Aio-Uncaster Farming, Saturday, January 22, 1994
OPINION
Balance The National Budget
To us, it makes a lot of sense to balance the federal budget. The
U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on the issue in mid-to late-
February, and the House will vote on an identical resolution in
mid-to late-March. Currently, the Senate bill has 40 co-sponsors,
and the House bill has 257 co-sponsors.
Farm Bureau’s National Legislative Action Program (NLAP)
coordinators are asking farmers to make request of members of
Congress to support the measures. Richard Newpher, executive
director of the American Farm Bureau in Washington, said they
expect a close vote. President Clinton opposes the balanced
budget amendment, so this adds extra opposition to the balanced
budget resolutions.
While this is not the perfect answer to the nation’s budget prob
lems, it can be an important step to start the government in the
right direction. The last balanced federal budget occurred in
1969, nearly 25 years ago.
In the present proposals, the amendment would require that
federal outlays be in balance with federal revenues unless three
fifths of the entire membership of the House and Senate vote for
higher spending. A Presidential signature is not needed, but the
amendment must be ratified by 38 state legislatures.
The national debt has increased 1,415 percent since 1960,712
percent since 1975,384 percent since 1980 and 142 percent since
1985. It look more than 200 years for the U.S. to accumulate its
first trillion dollars in national debt. But at the current rate the
nation will acquire the second trillion dollars of debt in the next
five years. In 1993, interest payments on the national debt have
been estimated at $294 billion.
These efforts to balance the national budget certainly deserve
the support of every (farm) taxpayer.
Farm Calendar
Winter Grazing/Calving Work
shop, Wye Research and Edu
cation Center, U. of Md.
Montour Co. Dairy Day, St.
Andrew’s Church, Milton, 9
Northeast Winter Dairy Manage
ment Seminar, Radisson Inn-
North Country, West Lebanon,
N.H., thru Jan. 25.
Adams County Com Clinic, York
Springs Fire Hall, 9:30 a.m.-3
p.m.
Northeast Pa. Maple Syrup Pro
ducer's Association annual
meeting, Pleasant Valley
Grange Hall, Honesdale, 10:30
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Mastitis meeting, Country Focht’s
Street Tree/Shade Tree ID Work
shop, Tyler Arboretum, repeats
Jan. 26, Feb. 1., and Feb. 2.
Franklin County Com Clinic,
Kauffman’s Community Cen
ter, 9 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
Sheep Educational Evening, Berks
County Ag Center, 7:30 p.m.
Herd Health Management Work
shop, Butler Co. Community
Center, Butler, 6:30p.m.-9 p.m.
also Feb. 3 and Feb. 8.
ADC District 3 meeting, Solanco
Fairgrounds, 11:45 a.m.
Chester County Crops Day,
Guthriesville Fire Hall. 9 a.m.
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Woodland Owners Workshop,
Montgomery County Extension
office, Creamery.
Northeast Winter Dairy Manage
ment Seminar, Holiday Inn-
Turf, Albany, N.Y., thru Jan.
27.
Dairy-MAP, Lebanon Valley Ag
Center, also Feb. 2.
Southeast Pa. Grazing Conference,
Harvest Drive Restaurant,
Intercourse, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Capitol Region Greenhouse Meet
ing, Westgate Plaza and Esben
shade Greenhouse, Ephrata, 8
a.m.-4 p.m.
Lebanon County Conservation
District Erosion Control Work
shop, Lebanon Valley Ag Cen
ter, 9 a.m.
Herd Health Management Work
shop, Rostraver Grange, Belle
Vernon, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
York County Com Clinic, 4-H
Center, Bair Station, 9 a.m.-3
p.m.
Mount Joy Co-Op annual meeting,
Country Table Restaurant,
noon.
Lehigh and Northampton Counties
Crop Day, UGI Auditorium,
Bethlehem, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Poultry Composting Session,
Franklin Co. Extension, Cham
bersburg, 7 p.m.-9 o.m.
thursclin, .l.miiai \ 27
Bucks/Montgomcry Crops Day,
Family Heritage Restaurant,
Franconia, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sire Power Northeast Sales Divi
sion annual meeting, Hershey.
Cumberland County Com Clinic,
Penn Township Fire Hall,
Huntsdale, 8:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Poller County Dairy-MAP, North
erner Restaurant, Coudersport,
also Feb. 3.
Lancaster/Chester Swine Produc
ers banquet, Yoder’s Restaur
ant, New Holland, 6:30 p.m.
York County Ag Recognition Ban
quet, Wisehaven Hall, 6 p.m.
Perry County Extension meeting.
Perry Valley Grange Hall, 7
p.m.
NOW IS
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Know
Cow Health
According to Glenn Shirk,
extension dairy agent, the nutrient
content of milk and the market val
ue of milk are determined in part
by the amount of protein and fat
milk contains.
The level of these components
in milk also reflects the condition
of the cow. High fat tests in early
lactation is an indication that cows
are not consuming sufficient ener
gy, forcing them to mobilize body
fat too rapidly. This may lead to fat
deposits in the liver, followed by
ketosis, off-feed problems, low
production, and twisted stomachs.
Low fat tests may indicate aci
dosis and abnormal rumen func
tion which results in poor appe
tites, low production, laminitis,
and poor feed efficiency. When
cows are extremely thin, fat tests
and protein tests are depressed and
fat tests may be close to or below
protein test. This usually results in
very poor reproductive
performance.
To Pick
Up Wheat
And Barley Yields
Wheat and barley yields have
been on a steady increase for the
past 75 years in the United States.
Many factors are responsible for
Northeast Winter Dairy Manage
ment Seminar, Sheraton Inn,
Batavia, N.Y., thru Jan. 29.
Potter County Holstein Associa
tion annual meeting, 8 p.m.
Franklin County Extension annual
meeting, Kauffman Communi
ty Center, 7 p.m.
Berks County Crops Day, Berks
County Ag Center, 9 a.m.-2:45
p.m.
Producer Egg Quality Assurance
meeting, Lancaster Farm and
Home Center, noon.
Pork Producers Seminar, Shamo
kin Dam Fire Co., 9:30 a.m.-3
Mercer County Dairy Day.
Equine Nutrition Program, Hilltop
Farm, Calora, Md.
NOFA-NJ Winter Conference,
New Horizons For New Jersey
Organic Ag, Rutgers Universi
ty, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Huntingdon Co. Holstein Club
annual meeting, Warriors Mark
Jjire^lall^TDjm^^^^^^
National Mastitis Council annual
meeting, Hyatt Orlando, Orlan
do, Fla., thru Feb. 2.
Jefferson/Clearfield ’ Dairy/Crops
Day. Ramada Inn, Dußois. 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
(Turn to Pag* A2J)
the improvement in yields.
Improvements in production man
agement includes better fertility,
better pest control, better planting
methods, and improved varieties.
Plant breeders are continually
improving varieties of wheat and
barley. Growers should be taking
advantage of new varieties. These
new varieties are usually resistant
to an additional disease or insect
while having a higher yield
potential.
The College of Agricultural Sci
ences at Penn State screens many
of the new varieties and reports
their performance each year. The
1993 winter wheal and barley per
formance reports are available
from your local Penn State
Cooperative Extension office.
To Attend
Winter Meetings
The winter farm meeting season
has started.
There are many excellent meet
ings being held over the next sev-
ar *1
""fflllllMMS
ON SETTING YOUR FACE
January 23,1994
Background Scripture:
Luke 9:51 - 10:2
Devotional Reading:
Matthew 8:18-22; 9:38; 10:1-15
“When the days drew near for
Him to be received up, He set His
face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke
9:51).
