AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 8. 1995
OPINION
The National Holstein Convention held last week in Pittsburgh
was an example of one of the greatest volunteer team efforts we
have seen in a long time. These volunteer Pennylvania Holstein
breeders and officials worked for four years to bring off this
extravaganza.
The coprdination of events, including farm and city tours,
ladies* programs, business meetings, exhibits, and the national
sale, in addition to a complete youth program of events and judg
ing contests in another hotel, called for a staggering amount of
legwork, committee meetings, and individual dedication.
Because the event was so successful, we want to add our con
gratulations to everyone who helped make it possible. To men
tion everyone would be impossible, but here are the convention
committees as taken from the convention booklet:
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
John & Helen Cope, Chaircouple
R. Wayne & Maipne Harpster
Lewis & Barbara Berkley
Jay & Pat Landis
William & Lilly Nichol
TREASURER
Thomas W. Kelly
BANQUET COMMITTEE
Samuel & Beverly Minor, Chaircoup
Stanley & Janice Burkholder
William & Jan Jackson
Lee & Rose Kummer
Joe & Eleanor McCray
John Scott
William & Connie Marteeny
COMMERICAL EXHIBITS
COMMITTEE
Thomas W. Kelly, Chairman
Lloyd & Denise Pease
David & Betty Burket
Howard & Nancy Halstead
Kenneth Mowiy
Steve Mowry
PRE-SALE BUFFET COMMITTEE
Keith & Debbie Decker, Chaircouple
Paul & Penny Lawrence
Mike &. Cindy Weimer
Jim & Dorothy Neely
Charlie & Denise Bean
NATIONAL BOARD SPOUSES
PROGRAM COMMITTEE
DAIRY BAR COMMITTEE Peg Kelly, Chairperson
Teny & Wanda Kuehn, Chaircouple Helen Cope
Rick & Sandy Allen
Robert Graham
Howard & Nancy Halstead
Janet Harding
Jim & Adeena Harteis
James Marburger
Charles Turner
Richard &. Sharon Love
Steve & Donna Quigley
David & Eileen Schuler
Gary Sheppard
John & Connie Will
Elder & June Vogel
From all of the stakeholders in the dairy industry and especial
ly the Holstein cow: thank you for your help to make the rest of
the world welcome in Pennsylvania.
Smula\, ,)iil\ 0
Derry Township Fair, Deny, thru
Pa. Junior. Holstein Judging
Schools, Butler County Hols
tein Club hosts July 10-11, and
Bradford County Holstein Club
hosts July 12-13.
Nutrient Management Planning
Job Well Done
GOLF OUTING COMMITTEE
Jay Landis, Chairman
J. Lloyd Ebersole
Steve Neely
John Kreider
Bob &, Jane Pepple
Fred Strouse
HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE
Laszlo &. Lana Mozes, Chaircouple
Keith & Debbie Decker
James Bates
Arthur & Shirley Moore
Dave & Lois Dowler
Paul & Penny Lawrence
Mark & Marie Canon
Dennis James
Bob & Barb Freyermuth
Lawrence & Dorothy Neely
Shirley Mitcheltree
Arthur Baxter
HOST DAY COMMITTEE
Dean & Melinda Johnson, Chaircouple
John & Judy Grice
Steve & Sandy Haagen
Jim Houser
Dan & Mary Johnson
Maiy Ann Keith
Marcia Minor-Opp
Dave & Kaye Slusser
Tim & Kathy Sturgeon
PRESIDENT’S RECEPTION
COMMITTEE
Lewis Sc Barbara Berkley, Chaircouple
Robert & Jean Taylor
Calvin & Mary Elizabeth Will
Andy Sc Sue Meier
David & Linda Countryman
Obie & Mary Ann Snider
William Sc Corky Conyngham
Don Sc Geraldine Seipt
Dennis &, Penny Reiman
Russell Sc Carol Jones
Software Computer Workshop,
Penn State Field Diagnostic Clin
ics, Rockspring Agronomy
Research Farm, also July 13.
Nutrient Management Seminar,
Sheraton Inn-Harrisburg East,
1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Grazing Field
Day, Delta Springs Farm, Inc.,
Mt. Solon, Va., 6:30 p.m.-8:30
To Register
Century Farms
The Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture is accepting appli
cations for Century Farms.
To qualify as a Century Farm,
the farm must have been owned by
the same family for 100 consecu
tive years. A family member must
live on the farm. Also, the farm
must consist of at least 10 acres of
the original holding or gross more
than $l,OOO annually from the sale
of farm products.
Applications are available from
your local county cooperative
extension office. In Lancaster
County, you may also receive free
assistance in researching your
deed by contacting the extension
office at 394-6851.
Applications from Lancaster
County processed before Oct. 1
will be honored at the Lancaster
County Farm City Banquet on
Nov, 21.
This is an excellent program to
honor farm families and recognize
the importance of family farms to
agriculture. If your farm meets the
criteria for this program, take time
now and fill out the simple two-
p.m.
No-Till Tomato Field Day, Groff
Farm, Holtwood, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Grazing meeting, Dave and Bon
nie Klinger, southern Northum
berland County, 7 p.m.
Pa. Plastic Pesticide Container
Recycling Program, Ivan Lauv
er, Mt. Pleasant Mills, 8:30
a.m.-lO a.m. and Moyer’s
Agway, Middleburg. 10:30
a.m.-l p.m.
Pa. Plastic Pesticide Container
Recycling Program, Mifflin
burg Farmers Exchange, 1:30
p.m.-4 p.m.
Pa. Plastic Pesticide Container
Recycling Program. Martin’s
Feed and Fertilizer, Cobum,
5:30 p.m.-7;30 p.m.
Pa. Composting Assoc. Second
Annual Forum, Doubletree
Club Hotel, Middletown.
Agronomy “Pitstop” meeting,
pesticide credits, Wilcox’s
Fivebrooks Farm, Leroy, 1
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Grazing Field
Day, Red Mill Farm, Crimora,
Va., 9:15 a.m.-3 p.m.
Pa. Junior Holstein Judging
School, Bradford County Hols
tein Club hosts, Troy Fair
grounds. thru July 13.
Passively Aerated Windrow
Method For Composting Field
Day, Paul and Carol Hauser,
Maplewood Farms. Lincoln
University, 6:30 p.m.
Wyoming-Susquehanna Wool
Pool, Kiwanis Wyoming Coun
ty Fairground, Meshoppen, 8
a.m.-ll a.m.
(Turn to Pago All)
page form and assist us in promot
ing agriculture.
To Participate
In Soybean Poll
The USDA will be conducting a
poll of soybean producers to deter
mine if there is interest in conduct
ing a referendum on the conti
nuance of paying refunds under the
Soybean Promotion and Research
Order.
The poll will be conducted at
your county Consolidated Farm
Service Agency (CFSA). This is
your old ASCS office.
Farmers who certify that they
produced soybeans between Sept
1.1991 through June 1,1995 may
participate. The poll will be con
ducted on July 26.
Absentee forms must be
obtained and returned by July 14.
The poll is designed to determine if
refunds will continue to requesting
farmers. If enough people do not
vote for the referendum, the
refunds will discontinue.
Farmers ate now assessed O.S
percent of net market value of soy
beans they market.
'w-N 1 " ,/v
a^sl/
BY LAWRENCE W ALIHOLAE
ffiBIKUt
MEETING THE BEAR
July 9,1995
MEETING THE BEAR
July 9. 1995
Background Scripture:
Amos 4 through 5
Devotional Reading:
Amos 5:6-15
I didn’t choose the text for this
column. As you probably know,
the texts are chosen by an ecu
menical Uniform Lesson Commit
tee.
