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OPINION
The Human Side Of Farming
Here are some quotes from the editor delivered in a speach
Wednesday evening to the annual meeting of the Huntingdon
Fair Association.
* “People don’t really associate their food with the farm. I’m
always amazed when people say they don’t eat meat, but they
eat hamburgers.”
* “If you think agriculture is not underthe gun from environ
mental consumer groups, think again. When Ed Madigan took
office from Clayton Yuetter as the national secretary of agricul
ture back in March, he immediately became a defendant in
3,500 lawsuits filed by environmental groups.
‘I thought that was terrible,’ Madigan told the American Farm
Bureau Federation’s National Affairs Conference, ‘until I found
out that was only the lawsuits filed against the Forest Service.’
In all, the new secretary of agriculture at the time, was named
as a defendant in more than 30,000 such suits.”
* “Any residue of animal medicine in milk is clearly a matter
of concern. But on the side of the dairy farmer, I must say that
today’s test equipment can detect certain substances at levels of
.08 parts per billion. That’s the equivalent of a single pea in the
Astrodome. Modem technology has given us the ability to find
something wrong with everything, but the American food con
sumer has the most stringent regulation and state-of-the-art test
ing equipment for dairy herds and dairy veterinary practices in
the world.”
* “As farmers, you need to recognize that consumers have
just as much right to know that you produce safe food for them
as you have the right to know that the national auto manufacturer
has produced its compact farm truck with a gas tank that will not
explode on your next trip back the farm lane.”
* “Farming is such a roller coaster ride. The markets go up
and down; the kids get sick; the prize animal dies; it doesn’t rain
for months. Or the bam bums down. When everything fails,
You need to use what I call the human side of farming. It must
start with the things on the inside. If you don’t learn to use your
human skills, you will never have the chance to use your techni
cal information.”
Farm Calendar
Susquehanna Co. Extension 7Sth
anniversary banquet, Montrose
High School, 7:30 p.m.
Grain Marketing Seminar, Lehigh
Co. Ag Center, Allentown, 7
a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Chambers burg Apple Fest.
ADADC meeting. Classic Occa
sions, Gerry, N.Y., 7:30 p.m.
Westmoreland Co. Feeder Calf
Sale, Westmoreland Fair
WmMSSSSSMSEMM
Old Time Plow Boys Club Open
Gate Tour, Seidel Farm, Mert-
Berks Co. Extension banquet.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E Mam St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprme
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor
Copyright IMI by Lancaster Farming
2
Berks Co. 4-H Community
Center, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Feeding alternatives meeting, Ag
Classroom, Cumberland Valley
H.S., 8 p.m.
ADADC meeting, Sennett Feder
ated Church, Sennett, N.Y..
7:30 p.m.
On-farm computer users meeting,
Centre Co. Extension Office,
Soils, Montgomery Co. Extension
Office, Creamery, 7 p.m.-9
pan., Tuesdays thru Dec. 10.
Pa. Holstein Assoc, executive
committee meeting, Pa. Hols
tein Office, State College,
10:30 a.m.
To Prepare Machinery For
Winter
With fall harvest coining to an
end, now is the time to prepare
equipment for winter.
All equipment should be
cleaned of din and debris. Replace
worn and broken parts. Grease all
moving parts and chains. Help to
reduce rust by painting and oiling
exposed steel and other metals.
If at all possible, store machin
ery inside buildings or provide
other protection from rain and
snow. A little care and attention
now will increase the life of your
equipment and keep it in top notch
operating condition.
Perennials For Landscape and
Garden Center Industries,
Swarthmore College, 8
a.m.-4:15 p.m.
Lancaster Co. Bee Growers meet
ing, Farm and Home Center, 7
p.m.
Lycoming Co. Extension annual
meeting, Eldred Township Fire
Hall, Warrensville, 6:30 p.m.
York annual Farm-City Tour.
Regional beekeepers meeting,
southcentral Pa. and Washing
ton Co., Md., County Admi
nistration Building, Chambers
burg, 7:30 p.m.
AD ADC meeting. East Canton
United Methodist Church, East
Management Workshop, Mont-
gomcry Co. 4-H Center, 7:30
p.m.-9 p.m.
ADADC meeting, Gelatt Grange
Hall, Gelatt, Pa., 8 p.m.
Chester Co. Holstein Club annual
banquet. West Faliowfield
Christian Day School, 7 p.m.
Cumberland Co. DHIA
reorgan ization/merger review,
extension office, Carlisle, 7:30
State 4-H Horse Show, Farm Show
Complex, Harrisburg, thru Oct.
