AlO-Unc«ster Fanning, Saturday, September 13,1986
OPINION
Harvest Time Can Be
Hazardous To Your Health
You’re inclined to think it can’t
happen to you. It’s only your
neighbor who might get his hand in
the forage harvester or get a leg
caught in the com picker. Not you.
But your neighbor probably has
the same thoughts. And farm
accidents don’t always happen to
someone else, especially around
harvest time.
Hundreds of farmers are killed
each year during the rush to get
crops in. And thousands more
suffer disabilities and injuries that
cause expensive lost time.
In a few weeks, we will be
reminded of this problem during
National Farm Safety Week
(September 21 to 27). But it’s
appropriate that we provide this
word of caution now as we enter
the harvest season.
PTO shafts represent one of the
greatest hazards. To avoid
becoming entangled in them,
replace or install guards on all
power shafts. Shut off the power
and take out the key before un
clogging, adjusting or servicing
harvesting heads, cutters, power
drives and other dangerous
machinery parts. Also shut off the
power and take out the key to
prevent injury from the unloading
auger before entering the combine
grain tank.
Follow a no “riders” policy on
all farm equipment. Make sure
children and nonworkers are off of
and away from machinery before
starting up. Place blocks or stands
under the header before working
underneath it. Don’t rely on
hydraulic pressure to hold it up.
Always lower the header for safety
when parking a machine. Display
a slow moving vehicle emblem and
use flashing lights to make road
travel safer. Be sure the loading
auger is in the transport position.
Ron Jester from the University
of Delaware Extension Depart
ment says that “a serious accident
could cost more than your harvest.
Don’t lose a lifetime trying to save
a few minutes. Many farm ac
cidents that cause injuries and
fatalities can be prevented. Safety
isn’t a time consuming liability,”
Jester suggests. “It’s an asset that
speeds up progress.”
Many farm accident victims
work alone and are not found for
hours after an accident. Access to
Farm Calendar
Saturday, September 13
Weekend horse ride in the Blue
Mountains, sponsored by
Central Berks Riding Club. For
flyer, call Gene or Beverly at
717-366-1131.
NOW THAT WE’RE GETTING- INTO THE HARVEST
SEASON. I WANT TO URGE YOO TO PLEASE
BE CAREFUL/ fatigue, resulting-nawi
LONG HOURS OF FIELD WORK, CAN LEAD TO
—r SERIOUS FARAA ACCIDENTS ... > >
TMue.
C3RPOJTEJL-
an emergency communication
system can sometimes make the
difference between life and death.
Install two way radios in tractors,
trucks and self propelled equip
ment and establish a means of SOS
communication on .the farm, such
as hand signals, horns or flairs.
Monitor one another. Check
periodically to see that all is well.
Take mid morning and mid af
ternoon snacks to workers. Not
only to provide a rest period but
also to check on them. Tell
someone where you’ll be working
and approximately when you will
be back.
Children also need protection.
They are vital, fun loving, curious
and eager to enter the grown up
world. But unfortunately many
children won’t have the chance to
realize their potential because they
will be victims of farm accidents
before they grow up.
About one in three persons (over
30,000 annually) killed accidently
in the U.S. is under age 25. In fact,
statistics show that accidents are
the leading cause of death in this
country for people from one to 38
years of age.
Jester says that farm children
are often exposed to work place
hazards. Many become victims of
accidents involving farm
machinery, livestock, chemicals
and other tools of the trade. All a
farm child needs to do is run out
the back door to encounter oc
cupational hazards from farm
machinery, the farm shop, the
animals, the stock watering tanks,
the silos and bins and the electrical
equipment around the farm.
Although small children don’t
usually help with the work. They
often are allowed in farm work
areas to watch and to play, and
sometimes children are allowed to
ride along. Farm children often
want to be big like Daddy. But
farm parents have an especially
large responsibility to protect their
children from unnecessary
hazards by keeping an eye on them
and knowing what they are doing.
