Aio-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November m, 1990 OPINION Thanksgiving Overshadows Our Complaints The harvest season is nearly over again, and we have the beginning signs of winter. The leaves are falling, and most com fields are brown. But some fields have the green of a new growth of reseeded winter grain for cover and a new crop next year. Geese honk their way south and the animals have started to grow heavier coats. It’s Thanksgiving lime again, a day to remember our blessings and share a meal with Inends and family over a strctched-out dinner table. This lime of year is also the time when we celebrate farm/city week. Activities across the state bring urban and farm families together in a relaxed atmosphere of mutual understanding. As we share our life’s work and experience with city friends and neighbors, we are reminded just how good it is to be farmers. We don’t need to fight traffic on the way to work, and unlike the factory worker who never sees the finished product, we live our work--from planting to picking; farrowing to finishing and calving to milking. And our children grow up around us as tender plants. Surely farm families have a lot to be thankful for this time of year. And as we share our Thanksgiving with family and friends from the country or from the city, let’s let our prayers of thanksgiving oversha dow our complaints for at least one day. “ r Farm Calendar Lancaster Co. Farm-City Tours, 1 p.m.-5 p.m., thru Nov. 18. York Co. 4-H Dairy banquet, Win terstown Fire Hall. York Co. 4-H Swine banquet, 4-H Center, Bair Station, 7 p.m. Lehigh Co. 75th annual banquet and meeting, Schnecksville Fire Hall, Schnecksville, 7 p.m. Susquehanna Co. Farm City Feast, Ml. View High School, 7:30 p.m. American Finals Rodeo, Farm Show Building, Harrisburg, thru Nov. 18. Farm-Cily Week, thru Nov. 22. Forest Landowners’ Workshop, Berks Co. Ag Center, Lccsport, Lancaster Co. Farm-City Tours, 1 p.m.-5 p.m., thru Nov. 18. American Finals Rodeo, Farm Show Building, Harrisburg. York Co. Farm City Tours, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. ' Farm-Cu^WeekMhn^Jow22. Franklin Co. 4-H achievement banquet, First Lutheran Church, Chambersburg, 7 p.m. Fann^it^WeekMhn|^ow i 22. Franklin Co. Farm-City banquet, Kauffman Community Center, 6:45 p.m. Penn State/U. of P. informational meeting on Johne’s disease and dairy industry, Embers Quality Inn, Carlisle, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E Main St Ephrata, PA 17522 by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Stemman Enterprise Robert G Campbell General Manager Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor Capyrlfht IMO toy Lancaster Farming Pennsylvania Forage Conference, Elk’s Club, Boalsburg, 9 a.m. Franklin Co. Farm-City banquet, Kauffman Community Center, 6:45 p.m. 14th annual agriculture industry banquet. Willow Valley Resort and Conference Center, 6:30 p.m. Farm-City Week, thru Nov. 22. Blair Co. Ag Forum, Big Wrangler “Where Does The Dairy Program Stand?” Tom Jurchak, Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Off! 1 Montgomery Co. DHIA banquet, Monday. November 26 Buck Season Starts! Three-day course on insects, dis ease, and weeds of trees and shrubs, Penn State Great Val ley, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., thru Nov. 29. Three-day course on insects, dis ease, and weeds of trees and shrubs, Penn State Great Val ley, 8:30 a.m.-4;30 p.m., thru Nov. 29. ... AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST AAV 7RANKSGIV/NG- Li&T.. M NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agricultural Agent To Understand Soybean Feeding Value A soybean is not a soybean according to a feeding value study conducted by Penn State. Accord ing to Robert Anderson, Exten sion Agronomy Agent, the study which looked at over 150 soybean samples grown across the state between 1988 and 1989 indicates that the feeding value of soybeans is quite variable. The study looked at the oil content and protein con tent of Pa, grown soybeans. The oil content of the beans ranged from a high of 21.9% to a low of 15.3%. While the average protein content of the beans in the study was above the book feeding value of 40% it also had a wide range. The highest protein level reported by the study was 43.8% and the lowest was 30.1%. Livestock feeders who are feeding soybeans as a source of protein should have a feed analysis before attempting to balance a ration. To Be Careful Around Flowing Grain Many farms move grain from 1990 Southern Maryland Crops Conference, Fire Hall, Mecha nicsville, Md. Northampton Co. DHIA/Holstein Association annual meeting and banquet, Stockertown Memorial Hall, 7 p.m. Three-day course on insects, dis ease, and weeds of trees and shrubs, Penn State Great Val- Pa. Holstein Milk, Fat and Protein Production Contest entry deadline. York Co. Cooperative Extension annual meeting, Seven Valleys Fire Hall, Seven Valleys, 6:30 69th National 4-H Club Congress, Hilton Towers, Chicago. Deadline for 5 percent savings on