AlO-Uncaster Firming, Saturdiy, November 5, 1994
OPINION
Proper Priorities
From time to time we hear about bad ethics in the show ring.
And we just want to caution livestock and dairy exhibitors that
animal agriculture is under the microscope. We cannot be seen as
allowing unethical, deceptive or illegal practices to occure in our
industry, especially in our youth programs.
In the October 1994 Livestock Conservation Institute newslet
ter, Glenn Slack, LCI executive director, reports that at a mid
west livestock show and auction last fall, a fair-goer caught on
video one of the livestock industry’s weakest moments. A young
man held his lamb by the head as another man repeatedly pound
ed the animal’s back, apparently to cause swelling that would
give it the firmness judges look for in livestock competition. The
home video made the evening newscasts and was an embarrass
ment tp the entire livestock industry.
Formal charges of animal cruelty were brought against the
two; a professional fitter and the 16-year-old owner of the lamb.
The fitter was found guilty in the beating, ordered to pay $l,OOO
in court costs, and received a suspended one-year sentence. The
exhibitor, not charged in the case, was forced to forfeit his $9OO
prize and was banned from participating in the show for two
years.
Other reports of unethical practices in show animals include:
—A bovine nip n‘ luck around the brisket or belly to give the
animal a leaner look.
—ln sheep, the last two ribs surgically removed to give the loin
a longer appearance and feel.
—Cosmetic dental surgery in cattle to conceal the true age of
the animal.
—Parents switching lambs at the show by using stolen paint
and number brands to alter identity.
—Pumping an animal with air or beer before a show to make it
appear fuller.
—Jeff Goodwin, extension specialist with Texas A&M says
the four biggest possible downfalls to the junior livestock prog
ram are as follows: 1, Illegal and extra-label drug use on show
animals; 2, False ownership and substitution of animals; 3, Hir
ing professional fitters and groomers; and 4, physical alteration
of animals.
We would add a sth reason for downfall. The unproportionate
ly high monetary reward that goes to the champions. The right
slap on the rump by a judge can mean thousands of dollars of
increased income at youth livestock sales. While everyone appre
ciates the businesses that support our youth with the purchase of
these 4-H and FFA projects, a cap should be placed on the amount
of money one person can receive, and the excess money above
this cap should go to benefit the total youth program involved.
While we do not believe illegal practices in youth programs are
widespread, any such activity gives a public black eye to the
livestock industry. In addition, when adults are involved in these
unethical practices, a terrible example is given to the very youth
wc want to influence for good.
Everyone needs to keep in mind that the real reason to give a
youth a livestock project is not because of the money that can be
made, but because of the lessons that can be learned.
It’s a matter of proper priorities.
Farm Calendar
Nittany Lion Fall Classic Sale, Ag
Arena, State College, 11 a.m.
North American International
Livestock Exposition, Ken
tucky Fair and Exposition Cen
ter, Louisville, Ky., thru Nov.
18.
Quarryville Antique and Craft
Show, Quarryville Elementary
School, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Va. Beekeepers’ Association
Winter Meeting, Best Western
Motor Inn, Winchester, Va., 8
a.m.
Incubating and Hatching Seminar,.
Eastern Regional Emu Chapter,
Holiday Inn, Frederick, Md., 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
Union County Extension annual
meeting. Carriage Corner
Restaurant, Mifflinburg, 6:30
p.m.
Berks County 4-H Livestock Ban
quet, Kutztown Grange Hall,
Agronomy Ag Service School,
Arena Restaurant, Bedford.
Food Safety Seminar, York Coun
ty Extension, 1:30 p.m., also 7
p.m.
Northampton County Extension
annual meeting, Allentown-
Penn State Dußois Campus,
Dußois.
Lancaster County Pasture* Walk,
Axel Linde and Millie Wid
mann, Lindenhof Farm, 10:30
To Know About
Frost And Corn
Much of this year’s late planted
com was killed by frost before
reaching maturity. Frost damage
occurs to com when temperatures
remain below 32 degrees for 4 to 5
hours or when temperatures dip to
28 degrees for only a few minutes.
The amount of loss to the crop is
dependent on the stage of growth
and the amount of leaf surface
actually killed. If grain moisture is
under 35 percent, the amount crop
loss is minimal. When com is in
the late milk stage, losses could be
as high as 36 percent; at the soft
dent stage, losses will be about 15
percent; at full dent but before the
kernel is hard, losses will be about
9 percent; and at hard dent, the los
ses will be 5 percent or less.
If the frost did not kill the entire
plant and some green leaves
remain, the plant will continue to
mature.
To Manage
Frosted Corn
A good rule of thumb to follow
is to let the crop mature more if
there are still some green leaves
left and it has not reached black
layer yet. If the cornfield has been
killed completely by frost, man
agement options will depend upon
the desired end use of the crop.
The best option for com frosted
in the milk stage is to green chop it
or harvest it as silage when whole
plant moisture is in the range for
putung it into the silo. If com has
reached the dough stage, it may be
harvested for grain when dry; how
ever, yields and test weight will be
low.
A major problem associated
with the harvest of any com killed
a.m.
67th National FFA Convention,
Kansas City, Mo., thru Nov. 12.
Penn/Jersey Equine Short Course,
New Jersey/Rutgers, thru Nov.
10.
Agronomy Ag Service School,
Days Inn, Meadville.
Northeast Regional Greenhouse
Seminar, Luzerne County
Community College Confer
ence Center, Nanticoke, 9
a.m.-3:15 p.m.
