AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 29, 1991
OPINION
Be Careful Around Manure Pits
Manure handling is probably the most disagreeable chore on
the farm-and the most dangerous. While manure pits and tanks
are convenient and efficient, they can be the source of danger
when safety management standards are not followed.
David Konn, Jr., York County Conservation District, says that
to be more safety conscious around manure pits and eliminate
tragic situations connected with them, the following tips should
serve as a reminder.
• During manure decomposition, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia,
carbon dioxide and methane are produced. All can be dangerous.
Allow a foot or two of air space to accommodate concentrations
of these gases at the surface of the pit.
• Never enter a manure pit without proper breathing apparatus.
Even an empty pit can be a killer.
• Never smoke or allow any flame sources in the area of a manure
pit. Methane can be present in just the right amounts to trigger an
explosion or fire.
• Provide as much ventilation as possible in the pit and the build
ing during agitation.
• Install a fence to keep out small children and other unwanted
visitors.
• Make sure scrape off ramps are structurally sound and that they
have safety gates across them. These gates should be made of hea
vier gauge steel compared to the perimeter fencing.
• Slow down when scraping into a pit. It only takes one slide or
skid to result in a tragedy.
• Manure ponds and surrounding areas should be kept clean and
free of rodents. When mowing pond areas, the mower operator
should be careful on steep banks to keep equipment from rolling.
• Post signs on these facilities and fences that warn of the dangers
of the manure pit.
Be careful around the manure facilities on your farm. In the
past, farmers have lost their lives working around manure pits.
Don’t let someone on your farm have a tragic accident around the
manure pit.
Farm Calendar
Eastern Regional Shorthorn Field
Day, Howard Co. Fairgrounds,
West Friendship, Md., 8:30
a.m.
Pennsylvania Floral Industry
Expo, Lancaster Resort Hotel,
Lancaster, thru July 2.
Md. Shorthorn Association East
ern Regional Field Day, How
ard Co. Fairgrounds, noon-4
p.m.
Fayette Co. Farm City Day, Bob
and Joy Jackson Dairy Farm, 12
p.m.-5 p.m.
Schnecksvillc Fair, Schnecksville.
Cumberland Co. 4-H Dairy Day,
North Middleton Park, Carlisle.
American Jersey Cattle Club,
Ramada Hotel and Convention
Center, Hagerstown, Md., thru
July 1.
Pa^ngu^iel^Day^^^^^
Horseman’s Introduction To Driv
ing, Rose Hill Manor Park, Fre
derick, Md., 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Md. Polled Hereford Association
Field Day, Howard Co.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E Mam St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Steinman Enterprme
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor
Copyright IWI by Lancaster Farming
Fairgrounds.
American Jersey Cattle Club,
Ramada Hotel and Convention
Center, Hagerstown, Md., thru
Pa. PDCA Judging School,
Lawrence and Butler counties,
thru July 2.
5-Acre Com Club enrollment
deadline.
Butler Co. Fair, Butler, thru July 6.
Forest Co. Fair, Wolfs Comers
Recreation Assn., Tionesta,
thru July 6.
American Jersey Cattle Club,
Ramada Hotel and Convention
Lancaster Co. 4-H livestock judg
ing day, Manheim Fairgrounds,
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Pa. PDCA Judging School,
Lawrence and Butler counties.
Butler Co. Fair, Butler, thru July 6.
Forest Co. Fair, Wolfs Comers
Recreation Assn., Tionesta,
thru July 6.
D,
3
To Protect Against
Plant Poisoning
Many common plants will cause
poisoning symptoms in humans
and animals.
These plant poisoning symp
toms vary greatly. Some plants
will only cause a skin irritation
such as a rash or red itching area.
Other plants, if eaten, will cause
nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea to
heart problems, convulsions,
coma, and death. Fortunately,
most plants do not cause severe
poisoning.
To prevent a plant poisoning
from occurring:
• Teach children never to put
leaves, stems, bark, seeds, nuts, or
berries from any plant into their
mouths.
• Keep poisonous house plants
out of reach of all children, includ
ing infants.
• Never eat a wild plant or
mushroom unless you arc positive
of its identity.
• Store bulbs and seeds out of
sight and out of reach of children.
If anyone eats a poisonous plant,
follow the following first aid
instructions:
If a plant or plant part is swal
lowed or chewed on: 1. Give 1 to 2
glasses of milk or water right
away, unless the person cannot
swallow, is in a comma, or having
a convulsion. 2. Call the Poison
Control Center. 3. Have on hand at
home syrup of Ipecac (ask your
pharmacist for it) and Epsom salts.
Do not use either of these unless
instructed to do so by the Poison
Control Center.
For skin contact with a poison
ous plant, gently wash the skin
with a mild soap and water and
rinse right away.
To Be
Sensitive To
Environmental Issues
Protecting the environment will
be a major political issue in the
90s.
