AfO-UncMty Farming, Saturday, Noviribar'SbC 1093
OPINION
Have A Nice
Thanksgiving Day
In a book by Loy Cuyler Awkerman, V.M.D., titled The His
tory of Veterinary Medicine in Lancaster County, and published
in 1978, we found an interesting commentary on the early days of
our country’s agriculture.
Along with the first settlers came horses and oxen; horses were
preferred. The first animals brought in for food were pigs. The
land was ideal for pigs to scrounge and to root through the areas
not yet cleared. Chickens came next, followed by sheep and
cows. There was just not enough grazing land available for these
two ruminants in the very early years. The first English settlers in
Virginia, however, did have cows.
The favored breed of those pioneer years was a large brindle
and white cow with long smooth horns. By today’s standards it
would probably resemble an Ayrshire. The type was considered a
good milker and a good forager. By the mid-seventeenth century,
a farmer in Massachusetts observed that cows fed hay and grain
during the winter months would continue to milk. It became
increasingly evident that manure on the soil produced better
crops.
There were no trained veterinarians, only the neighbor who
was “handy” with animals. Sometimes the physician in the vil
lage was compassionate enough to lend his knowledge and give
aid to an animal in distress. It is certain that the dog and the cat
had to make it on their own in those days because they were held
in little regard. It is interesting that rural people even today are
often not willing to seek veterinary care for their pets. The lives
tock of two centuries ago was worth saving if there was a way to
save it.
The “Horse Doctor” was the first to gain some reknown as he
would usually locate in the cities and cater to the riding and car
riage horse. This person was of little value to the fanner living in
the outreaches. In Lancaster County, Dr. John Breneman
(1813-1877) of Mourt Joy rode horse back to surrounding farms
to administer to the needs of horses and cows. Dr. Henry Freed
Breneman, his son, (1843-1912), learned under the tutelage of his
father and worte in his notes about a disease called “Locked- Joy.”
The young doctor wro e: “Locked joy—.. .Lock Joy-bleed largely
then apply chloroform until he opens his mouth and give him 2
drahms of acifidity every 6 hours and a dose of physic. This will
relief if there is any cure for him.”
We laugh at the ignorance of our ancesters. But maybe we
should laugh with reserve. Revolutionary knowledge of how to
cure disease will soon make obsolete what we know now. The
ability to raise the limits of good health will be the major reason
why the bio-genetic plant and animal marvels now in the laborat
ory will become practical. Our descendants may soon be laugh
ing at our limited pre-biogenetic knowledge.
In this Thanksgiving season we are grateful for what modem
agricultural science has done for us and for the blessings that have
come to everyone who eats because of this knowledge. Have a
nice Thanksgiving day.
Farm Calendar /^/
Grain Management Clinic,
Mahantongo Fire Company,
Pitman, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Mercer County Holstein Associa
tion annual meeting, Mercer
Extension Office, 7:30 p.m.
Huntingdon County DHIA annual
meeting. Shaver’s Creek Com
munity Building, 7:30 p.m.
Lancaster County farm tours, 1
p.m.-5 p.m.
Carroll County, Md. Extension
Open House, Ag Center, West
minster. Md.
Sund(i\, No\cml>cr 21
PFGC/Penn State Forage Confer
ence, Ramada Inn, West
Middlesex.
Lancaster County 17th annual
Agriculture Industry Banquet,
Lancaster Host Resort, 7 p.m.
Swine Health, Profitability, and
Pseudorabies, Bergstrasse
School, Ephrata, 7:30 p.m.
Susquehanna River Basin Com
mission meeting. Woodlands
Inn and Resort, Wilkes-Barre, 9
a.m.
\\ t'diu sdin , \im inlu r 24
Saturday, Nmirnlui 27
Sunday, \oM-mluT 28
Mond.n, Nmfinhii 29
USDA’s 70th Ag Outlook Confer
ence, USDA Headquarters,
(Turn to Pago A 27)
NOW IS
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agqit
To Practice
Biosecurity
Last week’s article on biosecuri
ty reminds us there is still a need
for fanners to implement and
improve their biosecurity
programs.
Biosecurity is a defensive health
plan to keep disease organisms
away from our animals. Every far
mer needs to develop and imple
ment a biosecurity plan for his
farm. Otherwise, he is playing
Russian roulette.
As in Russian roulette, you
eventually lose and pay a big price.
This price may be in the form of
economic loses, high mortality,
and quarantines.
Biosecurity plans are easy to
design but require a commitment
to implement Once implemented,
they become habit and people
learn real quickly you mean
business.
Your biosecurity plan should
include testing of animals before
they come on your farm, clean
clothes and boots before entering
buildings, locked buildings to keep
unauthorized people from enter
ing, footbaths, and vaccination
program.
I am amazed the survey repots
only 28 percent of the swine pro
ducers required everyone to
change footwear, 19 percent
required coveralls, and 14 percent
used footbaths. When you look at
the investment you have in build
ings and animals, farmers should
be willing to spend a few extra dol
lars to buy boots, coveralls, and
footbaths to protect their animals’
health.
Biosecurity is insurance that
pays dividends. Consult your vet
erinarian ex' extension agent to help
Farm Forum
For 16 years we have been back
on the dairy farm that has been in
the family for over 100 years.
When we started we thought 24
cows would provide a living for
our family, but as time went on
it’s now even tough to make it on
a fifty-sixty cow dairy. Same old
story ... You’ve heard it times
before.
