AlO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, July 27, 1991
OPINION
Manipulated By
The Powers That Be
Even with all the furor over low milk prices, dairy farmers
and their farm organizations cannot agree on what’s good for
them.
Under the US house bill that was passed last week, farmers
would receive a support price of $ 12.60 per hundredweight on a
base level of production. Those who produce above that level
would be assessed to help pay for taking the unneeded product
off the market. The ‘Tier” system is designed to discourage
over-production, and thus stimulate market prices, or so the
proponents of this system say.
But others say, in effect, the assessment of from 75 cents to
$l.OO per hundredweight of milk on the over-production would
help pay for the costs of government nutrition programs. Dairy
men arc already being assessed a 5 cent dairy tax to help reduce
the budget deficit. These proposed assessments would do more
to help pay for government consumer programs than they would
do to reduce production.
We say any government program to help dairy farmers would
be more objective (less consumer oriented) if the national food
assistance programs were not tied to the dairy farm bill.
A sign of the frustration in the dairy industry was indicated
last week when a group of farmers and agri-business people got
together at the Roger Hess farm in Wayne County. These people
simply believe their farm oranizations and their governments
are not doing enough. Hess wants to let the whole country know
of the dairyman’s plight. He proposes that every farmer and
agri-business should put up a sign supporting a nationwide milk
withholding to start on October 1,1991. Reports of increasing
sentiments in this direction are coming in.
But a Chester County dairyman said off the record that it
would be against his principles to dump milk.
Last year, when milk prices to farmers were high, the price in
the supermarket went up too. But since then, when the farm
price for milk has made the most drastic drop in the shortest per
iod of time since 1929, the price to the consumer has come down
very little.
From all we can see and hear, the dairy farmers are being
manipulated by the powers that be. And from what we can tell, it
will be a long, hot summer.
Farm Calendar
W
Camden Co., NJ. Peach Festival,
Cooper River Park, Curtis
Memorial Stadium, North Park
Dr., Pennsauken, N J., thru July
28.
Erie Co. Holstein picnic. Creek
Side Campground, Little Hope,
1 p.m.
Cambria Co. 4-H Horse and Pony
Roundup, Fairgrounds.
Pa. Cattlemen’s Association annu
al field day, Venango Co.
N.W. Pa. PHA Field Day, Vido
vich Farm, Midland, Pa.
Conneaut Valley Fair,
Conneautville.
Jefferson Township Fair, Mercer.
Troy Fair, Troy.
Kemberton Fair. Phoenixvilie.
Plainfield Farmer Fair, Plainfield.
Fayette Co. Fair, Uniontown, thru
Aug. 3.
Penn State Master Gardener Open
Lancaster Fanning
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stmnrmn Entorprkm
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett H Newswanger Managing Editor
CspyrlfM IMI by Imensr Farming
House and Garden Tour, Lan-
caster area, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, and
Guernsey Field Day, Frederick
Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.
Bucks Co. Holstein Club Field
Day, Holly Hill Farm, 11 a.m.-3
Mercer Co. Grange Fair, Mercer,
thru Aug. 4.
Camden Co., NJ. Peach Festival,
Cooper River Park, Curtis
Memorial Stadium, North Park
Dr., Pennsauken, NJ.
Fayette Co. Fair, Uniontown. thru
Aug. 3.
Erie Co. Holstein picnic, Creek
Side Campground, Little Hope,
1 p.m.
Lebanon Fair, Lebanon, thru Aug.
3.
SAY UNCLE OT/S, X NAVE \
THE BILL FOR THAT TRACTOR \
PART YOU ORDERED- BUT /
BEFORE I eiVE IT TO MX) /
YA BETTER LET ME FIND '
THAT
4
OFFKC
To Conserve Water
The continuation of the recent
dry weather is causing a decline in
available water to farmers. We are
seeing a drop in the water table,
streams are drying up, and ponds
and lakes are at low levels. We are
beginning to hear reports of wells
starting to go dry. Until we start
receiving normal amounts of rain,
a water conservation program
should be started.
Check for water leaks and repair
immediately. Reduce the amount
of water used for washing items by
using buckets instead of the hose.
Change time of washing items and
heavy household water use to early
morning or late evening when
livestock and poultry demand will
be lower.
Become consciences of when
you are using water and make sure
you are not wasting or using more
water than necessary. By starting
to conserve water now you could
prevent a serious water shortage in
the future.
To Creep Feed Calves
According to Chester Hughes,
extension livestock agent, the most
profitable time to creep feed beef
calves is during drought years.
Since the lack of rainfall reduces
grass supplies, the beef cows daily
milk production is reduced. With
this decrease in milk production,
the calf is not receiving adequate
nutrition for growth. In fact, daily
gains will drop to a point where
the calf may actually be losing
weight
Creep feeding will increase dai
ly gain by 0.15 to 0.2 S pounds. It
takes 430 pounds of creep feed to
add SO pounds of weaning weight
to one calf. At 6 cents per pound
feed cost your added costs will be
$27 per calf or 54 cents per pound
gained.
The bottom line with creep feed-
Westem FFA Dairy Show, Butler
Co. Fairgrounds.
