Ato-lmcw ftnrtng, Saturday, December 2,1989
OPINION
The Eyes Are Upon Us
Lancaster County fanners, as a whole, are good stewards of
the soil and have been for years. They are known throughout the
world for their productivity and ingenuity. This county has been
host to hundreds of foreign visitors who come here simply to
learn what makes this county’s farmers successful. They return
home in hopes that they, too, can turn their comer of the world
into a Garden Spot
But this Garden Spot is now beset with an animal waste dis
posal problem—a by-product of this county’s agricultural pro
ductivity. And, no doubt, the eyes of the country and perhaps the
world are now upon us all, farmers and non-farmers alike, to
watch how we solve this problem.
A mandatory nutrient management program—is that the sol
ution to this problem? If all farmers in the county or state are
required by law to have a nutrient management plan, will that
clean up our ground water and protect the Chesapeake Bay from
further contamination?
Who will administer it? Who will pay for it? How will it be
enforced? From past experience it’s obvious that enforcement
of a statewide or even countywide plan would be monumental.
That is to say, it may not get done. What good is a plan if it’s not
enforced? But why mandate a blanket program in the state or in
the county? Why foipe all farmers to have a plan, when data,
which is now being gathered, isolates those areas where nitrate
levels in the ground water are the highest?
As a whole, Lancaster County farmers are changing the way
farm. They are changing voluntarily because they want to pro
tect the environment, they want to protect the ground water, they
want to protect their investment.
It is a small minority of fanners, who have not implemented
advanced management practices to curb nitrate leaching and
runoff, who need a nutrient management plan. Locating those
fanners and helping them to adopt different management tech
niques may do as much, if not more, to solve Lancaster County’s
animal waste disposal problem, as a mandatory nutrient man
agement plan at a fraction of the cost.
There are alternatives to a statewide or county wide mandat
ory nutrient management plan. The Lancaster County Conser
vation District has already drawn up a sample manure ordinance
to be used by townships. Also, instead of a blanket plan, why not
a blanket standard. When nutrient management plans are needed
to control high levels of nitrates, these plans would conform
with this predetermined standard.
Maybe the eyes of the world arc not upon us here in Lancaster
County, but certainly, what we do here in the next few years to
solve our animal waste problem, may well be the model copied
by others.
We should commend the majority of the county's farmers for
a job well done and focus our time, efforts and funds on those
who need our help.
Farm Calendar
Saturday, December 2
Mid-Atlantic Goat Seminar, Fran
cis Scou 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.
Monday, December 4
Lancaster County DHIA awards
banquet. Good & Plenty
Restaurant, Smoketown, 11:30
a.m.
Lancaster Farming
Ettablishmd 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
~ b y*
Lancaster Farming, loc.
A awwwi ea»je*»
Robert G. Campbel General MwM«er
Eventt R. Nawawanger t ,_ UwMginj} Editor
.'v
Octorara Young Farmers Associa
tion tax meeting, Octorara Ag
Education room, Octorara, 7:30
p.m.
Tuesday, December 5
Berks County DHIA awards ban
quet, Kutztown Grange. Kutz
town, 7:15 p.m.
Insects, Diseases & Weeds of
Trees & Shrubs meeting, Penn
Slate Great Valley, Malvern;
runs through December 7.
Wednesday, Decmeber 6
Newpaper bedding meeting, Titus
(Turn to Page A3l)
-f[ O °
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
The needs of dry cows are con
siderably different than those of
lactating cows, according to
Glenn Shirk, Extension Dairy
Agent. To feed and manage them
properly, they should be divided
into three groups: a recently dry
group, a main group and a close
up group.
Cows recently dry should be
placed in a clean area for about a
week where they can be observed
frequently. The goal at this time is
to cure and prevent udder infec
tions and to see that the udder
involutes properly.
During the main part of the dry
period the emphasis is on feeding
cows properly so they will be in
good flesh and have good nutrient
reserves by calving time and on
giving cows sufficient time (50-60
days) to recuperate from the previ
ous lactation and to regenerate
milk secreting cells for the next
lactation.
Two to three weeks before calv
ing, cows and springing heifers
should be placed in a close-up
group where they can be observed
frequently and where the empha
sis is on sanitation. The goal at
this lime is to gradually acclimate
cows to some of the lactating
ration ingredients and to increased
levels of grain feeding, and to pre
vent infections of the udder and
uterus and of the newborn calf.
To Exercise
Breeding Animals
Many farm animals are kept in
close quarters during the winter
months. This is fine for animals
being fattened for market, but mav
Readers Write
Editor:
As a member of the Pennsylva
nia Association of Extension
Home Economists, I received two
communications awards in 1989,
radio feature and radio spot. Your
support in recognition of excel
lence in family living communica
tions media is greatly appreciated
by our association of profession
als. Sponsorship of the media
awards program adds a special
note of importance to the competi
tion and enhances the award.
