AlO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, June 6, 1992
OPINION
Summer Safety
Every year between 175 and 300 children are killed in the
United States while working or playing on the farm. Another
23,000 are seriously injured.
Why are children at such risk cm farms? Part of the reason is
because families do the farming and children get into many
dangerous situations. But because these situations are so com
monplace, they do not seem dangerous.
A large tractor or harvesting equipment would never be the
playground of children in other occupations. In addition, child
ren take on many other roles around the farm, including working
and accompanying adults everywhere they go. Injury scenarios
can include tractor rollovers, falls from equipment or ladders,
and entanglement in power take-off shafts or augers. Livestock
injuries offen occur when children are kicked, bitten or crushed
by animals much larger than themselves.
Around the dairy bam, milk stone removers and caustic soaps
used to clean the equipment can be dangerous if injested, not
only by children but adults as well.
At the begining of this special June Dairy Month, when the
virtues of dairy products and life on the farm are remembered,
let’s also pay special attention and remember the safety of child
ren who are on summer break from school. Don’t let a family
tragedy rain your farm experience this summer.
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Farm Calendar
Junior Livestock Day, Penn State
Meats Laboratory, 7 p.m.-9
p.m.
Maryland and Open English Horse
Show, Hopewell Training Cen
ter, 9 a.m.
Urban Forestry Workshop, Berks
Co. Ag Center, Leesport, 9
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Pa. Limousin Association Field
Day, Fayette County Fair
grounds, Uniontown, thru June
7.
Chester County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Heir’s Tourist Center,
Nottingham, 7:30 p.m.
Franklin County 4-H Beef Club
4-H Beef Spring Preview
Show, Shippensburg
Fairgrounds.
Antique Engine Tractor and Toy
Club annual show, Kempton
Community Center, thru July 7.
Selecting Trees for Community
Investment, Berks County
Agricultural Center, Leesport,
8 a.m.-3;30 p.m.
Bucks/Montgomery Co. Coopera
tive Wool Pool, Delaware Val
ley College, Doylestown, 7
a.m.-4 p.m.
Jersey Classic Horse Show, Horse
Park of New Jersey, Allentown,
Hobbes Retirement Open House,
Shadow Brook Inn & Resort,
Tunkhannock, 1:30 p.m.-4:30
p.m.
Poultry Management and Health
Seminar, Kreider Dariy Farms
Restaurant, Manheim, noon.
Tioga County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Mansfield Methodist
Church, Mansfield, 7:30 p.m.
County wide 4-H Dairy Club Meet
ing, Roy Snoke, Shippensburg,
7:30 p.m.
Mushroom Industry Short Course,
Nittany Lion Inn, University
Twilight Vegetable Meeting,
Marie Domstreich Farm, Perka
sie, 6 p.m.
Community Forest Resources
meeting, The Franklin Club,
Franklin, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Beekeeping meeting, “Hive
Inspection and Raising
Queens,” Richard Patterson
Farm, Narvon, 6:30 p.m.
Dairy Day on the Square, Wilkes-
Barre downtown square, 11
a.m.-2 p.m.
Third Spring Meeting for Fruit
Growers, Forrester Farms,
Scotland.
Lamb Carcass Evaluation, Dela
ware Valley College Livestock
Farm, 6:30 p.m. and June 11 at
Gehman’s Meats in Morwood,
Cumberland Cooperative Sheep
and Wool Growers Wool Pool,
Carlisle Fairgrounds, 7 a.m.-4
p.m.
Pseudorabies Awareness Meeting,
York County 4-H Center, Bair,
■BDSEEnOII^H
Bradford County Dairy Princess
Pageant.
Protecting Community Water
Supplies Workshop, Honesdale
Presbyterian Chapel, 7 p.m.
Pennsylvania Ayrshire Breeder
Field Day, Maulfair Acres,
Fredericksburg.
Lamb Carcass Evaluation, Geh
man’s Meats, Morwood, 7 p.m.
Greenhouse Technology School,
Berks Co. Ag Center, continues
June 18, 25 and July 9, 16, 23,
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Pesticide test, Schuylkill County
Cooperative Extension Office,
9 a.m.-noon.
Erie County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Phillipsville United
Methodist Church, Wattsburg,
8 p.m.
Franklin County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Lighthouse Restaur
ant, Chambersburg, 7 p.m.
Dairy Day on the Square, Lancas
ter Penn Square, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Lancaster annual agribusiness
tour, departs Lancaster Shop
ping Center, 9 a.m„ returns
NOW IS
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Salute
The Dairy Industry
June marks dairy month. This
month is highlighted by many
activities featuring milk and milk
products and the people who pro
duce milk.
This is a big promotion event for
the dairy industry. I have heard
many farmers questioning the
importance of promotion prog
rams. I understand the concerns
producers have about promotion
programs. But on the other hand,
can you afford the consequences of
not promoting milk?
In business, there is a saying
you are either growing or dying. A
industry that cannot afford the
costs of promotion is a dying
industry.
People buy the items that are
promoted to meet their lifestyle
and concerns. “June Is Dairy
Month” promotions are an excel
lent example of this.
To keep these and other year
long promotions happening
requires the support of every dairy
farmer. We need to be proud of our
product and take every opportunity
to promote.
the dairy industry is in a period
of change. To survive this period,
farmers will need to work together,
support visionary leadership, and
make intelligent decisions.
Milk promotion is a sound
investment that keeps a demand
for your product The strength of
that demand depends on the qual
ity and convenience of milk and
the relevancy of your promotion
program. We all need to work hard
in promoting our product.
2:45 p.m.
