Alo*Lancast*r Farming, Saturday, June 20, 1992
OPINION
Farmer’s Hands Tied Again
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently
decided to prevent the use of ethanol blend fuels in major urban
markets. The motivation for this decision must be called ques
tionable at best.
If ethanol blends account for as little as twenty percent of this
market, com prices will average twenty-six cents per bushel
higher than without the reformulated gasoline market One
researcher estimates that at least $2O billion will be lost from
ratal America’s economy over the next dozen years if the pre
sent ruling is allowed to stand.
We realize dial the EPA is not responsible to assure profita
bility in agriculture. However, it does seem irresponsible to sac
rifice a significant market for domestically-produced, renew
able fuel especially when it could help to reduce our dependence
on foreign imports of oil.
Our GATT negotiators have a real problem when they try to
negotiate trade channels into foreign countries. Other countries
want to export into the U.S. but they don’t want U.S. products,
especially agricultural products, to freely come into their
countries.
This may ignore the complexity of the situation, by why not
just tell foreign countries to keep their oil and we will keep our
food? With the technology to turn com into fuel, we can eat and
run our machines too. In addition, fuel made from farm crops is
more environmentally safe.
As usual, if allowed to do so, the American farmer can help
bail out the economy and provide many benefits for urban
neighbors. But once again unmerited regulations have tied the
farmer’s hands. Who’s side is EPA on, anyway?
Farm Calendar
Pageant and Parade, Dushore.
Perry County Dairy Princess
Pageant and Ice Cream Social,
Perry County Extension Office,
New Bloomfield.
Clearfield Co. County Dairy Prin
cess Pageant, Civic Center,
Curwensville, 8 p.m.
Berks Wool Pool, Livestock
Building, Reading Fairgrounds,
Ambassador Program, Penn State
University, thru June 24.
Berks Co. 4-H Dairy Bowl, 4-H
American Jersey Cattle Club and
National All-Jersey annual
meetings, Shearton Hotel,
Lansing, Michigan.
Canola production, Centre Co.
extension, 7:30 p.m.
Berks Co. 4-H Sheep Clinic, 4-H
Center, 9:30 p.m.
Schnecksville Community Fair,
thru June 27.
Pequea-Mill Creek Water Project
Field Day, Gideon Stoltzfus
farm. White Horse, 9:30 a.m.-3
p.m.
East Coast Trout Management,
Penn State, University Park,
thru June 25.
Maintaining Energy Balance of
Cows On Pasture twilight meet
ing, Tom and Wendy Rasey’s
Farm, Allegany, N.Y., 7:30
South Jersey Flower Growers
Association Trade Show,
Salem County Fairgrounds, 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
Capitol Region Dairy Bowl Con-
test, Cumberland Co.
Com and soybean herbicide trials,
James Martin farm. Spring
Grove, and John Shearer farm,
Bair Station, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
Shepherd’s Night, Venango 4-H
Fairgrounds, 5:30 p.m.
Weed Control In Soybeans, York
4-H CEnter, Bair Station, 5
p.m.
(Turn to Page A3l)
Farm Forum
Dear Editor:
Farmers can not afford to fight
nuisance suits brought on by chao
tic regulations that change at the
boundary of each municipality.
Nor can they risk the future of
agriculture on persons who do not
understand the difference between
good nutrient management and
poor nutrient management.
That’s why all farmers need to
contact their legislators to seek
passage of the Nutrient Manage
ment Act (H.B. 496). This would
give farmers a first-line defense
against nusiance suits, and one set
of rules by which to operate.
Presently, local governments
are passing regulations dealing
with the number of animals allow
ed per acre, and the amount of
manure that can be spread on an
acre of land. Most are doing it
without any knowledge, and cer
tainly without any means to enfor
ce the regulations in a rational
fashion.
The lack of uniform regulations
opens the door, not only to chaotic
planning for farmers, but for total
confusion because the rules could
dramatically change if your farm
should cross another municipality
To Follow
Water Legislation
The Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Resources
(DER) is seeking legislative
authority (Senate Bill 1054) to
require everyone using 100,000
gallons of water a day or more to
be registered and have a permit for
that use.
In critical watershed areas,
water users of 10,000 gallons a day
or more would be required to be
registered and have a permit.
With Pennsylvania’s outward
migration of population, the
dependence on groundwater
increased and the recent dry years
of the 1980 s and 1990 s has caused
increased concern on management
of the commonwealth’s water
resources.
DER believes that registration
of heavy water users is essential to
the development of a good water
management plan.
It is important agriculture
becomes familiar with water man
agement issues and actively parti
cipates in the development of
water policy.
Policy makers need to under
stand the unique characteristics of
crop and animal agriculture and
the importance of water to agricul
ture. Also, the favorable environ
mental conditions of soils, climate,
and rainfall of the commonwealth
which enhance our agriculture pro
ductivity compared to other parts
of the country and world must be
boundary. You could be faced
with tougher rules, or none at all.
What this situation really pro
vides is an opportunity for unin
formed “experts” invading our
farms to enforce regulations that
nobody understands. And worse
yet, lawsuits against alleged viola
tors (farmers) are flourishing
because the general public is con
fused. If they smell manure, they
think the fanner is guilty of high
treason and should be put out of
business.
Again we need to bring order to
this confusion by urging the Gen
eral Assembly to pass the Nutrient
Management Act.
Farmer members of the Pen
nsylvania Farmers’ Association
(PFA) have adopted a strong
nutrient management policy call
ing for a statewide uniform prog
ram. They wanted to avoid 1,500
separate sets of regulations by
every township in Pennsylvania.
