AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 28,1990
OPINION
Ethics For Cattlemen
A hallway debate on the value of having a standard of ethics
evloved into a “cattleman’s statement of principle” at this
year’s National Cattlemen’s association convention in Nash
ville, TN. Animal welfare, the environmenmt and food safety
arc all covered in the statement, which is in keeping with
NCA’s new “pro-active” attitude.
The statement says:
• I believe in humane treatment of farm animals and in con
tinued stewardship of all natural resources.
• I believe my cattle will be healthier and more productive
when good husbandry practices are used.
• I believe that’my own and future generations will benefit
from my ability to sustain and conserve natural resources.
• I will support research efforts directed toward more effi
cient production of a wholesome food supply.
• I believe it is my responsibility to produce a safe and
wholesome product.
• I believe it is the purpose of food animals to serve mankind
and it is the responsibility of all human beings to care for ani
mals in their charge.
• I will vigorously oppose any legislative or regulatory activ
ity that states or implies interference with that purpose and
responsibility.
We believe all segments of animal agriculture should adopt
these ethics for cattlemen.
Farm Calendar
S;ilurd:n, .1 ul> 28
Lancaster Co./Penn State Master
Gardeners’ Tour, 9:00
a.m.-3:00 p.m.
PCA Summer Field Day, Stony
Creek Farm, Troy, Pa., 9:00
a.m.-3:15 p.m.
Blazing Saddles 4-H Open Horse
Show, Spring Valley Park, 9:00
a.m.
Wyoming/Lackawana Holstein
Club Picnic, Sheypuck Farm,
noon.
Carroll County, Md., 4-H/FFA
Fair, Cooperative Extension
Service, Carroll County, thru
August 4.
Centre Co. 4-H picnic and leaders
meeting, Millheim Park, 3:00
p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Carroll County, Md. 4-H/FFA
Fair, Cooperative Extension
Service, Carroll County, thru
August 4.
Pa. Holstein Assoc. Board of
Directors meeting. Holiday Inn,
State College, 10:30 a.m.
Cecil County Fair, Cecil County
Fairgrounds, Fair Hill, Md..
thru August 4.
Chester Co. 4-H Market Lamb
Show, West Goshen Fair
grounds, 7:30 p.m.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E Mam St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SM/inwi Entofjxmt
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newswangsr, Managing Editor
C»nHiM SM hy Lmnifc Parminf
FFA Western Dairy Show, Butler
Fairgrounds.
Carroll County, Md., 4-H/FFA
Fair, Cooperative Extension
Service,, Carroll County, thru
August 4.
Cecil County Fair, Cecil County
Fairgrounds, Fair Hill, Md.,
thru August 4.
Penn State Plant Material Short
Courses, Pittsburgh Civic Gar
den Center, thru August 1.
Fayette Co. Holstein Show,
Uniontown, 9:00 a.m.
FFA Southwest Dairy Show, Mor
ris Cove, Memorial Park,
Martinsburg.
Adams Co. 4-H/FFA 7th annual
Swine and Sheep Show and
Sale, South Mountain Fair
grounds, Arendtsville, 8:00
a.m.
Cecil Co. Ag Showcase Field Day,
(Turn to Pago A3l)
Farm Forum
One year ago the new Lancaster
County Dairy Princess was me. I
do not clearly remember exactly
what happened in the moments
that followed that announcement
I do not really wen remember
standing up and receiving my
BOY! AM I GONNA HAVE A GREAT TIME AT
THE FAIRJM GONNA EAT SOME COTTON
CANDY, SOME CORN DOGS, SNOW CONES,
AND THEN TN\ GONNA RIDE ON ALL THE /
RIDES AND... • /Z
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Make Summer
Alfalfa Seeding
Early to mid-August are good
times to seed alfalfa, particularly
in this part of the state. When
seeded during this period of good
soil moisture, the plants have time
to become established before
freezing weather arrives.
Alfalfa is still one of our major
forage crops and deserves the very
best of planning and management.
Band seeding is the best method to
make this seeding.
Weed control is a “must” with a
straight seeding without a nurse
crop. Many stands are injured by
poor weed control during the first
year. Refer to the 1989-90 Agro
nomy Guide for assistance on
weed control practices. Be aware
that alfalfa should not be planted
in ground that has been treated for
com weed control during the past
year, especially fields sprayed
with atrazine. Alfalfa is an excel
lent forage crop; however, it does
require attention and good
management.
To Flush Ewe Stock
Sheep producers in this part of
the country should be planning for
the 1990 iamb crop. The starting
place is to have healthy ewes and a
good ram. The practice of “flush
ing” the ewe flock several weeks
prior to the breeding season is
recommended in order to get more
twin lambs.
This refers to the feeding of
extra grain, or the ewes having
access to lush grass-type pastures
in order to bring them into a gain
ing condition. Ewes that are not
thrifty at breeding time will be
more likely to throw a single
lamb. The control of internal para
sites should be given attention
prior to the breeding season.
