Alo—Lancaster Fanainf, Satarday, March 24,1984
Utility watch 9 feed
watch 9
vet watch?
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
Spring field activities will soon be in full
swing once again. More and more, family
members will be spending long days in distant
fields away from the immediate farmstead
Fewer people will be around the farm house
and barn during the day and equipment will be
left in the fields overnight
As field work becomes more hectic, less and
less time can be found for the more routine,
everyday tasks around the farm. One of these
more routine, but very important tasks in
volves farm security
The migration of crime from the inner city,
through the suburbs to rural areas is a well
documented fact. Rural residents don't need
any statistics to know their country properties
and farms are no longer safe from burglars
and other criminals. Gone forever are the days
when doors were left unlocked year-round.
But along with the crime migration into the
country also has come a "tool” that can be
Saturday, March 24
Farm toy show, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.,
Historic Strasburg.
Buck County Unit of NFO annual
dinner, 7 p.m., Plumsteadville
Fire Hall.
Bradford County Holstein tour to
Springfield area.
Bucks County dairy tour to Perry
County, 6:30 a.m. leave Cross
Keys Office Building.
Lehigh County FFA banquet, 6:30
p.m., Vo-Tech school,
Schnecksville.
Monday, March 26
Federal Land Bank of Baltimore
annual meeting, Host Farms,
continues through Wednesday.
Wye Angus Production Sale, Noon,
University of Md. Wye
Research and Education
Center, Queenstown, Md.
Bradford-Sullivan Forum, 8 p.m.,
Bradford Extension Office.
Farm Computer program, 9 a.m.,
Hunterdon County, N.J. Ex
tension Office.
Tuesday. March 27
Potter, McKean, Cameron beef
meeting, 7:30 p.m., Port
Allegany.
OHs
milk watch 9
Farm Calendar
Southeastern Pa. Poultry
Association, 6:30 p.m., Meyers
Restaurant, Quakertown.
Hazardous waste forum, 9 a.m. - 3
p.m., Sheraton Inn, Danville
Exit of 1-80.
Bradford sheep production barn
meeting, 7:30 p.m., Tom
Horton’s farm.
Md. State DHI meeting, Sandy
Cove.
PFA Legislative Conference, Penn
Harris Motor Inn, Camp Hill,
briefing at 1 p.m., Capitol visits
at 2:45 p.m. and banquet at 6:30
p.m.
Wednesday, March 28
Spetage treatment and disposal
conference, Grantville Holiday
Inn, continues tomorrow.
Conservation meeting, 7 p.m.,
White Horse Fire Hall,
Salisbury Twp.
Pesticide Update Training, 7:30 -
8:30 p.m., Cumberland County
Extension.
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used to fight that crime. In the city, it's called
crime watch -- neighbors keeping an eye on
each other’s property and immediately
reporting anything suspicious to the police
Now, this concept has been adapted to rural
areas Employes of various rural electric
cooperatives in Pennsylvania are becoming
involved in a “utility watch” program As they
check lines and perform other work
throughout rural areas, they’ll also keep their
eyes open to suspicious activities or strangers.
Prompt reporting to police is facilitated by the
use of two-way radio equipment with which
many of the utility vehicles are equipped
The Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association
and the participating co-ops are to be
congratulated for this program, which includes
cooperation with and training by the State
Police Our large and expansive rural areas
need such supplementary eyes and ears more
than many urban areas
This “utility watch” could become the first
such organized program of its type in rural
areas in the country And with the largest
rural population in the U S., Pennsylvania is
the ideal place to start it.
Could this program and its possible ef
fectiveness be expanded even further 7 There
are many more agribusiness and other people
who regularly travel country roads who could
also be similar country crime watchers
Numerous milk haulers, vets, livestock
haulers, feed trucks and farm equipment
personnel are daily travelers on the back
roads of the Commonwealth
Finally, each of us as we travel to and from
rural homes and farms can also become in
volved. A little extra vigilance and prompt
reporting could save a neighbor from a sizable
loss.
Sporadic disappearance of livestock and
equipment and the recent semen theft are
dramatic reminders of the toll that crime can
take in the country But unlike the weather
and the markets, over which little control can
be exercised, this is something that everyone
can do something about That something is
being more vigilant and becoming involved
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Thursday, March 29
Geotextile workshop, Lancaster
Farm and Home Center.
Pa. Holstein Assn. Show and Sale,
Farm Show Complex, continues
tomorrow.
Adams County Farmers
Association annual banquet, 6
p.m., York Springs Fire Hall.
Pequea Valley FFA Banquet, 6:45
p.m., Plain and Fancy Dining
Hall.
