AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 11, 1988
OPINION
Startling Report About Carcinogens
When Dr. Bruce Ames, who
works in the Department of Bioch
emistry at the University of
California- Berkeley, developed a
faster, cheaper method to deter
mine the presence of health
threatening agents in food, he sent
shudders through the government
regulation agencies, the health
food industry and organizations
who would like to blame farmers
and agri-businesses for all the
Earth’s ills.
Traditional testing uses laborat
ory animals and can take as long as
three years and costs $lOO,OOO per
test. The Ames test uses bacteria
that can reproduce in 20 minutes
and is much less expensive.
While Dr. Ames’ test is recog
nized as a major scientific breakth
rough, a problem developed when
researchers used the new test on
common foodstuffs. To every
one’s surprise, almost everywhere
they looked they found carcino
gens. These supposed health
threatening agents showed up in a
cup of coffee, a bread crust, and in
hamburgers. Yes, and even in cel
ery, alfalfa sprouts and
mushrooms.
We say supposed health
threatening agents because the
popular assumption that man
made chemicals are the principal
cause of cancer just isn’tproven by
the facts. Thousands of new chem
icals have been developed and
used in the last 40 years. So, we
should now see an epidemic of
Farm Calendar
Saturday, June 11
Franklin County Dairy Princess
• Pageant, Kauffman Communi
ty Center, Marion, 7:00 p.m.
Strawberry Festival, Whistle Stop
Nursery & Farm, Ringoes, NJ.
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through June
12. Call 201-788-8552.
Somerset Dairy Princess Pageant,
Somerset High School, Some-
rset, 7:30 p.m.
Lebanon County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Annville High School,
Annville, 7:30 p.m.
Bradford County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Canton High School,
Canton, 8:15 p.m.
Adams County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Biglerville High
School, Biglerville.
Monday, June 13
World Pork Expo, Dos Moines,
lowa, through the 14th.
4-H Lamb Fitting & Showing,
Bradford Co., 7 p.m., Stewart’s
Farm.
Tuesday, June 14
Bucks/Montgomery Carcass Con-
Lancaster Farming
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Published Every Saturday
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by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
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Robert G Campbell General Manager
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Copyright IMS by tancaator Farming
cancer, but there is no epidemic.
Especially startling are the find
ings of Ames and his staff when
they analyzed the results of every
cancer test done on rats and mice.
By comparing the amount of a
chemical that caused cancer in
rodents to the typical exposure
people are likely to get, the Ames
team developed a ranking system.
The pesticides EDB and DDT
ranked lower than alcohol,
mushrooms, herb tea and peanut
butter.
Independent scientists have
reviewed and approved the Ames
test. Scientists at the American
Cancer Society and the American
Medical Association found that
Ames is by in large right. Dr. Peter
Preuss of the US Environmental
Protection Agency said, “I think
Bruce Ames has a very important
message. We don’t know today
what really causes cancer and what
contributes to it.”
Farmers and agri-businesses
must be held responsible to judi
ciously use their chemicals in
accordance with regulations to*
insure that food is not contami
nated. But they should not be used
as a scapegoat for contaminants
that come from other sources. We
can only hope that Dr. Ames’ new
research methods will help speed
up the discernment of what is real
ly a contaminant and what is just a
natural part of the environment in
which we live.
• ;-v
test, Delaware College,
Doylestown.
FFA activities week. State Col
lege, through the 16th.
Direct Marketing Twilight Meet
ing, Four Winds Farm, Taber
nacle, NJ. 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Call 201-788-1338.
Wednesday, June 15
Wayne County Wool Pool, Frank
Machek Farm, Pleasant Mount,
to noon. Call
8 a.m
717-253-5970 X 114.
Leaf Composting Conference,
Douglass Campus, Registration
in advance is $35. 8 a.m. to 4
p.m.
Wool Pool, 7 a.m. Bradford Coun
ty, Brcsec’s Bam, Ulster.
Thursday, June 16
Capon Conference, J.O. Keller
Conference Center, University
Park, PSU.
Bucks/Montgomery Carcass Con
test, Gchman Meats, Morwood.
(Turn to Page A3l)
I GOT A HECK Oi
X
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Encourage
Water Consumption
In the managing of any type of
livestock or poultry it is very
important to obtain maximum
water consumption. Some animals
such as heavy producing milk
cows will drink 30 gallons of water
per day. All animals should have
free access to water at all times. In
the summer the water should be as
cool as possible, and in the winter
warmed water will increase con
. sumption. Open troughs might be
covered unless the water is flowing
through the trough.
One way to encourage good
water intake is to provide access to
loose salt and minerals. These
items will not help water consump
tion but will balance the ration and
help promote more complete
digestibility. During warm humid
weather, we humans drink more
liquid. Livestock and poultry will
do the same when given the
chance. This is good management
and will increase efficiency in
production.
To Deal With
Volunteer Corn
I’ve had a number of inquiries
concerning volunteer com grow
ing in many fields. This is com that
has been left in the field since last
fall and is really a weed that will
hurt our yields the same as any
other weed. (The definition of a
weed is a misplaced plant.) The big
problem is how to get rid of it.
There is no herbicide that can be
used without killing all the com.
On tilled or minimum tilled, the
cultivator can be used to kill the
plants between the rows. In fact
with the heavy rains in May, we’re
seeing a lot of soil compaction and
crusting, so a good cultivation will
loosen the soil as well as remove
volunteer com between the rows.