Indiana Co. Dairy Princess
Pageant, Holiday Inn,' Indiana,
College of Agricultural Sciences
Picnic, Russell E. Larson Agri
cultural Research Center,
Rockspring, 3 p.m.
Lancaster County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Farm and Home Cen
ter, Lancaster, 7 p.m.
Adams County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Biglerville High
School, Biglerville, 8 p.m.
Lebanon County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Lebanon County Vo-
Tech School, Lebanon, 7:30
p.m.
Somerset County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Berlin Brothersvalley
High School, Berlin, 7:30 p.m.
Bradford County Dairy Pnncess
Pageant, Wysox Chamber of
Commerce.
Beaver-Lawrence Dairy Princess
Pageant, Laurel High School,
New Castle, 8 p.m.
Northwest Guernsey Breeders
meeting, Lakeway Restaurant,
Mercer.
(Turn to P«0» ***>
To Participate
In Ag Survey
Nearly 2.400 Pennsylvania far
mers will be part of a national
sample of 125.000 producers who
have been selected to participate in
the June survey.
This survey is important in mak
ing accurate crop and livestock
estimates. These estimates ate
used by government policy mak
ers, farm organizations, and
businesses to develop form policy
positions and business plans.
Wally Evans, head of the Pen
nsylvania Agricultural Statistics
Service, asks each farmer con
tacted to participate so we may
ensure that agriculture in our state
is fully represented in the national
sample. Facts about an individu
al’s farm are strictly confidential
and used only in combination with
reports from other farms.
As we work on addressing con
sumer and environmental con
cerns. we need accurate informa
tion. Nothing will hurt agriculture
more than dealing with false data.
The accuracy of the agriculture
statistics depends on every
selected farmer’s participation.
THE GUILTY
BYSTANDER
JUNE 7,1992
Background Scripture:
Obadiah.
Devotional Reading: Psalms
96:7-13.
The "innocent bystander" is
usually a contradiction in terms. If
one is standing-by while witness
ing someone suffering, it is very
difficult to be truly "innocent"
This is the charge that the pro
phet Obadiah leveled against the
people of Edom. When the
Babylonians came up against Jer
usalem, the Edomites "stood
aloof," "gloated" over their
brother's "misfortune," indeed "re
joiced" over it and actually looted
"his goods," prevented Israelites
from escape, and "delivered up"
survivors to the Babylonians.
What made, this particularly
odious was that the Israelites and
the Edomites should have been
"brothers," for they were
descended from Jacob and Esau,
respectively, the sons of Isaac, the
grandsons of Abraham. Genealog
ically, they were "family," and
there should have been between
them some compassion. So there
was no way that the Edomites
could be innocent bystanders to
the depredations of Babylon upon
Israel. And for this great sin, Oba
diah was prophesying for God:
"Behold, I will make you small
among the nations, you shall utter
ly be despised" (v. 2).
ALL PEOPLES
Although the prophecy is more
than 2,400 years old, it is relevant
to much of the world's history that
has followed and even our own
times. If anything, it has been
broadened because we are begin
ning to understand that all people
everywhere are our brothers and
sisters, even if, like the Edom and
Israel, we refuse to recognize it. In
the sixth century 8.C., Edom was
castigated for its lack of brotberli
ness; in our day, all nations are
guilty bystanders if they watch
with glee or even indifference at
the sufferings of others.
A few weeks ago we toured
To Check
Pastures For
Poisonous Plants
Numerous plants are poisonous
to animals. Fortunately, most ani
mals will not eat these plants if
more desirable feeds are available.
One exception is wilted wild
cherry leaves. In the willed stage
they become more palatable and
very toxic. Thus, it is beneficial to
fence animals away from wild
cherry trees and to remove wild
cherry limbs as soon as possible
after they become damaged by
storms.
When pastures become short, be
sure to offer animals additional
feeds. Also, control weeds by fre
quent clipping and applying lime
on a regular basis.
Many shrubs and flowers are
very toxic to animals, so avoid
throwing prunings and grass clip
pings into pastures. By watching
your pastures on tegular basis, you
could avoid very serious plant poi
soning problems.
Feather Profs Footnote: “The
most important thing in communi
cation is to hear what is not being
said." Peter Drucker
what used to be popularly known
as "East Germany." For a half cen
tury we have watched as the
nations of Eastern Europe
struggled under the burdens of
Communism. I can remember
those times I have visited the Ber
lin Wall or stood and looked over
the Iron Curtain; I honestly never
thought these would come down
in my time. How thrilled I was,
then, to walk through the Bran
denburg Gate in Berlin a few
weeks ago and to saunter through
what used to be the terrible
"Checkpoint Charlie"!
For the most part, as nations
there was not much that we could
do that we did not do during the
Cold War I don't think Oba
diah's prophecy will fall upon us
for that But now that the walls are
down solely by the grace of
God, I suspect will we watch
indifferently as these peoples
struggle to make their dreams of
freedom come true? Will we be
the guilty bystanders at a time
when we are called to be their
brothers and sisters?
JUST LIKE US
None of us should think for one
moment that the Iron Curtain is
down for good. As we drove
through the former East Germany
Dresden, Leipzig, Weimar,
Erfurt we found these newly
"free" people in sad straits: large
numbers now without a job, those
that worked poorly paid, prices
out of sight and, with their new
found freedom and democracy
they were experiencing some of
the burdens of becoming "just like
us" drugs, crime, corruption,
mushrooming at an alarming pace
now that their police state is gone.
How many of these, we wondered,
may opt to return to what they had
before? For the day of the Lord is
near upon all the nations. As you
have done, it shall be done to you,
your deeds shall return on your
own head.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Shewn Enhrprk*
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newewanger Managing Editor
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