AlO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, June 5, 1993 >
OPINION
The Market You Save
May Be Your Own
We applaud the efforts to promote dairy products in advertis
ing and at public events. Certainly, the slogan “Milk does a body
good.” now ranks high in the minds of the cola generation.
But all the dairy promotion efforts in the world will not com
pensate for an inferior product You may get a young person to
start to drink milk by catchy advertising jingles that make him
think he will grow big biceps or her think milk makes hair glow.
But you will not keep these young drinkers of milk as customers
if medicine residues, bacteria or bad taste is found in the milk
carton.
That’s why official programs such as the National Quality
Assurance and Dairy of Distinction are important self-dairy
industry-help programs that provide a private, on-the-farm
backdrop for all the public promotional efforts.
In the farm beautification program, farms that meet the local
team of judges’ inspection standards are designated as Dairy of
Distinction farms. The team of judges always include the farm’s
sanitarian from the milk handler.
The quality assurance program supplies the guidelines and
checklist so that dairy farmers and veterinarians can reduce
potential animal drug residue violations and assure the quality
of milk and meat that leaves the farm. The check list includes
points under preventive health management, FDA approved
drugs, farmer/veterinarian relationships, labels, proper storage
and adminstration of drugs and treatments records. Proper on
farm testing capabilities are also covered.
The ultimate objective is to demonstrate to regulatory agen
cies. the public, processors and packers that the dairy industry is
dedicated to producing safe and high quality milk and meat. The
program involves extension educators, veterinarians, state and
federal regulatory officials, milk co-ops, packers, processors,
animal drug manufacturers and other animal industry
organizations.
Implementing a farm beautification program gives a good
impression to consumers of the source of the milk they drink.
And implementing a quality assurance program on your farm
will give you documentary evidence that safe drug use proce
dures are in effect. This documentation could help avoid poten
tial loss of market, legal action and regulatory action resulting
from inadvertent violations.
Anything that can be done on the farm to help promoters of
milk to succeed should be done. The market you save may be
your own.
" V'
Farm Calendar
Lancaster County Beekeepers’
meeting. Bob and Annette
Hughes, 8 p.m.
Tulpehocken Young Farmers to
meet at Paul Zimmerman Farm,
Farm Security and Safety, 7:45
Perry County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Penn Township Mun
icipal Park, Duncannon, 7:30
p.m.
Lamb Carcass Evaluation, On
Foot, Delaware Valley College
Catawissa Valley Fair, Catawissa,
thru June 12.
Allegheny Fruit Growers Summer
Orchard Tour. Bedfbrd/Blair/
Ag Issues Forum, Leola Family
Restaurant, 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m.
Lamb Carcass Evaluation, On
Rail, Gehman’s Meats, Mor-
Delmarva Chicken Festival, Cam
bridge, Md., thru June 12.
National Guernsey Convention,
Best Western Dubuque Inn,
Dubuque, lowa, thru June 14.
Sunda>. June 13
88th American Dairy Science
Association, University of
Maryland,'College Park, thru
Seminar, Kreider’s Restaurant,
Manheim, noon.
FFA Activities Week, Penn State,
State College, thru June 17.
American Milking Shorthorn Soc
iety Annual Convention, Dela
ware Hotel, Delaware, thru
June 19.
Iridax, .lune IS
Dauphin Co. Dairy Princess
pageant. Dauphin Co. Ag Cen
ter, 8 p.m.
Cumberland Co. Dairy Princess
pageant. Embers Convention
Center, Carlisle, 8 p.m.
Kempton Fait, Lenhartsville, thru
igelmpu
ference at University Park, thru
June 23.
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To Salute
Dairy Farmers
Since 1937, America has cele
brated June as Dairy Month.
As we begin the warm and hot
days of summer, we are reminded
of the cool refreshing taste of milk,
and the All-American favorite ice
cream and the many ways it may
be served, such as sundaes, milk
shakes, malts, cone, or dish.
