AflFUHttsttr PHmting;»Sit(fiQay; l9, i9!B OPINION For ‘any harvest to be a good one, it must be safe. Here are basic suggestions from the National Safety Council to help make yours accident-free: Read and follow recommenda tions in the operator’s manual for each machine used. Make sure workers are trained and competent. Keep all shielding in place. Stay away from unshielded moving parts. Turn off the power before unclogging or dealing with operat ing problems. Use the proper tools for the job. Don’t rely on hydraulics to hold up combine headers and other components. Lock or block them securely. Keep children and non-workers off and away from machinery. Adjust travel speed to ground and crop conditions. Avoid ditch es, steep slopes, obstacles, etc. Farm Calendar Saturday, June 18 Dairy Farm Open House, Justcr Farm, Flemington, NJ. noon to 5:00 p.m. Call 201-788-1339. Sun Area Dairy Princess pageant, Susquehanna Valley Mall, Bos- cov’s auditorium, Sclinsgrove, 7:00 p.m. Beavcr-Lawrcnce Dairy Princess Pageant, Laurel Elementary School, New Castle, Hunting- don Co. Dairy Princess Pageant. Shaver’s Creek Community Building, Petersburg. Indiana Co. Dairy Princess pageant, Indiana University, Indiana, Pa. r | FARM FORUM OUR READERS WRITE j Editor; I would sincerely like to see my article on the front page of the Lan caster Fanning. Also, I would like to see less articles as the one I’m writing about. People should stick to their own job and leave farming to farmers. In response to “Dairymen’s Milk ing Practices Deserve A Second Look,” June 4 issue, ‘there are many farmers out there who should decide what they want to do: Milk cows or play with trac tors’ well, in my opinion, show me the cow I can milk and don’t have to feed and I’ll take 100. You can’t milk cows and not farm if you intend to reap a profit. It’s been a known fact down Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday At Record-Express Office Building 22 E Main Street btitz, PA 17543 by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A SMnrmn Enfrprm* Robert G Campbell General Manager Everett R Newswanger, Managing Editor CapyrigM IMS hr>L«icMt»r Farming Harvest Safety Be sure wagons and other equip ment used to transport and handle harvested crops arc working prop erly and operated safely. Be extra careful when moving portable grain augers and elevators if over head power lines are near. When hauling, obey all rules of the road. Make sure SMV emb lems are visible and that lights work properly. Wear needed personal protec tive equipment (respirators, hear ing and eye protection, etc.) when working conditions dictate. Choose comfortable, well-fitting work garb. Take breaks with non-alcoholic refreshments to reduce fatigue. In many parts of the Lancaster Farming circulation area the weather has made planting and harvesting difficult. Don’t take a momentary chance that could cause a lifetime of sorrow. Lancaster Co. Dairy Princess pageant. Farm and Home Cen ter, Lancaster. Sullivan Dairy Princess pageant, Dushore Main St., Dushore. Wednesday, June 22 Penn State Agronomyu Field Day, Rock Springs Ag Research Center, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, June 23 18lh Annual Penn Marva Young Cooperators Contest through June 24. Willow Valley Confer ence Center. Friday, June 24 Mercer Co. Dairy Princess Pageant, Mercer Co. Coop. Ext. (Turn to Page A 39) through history of the dairy indus try that you must produce the best quality feed stuffs to achieve maxi mum production and these crops are often too expensive or unavail able unless you raise your own and unfortunately this means many hours on the tractor or as Rich stales “playing with tractors.” These same toys too have been responsible for many deaths and dismembered farmers. Maybe Mr. Thompson would enjoy playing 12 hours on my tractor and still have to milk a bunch of loving Holstcins. Also, in his comment on quality and production, better take a closer look and do a little homework m OTIS y * ; — * £-i rt NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agriculture Agent To Feed Dry Matter On Pasture Pastures are growing well again due to a couple of good showers. This means that livestock can util ize some dry matter while on pas ture. This can include hay, straw or silage. With the dry matter present, they will consume a moderate amount along with the fresh grass. The dry matter slows down the passage of the lush forage through the digestive system. Also, it reduces the danger of bloating when there is clover or alfalfa in the forage mixture. If the animals are out all of the time, then a port able hay rack would be the way to feed hay or straw. Dry matter intake is important when pastures arc lush and high in water content. To Check Lighting For Layers One of the cardinal rules for poultry management is to never decrease the light period of flocks in production. Most flock mana gers would never intentionally decrease the day length to a flock in production, but we arc in the season of the year when this can happen accidentally. Most layers are in a light controlled not light-tight housing. The major sources of light leakage are the exhaust fans and air intake. Pullet flocks placed in the laying house during late fall, winter or spring can be given a 14 hour day. As summer approaches and natural day length exceeds 14 hours, lay ers in non-light tight housing will be exposed to an increasing day length due to the light entering the building through fans and air intakes. This increases in day length causes no problem. The longest day occurs on June 21 and decreases until December 21. It is this decrease in day