AlO-LancMt*r Fanning, Saturday, Saptambar 18, 1993
OPINION
Farm Safety Week
Each year, approximately 130.000 people suffer disabling
injuries on U.S. farms. During National Farm Safety and
Health Week, September 19-25, the nation’s attention will fo
cus on efforts to make farms safer places to work and live.
The 50th annual observance of National Farm Safety and
Health Week gives farm families a chance to review safety on
their farm, says an expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultur
al Sciences.
“Farming remains the nation’s most dangerous occupation,
and it’s vital to be aware of how accidents happen and take
steps to avoid them,” says Dr. Dennis Murphy, professor of
agricultural engineering. “Farm Safety and Health Week is a
good time to inspect your farm and take care of any safety or
health hazards.”
Farmers also should review factors about the farm work
place that can increase their risk of injury. “Several aspects of
fanning are unique compared to other occupations,” says Mur
phy. “For instance, most farmers and their families live, work
and play at the worksite. That’s a situation construction wotk
ers or salespeople don’t share.”
Most farmers also work longer than eight hours per day, es
pecially dairy farmers who have chores that must be done se
ven days per week.
“Longer work hours can cause fatigue, increasing the chanc
es of an accident when operating farm machinery,” Muiphy
says. “Many chores must be done during twilight or at night, so
poor visibility contributes to farm accidents.”
Many farmers also work with large and unpredictable live
stock. “Uncontrolled livestock are just as hazardous as heavy
machinery,” says Murphy. “A 1,200-pound bull can crush you
as swiftly as a tractor rollover.”
Many farmers work past age 65, often farming until age 75
or 80. Problems can result when a farmer’s chores exceed his or
her physical limits. “Compounding the problem, many farmers
work alone during the day without fellow workers to assist in
an emergency,” says Murphy.
Farms also have younger workers than other workplaces.
“Children can perform chores appropriate for their age, but
some farmers let children operate tractors and other machinery
before they are old enough to handle the responsibility,” says
Mutphpy. ‘Too often, that leads to tragedy.
“Most accidents resulting in serious injury or death to farm
ers, farm workers and family members are preventable, so take
some time during Farm Safety and Health Week to check your
farm and resolve situations that might threaten you or your lov
ed ones.”
The life you save may be your own or you may save the life
of a loved one!
Farm Calendar
Pennsylvania Dairy Princess
Pageant, Sheraton East-
Harrisburg, reception 5:30
p.m.; dinner 6:30 p.m.
Dorset Fall Field Day, Perry Farm,
Whitehouse Station, Hunterdon
Co., NJ.
Country Craft Fair, Farm Show
Complex, Harrisburg, thru
Sept. 23.
New Jersey Organic Country Fair,
Stony Brook-Millstone
Watershed, Pennington, N.J.,
9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Days of the Past, Delaware
Valley Old Time Power and
Equipment Association,
Washington Crossing State
Park, Titusville, N J., thru Sept.
19.
York Fair Junior Livestock Sale,
_^£orkFairgounds l^jMii^_
Beaver Community Fair, Beaver
Springs, thru Sept. 25.
Grat^air^3ratz^hn^ci)t^^
Farm Show
Complex, Harrisburg, thru
Sept. 23.
Pa. Junior Dairy Show at All-
American, Farm Show Com
plex, Harrisburg.
Reading Fair, Reading, thru Sept
25.
Fall Championship Show. Farm
Show Complex, Harrisburg,
9:30 a.m.
Ephrata Fair, Ephrata, thru Sept
25.
Harmony Grange Fair, Harmony,
thru Sept 25.
Successful Retirement Seminar,
Walgreen Co., Lehigh Valley
Distribution Center, Beth
lehem, continues Sept. 28. Oct
Farm Show Complex, Harris
burg, 7 p.m.
Farm Show Complex, Harris
burg, 8:30 a.m.
NOW IS
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agqnt
To Attend
Northeast Poultry Show
The Northeast Poultry Show
will be field September 29 and 30
at the Lancaster Host Resort,
Route 30 east of Lancaster.
Educational programs are sche
duled for both mornings. Topics
include animal welfare, food safe
ty, ventilation, SE research over
view. disease management, and lit
ter effect on turkey quality.
There is a registration fee for the
morning programs. Both after
noons from noon to S p.m. the
exhibit hall will be open. More
than 100 exhibitors will be show
ing the latest in poultry equipment
and services.
Admission to the exhibit hall is
free. In addition, on Wednesday
afternoon at 2 p.m. Dr. Charles
Pitts, Penn State entomologist, will
discuss effective fly control. One
pesticide credit in category 4, ani
mals, will be given for people
attending this session. On Thurs
day afternoon, Michael Brubaker,
Brubaker Agronomic Consulting,
Services, will be discussing Pen
nsylvania’s Nutrient Management
Law at 2 p.m.
Also, a $lOO bill will be
awarded as a door prize for each
hour the exhibit hall is open.
So. plan now to attend the
largest poultry trade show in the
Northeast. More information is
available by contacting the Pen
nsylvania Poultry Federation, 500
Progress Avenue, Harrisburg, PA
17101.
To Observe
Farm Safety
And Health Week
September 19 to 25 is National
Farm Safety and Health Week.
This year marks the SOth anniver
sary of this week, sponsored by the
National Safety Council.
In 1992, 1,200 people died in
farm-related accidents in the U.S.
Safety and health education can
play an important role in reducing
fatalities and injuries on farms.
