AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 12, 1992
OPINION
A Million People Wait
Next Saturday night the Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Prog
ram will again stage the annual state dairy princess pageant at
the start of the All-American dairy week. Robin Wilbur will fin
ish a year of superb work in the promotion of the state dairy
industry and its products, and a new state princess representative
will be crowned.
The dairy princess program dates back to 1956 when the Miss
Milk Maid Contest was initiated by the Pennsylvania Associa
tion of Milk Dealers. Later the Pennsylvania Holstein Associa
tion and the Atlantic Dairy Association worked the program.
And in 1983 the present Pennsylvania Dairy Princess and Prom
otion Services, Inc., was formed to provide a more uniform
program. Jan Harding is affectionately known as the “mother”
of all that the dairy princesses do for the industry. Of course, Jan
will be the first to give credit to her regional coordinators and all
the parents and other volunteers who help.
The program reaches thousands of consumers. For example,
the 39 princesses and 25 alternates made 1744 school presenta
tions; 561 store and mall presentations and 510 non-farm
speeches. In just these three categories, one quarter million con
sumers were reached.
In addition, they participated in 716 parades and other special
events: appeared on 741 radio and TV programs; distributed
176,213 recipe folders and 134,041 advertising specialities and
traveled 112,585 miles. Oh, yes, they appeared at 371 farm
meetings too.
While exact figures on how many people may have listened to
the TV and radio programs or lined the parade routes can only be
estimated, we are sure the combined efforts of the dairy princes
ses across the state reached more than a million people with the
good news of the nutritional value of milk and dairy products.
Accolades arc in order and we extend them. But we also know
this year’s dairy princesses will not rest on the current accom
plishments. On September 19, 33 new county princesses will
compete for the state title. And one will be chosen to represent
the state for the coming year. It will be a glamorous time for the
winner.
But the county princesses are already winners. And the
importance of a local princess representing local dairy farm
families to local consumer families is not a small thing. In fact,
because so many of the consumer contacts are made at the local
level, the presentations made by the county princess represents
the heart of the princess promotion program.
To the retiring princesses, we say to a job well done, “Thank
You!” And to the new class, we say, “Best Wishes! A million
people wait to hear your milk message.”
Farm Calendar
Saturday, September 12
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.
State York/Hampshire/Duroc
Show and Sale, Lebanon Fair
grounds, show noon, sale 6 p.m.
Horse Plowing Contest, Schaeffer
stown. 10 a.m.
Sundii\. September 13
Penn Ag’s 114th Convention,
Mountain Laurel Resort and
Conference Center, White
Haven, thru Sept. 15.
Horse Parade/Horse Pull, Schaef
ferslown, 12:30 p.m.
Schuylkill County Agrißusiness
and Farm Tours, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Mercer County Holstein Club
Picnic, Mark and Leßoy Canon
Dairy Farm, West Middlesex.
Monday, September 14
Denver Community Fair, Denver,
thru Sept 18.
Maximizing Your Pastures Poten
tail on a Rotational Grazing
System, Pinney’s Dairy Farm,
Horse Run Road, Singlehouse,
7:30 p.m.
Tulpehocken Young Adult Farmer
Silage Management Seminar,
Sam Forry family hosting.
Rehrsburg.
Poultry Management and Health
Seminar, Kreider’s Restaurant,
Pesticide Evaluation Field Day,
Fruit Research Laboratory,
Biglerville, 8:30 a.m.
ADC District 6 New Holland, Leo
la and Gap Meetings, Yoder’s
Restaurant, New Holland 7
p.m.
ADC District 19 Central Susque
hanna Meeting, Lairdsville Fire
Hall, Lairdsville, 7 p.m.
Garden Center Nite-Lite Meeting,
Delmarva Broiler Housing and
Flock Supervisors Conference,
To Prepare
For Big Harvest
With the good growing weather
we had this spring and summer,
crops are looking great
the tall com could cause some
harvesting problems. Now would
be a good time to check belts and
chains for wear. Replace worn
parts and have spares on hand for
breakdowns. Make sure all grease
fittings are working and are lubri
cated frequently.
Adjust ground speed to crop
density. By slowing up a little
could prevent a major break and
loss time due to clogs.
When equipment must be
unclogged, make sure the power is
turned off before working on the
harvesting equipment. This will
prevent loss of fingers, arms, feet,
legs or life.
When traveling on highways,
make sure your “Slow Moving
Vehicle Sign” is visible.
By taking a little extra time, we
can keep this harvest season
accident-free.
To Monitor Silage
Moisture Levels
Moisture content at harvest time
is one of the most important factors
Delmarva Convention Center,
Delmar, Md.
Solanco Fair, Quarryville, thru
Sept. 18.
Eastern States Exposition, West
Springfield, Mass., thru Sept.
27.
Master Gardener Training Prog
ram, Carroll County Extension
Office, Westminster, Md., 9
a.m.
Garden Center Nite-Lite Meeting,
Pine Run Garden Center, 6:30
p.m.-9 p.m.
Forest Landowner Symposium,
Oley Valley Community Fair,
Oley, thru Sept. 19.
Lycoming County Woodland
Owners Association annual
meeting, Montoursville, 6 p.m.
Garden Center Nite-Lite Meeting,
Waterloo Gardens, 6:30 p.m.-9
Pennsylvania Grange Young Mar
rieds Weekend, Econo Lodge,
Altoona.
New Jersey Organic Country Fair,
Pennington, NJ., 9:30 a.m.-7
p.m.
