AIQ-UncMtw Fanning, Saturday, October 29, 1988 OPINION A Barn Raising We want to applaud the efforts in New York State to establish a center for Agricultural Medicine and Health at a Bassett Hospital in Coopers town. While fanning has surpassed mining as a hazardous occupation, proper help is often not available in time of need. Medical personnel at the scene of a farm accident are hard pressed to know what to do because of special farm situations. For example, a fanner got his hand in the com picker. The med ics arrived in time to help but didn’t know how to operate the equipment to release die man’s hand. They wasted valuable time while they found someone who did know how to operate it. The New York facility is planned to educate both medics and farmers. Farm related acci dents that involve tractor overturns and power-take-off dismember ments receive lots of publicity. But there are other less well known hazards that fanners face each day. Like hearing loss, arthritis, skin cancer, bronchitis and other lung disorders. The American Lung Associa tion has recognized the breathing hazards of farmers and moved to provide information for the pre- Farm Calendar Saturday, October 29 PSU Dairy Club Nittany Lion Fall Classic, Ag arena. Benefit Auction for Amish acci dent victims, York Co. Lives tock Sales, New Park, 9 a.m. Monday, October 31 PA Agricultural Agents Meeting. PFU 17th Annual Convention, dinner, 6 p.m., Holiday Inn, Grantville. Tuesday, November 1 PA Association of County Agents meeting, Penn State University. Wednesday, November 2 Washington/Greene Annual Mtg., Ramada Inn, Washington, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 3 Lancaster County Poultry Assn. Tour to Baltimore Inner Har bor, Leave Farm & Home Cen ter, 8 a.m. Friday, November 4 Tulpehocken Young Farmer Ban quet, Shortlesville Grange Hall, 7 p.m. Saturday, November 5 Bucks County Annual Holstein Meeting. 15th Annual North American International Livestock Exposi tion, Kentucky Fair and Expo Of Commitment vention and cure of these diseases. Nine booklets designed as an edu cational series for ag respiratory hazards arc available from your local lung assn, chapter. Produced in cooperation with the extension service of lowa State University, the subjects include: 1. Agricultur al Structures and Respiratory Problems; 2. Dusts from Decayed Grain, Hay, and Silage; 3. Grain Dusts; 4. Livestock Confinement Dusts and Gases; S. Oxides of Nit rogen (Silo Gas); 6. Applied Agri cultural Chemicals; 7. Infectious Diseases; 8. Measurement of Agri cultural Dusts and Gases; and 9. Personal Protective Equipment A series for doctors, nurses and med ics is also available. Dr. David S. Pratt, director of the New York center, recently told journalists that fragmented interest groups will fail to provide quality occupational health services for farmers. But if we join our efforts in combined concern from a uni fied ag community, we will suc ceed. “We need a bam raising commitment to a safer, healthier world for farmers, farm workers and their families,” Dr. Pratt said. We believe the new Cooper stown center lays the foundation for that barn raising. Center. Runs through Nov. 19. Monday, November 7 Cumberland Co. Dairy Farm workshop, vo-ag room, Ship pensburg H.S., 7:30 p.m. Octorara Young Farmers annual dinner meeting. West Fallow field Christian School, 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, November 8 Ephrata Area Young Fanners Swine and Beef meeting, Ephrata, H.S., 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, November 9 National FFA Convention, 11/9-12 Maryland Governor’s Conference, Future of Ag, Omni, Baltimore; 11/10-11 Bradford Extension annual meet ing, Wysox Presbyterian Church, 7 p.m. Lackawanna Co. extension meet ing, Lakeview Lounge, Intersection Routes 107 & 247. Thursday, November 10 Centre Co. annual Holstein meet ing, Progress Grange, Pleasant Gap. Berks Co. Farmer Business person exchange, slh annual Farm- City banquet, 6 p.m. at Stoke say Castle * NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agriculture Agent To Prevent Pneumonia As temperature and weather conditions vary considerably from day to day and from hour to hour, precautions need to be taken to prevent pneumonia. Pneumonia causing organisms are normally present in the respiratory tract, but under periods of stress an animal’s resistance can be lowered to the point where it can no longer fight off the infection. So, it’s important to minimize stress on animals. Keep bams well ventilated, but avoid cold drafts. This may require frequent adjustment of doors and windows, or the proper installation and use of fans. Good ventilation prevents the buildup of stagnant, moist germ-laden air. That’s important! Also avoid overcrowding. During inclement and rapidly changing weather con ditions, one should also minimize stresses associated with transport ing animals, weaning, changing feeds, deworming, vaccinating, etc. When necessary, consult your veterinarian for advice on immu nization and treatment To Observe Weed Populations Now that most of the com is harvested, we can plainly see what weeds failed to be controlled in those fields. We arc seeing more of the persistent, hard-to-control weeds appearing in our crop fields during the past 10-12 years. In part, this is because we have changed our farming methods, particularly tillage techniques and we’re not using crop rotations in the case of continuous com. Bindweeds, horsenettle, hemp dogbane, curly dock, Canada thistle, Johnsongrass, and yes, even woody plants such as bram bles and small volunteer trees have appeared in increasing num bers. We need to note the presence of these weeds now