AlO-LmcMtar Farminc, Saturday, April 20,1085 NOW IS THE TIME To Glean Pastures Before Turning Animals On Them A careful check of pastures before turning cows into them can be time well spent. Trash, broken glass, and wire may produce bad udder and foot injuries. So, move or bury the debris. Nails sticking through boards may produce serious puncture wounds in feet. Old farm implements should be hauled away; cows seem unable to resist stepping through old discs or harrows, often with disastrous results. One old paint bucket may finish enough lead to kill half a dozen cows. They like the taste of lead pamt as much that they will struggle with each other to get as much as possible from an old paint can. Fertilizer and fertilizer bags are deadly; especially those con taining nitrates. Cows will eagerly kill themselves eating it. In spite of laws, we still have a few people who will pitch a bagful of junk out of their cars while they drive along our highways. A walk through your pasture fields before turning your cows out, is time very well spent. To Understand Persistent Weed Problems Just how persistent do we have to be in order to control weed problems? Well,'the answer to this question comes from weed STATE COLLEGE - Com petition will be fierce today as Penn State’s 68th Little In ternational Livestock Exposition gets underway at the Ag Arena. Sponsored by the Block and Bridle Club, the exposition features students showing University beef cattle, horses, sheep and swine. This year, about 120 students will be judged on their livestock grooming and showmanship techniques. Students in agriculture, liberal arts, science and a number of other colleges at Penn State, drew lots for their animals several weeks ago and have been practicing with them ever since. The Little I gives students a chance to gain practical experience working with livestock. Events of the day begin at 8 a.m. in the ag Arena. Cattle and swine classes will be judged first, followed by sheep judging at 11 a.m. and horse judging at noon. The champion showmen and fitters in cattle and swine classes will be selected at 1:45 p.m. and HASTE CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO , YOUR HEALTH ! TAKE YOUR TIME TO INSURE A SAFE PLANTING SEASON! By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agriculture Agent Phone 717-394-6851 scientists who ran germination tests on weed seeds which had been buried for up to 50 years. They report that 29 percent of Johnsongrass seed germinated after being buried for 3% years; morning glory 74 percent after 5Vz years; pigweed 66 percent after 40 years; and dock 52 percent after 50 years. They further reported that 51 of 107 species tested still had live seeds after 20 years. The reason these seeds remain in the soil for such a long period without sprouting is apparently related to environmental con ditions. According to weed experts, some seeds need just the right combination of moisture, tem perature, and nutrients before they will germinate. This explains why we may suddenly be faced with a weed problem we thought was cured several years ago. Farmers are continually faced with disease problems; LT in poultry, pseudorabies in hogs, Johnes in dairy, and others. We urge livestock and poultry producers to make every effort to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. Many of these infections are brought home by the owner, or with the purchase of a new animal. There are a number of infections that can be spread very easily from farm to farm. In this part of the country where the density of poultrv and livestock “Little I” opens today the championships for horses and sheep will begin at 2:15. The all around grand champion com petition will begin at 2:45 when champion showmen show all four animal species. Judges are; Mallory Mort of Ghent, New York for cattle; Ann Swinker of Brownsville for horses; Robert Calvert of Mercer for sheep and Ray Meyer of York for swine. All are Penn State alumni. This year’s Little International is dedicated to Sue Riglin, secretary in the Department of Dairy and Animal Science, for her outstanding service to the club. Block and Bridle is also recognizing Mick Colvin, 1985 Distinguished Alumnus in the Department of Dairy and Animal Sciences. Colvin, of Schellsburg, is director of the Certified Angus Beef program. Both will be honored at the club banquet for Little International winners Saturday night at the Penn State- Sheraton. Penn State students in Block and Bridle have been responsible for To Practice Strict Sanitation is so great, p’ jeers should be alert to the possibility of spreading diseases. Then returning from another farm, or public place, different clothes and footwear should be used. Stray dogs, cats, flies and wild birds could be controlled as much as possible. New purchases should be segregated and tested before mixing with the home herd or flock. We urge every producer to give attention to the prevention of diseases through good management and the use of good sanitation practices. To Manage Poultry House Equipment General management of poultry house equipment is important in maintaining a comfortable en vironment for chickens and turkeys. Defective equipment should be repaired or replaced promptly, especially if it is in volved with the delivery of feed or water to the birds. Rusty and bent cages will allow some birds to escape and may trap or injure other birds. It can also cause an increase in crax. All sharp edges on the poultrv equipment must be removed to avoid injuries. Rusty and decaying feed binds are another problem; they allow moisture to get to the feed, resulting in mold growth and sick