AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 25,1990
OPINION
Home-grown Fuels
Once again, America has been given a wakc-up call. We are now
on the brink of a military confrontation in the Middle East, threaten
ing American lives, because of a decade of energy neglect and our
long-standing and deep reliance on oil imports from that region.
Because of a single unprovoked attack by Iraq on Kuwait, the U.S. is
now compelled to offer assistance to protect our energy interests and
those of the rest of the world.
Today, America is more dependent on imported oil than at any
time in its history and that trend will continue to worsen. According to
the Renewable Fuels Association, over 50% of America’s oil is
imported - with about one-fourth of that demand being met by OPEC
nations. U.S. imports from Iraq increased this year by 30 percent over
1988'receipts representing 6 percent of U.S. net imports. Currently,
Iraq is the sixth largest supplier of U.S. oil. In addition, imports from
Kuwait increased 70 percent between 1988 and 1989. In total, the
U.S. imports some 716 thousand barrels per day from Iraq and
Kuwait combined.
The costs attendant to such dependence are also overwhelming. In
the ten years following the OPEC embargo, the U.S. paid more than
one-half trillion dollars for imported oil.
We now know that our commitments to energy independence after
the oil shocks of the 1970’s were short-lived. Our national addiction
to imported oil has not been tempered; our domestic production of oil
has been curtailed, not expanded; and we have allowed a foreign
power to again threaten our economic well-being.
It’s clear that our nation needs to further the development of alter
native fuels such as ethanol by extending marketing incentives which
will help expand the utilization and production of such fuels. The fact
is that a tripling of the domestic ethanol industry would completely
eliminate our import needs from Iraq and Kuwait.
We need to once and for all temper our reliance on foreign oil while
also making a firm commitment to the increased utilization of alterna
tive and home-grown fuels like ethanol which can help reduce our
import requirements. The time is now to limit our future vulnerabili
ty. We must reverse course and take vigorous action at once.
Farm Calendar
Maryland State Fair, Timonium,
thru Sept. 3
Keystone Deer Classic, Farm
Show Building, Harrisburg,
thru August 26.
Cameron Co. Fair, Emporium.
North Central Pa. 4-H District
Horse Show, Elk Co. Fair
Maryland State Fair, Timonium,
thru Sept. 3.
Keystone Deer Classic, Farm
Southcentral 4-H District Dairy
Show, Farm Show Complex,
Harrisburg.
Indiana Co. Fair, Indiana, thru.
Sept. 1
Pa. State Grange pre-convention
legislative meeting, Grantville
Holiday Inn, 10:00 a.m.-4:00
p.m.
Gilbert Co. West End Fair, thru
Lancaster Co. Crop Management
Field Days, Ed Zug farm and
Greenleaf Jr. Farm, 9:30
a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 1:00
p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Centre Co. Holstein Show, Centre
Hall.
Fruit Field Day, Rock Springs
Plant Pathology and Horticul
ture Farms, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Indiana Co. Fair, Indiana, thru
Sept. 1.
Gilbert Co. West Entj[ Fair, thru
Sept. 1.
Rochester Big Knob Grange Fair,
thru Aug. 31.
Allentown Fair, thru Sept. 2.
Wattsburg Fair, Wattsburg, thru
Sept. 2.
Newfoundland Green-Dieber-
Sterling Fair, Newfoundland,
thru Sept. 3.
Sullivan Co. Fair, Forksville, thru
Sept. 3.
Maryland State Fair 4-H/FFA
Holstein Show, Timonium,
8:30 a.m.
Penn State Turfgrass Field Day,
University Park, thru August
30.
Elk/Cameron Counties Woodlots
Program field meeting and bar-
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Determine
Fertilizer Needs
The early fall months are good
times to do soil testing and learn
what plant nutrients will be
needed for the 1991 cropping sea
son. When the plant nutrient needs
are known for this fall, some of
them can be applied to the soil,
and others can be ordered. Be sure
to include the nutrient value of
manure when planning your fertil
izer needs. The appropriate nutri
tive values of the different man
ures are listed on page 19 of the
1989-90 Agronomy Guide.
With fall application, the plants
will have time to absorb some of
the plant nutrients and strengthen
it for the winter. This is especially
true with alfalfa and some of the
perennial grass crops. When soil
tests are made in the fall, the land
owner has more time to locate and
deal for his lime and fertilizer
needs.
To Be Safe During
This Busy Season
We are entering one of the
busiest and most hazardous times
of the year ... silo tilling and com
picking time. Blend into that time
wheat and barley planting and the
last cutting of alfalfa. This means
a lot of farm machinery will be on
our highways during semi-dark or
dark hours.
Slow moving vehicles such as
farm equipment traveling on high
ways present a real traffic hazard.
The motorist must recognize that a
tractor traveling at 10 to 15 miles
per hour is almost standing still
compared to a 55 mph car. Most
highway drivers have never driven
a farm machine on the highway
and simply do not realize how
slow they do travel.