Certainly, accidents do happen.
But lets work together to insure the
safest year possible during harvest
time this year in Lancaster Far
ming Terriotory. We’ll all be so
glad we did when Thanksgiving
rolls around on November 27.
Monday, September 15
Beaver Community Fair, Beaver
Springs; continues through
Sept. 20.
Orate Fair, Grate;
thrughSept. 20
o o OO o OC < e»
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
The proclamation of September
21 to 27 as National Farm Safety
Week is very important during this
busy corn harvest and fall grain
planting season.
“Be Protected from the Unex
pected,” the 1986 theme for the
farm safety campaign, stresses
the need for preventive safety
measures. People who operate and
work on farms suffer more than
their share of personal and
economic loss from accidents and
work-related illnesses. Mi|ph of
this loss could be avoided if people
would not only work and drive
safely, but also take the extra steps
to protect themselves ahead of
time from potential hazards.
Agriculture remains among the
nation’s three most hazardous
major industries in terms of ac
cidental deaths according to
Nationai Safety Council figures.
Mining and the construction in
dustry are the other two most
hazardous fields.
Tuesday, September 16
Harmony Grange Fair, Westover;
continues through Sept. 20.
Annual Meeting, Allied Florists of
Delaware Valley, Zeigler and
Sons Wholesale, Philadelphia.
Small Fruit and Tree Fruit Field
Day, Penn State, Rock Springs
Research Farms.
York County 4-H Pork and Lamb
Roundup, Weikert’s Buying
Station, Thomasville, 7 p.m.
Twilight Marketing Meeting,
Whistle Stop Farm and Nur
sery, John Ringoes Road,
Ringoes, 6:30 p.m. Register by
Sept. 12. Call 201-788-1338.
Lehigh Valley Horse Council
Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Hob Nob
Hill Horse Center, Kesslersville
Road, Easton.
Wednesday, September 17
W. Pa. Flower Growers, Oglevees’
Mercer Greenhouse.
Southern Lancaster County Fair,
Quarryville; continues through
Sept. 19.
Sinking Valley Community Fair,
Altoona; continues through
Sept. 20.
Veterinary Nutrition Forum, 7
p.m., Host Town, Route 501
Lancaster. Program; Dr.
Richard Weidman speaking on
dietary control of kidney stones
in poultry. For reservations call
717-757-9657.
Thursday, September 18
Huntingdon County 4-H/FFA
Livestock Buyers Banquet,
First Methodist Church, noon.
continues
SO IF YOU'RE >
STARTING TO
GET TIRED,
JUST DO \NHA iT
UNCLE OTIS
&EOAU^
To Observe National
Farm Safety Week
To Be Aware
of the Century
Farm Program
The Century Farm Program is
aimed at recognizing the efforts of
Pennsylvania’s farm families
which have preserved the tradition
of the rural heritage of the pioneer
farm.
The program was started as part
of the Nation’s bicentennial ob
servance in 1976, but is being
continued for its value in
promoting the ideals of the family
farm and the importance of far
ming to Pennsylvania’s economy.
To be eligible for certification as
a Pennsylvania Century Farm, a
farm must have been owned by the
same family for the last 100 con
secutive years, and a family
member must currently reside on
the land. In addition, the farm
must consist of ten or more acres
of the original holdings or gross at
least $l,OOO a year from the sale of
agriculture products.
We encourage you to participate
in this program that is ad
ministered by the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture.
Applications are available at the
County Extension Office.
