AKRancaster Farming, Saturday, January 26, 1991
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OPINION
Dairy Industry Suicide
Dairy farmers need a word of caution. The Federal Drug
Adminstration has a new program that involves monitoring drug
residues at the milk plant. And if they find contamination, they
will come back to the individual farm samples taken from the
bulk tank and ask to see the dairymen’s treatment records.
John Adams, National Milk Producers Federation, gave
dairymen a warning last week at the Pcnn-Jersey Dairy Expo.
This warning should be given serious consideration. Adams said
to contaminate milk with drug residues is a Federal offense with
stiff punishment.
Milk from cows that have received drugs in medical treat
ment must be withheld from sale according to directions on the
label. In addition, where withholding periods are not listed, indi
vidual tests for the specific drug used in treatment must show no
contamination before the milk is sold. FDA’s testing equipment
is so sensitive that one cow’s milk can be detected even when
mixed with a thousand other cows’ milk.
Not only must the dairy farmers protect themselves from
potential liability, they must not cause their handler to lose large
quanilics that result in a financial loss for all the shippers. And if
the news media is reporting contamination in the milk, just like
alar, it doesn’t matter at what level the residue exists. If the publ
ic perceives a problem, it is a problem.
In the new NMPF quality assurance program, some of the
cncck list items covered by the new federal laws include:
1. Use FDA approved products.
2. Develop a vclcrinarian/clicnt relationship.
3. Have drugs properly labeled by a veterinarian and follow
the label exactly.
4. Store drugs for lactaling animals away from other drugs.
5. Identify treated animals properly.
6. Keep permanent records of treatment.
7. Test for residues on each treated animal before allowing
milk or meat to be sent to market.
Everyone in the dairy industry must help to make sure our
milk supply is free from all traces of drug residues. To do other
wise is to commit dairy industry suicide.
Farm Calendar
Lehigh Co. 4-H livestock awards
dinner, Schnecksville Fire Co.,
Schnecksville, 6 p.m.
Beaver-Lawrence annual meeting,
Perry Township Fire Hall,
Elwood City, 11 a.m.
Huntingdon Co. annual Holstein
meeting, Warriors Mark Fire
Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Forest Landowners’ Workshop,
American Legion Hall, Cres-
York Co. Fruit Tree Training and
Pruning Workshop, Penn State
Fruit Research Lab, Arendtsvil
le Farm, 1:30 p.m.-3;30 p.m.
Beef Cattle Producer meeting,
Wayne Co. Extension, Hones-
Clarion Co. Farm Records Course,
Clarion Co. Park, 10 a.m.-3
p.m.
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
Copyright IWO by UancMtor Farming
1991 Pa. Vegetable Conference
and State Horticulture Associa
tion meeting, Hershey Conven
tion Center, Hershey, thru Jan.
31.
Lycoming Dairy Day, Community
Room, Lycoming Mall, 10
a.m.-3 p.m.
Lehigh Valley Crops Day, UGI
Auditorium, Bethlehem.
Lancaster Co. Heifer Nutrition and
Management School, Farm and
Home Center, Lancaster, 9:30
a.m.
Elk Co. bee management, exten
sion office.
Beaver/Butler/Lawrence counties
Reproductive Management
School, Pleasant Hill Grange,
9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Basic Farm Records Workshop,
Washington, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.;
repeats Jan. 31.
Clarion Co. Farm Records Course,
Clarion Co. Park, 10 a.m.-3
p.m.
(Turn to Page A2B)
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NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Protect
Your Lungs
Whether in a coal mine or on
the farm... dust can destroy lungs.
Farmers who are exposed to dust
over long periods of time risk the
disabling disease called “farmer’s
lung”. As the dust accumulates in
the lungs the tissue hardens. This
can lead to a variety of respiratory
ailments including bronchitis and
asthma. If the condition is not
diagnosed soon enough, irreversi
ble lung damage may occur.
Preventing farmer’s lung
doesn’t necessarily require any
elaborate or expensive equipment
... a simple mask when dust can’t
be avoided ... for example when
handling dry bedding, sweeping
dusty walls or walks or grinding
and mixing feed.
Keeping the overall level of
dust down is also helpful. There
fore as soon as feed sacks or
chemical containers are emptied
they should be discarded in the
proper manner. Regular house
cleaning of work areas is another
good idea. Contact your local
Lung Association for more infor
mation on how to protect your
lungs.
To Treat
Sore Feet
Cows, like people, can be
affected by sore feet. When their
feet are sore, cows are less apt to
walk to the feed bunk, to the
watering trough, or to distant pas
tures, according to Glenn Shirk,
Extension Dairy Agent. Conse
quently, feed intake drops and
milk production and conception
rates suffer.
