AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 19, 1994
OPINION
Grassland Farming
Has “Hayday”
Grassland fanning had a “hayday’’ last week when the Nation
al Forage and Grassland Council was in Lancaster for their annu
al convention. And rightfully so. When the forages cover the
earth, wind and water erosions are minimized. That’s good for the
environment.
And at the same time, input costs to livestock producers are
reduced. As John Rodgers, outgoing president from Belleville,
said in an interview, “When you think about all the government
regulations, environmental concerns, and just plain
economics all these things together the word is out:
‘Grass is in.”’
At the convention we heard more of the same. John Baylor,
well-known historian for grassland farming, quoted a 125-year
old bit of wisdom as follows: “Grass is the forgiveness of nature,
a constant benediction. It yields no fruit in earth or air, yet should
its harvest fail for a single year, famine would depopulate the
world.”
With proper management of rotational grazing, the bottom line
of livestock farming is enhanced. And even with the lower input
costs, dairymen have found they can maintain high production
levels at the same time.
So we have concluded that grassland farming has come roaring
back as a method of choice for feeding livestock. But we think
maybe a balance between zero grazing and total rotational graz
ing may be where the optimum system will fall for many produc
ers. In the colder climates where much of the milk and meat is
produced, you will still need to stockpile excess forages for wint
er feeding. But the more you can get the animal to walk to pasture
for feeding, the better it is for the animal, and the betterit is for the
bottom line.
All this new thinking that has come about because of the
expensive inputs now prevalent on the farm is based on the
research done at the land grant universities. We are all indebted to
such research programs as the rotational grazing studies con
ducted at Penn State.
Farm Calendar
Penn State Garden Symposium.
Lancaster Farm and Home Cen
ter, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Delaware Annual Ag Industry
Dinner, Dover Sheraton Inn, 7
p.m.
Dairy Judging Contest, Penn State
Ag Arena.
1994 Western Pennsylvania Bee
keepers Seminar, Park United
Presbyterian Church,
Zelienople.
Fruit Pruning Clinic, Scholz’s
Orchard, Mehoopany, 9 a.m.
Workshop on Fruit Tree Grafting,
Landis Valley Farm Museum,
Lancaster, 1 p.m.-4;30 p.m.
Md. Holstein Association Show
case Calf Sale, Solanco Fair-
I iK’sdii\, Mart'll --
Pasturing 101: An Agronomic
Look At Pastures, Pa. Farm
Show Complex, Harrisburg, 9
a.m.-3 p.m.
Central Susquehanna Valley Turf
and Ornamental meeting, Bryn
wood Banquet Center, Lewis
burg, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
York County Beekeepers meeting,
York Extension, 7 p.m.
Traveling Farmer Workshop On
Pesticides, Don Welk Farm,
Strasburg, noon-2:30 p.m.
Sheep Management Series, Carroll
Co. Md. Public Library, 7:30
jry ,
Flock Management Short
Course, Delmarva Convention
Center, Delmar, Md.
Atlantic Breeders Cooperative
30th annual meeting, Eden
Resort and Conference Center,
Lancaster, 10 a.m.-2:IS p.m.
Traveling Farmer Workshop On
Pesticides, John Zimmerman
Farm, Bowmans ville,
noon-2:30 p.m.
Lehigh County Dairy Tour to
Lebanon County, departs from
Junge Farm, Lynnville, 8:30
a.m.
Pennmarva Young Cooperator
Contest, Willow Valley Resort
and Conference Center, Lan
caster, thru March 24.
Disaster Insurance Seminar, UGI
Building, Bethlehem, 7:30
p.m.-10 p.m.
Penn Agri-Women Celebration of
National Ag Week, East Wing
of Capitol, Harrisburg, 11:30
a.m.
York County Holstein Association
annual bam meeting, Zirkle
Holstein Farm, Manchester, 1
p.m.
Lancaster County Conservation
District annual banquet, Yod
er’s Restaurant, New Holland,
7 p.m.
13 th Annual Spring Insect and
Disease Briefing for North
western Pa., Days Inn, Brook
ville, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
To Salute
American Farmers
March 20 is National Agricul
ture Day.
This year’s theme is “American
Agriculture Growing Better
Every Day,” with a focus on alter
native uses for agricultural
products.
What many people forget is
agriculture produces renewable
resources instead of consuming
resources. Also, many new pro
ducts are being developed from
agricultural products. These
include fuels and biodegradable
plastics, diaper tape, and stain
removers. In addition. American
farmers are producing enough
food to feed 128 people.
In Pennsylvania, the hard work
and dedication of 52,000 farm
families continue to keep agricul
ture the number one industry of the
commonwealth. Farmers provide
jobs for 20 percent of the
population.
Besides, fanners are good ste
wards of the land. Their conserva
tion practices are sustaining agri
culture while providing open space
and recharge areas for our under
ground water supply.
We salute the American farm
family for all it stands for, for pro
viding us with the safest and most
abundant food supply and all it
does to make America the best
place to live in the world.
To Control Flies
We will soon be in the spring fly
season.
Now is the time to start a good
fly control program. Hies can be
controlled, but it will take some
effort.
There is no one simple solution.
You will need to employ a variety
of solutions. These include manure
management, biological control,
monitoring, and chemical control.
First, you must start with dry
Traveling Fanner Workshop On
Pesticides, Ken Zurin Farm,
Salunga, noon-2:30 p.m.