membership dues, Pa. Holstein Assoc. Maryland Farm Bureau annual meeting, Sheraton Hotel, Ocean City. (Turn to Page A3l) one oin id anuuici, uuiu uui.m ui the feed grinder. One of the major hazards of moving stored grain is to become covered up and smothered by it. It is very danger ous to be standing in a grain bin when it begins to flow. It takes only a few seconds for an unload ing auger to remove enough grain for a person to start sinking into the grain. Never enter a grain bin without first “locking out” all the power sources: also, never enter the bin alone without another per son being present. Children should be warned about entering grain bins because of the danger of “bridging” of the grains or the shifting of large areas. All employees should be alerted to the hazards of flowing grain. To Be Careful When Cleaning Manure Pits Many manure pits will be emp tied at this time of year; it’s an opportunity to clean out the pit before cold weather arrives. When this volume of manure is agitated there is greater danger of toxic and explosive gases being released. Every precaution should be taken. If there are animals above the pits, then maximum ventilation should be provided. When the pit is emp ty or partially empty, no one CONTEMPT FOR THE MESSAGE November 18,1990 Background Scripture: Jeremiah 36 Devotional Reading: Lamentations 3:19-33 So far as I can tell, King Jehoia kim’s burning of Jeremiah’s scroll is the first recorded book-burning in history. Unfortunately, it isn’t the last and in our world today similar measures are often employed to shut off the flow of opinion and information. In its most extreme form, this attitude is expressed as; “Kill the messenger and bum the message.” So, over the centuries lots of messengers have been killed and even more messages have been burned or otherwise destroyed. This happens because the killers and the burners are always people of great power, particularly destructive power. But then pow er is never so great that it can pre vail for long. As the poet says (and I confess I’ve forgotten which one): “Truth crushed to earth shall rise again.” ANOTHER SCROLL Sometimes it is assumed that (his is because truth is not a thing in itself in fact, it is constantly changing nor is it any less mor tal than we are. What endures is God and it is only because of him that truth is not allowed to perish under the heels of tyrants. i auuuiu t/iiivi tuv pit wmi respirator or gas mask. There may be dangerous gases present. Also, no smoking or open flames should be nearby. These pits are the mod em way to store manure, but they do present a hazard to both humans and animals. To Appreciate The End Of Harvest Season Once again we have come to the end of another growing season and the end of the harvest. The 1990 year was very favor able in most areas for field, orchard and garden crops and this has meant good production of food and feed. Some areas of the country cannot say the same. The harvest is now 95 percent plus completed. There now comes a good feeling of satisfaction when all is safely gathered in. And it brings rewards of a feeling that you’ve done your best. Rewards from crop production come as a result of a choice selec tion of seeds and plants; of careful preparation of the seedbed; of applying soil nutrients, tilling soil and weeding: of cooperation from weather’s rain or sunshine and of the owner or manager inputs. Harvest time follows ... and now a time of joy and thanksgiving should prevail. That is what we find when we study the story of Jeremiah, Bar uch and King Jekoiakim in Jere miah 36. God has a message for Jeremiah to deliver to King Jehoiakim. But the king doesn’t want any messages from the Lord and he has Jeremiah debarred from entering the house of the Lord where prophecies are usually delivered. Jeremiah, of course, knows that there is more than one way to deliver a message and he dictates it to his faithful disciple, Baruch. When, at last, Baruch is taken to the king, he reads the scroll, but Jehoiakim cuts up the scroll in little pieces, showing his contempt for the message from God. Once again, Jeremiah finds another way to transmit the mes sage. God tells him to dictate to Baruch yet another copy of the message. God is determined that his truth will endure, even though at the moment it seems that Jehoiakim has all the power he needs to destroy it. The king is all powerful and the message seems so fragile. But behind the message is the Creator of the Universe. No mere king, dictator or tyrant is powerful enough to withstand God. And what is this message for which the King had such con tempt? It is not so much a prophe cy of doom as it is an invitation, indeed a plea, to repent of evil and return to God. Despite rejection after rejection, God still says, “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin” (36:3). (Based on copyrighted Outlines produced by Jie Committee on the Uniform Senes and used ■yy permission Released by Community & Sub arban Press)
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