AlO-Lancister FarminfcSaturday, October 20,1990
OPINION
Farmer’s View Must Be Heard
In Pennsylvania, more and more issues are emerging in the area of
solid waste and its use. But one basic point seems to be forgotten. All of
our efforts to deal with pesticides, solid waste, septage from septic
tanks, sludge from wastewater treatment plants, and all of the other thro
waways are really efforts to protect our groundwater.
A Pennsylvania committee to address groundwater public policy has
been assembled. This committee is a joint effort by Cooperative Exten
sion, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, The Freshwater Founda
tion, and the League of Women Voters. According to Guy Temple,
extension agent, Union County, the goal is to provide citizens and public
officials with timely, relevant information from credible, scientific
sources about groundwater quality problems, policy alternatives, and
their consequences.
Almost every aspect of the rural groundwater quality issue breaks
with tradition. Compared with soil erosion and surface water quality,
groundwater quality problems and solutions are more complex and sci
entifically uncertain. Because most rural land uses represent contamina
tion threats, stakeholders in the groundwater issue run the gamut from
farmers to homeowners to municipal water suppliers. Perhaps the
issue’s most important feature is that human health is the primary force
driving demands for policy change. Concerns over adverse human
health effects from drinking contaminated groundwater have added
intensity and urgency to the issue and is bringing it to the forefront of
environmental policy-making at federal, state, and local levels.
Making public policy choices about groundwater quality presents an
enormous challenge. This challenge can be met if we work to inform the
policy debate. While physical and technological information about
groundwater problems and solutions is intergral to this educational pro
cess, we must remember to focus on the key management variables
the policies and instutions that influence human choices about technolo
gies and practices that affect groundwater quality.
And in all the discussions, the fanner’s view must also be heard.
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Farm Calendar
York Co. Holstein Club banquet,
Thomasville Fire Hall, 7:00
p.m.
Practical Aspects of Sheep Nutri
tion, Extension Conference
Center, Cook College, 9:00
118th annual Pennsylvania State
Grange Convention, West
Chester, thru Oct. 25.
Water clinic, Sheffield High
School, 7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Central Susquehanna ,Valley
greenhouse tour and meeting.
Dale Whitenight’s Greenhouse,
Lancaster Co. Poultry Association
(LCPA) annual fall banquet.
Willow Valley Inn, Palm Court,
6:00 p.m.
Pa. State Grange Convention,
West Chester, thru Oct. 25.
Lycoming Co. Cooperative Exten
sion 76th annual meeting,
Eldred Township Fire Hall,
Warrensville, 7:00 p.m.
Milk Pricing Workshop, Hamlet’s
Restaurant, Bloomsburg, 1:00
p.m.
District 111 Jersey Breeders dinner
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Published Every Saturday oiv/CvnMA A
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Robert G Campbell General Manager „ / 'fvO' A
Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor I < /7oUe tjSyr^A
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meeting, Bird-In-Hand
Restaurant, 7:00 p.m.
Centre Co. District DHIA meeting,
Family House Restaurant, 9:30
a.m
VV<dius(l;i>. October 24
Pa. State Grange Convention,
West Chester, thru Oct. 25.
Celebration banquet, 50th anniver
sary of first conservation dis
trict in Lancaster Co., 7:00 p.m.
DHIA board meeting, Adams Co.
Bradford Co. annual meeting.
Pa. State Grange Convention,
West Chester.
73d annual Schuylkill Co.
Cooperative Extension meet
ing, New England Fire Com-
pany, 6:30 p.m.
Chester Co. Holstein Club annual
banquet, West Fallowfield
Christian Day School, 7:00
Pa. 4-H Horse Show, Farm Show
Building, Harrisburg, thru Oct.
28.
Uniontown Poultry and Farm
Dutch Country Calf Sale, BCCA,
Lebanon Fairgrounds, 1:30
p.m.
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Pick and Store Apples
Whether you grow apples or
just like to eat them, it’s important
to store them properly.
Cool apples will keep longer.
Ideally, they should be stored at
33°F, at 90 percent humidity, and
in dim light or darkness.
Now as to picking, it’s a good
practice to store the fruit in shade
as it is picked, then allow it to
stand in the orchard overnight to
cool. Then, place the apples in
storage early in the morning
before the temperature rises too
much.
If you leave apples in a packing
shed or in piles under the tree for
one week, you’ll shorten their
storage life by about five weeks.
So, keep apples cool, maintain
good air circulation during stor
age, and your apples should keep a
long time.
Chester Co. first annual 4-H Beef
Show and Sale.
Bedford Cattlemen’s Association
Feeder and Club Calf Sale,
Bedford Fairgrounds, 1:00 p.m.
Goat Health Conference, J.O.
Keller Conference Center, Uni
versity Park, 8:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m.
Pa. 4-H Horse Show, Farm Show
Building, Harrisburg, thru Oct
28.
Uniontown Poultry and Farm
Show, thru Oct. 28.
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Pa. 4-H Horse Show, Farm Show
Building, Harrisburg.
