AlO-Lancntar Farming, Saturday, August 21,1993
OPINION
Regulation Based On
The U.S. Animal Welfare Act authorizes the U.S. Department
of Agriculture to regulate the care and treatment of animals used
for research or exhibition, sold as pets at the wholesale level or
transported in commerce. The act also has record-keeping provi
sions to ensure compliance. The act does not apply to farm ani
mals used forproduction purposes. But some critics of the current
confinement livestock production systems are pressing to extend
the act to cover farm animals.
Regulations for the care and welfare of farm animals need to be
based on research and education, not emotions. James Glosser,
VMD, told the meeting of the American Society of Animal Sci
ence that before we regulate, we need to know what needs to be
regulated and how it needs to be regulated.
Right now, 98 percent of the population is non-agrarian and
their value systems are much different than those held by people
involved in livestock production. This means people involved in
animal agriculture need to educate the rest of the nation. “We
need to make an effort to reach out and tell our story," Glosser
said. “We need to correct the misinformation that’s out there
about how animals are raised and used."
Not every farmer cares for animals in the best way, and lives
tock producers and associations need to use peer pressure to make
sure producers use accepted practices for raising and caring for
animals. We should not need government regulation to have this
done.
Some livestock production practices may need to be elimi
nated or changed. It’s in the interest of animal agriculture to
assess actions that arf abhorrent to society or dangerous to ani
mals. If we’ve researched an issue and debated it and still find the
need for regulation, then that’s the time to regulate.
Let’s hope we don’t regulate the livestock industry based on
emotion. Regulation must be based on sound information.
Farm Calendar
2\ }
Central Pennsylvania Holstein
Championship Show, Hunting
don Fairgrounds, 3 p.m.
Ephrata Area Young Fanners Ice
cream Social, Woodcrest
Retreat, 7-9 p.m.
Northeast 4-H Dairy Show,
Bloomsburg Fair.
Berks County Harvest Show, Balis
Ag Center, thru August 21.
SAFE Kids/Farm Safety Meeting,
Lancaster Farm and Home Cen
ter, 9 a.m.-ll a.m.
Southeast Pennsylvania 4-H Horse
Show, Berks County 4-H Com
munity Center, Leesport, 8:30
a.m.
Somerset County Fair, Meyers
dale, thru August 28.
Crawford County Fair, Meadville,
thru August 28.
Westmoreland Fair, Greensburg,
National Association of County
Ag Agents annual meeting,
Baltimore, Md., thru August
26.
Somerset Co. Fair, Meyersdak,
thru Aug. 28.
Crawford Co. Fair, Meadville, thru
Aug. 28.
Transfer Harvest Home Fair,
Greenville, thru Aug. 28.
Westmoreland Fair, Greensburg,
thruAug 1 29^^^^^^^^
Central Pa. Holstein Champion
ship Show, Fairgrounds, Hun
tingdon, 9:30 a.m.
South Central 4-H Dairy Show,
Farm Show Complex.
Dubois Fair, Dubois, thru Aug. 28.
Fulton Co. Fair, McConnellsburg,
Information
thru Aug. 28.
Mountain Area Fair, Farmington,
thru Aug. 28.
West End Fair, Gilbert, thru Aug.
28.
neyville, 10 a.m.
National Association of County
Ag Agents Pa. Night Out, Rusty
Scupper Restaurant, Baltimore,
Md.
Elizabethtown Community Fair.
Elisabethtown, thru Aug. 28.
Hookstown fafr, Hookstown. thru
Aug.„2B.
grounds, 10 are.
Lancaster County Holstein Asso
ciation Field Day, John Cole
man Farm, R&itio, 10 a.m.
S.W. Pa. Ag Tecfihtilogy Day.
Westmoreland Fairgrounds
Farmstead, 1# a.m.-4 p.m.
S.E. Pa. Duty Pasture Walk. Cur
tis and Brenda Dietrich Farm.
Jacksonville, Lehigh Co., 9:30
town Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.
Centre Co. Grange Fair. Centre
Hall, thru Sept. 2.
S.E. Pa. 4-H Horse Show, Mont
gomery Co. 4-H Cpnter,
Creamery, 10 a.m.
Sound
In recent years, there has been
concern about potential problems
associated with elevated levels of
nitrates in feedstuff's.
Frequently, nitrate toxicity is
implicated as the cause of lowered
conception rates and abortion.
Results of research designed to
examine the effect of nitrate-nitrite
toxicity on reproduction have been
inconclusive. Abortions and
increased services per conception
have been reported in some stu
dies, but not in others.
When other signs of toxicity
appear, abortion may occur. How
ever. there is only a remote possi
bility of abortion occurring with
out other signs of toxicity. It
should be noted that abortion is
likely to occur with marginal
levels of nitrates when other conta
minates such as mycotoxins are
also present.
The concept of nitrate-nitrite
toxicity is complex, according to
Dr. Michael O’Connor. Penn State
Department of Dairy and Animal
Science. The type of diet, rate of
intake of feeds containing nitrates,
and physiological state of the ani
mal all affect the response to con
sumption of feedstuffs high in
nitrates.
Clinical signs of toxicity are
Maryland State Fair, Fairgrounds.
Indiana Co. Fair, Indiana, thru
Sept. 4.
AllentowrHFairMhn^eDt^j^^
Dairy Day at the New York State
Fair.
Big Knob Grange Fair, Rochester,
thru Sept. 4.
Wattsburg/Eric County Fair,
Wattsburg, thru Sept. S.
Greene-Dreher-Sterling Fair,
Newfoundland, thru Sept. 6.
Allentowt^ainthruSent^^^
Centre County Holstein Show,
Fairgrounds, Centre Hall, 9
a.m.
South Mountain Community Fair,
Arendtsville, thru Sept. S.
Stovcboro Fair, Stoveboro, thru
Sept. 6.
Wyoming County Fair, Tunkhan
tJockMhn^etH^^^^^^
Dairy Reproduction Bam Meet
ing, Parke H. Ranck, Jr., Stras
burg, 7 p.m.
Fulton County Conservation Field
Central 4-H Dairy Show, Mifflin
County Youth Park.
To Examine
Nitrates And
Reproduction
To Understand
Nitrates
related to anoxia (lowered tissue
oxygen levels). These include
rapid or difficult breathing, abnor
mal muscle activity, discoloration
of mucous membranes, and high
levels of methemoglobin in the
blood.
If nitrates are suspected to be a
problem, test all forages and water
for nitrates. Determine the total
amount of nitrates consumed from
forage, concentrates, and water.
Feedstuff with higher levels may,
be used if they are blended with
feeds low in nitrates. This will
reduce the total amount of nitrate
consumed in a single meal.
Stored forages with less than
1,100 ppm nitrate-nitrogen
(NO3-N) may usually be fed free
choice. More detailed information
and guidelines about nitrate toxici
ty is available in dairy extension
fact sheet DAS 92-107, “Preven
tion and Control of Nitrate Toxici
ty in Cattle” (PENpages
08902196).
To Be Aware
Of Zoonosis
Zoonosis is a disease commun
icable from animals to man under
L B i IAWKtNU W AIIHUUSE
"suob&h
sn
WHO'S THE HEAD OF
THE HOUSE?
August 22,1993
Background Scripture:
Ephesians 5:21 - 6:4
Devotional Reading:
Coiossians 3:12-21
“Don’t you believe the Bible?”
someone asked a counselling
client of mine. My client had said
that a husband and wife can share
both responsibility and authority
in a marriage. But her questioner
trotted out Ephesians 5:21-24 as
proof that her view was unbiblical.
“How can I answer a question
like that?” my client wanted to
know. It seemed all too clear that
the writer of Ephesians believes
that a patriarchal family is God s
will for all Christians: “Wives, be
subject to your husbands... For the
husband is the head of the wife...”
