Aio-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, Decamber 3,1994
OPINION
A Mandate To
Treat Sinkholes
In years past, erosion ditches and sinkholes were considered
places to discard junk from around the farm. Some farmers even
called them “God-sends” because of the convenience these ditch
es and holes lent to the dumping process.
Through modem conservation practices, the erosion ditches
have been tackled and conquered. Sod strips in waterways, con
tour farming, and no-til cultivation practices have greatly
reduced soil erosion. And in many places what once was an ugly
conduit of rushing muddy water in every heavy rain storm has
now become a pastoral asset to the farm.
But sinkholes ate still to be conquered, partly because they
appear unexpectedly, and partly because farmers don’t under
stand the environmental impact of the sinkhole.
In part two of Andy Andrews’ series on the subject in this
issue, Bruce Benton, a geologist with the Natural Resources Con
servation Service (NRCS) says that many farmers may not real
ize that sinkholes can be a direct conduit to a water supply. So
whatever you throw in a sinkhole will show up in your water
supply.
Fanners remain afraid to talk about sinkhole problems because
they fear DER intervention and/or costly repair costs. Actually,
under a new Pequea-Mill Creek Project initiative in Lancaster
County, funds, are available to repair several sinkholes free of
cost to use as examples of how it should be done. One of the
objectives of the initiative is to identify four or five sinkholes in
the watershed area that have been used as dump sites. For no
charge, the project together with the help of the NRCS and the
Lancaster County Conservation District, will assess, design, and
implement a complete sinkhole cleanup and repair on a cooperat
ing farm.
If you have a sinkhole, don’t use it as a dump. Also be sure not
to mix fann chemicals near a sinkhole or put chemical containers
into it. Don’t use sinkholes as outlets for drainage systems. The
nutrients carried from cropficlds in the drainage systems can be
channeled directly into the groundwater if you do.
As sinkholes become more of a problem, our understanding of
them must also increase. It’s time now to treat sinkholes as we
have treated the erosion ditches on our farms. To be good ste
wards of the land, we have a mandate to do this.
»Farm Calendars
s.il 111 (I.i\, I )ci cmlii-i '
National 4-H Youth Congress,
Orlando. Fla., thru Dec. 8.
Estate Planning Seminar, Howard
Johnson Plaza Hotel, Hager-
I Mnlld.U . I >rc rmln I 5
Agronomy Ag Service School.
Brynwood Inn, Lcwisburg.
Intensive Grazing For Dairy Cows
Seminar, Franklin County
extension, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Lehigh County annual meeting.
Bake Oven Inn, Germansville,
7:30 p.m.
Regional Vegetable Growers
annual meeting, Arena Restaur
ant, Bedford.
Dauphin County Ag Conservation
Easement Purchase program,
Ag and Natural Resources Cen
ter, 7 p.m.
Tobacco Auction Season Opens,
Paradise Tobacco Auction, 10
a.m.
Pesticide applicator license, meet
ing room, Donohoe Center,
Westmoreland County, 7
p.m.-lO p.m.
Octorara Young Farmers Associa
tion meeting, welding skills.
Octorara High School, 7:30
p.m.
| hu m!.i\ .Ih\tin In i (>
Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Exten
sion Meeting (MACE). Univer
sity of Delaware, Newark, Del.
Agronomy Ag Service School,
Sinbad’s Restaurant, Wysox.
Lancaster County DHIA meeting,
Good and Plenty Restaurant,
11:30 a.m.
Berks County DHIA meeting, 4-H
Center, Leesport, 7 p.m.
Bradford-Sullivan Forest Land
owners Association directors
meeting, extension office, 7:30
p.m.
\\ i'(liKs(l.i\. IHicmlui 7
Agronomy Ag Service School,
Berks county Ag Center,
Leesport
Wayne County DHIA meeting,
Bethany Church, Honesdale,
7:45 p.m.
Clinton County DHIA meeting,
Big Wrangler. Mill Hall, 11:30
a.m.
McKean County DHIA and Hols
tein Club annual meeting, First
Baptist Church, Port Allegany,
7:30 p.m.
Milking Facilities Design Confer
ence, Mercer County Extension
To Prepare For
The 21st Century
Dr. Luther Tweeten, Ohio State
University, recently stated, “Agri
culture of the next decade and bey
ond will be technologically
advanced, internationally compe
titive, environmentally sound,
market-oriented, demand-driven,
financially innovative, and mana
gerially intensive.”
If you are planning to be in agri
culture for 10 or more years, you
should re-read Dr. Tweeten’s
statement at least three more times.
In one sentence, he has given one
of the best predications of agricul
ture in the 21st century.
Agriculture has changed a lot in
the last IS years. It will change
even more over the next 10 years.
The future belongs to those you are
able to study and adopt to these
changes. The others will either
leave agriculture or work for those
of you who are managing change.
We are beginning the winter
agriculture meeting season. There
will be a wide variety of topics and
subjects covered. Consider
stretching your learning comfort
Farms National Conference and
Trade Show, Turf Valley Hotel.
Ellicott City, Md., thru Dec. 9.
Adams County DHIA annual
meeting. Fire Hall, Harney,
Md.. 7 p.m.
Agronomy Ag Service School,
Quality Inn, Carlisle.
Centre County DHIA meeting.
Logan Grange, Pleasant Gap, 7
p.m.
York County Ag Land Preserva
tion Board annual public meet
ing and application workshop,
York County Vo-Tech School
Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Agway annual meeting, Hershey
Lodge and Convention Center,
Hershey, 9 a.m,-3 p.m.
Baltimore County Field Crops
Day. Friendly Farm Restaurant,
9:45 a.m.
