Aib-Lbiic£st£r Farming? Novemlber 7,1992^'
OPINION
FFA’ers Know They Belong
On Veterans’ Day next Wednesday begins the 65th National FFA
Convention, which lasts through next Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
What an appopriate place and time to begin a convention which
takes time to honor the labor and achievements of the thousands of
FFA’ers across the country. The same day we honor members of our
military forces that have preserved freedom for us is the kickoff for a
celebration for those that preserved our heritage and our number one
industry farming.
What brings these FFA’ers together?
In the August-September 1992 issue of the official FFA publication
FFA New Horizons, editor Andy Markwart speaks about FFA’ers and
why they join the many chapters across the country. Markwart writes:
“It’s because we all want to feel like we belong.
“A guy named Abraham Maslow figured out a long time ago that
people have a common set of needs. After the basics of food, water,
shelter, and a sense of security, the need to feel accepted is next on the
list No matter what people may say, there are very few loners out
there.”
To belong.
It’s the sense of belonging to something greater and more important
than oneself that draws FFA’ers together, whether they’re working on
Building Our American Community (BOAC) projects or working to
improve any segments of their community. Or donating their time to
charitable causes. Or simply taking responsibility for something in
their school, home, or community.
Those who can’t fill that need end up belonging to “cliques” at
school, writes Markwart Or they join gangs. Or, given the right gui
dance, they become acdve in a social club, including churches,
schools, or other organizations.
Or they become the loners that don’t contribute and, at best, fade
into the background. At worst, they become criminals.
But according to Markwart:
“Your local FFA chapter, on the other hand, is a gang of people who
have chosen the positive road. In many schools, the relationship
between FFA members and their advisors/agriculture teachers is diffe
rent than with other teachers. The advisor is a friend, a counselor,
someone who takes a personal interest in your life.”
FFA now numbers 401,574 members, by last estimate, with about
7,456 local chapters.
Ask any chapter member to think back, before FFA, if they felt they
really belonged. Then ask them how they feel now to be part of a pow
erful, influential, richly rewarding association that is the FFA.
1 it' l> -
Farm Calendar
North American International
Livestock Exposition, Ken
tucky Fair and Exposition Cen
ter, Louisville, Ky.
75th annual dinner, Carbon Coun
ty Extension Association and
4-H Leaders Association,
Luther Hall, Trinity Lutheran
Church, Lehighton.
Mid-Atlantic Forest Stewardship
Seminar, Frederick Communi
ty College, Frederick, Md.,
9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Solid Gold Milking Herd Disper
sal and Select Consigments,
Northampton Co. DHIA/Holstein
Association annual meeting
and banquet, Stockertown
Memorial Hall, 7 p.m.
Agronomy Ag-Service Schools,
Days Inn, Meadville, 4 p.m.-9
p.m.
Poultry Management and Health
Seminar, Kreider Farms
Restaurant, Manheim, noon.
Pa. State Rabbit Breeders Conven
tion committee meeting, Ivan
Small fruit advisory meeting, York
County extension office, 7:30
p.m.
ADA/DC District 3, KFC, Cha
tcaugay, N.Y., noon.
Lancaster DHIA members meet
ing to explain Raleigh records,
Farm and Home Center, 10 a.m.
Franklin County DHIA banquet,
Kauffman’s Community Cen
ter, 7 p.m.
Agronomy Ag Schools, UNILEC
Building, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Dairy Herd Management Confer
ence, Williamston Inn.
S.W. Pa. Hay Auction, Westmore
land Fairgrounds, 11 a.m.
Fall barn meeting, Bob and Nellie
Jones, Stoneboro, 1 p.m.
Fall bam meeting, John Pfaff, 8
p.m.
Bradford Co. Dairy Herd Manage
ment Conference, Williamston
thru Nov. 14.
Northeast Greenhouse Seminar,
Luzerne County Community
College, Nanticoke, 9 a.m.-4
p.m.
DHIA meeting. North Orwell
Community Hall, 7:45 p.m.
Fall bam meeting, Debbie and Jer
Franklin County On-Farm Com
posting Field Days, Clifford
Hawbaker’s Farm, Chambers
burg, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Columbia County Cooperative
Extension annual meeting, St
Luke’s Lutheran Church.
Lightstreet, 7 p.m. /
To Redefine
A Fanner
Who is a fanner?
Today, we have less than two
percent of the United States popu
lation engaged in the production of
food.
However, we have an additional
percentage of the population
employed in jobs that were once
performed on the farm. These
include meat and poultry process
ing, feed manufacturing, retail
selling, animal breeding, and seed
selection.
The transfer of these and other
jobs off the farm has allowed
today’s farmer to concentrate on
production. This specialization
and ability to adopt new technolo
gy has made American agriculture
the envy of the world.
This has been made possible by
an excellent working relationship
between farmers, government,
business, research, and education.
The government, research, and
education partners of this success
ful partnership have been coming
under criticism lately. We need to
do a better job of explaining the
total food production system
extends beyond the farm gate and
every person is served by agricul
tural programs, not just farmers.
If we are to continue to have a
safe and abundant food supply, we
need government programs for
food inspection, statistics,
research, and education.
As we face emerging food safe
ty, animal welfare and environ
mental issues, history has shown
us research and education not
mandatory government regula
tions have been the most effec
tive way to deal with the issue.
We need to start expanding the
definition of a farmer and defend
the programs that have been very
important to us. Otherwise we will
find these programs discontinued.
To Review
Swine Husbandry
Chester Hughes, extension
livestock agent, reminds us of the
importance of good swine husban
dry skills.
Northumberland County Coopera
tive Extension banquet, Otter
bein Church, Sunbury, 7 p.m.
