AiO-Uncaster Farming, Saturday, Dacamber 17, 1994
OPINION
The fanner buys retail and sells wholesale. And because of
this, many variations of this tongue-in-cheek story have been
told. But here’s our version of how a dairy fanner priced his high
producing milk cow based on common marketing methodology.
For the sake of a good story we used an exceptional registered
Holstein as a basis of this expanded price list.
BASIC COW; $999.99
• Genuine cowhide exterior: $655.00
• Black & White artistic motif: $94.50
• Maximum-strength forage harvester attachment with pick
up modular: $74.95.
• One set of large & small central mmen-ators: $235.00.
• Automatic rear drainage system: $195.00.
• Over-the-road fertilizer spreader: $160.10.
• Calf-mate bag with four-faucet relief unit: $555.99.
• High-kick power drive with four-foot traction ground
assembly: $339.95.
• Precision horn fly and bumble bee swatter: $9.00,
• Flexible halter hooks: $19.95.
■ Dual hom buttons; $12.50.
• Background title search; $18.50.
• Frameable heritage certificate: $25.00.
• HA USA rated (EX-95);525,000.
• DHI tested (1001p):$6,500.
• Toe pruning: $39.50.
• Professional haircut: $8.25.
LIST PRICE F. 0.8 THE COW STABLE: $34,943.14,
• Shipping & handling: $75.00.
TOTAL CASH ON THE BARREL HEAD: $35,018.14,
Stall Bams and Heifer Housing,
Franklin County Human Ser
vices Building Conference
Room, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Luzerne County Extension Open
House, Luzerne County Court-
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Ephrata Area Young Farmers
Family Christmas Program,
Ephrata Middle School Audi
torium and Cafeteria, 7:30 p.m.
Dairy Farmers’ Breakfast Meet
ing, Willow Valley Resort,
Lancaster, 7:30 a.m.-10 a.m.
Basic Soil Fertility Workshop,
Lancaster Farm and Home Cen-
Annual Pork Production For-
um, Yoders Restaurant, New
Holland, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Workshop On Soil Loss, Conser
vation Practices, and Barnyard
Runoff Control, Dauphin
County Natural Resource Cen
ter, Dauphin, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Simdiiv, Di'ccmlu'i 2?
Miti\ ( lirislrnas!
A Cash Cow
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♦Farm Calendars
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North Eastern Weed Science Soci
ety Meeting, Boston, thru Jan.
Bucks-Montgomery Dairy Day,
Family Heritage Restaurant,
Franconia.
Western Pa. Forage Schools,
Northwest Rural Electric Co-
Op, Cambridge Spring, also
Jan. 10.
Farm Records Made Easy/Check
Writing Workshop, Willow
bank Building, Bellefonte, 10
a.m.-3 p.m., also Jan. 6.
Adams County Dairy Day, Exten
sion Office, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Western Pa. Forage Schools,
Brown’s Country Kitchen, Por
Sprayer Meeting, Elder’s Sales
and Service, Stoneboro.
Northeastßegional Tomato Grow
ers meeting, Thompson’s Dairy
Bar, Clark’s Summit, 9:30 a.m.
Western Pa. Forage School, Sandy
Kayes Restaurant. Shelocta,
also Jan. 12.
Farm Records Made Easy/Check
Writing Workshop, Willow
bank Building, Bellefonte, 10
a.m.-3 p.m.
Penn Jersey Dairy Management
Seminar, Holiday Inn,
Bethlehem.
Potter County Holstein , Annual
Meeting, Ulysses Community
Building, Ulysses. 8 p.m.
Proper inflation of tractor tires
may save the operator money,
according to research at Ohio State
University.
According to Dr. Randall K.
Wood at Ohio State, the revisions
of the recommended pressures for
radial ply tires made in 1992 are
saving operators fuel and time in
the field. Wood says that the new
lower pressure will create a slight
bulge in the tire that makes them
look .underinflated. He says far
mers need to get over the percep
tion that the new look is not good
for the tire or for traction.
In general, research has shown
that the correct radial tire pressure
can save 10 to 20 percent of the
cost of operating a tractor. In one
study, the new lower pressure
saved 36 gallons of fuel and 3.6
hours in a field on a 280-acre trail
in Ohio.
, iff
In the study, 18.4R46 dual radial
tires were inflated to the new pres
sure recommendation of 8 psi
compared to 14 psi recommended
earlier.
For the correct inflation of any
tire, check with the tire manufac
turer. The correct pressure is deter
mined by the tractor's load. In
addition to saving fuel and time,
the lower pressure will extend the
useful life of the tire and reduce the
amount of soil compaction.
According to Dr. Gerald Cole,
University of Delaware resource
economist, increasing government
regulation will have profound
impact on American agriculture
through the rest of the decade.
According to Cole, small family
farms will have the hardest time
surviving these regulations. New
and expanded regulations includ
ing the Costal Zone Act, nutrient
management, food safety, pesti
cide application records, and labor
regulations are examples of
increased record keeping require
ments being placed on farmers.
These record keeping require
ments are likely to make it harder
for small farm operations to
survive.
Cole states we often hear politi
cians speak with great fondness
about preserving smaller family
farms. However, many times new
laws that are passed with the intent
to help agriculture actually do not
because many small producers
cannot keep up with the additional
cost of meeting regulations.
