AlO-Lancaalar Firming, Saturday. April 30, 1994
OPINION
Every Day Earth Day
The leader of New Yoric State’s leading farm and rural advo
cacy group says that for American farmers every day is Earth
Day. He further notes that farmers are working harder and
smarter than ever to protect the environment.
According to Charles Wille, president of the 23,000 member
New York Farm Bureau, “The sheer fact that New York far
mers own over eight million acres of land makes them common
sense environmentalists. We depend on the land and water to
make our living. It would be foolish to destroy the very resour
ces that arc responsible for our livelihood. In addition, our land
is the same land that came from our ancestors; it is the land we
hope to pass on to the next generation. It is in our best interest
to be good stewards.”
Wille said that fanners do a number of things that arc ‘envi
ronment friendly.’ “Many farmers control insects and funguses
through a program known as Integrated Pest Management. Bet
ter known as IPM, this program has helped farmers cut pesti
cide use by incorporting non-chemical pest control strategies,
like insect pheromone traps and crop rotation, with the time
sensitive use of agricultural chemicals. In addition to IPM, far
mers are working to reduce fuel usage, implement a variety of
soil conservation techniques, and plant trees as windbreaks,”
said Wille.
Wille said the large tracts of land owned by farmers serve as
a source of wetlands and a big source of habitat and food for
wildlife, as well as the location of many of the trees, water and
open space. He added, “Interestingly, I know one Western New
York farmer who annually floods his com fields with water
after the harvest-thus providing food for waterfowl.”
Wille went on to say that for non-farmers Earth Day has been
celebrated for over 20 years. Farmers, on the other hand, have
been working to be good caretakers of the land and water since
man has been farming— in other words, thousands of years.
Last week the average citizen celebrated Earth Day. Farmers
did too, as they also are doing this week and next week and
every following week.
Farm Calendar
New York Guernsey Breeders
Association annual meeting,
Cortland, N.Y.
Delaware Valley A-Day, Dela
ware Valley College, thru May
1.
Delaware Valley Milk Goat Asso
ciation meeting, Pottstown,
DER public meeting on Draft
Nutrient Management Strategy,
Centerville Middle School,
DER public meeting on Draft
Nutrient Management Strategy,
Market Street State Office
,^BuildingJlarrisb^^
Greenhouse Vegetable Growers’
meeting, Days Inn, Shamoldn
Dam, 9:15 a.m.-4 p.m.
Nutrient Management Advisory
Board meeting, 2301 N. Came
ron St., Harrisburg, 9:30
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Twilight Growers Meeting, John
Brubaker Farm, Kutztown, 6
p.m.
Groundwater Protection Satellite
Seminar, Penn State Allentown
Campus, Fogelsville, 2 p.m.
Good-Bye Reception In Honor Of
Mae B. Hostetler, Dauphin
County Ag and Natural Resour
ces Center, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Groundwater Protection Telecon
ference, Lancaster Farm and
culture To Meet Real World
; &V 7 1
Needs, Holiday Inn, College
Park, Md.
DER public meeting on Draft
Nutrient Management Strategy,
Penn State Wilkes-Barre Cam
i)usTechnicalC«jtoTj3on^
Saturday, Mat 7
Md. Sheep and Wool Festival,
Howard County Fairgrounds,
West Friendship, Md., thru
M»nd;i\, Ma> 9
Poultry Management and Health
Seminar, Days Inn, Shamokin
Wednesday, May 11
Pa. Veterinary Nutrition Forum
monthly meeting, Days Inn Air
port Hotel, Harrisburg, 7 p.m.
South Jersey Twilight Meeting,
A.J. Gaventa & Sons Cedarville
Farms, Repaupo, N.J., 6:15
p.m.
Total Quality Management Semi
I'riday, Mav 13
Saturday, May 14
Sunday, May 15
Beiics County 4-H Horse Council
Open Horse Show, Berks 4-H
Nutrient Management Confer
ence, Atlanta Airport Hilton
To Work Safely
Around Manure Pits
Deaths occur virtually every
year from people and animals bre
athing hydrogen sulfide gas from
liquid manure storages.
Hydrogen sulfide is a gas that
stays below the surface of liquid
manure pits until it is released by
stirring or pumping.
University of lowa research has
found that more than half of all liq
uid manure storage facilities are
capable of producing dangerous
amounts of hydrogen sulfide.
A reminder of this potential dan
ger to all family members and
employees could prevent a
tragedy.
Make sure all people are out of
buildings and air movement is
maximized before starting to agi
tate or empty storage facilities,
especially for buildings with ani
mals over pits. Agitate pits as
slowly as possible so hydrogen
sulfide dissipates before it reaches
dangerous levels.
Never enter a liquid manure
storage facility without a source of
fresh air and a planned method of
escape.
To Lise Lawn
Mowers Safely
With spring finally arriving,
grass is growing rapidly.
Bruce Hellerick, extension hor
ticultural agent, offers the follow
ing lawn mowing safety tips;
Hotel, Atlanta, Ga., thru May
18.
National Dairy Promotion and
Research Board 10th annual
meeting. Park Hyatt, Washing
Pa. Fair at Philadelphia Park, Ben
salem, thru May 30.