length that can cause layers to go out of produc tion unless the time clocks con trolling the lights arc readjusted to provide the layers with the day length they received on June 21. To Use The Agronomy Guide The 1987-88 Agronomy Guide is published by our Penn Slate Cooperative Extension, and is one before making such a statement. We also should not forget we don’t set the price fpr our milk and there fore can’t always afford to hire all the help we should have. Maybe more effort should be spent on try ing to raise our slumping milk (Turn to Page A3l) REASON 9 THAT I CONSUME DAIRY PRODUCTS ARE: - I. FOR ENERGY 2. FOR VITAMINS ( 3. FOR CALCIUM e .A/MLK (.OUTIE« \ <C (2e*^ of the very best handbooks for all farmers. This Guide has been pub lished for years and is updated every two years. Copies are available at any Extension Office in Pennsylvania for a cost of only $5.00. We urge farmers to purchase a copy and use it. I am concerned that many far mers who have them are not using them. Answers to numerous phone calls asking about crop practices can be found in the Agronomy Guide. I suggest that each farmer index the crops being grown with tabs so the information can be found more rapidly. On one of these rainy days become more familiar with the contents of this Guide. It is very useful and contains dependable and researched information. To Renovate Strawberries Since the harvest of the straw- WHOAMI TO DO THAT? June 19,1988 Background Scripture: Exodus 2:23 through 4:17 Devotional Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-12. “Whom am I that I should go to Pharoah, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” Moses had a good question there. And some of his implied answers were just as good: - I’m 80 years old and well past my prime, - I don’t know who you arc. - I’m an escaped murderer still wanted in Egypt. - I’m a man rejected by my own people. - I’m neither a leader nor a speaker. They arc all good answers. But the trouble is that they were logical and truthful only within the limita tion of Moses’ mind and under standing. If he didn’t know which god this was, God would tell him: “I am who I am” (3:14). If he was right in fearing rejection by the Hebrews, God would give him signs with which to persuade them. And if Moses was right in observ ing that he had no skills as a speak er, God would provide Aaron, Moses’ brother, to be his spokesman. SOME OTHER PERSON Still, Moses protested: “Oh my Lord, send, I pray, some other per son” (4:13b). His logical argu ments shot down, Moses reacts, not with logic, but with illogic. God has already anSwcrcd all his possible objections by assuring him: “...I will be with you” (3:12). Moses is right in asserting that he is not adequate for this task, but it is God’s adequacy, not Moses’, BUT TME /WAIN REASON 15... berry crop is nearly over, it is a good time to plant for next year. In most cases, plants that have yielded two or more crops cannot be expected to do as well in the future. However, if the current planting is to be used for another year we suggest that the rows be worked by the use of mechanical cultivation and followed by top dressing with fertilizer. These practices will keep the berry plants in a row and encourage additional runners to increase next year’s yield. In the case of a new planting of strawberries, we urge you to fertil ize them in June and again in early August. This extra plant food will enable the setting of runners and will help increase yield next year. The Penn State Cooperative Extension is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educational institution. that will see him through and prevail. You and I can appreciate Moses’ feelings. From lime to time we are challenged to do something about injustice, tragedy or some other human need. We would like to help, but when we look at the thing realistically we know that there’s nothing we can do. Like Moses, we arc forced to protest: “Who am I that I could do anything about that?” Like Moses we arc cither “too old” or “100 young,” “100 powerless,” “100 poor,” “too busy,” “loo” something. We arc convinced that “they” arc not going to respond to us or what we might try to do. The mission is far greater than our resources, so we respond with Moses; “Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person.” WHAT MOSES BELIEVED Thai’s when, according to the writer of Exodus, “Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses...” (4:14). What angered God, was not just that Moses was saying “No,” but that he was rejecting God’s assurance that he could be successful if he relied upon God’s help. Moses believed in his own inadequacies more than he believed in God’s power and faithfulness. As wc read the story of God’s call to Moses in the Burning Bush, wc can’t help thinking that Moses was certainly thickheaded. For a chapter and a half he holds out against God’s persuasions, in every ease coming up with a “Yes, but...” that would exhaust any one’s patience. What look Moses so long to realize what all of us with our powers of hindsight rec ognize so easily? The answer; just about what lakes us so long when God makes a proposal to us. Wc all tend to focus on our inadequacies instead of the power of God. Wc forget that, when God calls us to a task, wc don’t have to do it all by ourselves. The question is not, “Who arc we to do this for God?” but “Who are we to say ‘No’?” (Based on copynghied Outlines produced by the Committee on the Uniform Senes and used by permission Released by Community & Suburban Press ) '&o»0 Tf/ey ttlf- Tss7e e,o V$M G°9 D l £V) Ss
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers