Aio-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 25, 1995
OPINION
Strange Devices
Today, imagine what it would be like to show your grandfather, who
passed away years ago, what a presidedress soil nitrogen test could do.
Or a portable Held chlorophyll meter, to indicate how much nitrogen a
plant would need. Or a global positioning system to help track and
identify soil configuration on your cropland. Or how you could pick
up, from satellite, a storm system that is about to move into your area.
All these things, years ago, were lambasted as “strange devices” that
couldn’t possibly work and often scared away many farmers. But
countless farmers use them now to help grow crops profitably.
For years, state departments of agriculture have used technology to
test for pesticide residues on crops, to incredibly small amounts. The
public knows this, and has reacted with concerns for residues on food;
as a result, no matter how safely most farmers observe label rates and
take care to ensure the food is completely safe, states such as Califomi
a have enacted “prescription pesticide” laws that tightly regulate
when, how, and why pesticides can be used.
There is concern that, as a result, states such as Pennsylvania and
others in the Mid-Atlantic region could be headed toward the same
fate.
What it comes down to is: there is increased societal pressure to do
more thinking, gather more data, and assess just what we can do to
make farming more “user” and “environmentally” friendly.
Enter integrated pest management (TPM). In two articles by Lancas
ter Farming staff writer Andy Andrews last week, IPM was carefully
explored how it could be used effectively by layer house managers
in poultry operations and in orchards by fruit growers.
To make a complicated matter short, IPM is simply asking growers
to do more thinking, more observing, and use more selectively diverse
approaches to handling pests. Gone is the day when you sprayed every
Thursday, no matter what the insect pressure or expected crop damage.
Growers can use inexpensive and effective IPM technology—strange
as it may seem to monitor pests and pinpoint effective strategies to
deal with them.
Down the road, Penn State is looking at several other IPM-related
“strange devices” that, while they sound pretty far-fetched to us now,
could open up big opportunities to help us come to grips with an
increasingly demanding public:
• “Spraying” pheromone traps to detract crop-damaging pests.
• “Microwaving” bugs to death through portable equipment in the
field, much like the old “tobacco” steamers of your grandfather’s days.
• Using photoactivated dies that flies can eat —once the flies enter
the sunlight, “zap,” they’re dead.
We can imagine the microwave in the Held, zapping pests. But feed
ing flies to death well, that’s technology for you!
Maryland Holstein Showcase
Heifer Sale, Quarryville.
Small Enterprises Livestock Mini
Workshop, Harford County
Md. Extension office, 9
a.m.-noon.
Maryland/Virginia Milk Produc
ers Co-Op young cooperator
meeting. Holiday Inn, College
Park, Md., noon.
New York State Grazing Confer
ence, Holiday Inn, Cortland,
N.Y., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Western Pa. Sheep Conference,
Mercer Extension Center,
Mercer.
Horse Management Seminar, Elks
Club, Tyrone, 9:30 a.m.
Cumberland Area Feeder Pig Sale,
Allegany County, Md. Fair
National DHIA Convention and
Trade Show, Sheraton, Bur
lington, Vl, thru March 29.
Mason-Dixon Red & White Dairy
Cattle Association, Spangler’s
llestauranLGettvsburg^yjjTi.
Pesticide credit meeting, Lebanon
Valley Ag Center, 1 p.m.-3 p.m
and 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Lehigh Valley Horse Council
meeting, Whitehall Mall Com
rnunit^Room^BlMjjm^^
MFS Workshop, Ridgway Court
house, also April 4.
Pennsylvania Farm Link Program
educational meeting, Pennsyl
vania Farm Bureau Headquar
ters, Camp Hill, 9:30 a.m.-2
p.m.
Nutrient Management Workshop,
southwest region, manure,
Westmoreland Extension
Office, Greensbutg.
Pa. FFA Legislative Breakfast,
Sheraton Inn-East, 7 a.m.
Bradford-Sullivan Forest Land
owners Association dinner.
Course, Greencastle Livestock
Market.
Mid East UDIA meeting, Brier
Inn, Lewisburg, W.Va., 9:30
a.m.
On-Farm Composting Conference
and Tour, Farm and Home Cen-
ter, Lancaster, 9:15 a.m.-4 p.m.
PennAg Educational Seminar,
To Keep Cows*
Feet Dry
Glenn Shirk, extension dairy
agent, reminds us one unpleasant
effect of the wet season of spring is
mud and the problems it causes
foot infections, environmental
mastitis, and uterine infections.
Some ways to eliminate mud
are:
• Provide cows with a concrete
lot so they may be outside without
being in the mud.
• Keep dirt areas well drained.
Select high ground or create
mounded areas. Fill in low spots. If
stones keep sinking away in the
mud, try using some geotextile
fabric in these areas to support the
stone. To prevent foot injuries
from the stone, be sure the stone
base is covered with a hoof friend
ly surface.
• Do not allow cows to lingo'
long in any one spot This helps to
prevent muddy areas from deve
loping at the entrances to bams and
lots, in cow lanes, under shaded
areas, etc. Walk cows quickly
through these sensitive areas and
confine them to pasture area until it
is time for them to come in.
• Place feeders and wateiers on
solid surfaces. If you cannot, then
select high, well-drained areas or
keep moving them around.
• Seed heavy traffic areas to a
rugged grass such as K-31 tall
fescue.
• Fence cows away from wet
areas or control their access to
Commercial Feed Law, Eden
Resort Inn. Lancaster, 9
a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Fumigation pesticide recertifica
tion meeting, Northampton
County Extension Office,
Nazareth, 7 p.m.-9;30 p.m.
