AlD—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 13,1984
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The Bay
The Nitty Gritty
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
In plain English, let's get down to the “Nitty
Gritty" of the Pennsylvania problem of
agricultural nutrient loading of the
Chesapeake Bay
The problem is too many nutrients -
primarily nitrogen and phosphorus - from too
much manure And this is sometimes made
worse by the addition of chemical fertilizers
Studies have shown that Lancaster County
has more than enough nitrogen and
phosphorus from manure to grow its crops
without the addition of one single pound of
commercial fertilizer
Nitrogen is bring pointed to as the chief
culprit Once that manure goes on the ground,
the nitrogen can only go into the crops, a little
into the air and most into surface or ground
water
Too much is ending up in the water
The escape of nitrogen into the air is too
small to be of significance Besides, farmers
have been lectured not to let this happen
Can crops eat up more of the nitrogen 7
Perhaps, a little bit more can be used up by
double-cropping as much as possible But its
NOW IS THE TIME
To Utilize Com
Stalks
Com producers who are not
making the crop into silage might
consider making the com stalks
into bedding materials. The
market value of all livestock
bedding is quite high, and can be
used on the farm or sold to others.
After the com is picked and the
stalks dry, the com can be
shredded and baled.
This material makes very good
bedding for box stalls and feedlot
pens; the fodder absorbs water
rapidly and when shredded gives
less trouble in mechanical han
dling. When used on the farm as
bedding, it can still be returned to
the soil as added organic matter.
To Store Corn
CarefuUy
Com harvested for grain is a
very important crop for most
farmers. Therefore, good com
storage is very important. It
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By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717-394-6851
should be protected from the
weather, given proper ventilation
for drying, and then protected
from rodents. This latter menace
is one that needs more attention on
many farms. Mice and rats like to
make their homes in corn cribs and
storage places when given the
chance. Make an effort to
eliminate all nesting places and
practice good sanitation to keep
the population down. All rat
baiting stations should be located
where children and pets cannot
come in contact with the bait.
Rats and mice are destructive
and are costing farmers a great
deal of money.
Farmers should be concerned
about their image in the com
munity. In most cases it is very
good, and also the majority of non
farm people in the rural areas
respect the needs and problems of
value is quite limited too
That leaves the nitrogen going into the
water - the crux of the problem. To cut down
on the nutrients going into it, you must reduce
the amount of manure going on the land And
what possibilities are there here 7
Methane digesters -■ a glamorous idea that
does nothing to reduce the number of
nutrients left over after you’ve digested the
manure and produced your electricity These
nutrients must still be disposed of, besides
just dumping them on the same ground The
overall economics of digesters still leave a lot
of unanswered questions, too
How about a far-out system of "destroying"
some of the nutrients or permanently bonding
them as part of a methane digester system or
some other process Can you imagine the
problem of trying to sell such a philosophy to
farmers who have been told constantly to
make the most of their resources
That leaves the major alternatives of
reducing the animal units to reduce the
amount of manure or disposing of part of the
manure in another way, like transporting it to
land that isn't being overloaded
Everyone in ag shudders at the thought of
reducing animal units The disruption in the ag
economy of the area would make the recent
Avian experience seem like a Sunday af
ternoon social
Besides, farmers can't shoulder the entire
bill by reducing animal units when the blame
for their increase must be shared by all of us --
government which encouraged expansion
through support programs, agri-business
including lenders and everyone who wants a
cheap food policy
That leaves the option of disposing of part of
the manure in another way, such as tran
sporting it away Your guess at the cost of that
to the taxpayer is as good as mine
In a nutshell, that’s the mtty-gntty of the
Bay Too simplified a summary -- a lot of people
will say It probably is
But I think it’s a lot more realistic than
Pennsylvania’s half-hearted attempt at setting
aside a million dollars for some more Better
Management Practices - the actual worth of
some of which are being questioned
To Practice Good
Public Relations
BET I KNOW WHAT
POSITION
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the farmer. The image can be
improved by getting better
acquainted with your non-farm
neighbors.
We urge farmers to invite their
nearby neighbors to see their farm
operations. In many cases a better
understanding of the various farm
operations will eliminate disputes
and hassles about noise and odors.
Also, I would encourage farmers to
become involved with community
activities. You’ll find that people
that understand each other seldom
have serious problems.
To Graze Cautiously
As we approach frost season,
farmers pasturing cattle should be
concerned about possible dangers
of grazing frosted legumes. All of
the permanent grasses such as
bluegrass, orchardgrass or
bromegrass can be safely grazed
at any time of the year qnd this is
also true of any of the small grain
(Turn to Page Al 2)
THE MODEL
October 14,1984
Background Scripture:
Philippians2;l-18.