Westmoreland County Farm-City
Night, Mountain View Inn,
Berks County Holstein Associa
tion annual meeting, Berks
County Ag Center, 7:30 p.m.
Centre County Holstein Associa
tion annual meeting, Progress,
Centre Hall, 7 p.m.
Lancaster County Holstein annual
meeting. Country Table
Restaurant, Mount Joy, 7 p.m.
Chester County Cooperative
Extension annual meeting. East
(Turn to Pago A 22)
by frost is the slow drying. If
harvested as grain, this com should
be fed to livestock whenever possi
ble. If harvesting for silage,
remember com killed by frost
often looks much dryer than it is
and needs to monitored.
To Remember
Safety
• In 1992, an annual average of
3.2 million people 16 years of age
and older were employed in agri
cultural production in the United
States.
According to a review of agri
cultural injury studies, between
one third and one half of fatal farm
injuries involved tractors.
Tractor overturns accounted for
the majority of tractor-related
deaths. A five-state study by Uni
versity of Minnesota showed the
following distribution of injury
accidents:
• Livestock 30 percent
• Machinery 20 percent
• Tractors 8 percent
• Surfaces and stairs 7
BY LAWRENCE W ALTHQUSE
'Hi
maj
BLESS THIS HOUSE
Novembers, 1994
Background Scripture:
2 Samuel 7
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 86:1-12
The word “house” appears in 2
Samuel 7 twelve times, but the
meaning of this word varies con
siderably. Actually, the writer of
the book employs it as a play on
words.
The first meaning of “house”
comes when King David says to
the prophet Nathan, “See now, I
dwell in a house of cedar, but the
ark of God dwells in a tent.”
David is referring to his royal
palace. In light of his princely
dwelling, he feels it is wrong for
God’s ark to be located in a mere
tent. The tent had become a cen
tral feature of Israel’s religious
life during the 40 years of exodus.
At first, the prophet Nathan
tells him it is ijty, right for him to
build God a “house” —a temple,
but in a revelation from the Lord,
he was told that God did not want
David to build him a temple. The
tent served God and the Israelites
very well. If he needs a house, it
will not be one build by human
hands. Instead his “house” will be
the human lives that are opened to
him and in which he can live.
(Jesus saw himself as the living
temple in Mark 14:58, 15:29, and
John 2:19)
tHE EDIFICE COMPLEX
In religion there is always the
danger of an edifice complex,
focusing*our loyalty and devotion
upon a “house” of worship, rather
than the one whom the “house”
is intended to serve. Worst of all,
the “house” we build'may be
come a human attempt to limit
God to a particular place and peo
ple. In our denominationalism
and sectarianism we often be
come like the little boy who
charged the neighbor kids admis
sion to enter his backyard to see
an eclipse.
This can be true, not only of
the buildings we dedicate to God,
but the institutions we fashion—
denominations, ecclesiastical
structures, priestly hierarchies,
dogmas, and theological systems.
Even the Bible can be elevated to
percent
• Small power equipment 6
percent
• Storage structures
percent
• Chemicals 1 percent
There are an estimated 300
deaths to children younger than 20
years of age on U. S. farms each
year. For every childhood injury
death (not limited to childhood
agricultural injury), there are
approximately 42 hospitalizations
and 1,120 emergency department
visits.
These statistics remind us the
importance of thinking and prac
ticing safety. It takes time. Howev
er, that extra time to check for
children around equipment, stor
ing chemicals properly, respecting
livestock, etc. could prevent a seri
ous accident, lost time at hospital,
recovering from an accident, or
planning a funeral. Take time and
be safe.
Feather , Profs Footnote:
“Without challenge, there is no
achievement."
a status and veneration that
belong to God alone.
God tells Nathan to tell David
that, instead of building him a
house, the Lord would build him
one: “and your house and your
kingdom shall be made sure for
ever before me” (7:16). Here,
“house” means, not a building,
but a dynasty, David’s descen
dants. The house God builds for
David will be a continual living
of the Lord in the lives of David
and his heirs. In this sense,
David’s “house” will also be the
Lord’s “house.”
A GREAT NATION
So, David prays, asking, “Who
am I, O Lord God, and what is my
house, that thou hast brought me
thus far?” (7:19). Here, David
uses “house” to refer to his fami
ly. How has his family'merited
God’s special election and favor?
And the same question may be
asked of Israel itself: why did it
merit God’s favor? “Whaf other
nation on earth is like thy people
Israel...” (7:23). For what reason
were the Israelites to be his cho
sen people?
When we speak of a nation
being great we refer to its politi
cal power, economic preemi
nence, or military might. But
Israel had none of these. All
Israel had was a consciousness of
God. Ganse Little has termed
them a “God intoxicated peo
ple... the repository and channel
for the loftiest revelations of
God’s nature and purpose.” What
made Israel a “great” nation, was
not the greatness of the people,
but the greatness of the God who
chose them.
At the very end of his prayer,
David asks, “Now therefore may
it please thee to bless the house of
thy servant, that it may continue
for ever before thee...” (7:29).
Here the “house” is David’s, pre
sent and future, and his prayer is
on the very highest order. Not for
wealth, power or prosperity, but
that his family might ever be
close to the Lord.
So may we pray for God to
bless our own houses.
Lancaster Farming
- Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Fanning, Inc.
A Sfhmtn emiprim
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Event R. Nawiwtnger Managing EdHor
Copyright I tea by Laneiater Farming
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