AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 22, 1995
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OPINION
Crisis Will Be Too Late
Months before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941,
two British scientists came to the United States looking for
help, carrying with them a small amount of a relatively
unknown drug, penicillin. The two carried away more than they
had expected: not only a way to mass produce the drug to fight
war infections, but also a superior strain that U.S. scientists
found on a moldy cantaloupe.
Shortly after the war ended, a researcher with the Florida
Citrus Commission had an idea to restore the flavor and aroma
of orange juice once the fruit had undergone vacuum evapora
tion. That idea gave birth to the frozen concentrated orange
juice industry.
Decades later came a cornstarch and synthetic chemical
compound, ingredients that produced a super absorbent
material—dubbed the Super Slurper—that could hold hundreds
of times its weight in water. It became the liner for disposable
diapers.
Then there’s hybrid com, leaner pork, xanthan gum, soft vin
yl plastics, soy ink, kenaf paper and thousands of other con
sumer, scientific and medical products that have come out of
publicly funded agricultural research.
“We impact consumers everyday in their lives.” said Loretta
Owens, legislative chief of staff for the Agricultural Research
Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as
quoted in the March issue of “The Cargill Bulletin.” “There
aren’t too many things that we didn’t have a hand in.”
Over the years, those contributions and consistently high
rates of return for public dollars have generated little political
or taxpayer opposition to agricultural research.
Yet neither has research attracted much public support,
researchers say. Federal and state funding has only kept pace
with the higher cost of doing research. Now, when the United
States needs to pursue research and development aggresively to
take advantage of increased global opportunities for agricul
ture, they say, a budget-cutting Congress is looking for savings
in the 1995 farm bill, the omnibus legislation that will govern
U.S. agricultural policies and budgets for the next five years.
“Right now there’s a lot of complacency,” said Keith Fuglie,
an economist with USDA’s Economic-Research Service (ERS)
who’s directing a study on agricultural research. “There really
isn’t any food crisis.
“But what people have to keep in mind when they talk about
agricultural research is that the money you put up now is going
to be affecting our food prices 10,20 years from now. Research
takes a long time to d0...1t also takes a long time to build up an
effective research system, but a very short time to destroy it.”
For sure, the vast agricultural research network —including
land-grant universities, experiment stations, extension offices,
USD A laboratories and international centers —is far from
crumbling. But, experts say, it is showing signs of stress as it
responds to growing demands and changing expectations. The
entire system, they contend, is underfunded and underfocused.
Dominated by federal and state governments since the turn
of the century, agriculture research has in recent years gained
an increasingly large contribution from private industry. While
public dollars for research barely kept up with inflation, private
spending is growing at a faster rate and has suipassed public
funding levels. But the additional source of research money
also has muddied the issues of control, focus and the funda
mental mission of public research.
Social changes have also prompted shifts in research sub
jects. Once tied mostly to crop yields, research has greatly
expanded in scope to embrace nutrition, environmental protec
tion, food safety and a host of other areas that appeal to urban
dwellers as well.
“There’s a lot of question in terms of what the public sector
should be doitig, who should be doing it and how it should be
done,” Fuglie said.
“It used to be that government scientists talked to farmers
and gave farmers what they wanted,” he said. “Now they have
to listen to what the farmers are interested in, what environ
mentalists are interested in, what consumers are interested in.
There’s a lot more pressure on the system.”
In addition, many people, even at land-grant universities, are
starting to say, “Let private industry do the ag research. We’ll
do other things.” But this kind of attitude takes away from the
more unbiased opinions that can be generated through public
institutions and agencies.
Let’s continue to provide both public and private funding for
ag research now so we can continue to develop the technology
we need for practical application beyond the year 2000. *To wait
for a food shortage crisis will be much too late.
To Vaccinate
For Rabies
We continue to see many cases
of rabies each year. It is important
that all pets, horses, and animals
that come in contact with wild ani
mals be vaccinated for rabies.
According to the Pennsylvania
Health Department, unvaccinated
pets, especially dogs, are the
largest threat Rabies vaccination
are required for dogs and are key in
keeping rabies from people.
The vaccination is required
every three years. All reported dog
bites are reported to the state dog
warden. Of the IS dog bites
reported in Lancaster County, only
two of the dogs were vaccinated
for rabies.
The fine for not vaccinating is
up to $3OO. The vaccinations are
far less expensive than the $1,200
for human shots for rabies and
associated costs of quarantine and
disposing of animals.
To protect yourself and neigh
bors, vaccinate all pets and ani
mals that come in contact with
people. The only animals that do
not contract rabies are birds,
snakes, lizards, fish, turtles, and
insects.
To Have
Tetanus Shot
With warm weather finally here,
we are able to participate in more
outdoor activities. With this
increase in activity, we are being
exposed more to tetanus.
Tetanus-causing bacteria are
present everywhere around us
soil, bushes, trees, rocks, etc. Once
introduced through a cut or wound,
the bacteria cause a life
threatening situation by locking
the jaws.
This disease may be prevented
by a vaccination. If you do not
remember when you had your last
tetanus shot, schedule one this
week with your doctor. Review
Farm
Calendar
70th Annual Penn State Dairy Sci
ence Club Exposition, Ag Are
na, University Park, 8:30 a.m.
Second Annual Marico Llama and
Alpaca Festival, Tolland Ag
Center. Vernon, Conn., thru
April 23.
Northeast Ratite Association
Seminar, Best Western Inn,
Matamoras, thru April 23.