and then pre pare to deal with them. When you notice a new weed. Cumberland Co. Dairy Banquet, Penn Tupt Fireball, Huntsdale Lancaster Co. PA Holstein Associ ation annual meeting, Good-N- Plenty Restaurant, Lancaster. Drought Adjustment meeting, Vo- Ag room Gettysburg H.S., 8 p.m. Cumberland Co. Dairy Herd Improvement program annual meeting, Penn Township Fire hall, Huntsdale, 6:30 p.m. Mifflin DHIA meeting, Belleville Mennonite School, for reserva (Turn to Page A3l) mow do you Y 'Cause i kicked it KNOW THAT | FROM THE BAR N iT WAS OVER | ANO I TS EXACTLY FOORTV / FOURTV YARDS? V XARDSp / FROM MY BARN TO THE... have it identified and take appro priate control measures before that weed becomes a menacing prob lem. If weeds are presently escap ing from your control efforts, find out how to change your weed management program. To Check Stand-By Generators The winter season brings with it snow and ice storms that can dam age and knock out our supply of electricity. Most farmers are badly crippled without electricity so the need for a stand-by generator is recognized. I know that many poultry farms in particular already have this equipment. However if the generator is not in good work ing condition, it may not do the job in case of emergency. These generators should be run once a week to reassure yourself that it’s in good running condition. If it is a tractor hookup type, then take the time to make that connection each week. When the power goes off, you don’t have time to run tests of TOWARD A NEW JERUSALEM October3o,l9BB Background Scripture: Isaiah 65:8-25. Devotional Reading: Zephaniah: 3:14-20. In my native state of Pennsylva nia there is a little town named New Jerusalem. When I last saw it quite a number of years ago, there was nothing special about this town. If its founders thought that they were going to make their town a “New Jerusalem” in the biblical sense, they most certainly were eventually disappointed. Actually, that’s what happens with most of us. We live in hope of a new world, and from time to time it seems we are well on our way only to eventually find crushing disappointment and disillusion ment Every age has known that experience. In the early part of this century, assured that we had fought “the War to end all wars” and thrilled with the rapid advance of science, we prophesied a mod em age when all our greatest prob lems would eventually be overcome-then came World War II and our optimism was shattered. Following the war, however, we once again saw the near future as the fulfillment of all our dreams for a better world. But today, although the science and technology prom ise us even more than ever, we are fearful of what is ahead: the possi bility of nuclear or ecological extinction, the sterility of techno logical environments, the mushrooming drug culture, and so on. ARMAGEDDON? So the New Jerusalem seems further away, not closer. Some even believe it is Armageddon, not a New Jerusalem toward which we ED ED *• Aj the equipment to make sure it’s in proper working order. To Be Careful With Space Heaters Colder weather is here and we see many types of heating equip ment being used. Most of these are quite acceptable provided they are properly used and vented. In some cases the fumes from the fuel can be the cause of suffocation and personal injury; in other cases they can be a fire hazard. If tem porary heaters are used; we sug gest dial extreme care be used to be certain that they do not make people ill or present a health hazard. Your local fire department officials, or a local plumber, will be able to give additional assis tance. Don’t take chances with the health of your family or your employees. The Cooperative Extension Service is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educational institution. are moving. Last evening a friend commented to me, “Isn’t it strange that with all the technological improvements of the past few decades, it is more of a chore to travel today than it was.” It’s as if with every technological step for ward, we’ve taken one or more human steps backward. In fact, that seems to be true of much of life and Isaiah’s words seem parti cularly applicable to our own times; “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; ...shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; ...shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart, and shall wail for anguish of spirit” (65:13,14a). SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS According to pollsters, the pre vailing attitude of the majority of young people today is essentially pessemistic about the world and the future. Many, we are told, believe they may die in a nuclear holocaust. Others believe that, by the time they “inherit the earth,” it may be dying of wounds inflicted by the human race. Yet, for all that pessimism- or is it realism? -about the state of human society, we need to realize that our hope for a New Jerusalem has never depended upon the perfect-ability of human society, but upon the grace of God. We keep before us the vision of a New Jerusalem, not because we are about to take its gates by storm, but because, despite our eternal delay in reaching it, it is God’s promise. “For behold I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I cre ate” (65:17,18). Left to our own devices, we will never build the New Jerusalem. But responsive to God’s will, the human race can still eventually experience the “new heavens” and the “new earth” he has promised us. (Based on copynghted Outlines produced by the Committee on the Uniform Senes and used by permission Released by Community & Suburban Press) di
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers