AlO-Uncmar Farming, Saturday, May 7, 1988
OPINION
Offset Mandatory Records Cost
We hiay very well be on the
threshold of a mandatory swine
identification program - like it or
not. The sulfa contamination has
put pork on the consumer’s ques
tion list and thrust industry into the
need to track any problem to its
source.
Of course the industry has dis
cussed the pros and cons of identi
fication tags or markings for quite
a long time. Colored ear tags, back
tags, tattoos, ear notching, and skin
implants have all been considered.
To be effective, the identification
needs to remain on the carcass
throughout post-mortem
inspections.
Now a proposal by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture states
that all hogs should be identified at
the first transaction. The proposal
would include all hogs sold, trans
ported, received for transport,
offered for sale, or slaughtered on
an individual basis. This individu
al identification rule would apply
to everyone except farrow-to
fmish producers who market their
hogs directly to the slaughter plant
Even then these hogs could not be
mixed with hogs from other sour
ces and would need to be slaugh
Farm Calendar
Saturday, May 7
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festi
val, Howard Co. Fairgrounds, 7
p.m. West Friendship, MD.
Monday, May 9
PA County Agent’s Spring Meet
ing, Keller Center, University
Park
Poultry Management and Health
Seminar, Holiday Inn at Sha
mokin Dam. Dinner 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 10
Beef Referendum Voting Day at
all county extension offices
Wednesday, May 11
Hunterdon Wine Growers Meet
ing, Extension Center, Fle
mington, New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 12
Tree Fruit Mtg., 6:30 p.m. Trexlers
Growers, Inc. Rt, 309, between
Orefield and Schnesville.
Berks County FFA Banquet, 7
p.m, Kutztown Grange
Saturday, May 14
Christmas Tree Growers Short
Course, Cook College, Bruns
wick, NJ. Contact
201-932-9271.
4-H Dairy Fitting & Showing
Workshop, Smithdale Farm,
Shippensburg.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
At Record-Express Office Building
22 E. Main Street
Lititz, PA 17543
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
4 SMrumn EnHpn ke
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newtwanger Managing Editor
C*pyrl(M IMS Frame
tered as a group.
Andy Thulin, Michigan State
University Extension Swine Spe
cialist, says the nationwide identi
fication and trace-back system
would lead to a safer meat supply.
We agree. But the mountain of
bookwork could also cause pro
ducers and packers additional
problems. The identification such
as serial numbers of hogs, addres
ses where identification was
applied, and telephone numbers of
owners, would need to be kept for
two years after disposal of the hogs
and made available to the USDA
upon request.
Whenever such an identification
requirement is put into effect, we
believe the USDA should also
make readily available to the swine
producer other pertinent informa
tion that would help in herd man
agement Besides the drug testing,
other health information such as
pneumonia, liver ascarid damage,
and mange should also be col
lected and reported to the produc
er, Then at least some of the cost of
keeping mandatory records for
drug control could also be offset by
increased management
information.
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Sunday, May 15
Home Garden Day at the Arbore
tum, Park System office, Rt. 31,
1 p.m. $3 at the door.
Monday, May 16
PA Dairy Sanitarian & Laboratory
Analysts Conference, J.O.
Keller Conf. Ctr., PSU.
Northeast National Ag Marketing
Officials annual meeting, Wil
low Valley Resort, through the
18th.
Wednesday, May 18
Atlantic Dairy Ag. leaders lunch,
Harvest Drive, 12 noon.
Friday, May 20
Bradford Co. Dairy Fitting/
Showing workshop, Mike &
Stacy Huslander’s farm on Ber
wick Turnpike Crossroad, 8
p.m.
Saturday, May 21
Spring Wine Festival, Tomasello
Wineries, Atlantic Co. Md.,
noon until 3 p.m. Through the
22nd.
Saturday, May 7
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festi
val, Howard Co. Fairgrounds, 7
p.m. West Friendship, MD.
Monday, May 9
PA County Agent’s Spring Meet-
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A •
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Be Careful With
Weed Sprayers
Farmers and gardeners should
keep in mind that many weed killer
materials will stick in the equip
ment for years. This is especially
true of all forms of 2,4-D. sprayers
in which this material has been
used should be kept only for weed
spraying, or very carefully
cleaned. The use of very hot water
with household ammonia (1 part
ammonia to 100 parts of hot water)
is suggested; this mixture should
be allowed to stand for 24 hours in
the equipment and then sprayed
out . . . in the lane or driveway.
Extreme care should be taken with
this cleaning job after each herbi
cide treatment.
The safest method is to have
separate sprayers for weed killers.
Over the years I can recall a num
ber of tobacco and vegetable plants
that have been damaged because a
sprinkling can or sprayer used last
fall was not thoroughly cleaned.
To Control Flies
Flies are a continual problem to
keep under control on most farms.
Successful fly control begins ear
ly, before flies become a problem.
Best control results from using a
variety of preventative and control
measures. Hies have developed
resistance to many chemicals.
Therefore, it is beneficial to use
several different classes of insecti
cides (i.e. organo phosphates,
pyrethrines, etc.) - not to be con
fused with methods of application
(residual sprays, baits, feed addi
tives, etc.). By using a variety of
insecticides, flies that are resistant
ing, Keller Center, University
Park
Tuesday, May 10
Beef Referendum Voting Day at
all county extension offices
Wednesday, May 11
Hunterdon Wine Growers Meet
ing, Extension Center, Re
mington, New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 12
Tree Fruit Mtg., 6:30 p.m. Trexlers
Growers, Inc. Rt. 309, between
Orefield and Schnesville.
