AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 26, 1994
OPINION
Farmers Call Editor
After reading our page one story last week about the farm animals
that were incapacitated by the ice and snow in barnyards and meadows,
several horse farmers called to make suggestions about what to do in
those conditions. One farmer spreads manure on the barnyard and lets it
freeze into the ice to make a rough surface. Another has a dirt bam floor,
and this farmer scrapes dirt from the floor and spreads this dirt on the icy
paddock to create better footing for the animals.
In addition) to belter footing for your animals, Larry Hutchinson, in
the veterinary science extension department at Penn State says that
while most farm animals can tolerate cold weather better than humans.
in extreme cold weather you should take a few extra measures to insure
the well-being of your livestock.
Hay bales and feed bunks are sometimes hard to reach in deep or
drifting snow, and you may need to feed in a sheltered area or use a trac
tor to pack the snow around the feeding areas. Heated watering devices
or frequent ice-breaking on streams or ponds may also be necessary.
All classes of livestock require more energy to maintain body temper
ature in cold weather. Livestock, such as beef cows or horses that are
kept outdoors, may need additional forage and grain.
Another farmer who read our editorial in the February 5 issue about
the problems farmers are having with tests for medicines in the milk at
the plant called this week to say he was having the same kind of problem
with SCC tests. Samples from the same tank gave official results that
varied as much as 600,000 cells. While this farmer recendy went
through a bam fire that put stress on the cows, all individual cows were
tested and no individual showed cell counts above acceptable levels.
Officials say individual SCC tests can be variable from the same
sample. This leaves dairymen vulnerable to SCC scores that are unac
cpetable, especially at the break point of 750,000 cells.
rr"7:
Farm Calendar
Saturday, t diru.irx 26
Pa. Slate Holstein Association
Convention Sale, Ramada Inn,
Gettysburg, 10 a.m.
Penn State Ag and Biological
Engineering Open House, Uni
versity Park, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
McKean-Potter Crop Production
Seminar, Kane Fish and Game
Club, 10 a.m.-l p.m.
National DHIA annual Conven
tion and Trade Show, Hyatt
Regency, San Antonio, Texas,
thru March 1
Sundax. !■ fl>ru;ir> 27
NCGA Com Classic, Denver,
Colo., thru March 1.
.
Monday, Khruar> 28
Cumberland Cooperative Wool
Growers annual meeting, 7 p.m.
Weed and manure management
meeting, Lebanon County
extension office, 10a.rn.-l p.m.
Centre/Clinlon Weed Manage
ment School, Logan Grange
Hall, Pleasant Gap, 9 a.m.-3:30
Grounds Maintenance Seminar,
Kutzlown Grange Hall,
Kutzlown.
Solanco Young Farmers meeting.
Farm Safely and First Aid.
Jcffcrson/Clearfield County
Dairy-MAP, Ramada Inn,
Dußois, also March 8.
Lancaster County Dairy Day 11,
Farm and Home Center, 9 a.m.
Tri-County Christmas Tree Grow
ers’ meeting, Penn State Fruit
Research Lab, Biglerville, 7
p.m.-9:45 p.m.
Penn Stale Weed Management
School, Neshammy Manor
Center, Doyleslown, 8:30
a.m.-3;30 p.m.
District 111 Jersey meeting, Bird In
Hand Restaurant, Bird In Hand,
11:30 a.m.
McKean-Potter Com Production
Seminar, First Citizens Nation
al Bank, Ulysses, 1 p.m.-3:30
p.m.
Com Production Teleconference,
York extension office, 10
a.m.-noon and 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Montgomery County Cooperative
Extension meeting, bam facili
ty, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, 7
p.m.
Mid East UDA meeting, Days Inn,
Meadville.
Bradford County Food Safety
Course, Wysox Fire Hall, 9:30
Garden Center and Landscape
Conference, Holiday Inn,
Lionville.
Pa. Potato Growers meeting,
Ramada Inn, Somerset, thru
March 3.
Nutrient Management For Pa.
Pork Producers, Yoder’s
Restaurant, New Holland, 9
a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Carroll Co., Md. private pesticide
applicator exam, extension
office, Westminster, 1 p.m.-3
p.m. or 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Mid EastUDIA meeting, Sheraton
Inn, Greensburg.
Susquehanna County Food Safety
Course, Montrose United
(Turn to Pag* A 27)
Farm Forum
Editor:
United We Stand, Divided We
Fall! Very smart and very simply
put.
These are the words that finally
got this great nation together. You
know the United States of Ameri
ca. Do you think it took courage
and strength to join 13 colonies?
To form one United States?
If it worked, then why can’t it
work now?
To Check
Alfalfa
Seeding Rates
Dr. Marvin Hall at Penn State
just completed a study of seeding
rates for alfalfa in conventionally
prepared seedbeds.
In this study, alfalfa was seeded
at seven different rates (6-24
pounds per acre) at five different
locations. Plant density and forage
yield and quality were monitored
through the first harvest of the year
after seeding.
Plant densities were lower for
the lowest compared to the highest
seeding rale throughout the study.
The lowest seeding rate (six
pounds per acre) reduced yield 322
pounds per acre compared to the
highest seeding rate for the first
harvest after planting.
There were no yield differences
at other harvests. Forage quality at
all harvests were not affected by
seeding rate. The conclusion of
this study was: “In Pennsylvania,
when spring, band seeding alfalfa
into well prepared seedbed, seed
ing rates above 9 pounds pure live
seed per acre are not justified.
Seeding methods other than band
seeding or planting under adverse
climatic conditions or into poorly
prepared seedbed may warrant
higher seeding rates other than 9
pounds per acre. However,
increasing seeding rates has not
been demonstrated as a successful
practice to overcome adverse con
ditions for alfalfa establishment.”