Potter County DHIA annual meet
ing, Penn York Camp, Ulysses,
7:30 p.m.
Chester County Extension annual
meeting, East Brandywine Fire
Hall, Guthfiesville, 6:30 p!m.
Agronomy Ag Service Schools,
Arena Restaurant, Bedford, 9
a.m.-3 p.m.
Annual Cooperative Extension
meeting. Immaculate Concep
tion Church Hall, New Ger
many, 6:30 p.m.
DHIA meeting. Alba Church, 7:4S
p.m.
Centre Co. Holstein annual meet
(Turn to Pag* A 43)
He suggests we develop a daily
management routine. This allows
the pigs to develop a routine of
their own.
Farmers need to pay close atten
tion to temperature, ventilation,
equipment, floor condition, area
per pig, manure management, and
feed and water quality. We need to
anticipate climatic extremes and
provide the appropriate husbandry
decisions to insure pig comfort and
well being by minimizing environ
mental stresses.
Pigs should be observed regu
larly. Feeders and waterers should
be checked daily. Feeders and
waterers need to be readily acces
sible and easy for the pigs to use
and adjusted to prevent feed was
tage and minimize contamination
by feces and urine and not injure
the pigs.
When feed is delivered to ani
mal houses and to individual pens,
care should be taken to minimize
dust Techniques to control feed
dust include minimal drop dis
tances and open conveyors and the
addition of fats or oils to the feed.
-
B t LAWRENCE W ALIHOUM
issoßiys
IS GOD EVER
WRONG?
November 8,1992
Background Scripture:
Amos 2:6 through 3:2.
Devotional Reading:
Ajnos 2:6-16.
Is it possible that sometimes
God is wrong?
For example, take the prohecy
in Amos 2, those ringing pro
nouncements warning that God
will bring judgment and punish
ment upon the people of Israel.
Surely God has the wrong people!
A celestial clerical error, perhaps?
We can understand dire prophe
cies against Damascus, Gaza,
Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and
even step-brother Judah. These
were ungodly, unrighteous
people.
But Israel—how can Amos
bring Israel under God’s judg
ment? Ate they not the Chosen
Race? Do they not crowd into the
Temple to worship and offer their
sacrifices by the thousands and
tens of thousands? Do they not
honor God with their words, their
rituals, and their customs? In what
ways do they, of all peoples,
deserve the wrath of God?
THE CHOSEN PEOPLE
I am certain that those who
heard Amo’s prophecy must have
been dumfounded and asked simi
lar questions, perhaps we can bet
ter appreciate if we imagine that
we are in church and listening to a
guest speaker making judgment
against our firends and enemies
alike—stinging indictments of
Yugoslavia, Russia, China, Cuba,
Iraq, Britain, and Mexico. Who
among us would not get some
delight in those searing
judgments?
But then, the speakers say, “For
three transgression of the USA
and for four, I will not revoke the
punishment” (2:6). At that
moment we would know how his
listeners felt when Amos turned
his attention to Israel. With what
was it that Amos indicted God’s
people? Heretical beliefs? Esoter
ic rituals? Occult teachings? No,
none of these
What angered the Lord, Amos
said, was not how the people went
abou their religion, but how they
lived their lives. In their day-to-
As the harvest season draws to a
close, you will be introducing your
herd to a new supply of feeds.
These could be of a different
quality than what you have been
feeding. For best results, it is
essential that these new feeds be
tested now and at periodic inter
vals throughout the winter.
Many testing laboratories have
installed computer communica
tion systems that will allow you to
receive your test results three or
more days sooner. Contact your
laboratory for details.
Just as important as testing is
accurate reformulation of your
rations based on test results. If you
are feeding a total mixed ration
(TMR), it is also a good practice to
test the TMR mix to check on
accuracy of formulation and
mixing.
Feather Profs Footnote:
"Change starts when someone
sees the next step." William
Drayton
day living they were greedy and
corrupt—“because they sell the
righteous for silver and the needy
for a pair of shoes” (2:6c). For
their own gain they oppress and
exploit people—“they that
trample the head of the poor into
the dust of the earth” (2:7a). They
have no moral standards—“a man
and his father go into the same
maiden” (2:7b). Staying within
the letter of the law, they are
nevertheless able to take advan
tage of the weak and the
helpless—“they lay themselves
down beside every altar upon gar
ments taken in plege; and in the
house of their God they drink the
wine of those who have been
fined” (2:8). (They even pervert
religion so as to legally take the
garments and wine given as colla
teral.) Yet, at the same time, these
people are going to the temple,
making their sacrifices, and main
taining an air of respectability.
MUCH REQUIRED
sn
God’s judgment of Israel is
even more detailed than those pro
phecies delivered against other
nations. We can understand—if
not approve—of Damascus, Gaza,
Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab.
These people did not pretend to
follow the Lord. Their evil was the
natural consequence of their
beliefs. But Judah and Israel know
better and thus God expected
more from them. So his judgment
falls more heavily on them. As
Jesus is quoted in Luke 12:48,
“Every one to whom much is
given, of him much will be
required.”
All of this took place more than
2,600 years ago in the Bth centruy
B.C. Life was different. The world
was different. People were diffe
rent. But, the words of Amos
nevertheless have a familiar ring,
do they not? Do we not have cor
ruption as they did? Are the poor
and hopeless not oppressed now
as then? Does our society not suf
fer from sexual license and the
perversion of religion?
No, God does not make mis
takes, but we still do.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata. PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stonman Entfpriaa
Robert C. Campbell General Manager
Evsrtlt R. Nowswangar Managing Editor
Copyright IW2 by Lancaster Farming
To Rebalance
Rations