We are seeing an increase in
foot problems related to a viral
growth that appears at the rear of
the hoof between the claws. Usu
ally, the growth is characterized
by rough hair-like projections.
The condition is contagious,
and usually spreads to other cows
in the herd. Copper sulfate foot
baths are not effective against the
virus. The only effective footbaths
appear to be a 5% formalin solu
tion. For best results, increase the
initial strength to 10% for a few
days. Then reduce it to 5%, other
wise the hooves may become too
hard, and the problem is apt to be
aggravated.
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To
Transfer Silage
Some fanners use temporary
silos to store the extra silage for
their dairy and feeder cattle. Our
Agronomy Specialists tell us that
any silage to be moved from a
temporary storage to an upright
storage should be done in cold
weather. When moved in warm
weather (over 40* F.) there will be
more chances of heating and
molding. Make the transfer in cold
weather and do it as rapidly as
possible. No additives or preser
vatives should be needed in this
process.
By transferring to the upright
silo, you can utilize the mechani
cal feeding equipment in your
upright silo.
To Correct
Drainage Problems
The late winter and early spring
provides a good chance to observe
the water drainage problems
around many homes and farms
teads. If surface water drains into
IS FEAR
A SIN?
January 27,1991
Background Scripture:
Luke 19:11-17.
Devotional Reading:
Luke 12:42-48,
The Parable of the Pounds
makes me wonder if Jesus might
be a charter member of Tough
Love (an organization that assists
parents in dealing with delinquent
and troublesome youth). For, if
the nobleman in this parable is
identified as Jesus, then the pic
ture we get is one that is consider
ably harsher than the “gentle
Jesus, meek and mild” that is the
popular image.
Of course, we have to remem
ber that a parable generally has but
one point to make and one must
never push the symbolism too far.
I hardly think the portrait of the
“nobleman” in this parable is
intended to be an accurate and
comprehensive representation of
Jesus Christ. If we were to take
these details seriously and that
is never the purpose of a parable
it would be the only place in
the gospels where Jesus would be
represented as putting to death his
enemies and would clash sharply
with the man who prayed on the
cross, “Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do.”
WHEN HE RETURNED
Having said that, I would not
want to diminish the severity with
which the “nobleman” reacted to
the third of his servants. In the
story he gave each of ten servants
a pound each (a unit of money).
When he returned he asked each
of the servants to give an account
ing of what they had done with his
money. The first servant reported
a profit of ten pounds and the sec
farm buildings or into homes, then
something should be done about it
soon. Surface water should be
directed away from buildings by
way of terraces or diversion
ditches.
Water should not be permitted
to flow down against buildings
from upgrade. This will weaken
the structure and wash soil away
from the foundation. Water that
seeps into a building from under
ground is a different problem and
more difficult to control.
However, the surface water can
be directed around and away from
farm buildings. Also, the area
around wells should be protected
from surface water contamination.
Water from feedlols and bar
nyards should not be allowed to
flow directly into streams; pas
tures or holding areas will reduce
the possibility of pollution.
The Cooperative Extension
Service is an affirmative action,
equal opportunity educational
institution.
ond reported a profit of five. Each
of these servants was commended
and rewarded accordingly for their
stewardship.
The third sen ant, however,
gives back his pound to the mas
ter, explaining his failure to gam
profit by saying, “Lord, here is
your pound which I kept laid away
in a napkin; for I was afraid of
you, because you are a severe
man” (19:20,21). Lots of us can
identify with this servant because
we 100 might have been afraid to
take the risk of losing what we
were given. So, we can imagine
the master’s disappointment or
even anger, but we find it hard to
understand why he should have
responded with a condemnation of
this poor man: “I will condemn
you out of your own mouth, you
wicked servant!” (19:22).
WHOM DO YOU FEAR?
You and I might plead this
man’s ease to the master: Lord,
this man had good intentions; he
didn’t mean to displease you; in
fact, he probably thought he was
doing the right thing so that he
could slay out of trouble with you.
He isn’t evil, he was just fright
ened. Surely it is no sin to be
afraid!
Yet that’s what the parable
seems to be saying to us. When
God has something for us to do or
become, being afraid can be out
right contemptuous of him. It is as
if we arc saying to him that we arc
more impressed with the power of
the world to thwart us, than the
power of God to help us accom
plish his task. We have looked at
the situation and we fear the world
more than we respect him. It is
saying also that our fear is more
powerful than his love.
Inasmuch as sin is defined as
“missing the mark,” I would say
that there arc limes when, m the
face of what God expects from us,
timidity, hesitation and outright
fear arc an offense in God’s sight.
And then, yes, our fear is a sin.
(Based on copyrighted Outlines produced b>
the Committee on the Uniform Senes and used
by permission Released by Community & Sub
urban Press)
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