AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 13, 1988
OPINION
“An Industry Called Agriculture”
The big summer focus on agri
culture is upon us again. Penn
State University goes all out each
August to showcase the reasearch
and development that has evolved
in agriculture over the years.
And since education is what
PSU is good at, we will expect Ag
Progress Days to be educational,
and they are. Every year farmers
make the decision on how much
fertilizer and what pesticides and
herbicides to use. At Progress
Days this year a special topics tour
will be held to explain the latest
research on the effects of farm pro
duction on water quality.
Or, if you have a brown spot on
your lawn, or your tomato plants
are stunted, you can take a sample
along to Ag Progress Days and talk
to the faculty at the Plant Disease
Clinic. They are prepared to
answer your questions.
Teenagers will find something
too. Computer and careers in agri
Farm Calendar
Saturday, August 13
Pa. Angus Farm Sale, Warren
Angus, Furlong
Bradford Co. Jr. Holstein Club,
Blueberry Festival, Snowcrest
Farm (David Walroth)
Polled Hereford Field Day, Salun
ga Auction, Salunga, 8:30 a.m.
Adams County poultry queen con
test, Cross Keys, Motor Lodge,
New Oxford, 5 p.m.
Sunday, August 14
Columbia/Luzeme Dairy Field
Day, 1 p.m., location in county
mailing.
Dayton Fair, Dayton, August 20.
Cameron County Fair, Emporium,
August 14-20.
Carbon County Fair, Lehighton,
August 14-20.
Huntingdon County Fair, Hunting
don, August 14-20.
Washington County Fair,
Washington, August 14-20.
McKean County Fair, Smithport,
August 14-21.
Lehigh County 4-H Horse Round
up, 9 a.m. Macungie Memorial
Park, Macungie.
Monday, August 15
South Central Holstein Show,
Shippensburg Championship,
9:30 a.m.
National County Agents meeting,
Charlotte, N.C., August 14-18.
Berks County 4-H Dairy Round
up. Reading Fair Grounds,
August 15-16.
Bullskin Township Fair, Mt.
Pleasant, August 15-20.
PSU Vegetable Field Day, Rock
Springs
Tuesday, August 16
Ag Progress Days, State College,
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
At Record-Express Office Building
22 E Mam Street
Lihtz, PA 17543
by -
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMumn Srtepnfce
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Nawawanger Managing Editor
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culture is the theme of this year’s
Youth Building. Counselors will
offer advice and information.
And, if you’re a housewife look
ing for a way to cut the fat in your
diet, “The Moating Place” is for
you. PSU faculty and representa
tives from the meat industry will
be on hand to show you new ways
to cook and serve lean cuts of pork,
lamb, veal and beef.
And, of course, you’ll want to
see the field demonstrations.
Grassland management will be
big, as will many of the tillage and
harvesting demonstrations. And
there will no end to the new and
modern farm machinery and
equipment on display for your
inspection. x
As in the past, this year’s Ag Prog
ress Days promises to be the show
case in modem farming. Truly “an
industry called farming” will be on
display next week at Rock Springs.
We’ll see you there.
*2
August 16-18.
Huntingdon County Holstein
Show, Huntingdon, 9 a.m.
Md. State Fair, State Fairgrounds,
Timonium, Md.
Mifflin County Holstein Summer
Classic Sale, Belleville, Kish
Valley Dairy Sales, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, August 17
Northeast Championship Show,
Troy Fairgrounds, 9:30 a.m.
PDA performance tested boar sale,
Ag arena, PSU, 6 p.m.
Thursday, August 18
Lawrence County Holstein Show,
New Castle fairgrounds, 9 a.m.
Washington County Holstein
show, Washington.
Delaware Summer Landscape
Expo, Apgar-Turf Farm, Smyr
na, DE.
Friday, August 19
Bucks Co. Holstein Show,
Wrightstown/Middletown
Grange, 11 a.m.
Erie County Holstein Show,
Waterford Fairgrounds
Antique Tractor Show, Preble
County Fairgrounds, Eaton,
Oh.
Saturday, August 20
Central Championship Show, 6
p.m., Huntingdon Fairgrounds
Warren County Holstein Sale,
Pittsfield, noon.
Northeast District Dairy Shows,
Troy Fairgrounds, 9 a.m.
PA Cattlemen’s Association, sum
mer field day, Ag arena, PSU, 9
a.m.
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NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
’Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Use
Equipment Safely
We are fast approaching the
harvesting of nearly 190,000 acres
of com in Lancaster County. This
harvest is the result of a big invest
ment of time, effort and money.
And this year it is going to take a
lot more acres to fill your silo,
because of the dry weather. That
means the harvesting equipment
will be traveling over more
acreage, and whether it’s free from
a costly mishap depends on how
well you prepare your equipment
and how safely you and your help
run that equipment. Here are some
suggestions:
* Operate and maintain all
machines according to the opera
tor’s manual.
* Keep all shields in place.
* Shut off the power before
unclogging or servicing. Wait until
all parts have stopped.
* Adjust ground speed to field
and crop conditions.
* Use caution on highways with
SMV signs in place.
* Keep children and non
workers off and safely away from
harvesting equipment
* Look up as well as to the front
and back when moving tall equip
ment near overhead power lines.