To Practice Farm Safety
I want to remind everyone, dur
ing this busy hot harvest season.
crown and banner. Probably the
only thing I realized at the
moment was that I had actually
been chosen as the new Dairy
Princess. It has been a fabulous
year. Since that night I have had
(Turn to Pago A3O)
that safety is very important at all
times both on the farm and on the
highway.
Reports show that human errors
are responsible for about 85 per
cent or more of all farm accidents.
Many accidents that are blamed
on mechanical failures could have
been prevented if someone had
checked and repaired the equip
ment as the need arose. It is
human to make mistakes but it can
also be dangerous.
I’d like to offer some sugges
tions to help eliminate many of the
problems associated with
accidents.
** Give extra supervision to
inexperienced operators.
** Permit only the operator on
equipment while it is in use.
Under no conditions should chil
dren or adults be permitted to ride
along.
** Keep small children out of
work areas unless accompanied by
a responsible adult.
** Give teen-agers work which
they can handle safely.
** Avoid excessive fatigue
TAKEN AT
THE FLOOD
Augusts, 1990
Background Scripture:
Ecclesiastes 1-2.
Devotional Reading:
Luke 6: 43-49.
I have had some dark days in
my life even some dark periods
but never, at least so far as I
remember, have I ever felt as low
as the writer of Ecclesiastes seems
to feel.
Still, I can identify with him in
one thing: much as I love reason,
it cannot by itself make life worth
while and meaningful. That was
the experience of the Preacher, the
writer of this strange Old Testa
ment book. Apparently addicted
to reason, he applied it mercilessly
to everything he experienced and
found life futile: “Vanity of vani
ties, says the Preacher... all is van
ity” (1:1). That is not the cry of a
person experiencing a fleeting
depression, but of a man who has
thought and reasoned himself to
despair.
LIFE’S FUTILITY
He has used his reason to exa
mine one after another all the
things that motivate people in life.
For one thing, he finds that there is
no real purpose in the world. It is
not gbing somewhere, growing
closer to fulfillment. “A genera
tion goes, and a generation comes w
but the earth remains forever...
What has been is what will be, and
what has been done is what will be
done; and there is nothing new
under the sun” (1:4,9). Life, he
finds, is like a treadmill.
Nor does he find toil worth
while: “Then I considered all that
WHAT ARE VOO \ f A BOTTLE" OF
GOING BACK I INDIGEST/ON
INTO IHE y \AAED (CATION
HOUSE FOR \ >
'//
'•n
an
take a mid-morning and mid
afternoon break; it could be the
most important part of your day.
** Keep your mind and atten
tion on what you are doing.
Let’s be safety conscious and
practice safety every day.
Be Aware Of The Pollen Count
The “hay fever” season is here.
Despite it’s name “hay” is not nor
mally the cause of hay fever. Rag
weed is the chief cause. Ninety
percent of all allergic reactions to
grass and weed pollens are due to
ragweed.
Hay fever is a seasonal disease.
It’s a disease that many people
tend to minimize despite the fact
that one out of every three suffer
ers develop its serious form
chronic asthma.
In Lancaster County it is wide
spread from early August through
September when the weeds flow
er. The best way to destroy rag
weed over large areas is by the use
of a weed spray such as 2,4-D.
Cutting the plant low, near the
roots is recommended for small
areas.
my hands had done and the toil I
had spent in doing it, and behold,
all was vanity and a striving after
wind, and there was nothing to be
gained under the sun” (2:11).
Neither does he find satisfaction
in wisdom: “I said to myself, ‘I
have acquired great wisdom, sur
passing all who were over Jeru
salem before me’... I perceived
that this also is but a striving after
wind” (1:16,17).
AN UNHAPPY BUSINESS
The Preacher next turns to pure
pleasure. “I said to myself, ‘Come
now, I will make a test of plea
sure; enjoy yourself’” (2:1). But
enjoying himself, he found, was
also vanity. So was prestige and
power (2:9-11). No wonder he
concluded: it is an unhappy busi
ness that God has given to the sons
of men to be busy with” (1:13).
Finally, he turns to the Epicu
rean ethic: “There is nothing bet
ter for a man than that he should
eat and drink and find enjoyment
in his toil” (2:24). Reason brings
him to conclude that “one must
eat, drink and be merry, for tomor
row we die.” Lots of people today
would agree with The Preacher at
this point enjoy the moment,
for there are no guarantees about
the future.
If there is one glimmer of reli
gious faith in either of these first
two chapters, it is here. The
Preacher is led to confess that
“This also, I saw, is from the hand
of God; for apart from him, who
can eat or have enjoyment?”
(2:25). While all has been stripped
away by the devastating power of
reason, only faith in God remains.
Everything else in the world is
ultimately futile: “For to the man
who pleases him God gives wis
dom and knowledge and j0y...”
(2:26).
Even when reason seems to
have stripped everything else
away, God’s providence and love
remain. That’s what “the use” is.
(Bated on copyrighted Outlines produced by
the Committee on the Uniform Sonet and used
by permission. Released by Community ft Sub
urban Press.)