To Check
Ventilation Systems
We are in a time of year when
ventilation is very important, and
understanding the principles of the
basic farm laws are critical to
understanding our ventilation
systems and why we should do
some things and why some things
cost us money. Theere are three
basic fan principles:
(1) “As we vary the speed of a
fan the volume of air varies in
direct proportion.” It is a one-to
one ratio if we double the speed
of a fan, we can double the
capacity of air. We could do this by
changing pulleys but do not do this,
Lancaster dairy goat meeting, North East; continues through
Farm and Home Center, 7:30 Sept. 20.
p. m . Oley Valley Community Fair,
1986 Women in Ag Day, Villa Leo Oley; continues through Sept.
Quality Inn, Harrisburg. 20. (Turn to Page A 22)
North East Community Fair,
GOD’S POT OF GOLD
September 14,1986
Background Scripture: Genesis
9:1-15
Devotional Reading; Psalm 78:32-
39
It is a popular piece of folklore
that tells us that at the end of the
rainbow there is waiting to be
found a pot of gold. It seems that
the rainbow has always been
regarded as a sign of good fortune
or of God’s providence. Thus, in
the story of Noah and his ark, God
tells Noah and his family: “This is
the sign of the covenant which I
make between me and you and
every living creature that is with
you, for all future generations: I
set my bow in the cloud, and it
shall be a sign of the covenant
between me and the earth”
(9:12,13).
as the fan systems are designed as
received by you. Principles 2 and 3
will explain.
(2) “As you vary the speed
(volume) of the fan, the pressure
varies by the square.” In other
words, if you double the speed of
the fan by changing a pulley, the
pressure would go up four times.
The reverse is also true. If you
restrict the inlets, raising the
static pressure, you slow the fans
down.
(3) “As you vary the speed
(volume) of the fan, the power
varies by the cube.” So if you
double the speed of the fan, it
would take eight times the power
to do it. Power in this case is
electricity so you can see from
motors burning out if you change
pulleys or a shutter sticks shut
creating too much back pressure.
Give these fan principles some
thought, for efficient ventilation
and in some cases, the safety of
birds and animals.
To Mow
Weedy Pastures
If your pasture is weedy, get out
the mower. There are two good
reasons for this; one, it eliminates
the production of weed seeds and
two, it removes mature forage
which lets plants send out new and
tender growth.
But, before you mow, you should
graze the pasture heavily so as to
utilize all the available food. The
animals eat some weeds, but they
also eat some of the tall grasses
that would be wasted by mowing.
Remember, to mow closely 2 to 3
inches. And instead of trashing the
clippings, use them. Many farmers
recover enough hay from pasture
mowing to winter feed some of
their cattle.
The Cooperative Extension Serviceisanaf
firmative action equal opportunity educational
institution
NEVER AGAIN
The proverbial “pot of gold”
might seem highly desirable at
first thought, but God’s promise is
of much more importance to us
than any pot of gold, no matter how
big or valuable it might be. For
God’s rainbow symbol is to signify
something that is vital to
civilization and the race itself: “ .
never again shall all flesb be cut
off by the waters of a flood, and
never again shall there be a flood
to destroy the earth” (9:11).
So, of infinitely more value than
a pot of gold is God’s assurance of
the new beginning the op
portunity to change course from
the wrong one to the right one, to
pick up the pieces of failure or
disaster and start over again. In
that sense, the rainbow is one of
life’s most important symbols for
the possibility of a “new begin
ning,” vital not only in individuals
but society itself.
THE PROMISE
It is in the story of Noah that the
Biblical term “covenant” first
appears. Although the term is
difficult to define and explain,
perhaps it will help for us to think
of a covenant as a mutual promise.
In Genesis 9 God promises never to
destroy humanity again.
That makes this passage from
Genesis a pretty timely message,
for we live in a day when it seems
great multitudes of people firmly
believe the end of the world is “just
around the corner.” They seem
resignedly pessimistic about the
world and its "immanent
destruction.” I find this attitude
particularly prevalent among the
younger generation one recent
high school graduate asked me just
this evening; “Do you think the
end of the world is inevitable 9 Are
we going to blow ourselves up?”
At that moment I thought of the
rainbow and God’s promise and
remembered the covenant that
God gave to Noah and all of us.
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