AlO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, October 23, 1993
OPINION
Beef Is Number One
Cattlemen don’t just produce beef. They produce American
jobs. That’s the message Scott Barao, extension livestock spe
cialist at the University of Maryland, wants the fine folks that
produce cattle to know. Barao says he loves the cattle industry,
and in his latest editor’s comer in the university ag newsletter he
lists a number of facts worth knowing.
The cattle industry is the largest segment of the American agri
cultural economy with sales of cattle and calves accounting for
about $4O billion, a fourth of all cash receipts from farm market
ings in the U.S. Cattle represent 46 percent of sales of all lives
tock and livestock products.
The family businesses run by cattlemen generate almost $250
billion annually in U.S. business activity, or between four and
five percent of the $5,673 trillion U.S. gross domestic product.
Cattlemen provide one million jobs directly in the beef business
and nearly , two million more business-related jobs all across
America.
U.S. exports of cattle products account for abbut $4 billion in
export sales each year, or about 11 percent of total U.S. ag
exports. The U.S. produces 22 percent of the world’s beef supply
but has only 10 percent of the world’s cattle inventory. Beef
exports mean American jobs. For every $1 billion of American
produced products which are exported, 20,000 domestic jobs are
created.
The retail value of the sale of fresh beef in 1991 was hearly $5O
billion. Approximately $23 billion is spent for fresh beef in groc
ery stores. Beef is the largest dollar volume item sold in grocery
stores, accounting for more than six percent of all grocery store
sales.
Cattle and beef operate in a free market. Prices are set by supp
ly and demand, and there is no government price support program
for beef.
“Where’s the beef?” became a famous question after it was
popularized by a TV commercial. But when it comes to consumer
preference and a big booster of the American economy, there is
no question. Beef is number one.
Farm Forum
Dear Editor:
We do agree that the Self-Help
program would be a way for the
dairy farmers to keep going and to
keep the surplus milk sold at com
petitive prices.
If you go to two-tier pricing you
will put a lot of farmers out of
business.
Ammon Miller
Vice President
Dover Local Order 6
Eastern Milk Producers Co-op
Dear Editor;
As a voting member at the East
ern Milk Producers delegate meet
ing, I would like to tell you why it
was an unanimous vote for the
Self-Help plan.
f
Farm Calendar
Sire Power Sale ’93, Bloomsburg
Fairgrounds, Bloomsburg, 11
a.m.
Pa. Simmental Association Key
stone of Quality Fall Show and
Sale, Greene County Fair
grounds, Waynesburg.
Buffalo Auction and Festival, Hol
low Hill Farm, Paint Bank, Va.,
9 a.m.
Dutch Country Calf Sale, Lebanon
County Fairgrounds, 1:30 p.m.
Salem County NJ. 4-H Fall Beef
Show and Sale, Salem County
Fairgrounds. Woodstown. N.J.,
show 10:30 a.m., sale 1 p.m.
Self-Help is a plan to set up a
farmer-run marketing system to
sell surplus dairy products abroad.
The alternative to this fs two-tier
pricing.
Self-help will give all farmers
the opportunity to market their
products without supply controls.
The foreign market area is now
expanding and now is the time for
farmers to become involved in this
trade area.
With the trend in Washington
toward cutting farm subsidies and
assessing farmers for their own
programs, it-is now time for us to
make our own markets. Self-help
is that solution.
Janet M. Erway
RD 1 Cox 226
Genesee, Pa.
Annual Harvest Fesl ’93, Brown’s
Orchards Farm Market, 10
a.m.-S p.m., also Sunday 11
a.m.-5 p.m.
Adams Co. 4-H Dairy Club ban-
St. John’ Chr ;h, *
I llt s(l,i\. ( K loliri 2(>
Lancaster County Poultry Associ
ation annual banquet, Willow
Valley Convention Center,
NOW IS
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Vaccinate
For Rabies
Rabies is becoming an increas
ing problem.
Recently, a policeman was
treated for rabies and a farm placed
under quarantine because of ani
mals being exposed to rabies.
Whether you own a pet or raise
animals commercially, proper vac
cinations for rabies will help
ensure your dog, cat, horse, cow,
sheep, hog, or goat lead a healthier
and more productive life.
According to Rich Barczewski,
University of Delaware extension
livestock specialist, not vaccinat
ing is like playing Russian roulet
te. You never know when a prob
lem will arise.
Vaccines are relatively inexpen
sive compared to treatment
regimes for rabies. And once the
disease is contracted, the treatment
may not be effective.
Rabies is caused by a virus that
when left unchecked results in
death of the infected animal,
including humans. The disease is
extremely infectious and is spread
when one animal bites another.
Do not take chances. Talk with
your veterinarian and family doc
tor and develop a rabies vaccina
tion program for your animals.
To Remember
Evergreens Lose
Their Needles
Bruce Hcllerick, extension hor
ticultural agent, reminds us
evergreens are constantly losing
and replenishing their neeidles. He
said we sec them as perpetually
green because healthy evergreens
do not lose all of their foliage at the
same lime.
Needle life ranges from one to
six years depending upon the type
of tree. Spruce, hemlock, and yew
retain green needles for three to
five years. Pines, which have one
to three needles in a cluster, also
have a long needle life. While pine
and arborvitae drop one-year-old
needles. This is usually not appa
rent because old yellow or brown
foliage is concealed by new
needles.
The growing season, past or pre
sent, may affect this. During a
rainy summer, most plants add a
heavy growth of foliage. If this is
followed by a dry summer, the
light new growth will not camouf-
6:30 p.m.