birds. The Penn State Extension Service is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educational institution. organizing all aspects of the Little International. Keith Bryan of Media is show manager, assisted by Robert Livingston of Dover. Species superintendents who instruct participants on grooming and showmanship techniques are: cattle - Kaye Sweigard of Halifax is superintendent, assisted by Blaine Clowser of Dayton, Ralph Horchler of New Wilmington, and Bill Wise of Spring Grove; Horse - Jeff Brown of Port Allegany is superintendent, assisted by Bnan Egan of Nanty Glo; Sheep - Jim Black of State College is superintendent, assisted by Bnan Barkley of Manns Choice; swine - David Hartman of Turbotville is superintendent, assisted by Paul Winklosky of Derry. The Penn State Little In ternational Livestock Exposition on Saturday, April 20 is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Ag Arena on Park Street Ex tension across from Beaver Stadium on Penn State’s University Park Campus. Lunch will be available. READ THE CONTRACT! April 21,1985 Background Scripture Job 1 through 4. Devotional Reading: Job 1:13-22. One of the most pervasive ideas in the world today - even among people who profess not to be religious is that we are bom into this life clutching m our hands a divine contract that guarantees us freedom from suffering, tragedy and injustice. For, just as soon as we are confronted with any or all of those experiences in life we begin to complain loudly that God is unjust or, if we deny there is a God, that life is unfair. Nothing so gets in the way of intelligent religion than this expectation. Where did we ever get this idea that God would impose justice among his creatures or that the world was ever conceived as fair? God desires justice for his children and calls us to be fair with one another, but he does not unpose it upon his world - never has, and presumably never will. You and I will be judged for our injustices (and more), but he will not compel us to be just. That’s the kind of world he created: with potential for either good or evil, dependent upon the exercise of our own free will. IT HAS COME TO YOU Everyone knows this is the way Farm Calendar Saturday, April 20 Little International, Penn State University. Spring Highlight Sale, Guernsey Sale Pavilion, 11 a.m. Huntingdon County Holstein Heifer Sale; 11 a.m., Huntingdon County Fairgrounds. Sunday, April 21 York County Rabies Clinic, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; York Fairgrounds. Monday, April 22 Sheep Industry Tour; continues through Thursday. 1985 NASDA National Food and Agriculture Exposition, Kansas City. Tuesday, April 23 Stanton Grange Spring Homemaker’s Day. Thursday, April 25 Adams County Poultry Meeting, Bermudian Springs High School, Gettysburg, 7:30 p.m. Special meeting for dairymen on “over-order pricing,’’ Hackettstown High School, 8 p.m. the world is and no one really questions the arrangement - so long as it seems to be working well for us. But let something go wrong and we go running for our con tracts to protest that suddenly things are not going the way they’re supposed to go. The problem with most of us is that we haven’t really read - and un derstood - the contract. * Job is a stirring „ ' »n it seems The illustrai. to him that possibly happen to him has, in icu.i, happened, he cries out: “Let the day perish wherein I was b0m...” (Job 3:3). Up until this point, Job has been a pillar of faith in the midst of his adversity, but now he’s had enough, things have gone too far. His friend Ehphaz (with a friend like him, who needs an enemy?), chides him, “Behold, you have instructed many... But now it has come to you, and you are impatient” (4:3,5). Job, just think about all the glib advice you’ve given to others when they’ve had troubles! WHERE WE REAP But Eliphaz goes on to assure Job that, if he is righteous, the suffering will be only for a little while. “Think now, who that as innocent ever perished?” (4:7). Furthermore, all those who are evil will eventually be punished; “As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same” (4:8). Job knows that that is not the way it is, however: there is no guarantee that being righteous will bring us through life without suffering. Nor is there a warranty that promises to make evil people suffer in this life. If we are to reap justice and fairness, it is in a realm of reality that transcends this earth. It is high time we read the contract. '&*■ “SsSk Friday, April 26 NJ State Calf and Bred Heifer Sale, 7 p.m., Harmony, NJ. Ene County Calf Sale, noon, East Waterford, Pa. Saturday, April 27 Cumberland Blue Genes Sale. York Sheep and Wool Field Day, York Fairgrounds, 9:30 a.m. Dairy Exposition, Penn State University, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Diary Goat Seminar, Montgomery 4-H Center, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tour of “The Goat Works,” the largest goat cheese producing farm in the United States, Washington, NJ, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 28 Annual Meeting, Pa. Association of Meat processors, the Embers in Carlisle. Motaday, April 29 Pa. Sheep and Wool Growers Annual Meeting, Keller Building, Penn State Univer sity. Tuesday, April 30 Pa. Wool Sale, Nittany Lion Inn, Penn State University. Wednesday, May 1 Lancaster County Conservation District, monthly board meeting, Farm and Home Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4 Apple Blossom Festival, South Mountain Fairgrounds. Md. Sheep and Wool Festival, Howard County Fairgrounds; continues tomorrow. A r *Qr|
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers