AtwafKdutft Paftrtiti''BMßrt*r.' r JvIV «?IW3'
‘*wr»nTtffiiiiM
OPINION
Non-point Pollution
Finger Pointing
Farmers get blamed for over fertilization of their crops. It’s called
non-point polution because the source can not be identified. That
makes it easy to point the finger at farmers when in fact others are also
responsible.
“It’s a common misconception that agriculture is the only source of
excess phosphorus,” said Karen Gartley, soil test program coordinator
for the University of Delaware Soils Laboratory. “Recent studies and
current soil test results indicate that homeowners also contribute
unknowingly to the problem. While individual homeowners don’t
have large plots of land, collectively their impact on the environment is
significant
“We know phosphorus levels are building up in the soil,” Gartley
said. “The laboratory processes 2,000 to 3,000 agricultural soil sam
ples and an equal number of homeowner samples per year. Our records
indicate that the median phosphorus level of all samples tested has
risen from borderline low-medium in 1957 to high in 1992.
“Farmers, as a whole, are more aware of the problem and are apt to
follow recommendations carefully since overapplication represents a
production cost. Test records show that most farmers have significant
ly reduced phosphorus fertilizer applications, generally by using only
low levels of starter fertilizer at planting.
“By contrast, phosphorus levels in many homeowner soil samples
we’ve tested are off the scale,” she said. “I just got a reading of 3.543
pounds of phosphorus per acre from one homeowner’s samples.
“Some homeowners seem to believe that if a little bit of fertilizer is
good, more will be better. What they don’trealize is that this approach
leads to environmental pollution and a harmful buildup of salts in the
soil.”
Now it can be said that the urban homeowner should be part reci
pient of the non-point pollution finger pointing too.
Farm Calendar
Lebanon Fair. Lebanon Fair
grounds. thru July 30.
Tioga County Strawberry Festival,
Cecil and Paul Moyer, Roaring
Branch, 7:30 p.m.
PCA Pa. Angus Field Day, ErReR
Hill Farms, Friedens, 9
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Mercer Co. Antique Power Asso
ciation Show and Flea Market,
Stoneboro Fairgrounds,
Stoneboro, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Waterloo Boys Two-Cylinder
Club third annual All John
Deere Antique Show and Pull,
Rough and Tumble Museum,
Kinzers.
Clarion Co. Fair, New Bethlehem,
thru July 31.
Conneaut Valley Fair, Conneau-
National Institute on Cooperative
Education, Cincinnati, Ohio,
thru July 29.
Jefferson Township Fair, Mercer,
thru July 31.
Kimberton Fair, Kimberton, thru
July 31.
Shippensburg Community Fair,
Shippensburg, thru July 31.
Troy Fair, Troy, thru July 31.
Potter Co. Fair, Millport, thru July
31.
Jacktown Fair, Wind Ridge, thru
July 31.
FFA Western District Dairy Show,
versity Park, thru July 29.
•Fr' YtV’thDai Shf Tr
grounds, York, thru July 31.
Pennsylvania Seedmen’s' Associa
tion summer meeting, Ag
Building, Harrisburg, 9:30 a.m.
Maryland Ag Experiment Station
Southern Md. Ag Field Day,
rest Strieker Farm, Robesonia,
9:30 a.m.-ll;30 a.m.
Fayette Co. Fair, Uniontown, thru
August 7.
Potter Co. Holstein Show, Fair-
ids, Mill)
Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.
Lebanon Co. Holstein Show,
Show, Fairgrounds, Union-
town, 10 a.m.
Jersey District 111 picnic. Long
Meadows Farm, noon.
Lancaster Co. Goat Field Day,
Windy Hill Goat Dairy (Jacob
Fisher’s), Manheim. 1 p.m.-4
Mercer Co. Grange Fair, thru Aug.
Union Co. West End Fair, Laurel
ton, thru Aug. 7.
Adams Co. Farmers’ Association
summer picnic. South Moun-
tinsburg, thru Aug. 6.
Schuylkill Co. Fair, Schuylkill
Haven, thru Aug. 7.
Farm Forum
Editor:
I am really disappointed when I
see our Farm Organizations urg
ing their members to join Act 319
in order to have their farms
assessed as a farm.
NOW IS
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agqnt
To Minimize
Crown Rots
In Alfalfa
There are a variety of crown rots
that affect alfalfa plants.
Plants’ roots which have been
infected with these rots will appear
rotted or corky, and their color will
range from off-white to black
depending on the fungi causing the
infection. Crown rot is not a single
disease, but a complex of diseases
caused by a variety of fungi which
give similar symptoms.
Crown rots will cause a loss in
yield in several ways. First, if the
crowns are severely infected, they
will simply rot and die. Second,
because the rots affect the root,
they will interfere with the plants’
ability to store carbohydrates for
winter survival. Third, some of the
fungi produces toxins which will
weaken or kill the plant directly.
University of Kentucky Exten
sion Plant Pathologist, Paul Vin
celli, offers several management
suggestions to reduce alfalfa stand
loss because of crown rots. First,
select alfalfa varieties which are
resistant to crown rots found in the
area. Second, minimize field activ
ities which will injure crowns,
such as mowing or grazing when
soils are wet Third, practice lon
ger crop rotations which will
reduce the amount of fungi avail
able to infect a new seeding of
alfalfa. Fourth, maintain good soil
fertility levels and balance
between essential plant nutrients.
Fifth, harvest at proper maturity to
allow plants to maintain adequate
carbohydrate reserves. This will
help them resist diseases.
However, according to Vincclli,
postponing harvest beyond early
flowering will only reduce forage
quality without improving disease
control.
To Use
Body Condition
Scores
Glenn Shirk, extension dairy
agent, reminds us body condition
scores are a very useful tool in
managing the dairy herd.
