AiO-Lancutw Fanning, Saturday, February 27, 1993
opmoN
Say It Again, Still Sounds Good
The recent second annual meeting of the Pennsylvanians for
the Responsible Use of Animals (PRUA) illustrated again that
those whose lives are centered on the raising and use of animals
have a vested interest in maintaining animal conditions which are
of benefit to the animal species.
This is especially true for those with a long term commitment
to their business. And it is those types of organizations which rep
resent people who have this long term commitment which have
become members of PRUA.
Those people representing the entertainment industry sector
which displays or use animals gave a good accounting of their
businesses and presented the same standing logic that is behind
most animal-based industry striving to provide the best of
care for their animal charges is maintenance of an investment and
the only way to slay in business.
The logic is irrefutable: To purposefully or to negligently
abuse the center of one’s livelihood animals is operation
al suicide.
Besides, as in the case of the circuses, how many people can
afford to buy a completely trained elephant every other month?
Those who would abuse or neglect their animals not only do
not respect the animals, they would apparently not have enough
self-respect or intelligence to take care of themselves.
Or else they are looking for quick gains, which is generally not
a possibility in animal agriculture.
We don’t mind hearing the message again, even from those not
typically considered to be part of the field of agricultural
production.
It must be remembered and repeated.
The only way for someone who uses animals as a means to take
care of themselves is to take care of their animals.
Even if it is a circus.
Farm Calendar
Animal Science Day, Seneca
Highlands Vocational Techni
cal Center, Port Allegany, 9
a.m.
Regional Christmas Tree Growers
Meeting and Trade Show,
Mountain Laurel Resort, White
Haven, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Farm Accident Rescue Demo,
Punxsutawney Central Fire
Hall and Londondale Farm,
9:30 a.m.
Pesticide Update/Conservation/
Crop Meeting, Milford Square.
Tulpehocken High School ag
chemical meeting.
Somerset County annual meeting,
7 a.m.
Beef meeting. Line Mountain
High School, 7:30 p.m.
Carbon/Monroe/Northampton
Crops Meeting, Polk Township
Fire House, Kresgeville, 6:30
p.m.
Blair/Huntingdon Dairy Day,
Alexandria Fire Hall, Alexan
dria, 9:30 a.m.-2;30 p.m.
Bradford Co. Dairy-MAP, exten
sion office. 10 a.m.
I
Tuesday March 2
Lancaster County Dairy Day 11,
Farm and Home Center, 9
a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania Com Conference,
Ramada Inn, West Middlesex.
Pesticide Update/Conservation/
Crop Meeting, Neshaminy
Manor.
Ag Information Series, Your
Weed Control Choices and
Managing Perennial Weeds in
Agronomic Crops, UNILEC
Building, Dußois, 7:30
p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Gphrata Area pesticide update
training, Cloister Restaurant,
6:45 p.m.
Bucks-Mont Udder Health School,
Montgomery 4-H Center,
Creamery, 9:45 a.m.-2 p.m.,
and March 9.
Susquehanna County Dairy-MAP
Program, Lcnoxville Hall.
Central Susquehanna Valley Turf
and Ornamental meeting, Bryn
wood Banquet Center, Lewis-
Garden Center Conference, Holi
day Inn, Lionville, 9 a.m.-4
p.m.
Pennsylvania Potato Growers
Institute Meeting, Holiday Inn
Conference Center, Allentown,
thru March 4.
Franklin/Adams/Cumberland
Soybean Growers meeting,
Grace United Church of Christ,
Shippensburg, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Tri County Soybean Growers’
Meeting, Grace United Church
of Christ, Shippensburg, 9
a.m.-2;30 p.m.
Berks County Udder Health
School, Berks County Ag Cen
ter, 9:45 a.m.-2 p.m. and March
10, Berks County Ag Center
and Scattered Acres Farm, 9:45
a.m.-2;15 p.m.
Regional greenhouse meeting,
Richland Mall Community
Room, Johnstown, 9:30 a.m.-3
Poultry Progress Day, Lancaster
Farm and Home Center.
Berks 4-H Supper series, Ag Cen-
now is
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agqnt
To Compare
Performance
Records
To stay competitive, farmers
must know how they are doing
compared to other producers.
Competition, new technology,
genetics, nutrition, and husbandry
practices are a few of the ways far
mers are improving their produc
tion efficiency.
To know how you rate com
pared to other producers requires
you to compare your records
against a current records data base.
Most farmers have access to at
least one data base to compare
their records with. This data base
could be maintained by your feed
company, DHIA, cooperative
extension, accounting service or
integrator.
It should be every farmers goal
to be in the top 20 percent of the
producers. If you are not in the top
20 percent, you should find out
why and make the necessary
corrections.
Some areas that keep farmers
out of the top 20 percent include
improper vaccination schedules,
poor biosecurity procedures, poor
ventilation, no quality control
programs for feed, lack of time
spent with animals, and equipment
not properly adjusted. -
If you are not constantly impro
ving your production perfor
mance, you will soon find yourself
slipping in the rankings. Competi
tion will constantly be weeding out
the bottom farmers.
By keeping good records and
comparing your performance
against a good data base, you will
always know where you stand with
your competition and when you
need to make changes in your
operation in order to stay competi
tive. It easier to make the changes
when you are still in the lop 25 per
cent then when you are in the bot
tom 10 percent. Talk with your
feed supplier, service person, or
banker and find out how to com
pare your records with other
farmers.