Bedes County FFA Banquet, 7
p.m. Kutztown Grange
Saturday, May 14
Christmas Tree Growers Short
Course, Cook College, Bruns
wick, NJ. Contact
201-932-9271.
4-H Dairy Fitting & Showing
Workshop, Smithdale Farm,
Shippensburg.
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to one might be killed by another.
Of equal importance is the preven
tion of fly breeding places. In other
words, keep the premises clean. If
feed is spilled, clean it up, scrape
yards and alleys several times
weekly, clean pens and box stalls
weekly and incorporate manure
soon after application.
To Do Spring Pruning
Many plants and bushes require
some corrective pruning to
improve their appearance, to hold
them to desirable size, and to
remove damaged and weakened
sections.
There is a time to prune and a
time not to prune, and this varies
from plant to plant. A good time
for pruning spring flowering plants
is after they’ve bloomed and
before they start forming next
year’s flowering buds. Pruning
soon after flowering also gives
more time for new growth to cover
up that newly-pruned look.
Background Scripture:
Hebrews 8:1 through 10:18.
Devotional Reading: Jeremiah
31:31-34.
In a recent newspaper article I
read that someone in Israel was
seriously proposing that the Jeru
salem Temple be rebuilt and the
practice of animal sacrifice be
revived there. Even more incredi
ble was the report that this propos
al has found some support among
various Christians.
The old-covenent-frame-of
mind dies hard. Although we know
that Christianity is the creation of
the New Testament, some Christ
ians, I And, look more to the Old
Testament than the New. Our
denominational newspaper recen
tly carried a letter from a reader
who sought to gamer Christian
support for the nation of Israel on
the basis of God’s promise of this
land to the people of Israel. What
this reader seemed to forget was
that the old covenant with Israel
had long ago been superceded by a
nfiw one.
OF THINGS
AND PLACES
This is the covenant of which
Jeremiah prophesied (and the wri
ter of Hebrews quoted): ‘The days
will come, says the Lord, when I
will establish a new covenant with
the house of Israel... not like the
covenant that I made with their
fathers. . .” (Hebrews 8:8). The
new covenant was not to be one of
things or places, but of an inner
reality: “I will put my laws into
their minds, and write them on
their hearts...” (8:10). The earth
ly sanctuary of the old covenant,
said the writer of Hebrews, has
been replaced with a heavenly
sanctuary.
As Christians, we acknowledge
that the old covenant is pari of our
spiritual heritage. The New Testa-
FOR PROVIDING - OG
with nutritious?
AND DELICIOUS)
BEEF PRODUCTS
To Practice
Lawn Mowing Safety
Lawn grasses are growing
rapidly now. Bluegrasses push-up
their seed heads, making cutting
more difficult, clogging mowers,
using more power to operate and
causing more accidents.
Unsafe operation of power
lawnmowers leads to 75,000 mow
ing accidents every year according
to the National Safety Council.
Unfortunately most of the injuries
occur to the hands and feet of boys
and girls.
Follow common sense safety
rules in operating these power
machines . . . wear sturdy shoes
. . .keep hands and feet away from
moving parts. . . never mow while
the grass is wet from dew or rain.
Always insist that the engine is
shut-off when servicing, adjusting
or cleaning under the machine.
Accidents cannot happen from
moving parts ... if there is no
power avavilable.
ment has grown out of the Old. But
that doesn’t mean that the old
covevnant remains in force. Not
according to the Epistle to the
Hebrews: “
obtained a ministry which is as
much more excellent than the old
as the covenant he makes is better
. . . For if the first covenant had
been faultless, there would be no
occasion for the second” (8:6,7).
The writer makes it even more
plain when he concludes: “In
speaking of a new covenant he
treats the first as obsolete” (8:13),
OLD OUTLOOK
So why do we continue to be so
“old covenant” in our outlook?
Peihaps it is that the old covenant
view is more primitive and there
fore seems easier. The concept of
having to sacrifice something in
order to handle our guilt and sin is
probably as ancient as the human
race. Although the Old and New
Testament references to blood
mean little to us today, we must
remember that blood was the
essence of life. Sin was “washed
away,” not so much by blood itself,
as by the life force that the blood
represented.
What made the sacrificial sys
tem meaningful was the realization
that the consequences of sin were
great enough to require the sacri
fice of life itself. Thus, Hebrews
says: “For if the sprinkling of
defiled persons with the blood of
goats and bulls .. . sanctifies for
the purification of the flesh, how
much more shall the blood of
Christ.. . purify your conscience
from dead works to serve the living
God” (9:13,14).
Every system for dealing with
the reality of sin requires some
kind of regular repetition of the
process. Except one, says the wri
ter of Hebrews:". .. wehavebeen
sanctified through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for
all” (10:10). What the priests used
to do daily in the temple, Christ has
done once and for all on a cosmic
scale. “Therefore he is the media
tor of a new covenant.”
(Based on copyrighted Outlines produced by the Corn
mittee on the Uniform Senes and used by permmon
Released by Community A Suburban Press.)
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Christ has
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