Worker Protection Standard infor
mational meeting, Susquehan
na County Extension Office, 10
a.m.-noon.
Adams County Farm Bureau
Spring meeting, York Springs
Community Fire Hall, 6:30
p.m.
1995 Annual Maryland Confer
cnce For Bovine Practitioners,
Holiday Inn-Frederick, Freder
ick, Md., thru March 31.
Tractor Safety Training, Lehigh
County Ag Center. Allentown,
7:30 p.m.
Nutrient Management Workshop,
northeast region, manure,
Knight’s Inn, Danville.
Bucks County Fruit Growers
meeting, Neshaminy Manor
Center, Doylestown, 1 p.m.
Lehigh County Holstein Tour to
Chester County, report Junge
Farm, Lynnville, 8:15 a.m.
(Turn to Page A 35)
them.
To Manage
Pastures
This past week marked the
beginning of spring. Wifh the war
mer weather, grass is beginning to
grow and cows are being turned
out to pasture.
To keep pastures from being cut
up, do not let cows in any one area
for more than 2 to 3 days. This will
give trampled areas an opportunity
to recover. To do this you will need
a lot of small pasture paddocks.
This will allow you to rotate cows
through at a rapid rate. This will
greatly improve pasture yield and
quality while preventing an
unsightly mud area.
Remember, when cows are con
fined to pastures for an extended
period of time, they should have
access to water.
To Insure
Safe Play Areas
With spring now here, children
BY IAWRENCt W ALEHOUSE
*H£ _
suisiys
“BUILDING UP" or
“TEARING DOWN”
March 26, 199 S
“Building Up” or “Tearing
Down”
March 26, 1995
Background Scripture:
2 Corinthians 12 & 13
Devotional Reading:
Colossians 3:8-17
Someone once told me that he
didn’t like reading the letters of
Paul because it became so evident
that there were church conflicts
even in the earliest days of
Christianity.
But one should not be surprised
to find conflict in the early church.
As long as there are humans there
will be conflicts. Where two or
three are gathered together there
will often be five or more opin
ions. Conflict is not inherently
evil. Actually, it is often very con
structive. Without conflict there
would be little growth, either as
individuals or as groups.
The problem is not with con
flict, but with what we let conflict
do to us and others. Conflict mere
ly means that there are differences
which cause friction. Conflict is
harmful only when we permit it to
have harmful effects. We can
learn to handle conflicts
constructively.
Church Conflict
Churches sometimes do a poor
job of handling conflict. Because
we have illusions about every
thing in the church being peaceful
and unanimous, we tend to pre
tend that conflict is not there.
Instead of dealing with it, we
ignore it and hope that it will go
away. Shoved under the carpet, it
often festers and grows. Most of
the wounds we sustain in church
conflicts are the ones we get while
backing away from constructive
confrontations.
In 2 Corinthians we can see that
Paul is facing up to a conflict
between himself and various per
sons in the church at Corinth, per
haps the whole church. Since writ
ing the letter we know as 1 Corint
hians, we know from 2
Corinthians 2:1 that Paul made
what he terms a “painful visit” to
Corinth. Later, instead of return
ing to Corinth, he wrote a letter
that apparently was quite severe.
win be playing more outside.
Yards are great places to run and
explore: Do you have a play yard
on your farm that is separated from
traffic, livestock, and machinery?
It is difficult, if not impossible,
to see or hear someone while run
ning farm machinery. Parents
should walk around with your
children and set boundaries for
where it is safe to play. Identifying
and staying in safe play boundaries
reduces the risk of being hurt.
Play areas should be free from
dangerous debris. This will help
prevent cuts, scrapes, falls, and
injuries. In addition, toys should be
picked up and properly stored
when not in use. Play equipment
should be free of broken pieces,
sharp edges, protrusions, and trip
ping hazards.
Finally, never mow a yard when
children and others are present
Feather Prof’s Footnote: "To
recognize opportunity, you must
see beyond the obstacles.”
This letter he sent by Titus, one of
his trusted co-workers. Paul
became anxious about the letter’s
reception, but at Macedonia he
receives a favorable report from
Titus. 2 Corinthians is apparently
the letter he wrote after receiving
the report from Titus. If you keep
this in mind when you read 2 Cor
inthians you will better understand
what Paul is saying. You will also
understand why Paul speaks sev
eral times of his next visit. “Here
for the third time I am ready to
come to you. And I will not be a
burden...” (12:13).
Into The Open
The important thing is that Paul
reacted to the conflict at Corinth
by facing it and bringing it out into
the open. It is obvious that he does
not want to alienate himself from
the Corinthian church, but neither
does he want to duck the issues.
He makes his case. If they thought
he had been boasting of his
authority, he wants to correct that
impression. He has had revela
tions from God (12:1-6) but he
does not boast of them because he
deserves no credit for them. He
claims no power for himself, but
admits his weakness (12:10). He
acknowledges; “I have been a
fool!” (12:11). But they are not
without some fault either, “You
forced me to it...” He understands
that they may have misunderstood
his motives: “Have you been
thinking all along that we have
been defending ourselves before
you?” (12:19). Actually, it is the
gospel itself he has been defend
ing. He acknowledges that the
authority which the Lord has
given him is “for building up and
not for tearing down” (13:10).
Paul wants to resolve the con
flict in a constructive way and he
ends his letter with a benevolent
benediction; “The grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of
God and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with you all”
(13:14).
Conflicts in the church today
can be handled with the same
openness and constructive good
will. All it takes is honesty, humil
ity and love.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
■ Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Fanning, Inc.
A Slelnman Enterprise
Robert Q. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newawanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1995 by Lancaster Farming