iter Fanaing, Satarday, march 30, IMS AH NOW IS THE TIME To Plan For Oats Planting Some farmers are considering the use of feed oats for planting this spring, but this may not be a good idea. Feed oats may contain quackgrass, bindweed and other weed seeds. Planting feed oats will generally result in lower yields. You also have the problem that any weed seeds planted will be a problem for years to come. Keep in mind that high quality seed is the smallest part of producing a crop. So, saving a few cents by using inferior or weedy seed doesn’t make a lot of sense. On the other hand, home grown seed of varieties proven successful on the farm can be cleaned, treated and planted if the ger mination is 80 percent or better. You can use the old “Rag Doll” germination method where you place the seed between two pieces of burlap roll it and keep it moist and warm. Then count the seeds that germinate against the total and determine the percent ger mination. To Be Aware of the LT Problem It seems like when one problem is brought under control another one shows up. Avian influenza is behind us but LT (laryngotracheitis) is showing up, mostly in Lebanon County. As of March 15,25 cases of LT or LT-like disease had been reported. Ac cording to the veterinarins, this is Shipping restrictions hurt U.S. ag trade WASHINGTON - Laws man dating preferential use of American cargo vessels are having the same effect on grain export initiatives as an embargo, according to a spokeman for the fertilizer industry. Gary D. Myers, president of The Fertilizer Institute, said that his association will join with other agricultural organizations and congressional leaders to seek changes in cargo preference statutes which impede agricultural exports. His comments came in reponse to a February court decision which said that USDA export initiatives such as blended credit must favor U.S. vessels over generally less-expensive foreign ships. Late last month, U.S. District Court Judge June L. Green ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had acted improperly last year when it exempted a $536 million blended credit wheat agreement from cargo preference requirements. The Cargo Preference Act requires 50 percent of government-backed cargo to be By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agriculture Agent Phone 717-394-6851 a very “hot” strain with mortality near 25 percent in some cases. This means that we really need to tighten up bio-security. A couple of important areas are (a) insist that salesmen, deliverymen, customers and pick-up people absolutely stay out of houses, (b) provide obvious outside recep tacles for feed slips, invoices and messages, (c) know your pullet score and their vaccination program, (d) no visits to other poiutry farms and (e) rodent control - don’t forget stray dog and cat control. Let’s do all we can to bring this problem under control. To Provide Farm Security Thefts and vandalism on farms is on the increase. This is very difficult to prevent because of the various items around farm buildings and homes; also, the number of buildings and places to enter are many. However, we suggest that every farmer takes some steps in protecting his machinery, tools, livestock and supplies. The automatic lights that come on at dusk and go off at dawn should be of real value in discouraging burglars. There are also many new sensing devices that detect movement around the premises. Watch dogs are also very useful in detecting strangers around the property. Shops, garages and other smaller buildings should be kept shipped on U.S. vessels. The court action has resulted in USDA’s suspension of the blended credit program. “Once again, an embargo has been placed on a segment of U.S. agricultural exports,” Myers said, “but this time it is being called ‘cargo preference’.” The industry spokesman said farmers are “again being asked to shoulder the burden of something for which they are not responsible.” He called cargo preference laws a hidden subsidization of the U.S. maritime industry at the expense of America’s farmers, and said a legislative remedy must be sought. The attractive benefits of programs such as blended credit, he sajd, are offset by higher U.S. shipping costs, thus making such deals unattractive to foreign buyers. “Congressional leaders who are concerned about the current state of the farm economy could do more for farmers through repeal of cargo preference laws than vir tually any other single action,”' Mvers said. locked when possible. The identification of animals by tags, branding and photographs is very helpful. It is also a good idea to mark all machinery and tools with a permanent identification number. The best number to use is your drivers license number preceded by DL PA (Drivers License, Pennsvylania). Remember, Social Security numbers are non-retrievable so it’s best not to use it. Farm thefts are on the increase so farmers should take steps to protect their property. To Make Pastures Produce The best way to improve per manent pasture is to apply lime and fertilizer, practice rotational grazing and clip them regularly. This is quicker, cheaper and in volves less risk than tearing up the old sod and reseeding. Most per manent pastures have sufficient seed of desirable grass species. The only thing they need is a little tender loving care and the op portunity to grow, and to recover from grazing pressures. Thus, fertility and rotational grazing are very beneficial. The more paddocks you have, the better it is. If your acreage is limited for your size herd, restrict the amount of time cattle and livestock are permitted to graze. Don’t let them trample the grass unnecessarily by allowing them to roam freely over the pasture while not grazing. After a paddock has been grazed, it can be clipped to control weed growth and to keep the grass young and nutritious. This is also a good time to apply fertilizer and necessary her bicides, while allowing the grass to recover prior to =being grazed again. The Penn State Extension Service