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OPINION
The Management Hat
With so many variables in the business of agriculture, it’s a
struggle, even in a good season, to make a profit. Successful
farm operations are run by good managers, and good managers
have certain traits in common.
Ed Kee and other members of Delaware Cooperative Exten
sion’s newly formed FARM (Family Agribusiness Resource
Management) Team have developed a list of qualities they feel
distinguish the long-term successful farm operator. They are as
follows; *
• Good farm managers pay attention to detail and delegate
the responsibility of those details to key employees or family
members.
• Good farm managers monitor field fertility and make wise
choices about manure applications or purchased fertilizer. They
recognize that balanced soil fertility is the first step in achiev
ing economical, environmentally sound, productive soil
management.
• Good farm managers maintain machinery to avoid costly
breakdowns and delays. They plan ahead and give daily atten
tion to equipment, which saves money and time.
• Good farm managers employ timely pest management.
They anticipate and immediately act upon disease, insect and
nematode problems, which saves money and promotes higher
yields.
• Good farm managers practice sound marketing. Though
their options often are limited, they find a buyer and ensure
dependable delivery of a quality product.
• Good farm managers hire consultants for a range of ser
vices from insect scouting to a total farm plan encompassing
soil fertility, pesticide recommendations and scouting. They
-make clear what’s expected and recognize when a consultant’s
recommendations are prudent and reliable.
• Good farm managers make time for family. A commitment
to quality family time is established first by working together
as a team during the busy season. They understand the need for
and respect vacation time, off-season travel and an occasional
day off during the season.
A farmer must wear many hats. Banker, Veterinarian, and
Agronomist come to mind. But the greatest of these is the man
agement hat. As one farmer told us recently, it costs as much to
do a job late as it does to do a job on time. In planting and
harvesting the cost is greater when you do the job late. A good
manager is needed on every farm.
7-jr—“
Farm Calendar
Central Md. Chapter of Fellowship
of Christian Farmers Outreach
Luncheon, Wilhelm LTD.,
Westminster, Md., noon.
Ninth Annual Winning Ways Clin
ic, Ag Arena, Penn State, thru
March 6.
Pa. Yorkshire, Duroc, Hampshire
Association Show and Sale,
Lebanon Fairgrounds, show 10
a.m., sale 3 p.m.
Regional Christmas Tree Seminar
and Trade Show, Rustic Lodge,
Philadelphia Flower Show, Phi
ladelphia Civic Center, thru
March 13.
Maple Sugarin’ Festival. Hashaw
ha Environmental Appreciation
Center, Westminster, Md.,
American Forage and Grassland
Council Annual Conference,
Lancaster Host Resort, thru
March 9.
Central Penn 4-H Swine Club
organizational meeting, Cum
berland County Extension
Office, Carlisle, 7:30 p.m.
PDA pesticide exam, Lancaster
Farm and Home Center, 8:30
a.m.-noon.
Huntingdon/Blair Dairy Day,
Alexandria Fire Hall,
Alexandria.
Northeast Dairy Producer Confer
ence, Rochester Marriott Thru
way Hotel, Rochester, N.Y.,
thru March 10.
Washington County Cooperative
Extension meeting, Lone Pine
Community Center, 7 p.m.
Landowner Water Resource
Awareness Workshop, Farm
and Home Center, Lancaster, 9
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Mid East UDIA meeting. Holiday
Inn, Wapakoneta, Ohio.
Bradford County Food Safety
Course, Wysox Fire Hall, 9:30
a.m.-3 p.m.
N.W. Pa. Cattlemen’s Association
annual meeting, Mercer County
Extension, Mercer, 7 p.m.
Dairy-MAP, Mercer County
extension office, Mercer, also
March 15.
Trade For For Farm Markets, Holi
day Inn, Kingston, N.Y., thru
March 10.
Clearfield County Dairy-MAP,
Ramada Inn, Dußois.
BST, EAYFA meeting, Ephrata
High School, 7:30 p.m.
Lancaster County Bee Producers
kickoff meeting, Farm and
NOW IS
THE TIME
By John Schwartz
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Understand
Shift In
Ag Policy
Debate on the 1995 Farm Bill
will start soon.
The Farm Bill used to be the
only major agricultural legislation
in Washington. However, this bill
will only be a small part of the
legislation affecting agriculture.
The Clean Water Act, The
Clean Air Act, Coastal Zone Man
agement, and Food Assistance Act
are a few of the new laws directing
agricultural policy.
Different groups have become
involved in agricultural policy
development. Environmental,
consumer, and urban citizens have
developed an active interest in
changing farm policy.
Their interests are in preserving
the environment, improving the
safely and quality of food, and
transferring shrinking federal dol
lars from agricultural programs to
other areas. As a result, farmers
need to do a better job of commu
nicating their messages to
nonfarmers.
Consumers want more informa
tion on how their food is being pro
duced and steps farmers are taking
to insure the food they produce is
high quality with no chemical and
bacterial residues.
Farmers need to do a better job
of building coalitions with groups
that have similar interests. These
include hunters, small business
owners, environmental groups,
etc.
Finally, farmers need to support
organizations and businesses when
they need farmers to talk to
policymakers.
We have a choice. Either we
become more involved in public
policy making or someone else
will make policies for us.
To Spend
Some Time
With Family
We have just experienced the
Potato Day, Schnecksville Grange
Hall, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Susquehanna County Food Safety
Course, Montrose United
Methodist Church, 9:30 a.m.-3
p.m.
