C AlO-Urtcasttr Finning, Saturday, October 15, 1994 OPINION Brighten The Corner Wherever You Are Friday, October 14, probably passed without the majority of Pennsylvanians recognizing its significance. It was the 80th anniversary of the Society of Farm Women of Pennsylvania, which was founded by Flora Black in 1914. Many of it's 3,140 membership celebrated it quietly by gathering for a traditional Farm Women’s Day breakfast. But the significance of Farm Women is not the way they choose to celebrate the founding day but the way they live their lives every day of the year. These women quietly go about making a difference in their homes, communities, and state. Their motto, “For Happiness,” is rooted in the belief that happiness is attained when we give generously to others. Each year, the membership chooses state, county, and society projects, which results in giving thousands of dollars to aid the ill, the unfortunate, and to benefit community betterment pro jects. Helping others is not always limited to the state. Last year Farm Women gave $11,876 to the Heifer Project International, which sends livestock to aid third-world countries. While the society was first founded for farm women, many of its members are no longer living on their farm, but they haven’t forgotten their roots. They seek to promote a love for farm and understanding of agriculture. This is upheld by encouraging stu dents to pursue agricultural and home economic-related degrees. Last year, the state society contributed $5,000 in scho larships and most of the 16 societies gave additional scholarships. Another prime emphasis of Farm Women is to build a home of beauty and warmth for family members. Love for God and country continues to be a strong loyalty among the membership, who believe that these values have made America a strong country and are necessary to maintain it. Each gathering ends by members singing the society song, “Brighten the Comer Where You Are.” It’s a reminder to each one to be constantly aware to make a positive contribution wherever each one may go. It’s an admoni tion we all should strive to fulfill. If you missed observing Farm Women’s-Day this past Friday, you can still celebrate it in the way its members have been doing every day of the year for 80 years brighten the comer where you! Farm Calendar Blue Mountain Antique Gas and Steam Engine Fall Harvest and Sawmill Show, Jacktown Com munity Center, Bangor, thru Oct 16. shop, WMREC, Keedysville, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Berks County Extension dinner meeting, 4-H Community Cen- Dillsburg Community Fair, Dills burg. thru Oct 22. Lancaster County Bee Association Fall Honey Beeswax and Cook ing Roundup, Dutch Gold Hon PAS A Nutrient Management Field Day, David and Terry Rice (Ojala Farms), Blair County, 10 a.m.-12;15 p.m. and Randy and Karen Huntsman Dairy, Mar tinsburg^SJMjmij^^tMjjn. National Meeting On Poultry Health and Processing, Shera ton Ocean City, Ocean City, Md., thru' Oct 21. Uniontown Poultry and Farm S' iw, Uniontown, thntOct. 23. /V^7 7 ' Workshop Series On Computer ized Farm and Record Keeping, Lancaster Farm and Home Cen ter, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-3 p.m., also Oct. 27. Pasture Walk, Dr. Robert and Helene Dreisbach, Hamburg, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Conservation' Easement Admini strator’s Workshop, Penn State Extension, Carlisle, 9 a.m.-4 p.m._ Farm and Natural Lands Trust Harvest Fes t, Brown’s Orchard, Loganville, thru Oct. 23. • Sire Power Sale ’94, Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, 11 a.m. Lancaster County RabbitandCavy Breeders Association Rabbit Show, West Lampeter Fair grounds, Lampeter. 9 a.m. Penn State Career Open House, University Park, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Oclului 2.' \lorul;i\, OctoluT 24 Managing Cover Crops For Increased Productivity, Days Inn, State College, thru Oct. 25. Franklin County Conservation District Field Day, Edwin Shank Farm, Chambersburg, 9 a.tn.-12 p.m. To Evaluate Forage Quality According to Glenn Shirk, extension dairy agent, the amount of fiber in a cow’s radon, the length of forage particles, and the quality of forages fed are critical to her health and productivity. For normal rumen function and fewer twisted stomachs, cows need to consume enough fiber. Specifically, neutral detergent fib er (NDF) intake from forages needs to be at least 1.5 percent of the cow’s body weight. For example, a 1,300-pound cow needs to consume approxi mately 20 pounds of forage NDF. Quality is important. For hay crop forage, aim for about 20 percent crude protein, 30 percent acid detergent fiber (ADF), and 40 per cent NDF. Too often, farmers and their advisers equate high protein to high quality. This is not always the case, especially if high protein, ensiled, hay crop forages are a major portion of the ration. During fermentation, a lot of the protein is converted to soluble pro tein. This is mote than the rumen may safely handle. The excess is absorbed into the blood stream and raises the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels to the point where it may cause reproductive problems. Also, some of the protein is even tually excreted and wasted. It is important to also feed a highly soluble source of carbohy drate such as high moisture com, com silage, barley, etc. The best way to evaluate your hay crop for ages is through forage testing and see how close you are to the 20-30-40 ratio. If you are not close, look at your forage harvesting program and make the necessary adjustments. Tuesday, October 25 Chester County Holstein Associa tion annual meeting, WestFal lowfidd Christian School, Atg len, 7 p.m. Lancaster County Poultry Associ ation annual banquet. Willow Valley Convention Center, 6:30 p.m. Lebanon County Holstein Associ ation annual meeting, Schaef fcrstown Fire Hall, Schaeffer stown. 