V
OPINION
Farmers Work
Long
The standard, 40-hour Ameri
can work week may sound like a
vacation to many farmers, based
on recently compiled results of
USDA’s Farm Costs and Returns
Survey for 1986. «
Robert Leiby and David Dun
bar, Lehigh County Extension,
report that the survey, conducted
by the National Agricultural Sta
tistics Service, collected data from
a sample of thousands of farmers
representing around 1.6 million of
the nation’s 2.2 million farms.
Among the results, reams of
detailed, farm-level data on
returns, debts and assets, costs of
production, farm family living
expenses, production practices,
and the distribution of debt among
lenders.
In addition to the financial
infoirmation, however. Economic
Research Service economists have
also reported on other survey find
ings, including the following
statistics:
•The average reported age of
operators in 1986 was 51, the same
as in 1985. Farmers with sales in
excess of $40,000 tended to be
younger than average. Operators
of smaller farms were older and
tended to be more financially sol
vent than their younger
counterparts.
Farm Calendar
Saturday, February 13
Sheep & Wool Producers Annual
Banquet, Blymire’s Church, 7
p.m. Lynn Ebersole, 741-1407.
Cumberland Co. Holstein Annual
Meeting, Mrs. Stamm’s, 53
Hcisers Lane, Carlisle, 10:45
a.m.
Monday, February 15
Farming Ag Security Districts,
Cumberland Twp.
Bldg.. Fairfield Road,
Gettysburg.
Atlantic Breeders Annual Meet-
ing, 7:30 p.m„ Penn Twp. Fire-
hall, Huntsdale.
Adantic Breeders Mtg., Cumber
land 7:30 p.m., Huntsdale Fire
Hall.
ABS Meeting, Indiana, 7:30 p.m.,
The Omni.
ABS Meeting, Mercer, 7:30 p.m.
New Vernon Grange Hall.
Clean and Green, Ag Securities
Act, Right to Farm, Purchasing
Development Rights, Tony
Dobrosky, 8 p.m.. Red Lion
High School Ag. Shop.
Mahoning Columbiana Com Soy-
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
At Record-Express Office Building
22 E Mam Street
Lmtz, PA 17543
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Sttinrmn Enlerprlt*
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor
CepyrtfN IMS by Lmeiabr Farming
Hours
•Nearly two-thirds of operators
with 1986 agricultural sales of less
than $lO,OOO did not consider
farming to be their major occupa
tion, while nine out of ten farmers
with sales of over $40,000 said
farming was their primary job.
•Farmers with sales in excess of
$lOO,OOO reported that they spent
an average 56-58 hours per week,
50 weeks per year, working on
their farm operation. That com
pared with an average of less than
30 hours per week, 43-44 weeks
per year, for farmers with sales of
less than $20,000.
•Among different farm types,
the longest hours, not surprisingly,
were worked by dairy farmers,
who reported a 68-hour average
week and only one week off per
year. The next toughest schedule
was reported by poultry producers
-39 hours per week on average and
49 weeks per year. Cash gain far
mers were third in total hours, with
a 40-hour week and 43 weeks per
year. Of course, these averages
include the shorter work weeks of
small, part-time farmers, and they
do not include hours worked off
the farm. But anyway you look at
it, farmers are a dedicated group of
business people. And like most
other self-employed people, the
time clock isn’t one of their major
pieces of equipment.
-'■if-*5
**“S, *
w.
bean Day, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m
Mahoning Co. Joint Vocational
School, Canfield, OH
Dairy Industry Update, Octorara
High School, Vo Ag Shop.
Lancaster Co. Sheep & Wool
Growers Assn. Mtg. Farm and
Home Center, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, February 16
Lebanon-Lower Dauphin Crops
Day, Palmyra Fire Hall, 8:45
a.m.
Vegetable Production, through
Feb. 18, Sheration Inn, Dover,
Del. (302)856-7303.
ABS Meeting, Warren, 12 noon,
Lander Fire Hall.
Dairy Mgmt. Seminar, 9 a.m.to 3
p.m. Holiday Inn, Rts. 22and
512, Bethlehem, Pre-
registration required.
Cecil Co. Dairy Day, 9:30 a.m.,
Calvert Grange Hall, Maryland.
Mid Atlantic Direct Marketing
Conference, Willow Valley
Conference Center, Lancaster,
9 a.m.
Crops and Soils Day, Farm/Home
OIUE, THEY'RE HAVING A BiTOF
AN EMERGENCY DOWN AT THE
ELEVATOR ANDTHEY NEED ME
THERE RIGHT AWAY...
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Recognize The
Value of Lime
For Weed Control
You have never heard us recom
mend lime for weed control;
however, indirectly lime is impor
tant to obtain good herbicide weed
control. Both research and farm
experience has indicated that her
bicides are not as effective in sour
soil. So, for best control with
chemicals, the soil-test require
ment must be satisfy poor weed
control experiences have been
reported on sour soil. A complete
soil test will indicate the amount of
lime needed. There are many other
advantages to crop production in
addition to better herbicide action.
To Keep Small
Children Away From
Machinery
The spring cropping season will
be starting in another month. That
means that a lot of farm machines
will be put into operation and
things will really be moving. Small
children like to become a part of
this action and ask to ride on
machinery, or even operate some
of the smaller tractors. It might
take nerve to refuse them at times;
however, for their own protection
they should not become involved.
Many serious accidents have hap
pened because “Dad” or “Grand
ad” took them along.
