AlO-Unonter Fanning, Saturday, October 22, 1988
OPINION
Good Neighbors
A generation ago, manure was
considered a very valuable com
modity. One farm family m the
’4o’s and ’so’s valued manure c s
the extent that tney considered the
fertilizer vaiue worth Inc year's
input into a stable of steci. e- en f
no profit was nude on tie be:.'
market.
es to the up and coming manure
ordinances the farmc must get
involves First, he must ge*
involved ir the formulation of
tncse ordinances so they are wn -
ten with the pracuca need, of die
farmer budt into Ine document m
addition, the tarme must star*
immediately to educate his town-
Now in Southeastern Fennsyl- ship supervisors and town official
vama manure is consider d a in his area about practical manure
nusiance by many people. Of application,
course, many people who aa- e nnd most importantly, the tar
opinions on manure are net lar- mcr must i e responsible on bis
mers uroan who na re own farm As Paul Swartz, direc
movcdfrom N'ev f orh, Bammoi e or of environmental resources ir
and Pfu'.adchma to hv\ m do the Su.c Bureau oi 001! anc Water
peaceful farm eomniumoe.. ;.o.v Conscrvapo.. recent v told far
fmd me wording fail, oente mers manure discnarjcd m sur
j.ep' L> oe less man a -ir„ou ,r a, e w. 1 e*' i> .is on-ndered ■>.'
JvitiUa'i Cl l ' ,r CnT.‘
governmeu regulators i.
moved u ward pUn; mat w>l. ten
larmem how, wnere, hen aim
hov much they may appiy manure
on tneir farms.
With the over population of
livestock and poultry on area
farms, high levels of nitrates and
other contaminates are found in the
underground water sources. For
example, in Lancaster County, of
539 wells sampled by DER, one
third of these wells exceeded the
Enviommental Protection Agen
cy’s safe drinking water standards
for nitrates. This all adds impetus
to the regulatory instincts of urban
neighbors.
The most visable outgrowth of
this problem has surfaced in Lan
caster County as local governing
bodies consider manure ordi
nances. The county conservation
district sent a sample ordinance to
41 township supervisors several
months ago. Under this ordinance,
farmers would be required to
obtain a permit to increase the
number of livestock or to change
the type of livestock on the opera
tion. The permit could be denied
by the township if the
additional manure could not be
disposed of safely on existing land
The permit would be necessary
only to expand or change the farm
ing operation. Seasonal increases
would be allowed.
Some farmers think that to heip
formulate these ordinances ij ! :kc
aiding the enemy. At the Lancaster
County Farmers Association
annual meeting last week, several
members were concerned that to
show any support for such ordi
nances would only open ihe door
to more government control and
more “red tape”.
But the manure problem will not
go away. And the urban neighbors
will continue to get closer to the
“back forty". The farmer who
chooses to continue to farm beside
his city-bred neighbors cannot
ignore the problem. When it com-
Lancaster Fanning
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E Mam St
Ephrata PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
Robert C Campbell
General Manager
Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1(H by Lancubr Firming
About Manure
>' e grouno p- 'rluc.
v.ater .n tne Comm 'nwealti ’
ivwiru said
‘‘The big problem in Pennsyh a
nia is people.” Swam said. “The
way agriculture funcuons today,
does not easily mtergrate with peo
ple. You can’t farm on one side of
the road and have the city on the
other side. You have to many
problems with odors-—.”
Unlike some experts, we believe
urban dwellers and farmers can co
exist in this area. But to do so will
require each person to dcvelopc
tollerance for the other’s prob
lems. Each must work together to
accomodate the other’s needs.
Farmers must start to appreciate
the city neighbors for their contri
bution to the community-hkc pro
viding close markets for farm pro
ducts. And city folks must over
look some of the working farm’s
nuisances so they can continue to
enjoy the open space of the coun
try. This kind of mutual coopera
tion will keep us going imo in:
twentv-firsi century and keen us
going, even if local manure ordi
nances are enacted.