27.
(Turn to Pag* A 39)
WCLE OTIS ORGBS YOU TO
BTAt
AVOID A COSTtY FARM ACCIDENT THIS HARVEST ,
S6ASOA/. ~ -r»KSP/)Ae. '
To Soil Test
And Lime Fields
Fall is a great time to do your
soil testing. By soil testing now.
you will be able to lime this fall
and give the lime time to start
working in the soil before spring
planting.
Also, by having your soil test
results now, you will have time
this winter to study them and make
plans for your spring plant nutrient
needs. These soil test reports will
be useful in planning manure
applications to fields.
Animal manure is an excellent
source of plant nutrients and
should be considered in planning
your crop production program.
Nutrient management legislature
is working its way through Harris
burg. Soil testing will play a very
important part in this legislation.
The sooner farmers start soil
testing and applying only the nutri
ents necessary for top crop yields,
the easier it will be for the farmers
to be in compliance with nutrient
management legislation.
For more information on nutri
ent management, soil testing, and
use of animal manures in crop pro-
ON KNOWING
THEUNKNOWN
GOD
October 20. 1991
Background Scripture: Acts
17.
Devotional Reading: I Corint
hians 15:51-58.
In the August issue of Omni
magazine, there was an article
entitled, "The Mind of God." The
article outlined a current debate
within science as to whether the
existence of God can ever be
proven or disproven. Some scien
tists believe that it is quite possi
ble, while others are just as certain
that this is impossible.
What I found interesting in this
article was the repeated sugges
tion that it is difficult for scientists
to escape religious questions. Sci
entists often find that it is difficult
to study the birth of the univase
without pondering questions of
intent. Even Physicist Paul
Davies, who believes that science
is a sura path to God than relig
ion, acknowledges: "I am sur
prised by how many of my col
leagues are, in fact, religious and
hold very conventional beliefs."
According to the Omni article,
even the skeptical feel the world is
more than a random accident.
"There has to be more to it than
just fact." And Thomas McDo
nough, a lecturer on engineering at
Caltech, says, "Some scientists
would say this [the intricate chem
ical structure making life possible]
is a signpost that God does exist"
A DIVINE ORDER
Those of us who gather in local
churches on Sunday mornings
lend to think of ourselves as essen-
duction, contact your county
cooperative extension office.
To See How
Important Lime Is
To Crop Growth
Lime is used to neutralize soil
acidity. The amount of lime
required is determined by the soil
pH. the crop being grown, and soil
texture.
Your soil test results will give
you recommendations on how
much lime to apply to a field. It is
important to apply this lime to
improve plant growth.
Lime provides the following
benefits in crop production:
• Increases the efficiency of
applied nitrogen, phosphorous,
and potassium.
• Reduces the availability of
toxic soil components such as alu
minum and manganese at low soil
pH.
• Increases the activity of soil
microorganisms, which break
down organic matter.
• Provides calcium and magne
sium for crop growth.
• Improves the physical condi
tion of the soil.
dally the only ones believing in
God that beyond the order of
the universe there is One who
decreed that order. But there are
lots of people belonging to no
organized religion who neverthe
less believe that there is a divine
order, whether you call that source
"God,” "the Divine conscious
ness," or the "Mobile Cosmic
Ether," There is large-scale agree
ment throughout the world that
there is a reality that transcends
what we experience of reality.
The difference, of course, com
es when you try to identify that
transcendent reality. Christians, of
course, identify that reality as the
God who is revealed to us in Jesus
Christ Jews, Moslems, Hindus,
Buddhists Bahai's also believe in
that reality, although their name
for it and description of it may
vary considerably. Many, who do
not claim any organized religion,
believe in some kind of ultimate
reality, although generally not in
the anthropomorphic terms that
we do. For these and others, God
may be the "unknown God" to
whom Paul found a description on
the Areopagus in Athens.
SO FAR, SO NEAR
Paul was favorably impressed
with the religious searching for
which he found so much evidence
on Mar's Hill in Athens. "Men of
Athens, I perceive that in every
way you are very religious" (Acts
17:22). Then he goes on to make
this arresting statement: "What
therefore you worship as
unknown, this I proclaim to you"
(17:23).
Actually, that's what Christiani
ty is all about, isn't it? Revealing
the nature of the God who is
unknown to so many. And what is
that nature? How shall we charac
terize the Ground of Being for the
whole universe? The answer:
Jesus Christ In the person of Jesus
Christ we find the fullest revela
tion of what ultimate reality is
like.
'LERT