Sustainable Ag Conference, Mil
lersville University, Lancaster.
Delaware FFA Statewide Conven
tion, University of Delaware,
Clayton Hall, Newark.
Pa. Veterinary Nutrition Forum
monthly meeting. Days Inn,
Lancaster.
Pa. Association of Future Home
makers of America State Lead
ership Conference, Harrisburg,
thru March 11.
Integrated Pest Management Con
(Turn to Pago A3l)
14th snowstorm of the year. These
storms have caused much stress,
financial losses, and great
challenges.
On the other hand, they are pro
viding us with some additional
family time.
Why not lake a day and spend it
with the family?
Consider building snow sculp
tures and forts, spend time inside
reading, putting puzzles together,
or making up a play and perform
ing it. These are just a few ideas.
This is an excellent time to
renew a family tradition. This is an
old-time winter. Our children need
to experience the things we did as
children.
The important thing is take this
time and use it to allow family
members to get know each other
better with fun.
To Review
Grazing Management
During the past several years,
livestock producers have shown an
increasing interest in the use of
pastures to provide a major source
of feed for ruminant livestock.
Management flexibility may be
the most important concept to
maximize forage use in a grazing
system, according to Edward Ray-
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DOES GOD EMBARRASS
YOUf
March 6, 1994
Background Scripture:
Romans 1:1-17
Devotional Reading:
Romans 1:18-25
Writing to the Christian com
munity in Rome. Paul says, “For I
am not ashamed of the gospel”
(Rom. 1:16). John Knox, who was
one of my seminary professors at
Union Theological Seminar in
New York, suggests that the rea
son Paul brings up this matter is
that he must have experienced
some temptation to be ashamed of
the gospel. Why else would he
make a point of saying he is not
ashamed of it? I understand that,
for there are times when I. too, am
led to affirm the very things with
which I have wrestled.
Whenever I read this Pauline
affirmation, I end up asking
myself, “What about me? Have I
been tempted to be ashamed of the
gospel?” At this very moment as I
write these words, it is easy for me
to join with Paul; No, “...I am not
ashamed of the gospel.” But hon
esty compels me to admit that
there have been times when I have
acted as if I was ashamed.
EMBARRASSING
CORRUPTION
To be sure, sometimes it has
been a matter of being ashamed
not of the gospel but of the church.
When the church speaks or acts in
a way that the gospel is cheapened
or corrupted, that is embarrassing.
I am still embarrassed by the
Inquisition. During the 1940’s I
was embarrassed for all those- in
German Christendom who either
supported or failed to oppose the
Holocaust. I remember back in the
1960’s when I felt keenly
embarrassed by the churches’
indifference and sometimes resis
tance to the civil rights struggle.
But that isn’t what Paul is talk
ing about. He’s talking, not about
what churches and professed
Christians do or say, but about the
essential ewe of Christian procla
bum of West Virginia University.
The rate at which forages grow
varies during the growing season.
On the average, the cool season
perennial grasses commonly
grown will produce nearly SO per
cent of their total growth during
April through June. That compares
to about 33 percent of their growth
during July and August and 16 per
cent from September through the
end of the growing season.
Stockpiling the excess growth
during the spring growing period
through mechanical harvesting is
necessary to maximize livestock
feed on per-acre basis. This makes
rotational grazing a must.
Rayburn suggests that all graz
ing systems need an area for feed
ing livestock during periods when
pastures are short of growth or too
wet to allow livestock to graze
without destroying the paddocks.
For more information on graz
ing, refer to the 1993-1994 Penn
State Agronomy Guide or pick up
agronomy fact sheets on forage
crop production and pasture man
agement at your local Penn State
Cooperative Extension office.
Feather Profs Footnote:
"Excellence may be attained if you
dream more than others think is
practical."
■nation and teaching: salvation by
the grace of God as through the
cross of Jesus Christ. Have I ever
been embarrassed by the gospel
itself? (gospel, an old English
term used to translate the Greek
term evangelion, meaning “good
tidings”).
sn
THE IMPLICATIONS
I’ve thought long and hard on
this question and my first inclina
tion is to say; no, not of the gospel
itself. But it occurs to me that 1
there have been times when I have
been embarrassed, not so much by
the formulation of the gospel, as *
by the implications of it. It is easy
and safe to proclaim “salvation by
grace through faith,” but it is
something else to live as though I
believe that to be true. If I believe
the gospel, then what effect should
it have on the way I live my daily
life on the way I perceive and
treat other people, on the way I
respond to those in need, on the
values that I hold and follow, on
the goals 1 pursue, and on the
sources to which I look for my
satisfaction or deliverance?
The gospel is based upon love,
grace and faith and I must admit
that, there have been times when I
have found this an embarrassment
in a culture that is founded upon
material gain, worldly success,
and popular approval.
Embarrassed because love is not
“in,” I have hastened to agree with
other people that love is often not
very practical or realistic. I have
sometimes bent over backward to
conform to worldly standards of
success instead of Christian faith
fulness. Fearful of being thought
“weak” through the practice of
Christian grace, I have spoken
“tough” to prove to others that I do
not let the gospel get in the way of
common sense.
Yes, there are times when I
have acted as if God was an
embarrassment. What about you?
Lancaster- Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMmtn EMiprit*
Robert Q. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newmenger Managing Editor
CapKrisht IN4 by Lancaatar Farming