AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 9, 1991
OPINION
A Very Good Time
To Write A Letter
Of Appreciation For FFA
National recognition will be given to FFA members from
across the nation this week, as the world’s largest annual youth
convention is held in Kansas City, MO. We’re talking about the
64th National FFA Convention where more than 24,000 FFA
members, guests and supporters meet for action-packed sessions
and addresses by top speakers from the fields of agriculture, gov
ernment and entertainment.
The keynote speaker on the program is none other than George
Bush, president of the United States. But other speakers are also
impressive. Carolyn Suzanne Sapp, 1992 Miss America; Captain
Gerald Coffee, former POW; Scott McKain, former national FFA
secretary; and Jack Parnell, former Deputy Secretary of Agricul
ture; to name a few of the speakers. In addition, the participan
tants have the opportunity to meet their young peers from all 50
states, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, the Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Of course, many awards will be given at the national level. And
new national officers will be named. And while this one conven
tion is important in the life of the National FFA Association, it’s
the every day activities of the 7,744 local chapters preparing for
leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of
agriculture that is really important.
In many local school districts, the FFA program is under attack
from urban sentiments and budget restraints. But when you con
sider the importance of agriculture to the national economy, and
the education received by the 382,748 national members, the FFA
chapters across the country deserve better support from all seg
ments of the public.
Now is the time to write a letter of appreciation for your local
FFA chapter. This letter should be sent to the school board presi
dent, the supervising principal, and any other opinion leader in
your school district. With the national convention in the news, it’s
a very good timQ to write this letter.
Farm Calendar
Lancaster Co. 4-H Dairy Awards
Presentation, Farm and Home
Center, 7:30 p.m.
North American International
Livestock Expo, Kentucky Fair
and Exposition Center, Louis
ville, thru Nov. 22.
Susquehanna Co. 4-H Dairy
Achievement Night, Montrose
Presbyterian Church, 8 p.m.
FFA National Convention, Kansas
City, Mo.
Groundwater Leadership Seminar,
Hazelton Campus, Penn State,
9 a.m.
Southeast Livestock Leader Train
ing, Berks Co. Ag Center, 9:30
a.m.
Showcase of Sustainable Ag, Holi
day Inn, Columbus, Ohio, thru
Nov. 13.
North American International
Livestock Expo, Kentucky Fair
and Exposition Center, Louis-
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E Mam St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Steinman Enterprise
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor
Copyright IMI by Lancutor Farming
Seminar, Kreider’s Restaurant,
, Manheim, noon.
York/Adams Dairy Herd Repro
ductive Workshop, 4-H Center,
Bair Station, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Penn State Tax Institute, Edinboro,
thru Nov. 12.
Holstein steer meeting #2, Lancas
ter Faim and Home Center,
-7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Sheep management meeting,
Montoursville Vo-Ag Build
ing, 7:30 p.m.
Central Dairy 4-H, 4-H Center,
7:30 p.m.
Showcase of Sustainable Ag, Holi
day Inn, Columbus, Ohio, thru
Nov. 13.
North American International
Livestock Expo, Kentucky Fair
and Exposition Center, Louis
ville, thru Nov. 22.
mAT ARE
YOO
DOING
UNCLE OTIS f
hr)
To Keep Guns
Away From
Children
The past week I have read two
incidents where small children
have accidently killed family
members with a gun. In both cases
the children thought the gun was a
toy.
This reminds us the importance
of keeping guns under lock and
key and away from children. Also,
we need to teach children to
respect guns and the proper proce
dure for handling guns.
With hunting season here, take
time to properly store your guns
when not hunting and never allow
children to play with your guns.
Taking a few extra precautions
now could prevent a serious acci
dent and even the loss of a loved
one.
Benefits of
Winter Cover Crops
Cover crops have been grown
for many years to protect soils
from winter rains. When crops
such as com, soybeans, and tobac
co are harvested, the soil is unpro
tected during the winter months,
when much soil erosion may take
place.
Cover crops also provide addi
tional organic matter for soil tilth
improvement when plowed down
in the spring. A recent advantage
associated with the growing of
cover crops is the reduction in the
amount of nitrogen which will
leach in the soil.
Remember, nitrogen is only
leachable in the nitrate form.
Nitrates are formed from other
sources of nitrogen during the
growing season by soil microbes.
I ui‘sda\. Ndm-iiilut 12
Appalachian Regional Fruit
School thru Nov. 14.
Lancaster Co. Holstein banquet,
Hoffman Building, Quanyvil
le, 7 p.m.
Penn State Tax Institute, Butler,
thru Nov. 13.
Schuylkill Co. Estate Planning
Workshop, 7 p.m.-lO p.m.
Showcase of Sustainable Ag, Holi
day Inn, Coliynbus, Ohio, thru
Nov. 13.
North American International
(Turn to Page A3l)
UUST DOING
A LITTLE
WINTERIZING-
At the end of the growing season
there are unused nitrates in the soil.
Cover crops may reduce that
amount by up to 120 pounds. Also,
cover crops use other plant nutri
ents and provide an excellent
spring feed for livestock. Do not
forget the important role cover
crops may play in developing a
nutrient management plan and pro
tecting water quality.
To Consider
Restructuring Your
Business
The current economic situation
forces all businesses to reexamine
themselves and find ways to
become more competitive. This is
especially true for our farms.
This is called strategic planning.
Strategic planning involves find
ing the answers to many questions.
These questions include: 1. What
are our strengths? 2. Where can we
improve our operations? 3. What
things do we need to do to become
more profitable? 4. How are we
WHEN LIFE
ISN’T FAIR
November 10, 1991
Background Scripture: Acts
21:17-40; 22:25 through 23:11.
Devotional Reading: 2 Corint
hians 6:1-10.
Life is often full of irony. We
often assume that if we do rightly,
things will generally work out
with some degree of fairness.
Intellectually, we know that isn't
necessarily true, but at some deep,
gut level, that expectation is often
indelibly recorded and becomes
dominant in our expectations.
We are surprised to find that in
situations where we have not done
rightly or as rightly as we
might have done we sometimes
are spared the penalty or consequ
ences we know that fairness
demands. That's what makes it
seem so unfair when, having done
rightly in a particular situation, it
still turns out badly for us.
Several years ago, I was
entrusted with the management of
some assets fa - a member of my
family. There have been times in
my life when I have been careless
or stupid, but in this particular
responsibility I did my best and
my best was productive of good
results. Nevertheless, I have been
penalized for doing the job I was
asked to do and I have repeatedly
complained,-"It isn't fair! It just
isn't fair!"
GOOD PEOPLE, BAD DEALS
And it isn't fair but I am
always reminded that life is not
fair and no one has ever promised
that it would be. There are lots of
times when good people get bad
deals. And there is never any guar
antee that, if we do rightly, we will
be rewarded or even receive equit
The business environment is
changing at a faster rate than ever.
The successful farms will be the
ones that identify shifts in consum
er demands and make the neces
sary adjustments. As you develop
your plan, take advantage of the
help available through your bank
er, farm and community organiza
tions, cooperative extension, read
ings, and meetings.
Feather Profs Footnote:
Nothing is impossible for the per
son who does not have to do it.
able treatment So, when that hap
pens when life is not fair
how do we handle it?
There is irony in that although
there were times when Paul clear
ly acted or spoke in a way that was
sure to give offense to the Jews, in
Acts 22 and 23 Paul is doing all
the right things. Upon arrival in
Jerusalem, he reports on his mis
sion to the elders of the church
there. When the elders advise him
to demonstrate his respect for the
law by joining four men who have
taken a vow to perform the Jewish
purification rite. They assure him:
"Thus all will know that there is
nothing in what they have been
told about you but that you your
self live in observance of the law”
(21:24b).
SUPPOSING WRONGLY
Paul does all the right things,
but it still turns out unfairly.
Although he had not taken any
Greeks into the temple area an
act punishable by death some
of his foes assume that he did:
"For they had previously seen
Trophimus the Ephesian with him
in the city, and they supposed that
Paul had brought him into the
temple" (21:29). When a riot
breaks out and Paul is beaten,
Roman soldiers, assuming that
Paul is an Egyptian rebel bent
upon revolt, take him into cus
tody. Then, when rioting breaks
out again, die tribune, not know
ing that Paul was a Roman citizen,
has him scourged to extract evi
dence from him. This is unjust
because it is not legal to scourge
an unconvicted Roman citizen.
How does Paul handle all of
these injustices? He informs the
tribune of his citizenship and tries
to reason with the mob. In other
words, he does what he can, but he
doesn't fly into a rage or fall into a
depression because he is being
treated unfairly. He doesn't like it,
and he'll do whatever he can to get
justice, but he knows his injustice
is because of his commitment to
Christ and he will not give up his
commitment even if it means
being treated unfairly.
SEW IMS- A PATCH
ON MY LONG JOHNS
0
going to .pass the business to the
next generation? 5. What records
do we need to keep? 6. What will
be the consumer demands for the
next 10 years? and 7. What type of
activities should the farm be
involved in?
These and other questions start
helping you to focus on what your
farm will look like in the year
2000. By developing a plan to
restructure your farm now and then
starting to implement it will help
you stay competitive.