AlO-Lancwter Farming, Saturday, February 25, 1995 OPINION Editorial Reply This letter is in response to your editorial ‘Take Away the Incentive” printed in the Opinion column on February 11 in the Lancaster Fanning. I would like to express some comments and make some recommendations. First of all, we all know and commend the many positive aspects of 4-H and FFA and what they stand for. It would be naive not to realize that problems do arise. The question is, what can make it fair to all the kids who participate in these programs and shows. It would not be fair to require that all show animals be totally shaved for competition. Fitting and grooming are part of 4-H training and can carry over to one’s future lifestyle. We should teach our youth to present themselves and their projects in the most complimenting style. Can you imagine the Miss America Pageant with all the young ladies sporting GI crcwcuts? Grooming and fitting can be a part of a very rewarding family experience as part of the 4-H program. Requiring each exhibitor to compete in showmanship and a “sidll-a-thon” contest would be fair. However, the placings from these events should not be used in any way to judge the market/breeding classes. Younger children and new. inexperi enced 4-H’ers would never be able to score as well as older, more experienced youth. Also, many 4-H’ers work together in family units in fitting and training cattle, as children from even the same family often have very different abilities. Professional fitters are exactly that - professionals - and I don’t think their activities can be regulated locally. However, professioinal fitters should be required to register with a show’s Livestock Office, listing which animal they are working on and the animal’s owner. Then if something questionable arises, there is a record of which professional woiked on which ani mal. Positive forms of identification such as nose printing are a definite must. Rules of ownership for a specified length of time (3 to 9 months depending on the show) must be required. No animal should be eligible for a show that has been sold during the required ownership period. A suggestion has been made that no money should be passed to an exhibitor until the animal has been slaughtered and the carcass property inspected. This is fair if the carcass is inspect ed purely for illegal substances (drugs, injections, etc.). How ever, carcass grade should not be a consideration in changing an animal’s placing after the day of the show. If a professional judge placed the animals in the show ring according to-his ob servations, then his placings should remain the same unless drugs or other illegal activity is discovered in the carcass in spection. If the professional judge didn’t do a thorough, credi ble job in the show ring, then he should not be bailed out by carcass grade. Regarding drugs and illegal alteration of the animal, I would suggest checking all champions and division winners and also to “spot check” others at random. If drugs or any illegal activity is found, then the participant should be banned from any future Delmarva Pork Forum, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, Md., 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Northeast Regional Christmas Tree Growers Meeting and Trade Show, Mountain Laurel Resort and Conference Center, White Haven, 8 a.m.-3;30 p.m. Dairylea Cooperative Inc. Young Farmer Seminar, Holiday Inn, Syracuse, N.Y., thru Feb. 26. Growers’ market organizational meeting, West Chester Munici pal Building, West Chester, 10 a.m. International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association Annuaf Winter Meeting, Hershcy. (Turn to Page A3l) v#"'. ❖ Farm Calendar* Fayette County Crops Day, Green Line Supply. 6:30 p.m.-3 p.m. Lancaster County Dairy Day, Part 1, Farm and Home Center. Part 2 on March 7. Tri-County Vegetable Growers meeting. Fruit Research Lab, Biglerville, 9:15 a.m.-3 p.m. Tree Fruit Integrated Crop Man agement for North Central Pa., Coudersport Elementary School, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Nutrient Management Workshop, northwest region, Mercer County Extension Office, Mercer. \\ f '. L‘-*t Pennsylvania Grazing Confer ence, Embers, Carlisle, also March 2. Potato Day, Schnecksville Grange. Lebanon County Dairy Day, Pre scott Fire Hall. Nutrient Management Workshop, southwest region, Westmore land County Extension Office, Greensburg. Pa. Cattlemen’s Producer Work shop, Lecsport Farmers Mark- Massachusetts Direct Marketing Conference, Boxboro Host Hotel, Boxboro, Mass. Lancaster County Poultry Prog ress Day, Farm and Home JOHN H. SCHWARTZ Lancaster County Agent To Care for New Lambs To Implement WPS Information about protective (Turn to Page A3l) equipment to be worn during mix ing, loading or application of pesti cides will be more specific than in the past. In addition, every pesticide will have on the label a designated time after a spray has been applied which no one is allowed in the treated area known as Restricted Entry Interval (REI). All opera tions even if they have no employ ees must follow these directions. Remember the label is the law when it comes to pesticide usage. These and other requirements of WPS including public notification, posting, education, facilities, etc. are available from your local cooperative extension office. To Make Adjustments During Pregnancy For farm women used to an active role in the farm operation, pregnancy presents some challenges. Remember, adjustments will need to be made to take into account loss agility,' especially when working around animals. > r BY LAWRCNCt W ALTHQUSE SflSILIl! PROVING THE RESURRECTION February 26,1995 PROVING THE RESURRECTION February 26. 