AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 18,1989
OPINION
Thanks Everyday
Tragedy.
What makes it so terrifying is that it strikes so quickly. Most
often it strikes without any warning. And when there is warning,
that warning most often goes unheeded.
Why?
Do we think that through our intelligence and our infinite wis
dom that we can outwit Mother Nature? Or do we believe that
through our power and our might that we can actually withstand
these awesome and most horrifying acts of nature?
Or do we simply believe, “Well, that won’t happen to me.”
How does tragedy decide where it will strike? How does
tragedy pick and choose who will die in its path?
Tragedy’s path, during the recent bombardment of tornados
and hurricane-like windstorms, cut a swath several miles long, a
half-mile wide with winds up to 250 miles per hour in Huntsville,
Tennessee. The storms continued up through the south and north
eastern states with less destructive forces.
In New York, at the elementary school where seven young
children died from injuries when a cafeteria wall collapsed from a
hurricane-like wind storm. The evening news showed two young
mothers, both crying. Only one was clutching her child.
Hurricane Hugo.
The San Francisco earthquake.
These destructive quirks of Mother Nature seem so far away to
those of us who did not have loved ones affected by these
disasters.
But tragedy came frighteningly close to residents in southeast
ern Pennsylvania, parts of Maryland, and New York this week.
On Thursday, less than 10 miles from Lancaster Farming’s
office building, roofs were ripped off of livestock bams and
houses, buildings were leveled, people were injured, and a roof
was tom off of a junior high school while the children were in it.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, let us again be aware of
our helplessness, our need for a God who is greater than these
tragedies. Let us be thankful for our God who can heal the emo
tions of those who have suffered, who gives us protection, food
and shelter that we take so often for granted.
Let us remember that first Thanksgiving Day celebrated by the
Pilgrims after surviving a severe winter, they had been ravished
with disease and death yet they rejoiced for the abundance of food
that God provided.
On this Thanksgiving Day, let us do more than enjoy turkey
and family ties. Let’s give thanks for all the good things we
have —every day.
Farm Calendar
Saturday, November 18
Lancaster County Farmers Associ
ation farm tour; repeats
November 19.
Christmas Craft Show of Inter
course, Martin Sale Building,
Intercourse, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m.; 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on
Sunday.
Tuesday, November 21
Franklin County farm-city week
banquet, Kauffman’s Com
munity Center, Kauffman,
social hour 6:00 p.m., dinner
6:45 p.m.
Lancaster Chamber ag-industry
banquet. Willow Valley Resort
& Conference Center, 6:30 p.m.
Forage conference, Sheraton Inn-
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
by -
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMmmn Entt.prht
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Managing 'Editor
Cfyrtj* taw k, Inati ParnMOf
Shenango, W. Middlesex, 9:00
a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; make reser
vations by November 16, con
tact Forage Conference, Dept,
of Agronomy, Penn State, 119
Tyson Building, University
Park, 16802.
Saturday, November 25
Mercer County Holstein annual
dinner meeting, Mercer County
Extension Center, Mercer, 7:00
p.m.
Sunday, November 26
National Young Fanners Educa
tional Institute, Columbus.
Ohio; runs through November
30.
Monday, November 27
Lehigh Valley Horse Council
p
I ’» • /*
M » * • • •
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Be Careful
Around Flowing Grain
Many farms move grain from
one bin to another, onto trucks or
the feed grinder. One of the major
hazards of moving stored grain is
to become covered up and
smothered by it. It is very danger
ous to be standing in a grain bin
when it begins to flow. It takes
only a few seconds for an unload
ing auger to remove enough grain
for a person to start sinking into
the grain. Never enter a grain bin
without first “locking out” all the
power sources; also, never enter
the bin alone without another per
son being present. Children
should be warned about entering
grain bins because of the danger of
“bridging” of the grain or the
shifting of large areas. All
employees should be alerted to the
hazards of flowing grain.
To Check
Standby Generators
Your standby generator may be
needed at any time. Is it ready?
With all the uses of electricity on
the farm today, we need this type
of emergency equipment We are
meeting, Whitehall Mall Com
munity Room, Whitehall, 7:30
p.m.
Tuesday, November 28
New Jersey/Pennsylvania Equine
Short Course, Part 3, North
Hunterdon High School
Cafeteria A, North Hunterdon,
N.J., 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.;
for information, call
201/526-6293 for New Jersey,
215/746-1970 for
Pennsylvania.
Wednesday, November 29
New Jersey/Pennsylvania Equine
Short Course, Part 3, Holiday
Inn, Kulpsville, Pa., 7:00 p.m.
to 10:30 p.m.; for information,
call 201/526-6293 for New
Jersey. 215/746-1970 for
Pennsylvania.