On no-lill, there is no means of
eradication except the hand hoc.
The larger the com becomes the
less you’ll want to cultivate
because of root pruning. We arc
again back to using the hoe.
All this volunteer com growing
is a remainder that part o( our 1987
Friday, June 17
Susquehanna Co. Dairy Princess
Pageant, 8 p.m.. Mountain
View High School.
Bedford -Co. Dairy Princess
pageant, Northern Bedford
High School,> Loyalsburg, 8
p.m.
Juniata Co. Dairy Princess
pageant, Mifflintown Fire Hall,
7 p.m.
crop was left in the field.
To Keep
Pesticide Records
Today’s battle with insects, fun
gus, rodents and weeds requires
the use of many different chemi
cals. It is important to keep an
accurate record of any chemical
used. This would include the date,
name of material, application rate,
field number and even the direc
tion the wind is blowing. This
might save a lot of trouble and loss
of income in case there is some
question.
Many food items are being
checked by Food and Drug rep
resentatives for pesticide residues.
It is possible to find residues even
where the producer followed reg
ulations and every recommended
practice. Your records would be
very important in these cases. In
any event, always follow label
instructions.
To Feed Shrubs
After Flowering Period
Most people know that their
CURES THAT
DON’T CURE
June 12,1988
Background Scripture: Exo
dus 2:11-22.
Devotional Reading: Hebrews
11:23-28.
Exodus tantalizes us with the
bare facts about Moses’ years
between infancy and adulthood.
We would love to know so much
more. When did Moses discover
that he was a Hebrew? How? What
was his place or position at the
Pharoah’s court? Did he ever dis
cover that his nurse was also his
mother?
The writer of Exodus, however,
gives us very few facts. Moses was
bom of Hebrew parents, but raised
as an Egyptian of royal status and
affluence. His name was Egyptian,
but apparently his heart was
Hebrew. Sometime during his
young life he discovered that he
was a Hebrew and became deeply
disturbed at the unjust treatment of
his people. Essentially, those are
the facts about his early life.
QUICK & VIOLENT
But the writer of Hebrews tells
us also about Moses’ personality.
He identified with oppressed peo
ple and sometimes his reaction was
quick and violent. In a few brief
verses the writer of Exodus tells us
that Moses killed the Egyptian
whom he found beating a Hebrew
slave, intervened between two
scuffling Hebrews, and again
when some bullying shepherds
interfered with the seven daughters
of Jethro and his flocks at the well
in Midian. No doubt about it -
Moses saw himself as a champion
of the oppressed.
Unfortunately, like many of the
champions of the oppressed,
Moses was not without his fail
ings. For one thing, he sometimes
allowed his passionate feelings to
become violent actions. He tried to
cure oppression with yet more
oppression. Just as we have often
observed that violence cannot kill
plants do better if they’re fertil
ized... but many ask when is the
best time to feed shrubs. One
important thing to remember is
that shrubs need feeding immedi
ately following their flowering
periods.
For small shrubs, use one half a
handful of a complete fertilizer
such as a 5-10-10 or similar
analysis. The fertilizer should be
placed on the surface of the soil
around the plants and lightly raked
in.
After you’ve applied the plant
food to the soil, it should be soaked
in with rain or a healthy watering.
Larger plants, of course, may be
given a larger amount of plant
food.
Once a plant is firmly and fully
established, and in good growing
condition, then it may not need
regular fertilizer application.
Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion is an affirmative action, equal
opportunity educational
institution.
the truth, neither can violence kill
error. Killing the Egyptian accom
plished nothing whatsoever except
to satisfy, perhaps, Moses’ sense
of justice. The Hebrews were not
freed of oppression. Nor did his act
endear him to the Hebrews. In fact,
his violence only made things
worse: he had to flee from Egypt.
A PRINCE & JUDGE?
Although the writer of Exodus
doesn’t tell us in so many words,
he implies that Moses was also
somewhat arrogant. Perhaps this
was partly due to his position in the
Egyptian court. This, at least is
suggested by the words of one of
the Hebrews whom Moses found
fighting: “Who made you a prince
and a judge over us? Do you mean
to kill me as you killed the Egyp
tian?” (2:14).
As a young minister, I some
times identified with Moses’ type
of person. I was deeply disturbed
by injustice and oppression and
looked for some way to actively
respond. In the days of the civil
rights struggle, I marched and dur
ing the Viet Nam War I demon
strated. Looking back upon those
times, while I have no reason to
regret or renounce the positions I
took and never countenanced vio
lence, nevertheless I have some
times wondered if some of the
methods with which we pursued
the struggle were not in the long
run self-defeating. Seeking
brotherhood among races, some of
us simply stirred antagonisms. In
the name of peace, many of us only
succeeded in causing more strife.
Perhaps, although our hearts were
in the right place, our heads were
not. The means we used to cure the
evil didn’t cure it at all.
In ihc name of faith, Christians
have sometimes sown doubt. In the
name of love, we have frequently
stirred hate. In the name of Christ,
we have acted like his enemies
This was something Moses had
to learn... and all of us!
(Based on copyrighted Outlines produced
by the Committee on the Uniform Series and
used by permission Released by Community
& Suburban Press)
...you GOT VOURSELFA
DEAL THERF
SvA