AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 17,1990
OPINION
Test Layers
The small layer industry the backyard farmers with flocks from
under 1,000 to 20,000 birds should look to test their flocks.
A law signed into effect on Feb. 15 has made it mandatory that all
layer flocks be tested on a regular basis for Salmonella enteritidis
(SE). No farm is exempt, even the backyard farms.
According to the Keystone Ag Digest, egg production for Decem
ber 1989 totalled 450 million. The total number of layers on hand
averaged 19.6 million during December and production per 100 lay
ers was 2,302 eggs. Annual egg production in Pennsylvania for the
year ending November 30, 1989 was 5.23 billion eggs, and placed
Pennsylvania in fourth place in total U.S. egg production.
That’s a lot of eggs.
While most of the large commercial industries with
20,000-60,000 layers have their own testing programs or cooperate
closely with the state in testing their birds, the small farms must seek
help to comply with the new rules.
It’s simple. All the small farms have to do is contact their exten
sion office, or call one of the labs listed in this issue of Lancaster
Farming, to find out how to test for SE.
Farmers must keep in mind that SE can be detected and treated.
While SE poses no health threat to the birds themselves, if the disease
is transmitted to layers and ends up in the eggs, people can become
sick if they do not cook the eggs.
Summer is also a likely time for the disease to spread, because
eggs are not always refrigerated until they are cooked. According to
the Penn State Department of Poultry Science, the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture is developing a proposal to change the
standards for marketing eggs in Pennsylvania. Proposed regulations
would require that eggs be cooled to an internal temperature of 45
degrees F before being delivered to retailers and held at that tempera
ture until being purchased by consumers. But even now, proper
handling and cooking of the eggs will elminate most, if not all, cases
of SE infection.
With the producer, the marketing chain and the consumer working
together, we’ll have no problem at all.
Farm Calendar
Saturday, March 17
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Fulton Grange # 66 Dinner Thea
ter, Fulton Grange Hall, Oak
ryn, 7:00 p.m.
Western Pa. Beekeeping Seminar,
Park United Presbyterian
Church, Zelienople, Pa., 8:30
a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Pa. Holstein Assoc. Irish Holiday
sale, Meadville.
Sunday, March 18
N.W. Chapter of Pa. Auctioneers
Assoc. 4th annual Seminar,
Sheraton Inn, Middlesex, 8:00
a.m.-4:45 p.m.
Monday, March 19
Pesticide recertification training,
Penn State Fruit Research Lab,
Biglerville, 1:00 p.m. and 7:30
p.m’.
Centre Co. Cooperative Extension
Directors, Zimm’s Restaurant,
State College, 7:30 p.m.-9:30
p.m.
Huntingdon Co. 4-H Comp Plan
ning meeting, Dave’s Dream,
7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 20
Pennsylvania Agriculture Eco
nomy Conference, Keller Con
ference Center, Penn State,
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
by —r
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Sttlnimn Entopnke
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newtwanger Managing Editor
IMS by laimbr hrmHg
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University Park, thru March 21.
Capital Region Garden Center
School, Centerville Quality
Inn, Centerville, 9:00 a.m.-4;00
p.m., thru March 21.
South Central Pennsylvania Cat
tlemen’s Association banquet.
East Berlin Fire Hall, East Ber
lin, 7:00 p.m.
National Agriculture Day, Capital
Hill, Washington D.C., Ag
Council of America.
Mercer Co. Sheep and Wool
Growers meeting, New Vernon
Grange, Clarks Mill, 6:30 p.m.
Dauphin Co. Farmers Association
spring banquet, Dauphin Co.
Ag Center, 7:00 p.m.
Chester Co. Co-Op pesticide
license update meeting, Bran
dywine Hospital Spackman Ed
Building, Coatesville, 7:30
p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Chester Co. Co-Op extension
meeting for commercial green
land farmers, Wedgewood Gar
dens, Glen Mills, 7:00
p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Huntingdon Co. pasture manage
ment meeting, Vo-Tech
School, 7:30 p.m.
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NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Apply Poultry Manure
Sparingly
With the large poultry popula
tion in this region, poultry manure
is in good supply. Since poultry
manure may contain from 15
pounds to nearly 50 pounds of nit
rogen per ton, depending on mois
ture and litter content, over appli
cation can bum crops and result in
disappointments. Gardeners
should not be using heavy
amounts of fresh manure in their
soils. On cropland it is recom
mended that poultry manure appli
cations be limited to not more than
5 to 7 tons of 75% moistsure con
tent per acre.
Keep in mind that some poultry
manure may contain up to 50
pounds of nitrogen per ton and can
bum seeds and crop roots. Poultry
manure is also the highest in pho
sphorus and potash of any of our
farm manures. It has excellent fer
tilizer value when used propertly.
The 1989-90 Agronomy Guide
(page 19) gives additional details
about the fertilizer values of farm
manures. The Agronomy Guide is
available through any extension
office in Pennsylvania for a $5.00
fee.
To Recycle Paper
Many people are interested in
recylcing paper, and farmers want
newspaper for use as bedding
materials for farm animals.
According to Glenn Shirk, Exten
sion Dairy Agent, the challenge is
to connect the supply with the
demand.
Businesses have been formed
for collecting, processing and
merchandising recycled paper as
bedding material. Some farmers
are inviting people to bring news
paper to their farm. Others are giv
ing donations to local groups for
conducting paper drives.
If you want to recycle newspap
er but have no outlet for it, create a
deposit site in your community or
place of work, and contact a farm
er for periodic delivery or pickup.
If you do not know a farmer, try
advertising in a local paper or
place posters in local farm stores.
To Remove Trash
Landowners along rural roads
are the victims of people who have
little respect for the property of
others. Too many people are
dumping trash in fields along the
road. In all cases when this is
dumped on pastures or cropland,
the trash . should be removed
before spring growth begins. This
trash will be hard on farm equip
ment when on cropland and may
be poisonous to livestock when on
pastureland.
We urge property owners to
remove the trash in the next week
or two. If any type of identifica
tion can be made, as to the owner
of the trash, this should be
reported to Township officials;
prosecution can be made for
dumping trash along the highway.
To Be Patient
This is the time of year that we
are under strain and pressure to get
a lot of jobs under way for the
planting season. It also means that
THE CHOICE
March 18,1990
Background Scripture:
John 11:47-53; 18:1-14
Devotional Reading:
John 17:1-11
It would be interesting for each
of us to attempt to rewrite the
story of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest
in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Some of us, the “macho” wing,
that is, would probably follow
Peter’s attack on the high priest’s
slave with each of the disciples
brandishing .a sword and defend
ing their Master with a vigorous
attack, either routing or killing the
arresting party. Another variation
would have Peter striking out, not
at the slave of the high priest, but
Judas. If anyone suffered for this
terrible deed, surely it should have
been him.
Another scenario someone
might suggest would have Jesus
denying that he was the one they
sought, slipping away from his
captors so that he could continue
to preach the Gospel. This would
appeal to those who believe that
martyrdom is often a wasted
expenditure of life. Then too,
Jesus might have met his foes with
a withering denunciation. They
might arrest him, but not before he
had made a ringing defense of his
innocence.
Choices Not Taken
Those are just some of the ways
in which any of us might have
reacted in that situation. But Jesus
did not choose any of these sce
narios. He did not hide, but said
forthrightly: “Whom do you
see?” When they said, “Jesus of
Nazareth,” he replied without
evasion: “I am he.” And when
they seemed uncertain or unable
to make the next move, it is Jesus
who moves them off dead-centra - :.
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we are not as patient with people
and livestock. Let’s be careful, as
we move our cattle around, and
not give them that extra slap or
prod to try to speed up movement.
Keep in mind, that extra shove or
push could have an effect on pro
duction. Cows can “sense” the
change in pace and temperament
qnd respond with a little less
production.
There is a great deal of activity
in the spring season, but let’s not
take it out on our catde. Be patient
and try to maintain a relaxed sche
dule as we move our livestock
around. It’ll pay off in the milk
check.
We find that in the best produc
ing herds the animals are relaxed
and the workers are relaxed. This
tells us something about the tender
loving care that cattle needs.
Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion is an affirmative action, equal
opportunity educational institu
tion.
‘ ‘I told you that I am he; so, if you
seek me, let these men go” (18-8).
Now the question that always
divides Christians is whether
Jesus sought martyrdom, or simp
ly accepted it. Did Jesus want to
go to the cross, or did he merely
accept the cross rather than deny
the gospel? Did Jesus have to go
to the cross, or could he have cho
sen not to? I truly believe Jesus
did not have a choice. I believe he
chose freely and his choice was to
remain faithful to that for which
God had sent him. Jesus did not
want to die, I am convinced, but
even more than that, he did not
want to fail in this mission which
God had given him. Accepting
death was preferable to accepting
defeat. 1
End or Beginning
So, Jesus did not lie, cheat or
steal to get out of his dilemma. He
did not “sneak away to fight
another day,” either. He remained
true to his calling as the Christ.
You and I can all be glad that he
did, for because he was willing to
pay that price, the gospel did not
die on Calvary, but was resur
rected with him. What seemed
“the end of it all” became “just
the beginning.”
Often, we are confronted with
the same kinds of choices. We can
take a stand for the right, or we
can find a way of avoiding the
choice. Sometimes, like Jesus, we
have to have the courage to stand
up and be counted, even if the
count is a paltry “one.” That’s
not easy. I know. There have been
times when I have rationalized
that it would be better to keep my
mouth shut then to open it and get
in trouble. And sometimes that is
good advice; unlike Don Quixote,
we cannot joust with every wind
mill we see.
But there are also times when
we must say to ourselves, “This
far, but no further.” And when
that happens, it must never be
because the choice was forced on
us, but because, like Jesus, we
would rather bear the pain and win
the crown.
(Based on copyrighted Outline# produced by the
Committee on the Uniform Series and used by permis
sion. Released by Community ft Suburban Press.)
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