These regulations are likely to
hasten the demise of small family
farms. To survive, farmers need to
monitor proposed laws, regula
tions. and local ordinances to
cost/benefit relationships.
They need to look at using com
puters to increase efficiencies in
To Check
Tire Pressure
To Prepare
For Regulations
record keeping and managing the
farm. Farmers will need to evalu
ate work assignments and priori
ties. To survive, family farmers
will need to adopt best manage
ment practices and document their
implementation.
Use of consultants will become
another way small farms will deal
with regulations. Now is the time
to start exploring ways to adopt
procedures to handle additional
record keeping requirements.
To Use Wood
Ashes Correctly
With the increase in die use of
wood stoves for home heating,
questions have arisen concerning
the feasibility Of applying wood
ashes to the home garden.
The nutrient content of wood
ashes is variable, but in general
they contain approximately 2 per
cent phosphate, 5 percent potash
and 0 percent nitrogen, according
r
BY LAWRENCE, W AITHQUSE
‘issues
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LISTENING TO YOUR
ANGEL
December 18,1994
Background Scripture:
Matthew 1
Devotional Reading;
Isaiah 92-7
Joseph is one of the also-rans of
the Bible. He is remembered sim
ply as “the husband of Mary” the
mother of Jesus. Joseph was in
familial effect, but not in fact, the
father of Jesus.
I would not quarrel with the
attention that Mary gets as the
mother of Jesus. Still, it seems to
me that Joseph’s role and contri
bution are too frequently over
looked by Christians. Joseph
played a part in this drama out of
proportion to thenumberofverses
with which he is mentioned in the
gospels.
First,ofall.consider what might
have happened if Joseph had re
acted to Mary’s pregnancy the
way most of us would today. They
were betrothed, a relationship so
formal and binding that the be
trothal could be dissolved only by
divorce. He could have done that
quietly by handing her a writ in
the presence of two witnesses—
actually, that was what he ini
tially had decided—or he could
have taken her to court publicly.
The facts were clear, it seemed:
Mary was pregnant without the
benefit of marriage and therefore
it wasa matterofextreme humili
ation to Joseph.
JUST & COMPASSIONATE
But Matthew tells us that Jo
seph wjs “a just man and unwill
ing to put her to shame...”(l;l9),
He was a lair man and a compas
sionate man. Maybe that doesn’t
seem like such a big deal, but I
think it is. When I was a boy it
seemed that most of the people I
knew were basically fair and com
passionate. Theydidnotintendto
cause harm or pain to other people.
I’m not sure that is the popular
mood any longer. There is a tide
of anger and punitive vindictive
ness that seems to be sweeping
our country. When people per
ceive that someone or something
is wrong, there is a rush to iden
tify who is responsible and make
to Dr. Stephen Donohue, Virginia
Tech.
Wood ashes maybe applied to
thehome garden only if the soil pH
is less than 7.0. Suggested rates are
10 to 20 pounds of wood ashes per
1,000 square feet per year. A
10-quart bucket, filled within two
inches of the top, will contain
about five pounds of wood ashes.
The soil should be tested every
two years to check for changes in
pH, phosphorus, and potassium
levels to determine if additional
wood ash applications should be
made. Coal ashes are not recom
mended for use in the garden
because of high sulfur content that
maybe present in the residue. This
sulfur breaks down in the soil and
may rapidly lower pH below plant
tolerance levels.
Feather Profs Footnote:
"Some succeed because they are
destined to, most succeed because
they are determined to."
someone pay for it, legally or
otherwise. People are no longer
so reluctant to cause pain or suf
fering if they feel it is their right
or privilege to do so. In his excel
lent book. The Crime of Punish
went, Dr. Karl Mcnningcr quotes
Nietzache: “Distrust all in whom
the impulse to punish is strong.”
He also quotes our Lord, “Let
him who is without sin among
you be the first to throwa stone at
her'’(John 8:7). .
By all rights, Joseph couldhave
decided to make Mary pay for
this seeming indignity. But Jo
seph was not that kind of person
No matter how badly it seemed
Mary had stained his honor, he
did not feel impelled to hurt her
in retaliation.
ONLY A DREAM?
Secondly, think how the story
might have turned out if Joseph
had refused to listen to his angel.
After all. itwas“onlyadream,”—
why should he pay any attention
to it? And, even if the messenger
in the dream was really“an angel
of the Lord,” where is it written
that a person must listen to an
angel? It is one thing for an angel
to say, “...do not fear to take
Mary your wife, for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit” (1 ;20). One would possi
bly expect that of an angel. But
Joseph was a man, living in an
actual human society that be
lieved dishonor must be avoided
at all costs.
So, Joseph was not only a just
man and compassionate, he was
also a man willing to listen to an
angel and hear in the angel’s
admonition the voice of God.
You are probably thinking that
the story doesn’t apply to you,
since you never hear anything
from God’s angels. Joseph could
also have assumed that, too: It
was only a dream!
Maybe the problem is not that
God doesn’t send us angels (mes
sengers), but that He does and
we don’t listen for them or to
them.
Lancaster Fanning
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephreta Review Building
1 E. Main SL
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Ino.
A SMimtn Emmprim
Robert Q. Campbell General Manager
Evens a Nowoowngor Managing Edtor
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