OPINION
Which Accident Has
Your Number On It?
It’s so simple. Just touch the
starter terminals and you don’t
have to climb back up on the trac
tor. Maybe you’re just working on
it... maybe you want to save a little
time. No big deal. Right?
Sure! No big deal, unless you
forgot this is a recipe for death.
Picture the situation again; you’re
standing in front of a tire that mea
sures, say, five feet high. It’s on the
business end of a ppower train that
may 'produce hundreds of horse
power, enough to pulka moldboard
plow through the earth. You’re
maybe two feet away from it when
the engine fires. The tractor
cranks, no movement, the engine
starts, then it leaps ahead. Your
body is the only thing in its way.
Now, which would you prefer to
save, your time or your life?
Simple question, yet each year
many farmers fail the quiz.
They’re not youngsters who just
started last week, either. No,
they’re people who’ve been on
tractors for years. Oh, sure,
they’ve all had some close calls
they can tell you about them. But
they always came through—may
be until this time.
Some accidents, you squeak
through. Some are minor and
, r it- '
Farm Calendar ,
Saturday, November 7
North America International
Livestock Expo, through
November 20. Louisville,
Kentucky.
Nittany Lion Fall Classic, 11 a.m.,
Ag Arena at Penn State Univ.
Bucks County Holstein Meeting,
6:30 p.m., St. Matthews
Church, Keller
Berks Co. Beef & Swine Banquet,
Kutztown Grange Hall, 7 p.m.
Monday, November 9
Pennsylvania Farmers Union Con
vention Dinner, 6 p.m., Shera-
ton, West Middlesex
Wayne County DHI Meeting, 7:45
p.m., Stonehenge Restaurant,
Seelyville
National Grange Convention, Syr
acuse, New York
Poultry Management Seminar,
Holiday Inn (North), Lancaster
Tuesday, November 10
Cumberland County 4-H Beef &
Lamb Round-Up, 9 a.m., Carli-
sle Livestock Market
Pennsylvania Brown Swiss Asso
ciation Annual Meeting, 11:15
a.m., Carlisle
Lackawanna County Extension,
oris, did you h/we any stock
AFFECTED BV7HAT MARKET
CRASH LAST MONTH? y
$
4
Zk A
require only first aid. Other may
require professional medical atten
tion. Yet, many bypass start inju
ries result in the victim’s death... a
high price to pay.
Remember the times you got by
like the scrape with the rusty
nail; or even working around mov
ing equipment with the shields off.
It turned out OK, but what could
have happened? And now as you
stand in front of that big wheel and
reach out with your screwdriver, is
this the accident that has YOUR
number on it?
We work with our machines so
much and so long, they become
part of our lives. The more familiar
we are with machines, often times
the less fear we have. We forget
how big they are and how lethal
they can be. We’re with them all
the time and we think we’re
friends, but the fact is, they really
don’t care. If we give them a
chance, they cankill us.
So next time you may be
tempted to stand in front of that big
wheel and grab the screwdriver
and touch those terminals, listed to
that inner voice that yells, “No”!
Pay attention! If you don’t, you
may be wasting a lot more than
time.
Farm-City annual meeting.
Best Western, Scranton, 7:30
p.m.
Dairy Nutrition School, Manheim/
Mt. Joy area, sponsored by Lan
caster County Extension Ser
vice; 9:45 a.m., Kreider’s
Restaurant Rt. 72,1 mile south
of Manheim, class continues
November 24 and December 8
Sullivan County Dairy Feeding
Meeting, 1:30 p.m.', Wharbur
ton Farms
Wednesday, November 11
Dairy Nutrition School, 9 a.m.,
Berks County Ag Center,
Leesport
Wayne Co. Dairy Feeding Meet
ing, Randy & Jean Price, Abra
hamsville, 1 p.m
Thursday, November 12
Cumberland County DHIA Ban
quet, 6:30 p.m.. South
Middleton
Pennsylvania Egg Marketing
Association, 7 p.m., Olde Hick
ory Inn, Lancaster
Center County Holstein Meeting,
7 p.m., Logan Grange Hall,
Pleasant Gap
(Turn to Paga A 23)
LETS SEE^)
(SX
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By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Each farmer is a very important
person. While we have more far
mers than ever before, the growing
population demands more food.
Never have so many persons been
so dependent on so few.
Farm-City Week is being
observed November 20 through 27
to bring a better understanding of
problems existing between the rur
al and urban segments of our socie
ty. Some people may think that
agriculture is a diminishing indus
try, but this is not true. There are
fewer farmers but each farmer is
FARM FORUM our readers write jj
through most of November. We
have been told by many in the
known politically that we must
FLOOD the desks of our congres
sional people with letters to get
their attention. The budget is
Editor;
Now is the time for all dairy far
mers to act. For too long we have
been (and are) efficient experts in
the field of production, with abso
lutely no thought or concern about
marketing.
Today we are the victims of our
own single-mindedness. We set
helplessly by and bemoan our fate.
We allow the politicians to treat
the dairy surplus as a “national
problem.”
The very future of the dairy
industry of the Eastern U.S. is in
our hands—yours and mine. If you
like having your future determined
by others—continue sitting and
moaning. A few of us in Northern
New York have had it. We hope
you will join us.
We organized as the Atlantic
States Dairy Farmers and all 20
states we speak as one. Never in
the history of dairy have we been
able to do this. Now that we are
down and badly bruised, we
MUST act. The consequences of
not acting are all too familiar.
