AIQ-UncMtw Fanning, Saturday, March 12, 1988
OPINION
Hog Producer’s Farm
Management Problem
The National Fanners Organi
zation is asking all livestock pro
ducers in conjunction with the
National Pork Producers Council
to suspend the use of sulfametha
zine products as a measure to pro
tect die integrity of US pork pro
ducts. Japan says that traces of the
chemical were found in shipments
they imported and the USDA
inspectors are on their way to con
firm the report.
So far no one is quite sure if this
alleged sulfur contamination is
merely speculation related to the
beef and citrus quotas currently
being debated between the US and
Japan, but it has affected the pork
and cattle markets.
Whatever the outcome of this
“scare,” there are two things to be
considered from the event. First,
sulfur residue is a producer man-
Farm Calendar
Saturday, March 12
Md. Eastern Shore Calf sale. Hun
ters Sale Bam, 11:00 a.m.
N.E. Region Christinas Growers
meeting, Split Rock Lodge,
Poconos, Lake Harmony.
Monday, March 14
Ag Energy Conference, Farm &
Home Center, Lancaster, 10:00
a.m.
Atlantic Dairy Cooperative Dis
trict 5 annual dinner meeting,
Lampeter Fire Hall, noon.
Sulbra Crop Management Direc
tors Meeting, Bradford Exten
sion office, 8:00 p.m.
National DHIA Convention,
Indianapolis, IN; runs through
March 17.
Holstein Winter Forum for associ
ation members, Sheraton Inn,
Penn State; runs through March
15.
Poultry meeting, Holiday Inn,
North Lancaster. 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 15
State Board of Ag. Open Meeting,
Extension Center, 9:00 a.m.
Eastern Lancaster County Adult
Farmer Vegetable Growers
meeting, Summikt Valley
Elementary School, New Hol-
land, 9:15 a.m.
Pesticide Update Training, Exten
sion Meeting Room, Pleasant
Acres, 7:30 p.m. Call John
Rowehl, 757-9657, for
information.
PA Organic Crop Improvement
Association meets at Farm
Show Complex, 7 p.m. Speak-
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
At Record-Express Office Building
22 E Main Street
Lititz, PA 17543
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMnimn Enmprkt
Robert Q Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor
Cipylf** IMi by Line—Hr Farming
agement problem, and labels on
feed additives should be read and
followed explicitly. Whenever the
additive is not needed, it should
not be used.
Secondly, markets, especially
the commodities market, have a
way of jerking around these kinds
of circumstances more than the
event really justifies. The amount
of pork exported to Japan is rela
tively small. But the downward
pressure on hog prices in the past
60 days along with the increasing
hog weights may present produc
ers with a more realistic long-term
problem than the “Japan scare.” As
NFO President, DeVon Wood
land, says, “Producers must mark
et their hogs at lighter weights and
utilize good farm management
techniques if we are to see this hog
market rise.”
•^Vi.
w.
er, John Clough, Int’l and state
president. Call 717 354-4936.
Wednesday, March 16
Tri-County Soybean Meeting,
Memorial Lutheran Church,
Shippensburg, 9:30 a.m. to
noon.
CPR Recertification, Glenda Mill
er, YF-Kennard-Dale High
School, 7:00 p.m. Call Ralph
Travis, 717/382-4871, for
information.
Swine Management School, North
Carroll High School, Hamps
tead, MD, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
County Agricultural Development
Board Meeting, Extension Cen
ter, Flemington, 8:00 p.m.
PSU Turkey Conference, Sheraton
Inn, Rt. 15, Gettysburg.
Carroll County Calf Sale, Ag Cen-
ter, Westminister.
Eastern Lane. Co. Adult Farmer
Cattle feeding meeting,
Bethany E.C. Church, Martin
dale. 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 17
Atlantic Dairy Cooperative Dis
trict 1 annual dinner meeting,
Moorhead’s Catering Service
Banquet Hall, Trappe, noon.
Conservation District Banquet,
York Springs Fire Hall, 6:30
p.m.
Bradford County 4-H Leaders
Banquet, Elk’s Club, Towanda,
7:45 p.m.
Lancaster Conservation District
Banquet, Yoders Restaurant,
New Holland.
PA Egg Marketing Meeting. Olde
Hickory Inn, Lancaster. 6 p.m.
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Practice Safety
Around Liquid Manure Pits
Many manure pits will be
cleaned out at this time of year for
field application. This by-product
of the livestock and dairy business
is very useful as fertilizer. Howev
er, the pit can be a safety hazard
because of poisonous and explo
sive gases. When the mixture is
agitated in order to be removed,
these gases are more plentiful and
much more dangerous. Good ven
tilation above the pit is very impor
tant. Also, anyone who goes down
in the empty pit should be wearing
a gas mask. These gases are
dangerous and can be fatal to both
humans and animals. We urge all
farmers to caution their employees
of this potential danger.
To Control Wild Garlic
Wc may like onions on our ham
burgers and in other foods, but
very few of us like onion-flavored
milk. This can easily happen on
dairy farms where wild garlic
plants are allowed to grow. Many
pastures are infested with wild
garlic. One of the best times to start
control measures on this weed is
early in the spring when the young
plants are 4 to 8 inches high. An
application of 2,4-D will knock
them down. Follow the label for
directions. When this is applied
around the middle to latter part of
March, little damage is done to any
legume in the area. If garlic plants
are allowed to mature each year,
the pasture area will become so
contaminated that dairy cows can
not utilize the grass.
