AIQ-Uncwter Farming, Saturday, February 29, 1992 OPINION We Are An Agriculture Those who become part of history rarely know they will become such. What they know is that they have an idea of what they should do and the way things should be. Obviously, these people, who change and create new direc tions for societies and communities, believe in their ideas and are convinced others should share in the vision. So they push for others to understand. When that happens, it causes controversy. The controversy comes from people not willing to review their perceptions as they compare to current facts. It seems that a responsible person would make every effort to ensure that he, or die, is not wrong, ill-informed, or holding back the success of a community. The success of the Pennsylvania community, specifically as it strives to achieve and retain prosperity, depends a great deal on how it teaches its youth. Here are the problems: • There are numerous jobs in agriculture (agribusiness, agriscience, etc.) which are not being filled because of a lack of education. The graduates today lack an understanding of agriculture, therefore they lack an understanding of a society that was founded and remains based on agriculture. Agriculture is synonymous with the human condition. Thus, broadly, a case can be made that these people lack the ability to meaningfully apply what knowledge they have. • Agriculture is the number one industry in the state, with no immediate reason to suspect its downfall to foreign competition. That, coupled with the sensible reasoning that people should have a solid foundation in the knowledge of their food and fiber sources (after all, it is essential for survival), dictates that primary school curriculums and individual courses of study should be saturated with agriculture. Current school curriculums and courses reflect the indust rialized economy of Pennsylvania the steel, iron and coal days which are past. Here’s what can be done. On March 11 and 12, the State Board of Education is to decide whether or not to include agriculture into regulations covering school curriculums. To date, the Pennsylvania Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association (PVATA) has been pushing foward in an effort to get agriculture infused in the education system. Others are joining efforts and legislators are listening. Support this effort in writing, and make others aware of this effort. Let everyone understand that we are an agriculture. r^-— Farm Calendar , | Saturday, February York Co. Farmers Association spring banquet, Hellam Fire Hall, 7 p.m. Fellowship of Christian Farmers Outreach Luncheon, Friendly Farms Restaurant, Westmin ster, Md., 11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Northeast Regional Christmas Tree Growers Meeting and Trade Show, Split Rock Resort, Lake Harmony, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Resource Stewardship Conference/Chesapeake Bay, Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Sfanrmn Enterprmm Robert G Campbell General Manager Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor c *PV>lflhl INI by Lancaster Farming Loews Hotel, Annapolis, Md., 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. York Co. Pork Producers annual banquet, Jefferson Fire Hall, 7 National Farmers’ Union Conven tion, Marion, Dcs Moines, lowa. Grain Production Management Clinic #l, Penn State Schuylkill Haven, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Greene Co. pesticide update BVGOUUV.THIS 13 A UgAP VEAP UNCLE 0T75, THAT MEANS WELL BE GETTIN6- AN EXTRA / dav This year - o ff in To Understand Component Pricing Of Milk Dairy formers who ship milk to federal order markets received their first milk check computed on the basis of the new component pricing system. Under the new system, you are paid for the pounds of fat and sol ids nonfat shipped, not hundred weights of milk shipped. This will prompt some dairy farmers to ask, “How can I feed cows for higher milk components and higher milk prices?” This could be the wrong ques tion to ask. For greatest returns, you should be focusing on cows’ component yield, not on the per cent of components in the cow’s milk. To accomplish this, select sires that transmit high component yields, not necessarily high tests. Then feed a balanced ration for normal health and good milk pro duction. Respectable component levels and milk production will follow. This should be the combi nation that maximizes producers’ returns. To Check Livestock Fencing As spring approaches, so does fence mending and building times. For effective animal control, wire spacing is more important than fence height More animals go through and under fences than over them. Prop er wire spacing makes your fences more effective. Regardless of how many wires your fence has, always position one wire at the shoulder height of the animal to be con trolled. This is the nose wire that your animals see and touch when they approach the fence. meeting. Pesticide update meeting. Cloister Pennsylvania Corn Conference, The