of
them.
The only reason my bad
bargains haven’t completely
wrecked my outlook on life is that I
know that all human beings have a
tendency to make them. There was
Gsau, for example, trading away
his valuable birthright for a bowl
of pottage. And Judas, selling his
soul for 30 pieces of silver. History
is a chronicle of one bad bargain
after another.'
BROKEN CISTERNS
Bible history in particular
records a lot of bad bargains. One
of God’s continuing complaint's
against the people of Israel was
their habit of trading away their
faith in the Lord for something else
that was quite worthless. This is
the very complaint which God
made agams them through the
prophet Jeremiah:
For my people have committee
two evils; they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters, and
hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no
water. (2:13).
God is not really talking about
water in this passage, but about
the worship of other gods. Israel
NOWK THE TIME
Lancaster County AfncuKureAfent \
Phone 717-394-6851
To Prepare For
Wheat Planting
Wheat is an important crop in
many of our farming programs
and the selection of good seed will
result in a better crop next year.
Due to a general infection of Scab
and Powdery Mildew in our winter
wheat last summer, growers
should be extra careful this fall by
planting clean seed. Certified seed
would be free of these problems. If
you are planning to use home
grown seed, then do an extra good
job of cleaning and treating.
Vita vex 200 is a recommended
fungicide for seed treatment. The
fly-free date is either after the first
killing frost or in southeastern
Pennsylvania, October 10,
Just a few reminders on planting
wheat - it should not be planted m
the same field more often than
once every 5 years. This time
period will reduce the fungus
carryover in the soil. Plow the
fields as early as you can, then disc
and harrow to kill as many weeds
as possible. It’s also a good idea to
harrow the field thoroughly the
day of seeding.
To Treat Cattle
Ectoparasites
With cold weather fast ap
proaching, cattlemen need to begin
thinking about treating for cattle
lice, grubs, and barn itch.
Grub treatment should be made
in late September or October. The
greatest number of grub larvae
will be killed if cattle are treated
has looked elsewhere for the help
and security which only the Lord
can give. They have made idolsj
and then worshipped the work of
their own hands.
Paul, writing to the Church al
Koine, warns them against making
the same kind ot bad bargain.
Claiming to be wise, they
became fools, and exchanged the
glory of me immortal God for
images resembling mortal man oi
birds or animals or reptiles.
Therefore God gave them up in the
lusts of their hearts to im
purity...because they exchanged
the truth about God for a lie and
worshipped and served the
creature rather than the Creator,
who is blessed forever! Amen.
(1:22-25).
LIFE INSTEAD
OF TRUTH
Actually, the complaint sounds
quite similar to the one God made
through the prophet Jeremiah,
except that Paul carries it one step
further and clarifies the meaning
so no one can mistake it;
"they...worshipped and served the
creature rather than the
Creator...” Up to this point, you
and 1 might feel justified in
maintaining that idolatry is no
longer a problem in our con
temporary world. We no longer
worship idols.
Yet, though we may no longer
fashion gods with our own hands,
we are not free of idolatry, for the
real meaning of idolatry, as Paul
makes clear, is that we end up
worshipping and serving the
creature rather than the Creator.
And that is still a problem with us
today, isn’t it? We still worship and
serve the creations of our own
hands: our technology, our
material possessions, our own
licentiousness. We are still giving
to dumb, dead things the
veneration and loyalty that
belongs to the Creator alone. That
is a bad bargain that can never be
a good one.
near the end of the fly season.
After November migrating grub
larvae are found close to the spinal
cord where their death can
produce problems. There are a
variety of systemic pesticides that
are safe, effective and approved
for use on beef cattle and dairy
heifers. They can be applied either
as a spray, pour-on or spot
treatment. In addition to grubs, the
same single treatment will also
control cattle lice and blood
sucking intestinal worms. Some of
the recommended insecticides for
controlling insects and mites on
cattle are Ectiban, Atroban,
Permectnn and Ectrm. Follow
label directions for correst use.
To Fertilise
Alfalfa Stands
After the last cutting m alfalfa is
removed, it is a good practice to
topdress the field with a
phosphorus-fertilizer. Many
growers have been doing this for
years with good results. The fall
application permits time for the
soil elements to reach the root zone
of the plants and become available
for next spring’s growth. Well
fertilized alfalfa fields will produce
more top quality forage and will be
able to withstand adversities much
better. Also, after the removal of
the first crop next spring, another
application of fertilizer should be
made. Research continues to show
that a nitrogen application on
established stands of alfalfa is not
a good investment.
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