Alo—Lancaster Famine, Saturday, April 14,1984
Recharging battery
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
Farming activities are finally moving from
the meeting rooms and banquet halls into the
fields. The warmer, drying-out weather earlier
this week did much to signal the end of the
meeting season and the beginning of another
planting preparation season.
During the past winter meeting season
hundreds of speakers uttered millions of
words at ag gatherings throughout the area
Some of these utterances have been
remembered: many have not A few may even
fall into the category of being memorable
For me, the best remembered of any of the
speeches are those that are really not
speeches at all. The words that remain with
me the longest are those spoken at the less
formal sessions that include individuals or
farmer panels explaining their operations
Such talks are given m plain, down-to-earth
English (and occasionally in a bit of Dutch) and
aren't cluttered with the flowery, unnecessary
phrases so often found in prepared speeches
These types of talks are geared toward
building understanding with the audience, not
trying to merely impress them As a listener,
you feel these speakers are talking with you,
not just at you or often over you
The other night one of these informal
speakers gave one of the simplest yet one of
Farm Calendar
Saturday, April 14
McKean County All-Ag Banquet,
7:30 p.m., Eldred Legion Hall,
Eldred.
Md. State Holstein Show continues
at Timonium with the cow
classes.
Delaware feeder pig sale, 10 a.m.,
Carroll’s Auction, Felton.
Apple Blossom Queen Contest, 7:30
p.m., Bendersville Elementary
School.
Monday, April 16
Adams County Beekeepers, 7:30
p.m., Penn State Fruit
Research Lab, Biglerville.
Otis
UNCLE OTIS. FOR HISTORY
CLASS.IHAVE TO LIST
A fTAJOR DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN FARMING OF
YESTERDAY AND TODAY
‘ * • . • * •
'zk.
luesday, Apul 17
Ephrata Young Farmers, 7:45
p.m., High school ag shop.
Wednesday, April 18
Hunterdon County, N.J. Ag
Development Board, 8 p.m.,
Extension Center.
Christmas tree meeting, 7 p.m.,
Berks Ag Center, Leesport.
York ASCS banquet, 7 p.m.,
Springettsbury Fire Hall.
Goatherders meeting, 7:30 p.m.,
Berks County ag center.
Frederick County, Md. sheep
breeders, 7:30 p.m., county
Ssv
the most understandable analogies con
cerning farming and life that I heard all year.
He compared his outlook particularly during
the trying times recently in agriculture to that
of a battery.
"A battery has both positive and negative
poles,” he said.
And thus, he drew a comparison to farming
and life. In both, there are the positive and the
negative aspects - the good and the not-so
good. But both are always present.
“If you use only one or the other pole on a
battery, it just doesn’t work," he said "You
get nowhere."
And similarly, it is so in agriculture and life
One can’t dwell entirely on the one or the
other, solely on the positive or the negative
The entire focus can’t be entirely on the one,
forgetting the other One can’t be a perpetual
Pollyanna and likewise one can’t be a con
tinual defeatist
An on-gomg search for the positive is good
but it can't be realistically done at the expense
of completely ignoring the negative. And, the
opposite is true, too. Often, we learn from
negative experiences and these learning
episodes can become important guideposts to
help us better along the road toward the
positive.
The arrival of warmer weather and sunshine
are synonymous with the positive optimism
that comes forth across farmfields each
spring And, this is the way it should be A
positive attitude is essential to help balance
out all those variables that must be faced
between the time that the first earth is turned
and the last bushel is in the bin
But this future positive outlook tempered
with at least remembering a sprinkling of the
negative of the past is not all that bad
After all, when walking through life it’s just
as important to remember the places we
stumbled, as well as the places we sailed
smoothly along The stumbles should be
remembered, if only for the purpose of being
able to recognize and avoid them again.
So, as you recharge your ag battery this
spring, hook up both poles Draw heavily from
the positive, but don’t ignore the negative
completely
Extension office.
Conservation demonstrations, 1
p.m., Evergreen Rd. and South
Lincoln Ave., Lebanon.
Thursday, April 19
McKean Producers, 7:30 p.m.,
Extension Center, Smethport.
Fayette County Holstein tour to
Westmoreland County.
Saturday, April 21
Little I livestock exposition, 8 a.m.,
Penn State Ag Arena.
York County Sheep and Wool
Producers Field Day, 9:30 a .m.,
York Fairgrounds.
