Alfrlancaster Fanning, Saturday, October 30, 1993
OPINION
Well-Fed People Faced
With Self-Preservation
Our fellow fanners in the Midwest, who have suffered from
the floods, now face other blows: the clean-up and the
environmentalists.
According to Kyle Vickers, Missouri Agriculture Depart
ment, there are at least 450,000 acres of prime farmland in Mis
souri alone that arc covered with sand and silt, reaching depths
of eight to ten feet. Owners of least 90,000 acres of worst-hit
land will likely never be able to farm again because the - cost to
remove the sand is greater than the value of the farm.
Restoration of sand and silt-covered farmland can be accom
plished by scraping off the sand or by tilling the sand into the
soil. Removing the sand is too expensive, and tilling decreases
the quality of the soil. The farmers are literally “caught between
a rock and a hard place.”
But maybe the most discouraging blow to the farmers who
have suffered from the flood is that now some environmental
groups have come forward to block the return of farming to the
rich river bottom land. Initially the Army Coips of Engineers
indicated it would pay for 80 percent of the needed repairs to
levees that were damaged or destroyed in the floods. But they
have already reneged on some of their promises. Many farmers
believe this change of attitude toward the farm victims has come
because of pressure from environmentalists who want the flood
plains in something other than agriculture.
Here’s just another report of opponents of agriculture using
political and regulatory powers to achieve goals that will
destroy agriculture, the foundation of the nation. As we see the
food production system in America under attack from so many
sides, we can’t help ask: “How soon will the‘grocery shelves in
food markets be bare?”
When this starts to happen, the riots in the streets from well
fed people suddenly faced with self-preservation will not be a
pretty sight.
Farm Calendar
Nittany Lion Fall Classic Sale, Ag
Arena, State College, 11 a.m.
Goat Health Conference, Penn
State, University Park, 8 a.m.
igrai
(wheat, oats, barley, rye) clos
ing date.
Estate Planning Workshop, First
UCC Church. Schuylkill
Haven, 7 p.m., also Nov. 8 and
15.
Lancaster County Sheep and Wool
Growers Association annual
meeting, Lancaster Farm and
Home Center, 7 p.m.
Central Susquehanna Valley
greenhouse tour and meeting,
Mitterling Greenhouses, Lew-
Pa. Council of Cooperatives 1993
annual meeting, Penn State Nit
tany Lion Inn, thru Nov. 3.
Soianco Young Farmers meeting,
com grain management.
Lancaster County Holstein ban
quet, Family Style Restaurant,
State Conservation Commission
nutrient management advisory
board meeting, Ag Building,
Harrisburg, 9:30 a.m.
Juniata County Conservation Field
Day tour, bus departs Ag Ser
vice Center, Mifflintown, 8:30
a.m.
I
Ihursda\, Mou'iiilut 4
Dauphin Co. Fall" Field Day, Mil
ton Hershey School Farm Tech
Center, Hershey, 9:30 a.m.-2
p.m.
Fayette County Holstein Associa
tion annual meeting. Shady
Side Inn, Uniontown, 7 p.m.
Wyoming County Extension
annual dinner meeting, Moose
Lodge, Tunkhannock, 7 p.m.
Bradford County Extension annu
al meeting, Wysox Presbyte
rian Church, 7:45 p.m.
(Turn to Pag* A3l)
Farm Forum
Editor:
NAFTA: The Issue Is
Sovereignty.
The North American Free
Trade Agreement isn’t about free
trade. It will not abolish restric
tions on trade in North America,
but rather creates 32 appointed
international committees, coun
cils, working groups, secretariats,
and subcommittees to rule on
trade matters previously the sole
domain of the elected U.S. Con
gress. In fact, the Clinton Admi
nistration’s side agreements
would make NAFTA a net inhibi
tor of trade.
According to U.S. Trade Rep
resentative Mickey Kantor’s
August 17th Wall Street Journal
column, NAFTA’s side agreement
on the environment would lock in
forever all existing federal envir
onmental regulations, no matter
how expensive or oppressive: “no
To Use Old
Tires For Bedding
Dairy fanners are continually
looking for ways to improve cow
comfort and cleanliness, while
also reducing bedding require
ments and labor demands.
According to Glenn Shirk,
extension dairy agent, one way to
accomplish this is to use old dres.
For a number of years, old tires
have been used in freestalls, by
partially imbedding them in earth
or concrete and covering them
with bedding.
The tires keep cows from goug
ing holes in earthen stall beds and
they help retain bedding in the
stalls. These two factors contri
buted to the comfort and cleanli
ness of cows.
Shirk reports a more recent con
cept has drawn a lot of interest.
This new use of used tires calls for
placing a 4- to 6-inch layer of
chopped or shredded tire rubber in
the base of cow stalls and covering
it with a tough nylon-like fabric,
which is then covered with a light
application of bedding.
The chopped rubber is inert and
does not decay, and it provides a
soft, resilient cushion for cows.
To Exercise Horses
One of the most common mis
management practices of today’s
horse owner is infrequent exercise
for pleasure horses.
Horses used for work and trans
portation receive daily exercise.
However, the confined horse is
more susceptible to poor health
because of lack of activity.
A vigorous workout for about
30 minutes per day is necessary for
the confined horse to maintain
proper muscle tone and reduce
boredom. Boredom often causes
wood chewing, cribbing, stall
kicking, stall weaving, and pacing.
country in the agreement can low
er its environmental standards
ever.”
It certainly says something
about the real intention of many
NAFTA supporters when they sti
pulate that regulations can never
be eased or abolished.
Despite the fact that the details
of financing the U.S.-Mexican
Border Commission are not nailed
down, U.S. Trade Representative
Mickey Kantor announced at a
September 15th press conference
that the NAFTA side agreements
include an outstanding that the
United States would supply nearly
$8 billion in foreign aid.
I compare NAFTA to President
Clinton’s budget package, which
raised taxes immediately and
promised future spending cuts
unlikely ever to materialize. NAF
TA raises an army of trade-
(Turn to Pag* A3l)
Once one of these vices is
acquired, it is difficult or impossi
ble to break the habit Make sure
your pleasure horse receives your
daily attention and exercise.
To Become Better
Before Bigger
Many people believe that you
must become bigger in order to
become profitable.
This is not true. Profitability is
determined by controlling costs
and receiving the highest price for
your product. Size may be a factor,
but it is not the only factor.
A recent study by Kansas State
University points this out Eco
nomists analyzed data from 91
farrow-to-finish operations in
Kansas for the year 1992. This
study included farms with 6SO lit
ters or less per year.
The greatest profit differences
were within herds of the same size
than between herds of different
sizes. The study then divided the
herds into the top third and bottom
third based on profit (return over
cost).
Some interesting differences are
evident. The top third farms
weaned 0.7 more pigs per litter and
I Hi IAWkINU W ALIM oust
"saisaa
JKy
-GOOD GUYS"
vs.
"BAD GUYS"
October 31,1993
Background Scripture:
Genesis 25: 19-34
Devotional Reading:
Genesis 25; 19-34
The story of Jacob and Esau is
not*a story about a “good guy”
versus a “bad guy”. Neither of
them is wholly “good” nor “bad”.
Both of them are very much like
real people we all know.
The difference between them
was not moral superiority the
Bible does not indicate that one
was more righteous than the other.
Although they were twins, there
was nothing identical about them.
They were simply different in
almost every way. They looked
different from minute-one. Esau
was red and hairy. (His name is a
play on both these characteristics
“red” is a play on the word
Edom, the nation that Esau would
found, and “hairy” is a play on the
name Seir, the region of the Edo
mites.) Jacob, in contrast, was not
a hairy man. (His name, Jacob,
was a play on the word “heel” or
“he supplants” a reference to
the fact that as they were bom,
Jacob was grasping the heel of
Esau and eventually supplanted
him.) In the womb, it seemed to
Rebekah that these two unborn
children were already contending
with one another.
Even their vocations typified
two vety different ways of life.
Esau was the macho hunter, “a
man df the field,” while Jacob
“was a quiet man, dwelling in
tents” (25:27,28). There is nothing
wrong with either vocation or life
style; they are simply different'—
although the Israelites traditional
ly identified more with the she
pherds than the hunters and the
two styles of life sometimes
clashed.
DIFFERENT
TEMPERAMENTS
Furthermore, Esau and Jacob
were different temperamentally.
Esau was a man of the flesh; phys
ical things were basic with him,
like hunger or thirst. He was not
marketed 338 more pounds per lit
ter. Feed costs were $55 lower per
cwt of hogs produced, and total
costs woe $142 less per cwt
produced.
Some factors involved are better
feed conversion, more hogs mark
eted per litter, conception rates,
and management efficiencies.
This follows a similar observa
tion with laying hens, where there
is as much as 5 cent per dozen dif
ference in price received by far
mers in one week. This difference
is due to the number of cracks and
dirty eggs.
These studies point out it is
management, not size, that deter
mines profitability. Examine your
operation and look for ways to
increase productivity, reduce
costs, and improve product
quality.
There are many excellent people
available to help you. Solicit their
advice and make the necessary
changes to insure you are in the top
10 percent of the farmers for your
commodity.
Feather Profs Footnote:
“Every private citizen has a public
responsibility." Make sure you
vote this Tuesday.
ambitious to get ahead; he lived
pretty much day to day. Jacob, by
contrast, was a man who lived by
his intelligence rather than his
physical might. He was crafty and
he did plan and scheme ahead. He
knew what he wanted and was
determined to get it.
There was a difference even in
parental favor. This is not a case
of the “good” parent against the
“bad” parent. Both of them are
very much like real parents today.
Without planning it that way,
Isaac favored Esau and Rebekah
favored Jacob. The writer of this
story suggests that Esau was like
Isaac, while Jacob was more like
his mother.
In the passage where Jacob
cons Esau out of his birthright, it
is again not a case of the “good
guy” and the “bad guy”. On the
one hand, we fault Esau for being
so careless and stupid to give up
his birthright for the sake of some
thing to eat. He didn’t seem to
have any sense of value. On the
other hand, we can fault Jacob for
being so conniving as to take
advantage of his brother’s
stupidity.
VALUE & SIN
That’s the way it is with people
today. Often, it is not a case of the
righteous versus the unrighteous,
but that people are different and
imperfect. There is value and sin
in every life. Even so, God can use
each of us to achieve his purpose.
Jacob, despite his dishonesty, has
the capacity to be the father of the
tribes of Israel. And Esau, despite
his limitations, will be the father
of the Edomites.
In emphasizing their differ
ences, we must not overlook their
similarities. They had the same
mother and father and they came
from the same family. Different as
they were, they ultimately had the
capacity to recognize their bonds
as well as their differences.
So, in our own families there
are the same potentials and pit
falls. But God can use and bless
all of us and does.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMhnnn EMuprim
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Evens a Nawmangar Managing Editor
Copyright IMS by Laneatfar Fanning