Alo—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 2,1984
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
OPEN MIND
What's the Number One need of milk
promotion in Pennsylvania?
After attending Thursday’s session of the
state's new milk promotion committee in
Harrisburg, I'd have to say the continuing top
need is an "open mind."
The age-old thorn of contention of generic
vs. brand name advertising surfaced again on
Thursday and the committee essentially
copped out by tabling a motion to recommend
that brand name advertising be considered in
milk promotion.
If the committee this early in the game is
going to bog itself down in past prejudices and
closed thinking, then it’s time for it to re
evaluate itself and its role.
A rather impassioned plea was made at the
session by a committee member for an open
mind concerning milk and its promotion We
heartily agree. Each member needs to do
some serious thinking in the solitude of the
barn or tractor cab.
It's entirely up to the committee to decide
how milk should be promoted m Pennsylvania.
But these decisions need to be made on fresh,
clear, current thinking and not on prejudiced
NOW IS THE TIME
To Be Alert For Com Pests
We are into the season for cut
worm damage on com and this
includes the black cutworm. Just a
reminder to keep a close check on
all com fields for the next few
weeks. Damage symptoms will be
plants cut off just above the ground
level. The culprit will be hiding in
the soil a few inches from the cut
plant. We suggest a rescue
treatment if 2-3% of the plants are
cut and you can find more than 5
larvae per 100 plants. Remember
the black cutworm is the one with
the granular skin. The control
materials listed in the 1983-84
Agronomy Guide include Lorsban
or Sevin or Parathion or Permcap
or Dylox or a newer material
Permethnn. Be sure to follow all
label directions.
To Practice Bio-Security
Livestock and poultry diseases
continue to be a threat to farmers.
I still feel that in too many cases
the farmer brings the infection
0«*
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717-394-6851
home to his own animals and
poultry. Afe you careful about the
footwear worn when attending the
public stock yards or sales bams?
Most of these places are an outlet
for animals with some infection;
the chances of picking up these
organisms on your boots or shoes
are very great. Even though the
public places are often disinfected,
there is still danger of infection.
We urge farmers to be very careful
with their sanitary habits. The
same is true when using public
trucks to transport animals; be
sure they are clean and well
disinfected. Don’t be quilty of
bringing home infection to your
own animals.
To Be Aware of Hot Hay
Many farmers may have been
forced to bale hay at Mgher-than
usual moisture levels in order to
get the first cutting of hay into the
bam between brief breaks in the
weather. This can result in ex
cessive heating, spoilage and
opinions that have been passed down through
families and organizations just like the color of
tractor that’s bought.
This is not the time to make any drastic
changes in the program of the Pennsylvania
Milk Marketing Board. The dairy industry in
Pennsylvania has enough problems without
throwing another fly into the bulk tank.
Let’s get the state milk promotion program off
to a good start. Let’s get more milk consumed.
Let’s bring some profit back into all of farming.
BUT . the handwriting is on the wall.
Changes in the PMMB will be coming one day.
Once the dairy industry gets itself back on a
sound footing, it should get rid of all of its
crutches, including the regulation of prices
and government in general.
Grandmom Heidi used to say that “you can't
have your cake and eat it, too.” If the dairy
industry wants to “play” with the big boys, like
Coke and Pepsi in the free enterprise system,
then it must do so like a big boy, without any
apron strings attached.
DAIRY SIGNUPS
There are still about two-thirds of the
eligible dairy farmers out there who don’t take
part in a federally regulated promotion
program who haven't signed up yet for the
state program.
Let’s get those authorization cards back to
the state.
Your money is going to be deducted anyway.
It makes more sense that two-thirds of it stay
right here in Pennsylvania. Remember: the
farther your money is spent from your own
pocketbook, the less good it is going to do for
you.
DAIRY ISSUE
We hope you like this Dairy Issue. And from
all of us at Lancaster Farming, may we echo
Otis' comment down below:
. HAPPY DAIRY MONTH
possible a barn fire due to spon
taneous combustion. If you suspect
your hay is hot, check its tem
perature. Drive a pipe down into
the hay mow at several locations,
and lower a thermometer into the
pipe. Temperatures will rise to
120° F during normal sweating and
then drop back. At 150° F, you are
entering the danger zone, and
temperatures should be checked
daily. A 160* F you are in the
danger zone and temperatures
should be monitored every 4 hours.
Hot spots or fire pockets may be
anticipated at 175* F; alert your
fire company. At 185* F, start
removing the hay; be careful you
don’t fall into a fire pocket; have
fire protection and rescue service
standing by.
