AlO-Lancaster Firming, Saturday, June 27, 1992
OPINION
The Cattle Sale
Last night I went to my first livestock sale at the Aberdeen
Sales Company in Chuichville, MD. I had attended 4-H club
livestock sales at the county and state fairs. But this was diffe
rent because the entire dairy herd from our family farm was sold.
It was a nostalgic time for everyone, especially for my 82-year
old Dad who had always loved working with the cows.
As the appointed hour of the sale arrived, farmers and other
spectators found seats on the raised platform in the sales build
ing. Each cow was weighed and led into the show arena while
the auctioneer described the special assets of the animal, from
the size of its udder to the number of previous freshenings.
Some of the cows seemed to recognize their owners as they
nudged their heads through the railing toward the men.
The bidding began, and with a nod of the head, the first bid
der bought a two-year-old milker for $950.00. When the bid
ding seemed low, the owner of the livestock sale would
expound on the outstanding qualities of the animal, reminding
the audience that someone wasn’t looking closely at the cow.
He pointed out that this herd came from a farm where the
brothers had milked cows for seventy years.
Seventy years a lifetime of love and labor all sold
within two hours. Dad and his brothers had milked cows by
hand for eighteen years before milking machines were
installed. Many times Dad recalled sitting by a cow and falling
asleep while he milked her.
Seventy years of the sweetness and bitterness of dairy
farming
rejoicing in the birth of a heifer calf, or having seven bull
calves bom in a row
walking up and down hills through sticky wild rose
bushes to find a missing cow and her new-born calf, and coax
ing the cow back to the bam
nursing sick cows through milk fever, especially before
the use of antibiotics
providing room and board for the milk tester who stayed
overnight once a month before the days of expressways
rounding up stray cows from suburban neighbors’ yards
when they jumped through a broken fence
calling the artificial inseminator at all hours of the day
celebrating a period of high milk prices, or spending all
the profits on feed or veterinarian bills
dumping a tank of milk that had a hint of springtime
garlic
starting the emergency generator when the electrical cur
rent went off in a storm
leading a group of city school children through the bam to
look at the cows
The bam is empty now, except for one lonely bull calf gaz
ing out from its pen. The smell of fresh hay lingers around the
deserted stanchions. Bam cats jump down from the rafters in
search of spilled milk. A few swallows fly in and out the doors.
The milk tank is hosed down and closed a metal vessel
devoid of nature's most perfect food.
Somewhere on an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, many of the
cows from this herd are adjusting to new surroundings and new
owners. But for their previous owners, the cattle sale closes the
door on yet another dairy farm in Baltimore County.
Helen Twining Kadlec, Glen Arm, Maryland.
rF _
Farm Calendar
12th annual Hickory Ridge Anti
que Farm Show, Horace Potter,
Milford, Del., thru June 28.
Crawford County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Bob and Chris Wad
dell Farm, Townville, 7:30 p.m.
Susquehanna County Dairy Prin
cess Pagenant, Sun Area
Pageant, Valley Mall, Selins
grove, 7 p.m.
E. Berks Dairy, New Bolton Cen
ter, 8:30 a.m.
Crawford Co. Farm and Country
Tour, eastern Crawford Co., 11
a.m.-5 p.m.
Pa. Rabbit Breeders Association,
Leesport Farmers Market,
Leesport, 3 p.m.
Schaefferstown annual Cherry
Fair, Alexander Schaeffer Farm
Museum, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Cattlemen’s Field Day, Linkland
Farms, Greenville, 9 a.m.-3
Ephraia Adult Farmer annual fam
ily picnic, Ephrata Community
Park, 12:30 p.m.
National Holstein Convention,
Sale Lake City, Utah, thru July
1.
Pennsylvania Floral Industry
Expo, Lancaster Host Resort,
thru June 29.
Pennsylvania Floral Industry
Expo, Lancaster Host Resort.
To File For
Gas Tax Refund
The Pennsylvania Board of
Finance will be mailing out claim
forms this month for state liquid
fuels tax refunds.
Fuels purchased for agricultural
use by farmers are eligible for the
tax refunds. Currently this is 12
cents per gallon.
This is not a government assis
tance program, but a refund of
money you have already paid—a
tax refund. If you have Hied
before, you are on the mailing list
and should receive a claim form.
Fanners not receiving a claim
form should write to Board of
Finance and Revenue, Room 409,
Finance Building, Harrisburg, PA
17120. Deadline for filing is Sep
tember 30.
Tuesday, .lime 30
National Holstein Convention,
Sale Lake City, Utah, thru July
Mercer County dairy princess ban
quet and pageant, Mercer Co.
extension office, banquet 7:30
p.m., pageant 8:30 p.m.
Elk/Cameron Vegetable Produc
ers Twilight Field Tour, Free
burg’s Produce Farm, Ridg
way, 6 p.m.
Lackawanna County twilight
Christmas tree meeting, Hull’s
Spring Hills Christmas Tree
Farm, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Small Grains Field Day,
McDowell Farm adjacent to
SR62, south of 1-79 inter
change, 7:30 p.m.
Farmer to Farmer Tour, Jim Gar
iterl^FarmM^am^^^^^
National Holstein Convention,
Sale Lake City, Utah.
Five-Acre Com Club deadline.