To Pick Up
Forage Fact Sheets
During the past year, the Penn
State Agronomy Department has
published numerous fact sheets
that address a wide range of infor
mation on forage crops. The fact
sheets are available at cooperative
extension offices in Pennsylvania
at no cost.
Eleven of the sheets cover infor
mation on the following forage
crop species: ryegrass, birdsfoot
trefoil, red clover, white clover,
summer annual grasses, timothy,
ter, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Lehigh County Tractor Safety
Course, Ag Center, March
4-April 8 (Thursdays).
Managing Dairy Nutrition, Light-
(Turn to Pago A 35)
orchardgrass, reed canarygrass,
smooth bromegrass, tall fescue
and warm season grasses. Other
topics which are covered include
cutting management for alfalfa,
red clover and birdsfoot trefoil,
large round bale silage, forage
quality perspectives, harvesting
and utilizing silage and three on
forage soil fertility management.
These should be very helpful as
farmers evaluate alternative crops,
especially as nutrient management
plans are being developed. Grasses
could be a key player in helping
farmers to meet nutrient manage
ment guidelines.
To Early
Wean Pigs
According to Chester Hughes,
extension livestock agent, pork
producers who wean pigs early
may increase the number of pigs
weaned per sow per year and may
allow for heavier pigs at 8 weeks of
age.
A successful weaning program
depends on choosing an age at
weaning that suits the facilities,
nutritional program, and manage-
GODLESS CHATTER
February 28,1993
Background Scripture:
2 Timothy 2:14 through 3:9; Titus
Devotional Reading:
Titus 2.
This may sound strange coming
from a preacher, but I usually
avoid arguing about either religion
or politics. In my experience, “dis
cussions” of religion or politics
generally turn into arguments.
Mostly, when people cross the line
from “discussion” into “argu
ment,” they become angry. When
people become angry there is little
that can be said that will be reaso
nably received.
It is said of St. Francis of Asisi
that one day he asked a certain
brolhermonk to accompany him to
the village to preach. The brolher
monk was puzzled, however, in
that throughout their whole con
course through the village St.
Francis maintained silence. When
they relumed, the brolhermonk
said, “I thought we were going to
preach in the village!”, “Ah, we
did,” said St. Francis. “We walked
in peace and brotherhood and peo
ple saw our example. It was not
necessary to say something.”
LEARN SILENCE FIRST
Sometimes I wish preachers
and other religious enthusiasts
would learn silence before they
begin to speak. Christian life is too
often filled to the brim with
words, words, words. Words that
hurt, condemn, attack, confuse,
and testify, not to the goodness of
God, but the self-celebrated
human intellect. We are never
nearly so clever or wise as we
think and whenever we think we
arc particularly brilliant, that is
usually when we are actually the
most stupid.
1 realize that’s a strong state
ment, but no stronger than what
Paul says in 2 Timothy: “...charge
them before the Lord to avoid dis
puting about words, which does
no good, but only mins the hear
ers” (2:14). And: “Avoid such
godless chatter, for it will lead
people into more and more ungod
liness, and their talk will eat its
way like gangrene” (2:16,17).
ment skills of the producer.
Weaning between two and four
weeks of age has now become the
normal practice with most herds
weaning at 24 days of age. For the
best herds, a target of 70 pound
pigs at 60 days of age is attainable.
Hughes offers the following tips
for improved early weaning;
• Feed a well balanced, high
energy, palatable diet
• Keep feed fresh and clean.
• Temperature at pig level
should be 85 degrees F for pigs 8 to
12 pounds and 80 degrees for pigs
12 to s 17 pounds.
• Provide clean, dry, disinfected
pens.
• Allow one water nipple for
every 6 to 8 pigs.
• Use an all-in, all-out system.
• Provide a draft-free environ
ment and use overlays on slatted
floors.
• Number of pigs per pen should
be 16 or less.
* Adjust pen mates within a
weight range of 2 to 3 pounds.
Feather Profs Footnote:
"There are limes when silence has
the loudest voice.”
And: “Have nothing to do with
stupid, senseless controversies:
you know that they breed quar
rels” (2:23).
We’ve all heard far too much
talk like that. Nothing can hurt the
cause of Christ more than “god
less chatter.” The problem is that
we seldom hear our own words as
“godless.” In fact, we may think
that by filling our conversation
with the word “God,” we arc
doing well. But when conversa
tion celebrates our own under
standing, no matter how many
times we invoke God’s name, it is
“godless.” It serves our own ego,
not God.
SILENCE IN THE CHURCH!
Theologian Soren Kierkegaard
once wrote: “Order the parsons to
be silent on Sundays. What is
there left? The essential things
remain: their lives... Would you
then get the impression by watch
ing them, mat it was Christianity
they were preaching?” On another
occasion, he said: “Would-be
theologians...must be on their
guard lest by beginning too soon
to preach they rather chatter them
selves into Christianity than live
themselves into it and find them
selves at home there.”
Ah, but there are limes when we
must speak out, you say, when
there are words that must be said.
How can we know the fine line
between “godless chatter” and
witnessing for Christ? Paul says:
“the Lord’s servant must not be
quarrelsome but kindly to every
one, correcting his opponents with
gentleness” (2:24,25).
If, in your speaking for God you
can remain humble, acknowledg
ing that you do not have all the
answers, that you speak, not as
one who is superior because of
what you know-or think you
know-and can keep from becom
ing angry, self-righteous or judg
mental, you can avoid “godless
chatter,” “senseless controver
sies,” and “disputing about
words.”
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stoinrrmn Enhrpm*
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newnranger Managing Editor
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