I point that out only because
this week’s particular background
scripture, Amos 4 and 5, rather
clashes with a piece of mail that
just arrived: an announcement for
a National Day of Prayer Break
fast sponsored by a local religious
foundation. The speaker will be a
national personality known as
both an outstanding athlete and a
Christian. The price of the break
fast is $3O per person.
Even before I opened my Bible,
it struck me that, at $3O per person
for breakfast, there would be a lot
of Christians in this city that could
hardly afford to attend. Are prayer
breakfasts only for the well-heel
ed, I wondered?
WHAT GOD DESPISES
Then, I opened to Amos 4 and 5
and this is what I found: “I hate, I
despise your feasts, and I take not
delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your
burnt offerings ... I will not ac
cept them... Take away from me
the noise of your songs; to the me
lody of your harps I will not lis
ten” (5:21-23). And I couldn’t
help adding, “Lord, what about
prayer breakfasts at $3O a head?”
A rough calculation indicated
they could gross between $15,000
and $50,000. So. I called the spon
soring foundation and asked to
what purpose the funds from the
breakfast would be used. I was
told that htis is the foundation’s
major annual fund-raising event
Foundations have to have money,
I know, and bills have to be paid
for headquarters and staff and all
of that. Still, this is a city in which
there are inadequate shelters for
the homeless, where people go
The Pennsylvania Board of
Finance and Revenue has mailed
liquid fuel tax refund forms to far
mers who have applied for refunds
in the last two years.
Slate law exempts farmers from
a 12 cent per gallon state excise tax
if fuel is used for agriculture.
Claims must include copies of paid
receipts or a statement from your
fuel dealer indicating gallons pur
chased, purchase dates, and verifi
cation that the state excise tax was
paid.
The Board of Finance and
Revenue must receive completed
forms by September 1, 1995. If
you did notreceive a form you may
request one from the Board of
Finance and Revenue. SOOC
Finance Building, Harrisburg PA
17120, (717) 787-6534, or you
may contact your state legislator’s
office.
Feather Prof.’s Footnote:
"Excellence can be yours if you set
your expectations a notch higher
than others."
hungry every day, a community
where the basic needs of children
and youth are not being met, and
so on. Would anything come out
of this event which would allevi
ate some of this human need?
sn
I doubt it, but I hope I’m wrong.
I am not naming die foundation
involved because I do not want to
single them out for criticism.
Among religious organizations
there are lots of “worthy” events
of this nature. There is nothing
wrong with them per se and their
hearts are usually in the right
place. How can you go wrong
touting the National Day of Pray
er?
But, while we do all these
things in the name of God and pre
sumably for his benefit, aren’t we
getting wrapped up in the very
things which divert us from what
he wants of us? “But let justice
roll down like waters; and right
eousness like an ever-flowing
stream” (5:24).
WHAT GOD WANTS
The words “justice” and “right
eousness” are not the words we
speak at prayer breakfasts, convo
cations, rallies and so forth, but
deeds that help those in need. Why
does God condemn Israel? Be
cause they “oppress the poor,”
“crush the needy,” “afflict the
righteous.” and “turn aside the
needy in the gate" (4:1,12).
Read the prophets of the Old
Testament and you will see that
the treatment of the poor, helpless
and needy was always what their
religion was about Read the four
Gospels and you will see that Je
sus sounded the same note
helping the needy, not feasts, as
semblies, or ritual offerings. But
today we would rather hold a
meeting about prayer, than pray
for and help the needy. Holding
meetings may become a substitute
for giving a cup of cold water.
We are not saved by our meet
ings. Depending upon them, says
Amos, it is “as if man fled from a
lion and a bear met him” (5:19).
Look out for the bear!
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stelnman Enterprise
Robert Q. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newawangar Managing Editor
Copyright 1995 by Lancaster Farming
To Apply For
Fuel Tax Refund