Southeast Pa. Twilight Small Fruit
Growers Meeting, Weaver’s
Orchard, Morgantown, 6:30
■mmol
idE
State Ag Arena.
Cumberland Valley Jersey Breed
ers, Shippensburg Fairgrounds.
Pot of Gold Sale, Pa. Jersey Cattle
Club, Shippensburg
Eastern Junior Judging School,
Shippensburg Fairgrounds,
iioon^hn^ul^T^^^^^^
County Fashion Revue, Lancaster
Farm and Home Center.
(Turn to Pag* A 27)
To Watch Debt
Roland Freund, area farm man
agement agent, writes, “We
repeatedly see the problems
created by premature investments
and too much debt”
Many farmers have been
encouraged to look at how much
debt the farm may service or sup
port rather than how much income
the investment will generate.
Freund states our present eco
nomic climate should induce us to
look at how much debt we are retir
ing. Equity growth (particularly in
periods of low inflation) is depen
dant upon repayment of principal.
In order to survive, farm enter
prises need to be profitable enough
to finance the periodic update of
facilities and equipment
In today’s economic environ
ment, we need to develop a “show
me” attitude when evaluating farm
investments and expansion plans.
When making these decisions, we
need to use realistic assumptions
and conservative budgets rather
than the best case or ideal
situation.
A CORPSE IN
ARMOR
JUNE 28.1992
Background Scripture:
Nahum.
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 47:1-9,
I was 15 years old when World
War II ended. From that day until
last year we have lived under the
thfeat of Communism. Now,
children no longer go to bed fear
ful that someone will wake them
to say, “The Russians are coming,
the Russians are coming.” It is
sqpnge to me that, having waited
so long for this day, people seem
so blase about it. To be sure, there
has been a little celebration, but
hardly when we might have
expected after living with this
bogeyman for 45 years.
Maybe, in light of the subtlety
with which the world seems to
have reacted to the break-up of the
Soviet block, we might have a
hard time understanding the
enthusiasm of the prophet Nahum.
What he is celebrating is the
immanent destruction of the Assy
rian Empire. Nineveh has not fal
len yet, but he is so certain of its
fall that he speaks as if it had
already taken place: “The chariots
rage in the streets, they rush to and
fro through the squares”(2:4).
His relief at this prospect is easy
to understand for the eastern
world had suffered under the vio
lent yoke of Assyria for two and a
half centuries. Damascus had fal
len to the Assyrians in 732 8.C.,
Samaria in 722, Mussair in 714,
Babylon in 689, Sidon in 677,
Memphis in 671, Thebes in 663,
and Susa around 639. Only Tyre
and Jerusalem remained free of
Assyrian control in the year 612,
probably the year of Nahum’s
prophecy.
GREAT IS THE FALL
Nahum’s prophecy scorns the
weakness of militarism. When we
are suffering under it, nothing
seems more powerful than mili
tary might But, as Nahum, tells
us, eventually military power
fails—every time! “The officers
are summoned, they stumble as
they g0...”(2:5). Eventually, all
military might stumbles and falls,
and, when it does, great is the fall
To Keep
Cowi Cool
Conception rates may drop dras
tically during periods of hot weath
er. To help improve conception
rates, keep cows as cool as possi
ble and avoid unnecessary
excitement
Shade, good ventilation, and
easy access to lots of cool water
will help keep cows cool. Good
heat detection and proper timing of
insemination is also important in
maintaining high conception rates.
Observe cows twice daily, once
in the evening and once in early
morning hours when it is cooler
and cows arc more active. Marking
cows observed in heat rumps with
crayons will help you later spot
these cows.
Normally when you see a cow in
heat, you try to have her insemi
nated a half day later. Also, by
keeping a record of each cow’s
heat periods, you will be able to
develop and use heat expectancy
lists.
Feather Profs Footnote: "If
you love your work, you are likely
to be its master; if you hate it, it is
your master.”
of it
A few weeks ago when we were
in Berlin, I was shocked to find
that the once all-powerful Soviet
military presence there had
become an object of pity. In the
shadow of the Brandenburg Gate
Russian soldiers in civilian clothes
lined the sidewalk so that they
could sell Soviet uniforms, insig
nia and memorabilia to the souve
nir hunters. I talked to a young
Russian couple and found they
come there every day because
they cannot make ends meet in the
new united Berlin, where prices
have soared. Their government
cannot bring them back to Russia
for the immediate future because
they have nothing for them to do
and nowhere to house them. A few
years ago I could not even have
approached these people. But
things have changed. And that’s
what Nahum is saying, too: God is
the sovereign of this world and
eventually the predators of this
world wil be put down and mili
tary power will be smashed.
REJOICE & TAKE HEED
It is important Cor us to realize
that just because Assyria was
being destroyed, it did not mean
that Judah’s future was assured. In
fact, Judah, although it witnessed
what happened to the military
might of Assyria, did not learn the
lesson and in less than 25 years it
too would fall, the victim of its
own corruption and dependency
upon national might. So, while the
people of Judah rejoiced in
Nahum’s scathing prophecy, they
failed to profit from it—pun partly
intended.
Could that not happen to us,
too. Rejoicing in the decay of
international communism and the
crumbling of Soviet power, might
we not some day fall for the same
reason—trusting in arms rather
than God, failing to understand
that the judgement of God comes
upon all nations, including us?
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMnw Enhfprk*
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newewanger Managing Editor
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