AlO-Lanc**ter Farming, Saturday, May 29, 1993
OPINION
Need Best Funding Possible
For the past two state budget cycles, the agricultural com
munity has been greatly concerned by die elimination of state
funding for Penn’s vet school. This is as it should be. Livestock
is an essential part of our agriculture and the animal health
issues of the last few years should prove without question that
top quality veterinary education is essential to our state’s ani
mal agriculture. Yet we must also be concerned about the more
gradual reduction of state support that goes to Penn State’s Col
lege of Agricultural Sciences. Its research and cooperative
extension activities are our investment in agriculture’s future
and the means to deliver new information to the fanner. This
system has served agriculture well in Pennsylvania and it is
gradually being weakened by reduced state support.
The College of Agricultural Sciences is part of Penn State
University. However, the University receives only 18% of its
total budget from state sources. In contrast, the College of Ag
Sciences receives 69% of its total budget from appropriated
sources. Only 8.1 %of the College budget comes from universi
ty sources such as tuition and education and general funds
appropriated to Penn State. Agriculture at Penn State is much
more dependent on state support than any other part of the Uni
versity. In 1992, permanent state funding was cut over $l.BB
million for ag research and extension. In addition, over the past
two years, the state has required the one-time return of funds
either appropriated or promised to the College amounting to
another $1.4 million.
The impacts of these funding cuts on research programs have
been extensive. Badly needed research has been curtailed or
delayed. It is difficult to understand how the Commonwealth
can legislate improvements in nutrient management while
reducing those programs designed to research the very methods
and knowledge we will need to do the job. In addition, many
important faculty positions have gone vacant for lack of funds.
Some county extension offices are operating with clearly
inadequate staff while many continue with reduced staff.
Everyone is aware that these are tough times for farmers and
public policy makers alike. The agricultural community,
including the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been will
ing to make the changes necessary to reasonably reduce public
expenditures. But when enrollments at the College of Ag Sci
ences rise over 28% since 1988 and agriculture remains the
state’s number one industry, it is time to stop reducing our
commitment to research and extension if we want viable farms
and competitive agricultural industries. We are all aware that
public hinds are tight and no one wants higher taxes. Yet the
state spent 5.1% more for all of its programs last year. Surely
room can be found this year to halt the reduction in funding for
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. We urge the
General Assembly to appropriate and the Governor to approve
the best possible funding for ag research and extension.
Farm Calendar
Lebanon County Daily Princess
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Capitol Region Christinas Tree
Workshop and Tour, Elizabeth
Farms, Brickerville, 9:30 a.m.
Southeast Pennsylvania Twilight
Fruit Growers meeting, Kcim
Orchards, Boyertown, 6:30
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Lancaster County Beekeepers'
meeting, Bob and Annette
Pageant, Penn Township Mun
icipal Park, Duncannon, 7:30
pan.
Lamb Carcass Evaluation, On
Ff ' Del* Vallt Coller
Restaurant, 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m.
Lamb Carcass Evaluation, On
Rail, Gehman’s Meats, Mor-
Delmarva Chicken Festival, Cam
bridge, McL, thru June 12.
National Guernsey Convention,
(Turn to Pago All)
NOW IS
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Appreciate
Fast Food
McDonald’s Big Mac was
created 25 years ago this month.
This hamburger gets most of the
credit for making the fast food
sandwich the icon it has become.
The Big Mac (two all beef pat
ties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese,
onion and pickles on a sesame seed
bun) was created and named by
Jim Delligatti, a McDonald’s
franchisee in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Since its creation, McDonald’s
repots more than 14 billion have
been served in 66 countries. For
cattle producers, the sales of Big
Macs alone has accounted for
more than 7 billion pounds of “all
beer in retail sales since 1968.
This marketing story may be
repeated for eggs, chickens, and
ham. As farmers, we must remem
ber the consumer determines the
price and success of our
commodities.
Supply and demand still deter
mines price. As demand increases,
price and supply will also increase.
Profits arp more easily made in a
growing 'demand situation. To
place your commodity in a grow
ing demand situation, you need to
support the development of new
consyiper products. The Big Mac
wis all Example of this.
As one agricultural leader said,
“You are either growing or dying
as a business there is no stand
ing still.” So, to keep your farm
growing, you need to support
funding for new products and
advertising.
To Take Part
Ownership Of Flocks
Contracts have been an impor
tant part of agriculture for many
years. As capital investment
requirements increased, coupled
with die high risk of agricultural
prices, the prudent farmer turned
to contracts to protect his
investment
This increase in investment was
the result of mechanization and the
resulting increase in productivity.
Now, egg producers have the
opportunity to become indepen
dent producers again.
Through investor flocks, the far
mer may buy a percentage of his
flock. By owning 10 or more per
cent of the flock, he is now back to
the size flock his father or grand
father owned as independents.
This now reduces flock ownership
to the size where the family could
assume the price risk.
Flock ownership will give you
monthly production end financial
information. It will give you a
chance to share in the profits or
losses for the flock. Your contract
payment for the remaining birds
would bc used to cover your fixed
costs.
