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.
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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
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