Alo—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 28,1984
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BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
Today’s Lancaster Farming contains a story
on a proposal by the Governor’s Energy
Council of Pennsylvania to fund studies to see
if it is feasible for smaller farmers to get
together and cooperate in methane digester
projects
On the surface the concept sounds good
The state says such energy co-ops could
provide income for farmers through the sell
back of power and reduce nutrient-runoff
But let's look a little deeper
Total funding for the study is $35,000 - not
a lot of money in these days of big government
spending. But still a lot of money to someone
like a poultry farmer with an empty house and
no income currently or someone hit hard by
the drought last summer.
Also, the money to be spent is federal
Department of Energy funds. It falls into that
all too familiar federal fiscal situation of "if you
don't spend it before the fiscal year ends, you
lose it."
The co-op digester program is just another
example of the piece-meal approach that
government continues to take to one of the
biggest long-range domestic problems facing
this country - righting some of the ecological
wrongs caused by our modern life-style
President Reagan made reference to the
Chesapeake cleanup and acid ram in his State
of the Union address the other night. These
are sure to be ecological bywords during the
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Farm Calendar
Saturday, Jan. 28
York Co. 4-H beef banquet, Seven
Valleys, 7 p.m.
N.J. dairy goat luncheon, Ryland
Inn.
Monday, Jan. 30
CPR training, Pencader Grange,
Glasgow, Del. 7 p.m.
Kent County, Md. DHIA, 7:30 p.m.,
Extension Ofice, Chestertown.
Chester County Extension Service
annual meeting, 7 p.m., Ex
tension Office.
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Pa. Vegetable Conference, Her
shey Lodge and Convention
Center, continues through
Thursday.
Regional manure management
seminar, Lancaster Farm and
Home Center, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
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Bradford beef producers, 8 p.m.,
Extension Office.
CPR training, Farm Bureau Of
fice, Dover, Del., 7 p.m.
Wayne County zoning meeting, 8
p.m., Knights of Columbus
Mall, south of Honesdale.
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Regional manure management
seminar, Embers, Carlisle, 9
a.m.
Chester County Dairy Day, 9 a.m.,
Guthriesville Fire Hall.
Hunterdon County N.J. Ag Board,
8 p.m., Extension Center.
Wayne County local government
session, 8 p.m., Extension
Office, Courthouse.
Thursday, Feb. 2
Cumberland County Milker’s
School, South Middleton Fire
upcoming campaign A lot of money is filtering
out in many different directions in these ef
forts
The EPA's Superfund is to be bolstered for
toxic waste cleanup And still efforts continue
in Lancaster County to locate a hazardous
waste landfill right in the heart of the area
targeted for water cleanup
Isn't it about time that an alternative ap
proach is found to this piece meal method -
which often, m attempting to correct one
problem, only creates or worsens another 7
Isn't it about time that a totally integrated
approach to ecologically living within our life
style is attempted 7
And what better place to try it than in
Lancaster County 7
Lancaster County is a microcosm of all the
major ecological problems of the country. And
probably nowhere are the ecological problems
of a triumvirate residential-mdustnal
agncultural society more concentrated and
mixed together than in Lancaster County But
this concentration is what makes it ideal for a
pilot project feasibility study of a totally in
tegrated approach.
Such a total study would take a look at the
effects on the environment of everything we
do in living, working and farming. In one place,
can we:
-Halt all landfilling and require the total
separation of all residential garbage and the
appropriate safe handling of each type?
-Require industry to be responsible for the
recycling of its own hazardous wastes 7
-Find a long-range solution to the moun
tains of livestock wastes being generated 7
A list of priorities can go on and on.
Only if we attempt such a specific-site
feasibility study of total ecological com
patibility will we ever know if it can be done.
Such a feasibility study makes more sense in
the long run than the continuing political
expedient, piece-meal approach.
Everything we do in reaction with our en
vironment is like a charge account. In today's
modern life-style too much is being charged
against our water and land.
And like all charge accounts, the bill is really
going to come due against future generations
(Written with thanks to Dale E Baker,
professor of soil chemistry at Penn State.)
Hall, continues tomorrow.
Regional manure management
conference, Lebanon, 9 a.m.
Clearfield Milker’s School, Brady
Twp. Bldg., Luthersburg, 10
a.m., continues tomorrow.
Wayne County Ag Area meeting, 8
p.m., Calkins Grange Hall.
Friday, Feb. 3
Pork Producers Council banquet,
New Holland Fire Hall, 6:30
p.m.
Franklin County Extension annual
meeting and banquet, 6:15 p.m.,
Kauffman’s Community
Center.
NE Sheep and Wool Growers, 10
a.m. - 3 p.m. Pink Apple
Restaurant, Tunkhannock.