Progress has been made in some
areas. Farmers, farm workers, and
family members are safer when
working with animals, around
I ri(l;i\. StpUmlur 24
The Greater Appalachian Llama
Conference, Eden Resort Inn,
Lancaster, thru Sept 26.
1993 Eastern National Livestock
Show, Maryland State Fair
grounds, Timonium, Md., thru
Sept. 27.
Pa. Maple Tour, Potato City, thru
Sept. 25.
Lycoming Co. Fall Crops Day,
begins at Dick Snyder Farm,
Eastern National Livestock Show,
Timonium, Md.
Bloomsburg Fair, Bloomsburg,
thru Oct 2.
(Turn to Pag* All)
water, and in weather-related
emergencies.
However, we need to continue
to emphasize the importance of
safety and good health. Tractor
incidents are the leading cause of
accidental death and injury on the
farm.
To reduce tractor deaths, far
mers must have rollover protective
structures (ROPS) installed on all
tractors. However, to protect the
operator, the seat belt must be used
at all times.
Also, tractor operators should
never allow extra riders on the
tractor. When dismounting the
tractor, always make sure you have
shut down the power takeoff unit.
Now is also a good time to think
about your health. When was the
last time you or any member of
your family had a complete physi
cal? As you schedule your physi
cal, make sure to check when was
the last time you hada tetanus shot
You might want to consider sche
duling a flu shot to reduce your
chances from working with the flu
this winter.
Health and safety are two very
important areas we to often take
Hi IA v*v kt N i E Al I M(IU j!
'm
sn
ON BEING TOO
CLEVER
September 19,1993
Background Scripture:
Oenesii 3:1-13
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 51:1-4,6.9,17
The times in my life when I
have been most foolish are ironi
cally the times when I thought I
was most clever. Knowledge has
never done me in. Neither has
wisdom or understanding. But
cleverness will every time.
If we are truly knowledgeable,
truly wise and truly understand
ing, we will also have some de
gree of humility. We will recog
nize that, in spite of all that we
do know, there is still a lot we do
not know. And, no matter how
much we may celebrate the pow
ers of the i ntellect, we will know
that there are limits beyond
which intellect alone can not
carry us. But, when we are clever
we are also likely to be arrogant.
No one exalted wisdom and
understanding more than the
writer of Proverbs, but he also
warns us: "Be not wise in your
own eyes' 1 (Prov. 3:7). I'm not
saying there's anything inher
ently wrong in cleverness, but
all too often it causes conceit
andconceitoften leads to trouble.
MORE SUBTLE
There ire a number of varied
strands in the story of the garden
of Eden, but cleverness seems to
be the besetting sin. First, with
the serpent, whom the writer
is "more subtle than any
other wild creature that the Lord
God had made". The serpent's
mouth drips with cleverness--(l
can recognize it for mine has
too, at times)-"Did God say,
'You shall not eat of any tree of
the garden’?" He begins by sow
ing a clever seed of doubt. When
Eve says that God warned that
touching the fruit of the tree
would bring death, the serpent
replies with what must have
seemed to be inside knowledge:
"You will not die. For God knows
that when you eat of it your eyes
will be opened, and you will be
like God, knowing good and evil"
(3:4).
for granted. Now is the time to take
proactive actions to protect your
health and well-being.
To Use Proper
Diesel Fuel
The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
reminds us that on October 1 this
year the federal Clean Air regula
tions will require the use of low
sulfur content diesel fuel in diesel
powered vehicles used on
highways.
High sulfur fuel which will be
color-dyed in contrast to the low
sulfur fuel’s clear color, will be
permitted only for equipment used
off the road.
Violators founded with dyed
fuel on highways will be subject to
fines up to $25,000. Farmers with
off- and on-road vehicles have the
option of either buying all of the
more expensive clear, low sulfur
fuel, erecting separate storage
tanks for low and high sulfur fuel,
or purchasing low sulfur fuel at the
pump.
Feather Profs Footnote: “Do
not let what you cannot do inter
fere with what you can do." John
Wooden
If I had not retd this story
many, many times, I would have
bet my bottom dollar that the
serpent would not be successful
InbeguilingEve.Thinkof it: the
man and woman have it made.
They live in a magnificent gar
den. All their needs are pro
vided for. Their relationship with
Ood and with each other leaves
nothing lacking. What could the
serpent possibly offer the woman
to lead her to disobey?
What the serpent could and
did offer the woman was the
opportunity to be more clever
than Ood. They didn't need the
fruit of the tree; they could have
lived forever without it-liter
ally! But why not grab it! The
man and the woman were too
clever to believe that disobeying
God would have any dire conse
quences.
THE SERPENTS' FAULT
There's no end to their clever
ness. When God reproaches the
man, he tries to load the blame
on the woman and, indirectly,
Godhimself: "The woman whom
thou gave to be with me, she
gave me the fruit of the tree and
I ate” (3:12). And the woman
cleverly tries to pass the buck to
the serpent: "The serpent be
guiled me and I ate" (3:13).
At the end of the story, the
serpent could have appeared to
Adam and Eve and said, "See I
told you that you wouldn't die;
he's just thrown you out of the
garden, that's all!" But what
neither the serpent nor the man
and woman were smart enough
to know is that living outside the
garden eventually would mean
death, for they had lost their
innocence and with it their im
mortality.
Like the parables of Jesus, this
story has different levels of in
terpretation and meaning for us.
But, whatever else it may mean
to you, it says that the genesis of
sin is disobedience to God. And
the source of disobedience is
often an excess of cleverness
and a deficit in humility.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stotnmtn Entiphm
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
EverM R. Nawnwngar Managing EdHor
Copyright IK by Lanoaalar Farming