Many thanks for supporting
Extension Home Economists, our
programs and our professional
association.
a o 0 o
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To Group
Dry Cows
Kay M. Hastings
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not be suttaUe far breeding ani
mals. The flock of breeding ewes
should have access to an exercise
lot daily; there will be less trouble
with paralysis in the ewe flock and
stronger lambs bom if ewes are
exercised daily.
When the ground becomes fro
zen, or snow-covered, some shep
herds will feed hay on the ground
out in the exercise lot in order to
force the ewes to exercise. Dairy
cows need outside exercise to
maintain good feet and legs, and
to provide opportunity for heat
detection. Brood mares need the
same daily exercise if they are to
remain in the best of health.
To Practice
Holiday Safety
This is not a new idea but one
that bears repeating. With the holi
day season approaching, there are
many extra decorations and events
that can present fire hazards. We
urge every parent to discuss the
need of safety measures that will
prevent serious fires and possible
human injury. Too many people
are careless with evergreen deco
rations and Christmas trees. Can
dles, fireplaces and overloading
our electrical lines are all possible
fire hazards when not carefully
I^l
BY lAWRENCE W AUHOUYE
M| ®asa»s
STAR STATUS
December j, 1989
Background Scripture:
John 1:6-8, 9-17; 3:22-30.
Devotional Reading:
- John 3:22-30.
‘Too bad about John the Bap
tist!” exclaimed a youth in one of
my catechetical classes some
years ago. “You mean because he
was beheaded?” I asked. “No,”
replied the youth, “because he lost
his ‘star status’ when Jesus came
along.”
I’d never thought of it just that
way, but, in a sense, that’s what
happened. After Jesus began his
ministry, some of John’s own dis
ciples left him and joined the
swelling crowds following Jesus
and it wasn’t long before John was
imprisoned by Herod and finally
beheaded. If, when the gospel nar
ratives open, John’s is a rising star
on the religious horizon, it soon
becomes a fallen and faded one.
“POOR JOHN”
It doesn’t seem that John the
Baptist thought of himself as
“poor Johp” or that he was resent
ful of the eclipse and eventual
demise of his ministry. For John
saw his ministry as having as its
purpose to prepare the way for
Jesus and his. John had enough
popularity that he could easily
build something more lasting for
himself. When they asked him,
“Who are you?” (John 1:19), he
could have strung them along a
111
hancßed. We urge everyone to
make an effort to be careful with
holiday decorations, and certainly
don’t take chances. If there is a
possibility of a fire, then eliminate
that item.
We are more energy conscious ,
than we’ve ever been... and that is(
certainly a good trend. Many
homes are equipped with a fire
place or wood stove. This means,
the use of more firewood. Proper
storage is important
When storing your firewood,
keep it outside since many insects
may hibernate in the wood piles. If
you keep it inside they’ll think it’s
spring and wake up to become a
pest in your home. If this happens,
use an ant and roach aerosol for
control. It’s a lot easier just to
keep the firewood in a cold garage
or some outside shelter. The
important thing is to keep it as dry
as possible, even if it means cov
ering it with a plastic tarp. Keep in
mind that wet firewood takes a lot
of heat just to dry it out.
The Cooperative Extension is£
an affirmative action, equalW
opportunity educational
institution.
little. He didn’t have to say “1 am
not the Christ” Nor did he need to
deny being Elijah or even a
prophet
Furthermore, he need not have
pointed people to Jesus. When
they asked him, 'Then why are
you baptizing, if you are neither
the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the pro
phet?” (1:24). Why did he tell
them: “...among you stands one
whom you do not know... the
thong of whose sandal I am not
worthy to untie” (1:27)? Why
advertise the competition?
UNDIMINISHED
SP£
But John did not see Jesus
“competition.” Rather, he
Jesus as the-fulfillment of his
mission and, when he saw Jesus
coming toward him, he pro
claimed: “Behold, the Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of
the world. This is he of whom I
said, ‘After me comes a man who
ranks before me’ ...I have seen and
have borne witness that this is the
Son of God.” It was shortly after
that two of John’s disciples left
him and followed Jesus.
If John was not concerned
about the loss of star status, his
disciples were very upset: “Rabbi,
he who was with you beyond the
Jordan, to whom you bore wit
ness, here he is, baptizing, and all
are going to' him” (3:26). John,
however, puts the matter straight
with these ambiguous words: “He
must increase, but I must
decrease” (3:30).
In “decreasing” so that Jesus
might “increase,” John was not"
diminished, but fulfilled. We need
riot think of him as “poor John,”
for in faithfully doing the work
God gave him to do, John gained
the highest satisfaction a person
can know. And so can we.
(Based on copyrighted Outlines produced by
the Committee on the Uniform Series and used
by permission. Released by Community A Sub*
urban Press.)
HBUO
CHIROPRACTIC CUNIC?
To Properly
Store Firewood