If you decide to take pvt owner
ihip of your flock, remember this
must be an every-year participa
tion program. Hie profits in egg
production vary from year to year.
The quickest way to lose money
is to try and figure out the good
years. Before investing in layers,
be sure to talk with your banker
and other financial advisors to
make sure you have enough equity
to assume this additional risk.
Footnote: Other agricultural
enterprises contracting with far
mers may want to consider deve
loping put ownership programs as
a way to increase the interest of
farmers and reward them for better
performance.
To Keep
Hogs Cool
This Summer
When the the thermometer hits
90 F., hogs reach the “upper criti
cal temperature,” according to the
National Pork Producers Coun
cil’s Swine Care Handbook.
Water-based cooling systems
are the best way to keep hogs com
fortable when temperatures rise.
Drippers, misters, sprayers, and
evaporative pads are some of the
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"LET'S BE REALISTIC!"
May 30, 1993
Background Scripture:
Phillippans 2:1-18.
Devotional Reading:
John 14:1-14.
I have recently finished reading
John T. Alexander’s biography of
Catherine The Great (Oxford Uni
versity Press, 1989) and was
struck by the role that the sense of
duty played in her era. It was so
important then and is almost non
existent now. I suppose the skein
of duty has been unraveling for
many years, but we have certainly
experienced its demise in our own
time. While certainly no historian,
it seems to me that it was the 60” s
that did in duty, humility and self
sacrifice.
I understand why this happened
at least I think I do: it was a
reaction to the sense of duty car
ried to absurd dimensions, those
who acted like wild beasts during
World War II and, when chal
lenged, responded that they were
“only” doing their duty. And, in
the 19S0”s during the Cold War
and even the hot war in Korea,
many rebelled against mindless
obedience to duty. But it was Viet
Nam in the 60” s that brought the
coup de grace. This was also the
era of the “me-first” revolution
and we were told to do whatever
feels good to us, an admonition
that still is much with us.
WINDS OF CHANGE
Perhaps our society was over
due to break out of some of its sti
fling conformity and I believe that
to some degree these winds of
change were necessary. But any
thing can be carried beyond the
point where it continues to be
good and constructive. We have
gone too far and it is time for us to
embrace once more the concepts
of duty and serving others,
although not necessarily in the
fatalistic way as before. '
The key, I believe, is whether
the sense of duty and self-sacrifice
is imposed upon us from outside
or embraced by us within as “our
own thing.” Paul points us to
Christ as our model: “Have this
mind among yourselves, which
you have in Christ Jesus, who.
water-based cooling systems
available.
If you use drippers, make sure
the water outlets are not clogged.
The same applies to mister nozzles
and sprinklers. Hie relatively low
cost of dripper nozzles makes
replacement a reasonable option
when they become clogged.
Check automatic controls on
these units as well. If you do not
have drippers, now is the time to
install them. They should pay for
themselves in one summer.
When temperatures exceed 85
R, sows take in 40 percent less
feed and reduce milk production
about 40 percent. This will trans
late to a drop in litter weights and
potentially increase preweaning
mortality. Also, finishing pigs will
pin less weight per day.
Feather Profs Footnote: "No
quality is so essential to success as
the quality of perseverance. It
overcomes almost everything,
even nature."
though he was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a
thing to be grasped, but emptied
himself, taking die form of a ser
vant...” (2:5-7). This passage
makes it clear that obedience to
the cross was not something that
was thrust upon Jesus by either
God or man. Servanthood was
something* lie chose willingly.
That is not to say that he wanted to
be a martyr, but that he did not
want to back away from his mis
sion. He had a choice the cross
was not inevitable or inescapable
—and his choice was the role of a
servant. Because he chose God’s
will, the cross became for him, not
something alien, but an expression
of his own desire.
HOW WE SEE IT
Once more, it is a matter of how
we perceive things, in this case;
servanthood. As the world sees it,
the role of the servant is the role of
one who is not in charge of his or
her own life. To be autonomous
means to be able to do what we
choose to do. And there is the rub,
Jesus chose to serve and so ser
vanthood was not demeaning to
him. He felt no loss of self in
offering himself. In fact, we may
infer that he felt truly fulfilled.
Servanthood is only demeaning if
imposed upon us. But if we
choose it, we lose nothing and we
are none the less for it In fact we
are more.
Paul shows us how much more,
rather than less, Christ was for his
choice: God has highly
exalted him and bestowed on him
the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow...and
every longue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord..." (2:9-11). So,
Paul is not calling us to Christian
servanthood to impose upon us
something that we do not want,
but to offer us a fulfillment that
putting “me-first” can never give
us. It is 0.k., even necessary, to do
“your own thing” when, in doing
it. you are also first of all doing his
thing. When they are one and the
same, we experience the highest
possible gain. We do not have to
choose between serving others
and fulfilling ourselves, for they
are one and the same.
Lancaster Fanning
Established 19SS
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
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Lancaster Farming, Inc.
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Robert C. Campbel General Mvwger
Emm a Neaeeengar Managing Editor
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