AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 12,1989 OPINION You’ll Not Often See This Much Ag Ag Progress Days happen next week. And our special issue this week contains many previews of what has been billed as Pennsylvania’s largest outdoor agriculture exhibition. More than 50,000 visitors are expected to attend Penn State Universi ty’s Rock Springs Ag Research Center location. Under the theme: “Improving Your Life Through Education,” the event will celebrate the 75th anniversary of cooperative extension in the U.S. Nearly 300 commercial exhibitors will show and demonstrate approximately $2O million worth of ag equipment. And the three-day event also features tours of the research farm and exhibits and presentations by PSU faculty on water quality, food safety, radon, dairy health and child care. The state hay show will be held and the Dairy of Distinction fatemal gathering will also be part of the activities. Many fanners go to Ag Progress Days to see the machinery in action beside all the competing machines. Hay making and com harvesting are amoung the many features that draw the compet ing colors togethers. In fact, since you’ll not often see this much agriculture in one place, you’ll want to plan to attend. And if you do, you’ll likely learn something. And that will improve your life. See you there! Farm Calendar Saturday, August 12 Southcentral Pennsylvania Hols tein Championship Show, Shippensburg fairgrounds, 9:00 a.m. Tioga County Holstein Show, Tio ga County fairgrounds, Whit neyville. 9:00 a.m. Chester County 4-H Swine Sale, New Holland Sales Stable, New Holland, 9:00 a.m. Chester County 4-H Roundup/ Annual Recognition Program, Springton Manor Farm, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Old Fiddler’s Picnic, Hibernia Park, Coatesville, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; rain date August 13. Bradford County Junior Holstein Club Blueberry Festival, Splen dor Rich Farm, Gillett, 7:30 p.m. Howard County Fair, Howard County fairgrounds, West Friendship, Md.; runs through August 19. Sunday, August 13 Huntingdon County Fair, Hunting don; runs through August 19. McKean County Fair, Smethport; runs through August 20. Washington County Agricultural Fair, Washington; runs through August 19. Monday, August 14 Bradford County 4-H Roundup, Troy Fairgrounds, 9:00 a.m. York County 4-H Pig Roundup Sale, Wikert’s Livestock Buy ing Station, Thomasville, 7:00 p. m. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 by Lancaster Fanning, Inc. A SMmrnn BnUrprlu Robert G. Campbell General Manager Everett R. Newiwanger Managing Editor Cfyrl|M ine by limit, amine of year is. “Scattered plants of Kutztown Fair, Kutztown fair- squash and other vine crops have grounds: runs through August wilt symptoms. The wilting starts 19 on one shoot Symptoms seem to Bullskin Township Community spread to the rest of the plant.” Fair, Mt. Pleasant; runs through According to Bruce Hellerick, August 19. Extension Horticultural Agent Dayton Fair, Dayton, Pa.; runs this is the way bacterial wilt through August 19. begins to appear. Mountour-DcLong Community In fact the most perceptive Fair Washingtonville; runs observers will see the wilting through August 19. symptoms appear first on an indi- Sewickley Township Community vidual leaf on a plant This leaf Fair, W. Newton; runs through frequently will have holes where August 19. cucumber beetles were feeding. Tuesday, August 15 Presence of both wilting and bce- Bradfoid County Forest Landow- tics chewing injury is not a nets Association forestry tour, coincidence, meet at Colonial Plaza, 6:45 The bacteria that causes the a m plant to wilt survives over the Huntingdon County Holstein winter in hibernating cucumber Show, Huntingdon County fair- ' beetles. Then when these beetles grounds, 9:00 a.m. feed on vine crops, they can leave Bradford County 4-H Horse Show, bacteria on the leaves. Then infec- Troy fairgrounds, 9:00 a.m. tion of the plant by the bacteria Bradford County 4-H Dairy Show, can occur through the beetle Troy Fairgrounds, 9:30 a.m. chewing injury. Once the bacteria Cumerland County 4-H Swine are in the plant, it is too late to stop Roundup & Sale. Carlisle disease development Livestock Market Carlisle, Control depends on prevention; show at 9:30 a.m., sale at 5:30 kill or prevent cucumber beetles p >m> from feeding on vine crops. Sevin, Lancaster County Working Sheep Diazinon, malathion, and methox- Dog Demonstration, Greystone ychlor are labeled. Read the label Manor Stables. Leola, 7:30 and follow all instructions, p m. To Apply For Ag Progress Days, State College; Gasoline Tax Refund runs through August 17. I would like to remind our far- Lawrence County Farm Show, mers that application for the New Castle; runs through Pennsylvania Liquid Fuel Tax August 19. Refund should be filed before September 30. Farmers may apply for a 12 cent (Turn to Pago A 36) NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agriculture Agent 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 cor rect the acidity. If soil needs lime, it should be worked into the topsoil when the small grain seedbed is being pre pared. Legume seedings are cost ly; be sure the soil is between 6.8 to 7.0 pH so they have a good chance to survive. To Be Aware of Bacterial Wilt A frequent comment this time per gallon refund op all liquid fuels used in nori-licensed tractors when used off the highway for agricultural 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 stationary equipment The liquid fuel tax is for all farm production fuel used between July 1,1988 and June 30, 1989. This includes gasoline and diesel fuel. 