AlD—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Jana 30,1984
(Editor's Note: Today's editorial is written by
Laura England, Dairy Editor of Lancaster
Farming. Following her extensive travels back
and forth across Pennsylvania gathering in
formation for her "Dairy’s Future" reports,
she outlines some of her impressions and
feelings as she talked with dairy farmers - big
and little, old and young. While this series
concentrated on dairy, much of what it con
tains applies equally well to other phases of
farming. Ag's future lies ahead of each of us -
no matter if our livestock moos, grunts, bleats,
neighs or whatever. Collectively, ag's future is
all of our future.)
BY LAURA ENGLAND
In January of this year, a dark, ominous
cloud settled over the nation’s dairy industry.
Generated largely by a political front and a
strong wind carrying the warning, "too much
milk," the cloud grew more intense and
threatened to flood the dairy industry with
uncertainty and fear of its future existence. It
was a storm so severe that only the fittest of
farmers would survive.
Or so it seemed.
Now, six months later, the storm has begun
to subside, although lightning stands ready to
strike those unprepared and unprotected. The
storm, it is predicted, may continue for the
next two to three years, and what destruction
it will leave behind is yet to be seen.
Fortunately for dairymen, weathering
through a storm has become almost second
nature. Dairymen learn early in their farming
careers to expect the unexpected and be
ready for anything. They also learn to use
whatever is needed to stay afloat and continue
their operations.
And so it is with dairymen today.
During this past month, June Dairy Month,
four farm families shared with us their
struggles, triumphs and future plans con
cerning their dairy operations. Each at a
different level in their operations - one starting
out, one retiring, one merchandising cattle
Saturday, June 30 Tuesday, July 3
Annual meeting of Pa. Red Cherry Hunterdon County. N.J., Sheep
Growers Association, Breeders Association, 8 p.m.,
Stonehedge Restaurant, Get- Extension Center,
tysburg. Wednesday, July 4
Have a happy and safe Fourth of
Otis*—
Last chance to submit entry try for an Otis Original
This is your last chance to
submit a postcard entry and try to
win an Otis Original.
Below is the fifth and final dairy
cartoon that Dave Carpenter drew
especially for Lancaster Farming
for June Dairy Month.
Next week, we’ll be drawing five
wh/jt are you
DilJjJlf'S
Farm Calendar
winners from the entries received.
Friday, July 6, is the deadline to
receive the postcard entries at
Lancaster Farming. Winners will
be announced in the July 14 issue.
To enter, just jot your name,
address and telephone number
down on a postcard and send it to;
Whatever it holds,
it’s
in your hands
and the other concerned with milk production
- these dairymen took a good look at their
future and came up with similar thoughts and
opinions.
All agreed, as farm management specialist
Fred Hughes pointed out in the first story, that
over production is the major problem. Over
the years, dairymen have created a 14 billion
pound milk surplus. And while milk production
increased, little was done to insure an
available market, mainly due to a lack of
promotion.
Increased milk promotion is one answer to
the dairy surplus situation, the dairymen
agreed, but it will take more than that. As
Calvin Mauser said, the promotion has to be
backing a quality product ■ one that the
consumer would want to purchase. Backing
that promotion has to be a unified dairy in-
- one that sees a need for promotion
and is willing to contribute financially for the
success of state and national promotion
programs. A handful of dairymen cannot do
the trick.
Another area where farmers, themselves,
can make a difference is in the management of
their own operations. Farmers need to sit
down more often and push pencil and paper
and pay closer attention to details, as Hughes
pointed out. Operating within means and not
making drastic financial changes is a policy
most dairymen will need to abide during the
next few years. Reducing debt loads where
possible is a must, also, Don and Angie Koontz
added.
Looking beyond the dairy industry
problems, these dairymen express more than
anything else their need to continue farming.
It is a need developed by dedication, integrity
and pride that acts as a driving force to
conquer all problems to continue a satisfying
lifestyle.
No one can overlook the problems of the
dairy industry. The storm is not over and the
ram will continue, but with an optimistic at
titude farmers will survive, knowing that a
rainbow and a pot of gold is waiting on the
other side of the cloud.
. , r Q' 1 ~
V \
Vy- /A
iFiwa
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July,
Thursday, July 5
4-H Dairy judging, Mercer 4-H
Park.