(5:22, 23). And just to make sure
we get the point: “...so let wives
also be subject in everything to
their husbands” (5:24).
Lots of commentators ignore or
give short shrift to these verses
and concentrate instead on Ephe
sians 5:21, “Be subject to one
another out of reverence for
Christ," an admonition, it would
appear, to mutual subjection. But
as I read on, the writer doesn’t
seem to be talking about mutual
subjection, but the priority of the
husband. Wives are counselled to
“be subject,” but the admonition
to husbands is on an entirely diffe
rent level: “Husbands, love your
wives...” (5:25). Wives should “be
subject”*‘to their husbands and
husbands should “love” their
wives. That doesn’t sound like
“mutual subjection” to me.
SUBMISSION
So, I turned to my biblical com
mentary to see if I could find some
help there. Not really, for although
the commentator talked about
“mutual subjection,” he also went
on to say some things that were
normative in the church 40 years
ago when this commentary was
published; “A Christian husband
still exercises an authority which
the wife must forgo... the primary
submission must perforce still
devolve upon the wife” (Interpre
ter's Bible. Vol. 10. p. 719).
natural conditions. The potential
for human disease acquired from
animals should never be over
looked when dealing with diseased
animals. This includes parasites
from dogs and cats and animals
with diarrhea.
Some precautions include:
• Quarantine all new-arriving
animals.
• Practice strict sanitation
around animals with diarrhea and
limit human contact with animals,
especially children.
• Seek medical attention if an
associated diarrhea occurs in
humans.
• Avoid smoking, eating, or
drinking when working with
animals.
• Have well or spring tested at
least twice a year for conforms. If
positive, treat the water.
• Always wash hands with soap
and water before eating.
By practicing good personal
hygiene, you will greatly reduce
the chances of becoming a victim
of' zoonosis.
Feather Profs Footnote:
4 Thorough preparation makes its
own luck."
“But it’s in the Bible!” some
protest. Yes, and so is the accep
tance of slavery (Eph. 6:5-9, Col.
3:33,4:1), dictatorships and tyran
ny (Rom. 13:1, 1 Pet. 2:13,14,
Heb. 13:17). So is the admonition
for parents to stone to death a
rebellious son (Deut. 21:21), or a
daughter who has lost her virgini
ty before marriage (Deut. 22:21).
It also countenances taking cap
tive a “beautiful woman” as one of
the spoils of war (Deut. 21:10-14)
and polygamy (Deut. 21:15). If
the Christian must literally obey
all that is in the Bible, then all of
us had better prepare for major
revisions in our life-style and soci
ety. I know of no Christian who
lives by all these rules and permis
sions. Nor do I even know of any
one who advocates them.
A DIFFERENT WORLD
So, if Ephesians was written in
a time when slavery, tyranny, and
patriarchal families were the norm
that does not mean that we have to
accept these in our own time. The
world of the early Church is not
the world of today. I can read this
passage, accentuating the positive
and eliminating the negative, thus
focussing on “mutual subjection”
and claiming for both husbands
and wives a mutual love which
Ephesians enjoins only upon the
husbands.
And, without stretching a point,
I can see a very positive aspect to
the whole passage. The writer is
accepting his society as he finds it,
but he also infuses it with a spirit
that eventually would be the
destruction of it. By focussing
upon Christ, he is holding up a
model that transcends questions of
authority, rights and privileges:
“...as Christ is head of the
Church...,” “as Christ loved the
church and gave himself up for
her.”
Sometime ago, someone called
and wanted to speak to “the head
of the house.” Not entirely with
tongue in cheek, I replied: “I’m
sorry, Jesus can’t come to the
phone.”
Lancaster Farming
Established 195 S
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SUtimtn Enlfpritt
Robert Q. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Nawiwanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1102 by Uncaalar Farming