AlO-Uncartur Farming, Saturday, August 29, 1992
OPINION
Consumer Health Concerns
The Food and Drug Adminstration is being pressured to stop
the sale of milk and meat derived from cattle treated with bovine
somatotropin (BST) despite the acknowledgment that there is no
danger to humans from eating these foods.
On the other hand, for the first time since 1922, the USDA is
going to openly allow U.S. companies to import ground meat
from other countries even though this imported meat was grown
in conditions not regulated by our system.
For some time, U.S. meat and milk producers have expressed
frustration over the fact that the same safety and inspection reg
ulations to which U.S. producers are held are not imposed on
foreign country meat producers. Yet these products from those
meats are allowed to be imported, competing with domestic
production.
Now the USDA claims its testing is so good that, despite the
fineness of the grind, federal inspectors can catch Efforts to mix in
or substitute ground meat from animals other than those domestic
species accepted in the American markets.
Meanwhile, the call for the ban on meat and milk derived from
BST cattle results from investigators with the General Account
ing Office (GAO), which is an agency of the U.S. Congress. The
GAO has asked the FDA to stop the sale of meat and milk from
BST-treated animals and also withhold commercial approval of
BST because of increasing concern about indirect health effects
on humans.
On one hand we have the likely situation where meat will be
placed on American tables from non-regulated foreign sources
while the milk and meat from BST-treated animals will be
banned even though intensive scientific testing shows that there
is no evidence to suggest that BST-milk and meat is of any con
cern for human consumption.
In the imported meats case, the consumer’s health is disre
garded and in the case of BST, the consumer’s health is overly
guarded. If you look behind the scenes, maybe it’s not the health
of consumers that is really of concern.
What we have noticed is that in both these situations the prop
osed regulations work against animal agriculture.
p__
Farm Calendar
Susquehanna County Holstein
Sale, Harford Fairgrounds,
noon.
Southeast Pa. 4-H Horse Show,
Berks Co. 4-H Community
Center, Leesport, 8:30 a.m.
Pa. State Plowing Contest, Olde
Tyme Days, Rentzel Farm,
Manchester, garden tractor
9:30 a.m., horse plowing (walk
ing) 11 a.m., and sulky 12:30
p.m.
Bucks County Holstein Club Field
Day and Picnic, Galen Leather
man’s, 11 a.m.
Bradford County Junior Holstein
Club Blueberry Festival, Tho
inasCrestfann^lba^T^Otum
Governor’s Volunteer Apprecia
tion Day, Maryland State Fair,
10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Allentown Fair, thru Sept. 7.
York-Adams CMA meeting, York
Crops Expo 1992, York County
4-H Center, Route 116 south of
Route 30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
South Mountain Fair, fairgrounds,
Arendtsville.
Montgomery County Dairy Graz
ing tour. Reinford and Moyer
farms, Creamery, 9:30
a.m.-2:30 p.m.
4-H/FFA Livestock Auction,
Maryland State Fair Cow
Palace, 7 p.m.
Junior Livestock Sale, Grange
Fairgrounds, Centre Hall, 6
p.m.
Lancaster County Sheep and Wool
Growers Association Work
shop “Ram Breeding Sound
ness Examination,” Ed
Donough residence, Manheim,
7 p.m.
Centre County 4-H District Dairy
Pennsylvania Rabbit Conference,
Clinton County Fairgrounds,
Mill Hall.
Juniata County Fair, Port Royal,
thru Sept. 12.
District Dairy Show, Mon Valley,
Washington County
Fairgrounds.
District Dairy Show, Crawford
County Fairgrounds.
District Dairy Show, Dayton Fair
grounds, Clarksburg.
Greene County Ram and Ewe
Sale.
First Annual Antique Tractor and
Equipment Show. Tractor
pulls, pedal pulls, toy display
and flea market, Rte. 54,
Washingtonville, LeLong Fair
ground, Montour County,
Washingtonville, and Sun.,
Sept. 6.
Northwest 4-H Dairy Show,
Ag Issues Forum, Willow Valley,
7:30 a.m.-9 a.m.
West Maryland Ag Field Day,
To Develop
Management Plan
If you do not know where you
are going, you cannot map out a
ARE YOU A MODEL
CHRISTIAN?
August 30,1992
Background Scripture:
Titus 2:7,8,11-14; 3:1-8
Devotional Reading:
James 2:22-26
I have read somewhere that
Ghandi at one time in his life was
very enamored of Jesus Christ and
might have become a Christian if
it had not been his observation that
few Christians tried to emulate
their Lord. What he rejected was
not Christian teachings, but
Christian or perhaps more
accurately: unchristian behavi
our. He deeply respected Jesus
Christ, but not many of those who
claimed to be Christ’s followers.
Think about the Christians who
have been influential in your life.
Which of these have seemed to
make Christ come alive in their
lives? Which of these have set an
example for us to follow? Most of
Western Maryland Research
and Education Center.
Lancaster County Honey Produc
ers Meeting, Farm and Home
Center, 7:30 p.m.
Tillage Field Day, Richard Trinca
farm, Rebersburg, 10:30
Pesticide Test, Schuylkill Co.
Cooperative Extension, 9
a.m.-noon.
Pa. Holstein Fall Championship
Show, Ag Arena, State College,
9:30 a.m.
York Interstate Fair, thru Sept. 19.
Thurmont and Emmitsburg Com
munity Show, Catoctin High
School, Thurmont, Md., thru
Sept. 13.
Beef Grazing Tour, Waffle Hill
Farm, Churchville, Md.