In today’s fast-paced world, we
often forgot or take for granted the
constant, abundant, and inexpen
sive supply of food we enjoy
including dairy products.
It is only through the efforts of
dairy farmers and allied industries
that Americans are able to enjoy all
these dairy food products. To
maintain and even increase market
shares, farmers need to support
promotional efforts like “June Is
Dairy Month.”
We need to make every month
dairy month and promote our pro
ducts with the same enthusiasm.
Also, we need to explore ways to
cooperate with other commodity
groups to maximize the effective
ness of everyone’s promotional
dollars.
For many years, agriculture has
demonstrated that by working
together we achieve greater things
than by working as individuals.
Working with the beef producers
and egg producers in promoting
the use of cheese with their pro
ducts is an excellent example of
cooperation.
The name of the game is market
share. To be competitive and pro
fitable in the future, farmers need
to do an outstanding job of target
marketing their messages to the
various consumer groups.
Take advantage of the profes
sional assistance available to you.
As we begin “June Is Dairy
Month” promotions, set as a goal
for your family this year to become
more knowledgeable about suc
cessful marketing techniques.
As you participate in planning
meetings for educational meet
ings, request programs on market
ing. Improved marketing prog
rams will probably be the main
area where farmers will see the
biggest profit increases in the
future.
So this month and every month
of the year we toast dairy farmers
with the commonwealth’s official
beverage MILK.
To Dispose Of
Pesticide Containers
Properly
At this time of year, farmers and
homeowners are faced with the
problem of what to do with empty
pesticide containers.
If disposed of incorrectly, these
containers may be a hazard to
children, pets, wildlife, and
groundwater.
Empty pesticide containers
should be rinsed three times with
the rinse water being dumped back
into the sprayer. Holes should be
punched into the containers to pre
vent future use. Cleaned contain
ers may then be buried or taken to
an approved landfill.
Leftover pesticides which are
not being kept for future use
should be emptied into the sprayer
and sprayed on the field according
to labeled rates. Dumping pesti
cides and rinse water in one loca
tion “out behind the barn”
increases the chance of the chemi
cals leaching into the groundwater
and could cause a problem with the
environmental audit when you
decide to sell your farm.
Pesticides which are being kept
for future use should be stored in
the original container with the
original label. Pesticides must be
kept in a dry area out of reach of
children, pets, and livestock.
Always read and follow label
directions for the use and storage
of pesticides.
Br LAWRENCE W ALEHOUSE
f ®UILILS
sn
"LET’S BE REALISTIC! "
June 6, 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 1950” 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.
To Watch Out
For Farmer Tans
Warm weather is here and that
healthy tan you receive from work
ing outside could eventually turn
into an unwelcome condition.
Farmers, like any other people
who work outdoors, are at an
increased risk for skin cancer.
The traditional and useful base
ball cap is effective in shielding the
eyes and forehead from the sun,
but leaves other parts of the head,
especially the ears, neck, and tem
ples poorly protected.
Skin cancer strikes more than
600,000 people in the United
States each year, killing approxi
mately 8,500 of them.
To protect yourself, the Nation
al Farm Medicine Center recom
mends three easy steps. First, app
ly a sunscreen with a sun protector
factor of at least IS each morning.
This allows you to slay in the sun
about IS times longer than you
(Turn to Page A 25)
though he was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a
thing to be grasped, but emptied
himself, taking the form of a ser
vant...” (2:5-7). This passage
makes it dear that obedience to
the cross was not something that
was thrust upon Jesus by either
God or man. Servanthood was
something he 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: “Therefore 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 tongue confess that Jesi’
Christ is Lord...” (2:9-11). S<
Paul is not calling us to Christia
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 Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Sftnmtn Entfpri*
Robert C. Campbell General Manager
E varan R. Newtwingtr Managing Editor
Copyil(hl 1#%3 by Lancaatar Farming