To Be
Concerned About
Environmental
Issues
Improving and protecting the
environment is a major public
issue. We are seeing more legisla
tive activity in this area.
Agriculture and farmers have
been identified as a major concern
along with on-lot sewage disposal,
automobile emissions, and indust
rial producuon.
Farmers need to develop a posi
tive strategy to deal with this and
other emerging issues. First, far
mers need to realize and accept
responsibility for environmental
protection. Next, farmers need to
For example. I’ve heard it said,
“You can’t get one fanner to agree
with another about anything.”
Well, when times were good, you
had farmers very satisfied with
milk prices. But you also had far
mers complaining and maybe a bit
jealous of a bigger, more stable
family farm.
As time went on, the processors
saw this bickering and jealousy
(Turn to Pag* All)
cite how agriculture is improving
the environment more than creat
ing new problems.
We need time and research to
solve problems and set standards.
Agriculture needs to act more
quickly to identify and anticipate
environmental issues and develop
solutions.
Farmers need to demand science
in the form of research and tech
nology is engaged as part of the
solution. Agriculture needs to be
more aggressive in their public
relations efforts to help the public
understand agriculture’s role role
in sustaining the environment
The environmental issue is not
going away. By accepting it and
becoming a part of the solution
will ensure the future of
agriculture.
To Reduce
Pathogens
Pathogen reduction on farms
has become a high priority within
the United States Department of
Agriculture.
Most of the major farm com
modity groups have instituted
quality assurance programs. These
8Y LAWRENCE W ALIHOUSt
sn.
THE WAYSIDE INN
February27,l994
Background Scripture:
Luke 23:32-47; 24:13-35
Devotional Reading:
Mark 15:33-37
I have caught myself saying “If
I die..., “when, of course, I should
have said, “When I die...”
Whether that is just a habit of
speech or an unconscious slip that
betrays an inner and faint hope
that I might personally escape
what is the destiny of every living
creature, I am not sure.
Maybe it is that, having lived
with fears and crises throughout
my life and been spared many
“close ones,” I now unconsciously
hope that I shall get through this
one, too. Rationally, I know bet
ter. No amount of cleverness, will,
luck or even good contact can
intervene because it is part of
God’s plan.
Recently I found these words of
St. Augustine: ‘There is only one
thing you can be sure of: that you
will die; everything else in this
life, good or bad, is uncertain
except death.” At first, I was
uncomfortable with these words,
but I soon realized my discomfort
is only the result of a limited per
spective.
A MATTER OF HOW
So, it is not a question of
whether we will die, but how.
Look at the way Jesus died! Bet
rayed by one of his disciples, rail
roaded on a trumped-up charge,
tortured and denied virtually any
shied of human dignity, he never
theless died in a way that put to
shame the living of all others.
“Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do” (23:34).
With those ten words he made
himself victor instead of victim.
People did their worst, but their
worst was not strong enough to
overcome his best In the midst of
his agony and degradation, he was
magnanimous; to a repentant thief
he promised, “Truly, I say to you,
today you will be with me in para
dise” (23:43). And, at that final
moment he took himself out of the
include the dairy, egg, and pork
industries.
The safety of food is the respon
sibility of everyone in the food
production system including
the farmer. Testing is only a moni
toring tool and cannot guarantee
safety. Only best management
practices being used by everyone
will maintain the integrity of our
food system.
As farmers, we expect the
businesses we are dealing with are
providing us with the best product
possible. We expect no defects and
top performances. We would be
very upset to find out they sold us
inferior materials or broken parts.
Consumers expect the same
from farmers and the food they
buy. Thus, every fanner needs to
be concerned with producing the
highest quality product possible
and never sell anything you would
not buy or eat
Leant about your industry qual
ity assurance program and become
a participant.
Feather Profs Footnote:
"Excellence may be attained if you
risk more than others think is
safe."
hands of those who nailed him to
the cross: “Father, into thy hands I
commit my spirit!” In the street
vernacular, “Man! That’s living!”
The death of Jesus stands in
stark contrast to the living that
many of us do. During World War
11, Robert D. Abrahams wrote:
For some men die by shrapnel,
and some go down in flames. But
most men perish inch by inch.
In play at little games.
Dying “inch by inch” allows us
to continue under the delusion that
we are living, that we are escaping
death. Like the epitaph I copied
years ago: “Died at 45; buried at
62.” We all know someone like
that, don’t we? As someone has
said: “Some die without having
really lived, while others continue
to live, in spite of the fact that they
have died.”
THE WAYSIDE INN
Basically, we can die more vic
toriously if we accept that death is
part of God’s plan for life. Life on
earth is not intended to last fore
ver. Life, as we know it now, and
death, as we perceive it, are only
slopping places along the way to
our ultimate destiny. Recently, my
wife and I were forced to quickly
find another house to move into
for at least three months because
of substantial water damage to the
underside of our house. In the hur
ried preparation to move out of the
house where I expected to spend
the rest of my life, it dawned on
me that that house is only a slop
ping place on my journey even
when we move back into it
Cicero said, “I depart from life
as from an inn, and not as from my
home.” And St. Augustine wrote:
“...the man journeying to his own
country must not mistake the inn
for his home.” That’s the mistake
we make mistaking the inn of
earthly life for our home countty.
When we see it as only a stopping
place along the way, we can say
with Jesus: “Father, into thy hands
1 commit my spirit!”
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main SL
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stthmtn Enterprise
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Nawmanger Managing Editor
Copyright ilea by Uheaeter Farming