Mowing permanent pastures at
this time of year is a very good
idea. Many of the plants will be
heading out and some will go to
seed; this means that the plants
PMMB
To Clip Pastures
THE PEOPLE’S
CHOICE
June 3,1984
Background Scriptures;
1 Samuel 8; 12.
Devotional Reading;
1 Samuel 8:4-9.
The situation that confronted
Samuel seems entirely alien and
incomparable to our own times.
The age of the Judges of Israel
was drawing to a close. Samuel
was the last of these Judges who
were not “judges” in the judicial
sense, but temporary leaders
and now his own ministry was
drawing to a dose.
During this period of Hebrew
history, the tribes of Israel
flourished without a single cen
tralized leadership. They were
bound together in a loose tribal
confederation that waxed in times
of mutual peril and waned in
periods of prosperity and security.
When challenges came to any or
all of the twelve tribes, we are told
that “God raised up a leader”
Jephthah, Samson, Gideon to
meet the threat. But when the
crisis had passed, for the most
part, the Judge faded from the
scene.
GIVE US A KING!
Now, with Samuel obviously in
his last days and the Amorites
threatening to overrun the land,
the people come to Samuel asking
for God to send them a king. It
seems a reasonable enough
Farm Calendar
Saturday, June 2
HAPPY DAIRY MONTH.
Pa. Sheep Field Day, 9 a.m.,
Mercer County 4-H and Ex
tension Center.
Hunterdon County, N.J. Grape
Day and Commercial Small
Fruit Meeting, King’s Road
Winery, Rt. 579, Pattenburg,
N.J. 3 p.m.
Sunday, June 3
32 Annual Convention of Pa. Food
Merchants Association,
Monroeville Exposition Mart,
continues through Tuesday.
Tuesday, June 5
Hunterdon County, N.J. Sheep
Breeders Association, Ex
tension Center, 8 p.m.
Cedar Crest Young Farmers
should be mowed. This practice
will help control weeds and en
courage new growth of grass.
Livestock will consume the dry
clippings. Pastures should be
clipped several times during the
season. In addition, the clipped
area will look much better to the
general public as they travel
through the country.
request: why shouldn’t they have a
designated leader?
Samuel’s response is a sur
prising one: he’s utterly against
the choice of a king. Furthermore
he indicates that their desire to
have one is a sin against God, a
rejection of his leadership.
What possible relevance can this
archaic situation have for us
today? Are we implying the God is
against us having duly constituted
politic lf God opposed
the crowning of a king for
does that mean he is equal*?
tagonistic to our election of
mayors, governors, a Congress, or
a President?
Yet, perhaps Samuel and his
times are closer to us than is im
mediately apparent.
If we read 1 Samuel 12 carefully,
we find that it is not the king per se
that is the issue Samuel is raising.
His concern is that the people will
transfer to a human king the faith
and dependence they had
previously posited in the Lord. And
that is where we find their story
becoming our story; it is a con
tinuing human tendency to look to
human leaders to do and mean
what only God can do and mean.
SERVE THE LORD
We are presently in the midst of
an intensive and sometimes
wearying campaign to elect a
President for these United States.
It is not only right but necessary
for us to do so. But we need to
realize that no human President
can do for us what has to be done.
He or she cannot be God and we
must resist the temptation to look
to Presidency to give us what only
God can give.
Thus, Samuel’s counsel ar
chaic as it is is timely and ap
propriate: “...if both you and the
king who reigns over you will
follow the Lord your God, it will be
well” (12:14b).
Let that be the People’s choice,
Banquet, 7 p.m., Schaef
ferstown Fire Hall.
Wednesday, June 6
Hunterdon County, N.J. Board of
Agriculture, Extension Center,
8 p.m.
Dairy Month - Mike Schmidt
“Growth” Posters to be given
away at Phillies-Pirates twi
night double-header, 5:30 p.m.,
Veterans Stadium.
Saturday, June 9
Dauphin County Dairy Princess
Contest.
Dairy Month Cal Ripken Jr.
“Growth” poster give-away at
Onoles-Tigers game, 3:30 p.m.,
Baltimore.
Strawberry Festival, orchard and
farm tour, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.,
Blevins Fruit Farm, R 1
Stewartstown.
Hunterdon County, N.J. Dairy
Princess Contest and Milk
Promotion, Turntable Junction.
Pa. Lamb Cook-Off Contest at
Grand Opening of Appalachian
Lamb Company, Greencastle.
VC
Friday, Junes