Setting one’s face is thought to
have been a popular Semitic allu
sion to an act of deliberate resolu
tion. The opposite of setting “his
face to go to Jerusalem” would be
of him to have meandered his way
there. One does not go to Jeru
salem by chance or luck; it takes
an almost fierce resolve.
Why? Because a showdown
awaited him there. Unlike his pre
vious visits there, he knew that
this time going to Jerusalem could
cost him his life. To avoid Jeru
salem would mean failing in his
mission. His desire was not for
martyrdom, but for faithfulness to
the task God had given him
even if it meant sacrifice in Jeru
salem. So he had to make this
commitment in the very depths of
his own being. Yet, it still showed
in his face.
A DELIBERATE RESOLVE
Along the way to Jerusalem,
Jesus showed his followers exact
ly what discipleship means: set
ting one’s face to go to Jerusalem,
making a deliberate resolve that
will not yield to anything or any
one that would sway us from our
course. I am certain that Jesus, if
he was human as we are and he
was, had to reset his face to go to
Jerusalem every day on his way
there, if not more often. We may
be able to nail down to a specific
time and place when we make our
first resolve to follow Jesus, but,
for most of us, it means remaking
that resolve on a pretty regular
basis, because along the way there
are Samaritan villages that would
tempt us from going on. Our own
“village of the Samaritans” is any
thing or persons that tempts us to
sidetrack our discipleship.
When I moved from Pennsylva
nia to Texas, one of the features of
church life down here that was a
little difficult to get used to was
eral months. This is your oppor
tunity to learn the latest informa
tion on production, marketing, and
government regulations.
This information will be helpful
as you implement plans to keep
your farm competitive. Also, this
is the best time to pick up your pes
ticide recertification credits you
will need to maintain your pesti
cide applicators licence.
Mark your calendars now for the
meetings you want to attend.
Come out this winter and see the
latest products and equipment,
learn about nutrient management,
water issues, crop and livestock
management, pathogen reduction
in animal products, etc.
Farmers’ willingness to partici
pate in continuing education prog
rams such as winter meetings is
what has kept American agricul
ture strong and competitive.
Feather Profs Footnote: "Life
does not require us to be the big
gest or the best, it only asks that we
try."
the Southern Methodist custom of
making an Invitation to Christian
Discipleship at the close of each
service. This is an invitation for
people to publicly declare their
discipleship as well as, more fre
quently, an opportunity for people
to decide to join the local congre
gation. In my northeastern pasto
rates the invitation to join the
church always followed a time of
preparation in which prospective
members were helped to under
stand the step they were proposing
to make. I have come to the point
where I appreciate both the pluses
and minutes of both these prac
tices.
INVITATION TO
DISCIPLESHIP
But, regardless of which
approach you use, I regret the
popular assumption that being a
Christian is synonymous with
joining a church. It is not. The
essence of being a Christian is the
dsicipleship by which we follow
Jesus. That dsicipleship usually
involves being a member of a loc
al congregation, but it is much less
demanding to be a member of a
church than it is to be a dsiciple of
Christ. That also means that it is
considerably easier to be a United
Methodist, a Baptist, a Roman
Catholic, or a Pentecostal than it is
to be a Christian. If we leach
Christian discipleship, we will
more than likely get good church
members in the bargain.
But I’m not at all sure that most
of us want to be disciples of Jesus.
For discipleship means setting our
faces to go with him not to church,
but to Jerusalem. It means count
ing the cost before we make the
commitment: “Foxes have holes,
and birds of the air have nests; but
the Son of Man has nowhere to lay
His head”. It means that Jesus
claims our highest loyalty: “Leave
the dead to bury the dead”. It
means focussing our life on that
discipleship: “No one puts his
hand to the plow and looks
back...”
Maybe that is why “The harvest
is plentiful, but the laborers are
few”.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMmon Enttiprim
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Evens a NawMMnger Maneglng Editor
Copyright IMS by Uncut sr Ruining