The plan of action we have
devised after consulting with our
representative to the house and
with Senator Leahy, chairman of
the Senate Ag Committee, and
others astate politically is this:
Goal 1 - Stop the 50 cent deduc
tion slated for January 1, or as
much of it as possible. And at the
same time plant the seed, logically,
that this “surplus” is an area or reg
ional problem. Also we feel we
must hammer on the fact we, you
and I, of the Atlantic Region are
responsible producers producing a
product for a market in our own
area. This campaign will continue
THAT MARKET
CRASHED ON THE
SAYNE 'DAY THAT
THAT OLD BULL
OF M/NE CHASED
ME UP A TREE,..
NOW IS
THE TIME
To Appreciate
Farm-City Week
A / SO I 6UESS> you COULD'
fff / SAV TMAT ON 7F-/AT DAY,
. 1 MY STOCK WAS
on me.
now producing enough food to
feed 116 people, 80 in the United
States and 36 overseas. In Russia
that ratio is one to ten.
Approximately IS to 17 million
U.S. jobs, and about 25 percent of
our economy is based on agricul
ture. We need to maintain a strong
agriculture.
To Exercise
Dairy Cows
I know that many of our dairy
farmers keep their milking cows
confined to the stall bams much of
the time. This is easy to do when
you are short of labor during the
winter months. In order to have a
healthy herd, the cows should be
allowed outside to exercise daily
unless severe weather conditions
exist. The exercise will not only
keep their feet and legs in better
condition, but will permit the cows
in heat to be detected; this is often a
problem when cows are kept con
fined too much of the time.
If the herd is turned out for IS to
30 minutes each day, the time
involved will be very worthwhile.
You’ll find very few days when the
weather will interfere.
• To Mulch
Strawberries
Winter injury has been a prob
lem in strawberries for a number of
SEEING THE FACE
OF GOD
Novembers, 1987
Background Scripture: Genesis
32:3; 33:1-11.
Jacob named the place “Peniel,”
which means “the face of God?”
For it was hoe at the ford of the
Jabbok River that Jacob had exper
ienced a life-changing experience
with God. Wrestling all night with
a mysterious and unknown “man,”
Jacob later concluded that it was
God himself whom he had encoun
tered at that lonely place.
What bewildered Jacob was that
he was still alive to contemplate
what had happened, for he had
always been led to believe that, if
he saw God face to face, he would
die. But he hadn’t died; he was
very much alive.
Who was that man with whom
he wrestled: God, a messenger
from God, or, as some commenta
tors have suggested, himself? We
don’t know and it really doesn’t
matter, because Jacob was con
vinced that in some way he had
v As
years. Crown injury can be
reduced by applying mulch to pro
tect them for the winter. The best
time for application is from mid-
November to mid-December. The
exact date depends on-weather
conditions. But a good rule of
thumb is to apply mulch when the
temperature begins to stay around
20 to 25 degrees F. If it drops to 15
degrees or lower, unprotected
strawberry crowns could be
injured. In any case it’s a good idea
to mulch the plants after they have
been exposed to a few good
freezes. Mulching is a very good
practice to insure a better crop next
summer.
To Adopt Winter
Driving Habits
The hazards of winter driving
are many, and drivers should
change their habits when roads
become icy or snow covered. Most
importantly, be patient and reduce
your speed to allow more time for
braking the car or truck. Winter or
all season tires should be mounted
soon to give extra protection. Bat
teries should also be checked and
kept in top condition. We must be
aware that cold weather puts extra
stress on all parts of the car.
Always be alert to recognize road
conditions and drive accordingly.
everything—that’s OK, but don’t
penalize us for the errors of others,
we are saying.
Goal 2 - will be more long
ranged. That is to have a dairy bill
with regional or area support pric
ing that adds to the areas that are
producing responsible amounts of
milk and lower support pricing
(Turn to Page A 23)
been in the presence of God. And,
instead of being dead, as he
expected, he was alive as never
before in his life.
A CHANGED MAN
Another question over which
some have argued is whether it was
this experience at Peniel that
changed Jacob, or was it simply a
culmination of the change that had
already been taking place? I
believe the Peniel experience may
have put the finishing touches on
Jacob’s change, but he had been in
a process of change ever since he
first left home. The dream which
we call “Jacob’s ladder,” his
experiences with Laban in Haran,
his obedience to God’s promise,
“Return to your country and to
your kindred, and I will do you
good” (32:9) —all of this was part
of a gradual, but certain change
from Jacob the Supplanter to Israel
the man of God.
MY BROTHER, ESAU
In deciding to return to his home
and his brother Esau, Jacob
showed faith, courage and contri
tion. To be sure, he was fearful that
his brother would seek to do him
harm, but it is evident that Jacob
realizes how wrong he was and
wants to make amends.
One cannot help thinking that
Esau must also have changed dur
ing these twenty years. Despite
what Jacob had done to him, he
was willing to forgive and forget.
He could rightly regard Jacob as
his enemy; instead, he calls him.
“my brother” (33:9).
Jacob had had a number of
encounters with God and at t'enicl
had even caught a glimpse of what
he decided was God’s face. But he
was to see God’s face again and
this time it would be the clearest
image of all. Looking at Esau, his
reconciled brother, he said: “truly
to see your face is like seeing the
face of God.”
(Based on copynghted Outlines pro
duced by the Committee on the Uniform
Series and used by permission
Released by Community & Suburban
Press.)