AlO-Lancasler Fanning, Saturday, June 24,1989
OPINION
Be Careful
The wet weather has kept far/ners out of the fields and now
the push is on to get planting and harvesting underway. This
means the temptation to take dangerous short-cuts when you
operate farm machinery will be everpresent in day to day opera
tions. But don’t do that.
Deere & Company has just announced a campaign directed at
owners of tractors who may be tempted to “bypass” start their
tractors. Bypass starting is a general term for any start procedure
other than the normal start procedure: for example, shorting
across the starter solenoid with a metal object. Farmers some
times do this by placing a screwdriver across the starter
terminals.
The problem with bypassing normal start procedures is the
potential of starting the tractor in gear. The operator may be
injured or killed if the tractor abruptly moves.
Bob Avery, manager of product support at John Deere,
explained that bypass starting places the operator on the ground
in front of the drive wheel of the tractor. If it is in gear, the opera
tor will likely be run over.
All farmers should heed the warning. We know that in the
rush of field work it is easy to be in a hurry. But the chance of an
accident is great enough without taking unnecessary chances.
The little time you save with a risky practice in a moment of hur
ry could lengthen out to a long hospital visit that’s just not worth
the chance you take.
So, don’t bypass start your tractor. And don’t take any other
unnecessary chances with farm machinery either. Truly, as the
saying goes, the life you save may be your own. Or it could be
the life of someone you love very much.
Be careful!
Farm Calendar
Saturday, June 24
Berks County Wool Pool, Reading
Fair livestock building behind
Fairgrounds Square Mall,
Reading, 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Washington County Cattlemen’s
Classic, Washington County
fairgrounds, Washington, heif-
er show at 9:00 a.m., steer show
at 1:00 p.m.
Warwick Summer Festival, War
wick Park, Pottstown, 11:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; raindate June
25.
Fayette County Farm-City Day,
Jackson Dairy farm, Briar Hill,
5:00 p.m.
Lebanon County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Annville High School,
Annville, 7:00 p.m.
Ninth annual Hickory Ridge anti
que farm show, Horace Potter
Residence, Milford, Del.;
through June 25.
Fayette Co. Farm-City Day, Jack
son Dairy Farm; noon to 5:00
p.m.
Sunday, June 24
National Holstein Convention,
Minneapolis, Minn.; runs
through June 29.
Hunterdon County 4-H Dairy
Farm Open House, Delaware
Township, N.J., noon to 5:00
p.m.; call 609/397-2971 for
more information.
Maryland Beef Festival, Back
Lancaster Panning
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
b y
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMmrrn Enlffrtf.
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newtwanger - Managing Editor
C*nri)M IMS by Lancia be Pvmlnf
Acres Farm, Mt. Airy, Md.,
noon to 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 27
New England Arabian Horse
Show, Eastern States Expo
grounds, West Springfield,
Ma.; runs through July 1.
National Holstein Convention,
Minneapolis, MN
(Turn to Pago A 29)
|* FARM FORUM our readers write J
Dear Editor:
We, as Members of the House
of Representatives and Legislators
with veal producers, are con
cerned about an incident involving
a Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture employee and the
recent “Vigil Against Veal” in
Lancaster. The “Vigil” was an ani
mal rights demonstration against
alleged inhumane practices of veal
producers and ran simultaneously
with the annual American Veal
Association (AVA) Convention,
held this year in Lancaster, Penn
sylvania. One of the participants at
a press conference called by
“Farm Sanctuary,” an animal
rights group supporting the Vigil,
was Roy Malik, a milk sanitarian
at the Department of Agriculture.
Mr. Malik’s general comments
boy uncle one, MIUK
15 A REAL MYSTERY
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Clean
Pesticide Sprayers
The use of various kinds of
spray materials in one sprayer is
risky. This is especially true when
you are using any type of weed
killer. In too many cases the
sprayer carries sufficient residual
weed killer material to injure a
susceptible crop. Farmers who are
spraying com fields witlf weed
killers one day and then spraying
alfalfa or tobacco plants the next
day with the same equipment had
belter do a real thorough job of
cleaning the sprayer.
Some materials can be cleaned
by using warm water and soap
detergent. However, materials
such as 2,4-D had belter be
cleaned with one pint of house
hold ammonia in 25 gallons of
HOT water. Allow this mix to
remain in the sprayer overnight
and then spray it out through the
system on the lane or driveway.
Don’t be guilty of harming good
plants. One of the best* practices
with small sprayers is to have one
for weed killers and another for
other purposes.
To Combine At
The Proper Speed
We are preparing to harvest
barley and winter wheat in only a
couple of weeks. Both of these
crops require mechanical harvest
ing equipment and good weather.
From the amount of volunteer
grain I’ve seen growing after bar
ley and wheat harvests, the last
several years, it is evident that too
much grain is being left in the
field.
were critical of the veal industry’s
current practices and supportive of
the position of animal rights
proponents.