Farm Calendar
Saturday. October 22
Western PA Pork Producers Day,
Cranberry Motor Lodge, Wm
rendale, 9 a.rn
Antique Engine tractor and Toy
Club meeting, Kempion Fi e
Hall, 6 30 p.m,
PA Jr. Holstein Association,
Executive Committee meeting,
PA Holstein Office at State
College, 10:30 a.m.
Eastern PA 4-H Beef & Lamb
Sale, Ag Hall, Allentown Fair
Grounds, 10 a.m.
Keystone of Quality Simmental
Show and Sale, 10 a.m., Greene
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster C ounly Agriculture Aeent
To Plan Winter- Weed
Control In Alfalfa
As the alfalfa plant stows dow
and prepares to go into dormancy,
other plant populations in tnat
same field can be increasing in
vigor and growth. These are the
winter annual weeds - chickwccd,
shepherds purse, yebov nxkct
and some grassy weed) which
overwinter. All are in then young
siau < grovvlti
' ou’li noi see crop uijirv now,
J ui. wail umr liu. lav. culua 0
on.cv ')i nc\ t i'vi
‘ .v 'di o l '
I ii. rk 1
:ul .1 »eed - ::nitr: sen only
Jo ya id sc a o.cc *" i'ut ii ,ti.i cur
iP t protuems and ha> qual
.t\ results.
Fall applied herbicide(s) will
largely eliminate the costly winter
weed problem. The Agronomy
Guide lists a number of effective
materials. Follow label instruc
tions for application rates.
To Check Ventilation
Equipment For Winter
Exhaust fans in dairy and poul
try houses have a heavy ventila
tion job to do. They remove
moisture and dust, and in many
cases run almost continually from
October to April.
To make your ventilation sys
tem ready for winter, several items
may need attention. The fan
blades, motor enclosures and
louvered shutters need cleaned
frequently. Loose belts are com
mon on belt driven fans. Fan out
put varies directly with fan speed.
A 10 percent loss in R.P.M.’s of
the fan means a 10 percent loss in
air delivery.
Countv Fairgrounds,
Waynesburg
McKean County 4-F Achieve
ment Night, County Fair
greunds. ~i "'j v j i
Monday, October 24
State Grange annual meeting,
through the 27th.
Cumberland Co. Dairy Farm Man
agement workshop, Vo-Ag
room, Shippensburg Sr. Hign
School, 7:30 pm.
Atlantic Dairy Coop Mycrstown
Local of District 34 meeting,
7:30 p.m. at Prescott Fire Hall.
(Turn to Page Al 9)
TV, • jju
il nav
* N fc,
T
"" ~ f
Check the thermostat for accu
racy by hanging a thermometer
beside it for easy comparison. Be
sure the sensing element is clean
and free from dust.
To Pick and
Store Apples
Whether you grow apples or
just like to eat them, it’s important
to store them properly.
Cool apples will keep longer.
Ideally, they should be stored at
33’ F, at 90 percent humidity, and
in dim light or darkness
Now as to picking, it’s a good
practice to store the fruit in shade
as it is oicked, then allow it to
stand in the orcahrd overnight to
cool Then, place the apples in
storage earb' in the morning
before the temperature rises too
much.
If vou leave apples in a packing
shed or in piles under the tree- for
one week, you’ll shorten their
1% mmuM 4
IV\ SPEAKS :
! IT’S NOT fair :
I October 23,1988 j
I I
Background Scripture:
Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12.
Devotional Reading:
Isaiah 52:7-15
Who is “the servant” about
whom Isaiah speaks so eloquent
ly? It seems obvious that the pro
phet regarded Israel as the “Suffer
ing Servant.” Israel had indeed
suffered, but Isaiah saw this suffer
ing as an opportunity for God to
accomplish his purpose in the
world. The people who heard
Isaiah must have been shocked for
this was probably the most
astoundingly revolutionary idea
they had ever heard. It was con
trary to everything held true and
sacred by people in that timc-not
to mention our own.