Saturday, December 2
Mid-Atlantic Goat Seminar, Fam
cis Scott Key High School,
Union Bridge, Md., 9:30 a.m. to
3:00 p.m.
Berks County 4-H Horse Banquet,
Berks County 4-H Center,
Leesport, 6:30 p.m.
National 4-H Club Congress, Chi
cago, 111.
pip you kmow:
/TWAS UNCLE OTIS S
GREAT GREAT. GREAT
GREAT GRANDFATHER
WRO WAS RESPONSIBLE
PORTHE. TRADITION
OR FEASTING ON
TURKEY. ON
THANKSGMNG
~
in the weather season now when
we can expect both snow and ice
storms that can give us power out
ages. This means that activities on
many farms will stop when the
electricity fails. To have a standby
generator is very good manage
ment; however, you need to run
this generator at least once every
two weeks to be sure it is in good
running order when needed.
This kind of emergency equip
ment can be a life saver for both
animal and poultry, as well as eli
minate possible financial losses.
To Be Careful
When Cleaning
Manure Pits
Many manure pits will be emp
tied at this time of year, it’s an
opportunity to clean out the pit
before cold weather arrives. When
this volume of manure is agitated
there is greater danger of toxic and
explosive gases being released.
Every precaution should be taken.
If there are animals above the pits,
then maximum ventilation should
be provided. When the pit is emp
ty or partially empty, no one
should enter the pit without a
respirator or gas mask. There may
be dangerous gases present. Also,
THE FINAL
SCORE
November 19,1989
Background Scripture: Revela
tion 19 through 20.
Devotional Reading: Psalms
115: 3-13.
Two of our sons are musicians.
Their world is largely that of rock
music. When they talk about their
music, more often than not we do
not know what they’re talking
about. Sometimes we have to
work very hard to close this wide
communication gap.
That’s the way it is for Christ
ians and the writer of the Book of
Revelation. Translated into even
the most simple English, much of
what he says sounds about as
familiar to us as our sons’ talk
about contemporary music. That
is why so many people have diffi
culty with the Book of Revelation.
The things he reports to us from
his ecstatic visions are foreign to
us.
HEAVEN OPENED
Some readers of Revelation
also make the mistake of taking
the images and pictures literally. If
the writer .says, “Then I saw
heaven opened, and behold, a
white horse!” (19:11), these peo
ple are likely to get hung-up on the
“white horse” and miss the under
lying meaning of the passage. The
writer saw the Christ on a white
horse, but the passage is not about
a white horse. The horse was only
a meaningful symbol for the wri-
no smoking or open flames should
be nearby. These pits are the mod
em way to store manure, but they
do present a hazard to both man
and animal.
To Appreciate The
End Of Harvest
Season
Once again we have come to the
end of another growing season
and the end of the harvest.
The 1989 year was favorable in
most areas for field, orchard and
garden crops and this has meant
good production of food and feed.
Some areas cannot say the same.
The harvest is now 95 percent
plus completed. There now comes
a good feeling of satisfaction
when all is safely gathered in. And
it brings rewards of a feeling that
you’ve done your best.
Rewards from crop production
come as a result of a choice selec
tion of seeds and plants; of careful
preparation of the seedbed; of
applying soil nutrients, tilling soil
and weeding; of cooperation from
weather’s rain or sunshine and of
the owner or manager inputs.
Harvest time follows. A time of
joy and thanksgiving should now
prevail.
ten that doesn’t mean it has to be
for us, too. The writer’s images
are like those of a dream - always
changing, ill-defined images,
seemingly coming and going
without rhyme or reason. As in
working with dreams, one must
focus, not on the images them
selves, but the meaning behind
them.
The revelation that comes to the
writer of Revelation 19 and 20 is
not about horses, but about the
ultimate triumph of good over
evil. It matters little how you think
about this great struggle, so long
as you acknowledge that the
struggle does exist and accept the
writer’s assurance that in
own time evil will be finally and
resoundingly defeated by God.
FOR EVER AND EVER
Often it is hard for us to main
tain that faith, because in this life,
evil often seems to have the final
word. But we need to know that
“it isn’t over until it’s over.”
Today, evil forces may seem to
prevail, but the Gospel assures us
there is always a victory that lies
beyond our sight.
When I was a boy, I listened to
a radio broadcast of a World
Series game between the New
York Yankees and the Brooklyn
Dodgers. The Dodgers seemed
safely ahead with two outs and
two strikes against the Yankees in
the last inning. The pitcher threw a
third strike and the game was
over. But, not really the catcher
dropped the third strike and the
batter got on base and eventually
the Yankees scored and won the
game! The game wasn’t over until
it was over. And that’s the way it
is, too, with God’s plan for this
world.
(Bated on copyrighted Outlines pro
duced by the Committee on the Uniform
Series and used by permission. Released
by Community & Suburban Press.)