Alo—Lancaster Fanteag, lateriay, taptewlwr 1,1*4
Self-help vs. bailouts
BY DICKANGLESTEIN
A time of decision is coming in Pennsylvania
agriculture when livestock producers are
going to have to make a decision whether their
future is going to be determined by self-help or
continued hope of bailouts.
The decision involves whether through self
help producers are going to take the initiative
to help guide their own future or if they’re
going to continue to gamble that government
will bail them out when the going really gets
rough.
Also, this decision goes to very core of what
many farmers believe in - personal initiative
should guide a person’s future rather than
welfare handouts.
This is why the suggestion of Rep. Terry
Scheetz outlined on Page One deserves the
close scrutiny of everyone in agriculture in the
Commonwealth. It is a concept whose time has
truly come.
Rep. Scheetz is quick to point out that he’s
offering the concept of a Pennsylvania Pork
Producers Promotion and Indemnification
Fund and Board as an idea for review - a point
to start from to launch discussion.
NOW IS THE TIME
To Be Extra Sale
During This Busy
Season
We are entering one of the
busiest and most hazardous times
of the year ... silo filling and com
picking time. Blend into that time
wheat and barley planting and the
last cutting of alfalfa. This means
a lot of farm machinery will be on
our highways during semi-dark or
dark hours.
Slow moving vehicles such as
farm equipment traveling on
highways present a real traffic
hazard. The motorist must
recognize that a tractor traveling
at 10 to 15 miles per hour is almost
standing still compared to a 55
mph car. Most highway drivers
have never driven a farm machine
on the highway and simply do not
realize how slow they do travel.
Proper identification and
warning is real important. Let’s
keep alert this busy fall season
both on the highways and in the
fields.
Otis
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717-394-6851
The annual question comes up,
should I mow alfalfa the first part
of September or not. According to
crop authorities it is not just a
simple yes or no question. If you
have left one of your cuttings go
into full bloom, then you do not
need to be concerned; however, if
you have not, then do not cut the
first two weeks of September. The
reason for this is, it’s the period
when the plants are storing food in
developing rhizomes for next
year’s growth. To disturb this
development will result in less
rhizomes and less growth next
year. The final cutting can be
made in late September or early
October.
The application of a phosphorus
potash fertilizer this fall is a good
managerial practice. Use your soil
test results as a guide on rates of
application. On stands that have
been established this spring, from
which one or two cuttings have
Rep. Scheetz brings a unique perspective to
this concept - he's both a hog producer and
although only a freshman legislator he’s well
aware of the raised eyebrows and voices that
are developing in Harrisburg to ag bailouts.
It may be hard from a rural and agricultural
standpoint to understand the reasoning that
urban legislators and voters apply to these
million-dollar bailouts. Two million here for Al
cleanup and 2.5 million there for dairy farmers
hit by bankruptcies.
These urban legislators view such things
purely and simply as ag welfare. And, it comes
at times that welfare of a different sort is being
criticized and cut for their mner-city con
stituents.
In all reality, there’s no basic difference in
state allocations for dairy or chicken farmers
or for center-city welfare. It’s all general tax
money going only to a specific group of people.
Farmers got to be realistic about all of this --
the days of ag bailouts in Harrisburg are
numbered. Each one becomes more difficult to
get through. And farmer-legislators are far
outnumbered in Harrisburg just as farmers
are far outnumbered in the state's and
nation's population.
So, if you can’t count on help from Big
Brother in Harrisburg, the only other way is to
help yourself.
Such a fund, in essence, amounts to
livestock producers putting something back
each time they sell an animal for a rainy day. I
heard that principle preached many times as a
youngster and I’m sure it still is a basic belief
throughout rural areas.
And the beauty of Rep. Scheetz' idea is that,
while he’s suggesting it for his own swine
industry, it’s something that could easily be
adapted to dairy, poultry or whatever.
Separate funds and separate producer boards
could be set up.
So, give his idea the attention it deserves.
I’m sure he'd like to hear your comments and
ideas at his Reamstown or Harrisburg offices
or his Stevens farm.
To Mow or Not
To Mow Alfalfa
already been made, it’s best to
allow it to stand; this will give a
little better winter protection.
To Control
Johnsongrass
This sorgum-like grass is a
problem on many farms in this
part of the state. There are cases
where nothing is being done to
control this weed, for those I would
remind you that Johnsongrass is
listed as a noxious weed in Penn
sylvania. In com there is little that
can be done at this time of year; it
requires treatment with Eradicane
at planting time.