Uniontown Poultry and Farm
Show.
Water clinic, Tidioute High
Lebanon Co. Holstein annual
meeting, Zoars Social Hall, Mt.
Zion, 7:00 p.m„
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Pa. Holstein Junior All-
Pennsylvania entry deadline.
Md. Ag Ed Foundation annual din
ner, Martin’s West, Baltimore,
Md.
(Turn to Page A 39)
To Plan Winter Weed Coptrol
In Alfalfa
As the alfalfa plant slows down
and prepares to go into dormancy,
other plant populations in that
same field can be increasing in
vigor and growth. These are the
winter annual weeds: chickweed,
shepherds purse, yellow rocket
and some grassy weeds which
overwinter. All are in their young
stages of growth.
You’ll not see crop injury now,
but wait until that first cutting
comes off next May. Those same
little weeds all will have flowered
and set seed by that time. Not only
do yield losses occur but field cur
ing problems and lower hay qual
ity results.
Fall applied herbicide(s) will
largely eliminate the costly winter
weed problem. The Agronomy
Guide lists a number of effective
materials. Follow label instruc
tions for application rates.
To Check Ventilation
Equipment For Winter
Exhaust fans in dairy and poul
try houses have a heavy ventila
tion job to do. They remove mois
ture and dust, and in many cases
run almost continually from
October to April.
To make your ventilation sys
tem ready for winter, several items
WHEN WE
WEARY GOD
October 21,1990
Background Scripture: Isaiah 7.
Devotional Reading: Isaiah
43:1-7.
Nothing sounds more impossi
ble than that human beings should
have the power to make God
weary. But that’s what Isaiah says;
“Hear then, O house of David! Is
it too little for you to weary men,
that you weary my God also?”
(7:13). Isaiah does not mean that
God is physically exhausted, but
that his patience is. God was
“tired” of Judah’s lack of faith in
him.
It is difficult for us to imagine
God with a patience that can be
exhausted. TTiis is direcdy con
trary to our understanding of God.
We must remember, however, that
Isaiah is interpreting God in
human terms. He is imputing to
God the same mortal limits that
we all have. It is like saying, “If I
were God, I’d certainly be fed up
with Ahaz and his kingdom.” But,
of course, we are not God, no mat
ter how often we may forget that
all-important fact.
A MATTER OF TRUST
Although it is not likely that
Ahaz and the people of Judah
actually wearied God, their
response to him must have been
very displeasing (to use once more
a human term!). Their lack of trust
in him resulted in a breakdown in
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may need , attention. The fan
blades, motor enclosures and
louvered shutters need cleaned
frequently. Loose belts are com
mon on belt driven fans. Fan out
put varies directly with fan speed.
A 10 percent loss in RP.M.’s of
the fan means a 10 percent loss in
air delivery.
Check the thermostat for accu
racy by hanging a thermometer
beside it for easy comparison. Be
sure the sensing element is clean
and free from dust.
To Be Aware Of Evergreen
Needle Drop
Don’t push the panic button if
some of your evergreens are drop
ping their needles this fall. It’s
normal for pines, spruce and simi
lar evergreens to drop one year’s
growth of needles this time of
year.
The needles you see falling are
those nearest the center of the tree.
The younger, green needles are at
the ends of the branches. Scotch
pines will lose their 3-year-old
needles... while red pine drops its
4-year-old needles.
During this period of shedding,
the trees may look like they’re
dead or dying, but as soon as a
hard wind or rain hits them, the
old needles will fall to the ground
and the tree will look normal
again.
their relationship with him. So,
when they “wearied” God, as
Isaiah put it, they were the ones
who suffered from that disruption
of the relationship.
What was it about Ahaz and the
people of Judah that damaged this
relationship? Essentially, it was a
lack of trust Perhaps that is not
apparent when we first read this
chapter. We can sympathize with ;
the people of Judah. The teaming
up of Syria with their Israelite
cousins certainly was a legitimate
reason for concern. But Isaiah
does not say that they were simply
“concerned”; he says; “When the
house of David was told, ‘Syria is
in league with Ephraim,’ his
(Ahaz) heart and the heart of his
people shook as the trees of the
forest shake before the wind”
(7:2).
“ASK A SIGN!”
It was one thing for them to be
concerned, but something else to
be terrified out of their minds.
Their terror was an overrcaction
that could only mean they did not
trust God to save them, despite the
fact that with his help they had
already repulsed these untied
armies. They were disregarding
the help he had already given
them.
“Ask a sign of the Lord your
God; let it be as deep as Sheol or
high as heaven” (7:10), God chal
lenged Ahaz. Ahaz’s refusal to ask
a sign of God indicated that he
really didn’t believe the sign
would be granted. So to save both
himself and God of this embar
rassment, he refused.
And that’s the way it will
always be when our ultimate trust
is in ourselves, not the Lord.
(Based on copyrighted Outlines pro
duced by the Committee on the Uniform
Series and used by permission. Released
by Community & Suburban Press.)
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