AKRancastar Farming, Saturday, March a 1993
OPINION
Bite The Hand Not Wise
New energy and environmental tax proposals currently un
der consideration by Congress and the Clinton Administration
could hit fanners four different ways.
“Energy taxes that have been proposed in the past hit fanners
twice,” said Gary D. Myers, President of The Fertilizer Insti
tute. “Environmental taxes that recently have been proposed
also hit farmers twice. With each, farmers pay directly for the
energy they use on the farm and then pay again through the in
creased input costs. So enactment of both types of taxes would
mean a four-way hit on farmers.”
Among the tax proposals that would fall disproportionately
on agriculture are:
H.R. 804. introduced by Rep. Pete Static (D-CA), phasing
in a carbon tax that would amount to a 48 cents/MCF tax on
natural gas.
Broad-based energy tax on British thermal units (BTUs).
A 40 cent /MMBTU is equivalent to a 5-cent/gallon gas tax.
Environmental taxes such as those contained in Rep. Ger
ry Studds (D-MA) Clean Water Funding proposal, taxing the
use and production of inputs to pay for urban sewer systems.
A Joint Committee on Taxation proposal which studies
the effect of combining energy and environmental taxes.
Just one of these taxes a tax on the production of fertilizer
in the Studds proposal would greatly reduce the annual pro
fitability of an average com farmer.
“Now is the time for agriculture to raise its collective voice
in a fight for fairness,” said Myers. “Energy plays a vital part in
every facet of farm production. The long-term effect of these
penalties would be lower farm production, decreased competi
tiveness for our agricultural sector on the world market, and
higher prices for American consumers.”
New taxes that bite the hand that feeds the nation are not
wise.
7 -^__
Farm Calendar
Berks County 4-H Jamboree, 4-H
Community Center, 6 p.m.-ll
p.m.
< State Swine Breeders Show and
Sale. Lebanon Fairgrounds, 10
a.m.
Sixth annual Fellowship of Christ
ian Farmers outreach luncheon,
Wilhelm Ltd. Caterers, West
minster. Md., 12 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Regional Christmas Tree Seminar,
Rustic Lodge, Indiana, 9
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Warren County Dairy Day, 4-H
Center and Pomona Grange,
Warren Co. Fairgrounds, 9
a.m.-3 p.m.
Bth annual Spring Horse Clinic,
Penn Slate, also Match 7.
Delaware Valley Milk Goat Asso
ciation, “Kidding Seminar,”
Farm of Ann Miller. Telford,
Philadelphia Flower Show, Civic
Cento', thru March 14.
Winter Equine Expo, Berks 4-H
cer extension office.
Octorara Young Farmers annual
awards banquet. West Fallow
field Christian School, 6:45
p.m.
Bradford Co. Dairy-MAP, exten
Southeast Regional Vegetable
Growers meeting. Family Her
itage Restaurant, Franconia, 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
Ag outlook meeting, Bermudian
Springs H.S., York Springs, 8
p.m.
Penn Manor Adult Ed Program,
small fruit management, 6:30
p.m.
Dairy Council annual meeting,
Ramada Hotel, Trevose, 10
a.m.
Dauphin Co. Conservation District
annual awards banquet, Ag
Center, 6:30 p.m.
Susquehanna County Dairy-MAP,
Lcnoxvillc Hall.
Southeast Regional Christmas
Tree Growers meeting, Penn
State Campus, Schuylkill
Haven, 7 p.m.
Farm Forum
Editor
I think we farmers should all
individually contact our local.
State, and especially Federal Rep
resentatives and let them know we
are totally opposed to the prop
osed energy taxes by President
Clinton. I receive “Newsweek"
Magazine, a very urban magazine,
and it telling all of its readers how
fair, equitable, wonderful energy
taxes - Gasoline taxes are; How
“most" Americans want their tax
es increased. And the biggest lie
of all “Raising Taxes will control
the deficit”; Hogwash, studies
have proven that Congress will
$2- for $1- of new tax income.
Also I think it is time all far
mers started to consider the cur
rent farm subsidy programs which
give ±BO% of the money to 10%
of the farmers.
We fanners have accepted the
idea of taxing the poor-lower
middle-class urban-suburban-
NOW IS
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agqnt
To Reconsider
Full Season Corn
As a result of last year’s coed
growing season, many farmers are
considering the purchase of shorter
season com hybrids.
Before you buy a shorter season
hybrid, make sure that is what you
really want to do. By buying shor
ter season hybrids, you will be
reducing yield potential.
Do not overreact to a very
unusual 1992 growing season.
When selecting com hybrids, look
at which ones have performed the
best over a five-year period and
best fit your objectives, that is.
yield, test weight, standability, and
disease resistance. You may also
spread your risk by planting com
over at least a two week period
from your optimum planting date.
So, do not abandon your suc
cessful hybrids because of one
unusual growing season but stick
with the ones that have worked for
you over the years.
To Be Aware
Of Atrazine
Label Changes
Atrazine is probably the most
commonly used herbicide on
farms today. It is marketed by
many companies in many combi
nations with other herbicides.
During the last several years, the
label for the use of products con-
Safe Drinking Water Clinic.
Ephrata H.S. Audion Room,
National Holstein Winter Forum,
Butler.
