AtO-Lancasttr Farndno, Saturday, July 22,1995
OPINION
How does the faim stay as a viable business operation, while
neighbors complain about the odors, the flies, and all the chal
lenges faced by fanners?
A long time ago, a great writer was asked a series of questions
by an interviewer, and he responded, “what makes you so cer
tain there is an answer to every question?”
However, perhaps some answers for farmer/development
situations can be found in the experiences of the fanners inter
viewed for the three-pan series, “Vanishing Acres,” in Lan
caster Faming.
From their stories, it is easy to see there are some solutions to
the challenges of fanning in a heavily urbanized area, or in deal
ing with the pressures of developments as they engulf farmland:
• Talk to your neighbors. Communication should be the top
most consideration. Try .o understand what the problems are
and work with an open mind to coming up with solutions.
• Follow common-sense management strategies. Incoporate
manure by moldboard plowing immediately. Don’t wait to
spread the manure before the urban neighbors’ July 4 picnic.
• Watch what is going on around you. If you believe there are
moves to put developments in near or around your farm, attend
township board meetings. A lack of involvement is the spark
that starts the fire of future problems.
• Use the tried-and-true public relations skills of those who
faced similar situations. Invite the neighbors over for farm tours.
Hand out free sweet com for landowners who border your prop
erty. Do what is necessary to promote the fact that you really do
care about their welfare.
“Entertainment farming” might be the extreme solution to
the problems. For most, it works. At the least, finding out exact
ly who your urban neighbors are and trying to educate them
about farming could go a long way.
Take the experiences of the farmers in the series and put some
of them to use.
New York Beef Field Days, Beef
Teaching and Research Center.
Harford, N.Y.
Farm and Family Independence
Day. Rodale Institute, Rodale
Research Center, Kutzlown, 8
a.m.-5 p.m.
Allegany County 4-H/FFA Lives
tock Sale, Allegany County
Fair, 5 p.m.
Bradford-Sullivan Forest Land
owners Tour of Schrader Creek
Area, meet at Monroe Franklin
School, 9:30 a.m.
York County Beekeepers annual
picnic, John Rudy Park, 1 p.m.
Charolais Educational Seminar
Day, Central Md. Research and
Education CEnter, Clarksville
Shippensburg Community Fair,
Shippensburg, thru July 29.
Westmoreland County Cattle Pro
ducers Picnic, C. Paul Jones
Farm, Blairsville. noon.
Clarion County Fair, New Beth
lehem, thru July 29.
Natural Resource Conservation
School For Youth, Northern
Lancaster County Game and
Fish Protection Association
grounds, thru July 29.
1995 Ag In The Classroom Teach
er Woifcshop, Penn State Uni
versity, University Park, thru
Jefferson Township Fair, Mercer,
thru July 29.
Kimberton Fair, Kimberton, thru
Vanishing Acres
July 29.
Troy Fair, Troy, thru July 29.
Western FFA Dairy Show, Butler
County Fairgrounds, Enon
Valley.
Editor,
I am a subscriber to Lancaster
Farming and have just read the
first part of your 3 part series
entitled “Vanishing Acres.” You
did an excellent job! But I had to
write as I am infuriated by the
behavior of “transplanted”
people!
We are a “transplanted” family.
However I am angered by others
who are so intolerant of our
farmers.
I have beat a farmer-want-to-be
ever since I can remember. My
grandparents had a small farm
from which my grandmother sold
eggs to her neighbors. I have won
derful memories of tractor rides,
feeding chickens and my cousins
and I running among the com. Of
course I was a child then and nev
er realized how much work my
dad did to keep even this small
operation going.
As a teen my family frequently
vacationed on a working dairy
farm in Dauphin County where I
(Turn to Pag* A 27)
To Scout For
Corn Rootwonn
According to Robert Anderson,
extension agronomy agent, a few
hours spent now scouting your
com fields could go a long way in
protecting next year’s com crop*
While the adult rootworm beetle
is not responsible for a large
amount of damage or economical
losses to the com crop, the adult
beetle is much easier to scout for
than is the larvae stage which feeds
on com roots in June.
Helds which should be checked
very carefully are those that show
com plants crooked due to larvae
feeding. These fields should be
checked very carefully for adults.
If you find an average of over 1
beetle per com plant, the number
of larvae which will be feeding
next spring in that field will be suf
ficiently high to cause an econom
ic loss if com is going to be grown
in that field again. If the number of
adult beetles is extremely high,
you may want to rotate to a crop
other than com.
Fields with extremely high adult
beetle numbers may produce so
many larvae even a good insecti
cide program may not control the
larvae sufficiently and could have
an economic impact
The female adult beetle will lay
close to 1,000 eggs. With IS to 20
adults per plant there could be
7,500 to 10,000 larvae per plant
next year.
really learned a lot about the reali
ties of farm issues and what it
takes to keep a farm running. This
only made my desire to raise
children on a farm or at least in the
country among farm folks more
important to me.
We’ve lived her in Lancaster
County for nearly 8 years. By the
grace of God we were able to buy
an older home on a small amount
of acreage in rural Conoy Town
ship from which we feed our fami
ly through the winter and our
daughters leant the value of a little
hard work.