Commercial Vegetable Growers
Seminar, Days Inn, Butler, 9
Lancaster Farm and Home
Center.
PennAg Nutrient Management
Seminar, Eden Resort Inn. Lan
caster, 10 a.m.-noon.
Armstrong County DHIA meet
Siiikl.i \, 1 (canilui 11
I iicMJ,n . I )r< rinhri I *
Food Safety Come* To The Farm,
Broiler. Egg, and Turkey pro
ducers conference, Farm and
(Turn to Pago A 27)
zone and expose yourself to topics
on risk management, financial
management, business planning,
goal-setting, etc.
Penn State will be expanding the
Dairy MAP program to enhance
the dairy farmer’s knowledge of
managing a business. Re-read the
first sentence and seek knowledge
in those areas Dr. Tweeten
identified.
To Balance
Soil Fertility
Best management practices
(BMPs) are very important to the
environment.
One very important BMP is
balanced soil fertility. Farmers
need to optimize all their produc
tion inputs and management deci
sions to produce crops in a highly
efficient manner.
To do this, farmers must seek
the right balance in each produc
tion step. Balance means using not
too little nor too much.
Proper fertilization begins with
a realistic yield goal and an under
standing of what the crop needs to
achieve that goal. Detailed field
records and soil tests are important
tool to base this decision.
Balanced nutrition is a key com
ponent of high yield management.
It helps ensure that all nutrients are
’s r
8Y '.V AimOU'iF
‘iSOiB&S
CHANGE YOUR HEART
December 4.1994
Background Scripture:
Matthew 3
Devotional Reading:
Isaiah 40:3-11
A friend of mine turned away
from orthodox Christianity years
ago because the church in which
she was raised harped too much on
sin and depravity. “Are all human
beings as miserable wretches as
my preacher pro claimed Sunday
after Sunday?” she asked me.
The person who raised this
issue, I need to add, is a very fine
and loving person with high moral
standards and compassion for oth
ers. I sympathize with her reaction
for too often the gospel is present
ed in a very one-sided manner.
The church I attended as a child
was always so overpoweringly
somber, all too aware of the
tragedy of sin and the need for
repentance.
Later, however, I came to real
ize that the gospel must always be
balanced between sin and redemp
tion. These two polarities must
always be kept in perspective. To
speak only of sin is to deny the
good news of the gospel. To speak
only of redemption is to fail to
understand the need for the gospel.
WHAT MAKES IT “GOOD”?
But we must never forget that
what makesjhe “news” good news
is the assurance that the love of
God is more powerful and perva
sive than the rebelliousness of His
children. The mood of the gospel
is one of hope and joy. I regret that
my friend and so many others
haven’t heard the gospel in all its
fullness. While I agree with my
friend that we must not get hung
up on sin, neither should we
neglect the reality or complexity
of sin. In my first pastorate I took
communion to a shut-in who had
been confined to her house for
many years. Whenever I prayed
the prayer of general confession,
she would always interrupt, say
ing, “There is no need for that; I
efficiently utilized to produce high
yielding, high quality crops.
Take time now to review your
field records and develop your fer
tilization program for 1995, taking
into account yield goals and soil
test results.
To Winterize
Buildings
Winter is coming fast. The mild
fall has allowed us to complete our
fieldwork. Now is the time to turn
our attention to winterizing our
buildings.
Seal cracks to prevent drafts,
especially around doors and fans.
Look for mice holes and close
them up. Monitor for mice and
keep your rodent control program
active.
Check wiring for exposed wires.
Drain pipes that are subject to
freezing. Make repairs to siding.
Check and clean heating systems,
including chimneys and filters.
Clean air inlets for the ventila
tion system. On curtain-sided
bams, make sure the curtain is in
good repair and fits tight against
the building.
Winterize your buildings now
before real winter weather arrives.
Feather Profs Footnote:
“Energy and persistence will con
quer all things."
haven’t done anything bad since
you were here last; in my condi
tion, what could I do?”
I was so intimidated that I
failed to answer her question.
Today I would probably say that
sin is not always a matter of what
we’ve done or not done. Often it is
a matter of what we feel and-think
and are. Who is so righteous that
in the presence of God he or she
will not feel a sense of inadequa
cy, of missing the mark? I don't'
have to carry a perpetual load of-,
guilt to know that I haven’t lived
up to the best that God has placed-#
within me. • *
IN GOD’S IMAGE
At this particular moment,
can’t think of anything 1 have late
ly done or haven’t done that
demands repentance. Neverthe
less, in God’s presence I repent
of self-centeredness, prejudice,
self-deception, self-righteousness,
pride, ignorance and more. So, in
God’s presence there is never a
time when I do not need to seek a
change of heart. At the same time
I remember how wonderful it is to
be God’s child. Instead of thinking
of myself as a piece of moral
garbage—l heard one TV evange
list put it, I remember that I am
created in His image, wonderfully
endowed as are all His children
with far more potential than I will
likely fulfill. So the ftagedy is not
that I am a miserable wretch and
act that way, but that I am God’s
creature and fail to live that way.
Repentance frees me to return to
what I was when God created me.
John the Baptist conies, saying,
“Repent, for the kingdom of God
is at hand” (3:2). And then he goes
on to say, ‘Bear fruit that befits
repentance”(3:B). Repentance that
does not change our hearts is not
repentance. I need mine changed
daily, if you don’t, more power to
you.
Lancaster Farming
Established 195 S
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Laneaeler Farming, I no.
A aMman fimapriw
Robert Q. Campbet General Manager
Evens R Newpnngir Marneing Edbor
Cea»H|M iee« brtaiwaMer hrailns