4-H Achievement Days, Penn
State, thru July 31.
Fayette Co. Fair, Uniontown, thru
Aug. 3.
Clearfield Co. Fair, Clearfield,
thru Aug. 3.
Potter Co. Fair, Millport, thru Aug.
3.
Morrison Cove Dairy Show. Mar
linsburg, thru Aug. 2.
Derry Township Fair, Derry, thru
(Turn to P«q« At 7)
ing is profitability. It is a tool to
help you keep your calves gaining
weight in dry weather and increase
sale receipts. Profitable creep
feeding means keeping an eye on
your cows productivity level, pas
ture conditions, forage quality and
the grain and feeder calf cash
markets.
To Check Tobacco Fields
For Tobacco Black Shank
Black Shank is a serious and
destructive disease of tobacco.
Robert Anderson, Extension
Agronomy Agent, reports this dis
ease has been found again on sev
eral Lancaster County farms this
week after a ten year absence.
Black Shank is caused by a soil
borne fungus found in many soils
where tobacco is grown. This dis
ease attacks the roots and basal
parts of the plant The roots will be
black in color. When the stalk is
ON NOT
COMING DOWN
July 28, 1991
Background Scripture:
Devotional Reading:
"I am doing a great work and I
can not come down.”
If Nehemiah had left us no other
words than these, they would be
enough. They are the kind of
words that we need to put on our
desks or our workplaces. Because
all of us, like Nehemiah, are, con
stantly tempted to step down from
what it is we are called by God to
do.
All of us can put ourselves in
Nehemiah's shoes. He is trying to
get the Jerusalem wall rebuilt but
the Jews' enemies want to squelch
this project before it can be suc
cessor!. From time to time, all of
us And ourselves in similar situa
tions. Something needs to be done
but there are those who will do all
they can to make sure that we are
unsuccessful. They may try to
trick us. they may attempt to in
timidate us, and they may threaten
us. Even though we believe we are
doing the right thing, we find it
difficult not to be swayed from our
course.
Nehemiah's enemies tried to lay
a trap. "Come and let us meet
together in one of the villages in
the plain of Ono" (6:2). It sounds
like a reasonable request, doesn't
it? Let's get together and talk this
thing over. Conciliation is always
a good idea, but we must also be
careful that the other side is sin
cere. Nehemiah was sure that they
were not: Ono was quite some dis
tance from Jerusalem and he real
ized why they wanted to get him
away from Jerusalem: "...they
intended to do me harm.”
DOING A
GREAT WORK
That's when Nehemiah makes
IMPLE/DENT
SHOP
Nehemiah 6,
Psalms 87
f SMELLINCA
V. SALTS )
]/y
cut in half, the pith or center part of
the stem is black and will usually
be separated into discs.
The disease is recognized by a
rapid uniform wilting or drooping
of all leaves. Black Shank activity
seems to be accelerated in hot
weather. In early stages of the dis
ease, the wilted plant recovers in
the cool of the evening.
The best time to check fields is
during the heat of the day. Sus
pected plants should be pulled and
the roots and stems checked for
symptoms.
Black Shank is very difficult to
treat after an infestation is found in
the field. The best control sugges
tions include long rotations and
planting resistant tobacco variet
ies. None of the Pennsylvania type
41 varieties are resistant and only
Maryland 609 is resistant to this
disease.
his famous reply: “I am doing a
great work and I can not come
down. Why should the work stop
while I leave it and come down to
you?" (6:3). How often that which
would distract us from our tasks is
reasonable and compelling. It is
the sheer reasonableness that
grabs us. When Satan tempted
Christ, he used the most reason
able approaches. But Jesus and
Nehemiah both kept their atten
tion focused on the tasks they
were trying to accomplish. I must
keep myself focused on what is
absolutely essential: "I am doing a
great work" and then I know that
"I cannot come down." Once we
start examining the distraction, we
are hooked. And making one affir
mation may not be enough
Nehemiah had to do it four times
we may have to do it daily,
hourly or even minute-by-minute.
Next, his enemies try to unnerve
him with rumors: "It is reported
among the nations... that you and
the Jews intend to rebel: that is
why you are building the wall; and
you wish to become their king,
according to this report" (6:6). I'm
sure those words made Ne
hemiah tremble at least a little.
Nothing could be more ruinous
than were the Persian king to hear
these rumors and believe them.
LIES SPREAD
FASTER
Once again, we understand how
he must have felt We all find
ourselves devastated when false
rumors are circulated about us. It
is so difficult to counteract false
rumors: lies spread much faster
than retractions (they also get
more space in newspapers!). I like
Nehemiah's forthright response;
"No such things as you say have
been done, for you are inventing
them out of your own mind" (6:8).
These are brave words, but he
must have felt the need for some
reassurance for he then prayed;
"But now, O God, strengthen thou
my hands." It is a little like the
man who prayed, "I believe; help
my unbelief (Mark 9:24). We too
need to speak bravely and pray for
the courage to back up our brave
words.
(Sued on copyrighted Outline* produced by
the Committee on the Uniform Serie* and uied
by pemtiuion. Releued by Community A Sub
urban Pre».)