Luzerne farm tax meeting, 1-3:30
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FIGURE THAT
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Background Scripture
Isaiah 34.
Devotional Reading;
Isaiah 26:7-11.
“Weak hands” and “feeble
knees”!
Is that not an apt description of
how we feel some days? It may be
that we feel physically exhausted
or our weakness may be of a more
intangible kind.
Everyone has this feeling soime
times. For lots of people it is a
daily companion as they face
hardships, tragedy, disap
pointments, and problems that
seen insurmountable. There is
hardly anyone I know whose life
has not known some measure of
tragedy, failure or obstacles.
OF FEARFUL HEART
Others may have not ex
perienced such negative things in
their lives, but live in a constant
paralysis of fear that they will
occur. And, if it hasn’t happened to
us personally, we have still tasted
the uncertainty of life as it is
reflected in wars, depressions,
disaster, and global conflict.
So it is that the Prophet Isaiah
comes to us with an uplifting
message from God just as he did
NOW IS THE TIME
HR
To Keep Farm Equipment
In Good Condition
This is the time to replace those
worn or damaged parts and tires
on your farm machinery.
Maintaining and restocking
needed spare parts should be a
must before the really busy spring
season is underway. Have the
tractor engine timed by your local
dealer. Consult the operator’s
manual and adjust field machines
according to manufacturer’s
recommendation.
Order a supply of oils, filters and
greases that are needed to
maintain tractors and other
equipment. It pays to take time out
to start a system of record-keeping
for each machine. Keep good
records of maintenance and
repairs and you can save some
money in this highly mechanized
farming operation.
Remember, a breakdown at
planting time is costly. The best
preventive is good maintenance.
To Make Sure Ponds Are Safe
Over the last two or three weeks
FOR THREE REASONS?
ONE: I'M NEARLY OUT OF PROPANE.
TWO= MY SNOWBLOWER'S BROKE.
THREE: MV RESERVE GENERATOR
IS IN THE REPAIR SHOP.
THE RANSOM
January 29,1984
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717 394 6851
0
to the people of Judah several
thousand years ago:
Strenghten the weak hands, and
make firm the feeble knees. Say to
those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, fear not!... (35:3,4.).
Isaiah assured the people of
Judah that “He will come and save
you.” But does that promise mean
anything to us? Many of us are
fearful about a nuclear holocaust
can 'ct that God will save us
from our own selfdestructive
frenzies? Scientists last • t
warned us of the disastrous
“greenhouse effect” that spells
serious trouble for the planet
earth. Does Isaiah promise that
God will deliver us from that, too,
as well as war in Lebanon, Ireland,
the Caribbean, and elsewhere?
STREAMS IN THE
DESERT
I think the answer to these
questions is both “no” and “yes.”
No, God does not compel us to be
good stewards of the planet, nor
does he compel ns to live in peace
with one another. Yet, even though
our rebellious and unyielding lives
frustrate and hinder the plan and
purpose of God, 'we are assured
that in his own time, God will
prevail.
It is not likely that I will live long
enough to see a day of universal
peace and brotherhood, nor an era
of responsible stewardship of the
planet earth. But Isaiah assures
me that that day will ultimately
come and God’s plan will be
fulfilled.
And in that assurance I find the
power to live and work and witness
in the midst of an imperfect world.
I am freed of the bonds of fear and
dispair because of his promise:
“And the ransomed of the Lord
shall return...”
I’ve noticed a lot of people, both
young and old, ice skating on farm
ponds. It’s good exercise and an
excellent sport. But, be sure you
are prepared m case of an ac
cident. Owners should be certain
that rescue equipment is handy
and not in the barn or garage
several blocks away. Wooden
ladders, boards or other items can
be shoved out to the person in the
water if needed; it shbuld be large
enough to distribute the weight of
the person making the rescue. A
rope is also a good item to pull
people out with.
Skating is a very enjoyable
winter time sport. Don’t be the
victim of an accident that could
have been prevented.
To Exercise Dairy Cows
The importance of turning out
the dairy herd each day from
stanchion or comfort stalls should
not be overlooked. As we expect
more production per cow, the
stresses are greater, and if not
given exercise, more breeding
problems will result. Dairymen
with free-stalls have the op
portunity of observing heat periods
all the time. However, cows that
are confined to stalls present a
problem with heat detection. There
are very few days that the weather
is so bad that the milking herd
should not be turned out for a few
minutes. If the dairyman is alert
and observing, cows that are w
heat can be observed and bred
Exercise might help the herds with
breeding problems.
To Prune Shade Trees
Winter is a good time to prune
the shade trees on your property
because the trees are dormant and
won’t be affected by the trimming
as much. The bare limbs let y° u
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