7 p.m. wmmmmmm Lancaster County 4-H Swine Ban quet, Country Table Restaur ant, Mount Joy, 6:30 p.m. New Holland Sales Stables Dairy Show. New Holland, show 9 Workshop Series on Computer ized Farm Record Keeping, Lancaster Farm and Home Cen ter, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Turn to Page A 22) To Plan Fall Feeding Early fall signals the time most beef cows in Pennsylvania will be at the lowest feed requirement for the year. Chester Hughes, extension livestock agent, reminds us there may be some ways to lower feed costs and save expensive hay or stockpile pasture. Use stalk or stubble fields to extend fall grazing. Allow about one fourth acre per cow and increase the acreage weekly. Fai lure to limit acreage will result in poor use of the field. Cows will take off the best feed first and leave the rest until later. Use your worst quality hay first. You may wish to limit grazing for a few weeks and feed up the poorer quality hay. Graze older cows behind young cows with calves or newly weaned calves in a pasture rotation. This allows the younger qpimals to have first opportunity to eat the best grass they need for growth. Use some food by-products. Apple pomace is a good cow feed. w r BY LAWRENCE W ALEHOUSE sasmi SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME October 16.1994 Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 7:15 through 8:22; 12:19-25 Devotional Reading: Psalms 47:1-9 There have been many times when I have pondered over the Lord’s response to Samuel when the prophet revealed that the peo ple had asked for a king: “Harken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (8:7). Again and again I have ended up asking, why did God regard their asking for a king as a rejec tion of Himself? Although there are hardly any kings in the world today, much of'lhe history of our civilization has been based upon the reigns of kings and queens, emperors and empresses. And today there are modern equiva lents: president, prime ministers, governors and dictators instead of kings and queens; bureaucratic governments instead of king doms. The world cannot cope without someone wielding authority and leading the people. But the situation among the tribes of Israel before they asked for a king show us as an ideal world. There is no need of gov ernment ty rulers so long as peo ple maintain a close relationship with the Lord. For many years, the only government that the tribes of Israel knew .was the prophet Samuel serving as an itinerant judge to make circuits among the settlements of Bethel,' Gilgal, and Mizpah and settle dis putes. So long as the people remained close and responsive to God, that was the only rule they needed. NO GOVERNMENT We hear people today tell us that “the only good government is no government” or “the least gov ernment” or “the least govern ment, the best government.” It is either fresh or ensiled. However, do not add urea to it. Potato chips and bakery wastes are good sour ces of energy. But the cows will need a source of fiber. Fresh veget ables are fine. But with pregnant cows, you need to watch for mold and protein levels in legumes. To Deworm Sheep In the humid Mid-Atlantic reg ion, sheep need to be dewormed more often than in other parts of the country. The ewe flock should be dewormed every other month beginning in May and ending after a hard killing frost Lambs on pasture and replace ment ewe and ram lambs, includ ing show stock, should be dewormed every four weeks. A variety of dewormers are available for sheep and should he rotated to decrease the chance of resistance. Consult your veterina rian for advice on deworming pro ducts labeled for sheep. Feather Prof s Footnote: "The key to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making dreams come true." obvious that we live in a very anti-government world. They become fed up with the govern ment interfering with their daily lives. As one man told me, “If we all lived by the Golden Rule we wouldn’t need congress nor a President.” But that’s the rub, both in the time of Samuel and today, for, although it would be better if we were to govern ourselves, it is just not in the cards for human beings to do so. We probably could dis pense with all the laws, including the Ten Commandments and there wouldn’t be any need for regulatory agencies. Yet, if we removed all this government, would people live peaceably and fairly? I think not. When we do not follow God and His purpose for the world, we need some kind of political and social structure to do for and with us what we are not able nor inter ested in doing for ourselves. So government —even the best of it—is the price we pay for not governing ourselves. REJECTING GOD So, now I think I understand what the Lord means when He says, “for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” When we fail to respond to the Lord in all His goodness to us, we are in fact handing ourselves over to others to govern us. Fortunately, our failure is not insurmountable. As Samuel told the people of Israel, “Fear not, you have done all this evil, yet do not turn away from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your hearts... For the Lord will not cast away His people...” Despite our foolishness, our carelessness, our rebelliousness, there is the amazing grace of God whereby we are saved from all of the above and are granted the chance to let God reign in our hearts. Lancaster Farming /Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St Ephrata, PA 17522 - by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A sMmn Entmprim Robert G. Campbell General Manager Event a Wenweenger Menaging Edtor Copyright 1004 by UneMar Formlnf