AlO-Lancasler Farming, Saturday, August 27, 1988
OPINION
Pork Producers* Opportunity
Dairymen promote milk from
dollars taken off their milk checks.
The beef producers and vegetable
farmers have recently voted to
spend their money for product
advertising. Now it’s the pork pro
ducers chance to have a say in their
future. On September 7 and 8 a
referendum on whether to continue
the national pork checkoff will be
held. Voting will take place at the
county exension offices during
regular office hours.
In this case, the promotion and
research program for hog produc
ers will need a majority of yes vot
es from across the nation to be
passed. Funding for the program
that has been in effect on a trial
basis comes from a checkoff of
one-fourth of one percent on the
market value of all feeder pigs,
seed stock and market hogs. In
addition, the same levy would be
placed on all inportcd procine ani
mals, pork and pork products.
While the specific reasons for an
up-tum in consumer acceptance of
pork are hard to determine, Glen
Grimes of the University of Mis
souri reports pork demand
increased two to three percent in
the first four months of 1988 after
Farm Calendar
Saturday, August 27
Lancaster Co. 4-H Achievement
Night, Farm & Home Ctr., 6:30
p.m. (All awards presented.)
Monday, August 29
South Central District Dairy
Show, 9 a.m. Farm Show com-
plex, Harrisburg.
Indiana County Fair, Indiana,
through September 3.
West End Fair, Gilbert, through
September 3.
Wattsburg Fair, Wattsburg, Sep
tember 4.
Tuesday, August 30
Md. State Fair, Holstein 4-H FFA
Show, Timonium
Centre County Holstein Show,
Centre Hall Fairgrounds, 9:30
a.m.
Allentown Fair, Runs through
September 5.
Jamestown Community Fair,
Jamestown, through September
3.
Big Knob Grange Fair, Rochester,
through September 5.
Allentown Fair, Allentown
Grcenc-Drcber Sterling Fair,
Newfoundland, through Sep-
tember 5.
Northumberland Conservation
Meeting, Leon and Neal Wertz
Farm, 2'A mi. southeast of
Riverside.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
At Record-Express Office Building
22 E Main Street
Lititz, PA 17543
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMnrwi Enfrprmt
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newiwanger Managing Editor
CapyrlfM 1M kr-taneM*r Fffmlnf
.climbing five percent in 1987.
Grimes figures that put an extra six
dollars per head in producers
pockets.
The flagstaff of the present
promotion has been “Pork, The
Other White Meat”. This promo
tion positions pork as fatless turk
ey and poultry meat.
In Pennsylvania the share of
funds has been used to promote
pork in Acme stores and to adver
tise during Penn State and Phillies
games.
Pork producers must now
decide if the cost is worth the
return. And they must decide soon.
And they must vote on the issue to
let their voice be part of the out
come of the referendum. After it’s
over, it’s over.
There is no age limit on who can
vote. Anyone who has raised hogs
or pigs for sale in their name since
November 1986 is eligible to vote.
This includes 4-H, FFA and other
youth swine projects.
We would hope a large number
of hog producers will take the
opportunity to be heard by ballot
on this referendum. The results
willhave an impact on the hog
industry for years to come.
Wednesday, August 31
Somerset County “Touch of
Class” sale, 7 p.m., Meyersdale.
Great Stoncboro Fair, Stoncboro,
through September 5.
Sullivan County Fair, Forksville,
through September 5.
Bradford County Dairy Day, Troy
Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.
Northumberland Conservation
Meeting, Paul & Marvin Snyd
er Farm, 1/2 mi. north of
Greenbrier.
Thursday, September 1
Cumberland Co. Holstein Sale,
7:30 p.m., Shippcnsburg
Fairgrounds
South Mountain Fair, Arendlsvil-
le, through September 5.
Lackawanna Co. Vegetable Meet
ing, 6:30 p.m. Roy Thompson
Farm.
Friday, September 2
Central District Dairy Show,
Beaver Springs Fairgrounds, 9
a.m.
Wyoming County Fair,
Tunkhannock
Saturday, September 3
Maryland Holstein Futurity,
Timonium, 8 a.m.
Southwest District Dairy Show,
Bedford Fairgrounds, 9 a.m.
(Turn to Page A 29)
it
'Tm
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
•Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Determine Fertilizer Needs
The early fall months are good
limes to do soil testing and leant
what plant nutrients will be needed
for the 1989 cropping season.
When the plant nutrient needs are
known for this fall, some of them
can be applied to the soil, and
others can be ordered. Be sure to
include the nutrient value of man
ure when planning your fertiliizer
needs. The appropriate nutritive
values of the different manures arc
listed on page 22 of the 1987-88
Agronomy Guide.
With fall application, the plants
will have time to absorb some of
the plant nutrients and strengthen it
for the winter. This is especially
true with alfalfa and some of the
perennial grass crops. When soil
tests arc made in the fall, the land
owner has more time to locate and
deal for his lime and fertilizer
needs.
♦ * *
To Prepare For Local Fairs
We arc rapidly approaching the
lime for local Fairs. These limes
should be happy events but
once in a while they are not
because planning was not done
ahead of lime. This is the time to
take necessary precautions to help
prevent the possibility of your tak
ing disease to the Fair with your
animals or bringing infection
home to your farm.
Most Fairs require health charts
and specific tests or vaccination
for animals and poultry. Be sure to
read the health requirements care
fully. And, it doesn’t hurt to be
more strict than what the regula
tions may require.
Animals or poultry with any
form of ailment should be left at
home.
When animals or poultry leave
the Fair and go home, it’s impor
tant to have a place where you can
isolate them and observe them
closely for a period of time before
reluming them to their herdmates.
If in doubt, consult your veterina
rian for advice.
* * *
To Feistili/.e Alfalfa
The fall of the year, after the
removal of the last culling, is a
good lime to topdress existing
alfalfa stands. The application of a
phosphorus-potash fertilizer
(according to a soil test) in the fall
will strengthen the alfalfa roots
and result in higher yields next
summer. Nitrogen should not be
needed on established alfalfa
stands because alfalfa is a legume
and produces its own nitrogen.
Some growers topdress with fertil
izer in the fall and again after the
removal of the first culling in the
spring:.
This should result in maximum
yields with a healthy stand. When
alfalfa plants are well fed and
treated for insect injury, they
should be able to stand weather
adversities. Alfalfa plants arc
heavy feeders on both phosphorus
and potash. Unless these elements
are replaced each year, the plants
and yield will suffer.
To Be Aware Of Animals
In The Garden
In the last two weeks, gardeners
have been having more than their
Background Scripture:
Deuteronomy 32:48-52;34.
Devotional Reading:
One of the most inspiring
moments of my several visits to the
Holy Land was the trek to the top
of Mt. Ncbo in Jordan to watch the
sun set on Jerusalem and the
Mount of Olives. It was literally
and figuratively a “golden
moment” for me and my
compatriots.
Mt. Ncbo is the traditional site
of Moses’ look into the Promised
Land across the Jordan River.
Whether this is really where it hap
pened. we don’t know, but regard
less it is an inspiring and appropri
ate spot to remember Moses’
experience in which God says to
him, “I have let you see it with your
eyes, but you shall not go over
there” (Deuteronomy 34:4b).
Looking northward, Moses could
probably sec the Sea of Galilee. To
the south he could probably see the
desert of Negev. If the day was
really clear, he could probably see
the Mediterranean in the west and
the whole of the Jordan Valley.
If you go there today for sun
down, you can sec the sun gracing
the spires of some of the churches
on the Mount of Olives. That was
ptobably the only difference in
what I saw and what Moses saw, I
saw Jerusalem, but he didn’t. Yet,
he actually saw more than I did.
Moses saw the fulfillment of
God’s covenant with Israel. He
saw it from afar and would not
experience it himself, but he could
see enough to know that God’s
promise would be fulfilled.
THE WRONG SIDE
So Moses died on'the “wrong
side” of the river. Instead of the
Promised Land, he died in the land
of Moab and was buried there. In a
sense, it would seem that he died
RALPH HAD TO GO
OUT OF TOWN FOR
A FEW DAV 9, 90
IM TAKING- CARE OF
H/9 DAIRY HERD.
M
r A
y
* ♦ ♦
Joshua 1:1-9.
30 r 33 you COULD SAV
I'VE GOT A 'REAL JOB ,
'O
share of animals (groundhogs, rats,
mice, rabbits, raccoons, skunks,
and possums) invading their gar
dens and eating cantaloupes,
watermelons, com and tomatoes,
according to Bruce Hellcrick,
Extension Agent - Horticulture.
Most gardeners would not mind if
the animals ate one entire melon
but tend to get very angry when
they take one or two bites out of
almost every melon in their patch.
The problem is compounded by
the dry weather. Since the wild
berry and nut crops are very
scarce, your garden looks even
more inviting. Unfortunately,
there is very little you can do to
discourage these visitors. Here arc
a few things gardeners have tried
with varying success: animal
repellents, dried blood, tobacco
dust, lime, twine dipped in ker
osene, and human hair. Many peo
ple want to use some kind of bait.
To my knowledge there arc no
materials labeled for this use.
before his work was complete. The
people of Israel were also on the
“wrong side” of the Jordan River.
He had brought them to it, but he
could not lake them into it. Moses
died, leaving his task to another. It
would be Joshua who would com
plete what Moses had begun.
Still, we must realize that
Moses’ reputation was undimin
ished by the fact that he had not
completed the task God had given
him. The writer of Deuteronomy
was still able to say: “And there
has not arisen a prophet in Israel
like Moses, whom the Lord knew
face to face, none like him for all
the signs and the wonders which
the Lord sent him to do in all the
land of Egypt, to Pharoah and to all
his servants and to all his land...”
(34:10,11).
A SUCCESS?
The basic concern was not
whether Moses was “successful,
“but obedient and faithful. With
one exception, Moses remained
faithful. There were many times
when he surely wanted to give up
on this thankless job. The people
were frequently disobedient and
one wonders whether they ever
stopped complaining. Still, Moses
kept on through good times and
bad. He was obedient and he left to
God the question as to whether he
was successful. He knew that
another would have to take up his
mantle and lead the people on to
the end of their journey.
So it may be for many of us. We
all would like to be successful,
although most of us realize we’re
not sure what that means. But it is
not difficult to know what it means
to be faithful and that is something
we can all achieve, if we want. If
we’re faithful to God and what he
wants of us, we can leave “suc
cess” in his hands and it may well
be that someone else will have to
take up what we have not been able
to conclude. The view from Mt.
Ncbo is enough for any of us and it
only appears to be “the wrong side
of the river.”
(Basad on copyrightad Outllnaa pro
ducad by tha Committaa on tha Uniform
Sarias and usad by parmlssion. Ralaasad
by Community A Suburban Praaa.)