The PFA voting delegates repre
senting more than 23,500 farm
families adopted this policy three
consecutive times.
Why would any farm organiza
tion call for more regulations?
(Turn to Pago A3O)
constantly stated.
By becoming knowledgeable of
water rights issues and water man
agement systems, wewiil be able
to develop the best water manage
ment plan for Pennsylvania.
To Understand
Agriculture’s
Water Use
How much is 10,000 gallons per
day water use? For irrigated crops,
you could spray irrigate 2.4 acres
of potatoes or 2.S acres of sweet
com, or drip irrigate 9 acres of
apples, 7.6 acres of peaches, or 13
acres of vegetables.
For animals, 200,000 layers,
2,500 hogs. 285 dairy cows, or
244,000 broilers drink 10,000 gal
lons of water per day. This does
not include water used for misting
systems and washing and cleaning
operations.
When you start adding up all the
different areas of the farm using
water, many of Pennsylvania’s
farms are using more than 10,000
gallons per day, especially during
the summer months.
DISTURBING
GRACE
JUNE 21,1992
Background Scripture:
Jonah 3 through 4.
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 146:1-7.
When we consider God’s love
for us, we think of it as “Amazing
Grace.” But when we End that
God wants to save even those
whom we do not like or approve
of, his love may become for us a
disturbing grace.
I have known many Christians
who take too much satisfaction
from the promise of God’s sepera
tion of the sheep from the goats. In
the Crime of Punishment, Dr. Karl
Menninger warns us against what
he calls “the love of vindictive jus
tice.” He quotes the philosopher
Nietzsche, “Distrust all in whom
the impulse to punish is strong”
and Prof. Henry Weihofen, “It is
never he who is without sin who
casts the first stone.” In other
words, much as we want grace for
ourselves, we may want punish
ment for others.
WINNERS & LOSERS
Why is that? Might it be that the
promise of God’s forgiveness is
not enough for us, unless we know
that there will be others who will
not taste it? For many, embracing
Christianity may be a matter of
choosing to be on the “right” side,
the winning side. And, for some
people, in order to be “winners,”
there must also be some “losers.”
What that amounts to is a failure
to value the grace of God. If being
saved by God’s grace is not
enough—if you need for that
grace to fail to save someone
else—than you demean it I'm
sure that Jonah was happy to be an
Israelite, one of God’s redeemed.
But it wasn’t enough for him: he
needed also for God to condemn
the enemy. To him, the best part of
the mission to Nineveh was when
he got to a proclaim: “Yet forty
days, and Nineveh shall be over
thrown!” (3:4). How some people
love to prophesy doom-on others!
Credit Jonah with at least
knowing that his heart was out of
step with God’s. The reason he ran
away from God was because he
knew God would respond to the
repentance of Nineveh: “That is
To Look At
Tannel Ventilation
Tunnel ventilation is a concept
that is becoming very popular in
animal housing.
Tunnel ventilation makes the
whole bam a wind chamber. Large
fans are placed at one end of the
bam and air inlets are opened at the
opposite end. Air moves through
the bam at about 5 to 7 miles per
hour, creating a comfortable
breeze from floor to ceiling and
from wall to wall.
This concept is becoming very
popular among dairymen with
two-row tiestall bams. Also, many
new broiler houses are being built
with this concept.
The added cost is minimal while
reducing the risk of losing birds
during periods of hot weather. As
with any ventilation system, it is
very important the fans and inlets
are properly sized.
Feather Profs Footnote: "The
impersonal hand of government
can never replace the helping hand
of a neighbor." Hubert
Humphrey
why I made haste to flee to Tasrh
ish; for I knew that thou art a gra
cious God and merciful, slow to
anger, and abounding in steadfast
10ve...” (4:2). He knew God’s way
and he knew his way; they were
not the same.
LEAST LOVABLE
Jonah is the saddest and least
lovable person in this whole story.
The pagan sailors, reticent to
throw Jonah overboard, look bet
ter to us than he does. Even the
accursed people of Nineveh look
better, for they repent of their evil
while Jonah clings to his. They at
least have the sense to save them
selves. Instead, Jonah goes off and
sulks: “Therefore now, O Lord,
take my life from me, for it is bet
ter for me to die than to live” (4:3).
I’ve never said anything quite that
extreme, but perhaps I’ve come
close to it. Not allowed to have my
way, there have been limes when I
didn’t want to play any longer.
Maybe that’s why I always
chuckle when I read these
words —there’s nothing more
foolish looking than he or she who
sits and sulks.
But the story of Jonah is more
sad than funny, for here is a man
who, even when confronted by
Almighty God, would rather cling
to what he wants than what God
wills. Note, although he has been
most unlovable, God still loves
him and sends him a plant to pro
tect him from the hot sum. But,
when God sends a worm to wither
the plant, Jonah is back to his old
plaint: “It is better for me to die
than live”!
His problem is that his love and
compassion are much, much too
narrow. “You pity the plant, for
which you did not labor, nor did
you make it grow... and should I
not pity Nineveh, that great city, in
which there are more than one
hundred and twenty thousand per-
11).
Jonah is not all that different
horn many of us who are more
disturbed than amazed by the
wideness of God’s mercy.
Lancaster Farming .
Established 1055
Published Every Saturday '
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc. j
A SMmrnn Entaipm* j
Robert G. Campbell General Menag
Everett R. Newawanger Managing Edit
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