Safely requires practice ... let’s
practice it every day.
To Apply For
Gasoline Tax Refund
I would like to remind our far
mers that application for the Pen
nsylvania Liquid Fuel Tax Refund
should be filed before September
30.
Fanners may apply for a 12 cent
per gallon refund on all liquid fuels
used in non-licensed tractors when
used off the highway for agricul
tural purposes, or non-licensed
power farm machinery used for
actual farm work. This includes
fuel used in all auxiliary engines
on balers, elevators and other sta
tionary equipment.
The liquid fuel tax is for all farm
production fuel used between July
1, 1987 and June 30. 1988.
The people who have not
already received applications
should apply by writing: Board of
Finance and Revenue, Room 409
Finance Building, Harrisburg, PA
17120 or by calling
717-787-3365.
Remember, applications
received after September 30 will
not be honored; they must be filed
on time. The time to do it is now.
Keep in mind - this is not
money the State is giving you - it
is money you already paid; you are
just applying to get it back. It may
not seem like much but 12 cents
per gallon on 5,000 gallons is
$600.00.
To Apply Lime
When Seeding
Small Grains
Preparation is being made for
fall wheat and barley seeding. This
is an excellent time to apply lime.
A soil test will indicate how much
per acre, if needed. This is doubly
important if you plan to seed a
grass-legume mixture next spring.
Many times a clover or alfalfa
producer will wait until spring to
have lime applied to his field. This
is not the best way to obtain a good
stand. Lime needs up to six months
to react to the soil and correct the
acidity.
If soil needs lime, it should be
REDEMPTION OR
EXEMPTION?
August 14,1988
Background Scripture:
Numbers 14; 1-25
Devotional Reading:
Exodus 33:7-16.
The Exodus took place more
than 3,000 years ago. Yet despite
all those years intervening
between their time and ours, the
behaviour of the people of Israel
seems surprisingly contemporary.
The forms of their behaviour may
be quite different but the motiva
tion doesn’t appear to have
changed all that much.
What could be more contempor
ary than the whining of the Israel
ites after having been challenged
to take possession of the Promised
Land! “Would that we had died in
the land of Egypt! Or would that
we had died in the wilderness!
Why does the Lord bring us into
this land, to fall by the
sword?...would it not be belter for
us to go back to Egypt?” (Numbers
14:1-3).
THE SECURITY OF
BONDAGE
It seems so strange when you
think about it, but it is always a
human temptation to want to go
back when confronted by a chal
lenge. It would appear that many
of the Israelites would have chosen
to return to Egyptian slavery,
rather than take up the challenge of
the Promised Land. The problem is
that 100 many of us prefer the sec
urity of bondage to the uncertainty
of faith. So the people of Israel
believed more strongly in the
might of the Canaanites than they
did the power of the God who had
already delivered them in so many
ways. Strange, but not all that
unbelievable, for we still some
times respond that way to God’s
worked into the topsoil when the
small grain seedbed is being pre
pared. Legume seedings are cost
ly; be sure the soil is between 6.7 to
7.0 pH so they have a good chance
to survive.
To Fertilize
Strawberries
The new strawberry patch that
you planted this spring should be
pushing runners by this time of
year. It’s a good idea to fertilize
these new plantings during
August. A fertilizer high in nitro
gen would be best
The objective is to encourage
more runners and develop a stron
ger plant. It will also increase
yields for next summer. Another
thing, weeds must be controlled at
all times to have a healthy straw
berry patch. The earlier in die sum
mer we can get the runner plants to
take root the better they will be
established for next year.
challenges.
Moses sought to persuade God
to pardon the Israelites and we
can’t help being a bit amused at his
attempts to argue with God, slyly
suggesting that, if he destroys the
Israelites, the neighboring people
will think; “Because the Lord was
not able to bring this people into
the land which he swore to give to
them, therefore he has slain them
in the wilderness” (14:16). In other
words, the death of the Israelites
•will look like a failure of God’s
power. Instead, he says, let God
display the power of his love.
THE CONSEQUENCES
So, God does pardon Israel.
Moses prayed for redemption and
that’s what Israel received. The
people were all forgiven for their
faithlessness. That, however, did
not mean that they would be
exempted from the consequences
of their sin. Forgiven, yes!
Exempted, no! “...none of the men
who have seen my glory and my
signs which I wrought in Egypt
and in the wilderness, and yet have
put me to the proof these ten times
and have not hearkened to my
voice, shall see the land which I
swore to give to their faithers”
(14:22,23).
God forgave them and that
wiped clean the slate of their
covenant relationship. But it did
not alter the consequences of their
sin. Redemption brings us forgive
ness, but it does not bring us
exemption from paying the price
of our own actions or attitudes. If I
get drunk and drive down the street
and kill someone in a traffic acci
dent, I can be redeemed of my sin
by God, but no amount of forgive
ness on his part will undo the con
sequences of my sin. The person I
killed will still be dead. The sor
row I have brought to other peo
ple’s lives will not be whisked
away with a magic wand.
What Go(F promises us and
gives us is redemption, not exemp
tion. And that’s the way it should
be, for we can live with the
consequences- hard and painful as
they may be- but not without
God’s forgiveness.
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