But it is only good if you use the
information. It is a management
tool that every good producer and
consultant should be using.
Pennsylvania DHI and Raleigh
DHI have options that allow pro
ducers to enter body condition
scores. Once the scores are
entered, you have the opportunity
to summarize them in meaningful
management reports.
When scoring cows, keep the
Every farm that produces food
should be assessed as a farm,
based on it’s present use and not
as future development land. This
is what the Farm Organizations
(Turn to P«fl« A 25)
process simple and tiy'to do it
when cows are already constrained
for other work such as freshening,
reproductive checks, breeding, and
pregnancy checking. Another
good time is about three months
prior to drying off.
To Prevent
Accidents Involving
Children
What would you say is Ameri
ca’s greatest killer of children? If
you guessed leukemia, you
guessed wrong. If you guessed
child abuse, you are wrong again.
Preventable injuries from acci
dents are the number one killer of
children age 14 and under. More
children die annually from acci
dents than from all childhood dis
eases combined.
Each year more than 8,00 child
ren die and at least 50,000 are per-
Hi IAVVkINU W AH H OUSt |
'ssms
sn
A MAN NAMED
"USEFUL"
July 25,1993
Background Scripture:
Philemon
Devotional Reading:
1 Peter 2:4-10
That may seem a strange name
for a man, but that was really the
name of the runaway slave who
became a convert to Christ and an
associate of the Apostle Paul. It
was a Greek name, Onesimus, and
it meant “useful.”
And that was ironic because, as
a runaway slave, he had become
“useless” to this former master,
Philemon, a prominent layman in
the church at Colossae. Not only
had Onesimus run away, but he
had taken some of his master’s
possessions. We have to remem
ber that a master had full authority
to do anything he wanted with a
returned runaway slave. They
were frequently put to death.
Then, somehow the paths of
Onesimus and Paul crossed. We
do not know where or how. but we
know the end result: Onesimus
became a follower of Christ, thus
becoming “useful” to Paul as a co
worker. Paul wanted to keep One
simus with him and it was only
with some probable reluctance
that Paul and Onesimus decided
that he should return to Philemon.
BOND TO COMMAND
That was risky business, for
who knew what Philemon’s atti
tude might be? Paul thought he
knew, he had great admiration for
Philemon. Paul is probably sin
cere in saying, “I thank my God
always when I remember you in
my prayers, because I hear of your
love and of the faith which you
have toward the Lord Jesus and all
the saints” (v. 4).
The key to what is going on in
Paul's mind is his statement,
“Accordingly, although I am bold
enough in Christ to command you
to do what is required, yet for
love’s sake, I prefer to appeal to
y0u...” (vs. 8,9). If Paul had any
inkling that Philemon would not
rise to the occasion. I’m certain he
would have commanded him to do
the right thing.
It is always more desirable
when someone does the right
thing of their own choice. This is
what Paul is saying: “...but I pre
ferred to do nothing without your
consent in order that your good
ness might not be by compulsion
but of your own free will” (v. 14).
' manently disabled by injuries. The
most common types of injuries
occur from traffic accidents, bicy
cle accidents, bums, poisoning,
choking, or falls.
The following are some sugges
tions to make your home safer:
• Use child car scats and scat
bells religiously
• Buy bike helmets and insist
that children wear them
• Turn down hot water heater to
120 F or lower.
• Buy. install, and maintain
smoke detectors
• Store poisonous cleaners,
chemicals, matches, lighters, and
small objects out of children’s
reach
• Set an example and practice
safety conscious behavior.
Feather Profs Footnote: "You
become successful by helping
others become successful."
Whenever we can effect justice or
compassion through persuasion,
that is best. But, if we cannot, then
there are times when we must
resort to compulsion. It would
have been wonderful if, back in
the 1960’s and ‘7o’s, we could
have desegregated our schools and
public facilities of everyone’s free
will. But, if we had waited for
that, desegregation would still be a
dream. “Free will’’ is best, but
compulsion is often second-best if
the issue in dispute is vital.
YOU OWE ME
I’m not sure that Philemon
accepted Onesimus totally out or
compassion, for Paul’s letter,
although diplomatic, is still pretty
heavy-handed. First he tells Phile
mon how thankful he is for him.
Then he reminds him that he could
command him and then he says,
“So if you consider me your part
ner, receive him as you would me”
(v. 17). Failure to forgive and
receive Onesimus will be like an
affront to Paul--” to say nothing of
your owing me even your own
self’ (v. 20). Paul also tells him to
prepare a guest room because he
hopes to visit him soon. Yet, with
all this pressure Paul is applying
on Philemon, the most telling per
suasion of all is his definition of
the new relationship which he and
all Christians now have with One
simus: “...no longer as a slave but
more than a slave, as a beloved
brother, especially to me but how
much more to y0u...” (v. 16).
The very presence of this letter
in the New Testament indicates
that Philemon did the right thing
and accepted Onesimus as his
brother in Christ. I don’t think the
church would have preserved a
letter that had failed.
Was that the end of it? We’re
not sure, but we know there was a
man named Onesimus who
became bishop of the church in
Ephesus sometime after Paul
wrote this letter. I like to think it
was the ex-runaway slave named
“useful.”
*«*
(For information concerning
the 33rd Spa Holiday in Badgas
icin, Austria with the Althouses,
Aug. 27-Sept. 11, write; Friend
ship Tours, 4412 Shenandoah
Ave., Dallas, TX 75205 (214)
521-2522)
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
- by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A smnnrnn EMmprim
Robert Q. Campbell General Manager
Evarae R. Nawiwangar Managing Edhor
Copyright IN2 by Laneaalnr Fanning