is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educational institution UNIVERSITY PARK - A dairy judging contest kicks off Penn State’s Dairy Science Club’s 60th annual Dairy Exposition. The Exposition consists of a series of contests including today’s invitational Dairy Judging Contest and a Dairy Princess contest on April 10. It concludes with fitting and showing competitions on Show Day on April 27 in the Ag Arena on Penn State’s University Park Campus. This year, the Dairy Expo is dedicated to Arthur W. Nesbitt, president of Nasco International, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Nesbitt received a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics from Penn State in 1950. Judith A. Harding, a senior from Brookville, is coordinating this year’s Expo and Lawrence Brown, a junior from Forestville, New vup. But i Wight need soma special EQUIPMENT FOR IT Dairy Expo \NHffT T/PE f)RE vou FREE CROSSES! March 31,1985 Background Scripture: John 19:17-42. Devotional Reading: John 19:38-42. If the story of Jesus were being created for TV or the silver screen today, we would almost certainly want to rewrite the passion narrative. As Jesus arrives at Golgotha, and m-the- mck-of-time pardon would arrive by way of a breathless messenger from Pontius Pilate, or Jesus’ disciples would mount a massive rescue operation to snatch him from the jaws of death. Or perhaps we would see that Jesus only appeared to die on the cross and was resuscitated by his disciples after taken down from the cross and spirited to a safe place. HUMILIATION But that isn’t the way the writers of the four gospels tell the story. In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John there is no rescue, no pardon and no faked death. The cross was real, the pain and humiliation and, above all, the tragic death on it was real. None of the four gospel accounts mince words about just how awful a punishment it was. John, for example, does not hide the humiliation of the cross. He is nailed to a cross, the most Farm Calendar Saturday, March 30 Lancaster Farm Toy Show, Sale and Auction, Lancaster Treadway Inn. Wednesday, April 3 Lancaster Conservation District opens today at Penn State York, is her assistant. Both are majormg in dairy production in the College of Agriculture at Penn State. Pennsylvania 4-H and FFA members as well as amateur and professional student judges from Penn State, compete for individual and team awards during the Dairy Judging Contest. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Penn State Dairy Barns and judging begins at 10:00 a.m. Dairy production students, William Zollers, Jr., a senior from Mertztown, and J. Craig Williams, a junior from Middletown, are chairing the judging contest and have scheduled 12 official judges to place classes and score comments. Judges are Penn State alumni with an interest in dairy. Participants will be judged in the five major dairy breeds, Ayrshire, fSCUQfi ) [gerr) humiliating form of execution at that time, and hung between two common criminals. Pilate’s in scription, whatever his intention, was a mockery: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” His garments were taken from him and divided among the soldiers in the crucifixion detail. His cloak they gambled for. Futhermore, John wants us to know ' sus really suffered and dieu on the ci This was no* play-acting to satisty our i. religious drama. This was not a cosmic charade played-out to elicit religious devotion. At one point, Jesus cries out, “I thirst” and his physical suffering is apparent. REALLY DEAD At last, Jesus says “It is finished,” and John tells us, “he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (19:30). Shortly after, one of the soldiers from the crucifixion detail thrusts a spear into Jesus’ side to make sure he is really dead. Yet, despite all of this - humanity operating on its lowest, most vile level - Jesus does not come across to us as either humiliated or broken. It is as though he is showing all of us how to die rightly, how to meet the reality of the cross in our own lives. Clarence Jordan, who wrote the Cotton Patch New Testament, was getting a red-carpet tour of a well heeled church. Taking Jordan outside, the minister pointed to a huge cross atop the steeple. “That cross alone cost us ten thousand dollars,” boasted the minister. “You got cheated,” was Jordan’s surprising reply, “times were when Christians could get them for free.” Today we live m times in which, if a Christian is really following his Lord, crosses are still free! monthly board meeting, Lancaster Farm and Home Center. Agricultural Employment Management Seminar, Dickinson School of Law, Carlisle. Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein and Jersey. Contestants will have 12 minutes to judge the classes and an additional three minutes to give their reasons. Individual and team awards will be made at the Dairy Expo Banquet in Penn State’s Hetzel Union Building on April 27. Kimberly G. Kriebel, this year’s Dairy Princess and a junior in dairy production from Miller stown, is coordinating the April 10 Dairy Princess contest. The princess will be selected from members of the Penn State Dairy Science Club on the basis of speaking ability, poise, service to the College of Agriculture, and knowledge of the dairy industry. The final event of the Penn State Dairy Exposition is Show Day on April 27. Scott A. Hausetnan, a senior in agricultural business management from Boyertown, is show manager and Michael L Carr, a freshman in dairy production from Somerset, is the assistant manager. They will choose about 150 University cattle to be fitted and shown by Penn State students. Special events of Show Day include a calf dressing contest, milk chugging contests, and a milking contest organized by Norma Lash, a junior in agricultural business management from West Newton, and her assistant, Annett Shirey, a sophomore in agricultural education from Beavertown. Show Day is a popular event for students in all colleges at Penn State.
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