Friday, March 30
Red & White Dairy Cattle Show
and Sale, Farm Show Complex,
continues tomorrow.
Northern Tier Regional Executive
Committee, 10:30 a.m.,
Bradford Extension Office.
Solanco Young Farmers banquet, 7
p.m., Quarryville Methodist
Church.
Cloister FFA banquet, Mt. Airy
Fire Hall.
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PETER’S REBUKE
March 25,1984
Background Scripture:
Mark 8:27 through 9:50,
Devotional Reading
Mark 9:33-41
Everyone wants to be a winner -
or at least to be able to identify
with one.
No one wants to be a loser. And
that’s what it seemed Jesus was
going to be. By his own words it
was evident that the movement
was in great danger of failure. The
writer of Mark says, "And he
began to teach them that the Son of
Man must suffer many things, and
be rejected by the elders and the
chief priests and the scribes, and
be killed, and after three days rise
again” (8:31).
PLAIN SPEAKING
Jesus made no attempt to hide
the forboding path that he was
going to travel. The writer says,
"And he said this plainly.” He
didn’t want anyone to misun
derstand what it would mean to
follow him. This is not what Simon
Peter wanted to hear. So, “Peter
took him and began to rebuke him”
(8:32).
Jesus’ reaction to Peter’s rebuke
was, to say the least, startling:
"Get behind me, Satan! For you
are not on the side of God, but of
men” (8-33) Those sharp words
NOW IS THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717 394 6851
To Practice Safety
We are now into spring, and that
brings heavy demands on field
work. This includes the use of
many different types of machinery
which increases the potential for
accidents. We urge farmers to take
time to be safe; in many cases,
haste has been the reason for farm
accidents. When we are in a hurry
we overlook safety measures and
face additional hazards, 'fhere are
three elements of safety ... people,
machine and environment. Con
trolling people is by far the most
difficult, especially in farm safety.
Take time to be safe... otherwise
you may be sorry for the rest of
your life.
To Wait Until Soil Dries
Many people are impatient about
starting their field work in the
spring. I would just like to en
courage you not to start your field
work when the soil is too wet. We
must have quickly gotten Peter’s
attention!
Yet, if we examine this ex
change, we can begin to see the
reason for the harshness of Jesus’
reply. He was not condemning
Peter for his wrong thinking, but
because Peter’s words were like
the temptation of Satan himself.
Jesus r<”’' * ’ harshly, not because
what Peter was proposing was so
unthinkable, but because it i
so reasonable.
Jesus said that Peter’s thinking
on this represented, not "the side
of God, but of men.” Thus, Jesus
was acknowledging that it is very
human to think the way Peter was
thinking. It must have troubled
him to think his ministry was
headed for failure. He was as
aware as we are how the world
regards "winners” and "losers.”
SAVING AND LOSING
Worst of all, Jesus made it clear
that the path to Calvary was not
only his, but all those who would be
his disciples. They too were to
become “losers” in the eyes of the
world. "If any man would come
after me,” said Jesus, “let him
deny himself and take up his cross
andfollowme” (8:34).
No matter how many times we
read or hear these words, we
scarcely can take them in. The
words bounce harmlessly off our
hearts, for it is hard for us to think
of self-sacrifice when everything in
us cries out for self-preservation.
Ah, but Jesus knows that and it is
here that he reaches us with the
full force of his challenge; "For
whoever would save his life will
lose it; and whoever loses his life
for my sake and the gospel’s will
save it” (8:35). Thus, we can only
achieve self-preservation when,
following the example of Christ, we
learn self-sacrifice.
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have had a good deal of moisture
over the last several weeks, so the
soil, is very wet and soggy. It will
take some wind, sun and time to
dry out low-lying fields and gar
dens. If the topsoil is worked when
too wet and we get freezing tem
peratures, the soil will become
mellow and work satisfactory;
however, when worked too wet
without any freezing tem
peratures, the soil will be hard and
clumpy for the rest of the season.
Let’s give Mother Nature time to
dry out the topsoil before working.
To Beware of Trash
Land owners along rural roads
are the victims of people who have
little respect for the property of
others. Too many people are
dumping trash in fields along the
road. In all cases when this is
dumped on pasture or crop land,
the trash should be removed before
spring growth begins. This trash
will be hard on farm equipment
when on crop land and may be
poisonous to livestock when on
pasture land.
We urge property owners to
remove the trash in the next few
weeks. If any type of identification
can be made, as to the owner of the
trash, this should be reported to
township officials; prosecutions
can be made for dumping trash
along the highway
To Prepare A Will
The statement “we don’t own
enough to justify a will’ is overused
by many families. If you have a
family and you own anything, you
should have a will. If a person dies
without a will, property is
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