Southwestern Pa. Beef Field Day,
R.D. Whetzel Farm, Greene
County, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Forest Stewardship Landowners
Workshop, Dauphin Co. Ag
Center, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Erosion and Sedimentation Con
trol Workshop, Pennsylvania
College of Technology, Earth
Science Center, Montgomery, 8
a.m.
Penn Ag’s 114th Convention,
Mountain Laurel Resort and
Conference Center, White
route to get there. Also, you will
not know if you are on the right
road.
To be a successful business per
son, you need to set goals for your
farm. Once you set these goals you
are now ready to develop a man
agement plan to meet these goals.
For example, if you are a dairy
farmer, your goal might be to
achieve a 20,000 pound herd aver
age. Now, you need to identify the
variables that affect herd average
and the ones you have control
over. These variables, or control
points, might consistof 1. the aver
age age of the herd, 2. milk produc
tion per cow and 3. calving
interval.
Next, for each of these control
points you need to establish stan
dards that must be met so you will
reach your goal. These standards
then become the basis for evaluat
ing your management
The following example is based
us can remember several people
who have in some way for us
incarnated Christ in some tangible
way. Without some examples or
models, none of us would likely
be in the church today. For,
although the gospel of Jesus
Christ deals with ideas, it is the
manifestation of those ideas in
daily living that wins people to
him.
NOT AN ELECTIVE
Few of us are enthusiastic about
being examples or models for
other Christians. While we ack
nowledge that examplary lives are
necessary, most of us would just
as soon leave that to someone else.
But we cannot; Christian witness
is not an elective, but a prerequis
ite for anyone who would be a fol
lower of Christ So, when Paul
says to Titus, “Show yourself in
all respects a model of good
deeds, and in your teaching show
integrity, gravity and sound
speech that cannot be censured...,”
he is speaking to us, too.
Think for a moment: who are
some of the people who might
possibly be influenced for or
against Christianity by the exam
ple you give? What kind of role
model do you present to your fam
ily, your neighbors, your fellow
workers? If someone else’s
Denver Community Fair, Denver,
Pesticide Evaluation Field Day,
Fruit Research Laboratory,
IJißlerville^j3^ajn^^^^
Delmarva Broiler Housing and
Flock Supervisors Conference,
Delmarva Convention Center,
Delmar, Md.
Solanco Fair, Quarryville, thru
Sept. 18.
Eastern States Exposition, West
Springfield, Mass., thru Sept.
27.
Oley Valley Community Fair,
Oley, thru Sept. 19.
Lycoming County Woodland
Owners Association annual
meeting, Montoursville, 6 p.m,
| Saturday, Septemhe^l*^^
New Jersey Organic Country Fair,
Pennington, NJ., 9:30 a.m.-7
p.m.
All-American Pennsylvania Dairy
Princess Pageant, Sheraton
Iftmsbur^asMhn^eDt^4.
GratJ^ajr^hn^eDtj26^^^
Pennsylvania Junior Dairy Show,
Farm Show Complex,
Harrisburg.
on figures developed by Lawrence
Jones and John Conway, Cornell
University. Herd profile: 40 per
cent first lactation cows, 30 per
cent second lactation cows, and 30
percent older cows, calving inter
val of 12. S months, days to first
service is 77, services per concep
tion is 1.7, and heat detection rate
is 65 percent.
To attain a 20,610 pound herd
average, your first lactation cows
would have to peak at 67 pounds,
drop no more than 2.1 pounds per
month and produce 18,800 pounds
milk in 320 days. For second lacta
tion cows the figures would be 80
pounds, 4.6 pounds and 22.300
pounds while the older cows need
to produce 93 pounds, 5.2 pounds
and 24,000 pounds.
By setting goals, you are con
centrating your efforts and now
have a standard to evaluate your
success as a business person.
Christianity depended upon the
example of Christ that you manif
est in your life, what kind of mod
el are you presenting?
I said, “If someone else’s
Christianity depended upon” you,
but there is no “if’ about it. A day
never goes by that someone
doesn’t mark our behaviour, our
attitude, our way of life. We may
not be aware that they are watch
ing, but they are. The only way
you can escape from influencing
others, either for or against Christ
ianity, is to completely hide your
Christian discipleship, perhaps
even to deny that you are a follow
er of Christ. And, obviously, that
is something we cannot do for
our own sake, as well as for
others.
GRACE & DEEDS
To be sure, Paul says that we
are not saved by the example we
give: “He saved us, not because of
deeds done by us ip righteousness,
but in virtue of his own mercy, by
the washing of regeneration and
renewal in the Holy Spirit”
(3:3-7). Serving as good models of
Christian living does not save us,
but neither can we be saved if we
fail to fulfill our tasks to let others
see Christ through us. If we are
saved by God’s grace, we must let
that grace shine forth in our lives.
Pennsylvania All-American Dairy
Show, Farm Show Complex,
Harrisburg, thru Sept. 24.
Reading Fair, Reading Fair
Autumn Begins
Eohratj^airMhn^!eDt^6^^
Estimating and Bidding for Land
scape Maintenance Workshop,
Penn State Great Valley,
Malvern, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Eastern National Holstein Sale,
Farm Show Complex, Harris
burg, 7 p.m.
West Lampeter Community Fair,
Lampeter, thru Sept. 25.
NIR Van, Belmont Fire Hall,
Pleasant Mount, 8 a.m.-l 1 a.m.,
County Office Building, Mon
trose, 1-3:30 p.m.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Sttlnnmn Eniarpnbo
Robert C. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newiwanger Managing Editor
Copyright IMS by Lancaotor Forming