Where there are small children,
all machinery operators should be
especially careful of their exact
location. Farm machinery and
small children do not mix.
To Know Sewage
Sludge Content
The use of sewage sludge on
farm land is becoming more com
mon. As the amount of this mater
ial increases, the farmers should be
center, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
ABS, Hoffman Bdlg., Quarryville,
7 p.m.
DHIA District Directors
Mtg.,(Central), Slop 35 in
Mifflintown.
Keystone Pork Congress, 9 a.m.
Penn Harris, Harrisburg.
ABS Meeting, 12 noon, Montgom
ery 4H Ctr. Creamery.
ABS Meeting, Clearfield, 12 noon,
Friends Church, Grampian.
ABS Meeting, Jefferson, 7:30 p.m.
Hormtown, Comm. Center.
ABS Meeting, East Crawford,
7:30 p.m. Centreville, United
Methodist Church,
Wednesday, February 17
American Dairy Assoc, and Dairy
(Turn to Page A3l)
C 3 o
COULD >OO RUM OVER
, ON YOUR SNOWMOB/LEp
aware of the danger of excessive
application. There can be a prob
lem of too much sludge causing a
build-up of heavy metals such as
zinc, copper, cadmium and cobalt
When these metals become too
high in the soil they are toxic to
plants.
Farmers that utilize sewage
sludge are urged to require a test of
the material in order to know the
exact mineral and fertilizer con
tent Disposal plants must provide
this test information for their far
mers in order to know what is
being done. Both the sewage and
the soil can be tested through the
Penn State Testing Laboratory.
Don’t apply sludge without know
ing the mineral build-up in the soil.
To Take A
Correspondence Course
To become knowledgeable
THE ONLY WAY
TO “SURVIVE”
February 14,1988
Background Scripture: Matthew
16; 13:28.
Devotional Reading: Philippians
2:5-11.
Most of us are so familiar with
the teachings of Jesus that we tend
to forget that they present a radi
cally different approach to life.
When Jesus first appeared, preach
ing and teaching, the religious
authorities found his ideas in direct
conflict with their own. But the
teachings of Jesus are no less radi
cal to the world in which we live.
They challenge just about every
major premise of the popular
mind. The only reason that con
temporary Christianity is not much
more in conflict with our society is
because most of us have con
sciously or unconsciously blunted
and obscured the points of conflict.
When Jesus began to speak of
his coming, passing and death in
Jerusalem, many who heard him
were scandalized. To their way of
thinking, a “suffering messiah”
was a contradiction in terms: if one
was a messiah, he would not “suf
fer,” and if one “suffered,” he
would not be the messiah! These
two ideas were so mutually exclu
sive to the Hebrew mind that many
wrote him off as a madman. A
messiah who suffered was
unthinkable.
LOSING ISN’T LOSING
No less unthinkable are some of
Jesus’ teachings today. His view of
the world, of human existence, life
and what is important is really
quite incompatible to many of the
concepts of Western society. For
example, take the question of sur
vival. Jesus began with the human
desire to survive, to save one’s
own life as long and as fuliy as pos
sible. Where Jesus differed from
everyone else was in the method he
about a certain subject and con
tinue with your normal job is a pos
sibility. Penn State offers a number
of correspondence courses in agri
culture and related areas that
should be of great help to every
one. Such subjects as Beef Produc
tion, Dairy Cattle Feeding, Rabbit
Production, Pesticide Usage, Plant
Life, Home Vegetable Gardening
and many more are covered. These
lessons are sent by mail and are
practical at a very nominal cost.
Details are available at any Exten
sion Office in the state. A bulletin
describing the various courses is
available. Don’t overlook this
method of learning more about a
special subject
The Cooperative Extension Ser
vice is an affirmative action, equal
opportunity educational
institution.
offered for survival: you can only
truly save your life when you are
willing to give it away! Both then
and today that teaching was and is
totally in conflict with the way of
the world.
Actually, Jesus never asked
anyone to really lose his or her life.
Instead he challenged them to try a
different way of saving them
selves. In fact, Jesus tried to help
them realize that the world’s way
would never work. “For whoever
would save his life will lose it, and
whoever loses his life for my sake
will find it” (Matthew 16:25). This
means that things are not what they
seem. If, using the world’s means,
we “save” our lives, we will find
that that security is but temporary.
It is in the long run that we will
have lost the very essence of life.
If, however, we “lose” our life for
Jesus’ sake, we lose only in the
short run, and gain in the long run
of eternity.
Even if we have a hard time see
ing how this works, we can find
some evidence to substantiate it.
We witness what happens when
people try to cling to life with
material possessions and power.
“You can’t take it with you” is
proven to peasant and Pharoah
alike. The grave is the great equa
lizer. None of the world’s goods
can really grant us survival in the
long run. Holding on to life is like
trying to keep a fistful of sand.
THE CROSS BECAUSE
Jesus taught true survival with
both his words and his life. No
sooner had his disciples confessed
him as “the Christ, the son of the
living God,” then Jesus “began to
show his disciples that he must go
to Jerusalem and suffer many
things from the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be killed
. . .” (16:21). Jesus would suffer
the cross, not despite the fact that
he was the Messiah, but because he
was.
And so Christians will need to
bear the cross, not despite the fact
that they are Christians, but
because they are: “If any man
would come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross and
follow me” (16:24).
(Based on copyrighted outlines pro
duced by the Committee on the Uniform
Series and used by permission. Released
by Community and Suburban Press.)