Hunterdon County, N.J. Board of
(Turn to Page Al 2)
Otis Originals
Lancaster Fanning
P.0.80x 366
Litifa, Pa. 17543
If your name is selected in the
random drawing, you’ll be notified
IN THE LONG RUN
July 1,1984
Background Scripture:
1 Kings 9:1 through 11; 13.
Devotional Reading;
2 Peter 2:17-21.
Solomon was a very successful
and powerful monarch in the
short run.
His accomplishments stagger
the mind. It was he who built the
great temple of the Lord in
Jerusalem, as well as a fine palace
and a sturdy wall to protect the
city. It was Solomon who was
responsible for building-up the
strategic cities of Hazor, Megiddo,
and Gezer. His army was well
trained and impressively equip
ped. His merchant fleet ranged
throughout the ancient world,
bringing him and his kingdom gold
and gems that made him ex
tremely wealthy.
THE HALF NOT TOLD
He had a world-wide reputation
for both riches and wisdom and
people came from far and wide to
see for themselves this fabled king.
One of those who came was the
Queen of Sheba, who confessed to
Solomon that, great as were her
expectations, she had found that
“the half was not told me; your
wisdom and prosperity surpass the
report which I heard" (1 Kinds
10:7b).
Best of all, he was a man close to
the Lord of Israel. On two oc
casions God had appeared to
Solomon, commending him for his
NOW IS THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lftncatter County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717-394*6851
To Combine at the
Proper Speed
We are into the barley harvest
season, and in a few weeks, the
winter wheat crop should be ripe.
Both of these crops require
mechanical harvesting equipment
and good weather. From the
amount of volunteer grain seen
growing after barley and wheat
harvests, it is evident that too
much grain is being left in the
by telephone, r ust name selected
will have choice of the five car
toons and so on until all are picked.
But to win, get those postcards in
to us by next Friday.
And from Otis and all of us -
Have a Safe and Happy July
Fourth.
KmloS
«*•
humble commitment and
promising him that the convenant
which God had given his father,
David, would be continued with
him also. And it was the Lord who
wds the source of Solomon’s fabled
wisdom.
It is not surprising then, that the
writer of 1 Kings would sum-up
Solomon’s reign with these words:
“Thus King Solomon excelled all
the kings of the earth in riches and
in wisdom” in the short run.
Yet, in the long run, things did
not turn out successfully at all. The
writer of 1 Kings tells us that “the
Lord was angry with Solomon,
because his heart had turned away
from the Lord, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice”
(11:9). Thus, God made a terrible
pronouncement: “I will surely tear
the kingdom from you and will give
it to your servant” (11:11b).
EVIL IN GOD’S SIGHT
What had gone wrong? Nothing
that doesn’t happen to many of us
when we become dazzled and
blinded by our own success.
Solomon took the short-run view of
things and thus his success was
also of limited duration. Yes, he
was a great builder, but his
building was dependent upon slave
labor. Furthermore, he apparently
believed that he was “above” the
law. For, although God had
warned the people of Israel to
avoid marrying foreign wives,
Solomon tdok to himself a thousand
wives and concubines, many of
them foreign wives whom he
married to establish diplomatic
alliances.
Worst of all, however, he ended
up worshipping the very gods
whom the Lord had warned him to
keep from the people. How wise
could this man have been, if he was
so foolish to take the shortrun view
of life? Probably no wiser than you
or I when we fail to take the long
run view of life.
field.
I am concerned that high
combine speed might be part of the
reason that grain is thrown out
with the straw. The manufacturer
recommendations should be
followed in this respect. Also, there
are times when the grain may be
too tough to combine. This is often
the case when the crop is quite
weedy. The important thing is to
have the combine adjusted to the
best of your knowledge and then
drive at recommended speed.
You’ll need every bushel of grain
and every bale of straw from your
corp.
To Follow Pesticide
Recommendations
Weather conditions have been
ideal for pests in the field, in the
garden and on our flowers... so
pesticides are important for their
control. These pesticides are
chemicals manufactured for the
control of pests... such as weeds,
insects, fungi and rodents. Keep in
mind, if these materials are not
used properly they may con
taiminate soil, air and water.
If pesticides are applied to areas
where there is considerable run-off
or soil erosion during a heavy
rain... residues may move with the
drainage and accumulate in
streams, ponds or lakes.
The most common mistake in
pesticide application is to exceed
the recommended dosage. Using
more chemical then prescribed
will not control more pests... and
usually it will not be effective for
—* *
(Turn to PagoAl2)