Poultry Education and Research
Center Dedication, Penn State
University Park, 11 a.m.
York County Dairy Princess
Atlantic National Angus Show,
Timonium. Md.. thru May 30.
• Know the proper way to start
and operate the mower. Read the
manual before operating.
• Do not permit children or
others unfamiliar with the mower
to operate it
• Never leave the mower run
ning unattended.
• Know how to stop the engine
quickly.
• Do not attempt to adjust or
clean the mower when it is
running.
• Do not refuel a gasoline
engine while it is running.
• Never attempt to work on a
mower until the spark plug is
disconnected.
• Keep hands and feet away
from all moving parts.
To Do
Soil Tests
Farmers have two good reasons
to soil test, according to Robert
Anderson, extension agronomy
agent.
First, soil tests save money. Sec
ond, they help save the environ
ment. Soil tests tell the farmer
what the nutrient level of pho
sphorous and potassium are in the
EATING WITH THE
GENTILES
May 1,1994
Background Scripture:
Galatians 1 through 2
Devotional Reading:
1 Timothy 1:12-17
It may be difficult for many of
us to understand why this question
of eating with Gentiles was so
important in Paul’s time so
important that he made a public
condemnation of Simon Peter for
refusing to sit at table with Gen
tiles who had been won to Christ
Of course, we’re on Paul’s side.
It seems idiotic to us that Peter
should shrink from sharing a meal
with Gentile Christians. Hadn’t he
himself had that life-changing
experience at the house of Corne
lius in Joppa? Did not Peter say, as
a result of that experience, “You
yourselves know how unlawful it
is for a Jew to associate with or to
visit any one of another nation; but
God has shown me that I should
not call any man common or
unclean” (Acts 10:27-29).
Yet, in order to understand the
importance of this conflict, we
have to realize why this was so
important to the Jewish Christ
ians. Originally, there was a good
reason for this practice. Through
out most of their history the Jews
were surrounded by paganism.
The Old Testament gives us conti
nual evidence of the vulnerability
of the Hebrews to the influences
of paganism.
Something Special
The people of Israel were called
to be God’s special people and
there were certain practices and
life-style features that were
designed to keep them untainted
by the pagan world. Circumcision
was to be a mark of their specail
ness. So was the way they con
ducted themselves at the table. As
one commentator, Raymond T.
Stamm, puts it: “Begun with the
joyful thanks-giving and sancti
fied by conversation concerning
God, a common meal became
God’s table, and the Jewish
Christians were unwilling to risk
spiritual contamination by eating
with those who did not share it.”
field and how much fertilizer is
needed to reach the desired level
without overapplying fertilizer.
Traditionally, soil tests do not
test for nitrogen in a preplanting
situation because nitrogen is a very
mobile nutrient. Soil teats for nit
rogen are available for use later in
the growing season to determine
the need for sidedress nitrogen.
Fields should be tested every
three to five years or when a diffe
rent crop will be grown. Soil tests
provide the fanner with pH, pho
sphorus, and potassium informa
tion, along with recommendations
for the amount of lime and fertiliz
er needed to reach the desired yield
goal.
Farmers who add manure to the
soil before planting are provided
information on valuing the manure
against any fertilizer
recommended.
By soil testing and following the
recommendations, farmers may
reduce costs and keep nutrients in
balance for maximum yields while
protecting the environment
Feather Profs Footnote: “If
you want to truly understand
something, try to change it.”
As to why Peter weakened on
this matter, we must realize that he
knew how sensitive the Jewish
Christians were on this subject.
Peter didn’t want to alienate these
people. If a whole segment of the
church became upset, how would
the gospel benefit from that? In
changing his stance on this, was
he not simply doing what his con
stituents wanted him to do? If he
had put it to a vote, certainly they
would have overwhelmingly vot
ed against this kind of liberalism.
Subverting The Gospel
So, the prohibition of eating
with non-Jews was meant to pre
serve the sanctity of the Jewish
tradition. As such, it was well-'
intentioned. Yet, as so often with
us, despite the good intentions, the
prohibition had its pitfalls, too.
And these pitfalls were subtle, for
they tempted sincere Jews to pride
and self-righteousness. Yes, the
traditions kept them different, but
they let this difference subvert the
true nature of their specialness.
Now, the point for us in May,
1994 has little to do with whom
we sit at table. But that doens’t
mean that what happened between
Paul and Peter at Antioch is
irrelevant to us. Even though the
circumstances may be different,
all of us have our “eating with
Gentiles” problems today, too.
Can we share Holy Communion
with Christians whose beliefs may
not be the same as ours? Should
we share our churches with people
whose life-styles make us uncom
fortable? In order to avoid being
stained by the pagan world, don’t
we also have to keep ourselves
pure and unsullied by others?
It is in the midst of questions
such as these that Paul says to us,
as he did to the Galatians. “I am
astonished that you are so quickly
deserting him who called you in
the grace of Christ and turning to a
different gospel...” From a gospel
of gospel of grace to a gospel of
works. And that is not a gospel
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMnmn EMwprfea
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newmengtr Managing Editor
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