Proper identification and warn
ing is real important. Let’s keep
alert during this busy fall season
both on the highway and in the
fields.
To Control
Johnsongrass
This sorghum-like grass is a
becue, St. Marys Sportsmen’s
Club, St. Marys, 5:00 p.m.
Indiana Co. •Fair, Indiana, thru
Sept. 1.
Soybean production and mange
ment meeting, Gratz Fire Com
(Turn to Page A3l)
problem on many fields in this
part of the state. Those are cases
where nothing is being done to
control this need; for there I would
remind you that Johnsongrass is
listed as a noxious weed in Penn
sylvania. In com there is little that
can be done at this time of year
except cut the seed-heads off and
bum them. It’ll require treatment
at planting time.
However, in other fields such as
small grains, where the growth of
Johnsongrass reaches 2-1/2 to 3
feet ... in the boot stage ... the
plants may be sprayed with round
up. These plants are very heavy
seed producers; a few plants
allowed to go to seed this fall will
mean hundreds of plants next
spring.
Johnsongrass is fast growing
and will crowd out most farm
crops. We urge landowners to
make every effort to eliminate
Johnsongrass from their farms.
The 1989-90 Agronomy Guide
lists control information.
FAITH
VS. WORKS
August 26,1990
Background Scripture: James
1:22 through 2:26.
Devotional Reading: Psalms
119:105-112.
I apologize in advance! If you
have read this column over any
number of years, then what I’m
going to say today I’ve said
before: the controversy between
faith and works in Christianity is
an illusion. There really is no con
troversy. Nor does anyone have to
decide to pick one to the exclusion
of the other.
Yes, I’m aware that Paul and
James are often quoted against
each other, insinuating that PaTil
speaks of salvation by faith alone,
while James advocates salvation
by works. It is true that Paul says,
“For all who rely on works of the
law are under a curse... Now it is
evident that no man is justified
before God by the law; for ‘He
who through faith is righteous
shall live’” (Galatians 3:10-12).
And James writes in seeming con
tradiction; “What does it profit,
my brethren, if a man says he has
faith but not works? Can this faith
save him?... So faith by itself, if it
has no works, is dead” (James
2:14-17).
WHAT ARE
“WORKS?”
But, before we swallow the old
“controversy” line, we need to
think about what both of these
men are saying. For one thing,
they do not use the word “works”
in quite the same way. When Paul
speaks of “works,of the law,” he is
referring to the multitude of com
mandments that were the heart of
the pharasaic party of Jews. These
To Be Aware Of Animals
In The Garden
In the last two weeks I’ve had
many calls from gardeners having
a problem with animals (rabbits,
skunks, groundhogs, raccoons and
possums) invading their gardens
and taking a bite out of their canta
loupes, watermelons, com and
tomatoes. Most gardeners would
not mind if the animals ate one
entire melon but tend to get very
angry when they take one or two
bites out of almost every melon in
their patch. We’ve had a good
growing season so your garden
looks real inviting to them. Unfor
tunately, there is very little you
can do to discourage these visi
tors. Here are a few things garden
ers have tried with varying suc
cess: animal repellents, dried
blood, tobacco dust, lime, twine
dipped in kerosene and human
hair.
Many people want to use some
kind of bait. To my knowledge
there are no materials labeled for
this use.
had little to do with acts of mercy
or compassion to others. In fact, as
Jesus indicated, sometimes these
rules and regulations got into the
way of acts of mercy and compas
sion - such as healing a man on
the sabbath, associating with lep
ers and healing them. When James
speaks of “works” he makes it
very clear that he has something
else in mind, giving clothing to the
“ill-clad” and food to be con
cerned with keeping one’s self
“pure,” James was thinking of
being concerned with keeping
others from physical misery.
Secondly, Paul and James do
not mean the same thing when,
they use the word “faith.” For
James, “faith” is obviously sub
scription to right beliefs. It is con
cerned with what one says about
their religious faith, not necessari
ly what one does about it. James
knew it was quite easy for a
Christian on Sunday morning to
proclaim “I believe in God the
Father almighty,” and then to act
as if God is not “almighty” at all.
One can hold beliefs with the
mind without them becoming con
victions of the heart. James is
quite right, mere words about
what we believe are empty and
meaningless.
WHAT IS “FAITH”?
If you read Paul’s letters, how
ever, you realize that when he uses
the word “faith,” he is speaking of
something that goes considerably
beyond saying what it is we
believe in. Paul realized that kind
of faith didn’t move people be
yond pharasaism. Paul, instead,
used the word “faith” to indicate a
person’s trust in God and com
munion with him. Trust in God
enables us to do the acts and pro
duce the fruits that faith is
intended to produce.
So, are we saved by faith or by
works? Actually, we are saved by
God who responds to our trust in
him (faith) that is evidenced by
our works rather than our words.
(Based on copynghted Outlines produced by
the Committee on the Uniform Senes and used
by permission. Released by Community St Sub
urban Press)