1995 Background Scripture: Matthew 27:62 to 28:20 Devotional Reading: Acts 10:34-48 When I was much younger, I used to think that if something was historical, it was real. Correspond ingly, if it wasn’t historical, then it wasn’t real. Today I am much less sure of what either of those words mean. What is “historical”? What is “real”? So it was no great threat to me recently when I read of some biblical scholars who believe that the resurrection of Jesus was not a “historical” event. Understand, I don’t necessarily buy that opinion, but it doesn’t disturb me. When we speak of “historical events” we generally mean an event that can be recorded in some tangible way. Is the resurrection of Jesus a his torical event? Could the presence of the resurrected Christ be photo graphed, his words recorded, his energies reflected by sensitive sci entific instruments? The gospel accounts of the re surrection are not much help here because they’re a jumble of differ ent impressions and experiences. Is it a physical body like ours with which Jesus was resurrected or is it just the appearance of a physical body? Paul doesn’t help much either because he speaks of a “spiritual body,” putting together two different concepts that seem mutually exclusive. The reason that the early wit nesses ate so confusing in their ac* counts, I believe, is because ex periencing the resurrected Lord is of an order that goes beyond nor mal worldly experience. The re surrection was “teal” on a much higher level of reality than any thing that happens in our daily lives. My experience of the risen Lord, like those of the gospel writ ers, is ineffable, impossible to adequately express or convey through mere words. I know I have experienced Christ in my Constant reaching and turning can pull muscles, especially those supporting the uterus, causing a lot of pain. Toxic exposure is another risk increased by pregnancy. Wear gloves if you are administrating drugs or pesticides or ask someone else to take over that chore during your pregnancy. Do not push yourself too hard. Even if you have a demanding work schedule, sit down at least once every hour. Farm women, who have an active lifestyle, seem to tolerate labor better than inac tive women. Even so. be cautious during pre gnancy. Partners should help mothers-to-be avoid risky chores and situations and make adjust ments in their work schedule. This is important to protect both the mother and baby’s health. Feather Prof's Footnote: "The degree of excellence in your work begins with the honesty of your effort." life, but I can’t give you scientific or historical proof of what hap pened. When Maty Magdalene “and the other Mary” went to Jesus’ tomb on the first Easier morning, they found it empty and an angel informing them that “He is not here; for he has risen, as he said ... Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going be fore you to Galilee: there you will see him.” But, on their way to tell the disciples, they encountered the risen Lord, who told them; “Do not be afraid; go and tell my breth ren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” VALIDATION OF FAITH So the eleven disciples went to Galilee. “And when they saw him they worshipped him; but some doubted.” That passage confirms to me that the experience of the; risen Christ is in some way de pendent upon receptivity. TUSy all were in the same place at the same time, but, although some saw him and worshipped him, others doubted. (Do you remember in John 12:29, God speaks with a heavenly voice and “The crowd standing by heard it and said it had thundered.” Others said, “An an gel has spoken to him”?) That is still true today. The pre sence and power of the resurrected Christ is dependent, not upon his torical or scientific validation but upon something that takes place within the heart and mind of the receptive person. I have experi enced the presence and power of love in my life, but 1 cannot his torically validate or prove that love only what that experience produces in me. So those who experienced the resurrected Christ on that moun tain in Galilee couldn’t prove they had done so, but with their lives they could and did demonstrate that it was so: “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, bap tizing them in the name of the Fa ther and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." (28:19). Lancaster Fanning Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 —by— Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Steinman Enterprise Robert G. Campbell General Meneger Everett R. Newcwranger Managing Editor Copyright 1995 by Lancaster Farming