The problem is we want the
other person to do it rather than
Cambria Co. 4-H Achievement
Butler Co. Fair, Butler, thru July 6.
Forest Co. Fair, Wolfs Comers
(Turn to Page A3l)
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ourselves. The urban resident
blames agriculture for being the
major polluter while farmers are
looking to pass the blame to some
one else.
The truth is we all could be
doing a better job of living in har
mony with the environment.
Recent research studies show agri
culture as an industry is doing an
excellent job of protecting the
environment.
This should be of no surprise to
farmers. The profession of farming
requires a working knowledge of
the environment.
Farmers are constantly working
with and managing the environ
ment in order to produce food and
fiber. A destruction of the earth’s
environment would mean the end
of agriculture. However, we must
do better.
As agriculture continues to
change and grow, farmers are
going to need to adapt new tech
nology. Genetic engineering, new
management practices, and nutri
ent management are a few new
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bt lAWHENIE W ALTHOU'J j
'ffiBIBIUS
sn
WHAT SHALL WE
SAY AFTER THIS?
June 30, 1991
Background Scripture: Ezra 9
through 10.
Devotional Reading: Isaiah
56:1-8.
The Book of Ezra ends in the
midst of a great controversy.
Biblical scholars have argued for
years as to whether the command
not to marry fdreign wives came
from God or just from the mind of
Ezra. It is obvious that the spirit of
Ezra is quite different from the
spirit of Jesus Christ in the New
Testament. Racial exclusiveness
is a concept that is hard for us to
ascribe to Father of our Lord.
Of course, this is not the same
controversy we encountered two
weeks ago when the Samaritans
came and offered to help build the
temple. In Ezra 9 and 10 Ezra
denounces intermarriage with
foreigners because through these
mixed marriages pagan rites and
customs are beginning to corrupt
the religion of Israel. If that is
Ezra's concern, his position is
easier for us to accept.
But there is more to the last two
chapters of Ezra than this con
troversy and it will profit us more
if we look beyond this dispute.
Ezra is convinced that the people
have sinned greatly in the eyes of
the Lord. In fact, so great is this
sin, as he sees it, that one gets the
impression that Ezra believes
there is no hope left for his people:
"Oh my God, I am ashamed and
blush to lift my face to thee, my
God, for our iniquities have risen
higher than our heads, and our
guilt has mounted up to the
heavens” (9:6).
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/
tools that will help agriculture to
continue protect the environment.
We need to tell people that agri
culture is a very important industry
that respects and supports the envi
ronment By working together, we
all will be able to live in harmony
with the environment.
A purpose in life keeps you
focused on the present. This helps
you maintain enthusiasm for your
day-to-day work.
The more enthusiastic you are,
the more you will attract the atten
tion of positive, enthusiastic peo
ple and the more successful you
will be.
Identify your purpose in life,
work to achieve it, keep a positive
attitude, and turn every roadblock
into an opportunity. Remember,
success breeds success and posi
tive attitudes create successes. So,
be happy and have fun while you
are accomplishing your life’s
purpose.
"TOO MANY
WRONG THINGS"
I can understand how Ezra felt.
There have been times in my life
when I have felt such a sense of
guilt before God that it seemed
nothing could lift it from me. 1
have called upon parishoners who
have confided to me that their sins
were "too great for God to for
give." I had a classmate in high
school who committed suicide a
year after graduation, leaving a
note in which he said, "I've done
too many wrong things for God to
forgive me."
When we own up to what we
have done and what the cost of
that sin is, we often feel that there
is no way God can forgive us.
Then, like Ezra, we could well
pray, "And now, O our God, what
shall we say after this? For we
have forsaken thy command
ments" (9:10). Words seem so
inadequate when we have done
such harm or inflicted such pain.
"I am sorry; I repent," seems so
inadequate. Ezra felt this way
"Behold, we arc before thee in our
guilt, for none can stand before
thee because of this" (9:15b).
The writer of Ezra tells us that
while Ezra was thus confessing,
weeping and "casting himself
down before the house of God," a
great assembly of people gathered
around him and wept also. But one
man, Shecaniah, said to Ezra, "We
have broken faith with our God
and have married foreign women
from the peoples of this land, but
even now there is hope for Israel
in spite of this" (10:2).
That's what we need to remem
ber when the weight of guilt seems
to squeeze the hope of God out of
our lives: "even now there is
hope." Even in the midst of our
degradation, we must remember
there is no sin so great that God
cannot, will not forgive it if we
repent. Our guilt may be monu
mental, but God's grace is greater
than any evil we can produce.
(Based on copynghted Outlines produced by
the Committee on the Uniform Senes and used
by permission. Released by Community & Sub
urban Press)
TRATAINT
TOO BAD.
WHAT’S
THE
GOOD
V NEWS P
Have A
Purpose In Life
That WAS