While Mr. Malik is guaranteed
his right to express his opinion, we
object to his use of his position as
a Department employee to attack
this vital segment of Pennsylvania
agriculture. His appearance at the
press conference was apparently
unofficial, but the use of an offi
cial state vehicle to attend the
press conference is an abuse of his
departmental capacity and a possi
ble violation of slate law. We have
contacted the Secretary of Agri
culture for information on the
department’s handling of this
matter.
(Turn to Pag* A 18)
\NBII, THEY SAY
THAT MILK /9
GOOD FOR YOU.
RiGHTf~
HOW 9>
AT f
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I am concerned that high com
bine speed might be part of the
reason that grain is thrown out
with the straw. The manufacturer
recommendations should be fol
lowed in this respect. Also, there
arc limes when the grain may be
100 tough to combine. This is
often the case when the crop is
quite weedy. The important thing
is to have the combine adjusted to\
the best of your knowledge and
then drive at recommended
speeds. You’ll need every bushel
of grain and every bale of straw
from your crop.
To Control
Pasture Weeds
Pastures can be more produc
tive if weed competition is
reduced, and if rotational grazing
is practiced, according to Glenn
Shirk, Extension Dairy Agent.
Rotational grazing also makes
pasture management tasks easier
to perform. When cattle have
grazed one pasture, and are rotated
into another, clip the grazed area.
Besides keeping the vegetation
more productive, it will also help
to reduce weed competition. How
ever, some weeds cannot be con
trolled solely by clipping. The use
of herbicides may be necessary. A
mixture of 2, 4-D and dicamba
(Banvel) is effective in killing
most pasture weeds, as well as
CHOOSE I r
OR LOSE IT!
June 25,1989
Background Scripture: Josh
ua 24.
Devotional Reading: Galatians
5:13-25.
When I was a high school stu
dent, I had a classmate, George,
who unnerved most of us by sin
gling us out at the most unex
pected times and demanding: “Are
you committed to the Lord?” We
all tried to avoid both him and his
embarrassing questions, but one
day he startled me from behind
with that question we all dreaded.
Trying to look as nonchalant as I
could, I replied, “Of course -1 go
to Park Church on Chestnut
Street.” Lowering his voice to a
confidential level, he said, “That
isn’t what I asked you,” and
walked away.
It has taken me a long time to
see in retrospect any redeeming
purpose in that encounter. But,
after all these years, it has finally
occurred to me that George was
right on several counts. The ques
tion of whether or not we have
made a commitment to the Lord is
one of the most important ques
tions that can be posed to us. If we
drift into church membership as I
did, we may never really make a
conscious choice, we are probably
not really taking seriously what it
means to follow him.
CONSCIOUS CHOICES
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legumes. Repeated applications
may be needed for some weeds.
Be sure to comply with label
instructions. Liming and fertiliz
ing is also a good weed control
practice: it helps the grass to
become more competitive with the
weeds.
To Consider
Lightning Rods
on Trees
How many times have you dri
ven past a pasture Held or exercise
lot and noticed dozens of cattle or
other livestock grouped together
under one or two large trees? Dur
ing severe thunderstorms, live
stock will gather under these trees.
If lightning strikes the tree, many
of the animals will be killed. A
number of farmers in the county
can attest to that For the protec
tion of valuable livestock, we sug
gest that some of these individual
trees be fitted with a lightning rod
system. If there is a woodlot or a
number of trees in the pasture, it
may not be practical.
There is a Lightning Protection
Institute at Harvard, 1L 60033 that
lists the Certified installers in your
area. You can call them collect
through their LPI Hotline
815-943-7211.
The Penn State Cooperative
Extension is an affirmative action,
equal opportunity educational
institution.
George was right when, after I
had named my church affiliation,
he said, “That isn’t what I asked
you.” The question is not how
faithful are we in attending the
worship services or the church
school sessions of a particular
congregation, but how faithful are
we in putting our lives into his
hands? I went to church regularly,
was active in the Youth Fellow
ship and sang in the choir, but I
could do all of those things with
out really letting Christ live r
through me.'lt wasn’t tmtil later,v
while attending our church youth
camp, that I realized that one does
not “drift into discipleship,” one
makes a choice.
That is what Joshua said to the
people of Israel: “Now therefore
fear the Lord and serve him in sin
cerity and in faithfulness... And if
you be unwilling to serve the
Lord, choose this day whom you
will serve...” (24:14,15). Joshua
was making certain that the people
of Israel would be making a con
scious choice to serve God. He
didn’t want anyone coasting or
limping along between the Lord
and other gods.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
The response of the people of
Israel was very impressive: “Far
be it from us that we should for
sake the Lord, to serve other
gods... therefore we also will serve
the Lord, for he is our God”
(24:16,18). But Joshua wasn’t
satisfied - did they really under
stand what he was asking or were
they talking off the top of their
heads? Joshua goes on to tell them
just how serious a matter it is for
someone to make a commitment
to serve the Lord: “If you forsake
the Lord and serve foreign gods,
then he will turn and do you harm,
(Turn to Pag* A 18)
WELL HOW CAN SOMETHING
THAT’S 30 GOOD FDRVOO
TASTE SO DARN GOOD TOO.
T’ that almost goes
( AGAIN ST THE
V LAWS OF NATURE
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