AlO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, November 24, 1990 OPINION Autumn Finishes Year The Autumn season finishes the year, Hangs harvest moon in cooler atmosphere Grain ripens, wheat and oats leap into shocks, We hasten toward the last year’s equinox For Winter hides behind a northern sky, Floats in each wavering wind that flurries by Thanksgiving time, corn hurries toward the barn, As ice forms isles on meadow-brook and tarn At borderland of every fertile field, Marauding crows peck at remaining yield Of grain dropped by machine or man, unseen... They chatter as they sweep the furrows clean. Apples, like small, red worlds, plunge down the night On orchards, in mounds beautiful and bright Fall changes little as the years go by, The prairie folk are glad ... and so am I, For every single blessing gives a reason That we rejoice at this Thanksgiving season! w‘- Farm Calendar '"S' Montgomery Co. DHIA banquet, Monday, Noyember 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. 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 levyS^^ajrij-^S^xrrv^^^ 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. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E Mam St Ephrata, PA 17522 by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Stemman Enterprise Robert G Campbell General Manager Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor C«pyrl|ht IttO toy Lancaster tormina Stella Tremble, Lycoming Co. Extension, Home & Family Notes Deadline for 5 percent savings on membership dues. Pa. Holstein Association. Maryland Farm Bureau annual meeting, Sheraton Hotel, Ocean City. Waldorf Winter Fair, Susquehan na Waldorf School, Maiietta, Tioga Co. Lamb Pool, Tioga Co. Fairgrounds, 8 a.m. Dauphin Co. 73d annual meeting, Dauphin Co. Ag and Natural York Co. Milking School, York Co. Extension Office, 9:30 Farm Forum Editor: A friend of mine has for years given me his old Lancaster Farm ing papers. Years ago I had admired and envied the farming life, though I do little now it’s still the only way of life. The reason for this letter is to get your help or information on a pressing problem facing everyone. I work for a large corporation (General Motors) in Marlinsburg, W.Va. There at our plant we have a great amount of wooden skids that we crush and send to landfills. Landfills are filling up and we are trying to recycle our waste. We generate mountains of cardboard which we shred and sell, all metal we sell, and in plant papers, soda // II < V v \ m I k r) NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agricultural Agent To Plan Work Schedules In Layer Houses If you are planning to work with your layers, such as applying a miticide to control lice or mites or do any noisy repairs to the feeders, fans or waterers ... this work should be done in the afternoon. The reason for this is -- it’s after the hen has laid her egg for the day, and she is a lot less suscepti ble to injury and damage to the future eggs. Your everyday chores won’t upset them because they are accustomed to them, but these unusual conditions can upset their regular cycle. Just a word on the number of birds per cage. It may seem like a good idea to add one extra bird per cage, but this could lower your hen-housed production. There are a.m.-3 p.m. Potter Co. DHIA annual meeting, Penn York. Agronomy Ag-Service Schools for Eastern Pa., Bradford Co. Extension Office, Towanda, 9jlsajjt^j3opja^^ York Co. Milking School, York Co. Extension Office, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Legal and Financial Issues of Farmland Preservation, Bran dywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, 9 a.m.-l p.m. (Turn to Page A 24) cans, etc. are now being collected and being donated to charities loc ally. But our waste wood is a problem, at one time we suggested buying a skid chipper but we still would have to discard the chips to landfills. My question is what can we do with our wood. It seems such a waste of a natur al resource as wood, and it is a shame this can not be of use to some one. Could you please help me with any information you may have. Robert W. Weaver Editor’s Note: Anyone with ideas for Mr. Weaver may send them to the editor of Lancaster Farming, and they will be forwarded. a numbeFor density experiments and they all show a lowered pro duction per hen when you add that extra hen. To Control Weeds In Alfalfa Have you been bothered with some of the winter lime weeds such as chickweed or Shepherds purse in your alfalfa stands? If so, now would be a good time to app ly a herbicide to knock out these weeds. Too many alfalfa growers wait until they see a heavy growth of these weeds and then think of spraying. All weeds are easier to kill when small and before they choke out the alfalfa plants. The period between Thanksgiving and Christ mas is excellent for applying her bicides to alfalfa stands. The material to use will vary with the age of the stand and whether or not any grass is there as a compan ion crop. We suggest that growers refer to the Agronomy Guide, or to their local pesticide dealer for suggestions relating to materials. The important thing is to do the spraying while the weeds are small. To Observe Withdrawal Time The use of drugs and antibiotics are needed in many cases to pro tect the health of livestock, poultry and dairy animals. Then use is quite common in many farm oper ations. However, the misuse of ON FEEDING SHEEP November 25,1990 Background Scripture: Ezekiel 34: 1-16. Devotional Reading: Psalms 146 This passage, Ezekiel 34, can be read on three different levels. First of all, it can be read as a stinging condemnation of the leaders of Israel in exile. Likening them to shepherds, God lists a long bill of particulars against them; they have fed themselves instead of their flocks, they have not protected the weak, the crippled and the sick, nor have they made any attempt to bring back those who have strayed. In every department, they have ignored their flocks. We might well make the same accusations against some of our political and religious leaders today: they feed themselves and not their flocks. Whatever it is that they are about, the welfare of their constituents does not occupy much of their attention. Clergy men may spend so much of their time in building churches that they have little left over for tending their flocks. GOD AS SHEPHERD As surely as Ezekiel 36 is a stinging critique of Israel’s leaders Al SO hN can start. When these items are administered to animals or poul try, the owner should read the label for directions relating to withdrawal periods for milk cows or lime between treatment and slaughter for meat. It’s only good common sense that these regula tions be followed. To short-cut the period of time is only jeopardising the product and the entire farming business. Don’t take chances with our valuable food products. Also, keep accurate records of all treat ments. In case excess tolerance is found, it might save lime and money. To Prepare For A Safe Deer Hunt The first two rules of safe hunt ing are - be seen and make sure of your target. Hunter or blaze orange worn on the head, front and back will distinguish a hunter from any other object in the woods. Pennsylvania law requires hunters to wear this very visible color which can be seen at great distances. In addition to wearing the bright color, avoid hiding in thick brush. Most hunting acci dents occur when one hunter does not see or recognize another hunt er as a person. Before you raise a firearm, identify the target beyond any doubt. Check to make sure that the entire line of fire is clear of other hunters, livestock or buildings. Let’s have a safe hunt ing season. and perhaps even ours so it is also a beautiful passage repre senting God’s care for his own flock. “I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out” (36:11). He will nourish the peo ple of Israel and help those who are afflicted: “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice” (34:16). It is a striking image and one which Jesus util ized in his own ministry. There’s a third way to look at Ezekiel 34; as a challenge to each of us. This passage’s initial appeal rests on its assurances of what God will do for us. But it can also stir us to see it as a call to do something for someone else. If God is like a shepherd to his flock and if Jesus is the Good Shepherd, shouldn’t those of us who strive to follow him adopt this same she pherd’s roll? NOT FED MV SHEEP Isn’t this the kind of ministry to which Jesus called his disciples seeking the lost, binding up the crippled, strengthening the weak, and watching over the prosperous. As Jesus is our Good Shepherd, so we are called to be good shepherds to others. That means more than including them in our prayers, and wishing them well. Essentially, it means feeding sheep, ministering to the deepest material and spiritu al needs of those in need. Let it not be said of our day as it was of Ezekiel’s, “Because there was no shepherd...” (Based on copyrighted Outlines produced by the Committee on the Uniform Senes and used by permission Released by Community & Sub urban Press)
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