Cumberland County Holstein
Sale, David and Kathy Walton
Farm. Carlisle.
Third Annual Arabian Horse Festi
val. York Fairgrounds, York, 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
Sheep and Wool Day, Springton
(Turn to Pag* 37)
your family vaccination schedule
with your doctor and make sure all
the proper vaccinations are
received by all family members.
If cost is a factor, many hospi
tals offer free or very low-cost vac
cinations. Talk with your doctor
and make sure everyone in your
family is properly vaccinated for
tetanus and other diseases.
To Market
Manure
Strong worldwide demand for
fertilizer over the past two years
has contributed to a substantial rise
in fertilizer prices.
Nitrogen prices for the fall of
1994 were 25 percent higher than a
year ago. Then an explosion at a
nitrogen plant near Sioux City,
lowa in December added pressure
on nitrogen prices.
The plant produced about two
percent of the U.S. nitrogen sup
plies. In a good supply year, loss of
that much production would have
minimal impact. However, in an
already tight market, the impact
was significant.
This has contributed to even
higher prices for spring fertilizer.
These higher prices combined with
good weather are creating an
BY IAWHENCE W AUHOUSE
""bbiku*
-PUFF UP" OR
-BUILD UP”
April 23,1995
“PUFF UP” OR
“BUILD UP”
Background Scripture:
I Corinthians 8
Devotional Reading:
Romans 15:1-13
In his book Christian Behavior,
C.S. Lewis says that the core of
Christian immorality is Pride.
“Unchastity, anger, greed, drunk
enness, and all that, are mere flea
,bites in comparison: it was
through Pride that the devil
became the devil: Pride leads to
every other vice; it is the complete
anti-god state of mind.”
That’s a pretty powerful state
ment, but I would agree. In my
mind it is far easier to refrain from
lying, stealing, killing and com
mitting adultery than it is to avoid
the destructive corrosion of pride.
Most Christians I know avoid the
sins I’ve listed above, but that
doesn’t mean they avoid pride. In
fact, if they are fairly faultless in
keeping the Ten Commandments,
they are quite possibly sinfully
proud of it. As Eugene A. Nida
says, “Pride is idolatrous self
worship...Pride deifies self, even
in the guise of humility.”
Many Christians become proud
of what they “know”—doctrines,
creeds, dogmas, and so forth.
They are proud of their knowledge
and disdainful of those who do not
share it. Even if their knowledge
leads them to the doctrinal posi
tion of admitting that, they are sin
ners, they may be proud of know
ing it. That is why Paul, in writing
to the Corinthians says, “If'any
one imagines that he knows some
thing, he does not yet know as he
ought to know” (8:2). I think J.B.
Phillips renders his passage even
more clearly: “For if a man thinks
he ‘knows’ he may still be quite
ignorant of what he ought to
know.”
KNOWLEDGE PUFFS UP
What is it that we “ought to
know?” The answer: how little we
do know. Knowledge should
excellent business opportunity for
fanners with manure to market.
A recent survey of major poultry
producers found Lancaster County
has been sold out of poultry man
ure for several weeks. According
to Leon Ressler, extension envir
onmental agriculture agent, fol
lowing several good marketing
principles will help you success
fully market your manure.
First, promote your product.
Advertise! It is also important to
understand your competition and
be honest about your product’s
advantages and disadvantages.
Manure’s primary advantage is
low cost relative to fertilizer as a
source of crop nutrients. Also,
some of the nitrogen in manure
will be available slowly over time,
supplies micronutrients, adds
organic matter to the soil, and is an
organic fertilizer.
Offering manure test informa
tion to potential buyers is very
important. It is important to start
thinking of manure as a commodi
ty with value and that is worth
managing.
Feather Prof.’s Footnote:
"Leadership is reserved for those
who wish to leave a legacy of
excellence."
make us humble, not proud.
Knowledge brings us closer to the
presence of the living God and
that should produce humility. But.
all too often, as Paul puts it,
"Knowledge puffs up” (8:1b). We
have true knowledge only when it
does not make us conceited.
But love has a different effect
upon us. "Knowledge puffs up,
but love builds up.” We may use
our knowledge to put others down,
but love can only lift them up.
Paul says,“...if one-loves God, one
is known by Him” (Bfif3). Knowing
is always inferior to being “known
by Him.” To be “known by Him”
is to be loved by Him.
LOVE BUILDS UP
The situation to which Paul is
addressing himself in I Corin
thians 8 is hard for us to relate to.
Much of the meat that was used
for offerings in pagan temples
wound up being sold in the mark
et. Some Christians were leery of
eating such meat, because they felt
it was tainted by paganism. Other
Christians said that this pagan
meat didn’t bother them because
to them it was simply food, not
pagan sacrifices. Paul is counsel
ling the Corinthians not to buy and
eat such meat if their example is
likely to cause someone else to be
troubled by their conscience.
I have heard this passage
applied to just about every con
temporary situation and I do not
believe it ought to be rigidly
applied beyond the problem to
which Paul is addressing himself.
To avoid doing anything of which
my neighbor disapproves is not a
solution.
Much more to the point is
Paul’s admonition that can be
applied more widely than the eat
ing of meats sacrificed to idols;
“Only take care lest this liberty of
yours somehow become a stum
bling block to the weak” (8:9).
It is a choice for all of us: to be
puffed up or to build up.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
■ Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Slelnman Enterprise
Hobart Q. Campbell Qanaral Manager
Evaratt R. Nawtwangar Managing Editor
Copyright 1995 by Lancaster Farming