To Check Ventilation
Systems
Wc arc into the season of the
Twin Valley Ag Day Breakfast,
6:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Call for
reservations.
Friday, March 18
Mercer County Risk Management
Seminar, County Extension
Center, 9:15 a.m.
York County 4-H Auction, 4-H
Center, 6:00 p.m. Call Roxanne
Price, 757-9657, for
information.
Soil Conservation District Annual
Dinner, Quakertown Firehouse.
Tioga County Holstein Annual
Meeting, Mansfield.
Somerset County Annual Meeting,
Berlin.
Saturday, March 19
1988 Eastern Shore Showcase
Sale, Hunter Sale Bam, Rt. 276,
west of Rising Sun, 11:00 a.m.
(Turn to Pag* A 27)
year that ventilation is very impor
tant. The fans in our poultry houses
and dairy bams have been working
hard through the winter months.
They have accumulated dust on the
louvers and screens and developed
loose belts, so they are less effi
cient —in other words they are not
moving as much air as they are
rated.
This is a good time to go through
your buildings and clean the fan
blades, the louvers and screens.
Tighten the fan blets, and be sure
to check the inlet screens. Many
times, in our poultry houses in par
ticular, we’re nor getting air circu
lation because the air can not get
into the building. Clean these inlet
screens so they are not restricting
air.
Also, be sure to check the ther
mostats to make certain they are
working properly.
THE GREAT
BETRAYAL
March 13,1988
Background Scripture: Matthew
26:1-35.
Devotional Reading: John
6:48-58.
Judas’ betrayal of Jesus on
Maundy Thursday is sometimes
referred to as “The Great Betray
al.” It is an apt description of what
Judas did and even today after all
these centuries we find it difficult
to understand why Judas would
have done what he did. We can
perhaps understand, if not
approve, that in some sitations one
might betray a friend, a colleague,
maybe even a member of our
family—but to betray Jesus, the
Son of God, is beyond
comprehension.
“Beyond comprehension,” per
haps, but not beyond commission.
We will never know why Judas
betrayed the Master —greed, jea
lousy, lust for power, disappoint
ment, a bid to force Jesus’ hand—
but something led this man whom
Jesus had trusted and loved as his
own brother to betray him in cruel
and final manner.
Maybe it was none of the above.
Perhaps it was something more
subtle and complex like the
motives with which we must con
tend today. Might it have been that
Judas simply wanted to be on the
“right side” for a change? The
“right side” of course, was the side
of the great majority. It was the
“respectable” side where all the
“right” people were. Walking side
by side with this dymanic prophet
might have been exciting for a
while, but maybe Judas decided
that being in the minority wasn’t to
his taste in the long run.
SAFE & EASY
“That’s no reason!” you may
protest But think a minute before
you jump to cone
lusions. You and
Poor ventilation can cause
health problems in poultry houses
and “off” flavored milk in dairy
bams. This is a good time to take
care of some of these inside jobs.
To Control Mice in Orchards
Now that the winter weather is
almost gone, our fruit growers
should take a look at the newly
exposed grass sod in their
orchards. If there are runways at
the surface of the grass, it is a good
sign that there are plenty of mice in
the orchard, even though a mouse
baiting program may have been
followed last fall.
The mice have used up their
stockpiles of stored food and are
now looking for a fresh supply. At
this time of the year they will move
quickly onto bark and roots of fruit
trees.
Fruit growers should rebait their
orchards as soon as possible if
there are fresh mouse signs.
I find it relatively easy and safe to
identify ourselves as Christians
today. No one wants to lock us up
or run us out of town because of it,
do they? No one is keeping us from
getting ahead in our place of
employment or profession because
of it? Being identified with Christ
doesn’t mean more taxes, social
rejection, persecution, or risk of
life and limb. So, not denying our
Lord hardly costs us anything.
Let’s assume, however, that
tomorrow all that would change.
Starting tomorrow, because of
your identification as a “Christ
ian,” you will be demoted at your
place of employment, your child
ren will be taunted and abused in
school and in the neighborhood,
and you’ll be shunned in your
neighborhood, and members of
your own family will feel
embarrassed because of your insis
tance of trotting off to church
every Sunday. Wouldn’t it be a lot
better if you denied being a Christ
ian and managed to practice it in
private where no one could possib
ly know? Who could ask for any
thing more?
SECRET DISCIPLESHIP?
As a matter of fact, Jesus could
and does! “Secret discipleship”
is a contradiction in terms. Actual
ly, many of us don’t really keep it a
secret, but neither do we go out of
our way to let it be known, either.
We don’t mind people knowing
that we attend this church or that,
but we often demonstrat with what
we do and say that we don’t lake
our religion all that seriously. We
try to demonstrate that which
doesn’t keep us from being part of
the mainstream. So, our betrayal of
Christ may be more subtle and hid
den, but is it any less real than that
of Judas?
When the disciples began to ask,
“Is it I, Lord?”, they raised a ques
tion that each of us must ask
ourselves every day of our lives.
The “Great Betrayal,” as far as we
are concerned, is not that of Judas,
but of all of us who one way or
another deny him in what we say
and do.
(Based on copyrighted outlines pro
duced by the Committee on the Uni
form Series and used by permission.
Released by Community and Subur
ban Press.)
r N£VER