Nationally, there has been dairy
over production throughout this
period of time ... funny I never
seem to produce enough. Same
old story ... price of milk has
never been enough! Add a cow or
two to increase cash always made
sense to me. We dairy farmers
have always complained about
pay price we have received for our
milk ... Never thought a few
more cows on our farms would
hurt overall surplus. After all,
there has always been a neighbor
down the road going out of busi
ness!
Cut the budget! Wow, what
(Turn to Pag* A 34)
you design your biosecurity
program.
To Buckle Up
Just a reminder, on June 22,
1993, acting Governor Mark Sing
el signed the Child Passenger Pro
tection AcL
This enhanced legislation
requires all children under age four
to ride in an approved child safety
seat. The new law supersedes the
old law which allowed children
over the age of one to ride in a veh
icle wearing a safety belt only.
The new car seat law has made
riding without a safety seat a prim
ary violation. Now police may stop
a vehicle for that reason only.
Also, the new law applies to all
motorists, whereas the old law
applied only to Pennsylvania
residents.
This law took effect August 21,
1993. Now is the time to make sure
all children under the age of four
ride in a safety seat and all other
people wear their seat belt This
practice could save your child’s
life or even yours!
To Salute
Everett Newswanger
This week the Pennsylvania
Hi W ALIHUUSt^
'‘©aims
sn
YOUR BROTHER'S FACE
November 21,1993
Background Scripture:
Genesis 33
Devotional Reading:
Matthew 5:23-25
Two of the most exciting verses
in the Old Testament are in the
final episode of the story of Jacob
and Esau in the 33rd chapter of
Genesis.
The first of these is; “But Esau
ran to meet him and embraced him
and fell on his neck and kissed
him and they wept” (33:4). And
the key word in this verse is the
word “But,” for everything in this
verse stand in contrast to what
went before if the enmity between
Jacob and Esau. Jacob’s exile, his
decision to return, and his
apprehension as he anticipates his
meeting with Esau.
We can understand what he
must have been feeling: “And
Jacob lifted up his eyes and
looked, and behold, Esau was
coming,...and four hundred men
with him”! Was this to be the day
of reckoning for what he had done
so many years ago? We’ve got to
give him credit he possibly could
have turned around and escaped.
But, instead, as he had with
Laban, he decided to make the
best of the situation, dividing his
large retinue in half for their sec
urity. and bowing seven times, he
approached his brother. As “he
came near to his brother,” his
heart must have been in his throat!
BUT ESAU RAN
“But Esau ran to meet him and
embraced him..”! If Jacob had
changed, so had Esau. He was still
impulsive, still emotional, but
obviously he had long ago forgi
ven his brother. Jacob still isn’t
sure whether to trust Esau; per
haps he’s simply awaiting his
chance for revenge. So, he offers
his people and possessions to Esau
to assuage any remaining hostili
ty. And even when Esau protests
that he has enough for himself,
that he doesn’t need any gifts,
Jacob persists; “No, if I have
Association of County Agricultur
al Agents honored Everett News
wanger, managing editor of Lan
caster Farming, with its Honorary
County Agent Award.
This award is only presented to a
very few people who assist in
promoting the efforts of county
cooperative extension programs.
Everett was cited for the space
he makes available every week in
Lancaster Farming for county,
regional, and state cooperative
extension news and promoting
extension meetings. In addition, he
publishes many, many articles and
columns written by Penn State
extension agents.
The Lancaster Farming news
paper is a very important vehicle
that cooperative extension uses to
communicate the latest education
al information to farmers and agri
business. Based on this support,
the Pennsylvania county agents
say “thank you” for maJdng our
programs more successful.
Welcome aboard, Everett, as
our newest county agent.
Feather Profs Footnote: "If
you do not keep doing it bet
ter.. . your competition will."
found favor in your sight, then
accept my present from my hand.”
And then follows the second
great verse of this chapter “for
truly to see your face is like seeing
the face of God, with such favor
you have received me” (33:10).
I have read this passage many
times, but on this reading for the
fust time I saw the interesting link
between “the face of God” which
he now saw in his brother’s face,
and the face of God which he
experienced at the River Jabbok
the night before: “...I have seen
God face to face, and yet my life is
preserved” (32:30). That was a
great mystical experience, but in
Genesis 33 Jacob is indicating that
the God he saw in his brother’s
face is no less inspiring.
ACCEPT MY GIFT
In the past we’ve regarded Esau
as a rough-and-tumble man, in
sensitive to the nuances of other
people’s thoughts and feelings.
But in this incident we can see that
Esau has become more perceptive
too. Jacob is intent on giving Esau
something as a gift. “Accept, I
pray you, my gift that is brought to
you, because God has dealt gra
ciously with me, and because I
have enough.”
The old Esau would have con
tinued to refuse Jacob’s gift. Just
as many of us find it more com
fortable to be the giver rather than
the receiver, so Esau might have
continued to refuse. But Esau
must have realized that some
times, when someone has done
wrong and knows it, that person
may need to do something or give
something as partial atonement.
Esau did not need any gift from
Jacob, but he realized that it was
Jacob’s need to give. So. for his
sake, he took it.
It is wonderful to have an
experience like Jacob’s by the
River Jabbok. But it is even more
wonderful to be able to see God in
the face of our brother all of
our brothers and all of our sisters.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMnmtn Enliprif
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Event R. Ntwiwanger Managing Editor
Copyright I*o2 by Uneaalar Fanning