However, in other fields such as
small grains, when the growth of
Johnsongrass reaches 2% to 3 feet
... in the boot stage ... the plants
may be sprayed with Roundup for
good control. These plants are very
heavy seed producers; a few
plants allowed to go to seed this fall
will mean hundreds of plants next
summer. Johnsongrass is fast
growing and will crowd out most
farm crops. We urgelandowners to
THE SAME,
BUT DIFFERENT
September!, 1984
Background Scripture:
Acts 7:54 through 8:3; 9:1-19;
Galations 1
Devotional Reading:
Acts9:2o-31.
Before the Damascus Road
experience, Saul was clearly an
enemy to Christ and the Gospel. At
the martyrdom of Stephen, Acts
tells us, “Saul was consenting to
his death” (8:1). And when, on the
heels of that, persecution broke out
against the Christians, Acts tells
us, “Saul laid waste the church,
and entering house after house, he
dragged off men and women and
committed them to prison” (8:3).
It was still in this mood that Saul
later set off for Damascus:
“breathing threats and murder
against the disciples of the Lord...”
(9:1).
Saul To Paul
After the Damascus Road ex
perience, Saul became an ardent
disciple of Jesus Christ. Even
before he left Damascus, Saul
appeared in the synagogues
proclaiming Jesus, “saying, ‘He is
the Son of God’” (9:20). From this
day forward, Saul had a new
vocation: an apostle of Jesus
Christ.
Not only did Saul have a new
vocation, but a new reputation as
well. In fact, people didn’t know
what to make of this man. In
Damascus they were amazed and
asked, “Is not this the man who
made havoc in Jerusalem of those
who called on this name?” (9:21).
Farm Calendar
Saturday, September 1
Juniata County Fair, continues
through next Saturday.
Sunday, September 2
Spartansburg Community Fair,
continues thru Saturday.
Monday, September 3
Cambria County Fair, continues
thru Saturday.
Ox Hill Fair, continues thru
Saturday.
Waterford Cbmmunity Fair,
continues thru Saturday.
West Alexander Fair, continues
thru Saturday.
Thursday, September 4
Jamestown Fair, continues thru
Saturday.
make every effort to eliminate all
Johnsongrass from their farm.
It is always nice to have a
balanced feeding program in your
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To Test
Forages
And, later in Jerusalem, when he
“attempted to join the disciples,”
Acts tells us “they were all afraid
of him, for they did not believe that
he was a disciple” (9:26). Later,
they would start referring to him
by his Roman name, Paul, instead
of the Hebrew name, Saul.
Was this the same man, or
someone different?
Actually, Saul the persecutor of
Christ ' ’ "’aul the Apostle for
Christ were both the same and
different persons. Paul was still a
intense, ardent and zealous as he
had always been. He was still a
man of deep dedication and
commitment. He was still a rugged
individualist and even perhaps a
bit eccentric. He still was a welt
educated and talented man who
knew both Jewish and Roman
worlds. He was still a doer, a man
who made things happen.
A New Direction
But Paul was also different, too.
The difference was not so much in
his personality, but in the use to
which he put that personality.
Whereas once his intensity, ardor,
and zeal had been for Pharasaism,
now all of this single-mindedness
was harnessed for Christ. His
dedication and commitment were
focused upon the Gospel and his
fine education and remarkable
talents were now dedicated to the
church.
There may be people who, when
confronted with their own
Damascus Road encounters,
become completely different
people. Most of us, however, need
only to change the course of our
lives. What talents and gifts we
give to lesser pursuits need to be
dedicated to Christ. Christ does not
ask us to be someone else, but
rather to use who we really are
as we were created to be for him
and the Good News of the Christian
message and mission.
(Based on outlines copyrighted by the
Division of Christian Education, National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the U S A
Released by Community Press Service )
Wednesday, September 5
Hunterdon County N.J. Board of
Agriculture; 8 p.m. at the ex
tension center. Topic: “Cyst
Nematode in Soybeans.”
Luzerne County Fair, continues
thru Sunday.
Thursday, September 6
Cumberland County Fall Field
Day, Francis Mains Farm.
Bottle bill hearings, 1 p.m., Room
418 Main Capitol, Harrisburg,
continues tomorrow.
Pa. Holstein Championship Show,
Kutztown.
Friday, September 7
York Fair, continues through Sept.
15.
hands, ready to use when you need
it. And fall is one of the times you
usually need to make some ad
justments as you switch from your
summer forages to your winter
forages. If you wait until all the
hay is in, the silo full, and the
silage fermented before you start
doing any testing, you lose a lot of
valuable time. Get a headstart.
Take as much of the guess work as
possible out of your feeding
program. Test the hay that is dry
enough to test (about 10%
moisture) and the last of the com
that “tops off’ the silo, as you are
filling. Request a feeding program
based on the use of these forages.
Later on, when the silo is fer
mented and all the hay is in ... and
dry, you can test again and fine
tune your program.
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