AlO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, April 9, 1994 OPINION Invest In Ag Research While the amount of food produced worldwide increased in recent decades due to scientific advances in fanning, a record explosion in the world’s population will outstrip food produc tion in coming years if research on new farming technologies and food policies is neglected, warns a Washington-based insti tute that monitors trends affecting the world’s food supply. The international community, made complacent by current food surpluses in Europe and North America and low world food prices, is failing to invest in the agricultural research necessary to produce enough food for the burgeoning population in many developing countries, said a report released today by the Inter national Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). “Over the next 20-30 years, farmers and policymakers in de veloping countries will be challenged to provide food at afford able prices for almost 100 million more people every year the largest annual population increase in history,” said IFPRI Director General Per Pinstrup-Andersen, author of the report entitled World Food Trends and Future Food Security. “More over, they will have to increase food production from more pro ductive use of the land and without further degradation of na tural resources (farm) area expansion is no longer a feasible option in most of the world.” Agricultural research has produced new varieties of import ant food crops that yield more food per acre and are more re sistant to pests and diseases that destroy crops. These scientific advances literally saved millions of people from starvation in the 1960 s and 19705. IFPRI warns that these advances may be lost in the future if governments do not actively pursue research for sustainable agricultural development. “Given the long lag time between investment in agricultural research and the resulting production increases, failure to in vest today will show up in production shortfalls 10 to 20 years from now,” Pinstrup-Andersen said. “The problems associated with environmental degradation will present themselves soon er. We must not wait until a global food crisis is upon us or un til the last tree has fallen to make these investments.” Farm Calendar International Spring Red and White Sale, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, Md., 6 p.m. Maryland State Holstein Show, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, 9 a.m. Pond Management Meeting, Ray mond Goeringer Farm, Tunk hannock, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Fruit pruning demo, Bertram’s Orchard, Honesdale, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Guernsey Breeders Association Kentucky National Show and Sale, Louisville, Ky. Wayne County Holstein Club tour, leaves county courthouse 9 a.m., returns 4:30 p.m. Tioga County Dairy Day, Tioga Farm Credit Banks of Springfield Northeast Dairy Conference, Sheraton, Springfield, Mass., thru April 12. National 4-H Conference, Nation al 4-H Center, Chevy Chase, 4-H Capitol Days, thru April 12. Green Valley Lamb Marketing Cooperative meeting, Lancas ter Farm and Home Center, 7 p.m. Octorara Young Farmers Awards dinner. West Fallowfield Christian School, 6:45 p.m. Rutgers N.J. and Northampton Pa. Holstein Tour to Lebanon, leaves Wayne Dumont Jr. Administration Building, Bel- I calibration meeting, Earl G. Martin Farm, 7:30 p.m. Adams County Dairy Tour to Fre derick County, Md, departs North Gettysburg Shopping Center, 8 a.m., departs back to Gettysburg, 4 p.m. Fr Cr Relations Conference. Holiday Inn, Baltimore Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Md., thru April IS. Pa. Veterinary Nutrition Forum meeting. Days Inn Airport Hotel, Harrisburg, 7 p.m. Nutrient Management Advisory Board meeting, 2301 N. Came- ron St., Harrisburg, 9:30 Del. Urban and Community Fore stry Banquet. Blue Coat Inn, Dover, Del., 6:30 p.m.-9:30 Mercer County Holstein Associa tion Spring Spectacular Sale, 4-H Park, Mercer, 7 p.m. Mercer County Sheep Shearing Schools, Gadsby Farm, Grove City, also April 16. Mid-Atlantic Alternative Animal Conference, Days Inn Confer ence Center, Allentown, thru April 16. Franklin County 4-H Dairy Calf Sale. Martion Auction Service, Marion, 7 p.m. To Evaluate Planting Alfalfa This year, spring weather has been anything but helpful in get ting into fields. It is April and very little of anything has been done in fields, including getting ready to plant alfalfa. Robert Anderson, extension agronomy agent, makes the fol lowing observations. Normally by the end of April, nearly all the alfalfa seedlings are done. As we move later into what we would normally consider the growing season, the question is. “What is the optimum planting time for a particular crop?” Research has shown that alfalfa may be planted through the month of May in south central Pennsylva nia with fairly good results. How ever, plantings which have been delayed that long are normally under a lot more pressure from weeds if a herbicide is not used Many things should be consid ered when deciding whether to plant alfalfa late or to plant com or another crop. It may be worth sav ing an old alfalfa field until next year and planting another crop this year if getting alfalfa planted is delayed past the end of April. If a short season com is grown for silage this year, it may be possi ble to achieve better results plant ing a fall seeding of alfalfa in that field. Careful selection of com her bicides is necessary with this plan. To Evaluate Alfalfa Fields A good time to evaluate the potential of a alfalfa field for the year and to re-evaluate winter damage is after the alfalfa starts growing this spring or after the first cutting. To evaluate your field, use a piece of wire to make a one foot by one foot square. Drop this square at several locations in the field and count the number of stems found. If the field has an average of 55 or more stems per square foot, maximum yields should be obtained. If there are between 40 and SS stems per square foot, the yield should be economically worth keeping for the season. If Franklin County pesticide exam, cooperative extension office, 9 a.m. Saturday. \pril l(i Income Opportunities For Rural Areas Workshop, Center for Career and Technical Educa tion, Cresaptown, Md. McKean-Potter Blueberry Produc tion Workshop, Smethport Extension Office. 10 a.m. ----- i — Simd-tv. \pi 11 I 7 Moiul.n. \pnl IS Penn State Garden Recycling (Turn to Pago A3l) there are less than 40 steins per square foot, consider rotating the field to com. To Properly Care For Fleeces Chester Hughes, extension livestock agent, said that wool is one of the most poorly handled farm products marketed. Some sheep producers only receive half of their wool value because they market fleeces that are full of hay, straw, burrs, mud, or other foreign materials. Reeces are often tied with everything from baling wire to bin der twine. Paper twine is the only accept able product for tying fleeces. Hughes offers the following tips when shearing and handling fleeces: * Shear only when the wool is dry. • Clean the straw off the belly and legs before starting to shear. • Shear on a clean, dry surface. • Avoid second cuts; remove the fleece in one piece. • Remove all tags, dunning SY LAWRENCE W ALEHOUSE THE sasiLs AREYOU SURE YOU’RE ALIVEr April 10,1994 Background Scripture: Romans 8:1-11 Devotional Reading: Romans 8:26-28, 35-39 I’m sure you've heard the story about the rich Texas widow whose last request was that she be buried in her Mercedes. As she and her luxury car were being lowered in to the huge grave, one of the gravediggers was heard to ex claim: “Man, that’s livingl” Actually, we have a hard time in determining what is living and what is not Very often that which we identify with living is in reality a kind of death. Just because the body goes through the motions of living doesn’t guarantee that the person is alive. Living, in its deep est sense, involves a lot more than breathing and animation. On two different occasions I’ve had the opportunity to go to the fa mous marionette theater in Saiz bur, Austria. As the show began. I found, I was aware that the figures on the stage were marionettes and not human' actors. But soon 1 found myself thinking of them as human. The skill of the marionette masters had made them come alive. On one occasion, I had the chance to go back stage after the presentation and I was struck by how lifeless the marionettes were. Hung on a hook or lying on the floor, it was obvious there was no life in them. SPIRITUALLY DEAD I’ve noticed that with some people, too. They go through the motions of living, but they do not live. They are not alive. Paul says, “To set the mind on the flesh is death ...” (Romans 8:6). Paul is not speaking of mere physical flesh itself, but of the lower nature of humanity that drags us down in stead of lifting us up. Paul is not putting down the human body, but the baseness of a life that is lived just on a material or physical lev el. It is a life that rises no higher than physical appetites. A person so focused on his or her life is spiritually dead. Things have se parated that person from God. locks, and stained wool from the fleece and bag them separately. • If there is a lot of hay, chaff or other material in the neck area, remove this section from the fleece and bag separately. ■ Bag separately black fleeces or fleeces with a large amount of black in them. Remove black leg and face wool from the fleece and bag with the black wool. • Roll fleece with the flesh side out and tie securely, but not too tightly, into a neat package. • Tie fleeces with paper twine only. Neva use plastic baler twine or allow the fleeces to become con taminated with plastic twine. • Tie fleeces separately. Do not tie several together. • Store the tied fleeces in a wool bag in a clean, dry area that is pro tected from dust, dirt, and rodents. Do not store in plastic bags or pap er bags. Feather Profs Footnote: "The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” Vin cent Lombardi “For the mind that is set on the flesh,” says Paul, “is hostile to God” (8:7). So, it is possible to be clinically alive and yet spiritually dead. Wonderful as the physical ma terial world may be, it dies not, cannot satisfy our deepest long ings. But that is so hard for us to understand, for these material things ate so attractive. For exam ple. have you ever looked forward to a special lunch or dinner—per haps a birthday or anniversary celebration that promises to be something spectacular. No matter how wonderful the meal and the occasion are, the satisfaction is fleeting. We may be quite hungry the very next morning and bored by late afternoon. ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT In John 6 Jesus reminds his lis teners that “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.” No material things can keep us alive forever. Only the spiritual can do that; “I am the bread of life,” said Jesus, “he who comes to me shall not hunger” (6:35). When we walk “not according to the flesh but according to the spirit,” Paul says, we are set free of the corruption of all materiality. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death” (8:2). The key is that upon which we set our minds and hearts. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,” Paul tells the Ro mans, “but those who live accord ing to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (8:5) A mind set upon skim milk doesn’t produce whipped cream. A heart that is given to prejudice, jealous, envy and material things cannot have room for the life-giving Spir it If you want to check to see if you’re alive, don’t feel your pulse; check your mind and see whether it is focused on “things of the flesh” or “things of the Spirit.” Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A SMmin Enlmprim Robert G. Campbell General Manager Evmm a Newtwangtr Managing Editor Caarright IM4 ky Lanaaa -Farming
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