Pennsylvania Dairy Princess
Pageant, Sheraton Harrisburg
East, thru Sept. 24.
Sheep Field Day, Perry Farm,
Whitehouse Station, NJ.
Livestock Production Tour, RaJa
Hill Farm, Ralph Alleman
Farm, 3470 Valley Road,
Marysville.
(Turn to Page A 36)
affecting silage quality. When
com silage is too dry, it does not
pack well and the risk of spoilage
increases. When it is too wet it
leaches nutrients, becomes more
sour, and is less palatable.
Aim for 63 to 68 percent mois
ture when filling upright silos, 65
to 70 percent for horizontal silos,
and S 3 to 60 percent for oxygen
limiting structures. Monitor the
moisture content of whole stalks in
the days and weeks preceding
filling.
Under normal conditions, com,
as it matures, will lose about 0.5
percent moisture per day. Another
guideline is to chop com when the
milk line is one third of the way
down from the top of the kernel.
For oxygen-limiting structures it
should be about halfway down the
kernel.
To Cure Silage
Before Feeding
According to Glenn Shirk, exten-
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PUT OUT YOUR
HAND!
September 13,1992
Background Scripture:
Exodus 3:1 through 4:17
Devotional Reading:
Exodus 4:10-16,
When I was in my first pasto
rate in the suburbs of Harrisburg,
PA, one day ont he way to call in
the hospital, I saw a woman hit by
a car. As I pulled over to the curb,
I was sure that she had not sur
vived, for she ahd been thrown
into the air and came down with a
terrible thud. I had always been
squeamish about physical injuries.
The sight revolted me. So, I
assumed that on this busy street
there would be someone less
squeamish and more knowledge
able to do whatever needed to be
done before an ambulance arrived.
But, although several other
peopled looked on with me, none
made a move to go to the fallen
woman’s side. At last, I realized
that if anything was going to be
done, it would have to be me. So,
for the first time in my life, I put
aside my abdominal butterflies
and knelt beside the bloodied
woman to do whatever I could do.
Miraculously, she was still alive,
although I was sure she could not
long survive. Nevertheless, later
that same day in the hospital I saw
her again and was told that she
would recover and live.
AN 80-YEAR OLD FAILURE
1 must confess that putting out
my hand that day to touch her was
one of the hardest things I had
ever done. But, it seemed, I had no
choice because no one else was
going to do it and 1 knew that
someone had to at least try. I had
no idea how I could be of help to
her, but that all became pretty
academic when I put out my hand
and did what I thought, for me,
was impossible. I have since come
to realize that most of the worth
while things in the world have
been accomplished by people who
were just as scared as I was, and
just as certain they were not equal
to the task.
Today, we celebrated Moses as
a great man of faith, but we over
look the fact that he was certain
that he was not the man for the
job. Up until the lime of this great
wayside experience, Moses had
not demonstrated any leadership
sion dairy agent, feeding uncured
silage to cows may throw them off
feed and reduce milk production.
Shirk advises that one way to
help prevent this problem is to
open the fields up about two weeks
before normal filling time. Instead
of blowing this early cut silage into
the silo, fill a bag or make a stack
and let it cure. By the time it is
cured, you may feed the herd from
this cured supply while the silo is
being filled, refilled, and going
through fermentation.
Your rewards for this effort may
come in the form of larger milk
checks, and smaller veterinarian
bills.
For higher quality early cut sil
age, plant the ends and opening
rows of the field to a shorter season
hybrid so it will be more mature
when the fields are opened.
Feather Profs Footnote: "A
leading authority is anyone who
has guessed right more than
once." Frank Clark
or spiritual sensitivity. And, most
important of all—something we
usually overlook—when this chal
lenge came to him, he was already
80 years old, an age long past the
point at which people today think
they can be of any service.
I WILL TURN ASIDE
So, what made the difference
between this 80-year old failure
and the man of faith we revere
today? For one thing, Moses made
the change possible when, seeing
the burning bush, he said to him
self, “I will turn aside and see this
great sight, why the bush is not
consumcd”(3:3). Probably that
one decision is what most dif
ferentiates us from Moses. Too
many of us would have said—and
do say today—"Hmm, isn’t that
strange!” and kept going. God has
a message for each of us, but wc
will never hear the message unless
we are willing to “turn aside and
see,” to give God a chance to
speak from some of the “holy
ground” in our own lives.
Perhaps another reason that
•God was able to reach Moses was
that when he challenged, he was
honest about his doubts and reser
vations. When God proposed to
send Moses to Pharoah as his rep
resentative, Moses did not beat
around the burning bush; “Who
am I that I should go to Pharoah
and bring the.sons of Israel out of
Egypt?”(3:ll). And:”But behold,
they will not belive me or listen to
my v0ice...”(4:1). And later: “oh,
my Lord, lam not eloquent...l am
slow of speech and tonguc”(4:10).
And finally; “Oh, my Lord, send, I
pray, some other person” (4:13).
And, because Moses was
upfront with his reactions, God
was able to deal with them. To
every objection Moses raised, the
answer is found in God’s reassur
ance: “But I will be with
you”(3:12). None of us, by
ourselves, is equal to the tasks of
God lays upon us. We may not
have all it takes to do what has to
be done; but, if we give God what
we have, he will make up the dif
ference. If we trust him, we can, if
we will, respond when he says to
us: “Put out your hand...”.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stmnrrmn Enterpm*
Robert C. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1992 by Lancastar Farming