Schuylkill Co. Crops Clinic, Penn
(Turn to Pago A3O)
rural wage earner to maintain the
life-styles of multi-millionaire far
mers. I know so many middle
class wage earners who cannot
afford to buy even an entry level
home. Yet we farmers demand
subsidy programs that tax these
low-income wage-earners and
give these subsidies to wealthy
farmers and even non-residents
owners.
I would certainly appreciate
hearing other farmer’s comments
or better yet a good “Lancaster
Fanning” report on who gets farm
subsidy payments and how
balanced are the payments, should
there be more restrictions on the
maximum ceiling of Government
payments to farm corporation
families
I just think it is time for farmers
to openly discuss subsidies.
AJ. Francis
Westminster, MD
taining atrazine has undergone
several changes. Changes for 1993
include:
• Maximum annual rale of
application has been reduced and
is based on the soil slope and the
amount of crop residue left on the
soil surface.
• The mixing or loading ofatra
zine within SO feet of a well,
stream, or sinkhole is not
permitted.
• Atrazine must be kept back
200 feet from lakes and reservoirs,
but not farm ponds unless they are
used as a human drinking water
source.
• A 66-foot no-spray area must
be maintained where Held surface
water enters a perennial or inter
mittent stream or river.
Farmers should study the new
label before the start of the grow
ing season to ensure that they are
following all the new use restric
tions. It is every farmer’s responsi
bility to make sure they read,
understand, and follow ail the
instructions on all pesticide labels.
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Hr IAWktNU W Al IHOU St
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A WORD FOR "THE I
WORD" 1
March 7,1993 1
Background Scripture:
John 1:1-18.
Devotional Reading:
John 1:29-23, 29-34.
About 500 8.C., a Greek Phil
osopher, Heraclitus, wrote of “a
Logos that is ever true, though
men are unable to understand it..;
for although all things come to
pass in accordance with this
Logos, men seem as if they had no
experience of them.”
Heraclitus and other Greek
thinkers used the word Logos to
represent the mind of God that is
reflected in the world’s rationali
ty, order and harmony. The Logos
was the supreme intelligence by
which the world was created.
In Jesus’s day there was a com
munity of Jews, the Essenes, who
lived together in the desert wilds
of Qumran, where in our own time
the Dead Sea Scrolls were discov
ered. An anonymous Essene wrote
in a psalm, “By his knowledge, all
has come into being, and by his
thought he directs everything and
without him nothing is done.”
THE LOGOS
Those words cannot help but
help us to recall the same thought
that stirs the Prologue to John
(1:1-18): “He was in the begin
ning with God; all things were
made through him, and without
him was not anything made that
was made.”
These words have both excited
and puzzled readers through the
centuries, for the writer of the
Fourth Gospel, writing in Greek,
begins his gospel with this Greek
term: “In the beginning was the
Logos, and the Logos was with
God, and the Logos was God.” In
our English versions of the Bible
we have difficulty in rendering
this Logos in a single word. Most
of them translate Logos as
“Word,” but that is not really
adequate. We think of “word” as a
spoken sound or written symbol
and John was thinking far beyond
that is not really adequate. We
think of “word” as a spoken sound
To Check
Equipment
The recent winter weather has
given us additional time to do
winter maintenance on our equip
ment. Winter maintenance
involves checking over each piece
of equipment and making the
necessary repairs.
Check for minor oil leaks, bee
travel in the clutch, belts and tires
for wear, drying out and cracks,
and lights. Grease moving parts
and sharpen knives in harvesting
equipment. Also, calibrate drills
and planters and make sure moni
tors are properly working to ensure
correct plant populations.
'Change the oil and fuel and
transmission Alters on a regular
basis. Spending some time now
checking and performing neces
sary maintenance could save you
many valuable hours during the
busier planting and harvesting
seasons.
Feather Profs Footnote:
“Excellence is the exceptional
drive to exceed expectations”
or written symbol and John was
thinking far beyond that He was
speaking of the mind, the know
ledge, the activity of God.
In fact the only two translators
I have found not using “Word” for
Logos are James Moffatt who
simply said Logos and J.B. Phil
lips. who begins his translation/
paraphrase of John with these
words: “At the beginning, God
expressed himself.” In other
words, Phillips is saying, the
Logos is God’s own self
expression. When he created the
world, he expressed himself.
When he gave Israel the law, he
expressed himself. When he wants
us to know him, he expresses or
reveals himself to us.
THE EXPRESSION
This is an important concept
because in Jesus* day-as well as
in our own-many people were
convinced that, while there is
compelling reason to believe in a
Divine Source, it is virtually
impossible for us to know what
God is like. In fact, great numbers
of thinkers and seekers through
the centuries have struggled to
And the God that seems so elusive,
so obscure.
The whole point of the Pro
logue to John’s Gospel is that this
God, whom many have thought of
as being always beyond human
reach is, according to John, a God,
not who hides from us, but who
expresses himself so that we may
know him-because that is his
nature: this Logos aspect of God
wants us to be enlightened. God
sends his light into the world in
many different ways, but the ful
lest expression of God’s nature
and purpose occurred when the
“the Word became flesh... .”
Meaning: the Logos, God’s
expressiveness, as Phillips puts it,
“became a human being.” All that
we can and need to know of God
is wrapped up in one human
being.
That human being was and is
Jesus the Christ.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Eveiy Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Sfkumn Enmphba
Robert C. Campbell General Manager
EvtrM R. Nawnrangar Managing Editor
Copyright INS by Lancaster Farming