WELL, IN TNE OLD DAYS
WE HAD TO WORK OUR
TAILS OFF TO OFT THE
CROP IN ON nmE...y
y’As
WHOSE WILL?
April 15,1984
Background Scripture
Devotional Reading
Mark 14.3-9.
Abba, Father, ...remove this
cup from me; yet not what 1 will,
but what thou wilt’ ’(14.36).
So Jesus prayed in Gethsemane
He was not looking for martyrdom.
I assume he must have wondered if
his disciples could carry on without
him. He was a young man and
surely must have loved life so
much that the thought of ending it
was most unattractive to him
Yel, allhuugh he surely did not
seek the cross, neither did he run
troni it. If he had to choose bet
ween the cross and failing to do
God s will, then his choice was
clear: what thou will.'
THIS CLP
When Jesus was finished praying
in this manner, he was arrested
and it wasn't long before he was
dying on the cross.
What does all of this suggest
about the prayer, he prayed 7 Does
a mean that God was unable to
save him from the cross' Or that
God dtdn l care about it' Further
more, does it mean that God's will
toi Jesus was the cross, its terrible
shan ie and suffering ’
NOW IS THE TIME
fIHH
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717 394 6851
To Consider Others
This is the time of the year when
relations become a bit strained
between farmers and non-farm
residents of the rural community.
This does not have to be this way if
each person tries to understand the
feelings and intentions of the other
person. When livestock and poultry
waste is spread on the farm land,
which is an excellent practice,
some people think they are going to
be permanently injured by the
odors. When farmers understand
the possible reaction from others
in the community, they should
attempt to spread this waste on
fast-drying days and then in
corporate it into the topsoil just as
soon as possible. On the other
hand, non-farm people should
understand this practice is a part
of modem farming and a part of
rural living. It may be unpleasant
for a short time, but as far as I
Mark 14.
By Jay Irwin
To all of the above, I would
answer will) a resounding "No''’ I
do nol Hunk God was helpless or in
different. Nor can 1 believe that u
was God’s will for his Son to suffer
and die for the sake of enacting a
cosmic drama. I am convinced
that God wills for all of us to be
righteous and I do nol believe that
he caused men to perform a
heinous so that his own Gospel of
Divine Love might be proclaimed
Yet, although God desires ns lo
be righteous, he does nol compel us
to be so. Although he wills for his
children lo do good, he allows them
io do evil, if that is what they will
But, having done so, his children
do nol have the last word. Our sin
cannot ultimately thwart his will,
only impede it in the short run. As
lie demonstrated again and again
in the Bible, God is able even lo use
the disobedience of his children lo
accomplish his own will.
THE CROSS
So, it is with the cross, 1 believe.
Although he did nol will the cross
tor Jesus, neither did he prevent
men from erecting it on Golgotha.
F’or he knew that the cross was not
ihe last word in the matter. Jesus
would be saved, nol from the cross,
but through it.
There was at stake here an issue
that was even higher than saving
Jesus from the crucifixion just as
there may often be unseen higher
issues at work in our lives when we
pray, remove this cup from me."
God’s will for Jesus was that he
should remain faithful lo the
Gospel, even if it led lo a cross at
the hands of the Lord’s disobedient
children. More important than the
bitterness of the cup is the price we
would have to pay to escape it. It is
then that the will of God is infinite
ly more important that the cup u
may cost us.
know, rural odors have never been
proven to be health hazards. We
hope everyone tries to understand
the needs and cares of others.
To Plant Trees
Trees are a very important part
of our landscape; this is true in the
urban areas as well as in the rural
areas. This time of year is best
suited for planting all kinds of
trees. Some are used for landscape
purposes, some for shade and
some for windbreaks. Trees are
important to our environment and
add grace and beauty to many
areas. Trees provide shelter for
many kinds of birds and wildlife,
as well as the ability to conserve
soil and moisture. If you desire to
plant trees, it should be done
before hot weather arrives. Trees
should be moved with a ball of soil
wrapped in burlap. After planting
be sure to keep the soil moist
throughout the summer. Be a tree
planter, you’ll feel better for it.
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 feedlot, silage
seepage or from nitrogen fertilizer
on surrounding cropland. Nitrogen
can travel further 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 symptoms of
oxygen deficiency in people and
animals. If your drinking water
hasn’t been checked within the last
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