Christians have always regarded
Isaiah’s “servant” as a prophecy of
Jesus Christ for he perfectly fits
the prophet’s description. Certain
ly Jesus himself must have seen
himself m this role, finding,it a
model for his own passion: “He
was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not h’.s
mouth . ” (53;7a). Even details of
his passion are seemingly p-e
-figured: “And they mad" It grave
with the wicked Oh? thieves cruci
fied with him i and with a rich man
(Joseph Anmathca) in his death,
although he nad done no violence,
but there was no deceit in his
moulti” (53.9).
WITH HIS STRIPES
Obviously Christian theology
has always been greatly influenced
by the concept of the “Suffering
Servant.” The whole concept ol
atonement is found in Isaiah’s
declaration that “Surely he has
borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows;...But he was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities; upon him was
... AND I'D HATE TO 1
SEE YOU GET SICK
FROM EATING ALL
THAT CANDY
storage life by about five weeks.
So, keep apples cool, maintain
good air circulation during stor
age, and your apples should keep a
long time.
For Farm Show Entries
January, and Pennsylvania
Farm Show time, seems like a
long time away. But, really it is
not, because now is the time to be
making your livestock and dairy
entries for the Pennsylvania Farm
Show. Just a reminder tnat
November 2 is the deadline fe:
these entries and that is do:: at
hand. So, if you are mteres"'.’ m
exhibiting at Farm Snow, >
obtain entry blames and a prerr.'im,
book from your Exicns jr
Office. The Farm Smw nr*
January 8 through ij, 198 J
The Penn Su.a Coopcrati c
Extension i> a., afiur.iat v> -k.u,.
equal ecUira\j" u
msUluuor
the cnasusemet f that made 5
wh '•> 1-v ■ 1 rs sin, ;s we are
feu 1 \ f
'..Tij'l 1 ’I •' nn diffiv . !
wv ir, n ->g'i i, [\-in as
‘“vil 'nr"- -e nt ” What
i^n. ,a v iot lio v n
er, !- me ‘ Sufterng Serv'-e
is aK * supplied 'o Ik us lot- I 1
Jesus wa. io c induct (umsc 1 ! o\
this revolutionary conccp l -
vicarious suffering-, so, it we are
Christians- “little Christs”— are
we.
~1
In that regard, we find this idea
just as shocking as did the people
of Isaiah’s own time. We see no
reason to believe that this is a
viable way of life for us. Like the
people of Israel, we know that one
succeeds through success, not fai
lure. In the words of a famous foot
ball coach, we believe that “Win
ning is not the most important
thing; it’s the only thing!” Jesus
may have “won” doing it the
“other way,” but it is not anything
that would work in the “real
world.”
SLLF-SACRIFICE
In general, then, Christian;, may
salute the suffering servant con
cept, hut there is little inclination
to incorporate it into our In -1
There aie some exceptions, <'l
course. Family members often
willingly bear me ot
the deeds of I" veil ones. From time
to time a pcrs< si may even be 10 mJ
to sacrifice himself or hciscll vic
ariously for another But, for the
most part, wc ■ auldn’t want this
idea to catch on. Vicarious sniffl
ing i c not “in"; getting what’s coin
ing to us is.
Many ot ns arc obsessed ' -lh
what is “iair.” Wc assume tha'! e
is guaranteed to be fair and wc arc
irate when it doesn’t seem to be.
Our most common complaint to
God is that he fails to maintain
“fairness” in the universe. What
we forget is that while God is just,
life may not be fair.
And, if life isn’t fair, then maybe
the only way to “win” is the way
that Jesus chose. We still haven’t
given this way a chance.
(Based on copynghled Outlines produced by
the Committee on the Uniform Senes and used b>
permission. Released by Community & Suburban
Press)
...SO TO BETIER EAT
HALF OF IT
< FOR TOO '
- nr
“Tl