Pennmarva Dairymen’s Federa
tion Annual Young Coopera
tors Luncheon, Willow Valley
Resort and Conference Center,
Lancaster, noon.
Cumberland County pesticide cre
dit meeting, Leinbach Farm
Supply, Shippensburg, 10 a.m.
Pa. East Chapter Organic Crop
Improvement Association,
Farm Show Complex, Harris
burg, 7 p.m.
Northumberland County Conser
vation District awards banquet,
Sunbury Social Club, 6:30 p.m.
Sheep Management Scries, Ore
gon Ridge Park, Cockeysville,
Md., also March 31.
Pa. Dairy Princess* Promotion
(Turn to Pag* A3l)
manure. Water leaks must be con
trolled Next you need to monitor
and record fly population numbers
on a weekly basis. This may be
done with spot cards or fly tape.
Also, larvae activity in the manure
needs to be monitored. When num
bers begin to increase, start using
biological and chemical control
methods.
To increase effectiveness of
chemicals, rotate between the four
classes of chemicals. Do not use
chemicals in the same family for
mote than two weeks.
By starting early and staying on
top of the fly population, you
should be able to minimize neigh
bor complaints. A new booklet,
“Penn Slate Pest Management
Recommendations for Poultry,” is
available at your Penn State county
cooperative extension office.
To Look
At Fields
This winter saw record snow
fall. In addition to the snow, we
also received a lot of ice.
The next few weeks will tell us
'vl
.r/.57
BY lAWRENCE W ALTHQUSE
m
saiuajs
MORE THAN ACQUITTAL
March 20, 1994
Background Scripture:
Romans S
Devotional Reading:
Colossians 1:9-14, 21-23
I used to think that Paul’s Epis
tle to the Romans was essentially a
treatise on justification. The con
cept of justification is essentially a
legal one; as one commentator
puts it, it is like “a judge acquit
ting an accused person in view of
fresh factors brought before the
court, or a new counsel for the
defense” (Cyril E. Blackman in
The Interpreter’s One-Volume
Commentary on the Bible.)
So, whenever you come across
that term justify/justification it
occurs 17 times in Romans and 10
times in Paul’s other letters
understand that he is saying you
are acquitted before God because
of Jesus Christ. He is the “new
factor” or “new counsel” for your
defense. Although you stand guil
ty before God, because of his
death and resurrection, you are
acquitted by God.
Justification whether you
use this term or something less
legalistic, like forgiveness is
vitally important to us. If sin alien
ates us from our Maker, we need
something to heal this rift and
renew the relationship. Dealing
with this reality of our broken
relationship with God, a reality for
all human beings, has been one of
the great concerns of the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
THE NEXT STEP
I have come to realize that,
although justification is vital for
all of us, it is not the end of either
our greatest need nor the good
news that Christ brings to that
need. Furthermore. I have come to
realize that Paul’s message, parti
cularly in Romans, goes beyond
the question of justification. Being
forgiven by God is not the end of
the matter. There is something vit
al in the gospel that carries us be
yond acquittal.
We do not stop with being for
given. Paul says, “For if while we
were enemies we were reconciled
to God by the death of his Son,
how much crop damage we had to
alfalfa and winter wheat fields. A
good stand of wheat will have IS to
18 plants per foot of row. Howev
er. 6 to 8 plants per tow may still
provide an economical yield.
Weed pressure will be greater at
the lower plant densities. If you
have less than 6 to 8 plants per row,
consider planting another crop in
this field.
Low areas in the field where
water has ponded will experience
the most stress. Some of these
areas were turning yellow last fall
already as a result of the wet
weather.
This winter’s wet weather will
continue to promote denitrifica
tion in these low-lying areas.
Denitrification occurs when soils
are under water for a few days and
causes the soil to lose nitrogen to
the air.
Some early spring nitrogen will
help to get these areas back on
track if enough plants have sur
vived the winter.
Feather Profs Footnote: "No
goals? No accomplishments."
much more, now that we are
reconciled, shall we be saved by
his life” (5:10). We are reconciled
to God because of what Christ has
done. But we are also saved,
rescued, freed from bondage,
delivered, by the continuing reali
ty of Christ’s life. Grace, thus, not
only rescues us from our past, but
gives us power for the present.
sn
THE POWER OF PEACE
Forgiveness is essential to a
relationship, but so is what you do
with that relationship when for
giveness has healed it To “have
peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ” gives us what we
need to live in this world. That’s
why Paul could say, “...we rejoice
in our suffering, knowing that suf
fering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and
character produces hope, and hope
does not disappoint us because
God’s love has been poured into
our hearts through the Holy Spir
it..” (5:3-5).
The quality of this new life is to
be found in what Christ has done
for us: “While we were yet help
less at the right time Christ died
for the ungodly" (5:6). Who
among us would give up our lives
for even a righteous man, let alone
someone we see as “ungodly”?
“But God shows his love to us in
that while we were yet sinners
Christ died to us” (5:8). If for
giveness gives us a new life even
as it was poured out for us. Not
just on those in our families. Not
just our circle of friends. But all
those others who, like us, are
dependent upon God’s grace.
Yes, there is a lot of evil in our
world. We are surrounded by it
and our society is rilled with it.
But the good news of Jesus Christ
reminds us that “where sin
increased, grace abounded all the
more” (5;20b). No matter how
much evil you find in your world,
you can always find grace in even
greater quantities grace, not
only for forgiveness but for the
new life that starts when we move
beyond acquittal.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMwnan EnMpnbe
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Evens R. Newewanger Managing Editor
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