Pa. Holstein Chester Co. annual
meeting, West Fallowfield
Christian School, Atglen, 7
p.m.
Pcnn/Jersey Equine Short Course,
Rutgers U„ 7:30 p.m.-10:30
p.m., continues Oct. 27, Nov. 9.
and Nov. 10.
ADADC District 1 meeting, St
Lawrence Inn, Canton, N.Y.,
7:30 p.m.
Pa. State Brown Swiss Association
(Turn to Pago A3l)
lage the old drying needles.
To Check
Wood Burning Stoves
If you plan to bum wood in a
stove this winter, take time to
check the equipment to make sure
it is safe and will function
properly.
Wood stoves are never com
pletely safe in all situations,
according to West Virginia exten
sion specialists. Users of wood
stoves may significantly improve
the safety and efficiency of a stove
through timely maintenance and
an understanding of some safety
rules.
Some items to consider include:
• Carefully follow the manufac
turer’s instructions when installing
a stove.
• Make sure there is adequate
clearance between the stove and
any nearby combustible surfaces
or materials. The clearance should
be at least 36 inches for radiant
type heaters and at least 18 inches
for circulating heaters.
Br IAWKtNU W AUHOUiI
sassLS
sn
WHAT IS WRONG WITH
THIS PICTURE?
October 24,1993
Background Scripture:
Genesis 21: 1-21
Devotional Reading:
Genesis 21: 1-21
You’ve seen those puzzles that
consist of a cartoon picture and the
caption, “What’s wrong with this
picture?’’ At first glance, nothing
may seem to be wrong. But as you
study it more closely, you may see
that the stool has only three legs,
that the car has no door, that the
cat has a dog’s body, and so on.
When we read the stories of the
Old Testament patriarchs and mat
riarchs, we need to do pretty much
the same thing, lest we assume
that the picture we get from these
stories is the exact same picture
that God wants to see us duplicate
in our own lives. In other words,
although these great personalities
Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham,
Sarah, were heroes of faith in
their own times, not everything
about their lives is intended by
God to serve as a model for us. In
fact, Christianity has but one infal
lible model: Jesus Christ
So, when we read of Abraham
and Sarah, we must be able to see
both what is right and what is
wrong with the picture the Bible
gives us. Abraham was a man of
great faith in God. That is why he
is of value for us today, teaching
us to trust in God even when
believing his promises is difficult.
THE NORM OF
THE DAY
But there are some elements in
his life tljgt we must not duplicate.
One of these was his acceptance of
slavery. We cannot find fault with
him, for, in his own times, it was
the norm. God had not,yet been
able to persuade his children that
slavery is an evil against God and
humanity. It would take more than
2,000 years for that idea to take
hold in human consciousness. He
did not know any better, but we
do.
So, the attitude of Abraham
toward Hagar is understandable, if
not admirable. This “slave
woman” had two strikes against
her. First, she was a slave, which
meant she was not regarded as a
real person. She was what the
Nazis considered untermenschen
• Protect the floor under the
stove with a nonflammable
material.
* Store firewood away from the
stove. Do not try to dry wet, fro
zen, or green wood on or near the
stove.
• Stove pipes of at least six
gauge metal or heavier are recom
mended. Keep stove pipe runs
short.
• Equip the home with at least
one working smoke detector and a
Class ABC dry chemical fire
extinguisher.
• The chimney should extend
three or more feet above the high
est point where it passes through
the roof and should be at least two
feet higher than any part of the
buildings within 10 feet of the
chimney.
• Check the chimney on a regu
lar basis for soot or creosote depo
sits. Use a flashlight to look down
the flue and clean as needed.
Feather Profs Footnote:
“Deeds are fruit; words are
leaves."
sub-human, the category in
which they placed Jews, Slavs and
others. Secondly, Hagar was a
woman and women were not gen
erally regarded as equals with
men. So, when jealous Sarah
declares to him “Cast out this
slave woman with her 50n...,”
Abraham’s concern is not for the
injustice to Hagar or the hardship
it will mean for her, but for his
son, Ishmael: “And the thing was
very displeasing to Abraham on
account of his son” (21:11).
GOOD OUT OF EVIL
The decision to expel Hagar
and Ishmael is Sarah’s. Although
she had originally instructed
Abraham to have a child by
Hagar, she found herself despising
both the slave woman and Ish
mael, the son that she had planned
to call her own. Hagar had had no
say in the matter. But, when Sarah
had her own son, Isaac, she was
determined that Ishmael be denied
the rights of the first-bom and be
driven out with his mother to the
wilderness and probable death.
Again, we can understand if not
approve of her attitude and
actions.
I cannot believe that God was
the author of this base idea. God is
more compassionate and more just
then we are, not less. Hagar and
Ishmael had done nothing to
deserve this fate. Perhaps the
answer is that God saw that he
could bring some good out of Sar
ah’s selfish decision. Isaac would
inherit Abraham’s legacy, just as
God intended before Sarah took
matters in her own hands and
made Hagar a concubine. And
God would take care of both
Hagar and Ishmael. In the long
run, his gracious will for them
would prevail, too.
The evil that befalls us in our
lives is usually of our own making
or the making of others. But God
can use even the worst of situa
tions to achieve good in his world.
When we look at the picture of our
world today, there is a lot that is
“wrong with it.” What’s right with
the picture is that God can still
make it come out his way in the
long run.
Lancaster Farming
Established 19SS
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMwnan EMmprim
Robsrt G. Campbell General Manager
Evarat a Nawwangar Managing Edttor
Cepyright in) by Lancaalar Farming