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. To Consider Cow Culling Before long it will be weaning time for most Pennsylvania beef cow/calf operators and now is the time to be thinking ahead towards THE TIES THAT BIND August 13,1989 Background Scripture: Ruth Devotional Reading: Matthew 9:18-26. The Book of Ruth is one of the most remarkable books in the Old Testament, indeed the Bible. It was written probably in a time after the Babylonian exile, when Israel’s leaders were commanding the people to avoid all bonds with foreigners, particularly mixed marriages. So it comes as a refreshing anti dote to that racial exclusivity. For Ruth was a woman of Moab and the Moabites not only were for eigners, but often regarded as Israel’s bitter enemies. Neverthe less, despite centuries of enmity between these two peoples, in a time of famine in Judah. Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, go to the land of Moab to live for the duration of the emergency. This, in itself must have been unsettling to some of this book’s first readers. THE UNTHINKABLE To make things worse, Elimelech’s sons, Mahlon and Chilion, did the unthinkable, tak ing Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth. This was the very thing that had so exercised Ezra, who decreed that the 113 Jews who had married foreign women should be divorced from them and even separate themselves from the children of these unions. (Ezra 9.) Bereft of her husband and her two sons, the distraught Naomi, hearing that conditions in Beth lehem had improved, decides to return to Bethlehem and releases her two daughters-in-law from any sense of obligation to her, tell ing them to remain in Moab. the tide of culling cows from the herd, according to Chester Hugh es, Extension Livestock Agent. Consider cow culling as a system of “The Three O’s." Hie O’s stand for old. open and ornery. There is no question that old cows ~ even though they are nursing a calf this season -- need to be culled at weaning time. there is no question that culling open cows is a paying proposition. When calves are weaned, cows should be pregnancy diagnosed by a veterinarian or technician. In most well-managed herds there will be about five percent of cows opep. The last O is for ornery. Those cows, and nearly everybody has one or two of them with bad temp eraments, need to be culled. They are the old sisters that keep the entire herd nervous and make cattle handling difficult. They are easy to spot and you know who they are! Naomi’s argument is interest ing. It would appear that she finds it difficult to think that these two women were deVoted to her. “Why will you go with me,” she asks. “Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?” (Ruth 1:11). Finally, she persuades Orpah to return, but Ruth is determined to go with her. “Entreat me not to leave you or return from following you: for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your peo ple shall be my people and your God my God” (1:16). This is an act of love and devotion that would have been exemplary for a Jewish woman. But Ruth is a foreigner! CALL ME “BITTER” Having lost' her husband' and two sons, it is understandable that she should think' that “the hand of the Lord has gone against me” (1:13). And when she arrives in Bethlehem with Ruth, she says to her follow townspeople. “Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara (“bitter”) for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has afflicted me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” (1:20,21). Naomi, of course, is not entirely accurate. She did not leave Beth lehem “full,” as she says, but in fact had been destitute. And, in fact, neither was she returning “empty.” Although she has lost her husband and two sons, she has an asset that will prove to be of vital importance to her: a devoted daughter-in-law who loves her and will not forsake her. Of course, Ruth is “only a for eigner," but she is also a loving, devoted person and her bond with Naomi quite transcends the nor mal limitations of formal relation ships. Much deeper than obliga tion or custom, there is a loving tie that binds the two women together, a tie that is not depen dent upon race, creed or color. (Bated on copyrighted Outline! produced by the Committee on the Vnifoim Seriat and uted by petmiaaian. Releeaed by Community * Sub urban Prcai.)
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