Devotional Reading:
Philippians 1:19-30.
Michael Jackson has dominated
the newspapers again today. His
concerts are sold-out and people
are desperate to get their hands on
those elusive tickets.
I have nothing against Michael
Jackson I don’t know enough
about him to make any kind of
evaluation. My problem is not with
Michael Jackson, but with
society’s response to him. There is
something wrong when a mere
entertainer can so affect a sizable
segment of our society, when so
many people look to him for their
example of what they want to
emulate.
FULL HOUSE
Apart from Michael Jackson,
there are a few others who can
command virtually a “full house”
anywhere when they appear.
Entertainers and athletic stars
seem to be the persons our society
most idolizes. Not even political
leaders at least not in this
country can command that kind
of following.
My problem with this type of
public response is that these people
become the models for millions of
people. Peonle took at their lives
Farm Calendar
Saturday, October 13
Parents/students program, Ag
College, University of
Delaware, 9 a.m., Purnell Hall.
Farm Toy Show and Auction,
Lancaster Mennomte High
School, Show 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.;
auction 5 to 10 p.m.
Sheep Field Day, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Penn State Schuylkill Campus,
Schuylkill Haven.
Sunday, October 14
Pa. Flying Farmers Meeting, 1
p.m. at the home of Ralph
Heffner, Pine Grove, Pa.
Monday, October 15
Lancaster County Farmers
Association ag fete ribbon
cutting, 5:30 p.m., Park City
Mall.
Poultry Serviceman’s Seminar,
6:30 p.m., Holiday Inn North,
Route 501, Lancaster.
Tuesday, October 16
Beef and dairy packer co-op
meeting, 7 p.m., Dutch Pantry,
north of Selmsgrove, on pur
chase of Clover Packing.
National Meeting on Poultry
Health and Condemnations,
Carousel Hotel, Ocean City, Md.
G/GGl£! G/GGU/.
the glamour, the success, the
popularity, the material abun
dance and say, “Now that’s
living!”
But is it? If it is, then most of us
will go through life without ever
having chance at that kind of
“living.”
What we need in our world today
is another kind of “model.” If we
can get people to idolize a radically
different ' p ' ie, we can have a
different world a world in which
spiritual values take precedence
over material values, where peace
is more likely than mutual an
nihilation, and where love can
reign as God intended it.
THE FULL LIFE
The fact is, we do have such a
model. Our problem is that we
haven’t really given him a chance.
It’s not that we have been urged
to do so. Paul, writing to the
Philippians, “Have this mind
among yourselves which you have
in Christ Jesus...” (2:5).
Perhaps the problem is that we
don’t like the example he sets: he
refused to claim his equality with
God, he gave his life for others,
actually taking upon himself the
role of a servant. A life like that
could only lead in one direction
to the cross.
And we don’t want that, do we?
Yet, who can deny that, despite
all of his humility, his self-giving
and obedience, his death on a
cross, Jesus achieved what is
beyond that of anyone who takes
the power and fame road;
Therefore God has highly
exalted him and bestowed on him
the name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven
and on earth. (2:9,10).
He and he alone is the model our
world needs to know what real
“living” is all about.
Continues tomorrow.
Northeast Greenhouse Seminar,
9:30 a.m. to 4 P.m., Luzerne
College Community Conference
Center, Nanticoke.
Sewage sludge workshop, 9:30
a.m. to 4 p.m., Berks County Ag
Center, Leesport.
Jersey Shore meeting on
agronomic problems, 7:30 p.m.,
home«f Russell Rozenberg.
Landis Valley Associates meeting
on “Evolution of Farm
Machinery,” 8 p.m., ad
ministration building
auditorium.
Wednesday, October 17
Lancaster County FFA Market
Lamb Show and Sale - show at 7
p.m.., New Holland sales
stables, sale Oct. 18 at 3:30 p.m.
Hunterdon County N.J. Ag
Development Board, 8 p.m.,
Extension Center.
Thursday, October 18
York County Holstein Banquet.
McKean County 4-H Achievement
Night, 7:30 p.m., 4-H Center,
Smithport Fairgrounds.
Dillsburg Community Fair, con
tinues through Saturday.
Clearfield County Extension
Annual Banquet, 6:30 p.m.,
Holiday Inn, Clearfield.
Md. State Grange annual meeting
opens at Fireman’s Activity
Building, Thurmont; continues
through Saturday.
Friday, October 19
Maryland Egg Council annual
banquet, Martins West in
Woodlawn.
Saturday, October 20
Woodlot Management Program, 9
a.m. to noon, Hercules Powder,
Inc., Roxburg Township, N. J.
Pa. State National Farmers
Organization Convention,
Lamar Holdiay Inn. Begins at
11 a.m.