Embers, Carlisle, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Bedford Co. annual meeting. North Bedford H.S., 7 p.m. Part-Time Farming For Profit, UNILEC Building, Dubois, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. (Turn to Pago A3O) c <5 o OTT-, \ o y yop, \ / 'TPIAT’3 ] TRU£, J V Bur.. / /s o ° A C Other fence wires should be spaced according to the type of animal —lO to 12 inches apart for cattle and horses and 6 to 8 inches apart for sheep and goats. The bot tom wires should be closer together than the top wires. Fences taller than 48 inches are not really necessary. Electric fences may be lower 36 inches for cattle and horses and 30 inches for sheep and goats. Shorter fences allow for closer wire spacing. To Improve Farrowing Management “If a sow weans a small litter, chances are it is your fault, not hers," writes Dr. Ken Kephart, Penn State animal science department According to Kephart, 10 per- ,-// , Hr LAWfttNU W ALIHOUSt "UUK MARVELOUS UNBELIEF Background Scripture: Mark 6:1-13. Devotional Scripture: Psalms 119:137-152. Someone ought to put these words on a plaque and hang them in every pastor's study: "And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them" (Mark 6:5). Why? Because every pastor at some time gets dis couraged because his or her efforts seem to bear no fruit. Too often we assume that the problem is with us and sometimes it is but often, even when we have done our very best, there is little success because there is too little or no receptivity. It is important that every pastor realize that even Jesus could not accomplish anything when he returned to Nazareth, his home town. Note, Mark doesn't say that Jesus decided not to, but that "he could do no mighty works there." It appears that Matthew was uncomfortable with such a bald statement and softened it: ".. he did not do many mighty works there" (Matt 13:58). But, as we said last week, Mark is more to the point and tells things more plain ly: he said Jesus was not able to do much in Nazareth. HE COULD NOT This is something that lay peo ple need to remember as well as clergy. We are called to be faithful in our witness, not to be success ful. There will be times when we have done our best to pass on the faith to our children, to witness in our workplace, to be the good news in our community, but with out success. Why, because when we have done our part, others must still do theirs: they need to o o o O ° cent of a sow’s mothering ability may be attributed to genetics, and the other 90 percent of ho- perfor mance depends on the environ ment in the farrowing house. A sow needs the best possible condi tions available during farrowing to deliver the healthiest possible litter. Factors to consider are proper nutrition of the sow during breed ing, gestation, farrowing, and nursing period; good air quality; correct temperatures; and a good health and sanitation program. By properly managing the sow, you will be able to increase num ber of pigs weaned. Feather Profs Footnote: “Nature gives everybody five senses. The other two —horse and common you must acquire." respond, and, if they don't we can do nothing about it. Mark paints a very strange pic ture for us in Mark 6. Jesus is unsuccessful in Nazareth, but then he sends out his disciples and they are very successful: "And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them." (6:13). Does this mean that the apostles were more able healers than Jesus? No, it means that they were greeted by belief, while in his own home town Jesus experienced unbelief. SPI Mark says: "And he marveled because of their unbelief! (6:6). His own people were so unrecep tive that he marveled. In today's parlance we would say their reception was "mind boggling." Usually, it is faith that impresses us, but Jesus was shocked at their unbelief. He was suiprised, not that they didn't believe in him, but that they failed to respond posi tively to his message. They were "astonished" and asked "Where did this man get all this?" But because he was a local son, they rejected his message. It didn't slip by them; they willfully rejected it. It took real effort not to respond. OUR OWN COUNTRY Jesus could have become terrib ly discouraged or even bitter. Yet, when he repeats the old proverb, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house," he does so without rancor. No, he is incredulous at their unbelief and, instead of wasting his time in recrimination, Mark tells us: "And he went about the villages teaching" (6:6b). That, too, is a verse that all of us ought to memorize and keep in the depths of our hearts. For, when we. like Jesus, are greeted with unbelief, we need to spend our time and effort in moving on so we can continue to do what God wants. A miracle requires faith, and so does just about any other enter prise. No matter how great the preacher or how dedicated the lay leader, you can't heal the sick, feed the hungry or build a church where a preoccupation with the obvious facts produces a climate of astonishing unbelief. WMY IT HAVe TO SB A WINTER DAY ? o o 1'
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers