AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 27, 1993
OPINION
Six Reasons To Feel Positive
We always thought that farmers are some of the best envir
onmentalists, and now Ronald Hosteller, Penn State Extension,
Edensburg sent us data to prove it.
In a national poll of farmers just released by the influential
Gallup Organization, not only do farmers share the public’s
concern for the environment, they are also taking steps to furth
er strengthen environmental stewardship on the farm. In fact,
the poll, commissioned by Sandoz Agro, found six reasons to
feel downright good about where agriculture is headed with
respect to environmental issues.
1. Farmers’ concern for the environment has increased.
Three out of five fanners say they are more concerned about
environmental issues associated with agriculture today than
five years ago. They believe contamination of surface or
ground water supplies by fertilizers and pesticides is the most
serious environmental problem facing agriculture. In fact,
water quality is mentioned more than twice as often as other
problems. Nearly one-third of farmers rank this as their
number-one concern.
2. Farmers are taking responsibility for environmental
problems. While some 80% of farmers expect government
involvement in farm environmental issues to increase, they
would clearly rather regulate themselves. In fact, 39% think
farmers themselves should have primary responsibility for fix
ing environmental problems associated with agriculture. This
is almost three times the percentage of farmers placing respon
sibility with government and almost five times the percentage
placing responsibility with agrichemical manufacturers.
Farmers seem to be saying “the buck stops here,” and that
doesn’t surprise me. I don’t know a farmer who doesn’t feel a
strong sense of responsibility to leave the land in better shape
than when he or she started farming it.
3. Farmers are making positive changes in their farming
operations. Based on the results of the poll, farmers aren’t sit
ting around waiting for someone to make decisions for them.
Most already have made some changes as a result of public
opinion, especially in the areas of conservation tillage and pes
ticide use.
They see even more changes in the years ahead: 92% say
they are very or somewhat likely to use safer pesticides in the
future; 80% arc very or somewhat likely to recycle pesticide
containers; and 71% arc very or somewhat likely to use fewer
pesticides.
Farm Calendar
Western Pa. Beekeeping Seminar,
Zelienople.
Northeast Highland Cattle Assoc,
annual meeting, Duration
Farm, Millbury, Mass.
Pa. State Rabbit Breeders Assoc,
board of directors meeting, The
Inn, Reading, 3 p.m.
Bucks Co. Holstein Spring Tour to
South Jersey, depart Cross
National 4-H Conference, thru
Berks Co. A SCS-Conservation
District banquet, Kutztown
Grange, 7 p.m.
The 1993 Northeast Dairy Confer
ence, Hilton Hotel, Coming,
N.Y., thru March 30.
Pa. Dairy Princess promotion
meeting, N.E. district, William
ston Inn, Towanda, 9:30
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Franklin Co. 4-H Pig Club organi
zation meeting, Chambersburg
Water Quality Clinic, Schaeffer
stown Fire Hall.
Pa. Dairy Princess promotion
meeting, central district,
Zimm’s Family Restaurant,
(Turn to Page A3l)
State College, 9:30 a.m.-3:30
p.m
Solanco Young Farmers spring
tour, Solanco H.S., leaves 9
a.m., returns 3:30 p.m.
Central Md. Beef Management
Short Course, Eldcrsbcrg Publ
ic Library, 7:30 p.m.-9:45 p.m.
Rally for New National Dairy
Campaign, Logan Grange Hall,
I’leasan^jao^^un^^^^
Farm selling meeting, Montours
ville Presbyterian Church, 7:30
p.m.
Home Hort Seminar, Landscaping
With Herbs, Lancaster Farm
and Home Center, 7 p.m.-9;30
p.m.
Luzerne Co. Landscape-Lawn
Care Clinic 1993, Holiday Inn,
Dunmore.
Adams Co. Farmers’ Assoc, annu
al spring meeting, Gettysburg
Community Fire Hall.
Columbia Co. ag banquet,
Bloomsburg U., 7 p.m.
Sullivan Co. Crop Day (resche
duled), St. Francis Hall,
Northern York SHS, Dillsburg,
6:30 p.m.
To Install
ROPS On
Tractors
Each year an average of 132
American farmers are crushed to
death as tractors overturn during
operation.
Nearly all fatalities resulting
from the overturning of a tractor
could be prevented. The key to
prevention is the presence of a rol
lover protection structure (ROPS)
on every tractor.
Since 1967, 40 percent of the
persons involved in tractor rollov
er accidents with a tractor not
equipped with ROPS died while
two percent of those persons hav
ing accidents with tractors
equipped with rollover protection
died. The two percent death rate
was the result of one accident in
which the operator was not using
the seat belt.
ROPS may be either enclosed or
open; however, a seat belt must be
used in conjunction with rollover
equipment to keep the operator
inside the protective structure dur
ing a tractor rollover.
It is estimated that there are 4.61
million tractors in the United
States. Of these, more than half are
not equipped with HOPS or seat
belts. At least on tractor manufac
turer is offering ROPS at a reduced
cost.
Regardless of the cost, your life
is worth far more than the cost of
ROPS and seat belt. Now is the
time to install ROPS and seat belts
on all possible tractors.
Greenhouse vegetable growers’
meeting. Dauphin Co. Ag Cen
ter, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cedar Crest Young Farmers
awards banquet, Schaeffer
stown Fire Hall, 7 p.m.
Venango County Sheep and Wool
Growers annual meeting, Ven
ango extension office, 6:30
p.m.
ADC District 11 meeting, West
Fallowfield Crhistian Day
Pa. Holstein Western Pa. Spring
Spectacular Sale, Mercer Fair
grounds, 7:30 p.m.
Pa. Ayshire Breeders Assoc, meet
ing, Williamston Inn, Towan
da, thru April 3.
Lancaster County Sheep Shearing
School, Bill Longcnecker
Farm, Mount Joy, 9 a.m.-4
p.m., thru April 3.
Pa. Tobacco Growers Association
informational meeting, Tobac
co Auction Bam, Paradise, 9
a.m.-2 p.m.
Ohio Veal Association annual
meeting and trade show, Hilton
Inn, Quaker Square, Akron,
Schuylkill Co. Fair Spring Con
signment Auction.
(Turn to Page A3l)
To Control
Thistles
Biennial thistles are a common
problem in many pastures through
out the area.
According to Robert Anderson,
extension agronomy agent, the
best time to control these pest
weeds is in the spring prior to elon
gation of the flower stalk. Bull
thistle may be effectively con
trolled with 2,4-D. A combination
of 2,4-D and Banvel is more effec
tive against the musk thistle.
Ally and Crossbow will also
control these problem thistles.
Although mowing may help pre
vent seed production, most thistles
will produce a secondary flower
stalk after mowing and if not mow
ed a second time will produce
seeds.
When spraying a herbicide on a
pasture, it is important to read and
follow all directions including
grazing restrictions for livestock.
Grazing restrictions may range
from 0 to 60 days depending on the
product, rate of application, and
type of livestock being grazed.
To Evaluate
Small Grain
Fields
Most of the small grains went
DON'T YOU CARE,
GOD?
March 28,1993
Background Scripture:
John 11:1-44.
Devotional Reading:
John 11:45-54.
Many of us at some points in
our lives have either asked that
question or wanted to: “Don’t you
care, God?”
Probably much more of the lat
ter than the former, for most of us
feel that doubts and complaints to
God are not to be felt, if possible,
and, if felt, not to be acknow
ledged. When we feel those ques
tions rising from within us, many
of us do our best to push them
back down into the unconscious.
One of the places we do NOT
get that impression is the Bible.
There arc lots of people in the
Bible who dare to question and
even argue with God and he does
not appear to think the less of
them for it. In fact: some of the
best things that happen there are
those that result from wrestling
spiritually with God like Jacob,
like Job, like some of the prophets
and sometimes like the psalmists.
QUESTIONS &
COMPLAINTS
John 11, the story of the raising
of Lazarus is another example.
Here, some of the hardest ques
tions and complaints are raised.
Some of the bystanders who saw
Jesus come to Lazarus’ tomb ask,
“Come not he who opened the
eyes of the blind man have kept
this man from dying?” (11:37)
Mary and Martha change the
question into an accusation:
“Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died”
(11:21, 32). Note that Jesus’ fai
lure to arrive in Bethany before
Lazarus died was not because of a
miscalculation on his part or some
mishap or delay along the way.
“Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus
is dead; and for your sake I am
into this past winter in fairly good
shape. However, some fields do
show damage because of winter
growing conditions and herbicide
carryover.
Before fields put on too much
new growth, it may be worth
spending a little time evaluating
them. Fields with low numbers of
plants will have reduced yields at
harvest time. If the stand looks
thin, spend lime counting the num
ber of plants at several representa
tive sites in each field. This may
require that you get down on your
hands and knees so that individual
plants, not stems and tillers, arc
counted.
Using a 10-foot tape or string,
count the number of plants at 7 to 8
locations. After (he counts have
been made, calculate the average
number of plants per foot by
adding the number of plants at
each location and dividing by the
total number of feet that the plants
were counted in.
Depending on row spacing, the
minimum number of plants needed
to produce an acceptable yield are
6 inch row spacing 7 plants, 7
inch 8 plants, and 10 inch —l2
plants.
Feather Prof s Footnote
"Safety starts with you."
glad that I was not there, so that
you may believe’” (11:14). He had
previously hinted to them that
“This illness is not unto death; it is
for the glory of God, so that the
Son of God may be glorified by
means of it” (11:4).
What Jesus is saying here is that
he does love Lazarus and is con
cerned about him, but because
there is a higher purpose to be
served, the glory of God, he will
not hasten to his friend’s bedside
as everyone wants him to do. Hav
ing almost 2,000 years of hind
sight in our favor, we understand
very well why Jesus did not
respond to the request immediate
ly. I believe there are times in our
lives today when it seems God is
not responding to our earnest
prayers and we must remember
that there may be a higher purpose
to God’s seeming non-response, a
purpose that seeks our good in a
way that is beyond our immediate
comprehension.
A HIGHER PURPOSE
But that doesn’t mean we
should not ask our hard questions
of God or even let him know when
we arc disturbed at his delay.
Jesus was reproached by both
Mary and Martha, yet he did not
reproach them in turn. He under
stood why they said what they said
and valued their sincerity much
more than any pious deception.
We need to remember that, 100
There are many times in life
when we will be discouraged,
hurt, and even resentful. When
that happens, don’t hesitate to
share your true feelings with the
Lord and ask “why?” and “why
not?” But when you have asked
your questions and made your
complaints, remember that Jesus
is “the resurrection and the life”
with the power to command on
both sides of the grave, “Unbind
him, and let him go!” (11:44)
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata. PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMnmtn Entmpnf
Robert C. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1943 by Unceeter Farming