We have a pig farm to our right
and a chicken house to our left and
a dairy behind us and I wouldn’t
change a thing. We love the qual
ity of life and closeness with God
that we are able to give our child
ren. We are in constant awe of
God’s creation and provision here
in the country.
If people wish to transfer to the
XNintry it should be they who
(Turn to Pag* A 27)
To Look At
Rootwonn Control
It could take tome pluming to
have an effective com rootwonn
control program. Most of the soil
insecticides applied at planting
time will do a good job.
However, under normal grow
ing conditions these applications at
planting time will remain effective
for approximately six weeks. The
rootwonn larvae normally hatch in
early June and begin feeding on the
com roots. When corn is planted in
late April or early May, there is a
good possibility dud die soil insec
ticide applied at planting time has
lost its effectiveness before the lar
vae reach their peak feeding time.
Larvae feeding will continue
through early July most years.
When com is planted early, an
alternative to at planting time
application of insecticides should
be considered.
The best control of the root
worm larvae on early planted com
is a sidedress application of an
insecticide along with cultivation
in late May or very early June. An
application near die beginning of
June would be effective until mid-
Julv. which is the peak feeding
BY IAWKINCt W AUHOUM
SBISILS
BENT IN THE WRONG
DIRECTION
July 23,1995
Bent In The Wrong
Direction
July 23, 1995
Background Scripture:
Hosea 11
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 103:6-14
Much 'of the Book of Hosea is
based upon his love for Corner
and shows us that this love which
Hosea has demonstrated in his
own marriage is suggestive of
God’s love for us.
In chapter 11, however, Hosea
changes the analogy from his love
of Comer to the love of a parent
for his children. Some of the most
tender expressions in the Bible are
to be found in this passage; at the
same time it is one of the most
powerful chapters in the Old
Testament
Anyone who is a parent can
appreciate what God is saying
through Hosea. Even the most dis
appointed or heartbroken parent
can identify with the tender love
of God; “When Israel was a child,
I loved him” (11:1). Children are
loved the moment they come into
the world, if not before. There is
no way they can deserve the love
that is poured out to them. It is
given to them as grace, uncondi
tioned love. (I realize that this has
not been the experience of some
children, but I believe it is still the
prevailing one in the world.)
We can appreciate God’s
lament, “The more I called them,
the more they went from me...”
(11:2). What parent hasn’t had
that experience? And we know
that, just because a child ignores
our call, that is no reason to with
draw our love. Do we love our
children any less because they dis
obey us?
The child receives all this love
without being aware of its great
dimensions. Who among us lov
ingly remembers our parents
because they taught us to walk?
Most of us don’t even remember
that experience. And all those
times our parents took us lovingly
in their arms and healed our
hurts—we absorbed all that with-
period for rootworm larvae.
To Cooaider
Adapting Equipment
Most com growers are not
equipped with the type of equip
ment that is needed to make a
sidedress application of an insecti
cide applied to com. It will take
some preparation and planning
time this winter to get ready.
Most granular insecticide appli
cation equipment will work if
mounted on the cultivator, if you
find a way to drive the unit If you
are lucky, you have an electrically
driven unit and not a ground
driven unit on your com planter.
Thus, all you need to do is build a
mounting bracket on the
cultivator.
If your com planter is equipped
with a ground-driven insecticide
units, you will need to mount a
ground drive wheel on the cultiva
tor or buy electric motors for the
units. Time will be needed to get
ready, so plan to work on it this
winter before next spring's rush.
Feather Prof.'s Footnote:
"Excellence can be yours if you
regard adversity as a building
block rather than- a stumbling
block."
out really being aware of the love
we received. No child at any age is
ever truly aware and appreciative
of all the love the parent bestows.
And so it is with God and his
children. How much love each of
us receives every day of our lives
and yet how unaware we are. Like
children, we accept it because we
assume that it is naturally due us.
So, we can appreciate God, saying
of us: “Yet it was I who taught
Ephraim to walk, I took them up
in my arms; but they did not know
that I healed them” (11:3).
Then, like a parent. God’s
mood changes and he is irate over
the way that his children have
treated him. As parents we have
experienced that, too; tenderness
turning to anger. When a child is
very late getting home, you have
probably felt the conflicting emo
tions of worry and anger. And
even when they finally came
home and are 0.k., we can feel
both relief that they are all right
and anger that they made us wor
ry. That is the way it is with God’s
love, too.
In this moment of anxiety, God
says, “My people are bent on turn
ing away from me...” (11:7). So it
is with children. They seem bent
away from us, inclined to do (he
very things that disappoint us and
break our hearts.
But God is tom between his ten
der love and his anger “How can I
give you up, O Ephraim!" (11:6).
Yes, the children of the Lord
deserve to lose his love, deserve
the worst kind of punishment But
his love is stronger than his judge
ment: “I will not execute my fierce
anger, I will not again destroy
Ephraim; for I am God and not
man” (11:9). Men and women
may give in to their anger and
despair, but not God. His love is
divine.
That love redeems us; though
we are bent in the wrong direction,
his love seeks to find us and bend
us beck in the right direction.
IjinpjKtw Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
lE. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Panning, Inc.
ASMnmuiEntuprtoo
Roberta. CampMi Oanaral Managar
Gvcftllß. NuMMnsr Mmmqliiq SdMor
Copyright 1906 by LuiCMttu Fuming
*